As February closes....

What a month! It started with bedrest, there was labor and delivery in the middle, and all 3 members of the household had a birthday. The month ends quietly today, and here are a few pictures from the past few days.

Cleo is 4 years old and lives next door; she has really enjoyed welcoming Jadyn to the neighborhood.


Thursday morning we woke to 2-3" of snow on the ground -- it melted by mid-afternoon with the bright sunshine and temps in the 40's, but it was pretty while it lasted. These are Jadyn's first out-of-the womb snow pictures!



And in the past few days we have noticed that Jadyn is fascinated by staring out the bedroom window when sunny weather grabs her attention.



However, Jadyn spends most of her time each day sleeping or just hanging out. Adorably, for sure!

Jadyn's Second Week

Jadyn's second pediatrician appointment was today. She has gained a whole pound in the last 8 days, and more than an inch in length since birth. !!! The doctor thought she might be in a growth spurt, trying to make up for her smaller size at birth. We are thrilled to know that she has been feeding enough to grow so much in such a short time. Jadyn has also been cleared for some supervised 'tummy time,' and next week we can try pumping some breast milk and introducing her to a bottle for a few minutes a couple of times a week. Progress!

For the most part, Jadyn is a pretty consistent baby. Her parents are pleased that she is a good eater and a good sleeper. She isn't such a great burper, however, which leads to some periods of fussiness. But for the most part, Jadyn has been very easy-going. (We're waiting for a really bad day, as we know such a thing is bound to happen, but so far she's been very good.) Jenny is feeling much better this week and even made it out to the bank and grocery store with Jadyn today. Hopefully it won't be long and, weather permitting, the two ladies of the house will be out for walks in the neighborhood.

Over the weekend the excitement was Aunt Julie's visit, a quick trip to the Burgermaster to meet Uncle Harvey and Clarke, and Jeff's birthday. See pictures of these lovely people with Jadyn and a few other fun photos below.

Jadyn with Aunt Julie (and Bryon, too)




4 generations of the Oster bloodline at the Burgermaster right here in Seattle!


Celebrating Jeff's birthday when Ed and Marcela dropped by



Skin to skin with DaddyJ



A few more cute photos....



Gumby


Tiny fingers


Sleepy Jadyn

More pictures!

We all came home from the hospital on Saturday, and we are adjusting quickly to a life centered around Jadyn's needs, which at this point are mostly feedings, diaper changes, and naps. Today Jadyn had another car ride to her first pediatrician appointment. She weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces (it's common for babies to lose weight after birth, and then regain it again once Mom's milk starts flowing), and it would have been a bit higher if she hadn't had a huge poop right before she was placed on the scale. That was a truly memorable moment for Mom and Dad. (P)Oops! Dr. Nyweide was great, and we left with reassurances that Jadyn looks very healthy and that we're adjusting well, too.

The only concern that was addressed is Jadyn's slightly yellow skin. She had quite a bruise on her scalp from her fast trip down the birth canal, and such a bruise can contribute to a higher bilirubin level. (Too high a bilirubin level can result in jaundice, the treatment for which is light therapy, via a "bili-bed," to help her metabolize the excess bilirubin.) Her first bilirubin reading in the hospital was within the normal range, and a second blood draw today also put her bilirubin level in the normal range for her age. And so the doctor says we are about out of the woods on the possibility of jaundice. We'll see the pediatrician again next week for another "regular" visit, and expect all the yellow tinge in the skin on her face to be cleared up.

Jeff has taken some time off work to enjoy his first days as Dad, go-to guy for both Jenny and Jadyn. Many friends have stopped by to meet Jadyn and/or drop off gifts/food for us. Thank you all so much for sharing in this special time with us! We have been asked to post more pictures to the blog, and that's easy for these smitten parents to do. We have been taking pictures everyday, and here are some of the better ones.

