Still in Survival Mode

How can someone so little require so much attention? For someone who is supposed to be sleeping around 20 hours a day, we sure spend most of our waking (and sleeping) time focused around caring for this little ball of joy.

Seriously though, we are all doing well. The household is still mostly in survival mode (necessities only – showers can wait). However, we have been able to sneak a few moments of sanity – a family trip to Babies R Us, a walk each evening, a homemade meal, and even an entire movie for Mommy and Daddy! These moments remind us that the world is still rotating outside of our baby cave.

Amy is recovering from her surgery a little more everyday. She can no get in and out of bed and stand up from a chair without help from someone else (which makes a HUGE difference). We have ventured a little farther with each of our evening walks. Tomorrow is the big test for Amy, as I will be going back to work. I know that she will do great taking care of him on her own. Besides, I’m mostly the cheering section anyhow.

Evan is continuing to thrive. While it is not the official pediatrician scale, the lactation consultant weighed him yesterday at 7 pounds, 11 ounces. He is almost back to his birth weight. He continues to eat regularly and make plenty of dirty diapers (which I now know is important). We think that he might be a little confused about daytime and nighttime, but we are working on that flip-flopping the two. Last night, we were actually able to capture three whole hours of uninterrupted sleep! I never thought that three hours would sound like heaven.

Everyday is a learning experience for us. New ways to bath the baby, new ways to hold the baby, and new ways to sooth him to sleep (that’s an important one). I am trying to use every free minute to catch up on my reading of the parenting books. Nothing like a little late night cramming (just like college).

Happy 3rd Anniversary!!

I want to wish my beautiful wife a happy anniversary. It was three years ago today when we exchanged our vows and promised to love and honor each other. I could not be more proud of the family that we have become. Amy and I have an AMAZING marriage and an indissoluble friendship that is the foundation of our marriage.

These past three years have been filled with challenges and joys. We spent the first six months of our marriage commuting between two small houses, unable to move in together due to space limitations. Then, it was off to our first home together…if only for twelve months. After two months of a long distance relationship, we moved into a tiny temporary apartment in Louisville. The crux of our challenges was moving in with my parents (who were gracious to house us) for eight months while we built a new house.

We are finally settling into our new home with the addition of our beautiful baby boy. Things seem to finally be coming together. However, through it all, we have kept our sanity and sense of humor. Our relationship has grown with each of these hurdles and challenges.

I am blessed to share another anniversary with my wife and look forward to many more.

Home at last!

We are all home now and starting to get settled into our routine. Evan is doing excellent! He dropped almost a pound from his birth weight, but he managed to gain 3.2 ounces over the weekend. The doctor hopes to have him back to his birth weight by the time he is two weeks old.

Nothing can quite prepare new parents for the hectic, sleep-deprived routine that ensues once you bring the baby home. Plenty of our friends and family warned us about the tumultuous schedule that newborns necessitate (I often think that they even relish the thought of sharing that pain with someone else…the “sucker effect”). However, the crazy sleep schedules and poopy diapers are all worth it once you hold that little bundle of joy in your arms.

We were fortunate to have Amy’s mother, June, stay with us for the first few days. She helped keep us sane by feeding us, keeping the house clean and the laundry washed. She even gave us a few extra breaks for quick naps. Her extra help really allowed us to settle into our routine rather quickly.

The Rozek Clan (part of them) is visiting now. When we called them with the word that we were ready for Round 2 of guests, they immediately started packing the car and were en route only a few hours later. Needless to say, there is no shortage of arms to hold little Evan. There is currently a waiting list!

Like all other new parents, our schedule now consists of feedings and diaper changes every three hours (until he is back to his birth weight). Because he stays sleepy 90% of the time, the administrative functions of changing and feeding often run at least 60 minutes each time. That leaves less than two hours for sleep. After taking care of a few items for ourselves, we are usually left with about an hour and a half for sleep before it is time to wake and repeat. Short of the military or fraternity hazing routines, I am not sure much can prepare you for this deprivation except parenting itself.

