The Story of Aedan's Birth and First Week of Life

Samantha: 35 Months, Week 3

Aedan: Week 1

Before I really get into writing about the life changing events of this week, I have to include a video of my little girl dancing like a ballet dancer.  We put on a leotard and ballet skirt from her dress-up clothes bin.  I found some ballet music on the computer to play for her, and this is how we spent our morning, taking turns pretending to be ballerinas.  I forgot that I had this video on my video camera, so I didn't include it in my last post.  You think she'll enjoy taking actual ballet lessons in the fall?

Last Saturday, April 26, was when our family decided to go to Indianapolis for an Indians baseball game.  Little did we know that it would be our last family outing as a family of three.  On our way home from the game, I started having contractions again.  They were consistently every 20-25 minutes for almost three hours.  They kept me awake for most of the night until I finally fell asleep around 1:45 and then I just had them sporadically.  Again, I was a bit disappointed because I was almost convinced that my labor was starting, that we would be getting up and going to the hospital rather than getting up and going to church on Sunday morning.  However, it was still a good sign because it meant that my body was gearing up for labor and that the real thing might be about to happen soon.

So, since nothing was really happening, we headed off to church, just like we normally do on Sundays.  I didn't get too many comments from people at church like, "You're still here?!"  Just a few sympathetic looks from fellow moms that know what it's like to be in the final days of pregnancy, anxiously awaiting the arrival of your baby.

We had talked several times lately about how life in a transition period is so strange.  We know this HUGE life event is about to happen where we will remember everything about it, it will be like time is standing still for awhile, it will be monumental.  All of the hopes and dreams for our family and for this little guy growing in my womb will become the beginning of our new reality.  It's such a surreal thing that when I thought about it, I would often get butterflies in my stomach.

I didn't feel too much throughout the rest of Sunday until evening came, especially after we got Samantha to bed.  My contractions started again and this time were about 15 minutes apart and continued for several hours.  Ben called his parents to let them know, especially since this was the second night in a row that I was experiencing these contractions.  We didn't think it was quite necessary for them to come down right away, since we didn't know if the contractions would continue or stop, but we gave them the information and allowed them to make the decision.  They decided they would feel better if they just came down, that way they would be here if anything happened in the middle of the night and they wouldn't have to get up and drive after having only a few hours of sleep.

Ben and I finished up a few things around the house, expecting that within the next day we would be heading to the hospital.  I continued to have contractions pretty regularly, and I continued to time them on Ben's iPhone app.  I heard Ben's parents arrive at our house around 1:15 and my contractions were still going on, making me feel glad, hoping that this might be it. :)  It's a strange feeling hoping that you will have a bad night's sleep if that means that your labor is starting.  However, similar to the night before, I fell asleep, waking up later in the morning, meaning that my contractions were not getting longer, stronger, or closer together because I was able to sleep through them.

Monday morning my contractions continued, but a bit more sporadically.  Since 7:00 when I woke up, they were about 15 minutes apart.  I was a bit disappointed because it seemed like my contractions just kept stopping and starting, and I was anxious for labor to get started and for Aedan to be born.  I didn't want this to be another false alarm, I wanted my labor to keep progressing.  I contacted my doula, Kate, and let her know what was going on.  She was such an encouragement to me, reassuring me that what I was feeling was normal, good, and promising; that little Aedan was indeed preparing to make his entrance into the world.

Since Ben's parents were here, we decided to let them hang out with Samantha so that Ben and I could go do laps around the mall, to see if I could work on getting my contractions going again.  We walked around the mall for an hour, and it seemed like the walking was working well.  My contractions were about 12 minutes apart and there were a few that were getting stronger.  Ben and I then went to eat lunch together at McAlister's Deli, and then went back to the mall to walk around some more.  That afternoon as we walked, some of my contractions were even 5-6 minutes apart, but after walking for awhile, we decided to go back home, and my contractions spread out some being more like 8-9 minutes apart.  But all of this fluctuation in my contractions made me doubt whether or not I was really in labor.  My doctor said I could go to the hospital when I had contractions anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes apart, but it was so hard for me to decide what to do.  Ben took Roscoe in to the vet to be boarded, and he was full expecting us to be heading to the hospital around dinner time, but I was so unsure and full of doubt.  I didn't want to go to the hospital too soon and have it slow down my labor or push me towards any interventions.  On the other hand, they could check my dilation and I could walk the halls, which I couldn't do at home since it was going to be dark soon.