Introducing Jadyn Laveglia King

Little BabyJ decided to crash Jenny's 40th birthday.... Just after 4 pm Jenny was gearing up for a special birthday dinner night out with Jeff and a few friends when her water broke. It took about an hour before contractions became all consuming, and then we were at the hospital around 6.15. Triage immediately sent us to a birthing room ("looks like we've got a hot one here!"), and then there was a shift change at 7.00, so things were a little chaotic for awhile. Jenny's labor was fast and hard, with little breaks between contractions and excruciating back pain. We found out at the end of the ordeal that the back pain was due to the baby's occiput posterior position -- the hard skull bone pressing on my lower spine/tail bone. This presentation is also called OP or "sunnyside up." Thankfully the doctor and nurse didn't state that plainly to laboring Jenny, and this quiet omission allowed us the chance to stick with our original birth plan to avoid pain medications.

With an efficiency that surprised everyone involved, by about 8.45 Jenny was in transition, and around 9.15 or so she started pushing. At 10.19 BabyJ joined us for good. Jeff cut the cord, and after BabyJ was suctioned so that she could properly cry and the products of her first potty break were cleaned up, she laid on Jenny's chest for awhile so we could hold her and love her. She weighed 6 pounds and 4 ounces and measured 18.5" long at birth. Her ultrasound on Feb. 3rd predicted a weight at that time of 6 pounds and 13 ounces, so now we really appreciate the margin of error the doctors were concerned about. She is a very strong individual, having endured the fast, hard labor with ease (and a major cone head), and so far she has been fairly quiet and quite a love bug. Jeff and Jenny fell in love with her immediately.

There were three unusual occurrences with this birth: Jenny's water broke spontaneously, before true labor contractions began; the labor was only about 6 hours, a near miracle for a first baby; and Jenny made it through the horrible back pain without any pain meds. With all we have been through in the past 6 weeks, we feel truly lucky and so incredibly blessed. We all collapsed from the day's events and true physical exhaustion some time after 2 a.m., and this morning we named her Jadyn Laveglia King. Here are some pictures of the proud parents and one the world's newest citizens.

The Final Countdown

This morning brought flurries of snow and our final doctor's office check up for this journey through pregnancy. We first spent some time on the fetal monitor, where BabyJ looked like a strong, healthy little girl, like usual. As she has grown, her kicks have become more forceful and obvious to everyone around her; as soon as the heartrate and movement sensors were held in place on my belly with the elastic straps, she kicked like crazy in protest from the tension (or maybe she was just showing off). These kicks were clearly visible to Jeff and the nurse strapping me in! I had several obvious contractions during the monitoring session, and though they aren't really painful, they are different in quality than they were a couple of weeks ago. It's hard to explain exactly what I mean, but I'll try.... Though they are still sporadic and unorganized, they seem to have more intention and purpose to them, and instead of the tension being mainly located "up high" (= above the navel and below the ribs), I am now feeling the tightenings more globally in the abdominal region. I take this as a good sign, and hopefully these warm-up exercises for my uterus are continuing to set the stage for a normal, natural birth. We'll see!

The doctor talked with us for awhile about how we'd like to proceed from here, if I don't go into labor on my own. We agreed to tentatively schedule an induction for next Tuesday or Wednesday (which day depends on how busy the birthing suites are next Tuesday). However, she does not believe we'll need to worry about inducing -- she thinks my body is ready for labor, possibly as early as later today. Yikes! She made this proclamation after assessing my effacement and dilation, both of which have advanced markedly from last week's appointment. So we are really in the final countdown to meeting our daughter, with no more than 8 days from now to go. Who knows, maybe she'll beat the odds and arrive on her due date, tomorrow!

We've prepared our home as thoroughly as we can for BabyJ's arrival, and our bags for the hospital are also ready to go. Check back here soon for BabyJ's first photos outside of the womb.

!!!

