syler is 3 months old!!!

Today, Syler is 3 months old.... It has been a wonderful 3 months! We have had no doctor appointments or visits to any specialist. So, what has been going on? Syler is doing well. He is still eating like a champ. He has actually been eating a little more lately, which is possibly due to a 3 month growth spurt (doctor said this would happen). We know that he has gained more weight, and we are looking forward to going to the doctors to see just how much. Again, his arm is doing wonderfully. Nothing but improvements there. We go back to the neurologist November 20 for our last appointment. His belly button has made huge improvements this past month. It is actually starting to look like a normal belly button. It seems to be healing faster than what I had expected, which is great. Hoping that it is completely healed by the time he is 3 so we can avoid surgery. I think his belly button will be completely healed by then though.

Syler is definitely fitting into 3 month old cloths now..... Thanks to all his chub rolls. He was actually fitting in to some 3 month old cloths a few weeks back. I have been slowly putting away his newborn and 0-3 month old cloths, which has brought back some memories, especially his newborn cloths. I look at them and can't believe he was that tiny and actually fit into them. Syler continues to LOVE his bouncer. He still spends a majority of his sleeping time in his bouncer, but he also has spent a good amount of time in his new bassinet (Thank you Susie!!!). He seems to like that better than his crib. So we are slowly working to get him to sleep only in the bassinet, which is going well. Syler doesn't mind taking baths now, since I have been using his infant bath tub. He still doesn't like to have his hair wash, but the whole bath experience has improved. The first time I use the bath tub (since the very first time, the first day he was home and he HATED it), I put him in the water and he almost started to cry, but then it looked like he had the thought of, "Hmmmm, wait, this isn't that bad". Then he just chilled. He seems to react this way when I first put him in the tub. So that is an improvement.

We are continuing to work on a schedule/routine. I have noticed this past months that Syler is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time as well as sleeping for longer periods on time too. He is getting better about decreasing his sleep during the day. We currently take a morning nap and then a few afternoon/evening naps. He still goes to bed late, but anything is better than him staying awake until 2:30-3 in the morning. So I think we are slowly getting the hang of some kind of routine. Syler enjoys playing on his baby gym, but continues to hate tummy time..... He seems to be more alert and interested when I read books to him, which is pretty cool. I also love how is able to track us, while sitting in his bouncer. I could be walking around in the kitchen putting dishes away and he just happily watches while I do so. His dancing has improved. What I mean by that is his body movements. He is moving his arms and legs in a more coordinated fashion, and he is constantly swinging his arms around and kicking his legs.

One of the best parts from this past month has been the increase in talking. Miguel and I are hearing a lot more oo's, ahh's, coo's, gurgles, laughter, howoo's, and the best part of it all is that he will have conversations with us. He will mimic the noises we make, or we go back and forth making noises as each other. TOO CUTE! Another best part is the increase in smiling. Syler smiles as soon as he see his mommy or daddy, which is just awesome.. He even instantly smiles when he hears one of us. He just smiles all the time. I love his toothless smile! Syler also enjoys sucking on the side of his fist (the side with the thumb). He still hasn't figured out how to suck on his thumb, so he just sucks on his fist instead. It is too funny. Another wicked cute thing, which will be dangerous when he gets older, is his super cute pouty face!!! OMG, I love it! I laugh and give in every time he does it. SO CUTE! Overall, Syler continues to be a very happy baby and we are looking forward to what this month has in store for us all.

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Hi everyone!! Just wanted to share some cute pictures of Syler's 1st Halloween!!! Enjoy!

Sporting a devil headband the night before Halloween.


Syler's first "halloween costume." Thanks Auntie Kim and Auntie Melissa!!!






Syler's 1st pumkpin curtesy of Auntie Kim...





Happy Halloween!!!!!!