I communicated a lot with Kate, who also talked to her supervisor, and they said that if I have to walk to bring on heavier contractions, it is probably not a sign of my cervix truly opening.  True labor is when my contractions grow longer, stronger, and closer together.  They said if I stayed home to see how things go, I should definitely rest, which to me, made me afraid that we would have a repeat of other nights where I have contractions for several hours, but then they fade away.  They said if I go to the hospital, I probably wouldn't get any sleep or rest, but I could walk the halls.  They did warn me that if I got to the hospital, checked my cervix, and saw no progression, that they would offer me Pitocin to speed things up.  They said that my best shot at an unmedicated birth is to stay home until my contractions were 5 minutes apart, at least, lasting at least a minute, and being stronger than what I was feeling then.

With Ben's parents already being at our house, and Ben and myself feeling anxious for things to get started, I felt like everyone was getting antsy in waiting.  I felt conflicted between the recommendations of the doulas to stay home and see how things progress and the anxious feelings we had of wanting to get things started and getting to the hospital.

I took another walk after dinner and my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart, but as soon as I stopped walking around, they spread out.  They were still just as intense, but just more spread out.  I was also having a lot of sharp pain when walking.  I started leaning more towards going to the hospital, but I still just wasn't convinced because my contractions were sometimes sporadic, especially once I stopped walking.  After a lot of debate, several conversations with Ben, and some crying from feeling so emotionally exhausted, we decided to head to the hospital around 9:00 pm.

We arrived at the hospital between 9:15 and 9:30, and it was such a surreal feeling, entering the labor and delivery floor, getting checked in.  Even though I had done this all before, I was just full of anxiety and trepidation for what may lie ahead.  After getting all the information they needed from me and changing into the lovely hospital gown, the nurse checked me and I was only 1 cm dilated.  I was extremely disappointed.  I thought for sure, after all the contractions I had for so long and how close together they had gotten, that I surely would have made more progress.  Kate arrived just as they were checking me, and we all decided to walk the halls for quite awhile.  Things happened similarly as they had most of the day.  My contractions grew longer, stronger, and closer together.  Some of them were quite uncomfortable, too, and I was hoping this truly was the beginning.  I had to stop periodically to be monitored and for my blood to be drawn, then they checked me again around 12:30 am, and I was so hopeful for some progress.  However, I was disappointed again for I was still only 1 cm dilated.  When the hospital called Dr. Crooke, he offered for me to take an Ambien to help me sleep and to see how things progressed from there.  If I would have made any sort of progress by this 12:30 time, I was not planning on taking a sleeping pill because I would expect my labor to continue progressing.  However, since I seemed to be stuck in the same place, I decided the best thing to do would be to get some sleep as I was emotionally and physically exhausted.  I don't think either Ben or me got too much sleep as we were interrupted frequently and Ben was sleeping on a pretty uncomfortable pull out couch, but it was better than nothing, that's for sure.

The next morning the nurses checked me again and I was still 1 cm.  Dr. Crooke said I had a choice, I could go home and wait for my labor to progress further, resulting in further dilation, or I could stay at the hospital and get an IV of Pitocin to get things going.  I thought maybe breaking my water could be an option, but apparently Aedan was at too high of a station for that because the umbilical cord could come down first, resulting in an emergency c-section.  Kate came back to the hospital that morning, right about when they were starting me on Pitocin at 9:45.  We decided to go ahead and use Pitocin because we didn't want to go home.  Especially since Ben's parents were already in town watching Samantha, we were already at the hospital, and we were ready to meet our son.  Who knows what would have happened if I decided to go home instead of stay at the hospital.  I could have gone into stronger labor and had to come right back, or I could have had to wait a whole week, getting to 42 weeks and still not truly starting labor on my own, and having to be induced anyways.  It's just a whole lot of who knows.  I didn't want to use any interventions like Pitocin because I didn't want to be put on a track towards getting an epidural, but we had a great nurse, Andrea, who talked to me and reassured me not to be afraid of Pitocin, telling me a story about how she used it with her last baby, and informing me that they will start me out on a low dosage and can always turn it down or off as my body progresses further into active labor.

