Officially On Our Own

More than two weeks have already passed since Bode was born...it has gone SO fast.  We were truly blessed with tons of help and company from my parents and Dane's parents and now since this past Monday morning, we are now on our own...and it's going just fine.  Bode is just the best baby so far, only crying when he's hungry, sleeping a ton, and being just a happy boy when he is awake.  And boy is he fun to cuddle with...  Eben continues to be a great sleeper, so I get plenty of Bode cuddle time in, as well as a nap every day if I want.  I am REALLY enjoying having a little newborn around again...much more than I thought I would.  The sleep deprivation isn't getting to me as much this time and taking care of him is a piece of cake.  When I now have a toddler to compare him to, a newborn is SO easy. 

And for some pictures because I can't have a post without them:

 On Dane's only day off when his parents were in town, we went to Frankenmuth, MI - a Bavarian German town about an hour north of us.  Family pic - Bode is hiding in the Bjorn.

 They have a giant Christmas store called Bronners.  Check it out online if you are looking for a special ornament because they have every kind you could ever imagine.

 Proud Grandparents :)

So the blog title just had to change...  I couldn't handle it saying "Eben and Us" for any longer because it was lying to everyone.  So, for now, "Fantastic Four" is the title until I come up with something better :)  This title fits because, well obviously, there are four of us and we are fantastic ;) and because of the comic book reference shout out to Dane.  Our little superhero family...now we just have to work on acquiring those super powers...any ideas?

Here are some pics I did of Bode a few days ago...wasn't as happy with them, but I learned a lot from doing this shoot. Here are a few of my favorites.

Our little Bode Declan! A Birth Story...

It's a BOY! Bode Declan (pronounced BO-dee...it's the German spelling...phonetically similar to "Kobe" which is a name Kobe Bryant ruined BTW) arrived Monday, March 14th (PI Day and Albert Einstein's Birthday) at 2:32pm via c-section at 7 pounds 8 ounces and 20 1/4 inches.  Bode and I are doing just fine, but it was a scarier experience than I was expecting.

The Anesthesia resident physician doing my epidural had troubles getting it in - failing once and then apparently failing the second time.  While they were waiting for the second attempt to start doing it's job, I started to get light headed, my blood pressure started to get very low, and poor little Bode's heart rate started plummeting (I looked when it was at 73 and usually he was in the 150-160 range).  Everyone started to move a lot faster in the room and talking about the possibility of putting me all the way under.  They debated a bunch, checking to see if the epidural had worked, and suddenly decided general was the best way to give us both a good chance to get out of this okay.

So, I was out.  Certainly not the way I hoped to experience this birth.  I didn't get to hear Bode's first cries, I didn't get to get see our baby enter this world or get any pictures of this precious moment, and worst of all I didn't get to hear, "It's a BOY!" from my husband...a moment I was REALLY looking forward to...a moment that was supposed to make all the time spent waiting to know worth it.  Instead, I was incredibly doped up when I woke, was told by someone (not sure who) that it was a boy...then, I wasn't sure if I dreamed it or not, so I had to ask minutes later in my "drunken" state if I indeed had a boy.  (I am going to call the hospital about this requesting that they have a policy that says that the dad tell the mom what the sex was of the baby...it was disappointing that he wasn't the one who told me).  Also, I had a husband who was worried sick about both of us, wondering how severe this all was and if he will be walking out of the hospital with his full family...most of the time it's harder knowing so much about medicine because he knows what can go wrong and that if they won't let him in the room, it's serious.

 Although things did not go nearly as planned, all went very well in the end.  Bode's APGAR score was 9 and 9, my vitals were great once they put me under and the surgery went very smooth... and we have had no issues since.  I am unbelievable thankful.

How is it going getting to know Bode?  It's going quite well.  Being a mom the second time around is easier so far.  I just feel so much more relaxed and I actually kind of know what I am doing this time around.  Bode seems to be a sweetheart so far and he is looking more and more like Eben did as a newborn as time passes.  The only unfortunate thing is the poor little guy developed a rash on his face and body immediately following birth, but luckily it is already almost gone.  The best news is that nursing is going pretty well - which is something that Eben failed miserably at (I am sure I was to blame too though!).  Although I have been dealing with horrible engorgement, pain, and bleeding, Bode is latching well and once I get through this tough spot, things should be great.  (Seriously, nursing is so unnaturally difficult and uncomfortable for a while - what did people do centuries ago without pumps, lactation consultants, and Lanolin!?)  So, it looks like I will NOT be exclusively pumping forever and will do things the natural way!  SUCH A RELIEF!

So how do I feel about having another little boy?  Fantastic.  Eben has a little brother...an instant best friend, so close in age, who he can share that brotherly bond with that will last a lifetime.  Sure, he doesn't know how amazing this is right now, but someday he will understand how lucky he is to be given this gift.  Don't get me wrong, Eben does think "Baby" is pretty cool to point at and touch right now, and I really look forward to seeing how he reacts in the coming weeks and months to the new addition to our home.  Eben's first night visiting was kind of a disaster as every time Bode cried, Eben also sobbed...but he would say "Baby" and "Hi" while crying which was the cutest thing ever.

One WEEK...holy crap!

Wow...can't believe it is only one WEEK until baby #2 enters this world.  Am I ready? Physically, yes - I think I have all supplies I need, have arrangements for Eben (and a backup if I go early), Dane's got work figured out, and my body is ready to not be pregnant anymore.  Emotionally ready?  I don't think I ever will be until baby is here and he/she is sleeping through the night, haha. 

With Eben I was SOOO ready.  I was dying to be a mother, excited for everything that motherhood was going to bring me.  And then he came out and I was like, um...ok, put him back in my belly for a while because I NEED more sleep.  Sleep deprivation ongoing for months and months is terrible, along with the post partum hormones that are regulating back to normal, and not to mention recovering from a major surgery.  I do, however, think this time will be okay.  I know what to expect - it's not all rainbows and butterflies like new parents often picture.  I will have tons of help (mostly needed to help with Eben) - my parents are coming for 11 days and Dane's parents are coming for 10 days with just a few days of overlap - we are SOOOO lucky for this!!!!  (also I have great friends in Ann Arbor who I know would be there for me if I needed them).  I can totally do this and love it.

We CANNOT wait to meet this little baby.  Boy or girl?  Oh, that mystery is just killing me. Weight?  Will this be a 9 pound baby again?  My OB thinks it will be smaller and I think so too.  What will he/she look like?  I picture him/her to look a lot like Eben...  Temperament?  Oh, please bless me with a chill baby again!  How will Eben handle it all? Right now he LOVES babies and is so interested in them, so it seems to be a good time for a baby to enter his life.

Once baby comes, I will be going nuts with taking pics of him/her with my new props, backdrops, floors, etc.  I have done TONS of reading on this stuff and have had a lot of fun with it.  I always need to be working on a project/hobby to keep me going in life and photography seems to be sticking as I enjoy it so much. I practiced with Eben this past week.  Seriously, toddlers are SO hard to photograph.  He would not sit still for more than a few seconds, rarely looked at me, kept pulling on the tie, taking off the hat, and saying, "No" while destroying my set up.  So, with all things considered, I was very happy with the outcome.  I posted some of these on FB, but not all, so here are all of them.

 Mid-sneeze, haha.

P.S. It's one WEEK from tomorrow, but I felt like posting tonight :)