Doctor's Appt # 3

Today, Miguel and I took Syler to the doctors for his 2 month Child Wellness Exam and his vaccines. Well, things are looking really good. Syler weighs 12 lbs 3.5 ounces. He is 23 inches long and his head circumference is 15 inches. His doctor says Syler is right on target; he is average in all areas. We also had the doctor look at Syler's belly button again (because it still weirds us out). The doc says that his belly button is going to stick out like it does for a very long time. Possibly until he is 3 or 4 years old. He again reiterated that as long as we can push his belly button back in he is okay. But, the doc also said that he will most likely have to have corrective surgery later on in life (again around age 3 or 4). We will continue to keep an eye on his belly button. To be honest, it is really hard not to keep an eye on it. It is huge and sticks out so far.

Anyways, Syler received his first round of vaccinations. This wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be (with the idea that people say "Its harder for the parents than the child"). Well, I think this was harder for Syler than for us. Granted, it was not pleasant to see Syler in pain and cry as much or as hard as he did, but it wasn't too bad. So, Syler's doc came in first with bubble gum flavored mortin, which is suppose to help with the pain afterwards. Then the 'evil' nurse came in to give Syler 3 shots and a oral medicine. She did the oral medicine first. Syler drank it all down and then within a minute he threw it ALL up and then some. So that wasn't pleasant. Then came the shots. He took 2 shots in the right thigh, and he cried at the administration of both. But, it wasn't until the 3rd shot did Syler cry the hardest. This shot was in the left thigh and as soon as she put the needle in Syler's face became extremely red, mouth wide open but no sounds. Then seconds later, he wailed so loud it was heart breaking. Afterwards, he was comforted by Mom and Dad and his teddy bear (seen in the picture).

So, all in all it was a good doctors visit and Mom and Dad are doing a great job!

Syler is 2 months old!!!!!!!!!

So, today Syler is 2 months old. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! This past month has been wonderful. We have seen many changes in Syler. He is smiling more, which is wonderful. He smiles at the sound of mommy and daddy's voices, if we smile at him or do silly things, or just because he is happy. He is a very happy baby. The best thing is when he wakes up in the morning and he is laying on the changing table just smiling up at me. Its the BEST! He is also starting to talk more, which is great. We are hearing a lot of coo's, ah's, gurgles and giggles, which are all just precious.

We are currently working on a routine/schedule for the day (implementing naps during the day), which we hope will help with sleeping at night. The beginning of the month Syler would sleep all day and stay up all night long and he was difficult to put to bed, which made this very difficult for Miguel since he takes the night shift. I first started implementing the routine about 2 weeks ago and Syler would have good and bad days/nights. But, over the past couple of nights he has been sleeping much better. He wakes up to eat and then will goes right back to bed. This has been great for Miguel...

Syler is also staying up a lot more during the day, which is nice because I/we get to play with him. He spends time playing on his baby gym, tummy time, reading with mommy, listening to music or just hanging out. He also LOVES his bouncer!!!! This is great because we have been using this a lot to get him to sleep at night (on the bad nights). I also put him in his bounces when I have things I need to get done around the house.

As for Syler's health and wellness, he is doing great! His left arm is great. Its like he never even had a problem. We go back to the neurologist in November for our last check up. Syler continues to eat like a champ. His food intake has been slowly increasing. So, no worries there. We can tell that he has gained more weight since our last doctors appointment (a month ago). We go to the doctors on Tuesday so we will get new weight and measurements. Miguel measured Syler's height this morning, and he is measuring at 23 inches (give or take). Syler is also starting to fit into 3 months old cloths. I can't believe that..... He is getting so big and is starting to get chub rolls, which is too cute and I love. One thing that we are not looking forward to at the doctor's appointment on Tuesday is Syler getting his first round of vaccine shots... I have been reading up on the vaccines, but it doesn't make that fact that he is going to be pricked with needles any easier.

I will post after our doctor's appointment on Tuesday!!!!

Pictures

Syler: 6 wks 2 days old. Loving his bouncer.

The family (minus daddy).

So tired from a very busy day.

Momma loving Syler.