The next couple hours were spent walking and talking with Kate and Ben, sitting in the rocking chair in my hospital room, and noticing the Pitocin working in making my contractions longer, stronger, and closer together.  Dr. Crooke arrived to check me around 12:30, and even though I was beginning to get contractions that I couldn't talk through, I was still only at 1 cm.  He suggested that we break my water, which again was something I had originally wanted to avoid.  But in the moment, I was so frustrated with my body not making any progress, it's like it just needed a kick start, and I know breaking my water helped things progress a lot faster in my labor with Samantha.  Kate asked me, "Are you sure this is something you are comfortable with?"  And even though I really would have preferred not to have any interventions, in the situation I was in, I felt like I didn't have much of a choice not to.  So, my doctor broke my water, and I instantly dilated to 2 cm.  For some reason, all of these events made me just break down into tears.  I was so emotional, I wanted Aedan to be born so badly, but I was afraid that getting Pitocin and having my water broken would make it impossible for me to have the birth I envisioned for myself.

I sat in the hospital bed for quite some time after that, waiting until I felt comfortable getting up, and until I calmed down from feeling so overwhelmed with emotion.  Kate left the room to get some lunch, and Ben and I started some labor and breathing techniques.  We had Josh Garrels playing on Ben's iPhone in the background, and I leaned over the bedside table while Ben rubbed my arms and back.  We did the slow dancing technique which was really great to help me relax through my contractions.  Once Kate returned she used some counter pressure on my back, which felt amazing, as I leaned over the bedside table and swayed back and forth.  In the little goody bag from the hospital, there was a little hedgehog beanie baby animal, and I used him to lean on and squeeze when I needed to.  I was unable to talk during contractions, and in between contractions I couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face, soaking into the little hedgehog.  I'm sure that this was all the active labor phase.

Around 3:30 I had to get back in the hospital bed so that they could check me again, which was definitely not comfortable.  I knew that laying back in bed was not a useful position for laboring.  However, I was elated when I was at 7 cm.  I couldn't believe it that I had progressed that far, that I had made it that far, and that I was on my way to giving birth without an epidural or any kind of pain killer medication.  I was also in a lot of pain and knew that it would only get worse from here on out as I entered the transitional stage of labor.  We used several different laboring techniques.  I sat on a round exercise ball while Ben put a cool washcloth on my head and fed me ice chips.  However, when you are in labor it's best not to stay in one position for too long, so they encouraged me to get down on the floor on my hands and knees.  As soon as I got in this position, I remarked, "I don't like this at all."  I don't know whether it was our nurse, Andrea, or Kate, but someone remarked, "Good, it's probably good that you don't like that position because it means your body is getting your baby into a better position for birth."  

After doing that position for several contractions, (sorry if this is too much information), but I really needed to use the restroom, and we were going to try using some hydrotherapy in the shower, so we transitioned to the bathroom.  However, I had hardly a break from one contraction to the next, and they were so, SO intense.  I ended up not ever making it to the shower because I was feeling a strong urge to push.  While I was going to the bathroom, I even had the thought that I didn't really want Aedan to be born into the toilet.  Kate told the nurse what I was experiencing, and they had me lie down on my side in the hospital bed.  This was also not a comfortable position for me.  However, I grabbed on to the side rail of the bed, with Ben at my side, and tried my best to breathe and make low moaning noises through my contractions.  