Back to a "Normal Pregnancy"

I am just back from today's round of appointments. We have nothing but good news to share today! Little BabyJ measured in the 13th percentile this morning, with normal amniotic fluid levels surrounding her and normal blood flows in all the right places. The measurements predict her at 6 pounds, 13 ounces today, with 7 pounds, 12 ounces being average at this gestational age. (The report's 'fine print' noted that 80% of measurements are within 10% of the baby's true size, and 98% of measurements are within 20%.) The doctor forewent the fetal monitoring for today because the US growth measurements were so positive. I didn't gain any more weight since last week, and my fundal height increased only about a 1/2 cm, so I am still way behind on exterior size. But the doctor has evidence of growth from the US, which supersedes any exterior measurement and so she is not concerned with the low fundal height measurement. Today's technician took some extra time to get us a couple of wonderful 3D images of baby's face. I hope you all can make out her features clearly with this photo:

We see chubby cheeks and possibly Jeff's nose. This will likely be our last US photo of any kind, and it's so nice for us to have such a great last in utero photo to tide us over until we meet her!

So, what's the prognosis? Well, a size measurement at or above the 10th percentile is considered "normal," and Dr. F. remarked that we can go back to considering this a "normal pregnancy." Yay! However, she cautions me against going back to "normal activity." She suspects BabyJ is growing above the 2nd percentile expectations from 5 weeks ago due to my decreased activity level. So getting "out" is OK, but door-to-door service is ideal. Driving myself to a yoga class is OK, but I need to lay low on the mat and stretch, meditate, and relax -- I shouldn't do the entire asana practice. I still intend to stay off my feet for much of the day while I am at home, nap when I am tired, and lay in bed for a good 8 or more hours a night. Realistically, I can go into labor at any time now, and the best way for me to help all of us is to be well-rested and mentally-prepared for the event, whenever it begins.

The due date at 40 weeks is officially next Wednesday, the 11th, and Dr. F. wants to have a plan for when to get the ball rolling if I don't go into labor myself by the 18th (=41 weeks). We'll have that discussion at our appointment next Tuesday morning. However, today she did say that while it's medically best for me to go into labor on my own, her feeling is to induce by 41 1/2 weeks rather than wait until 42 weeks to induce. But this discussion is moot if BabyJ chooses to make her entrance in the next week or two, so Jeff and I drove away with the hope that nature takes matters into her own hands sometime soon.

The weather in Seattle was gorgeous yesterday and is so again today, with clear skies and temperatures around 50. The sun is out, and yesterday afternoon I sat outside with my laptop, emailing students on and off, while Jeff and some generous neighbors spent a little time pulling dead plants and sprouting weeds from our front yard. Thanks to our wonderful neighbors for being so supportive! My special treat today is a trip to the East side. A colleague will transport me to campus, where I can attend a meeting (some semblance of normalcy, and yes, I will be seated the entire time), possibly rest in my office for a bit, and then head off to dinner with other colleagues and a beloved Nigerian environmentalist with BCC ties who just so happens to be in town this week. So attending this dinner is very special indeed.

Thankfully, the stress of wondering if BabyJ is big enough is finally over, and I can move around a little bit more without feeling too guilty. We know we will meet our daughter soon, which is simultaneously very exciting and a little scary. But we are ready! We really appreciate everyone's positive thoughts, well wishes, caring gestures, and offers of help. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for everything!

Super Belly Sunday

For those of you who have not seen Jenny lately, here is some visual proof that she has gotten bigger over the last month. Officially, she is 38 1/2 weeks along in this picture. (The due date of 2/11 is at 40 weeks exactly.) Compare this photo with one posted about three months ago (in the November posting '25 Weeks and Counting'). !!!

Below you'll see some of the things we've set up around the house in preparation for BabyJ. We'll enjoy keeping an eye on the Super Bowl on this Super Belly Sunday. ;-) With another growth ultrasound set for Tuesday morning and Jenny getting more uncomfortable with each passing day, we realize we are waiting out the calm before the storm, so to speak. And now that January has come and gone, we are certain to add another February birthday to our little family.