Doctor's Appt # 2-Syler

Syler went to the doctors today for his second 'Child Wellness Exam' and it went great!!!! Syler weigh in at 10 lbs 9 ozs. He has gained 4 pounds since he has left the hospital. He is currently 22 inches long. He grew 4 inches since August 14th. His head circumference is 14.5. The doctor stated that he is where he should be, and he has caught up so now he will not be behind when it comes to meeting milestones and what not. The doctor checked his eyes, legs and hips, and all are fine. The one thing that is of some concern is that Syler has an Umbilical Hernia, causing his belly button to stick out about a half inch. The doctor stated that at this time it is nothing to worry about as long as we can push his belly button back in. But, if it comes to the point where we are not able to push his belly button back in he may need surgery. So, for now, we just keep an eye on it. Other than that, Syler is happy and healthy!!!!!!!!!!! Our next appointment is the 2nd week of October and that is when Syler starts his rounds of vaccine shots. Kind of not looking forward to that.

Labor & Delivery

LABOR & DELIVERY

Per request of a great friend, here is the story of my labor and deliver (pace yourself: its kind of on the long side)

Friday July 31: It was a normal day. I woke up around the same time Miguel does. I putzed around, ate breakfast, then went to hang out in the bedroom with Max and watch tv on my laptop. Around 10-10:30 I started to have contractions. I didn't think anything of it. Just thought the contractions were braxton hicks contractions. So, just out of curiousity and a little bit of concern (just in case they were the "real" thing) I started timing my contractions. Throughout the whole day the contractions were very inconsistent; far apart and not very long. Come later that night, the contractions started getting close together, but were still somewhat short,which kind of concerned me a little more, but not really. I was still thinking they were braxton hicks contractions. So, when Miguel got home, I gently broke the news to him. He seemed a little concerned but not really. He too, just thought they were the "fake" contractions. He asked me how the contractions fell on a pain scale of 1-10, and I said about 2 or 3. So, I kepted track of my contractions until about 3 a.m., when I fell asleep. I woke up early the next morning because I was very excited about my baby shower later that day.

Saturday August 1st-2nd: So, like I said. I woke up early (without an alarm) because I was very excited about my baby shower. I woke up, ate breakfast, showered, got dressed and waited for my Yaya's to arrive. During that whole time I had no contractions. It wasn't until we started driving to Adams I started having contractions, which was around 10 a.m. (On a side note, I spoke to my sister-in-law, explained to her what was going on and she too thought it was braxton hicks). So as soon as I felt the first contraction, I started timing. This concerned me a little bit, because I didn't know braxton hicks lasted a couple of days; this being day 2. I timed the contractions all the way to Adams, which was an hour and fifteen minutes away. Once at my brother & sister-in-law's house I stopped timing but paid close attention to the contractions all day. As the day progressed, the contractions got stronger, but I didn't tell anybody. I started paying more attention to the contractions when the shower was over because they felt even stronger. After the shower was over and a few of us were still hanging around the house, I decided to go to the bathroom. This may be a little TMI for some of you, but when I looked at my panties I noticed that there was a light brownish mucus discharge. The "plug" as they called it in lamaze class. This was around 6-6:30ish. By 6:30-6:45, my contractions were becoming more and more uncomfortable. At this point I told Miguel we needed to leave. So we left my dad's house around 7ish. As soon as I got in the truck and we started driving, I started timing my contractions. My contractions were about 6 to 7 minutes apart and were lasting about 30-40 seconds. Miguel asked me what the pain scale was and I said 5-6.

The drive home seemed long and fast all at the same time. So, as the hour and fifteen minutes past, the contractions got closer and closer together and lasting long. By the time we got to Chicopee, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting 50-60 seconds. So we were pasted the 5-1-1 (contractions being 5 minutes apart for 1 minute long for 1 hour). So, Miguel and I decided that as soon as we got home, I would call the hospital and while I called he would unload the truck just incase they wanted us to come to the hospital, which they did. I called, explained to the midwife what I was feeling, how far apart the contractions were, the 'plug' situation and she asked that we come to the hospital.