My wonderful nurse, Andrea, checked me at 4:30 and I was at 10 cm!  I couldn't believe it, and I was SO ready to push Aedan out.  However, Dr. Crooke was not there yet, so they called him and told him to get to the hospital as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, a couple other nurses came in the room to prepare for Aedan's delivery, just in case my doctor couldn't get there in time.  It's so interesting to compare this labor to that of Samantha, since I did not use any pain medication this time.  What other women say is so true, your body just knows what to do.  You have this uncontrollable urge to push, and you can't do anything to stop it.  Andrea was so wonderful and did a great job of bringing me back to reality when I got lost in my own world.  In fact one time when I was making a good bit of noise screaming, Andrea looked at me and said, "Jenny, look at me, you can do this, but you have to breathe.  It's not going to help if you don't breathe."  When you see videos of births, there are many different ways that women react to childbirth, most of the time in a very vocal way, and I really didn't know how I would react.  I definitely screamed and moaned.  I didn't say anything vulgar, but I know I said a couple funny things like, "Can you just pull him out of me?" or "I just want him out, please, please, please." or "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow."  I'm sure there were other things I said as well, but that's all I can remember right now.

Well, I was definitely ready to push and may have already kind of started, but they kept me on my side until Dr. Crooke arrived at 4:37.  He barely had time to get in the room, get his booties on, and get everything ready.  They had me get onto my back so I could curl up into the C-position for pushing.  Ben was supporting my left leg, and Kate was supporting my right leg, and with four pushes or so, Aedan was born at 4:42 pm.  During those fast five minutes, I heard so many encouraging words about how I was doing.  I heard Ben say he could see his head and all his hair.  I heard Andrea encourage me to push just like that again, that Aedan was making progress, even though I felt like I had no more energy left to give.  And when Aedan was finally born, I exclaimed, "I actually did it!  Oh, I feel so much better now!"  Ben cut the umbilical cord, they wrapped Aedan up in a little blanket, and he was instantly placed on my stomach.  I was so overjoyed and elated to finally be holding my little boy.  Birth is such a miracle, and I couldn't believe that I actually accomplished it without any painkiller or epidural.  It was such an indescribable feeling.

Our hospital has changed a few things about how they do things after a birth.  With Samantha, I got to hold her for a few minutes, but then they took her away to clean her up, weigh her, and do all those things they have to do to newborns.  Well, now they are more of a baby friendly hospital, so they have something called "The Golden Hour" where they basically give you and your baby bonding time for a full hour after birth.  They encourage you to hold your baby skin to skin to help regulate their temperature and also to promote breastfeeding.  After Dr. Crooke finished stitching me up a little bit and everything was stabilized, the nurses all left the room, and we had time together as a family.  Kate stayed for a little while to make sure Aedan latched okay for his first feeding, and then she left to give us our time together.  Our first experience breastfeeding was so wonderful because Aedan did exactly what babies are created to do.  As I held him skin to skin, he started rooting around, seeking out his food source, wiggling himself down towards my breast.  It's so amazing to me that babies automatically have this instinct.

After about an hour, the nurse took Aedan to have him weighed, cleaned off, and checked.  He wasn't too happy about being poked and prodded, but he did enjoy laying on the warmer.  He weighed in at 8 pounds, 13.6 ounces, which when entered into the computer rounded up to 8 pounds, 14 ounces; the same exact weight as Samantha when she was born.  He measured 21 inches long, 1/2 an inch longer than Samantha, and his head circumference was 33.5 cm.  His Apgar score at 1 minute was an 8 and at 5 minutes was a 9.

As he laid in the warmer, he instantly found his thumb on his right hand.  We guessed that he must have done this a lot in his womb because he knew exactly how to soothe himself.  We'll see if the thumb sucking continues.

I think a newborn baby's cry is so precious, and each one is so unique and distinct, that I asked Ben to take a little video while Aedan was lying on the warmer being checked out.  It's fun to look back at Samantha's video and hear what she sounded like as a newborn, so I figured the same would be true for Aedan.

After the nurse was finished with everything she needed to do with Aedan, we were able to just hang out in our hospital room together.  They weren't planning on switching me over to the Mother/Baby unit until the next shift came in at 7:00 pm, so we called Grandpa, Grandma, and Samantha, telling them to come on over to the hospital.  Here is Ben holding his son for the first time.

I have to explain one thing about the significance of the shirt that Ben is wearing.  We call it his engagement shirt because he wore it when he proposed to me back in 2005.  He also wore this shirt on the day of Samantha's birth, so he thought it only appropriate to wear it the on the day of Aedan's birth as well.  This shirt has seen many momentous occasions and has lasted for a very long time.