We are still trying to keep up with the pictures and emailing them to friends and family. Unfortunately, we are running a little behind (some things just get triaged). I have managed to post about 60 pictures of Evan on Picasa. When you have a minute, stop and take a look.

Again, thank you for all of the well wishes and supportive comments from our friends and family. They (and Evan’s cute face) are what keeps us going during the waking hours. We cannot wait to get out soon and show him off!

Welcome Baby Evan!!

Evan Bradley Keller is finally here!! And what an entrance he made! He gave us all quite a scare, but more about that later. He entered this world at 7:19pm on July 27, 2009, weighing in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 19 inches long. He has a healthy set of lungs and a FULL head of beautiful long hair. Mom is doing great and recovering from surgery. She is currently learning the art behind breast feeding.

As for the story, yesterday was a fairly relaxing day of entertaining out of town family and waiting for a scheduled doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. Our bags were ready in the car and we were mentally prepared to head to the hospital for an induction, pending the recommendation of the obstetrician. Amy had been enduring contractions throughout the day and hoped to show some progress for the effort.

The doctor was pleased with the progress, although it was less than we had hoped for. However, after consultation, it was decided that we would give Mother Nature one more chance to make things happen naturally over night and we scheduled the induction for the following morning.

Upon returning home, Amy and I went for a short walk down the street and back. Before we continued on further, we stopped by the house for a quick potty break. While I waited with our guests, Amy yelled from the bathroom that she thought her water had broken. It took a quick straw poll from the adults in the room to convince Amy that it was in fact her water breaking and it was finally time to head to the hospital.

On the way to the hospital, Amy maintained a chipper and positive attitude, even laughing between the contractions. Because she was feeling so strong, we opted to skip the expecting mother’s drop-off area and park in the garage. She even walked to registration and later to triage (even during contractions with her water breaking more and running down her legs). We got cleaned up and settled into a bed in triage. The staff ran through their typical admission exam and prepped Amy to move down to a delivery room for the duration.

Out of the blue, Amy’s contraction went from mild (easy for me to say) to completely off the chart. She was uttering phrases that would make a sailor blush. What I had failed to notice is the baby’s heart rate plummeted during the massive contraction. All of a sudden, the door to the tiny waiting triage room flew open and staff started pouring into the room, shouting orders, and taking action. The baby’s heart rate had dropped dangerously low and was not improving.

Within seconds, they started rolling Amy down the hall, straight to the operating room. For me, reality kicked me in the stomach when I heard “OB Operating Room STAT” over the hospital speakers. With those simple words, I knew the severity with which my wife and son were now faced against. As Amy was wheeled towards the operating room, I was directed towards an area to scrub up. I quickly called my sister and said, “There has been a problem. I need for you to get everyone here fast and safe.” She knew from my tone that there was not time to ask questions. She hung up the phone and immediately gathered the troops.

I was told to wait outside of the operating room doors until I was summoned. Staff continued to run in and out of the doors like busy bees. Finally, a doctor stepped out of the operating room and told me to sit down and breath. The baby’s heart rate had returned to normal. We had some time to relax and make some decisions. Our obstetrician was on her way.

I was allowed in to sit with Amy. She was strapped into the operating table and the drape had been placed. She was amazing and brave (probably more so than I was)! Eventually, it was decided that a long traditional labor (which we were probably facing) might continue to stress the baby. Instead, we opted to proceed with the C-section for the safety of the baby and momma.

Before I knew it, I was being told to look over the drape to see my baby boy entering the world. It was a miraculous and spectacular site. His crying voice was an absolute musical sound! As every parent knows, it truly is the miracle of life.

We were blessed with a remarkable staff of caregivers and prayer from God. Just over an hour after we arrived at the hospital parking lot, we were holding our beautiful new son.

As I said before, mom and baby are both doing great. He is asleep in her arms as I finish this posting.

Still waiting...

With less than 14 days left until the official due date, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new baby. I awake every morning amazed that we have slept through another night without having to race off to the hospital. We might be blessed with two more weeks of uninterrupted sleep, or we could soon be sharing our sleeping arrangements with hospital staff, family and hopefully our new son.