Once at the hospital (around 8:30 p.m.), we registered and they brought us to a room. I put on a gown and they put two fetal monitors on me; one to monitor the baby's heart beat and the other to register/monitor the strength of my contractions. After explaining to the nurse and the midwife my contractions, which were in my lower stomach/pelvis area, they told me that it is most likely cramping from not drinking enough water during the hot summer day, but they wanted to keep me there to monitor me for a little while. Well, while there, my contractions were getting worse. So the midwife decided to do an internal exam. Well to our surprise, I was 3 centimeters dialated and 80% effaced. I looked at the nurse and said "WHAT!!!!!" and Miguel's jaw dropped to the floor. After it registered in his head he asked the midwife "This is it, we are going to have a baby?!?!?" She said yes, check to make see if she could feel the baby's head (and she could), then said that we were going to be admitted and moved to the birthing unit upstairs. By this time, Miguel has been making phone calls, had a mass text going, and 3 of the 4 Yaya's were sitting in the waiting room. Also, by the time we were moved upstairs, my contractions were so painful, I was squeezing Migule's hand hard and clenching the bed sheets hard also.

As soon as we were upstairs (around 10 p.m.), the LOVELY anesthesiologist gave me an epidural, and within seconds I was pain free! The anesthesiologist was my new bestfriend! Miguel and the nurses would watch the contractions on the monitor and ask if I felt anything and I said "nope" and they were surprised because looking at the monitor I guess they were severe contractions. So now we waited. My Yaya's hung out with us until about 1-1:30. Around 3ish my water broke. The midwife checked me around 5ish and I was 6-7 centimeters dialated 100% effaced. Miguel and I tried to sleep, but how can they expect you to sleep, seriously. Our friends and family showed up around 7-7:30 a.m. and hung out with us for a while. Later that morning around 8:30 the midwife checked me again and I was 10 centimeters. She explained to me that once I feel like I want to have a bowel movement then it is time to go. For about the next hour we hung out, joked and laughed with our friends. At about 9:15-9:20 I called the nurse and told her it was time! Our friend left, the midwife & nurses all came in with their equipment, the midwife told Miguel to grab a leg, and I started pushing at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday August 2nd: So the excitement began at 9:30. All our friends and family were standing right outside my door (a little awkward). So I am pushing and pushing. First thing I thought of was "This isn't too bad. It doesn't really hurt all that much!" It took me a little bit to get the hang of the whole pushing thing (if that makes scense). After about 45 minutes of pushing I was getting frustrated. I felt like I was not making any progress. I didn't really feel the baby moving. Miguel, the nurses and my midwife were all encouraging me, then I got it, and I new I did because my midwife got excited. So, I was pushing, pushing, pushing... All of a sudden my midwife says that the head was crowning. She said "I can see his hair." She told Miguel to look, he did but wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. He thought that she only did that to encourage me to push harder. Also, about 45 minutes in I was extremely hot, sweating REALLY bad and felt like I was going to pass out. So, Miguel and my midwife started putting very cold wash cloths on my forehead and chest, and boy did that feel GOOD! Also, every time I would push, I would get a sharp shooting pain across the left side of my chest, which made it a little more difficult to push because it was painful.

Okay, so an hour has past and I am thinking to myself "I'm not sure how much longer I can do this." It wasn't the pain that made me want to stop. It was me being extremely hot and the pain in my chest. Honestly, my contractions were more painful than labor pain (I'm sure the epidural had something to do with that :-) All of a sudden, I felt Syler's head pop out a little more and everyone started getting excited. I wasn't allowed to put my legs down, so that is another way I knew I was close. My midwife asked it I wanted to touch the head and I said "NO" (I felt bad about kind of yelling at her. I just wanted my baby out). The excitement in Miguel's voice when he was telling me to push and helping me breathing, made me push harder, and that is when I started grunting and screaming louder. Up to this point I was quiet. The NICU nurses started getting ready. My midwife started getting her things ready. After twenty more minutes of me pushing, Miguel coaching, and my midwife helping scretch my vagina, out came SYLER!!!!

He was wisked away to the NICU nurses. They did what they had to do; got him breathing with a little assistance, did his apgar scores, and wrapped him up. Miguel cried, paced back and forth between Syler and me, yelled to our friends and family in the hallway "IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (you heard lots of cheering), and got to cut the ambilical cord. While Miguel was doing all that, I was patiently waiting for my placenta to be delivered, which took about nother 8-10 minutes. While I was waiting for that, I just watched Miguel, which was one of the best things. Seeing him so beyond excited was priceless. Then NICU nurses brought Syler over to me for a quick kiss and wisked him away to the NICU.