Grandpa and Grandma arrived at the hospital with Samantha around 7:30 that evening, and we were so excited to see how she would react.  Ben was holding Aedan, and Samantha went right up to Aedan, touching him gently, and saying, "Hi Aedan!" over and over again.  She was so proud to put on her pink "Big Sister" shirt.

Samantha got her chance to hold Aedan and was so cute and gentle with him.  She just kept looking at him, looking at us, and then smiling.  One time she even said, "Hi Aedan.  I'm your big sister.  You're a part of my family now."  It was so cute, so precious; it just melted my heart.  Samantha is going to be such a wonderful big sister, and I was so glad she was able to meet him just a few hours after he was born.

After Samantha had her fill of holding and looking at Aedan, it was Grandma and Granpa's turn.  Aedan's middle name is Arthur, named after Ben's Grandpa, his mom's dad, who passed away a few years ago.  April 29, the day Aedan was born, is also significant to Grandma because it is her birthday as well!

We then decided it was a good time for Samantha and Aedan to exchange their presents for one another.  Samantha picked out a little "shaker" toy, as she called it.  It looks like a little butterfly with colorful wings and a red light that flashes when you shake it.  She was so proud to pick this out for him and loved that we hung it on his car seat right away.  Aedan got Samantha a special Doc McStuffins present.  It had a little Doc McStuffins doll with a stethoscope that talks and sings like her when you push it.  It also came with a doctor's table, Stuffy, and Lambie, who also talk and sing when you place them on the table and push the button.  She was pretty excited when she saw her present, wanting to open it right away.  We told her she had to wait until she got home, and it was up to Grandpa and Grandma whether she opened it that night or had to wait until the next morning.

A little before 8:30, they transferred us to the Mother/Baby Unit, and our family accompanied us there.  Samantha thought it was pretty fun to help push me in the wheel chair while I held Aedan.  I was glad to get in the comfortable hospital bed and snuggle my little baby.  Samantha also decided to get snuggled into bed.  In fact, she was asking about where we would all sleep, so I explained to her that I would sleep in the hospital bed, Daddy would sleep in the twin bed, and Aedan would sleep in the bassinet.  To which she responded, "Where is my bed?  Where will I sleep?"  I'm sure it just looked like a hotel room to her, and she didn't quite understand that she was just there to visit us, that we would have to stay for a couple nights, and that she would be going back home with Grandpa and Grandma.

Samantha then wanted to hold Aedan again, so Daddy helped get her situated on the bed so she could hold her little brother.  She is so sweet and loving with him.  It was wonderful for our family to be together, our little family of four.

Samantha, of course, did not want to leave, but it was past her bedtime, and she needed to get home to sleep.  She cried and had a hard time leaving with Grandpa and Grandma.  It was hard for my heart to see her so upset, the first of many moments where my heart is torn between my two children.  I missed my little girl and couldn't wait until our stay in the hospital was over so we could get back home and back together again as a family.  I know Samantha's world was turned upside down, too, and we are trying to be extra sensitive to her needs through this transitional time.

After Grandpa, Grandma, and Samantha left, Ben and I had some great bonding time with each other and with Aedan.  In fact, I remember Ben sitting on his bed holding Aedan, staring at his face lovingly, and then looking up at me and saying, "I feel like our family is complete."  I have such a sweet, nurturing husband and have so enjoyed this one on one time together without work or household tasks to get in the way.  It's not very often that we don't have things pulling us in opposite directions, so being in the hospital was actually a very relaxing time for us as a couple.

Our first night together was really good.  Ben and I were pretty tired, as was Aedan, so we all just got ready for bed pretty quickly that night.  The policy at the hospital is to wait at least four hours before giving babies their first bath.  However, Aedan had fallen asleep and was so content, we didn't want to upset him by waking him up just to give him a bath.  Learning from our time with Samantha as a newborn, we came to the hospital prepared with the velcro swaddle wraps.  Samantha always slept so much better when wrapped up like a burrito baby, and the same thing seemed true for Aedan.  It's much easier using those swaddle wraps than trying to get a blanket to stay snug and tucked in around a wiggly newborn.  We were pleasantly surprised because he slept pretty well.  He even gave us a three hour stretch of sleep, which we thought was pretty amazing for his first night out of the womb.  Also, he was able to sleep just fine in the bassinet throughout the night.  This was a big struggle with Samantha when we were in the hospital because she would be totally asleep but as soon as we laid her down in the bassinet, she would instantly wake up, causing us to have some pretty sleepless nights in the hospital.  Aedan, however, didn't seem to mind.  He would fall asleep nursing, I was able to lay him down in the bassinet, and everyone would be able to go to sleep.