Our bags are still packed and waiting by the back door. They have been packed for so long that I occasionally have to dig through them for a phone or laptop charger. The magazine that I brought to read is going to be two months out of date. It will probably have more articles about Michael Jackson!

We have heard countless experiences from friends and families. Everyone has given us great advice for the upcoming challenge. However, it’s like trying to remember the 37 different golf swing instructions in the 0.7 seconds that it takes to whip your arm around. My mind is racing with different recommendations, tips and things to look out for. When is the tarry poop stage? Is it something to fear or is the breast milk poop that follows actually worse? Is it really true that an infant goes through 12 diapers in a single day?

Needless to say, we have a lot more questions than answers. Some day we will be old hands at this foreign process. However, for now, I am going to pick up my expectant father’s book and reread the section on what to expect after the delivery.

Recent Updates & Exciting Times

I have recently been a little remiss in fulfilling my duties as the family communications officer. My photo and blog updates have been absent, to say the least. I hope to post updates more regular now that things are really starting to change for our family.

As the month of June begins to wrap up, we are in full swing of the pregnancy. I believe that today’s count puts us at 35 weeks and 4 days (not that we’re counting). Amy has been AMAZING through out this whole process. Her body (like all expecting mothers) has undergone changes more rapidly than my boxer shorts. Everyday day seems to bring a new aliment or discomfort, often with the strange resolution of a previous symptom. By this point, slip-on shoes are a necessity and dropped items on the floor often remain until more nimble assistance can be offered by someone else.

Though we are still over four weeks away from our due date, we already have our bags packed and by the door. The house is filled with baby supplies, cribs, strollers, and a massive surplus of diapers. Still, I am frantically trying to finish Chapter 23 – What to Expect When You Bring Your Baby Home. The speed dial on our phones have been preprogrammed to Dial-A-Mom for that late night guidance on how to get the baby back to sleep. At this point, I feel like the soldier in basic training standing in the open doorway of the C-130 with a parachute in hand. I am scared to death to jump out that door, but there is no turning back now.

Fortunately, we are pretty well established in our new home. Most of the boxes have been unpacked (or at least stored in the basement) and the decorations are starting to appear on the walls. The baby’s room is finally painted and already furnished. With a few minor exceptions, the house is fully functional. We have already hosted out of town family on three separate weekends! With Amy’s large family, the guest rooms have really come in handy.

This is an extremely exciting (and often overwhelming) time for us. On top of our first pregnancy and the new house, we are still getting settled in a new city. Living in the temporary apartment and the parent’s house somewhat stagnated our ability to settle down and meet people. Additionally, both of our careers have limited our social and play time. Needless to say, like everyone else, we are encountering a shortage of functioning hours in the day. From what I am told, with a new baby at home we will soon sacrifice our sleep hours, too.

As always, we are so thankful for the support and blessings from all of our friends and family during this time of excitement and change. I cannot imagine undertaking this adventure without the help of those close to us.

I look forward to the day when I can post a picture of our newborn son on this blog!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

So many thoughts are racing through my head right now. Baseballs, dinosaurs, fire trucks, Legos, robots, Hot Wheels. What will he like to play with? Camping! Is it too early to think about taking him camping? How are we going to teach him how to ski when we live in Kentucky? Is his mom going to have to show him how to throw a better spiral than his dad? Is $1.00 still the going rate for the Tooth Fairy? I know that I am getting ahead of myself, but there are so many questions flooding through my mind.

Yesterday afternoon at 1:05 pm, I met my new son for the first time. Yes, son…we’re having a boy!! Wow, I am still beaming with pride, excitement, and relief. After a health scare (which put both of us through the emotional ringer), we went to the hospital for an unscheduled sonogram. According to the doctors, he is a very photogenic, healthy baby boy (and not shy about it).

After getting past the scary analysis part of the exam, we were able to watch as our son practiced the Running Man Dance in Amy’s belly. I’m please to say that he appears to be blessed with his mother’s rhythm.

As I sit in my office, I cannot stop staring at the sonogram picture of my beautiful baby boy. I cannot wait to meet him and hold him for the first time. The camping and Legos will come soon enough, but for now, I continue to pray for the health of momma and baby.