Our nurse that first night, Amanda, was just wonderful.  She understood the fine balance between getting her work done and checking on us and getting our vitals, along with respecting our sleep and not disturbing us.  There were a couple times that she checked in our room, noticed we were all asleep, and quietly slipped out so as not to disturb us, realizing that sleep was more important than checking my blood pressure or listening to Aedan's heartbeat.  She could just come back later when Aedan woke up.  We GREATLY appreciated this because with Samantha we were constantly interrupted at night.  It seemed like our night nurses were particularly loud and inconsiderate, making the task of figuring out how to take care of a newborn that much more difficult.

We ended up all being awake around 3:15 am, and we decided that was as good a time as any to give Aedan his first bath.  So, I think 3:30 am was his first official bath time.  He wasn't too big of a fan of it, but what baby is?  We had a good rest of the night, waking up the next morning when they brought my breakfast tray in for me.

Grandma took Samantha to the last BSF while Grandpa came to get some snuggle time with Aedan for awhile that morning.  The on call pediatrician, Dr. Howard, came by to check on how Aedan was doing and also performed his circumcision.  Ben went with the doctor to be with Aedan during his circumcision, and apparently it was pretty traumatic for him to watch that.  Afterwards he remarked, "If we have another boy, I don't think I need to go into the room to watch the circumcision."  They used a plastibell ring that will fall off in a week or so.  Apparently, one sign they look for after a circumcision is that they pee within 24 hours, which was no problem for Aedan.  It was almost like he was getting back at the nurses and doctor that circumcised him because he peed a large stream, getting it all over the people and the wall.  Atta' boy!

Being in the hospital really was pretty relaxing for us.  We had a lot of time together to rest and enjoy our new little baby boy.  In fact, I really appreciated something our nurse, Amanda, had written on the white board in our room.  It said, "Goal," and she wrote, "Enjoy baby."  I really took that to heart during those first couple of days in the hospital and even throughout his first week home.  I want to enjoy my baby.  I don't want to be looking ahead, wishing for things to be different.  So often I feel discontent and am itching for the next exciting step or milestone, but then I miss the wonderful moments that are happening right now.  So, my goal is to enjoy Aedan, enjoy all his cuddles, enjoy his funny faces, enjoy talking to him, enjoy nursing him and looking into his eyes, and just enjoy these days when he is so tiny and so dependent upon me because he will get big faster than I would like, and I will miss these beginning days of his life.  I'm going to focus on soaking up every minute of it.

These little pictures were taken right around the time Aedan would have been one day old.  It was hard to believe that he had already been in our arms for that long, but it's such a short time overall.  He is such a part of our family already, I can't imagine life without him.

Later that evening, Grandpa, Grandma, and Samantha came back to the hospital to visit us.  Samantha couldn't wait to see us again, and she was excited to be able to eat dinner with us and watch a show in our hospital room.  As you can tell, she is wearing her pink "Big Sister" shirt again.  She was so proud to call herself a big sister, and of course, all other parts of her outfit had to be pink to match.

Back before Aedan was born, Samantha colored a picture for him, and we printed out a little picture of her so that we could put it in his bassinet.  That way he could see what his big sister looked like, and it would make her feel special that her picture is right next to where he slept.  Now, we didn't really leave it in there when he was in there because it kept flopping over, but we always made sure to put it in before Samantha came over to visit us.

After Samantha's visit on Wednesday night, Daddy decided to go back home with her, give her a bath, and put her to bed, in an attempt to give her life some sort of normalcy and let her know that we are still here for her and care for her.  While Daddy was gone, Aedan began his first night of cluster feeding.  Pretty much from 5:30 on, for the next several hours, Aedan just wanted to continuously nurse.  If he was not nursing, then he was very upset and inconsolable.  My friend Andrea and her husband, Dimitar, came by to visit around 6:45 and left around 8:00, and unfortunately, since Aedan just wanted to eat, they were unable to hold him at all.  They didn't mind though, they just enjoyed seeing him and talking to me about my labor experience, as they are expecting their first child in September.  Here is a picture of my little boy once he finally got his belly full and fell asleep contentedly on my lap.

Ben arrived shortly after 8:00 after successfully putting Samantha to bed.  She didn't even make a peep after he left her room, but that probably had a lot to do with the fact that she didn't really nap at all the whole time Grandpa and Grandma were with her.  (They are just too exciting to be around to allow for a nap!)  Aedan finally decided his tummy was full, but really I didn't mind because cluster feeding in the evening is much better than cluster feeding in the middle of the night.  Even though it was only about 8:30, Ben and I were exhausted from a long day, and you never know what the night will hold when you have a newborn, so we decided to get to bed.  I think we were all in bed by 9:15.  It felt so good to get some rest, and Aedan again did a really good job sleeping, giving us 2-3 hour chunks of sleep at a time, and sleeping really well in his bassinet.

The next morning I slept in, not even noticing that they brought the breakfast tray into our room for me.  We had the picture lady coming to take Aedan's newborn pictures at 10:00, so we all got up, get ready, and got dressed.  Here are some pictures of Aedan and Daddy while we hung out together that morning.

Aedan did really well for his pictures, and they turned out great.  It was the same picture lady from when we had Samantha, so we even got one pose that is the exact same with our hands holding Aedan.  We figured it would be nice to have a similar picture of both our children.

The rest of the day we just hung out, waiting until 4:42 pm when they could do the newborn bloodwork, and we could be discharged from the hospital.  Dr. Crooke came back to check on me briefly at lunch time, saying that everything looked good and I didn't need to take any extra iron.  He even said, "Good work, JT.  We're proud of you!"  Dr. Howard came back to check on Aedan.  His circumcision was looking good, he passed his hearing screening and his heart screening, so he got the go ahead to be discharged as soon as they got his newborn bloodwork done and were able to check his bilirubin number for any indication of jaundice.  Our time in the hospital was so relaxing, such a nice bonding time between the three of us.  It was nice to have this time together, to get to know each other better, with Samantha well taken care of at home.  I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon of snuggling and napping with my little man.

Our nurse, Leigh, on this last day of our hospital stay, was also extremely helpful.  She knew we didn't want to stay very long after the newborn bloodwork was done.  We wanted to leave as soon as possible so that we could have an evening at home with our family and our little girl.  So, she was really on top of things, got everything taken care of for us with our discharge paperwork, and was very efficient in getting us out of there as soon as possible.  We had such a pleasant experience at the hospital this time and were so thankful for the wonderful nurses we had both in Labor and Delivery and in the Mother/Baby Unit.

All of Aedan's bloodwork came back fine, although it did take them quite a while to get enough blood from the heel of his foot to fill the little vial and the five little circles on the paper.  They had to prick his foot a couple different times in order to draw enough blood.  Samantha had the same problem, so apparently it runs in the family, we have good blood clotters.  Aedan's discharge weight was 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and his bilirubin number was 8.3, which was great.  Grandpa brought Samantha back to the hospital so that she could ride home with us.  She thought it was pretty cool that she could help wheel me out in the wheelchair and that she could ride in the backseat next to her new baby brother.  Here we are arriving at home with Aedan for the first time.

As we brought Aedan in the house and back into the living room, Samantha got so wrapped up into everything that was happening that she ended up having an accident.  All of a sudden, she was standing there looked down, and I could see her little jeans getting all wet.  She immediately started crying hysterically, and I carried her off to the bathroom, reassuring her that it was okay, that it was just an accident.  It took awhile for her to get calmed down, and then we were able to get her dressed and ready for dinner.

We put Aedan in the swing while we ate dinner, and he really seemed to like it.  It put him right to sleep.

Then, after a good nap, he had quite a bit of awake time.  He was just looking around, almost like he was taking in all of his surroundings, his new home.

After dinner that night, we also had a mini-celebration of Daddy's birthday.  It wasn't a very momentous occasion, but I guess getting to bring home your first son on your 30th birthday is a pretty special way to celebrate.  We had ice cream cake, sang Happy Birthday, and I gave him his present, new cologne.

Our first night home was a little different from the previous two nights in the hospital.  We were glad to be back in our own bed in our own house, but Aedan didn't have as good of a night.  He was nursing fine and didn't seem to be cluster feeding or anything, he was just not content being in his bassinet, even though he slept just fine in the one at the hospital.  After several failed attempts to have him sleep, I ended up just sitting on the glider in our room, covering myself up with a blanket, and holding him while he slept.  I was able to sleep for most of the time, too, but I kept waking up every time he would twitch or breathe deeply.  Around 3:30 in the morning, I decided to try laying him down again, but to no avail.  So in an attempt to get some better sleep myself, I just brought him into bed with me.  He snuggled himself right up next to my body, and that is how we slept for the rest of the night.  Even though I would have rather had a "good" night's sleep, I can't complain about having the opportunity to snuggle with my little boy.

I woke up pretty tired on Friday morning after a long night, but we were so grateful to have Grandpa and Grandma with us still.  They volunteered to get up with Samantha so that we could sleep in and get some extra rest.  We had a pretty laid back day, hanging out, getting used to being at home with Aedan, and trying to rest as much as possible.  Grandpa and Grandma took good care of Samantha for us so that all we really had to worry about was caring for Aedan.  After getting Samantha down for a nap that afternoon, Grandma told me to go upstairs and take a nap, and she was taking care of doing laundry for me.  However, as soon as I laid down to get some rest, Aedan woke up from his nap in the swing and wanted to nurse, so I didn't get too much of a chance to rest, but you can't expect too much with a newborn.

Later that evening, after dinner, we decided to get some cute pictures of Samantha and Aedan, together as brother and sister, on their first day at home together.  Samantha has on her "Big Sister" shirt, and Aedan has on his "Little Brother" onesie.  They are so adorable together.  She is such a good, loving big sister already.  It will be wonderful to see how their relationship grows as they grow up together.

After giving Samantha a bath on Friday night, we decided to give Aedan a bath and we let Samantha "help" us.  Aedan wasn't too big of a fan of being in the water and cried quite a bit.  Also, as soon as the water hit him, he started to pee, which greatly surprised Samantha, making her so upset that she cried and had to be taken away from where we were giving Aedan a bath until she calmed down.  I think she just didn't expect it, and it surprised her.  We got through the bath quickly and got Aedan dressed again, which made him much happier.  First baths at home are always such an experience. :)

After Aedan was all dressed in his pajamas, our sweet little Samantha wanted to hold him, so Daddy helped her.  Here are our sweet children, all clean, in their pajamas, and ready for bed.  So precious.  It just melts my heart.  These pictures will be cherished for years to come.

After a rather rough night on Thursday night, Friday night went much better.  Aedan would give us 2-3 hour chunks of sleep at a time, which really, as a parent of a newborn, that is just wonderfully refreshing.  He did fine sleeping in his bassinet as well, which I was grateful for.  My goal for the night really wasn't about how long he would sleep, but just about him being able to sleep in the bassinet after he was done nursing, so we achieved our goal. :)

Grandpa and Grandma were planning on leaving Saturday evening after dinner.  So again, they got up with Samantha, allowing Ben and me to sleep in, which was so nice of them.  They offered to clean the house for me before they left, and they also took Samantha out to Menard's so they could get sand to make Samantha a sandbox outside by our patio.  Aedan had his two day check up that afternoon, so we were grateful that they took Samantha out so that way she wasn't upset about not being able to come with us.  He did a great job at the doctor, not crying too much when they checked him out or weighed him.  His height was still 21 inches, his weight was 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and his head circumference was 35 cm.  They checked his bilirubin level for jaundice and that came out to 10.6, which was really good.  Dr. Esarey asked if we had any questions, and we really didn't have any.  It's amazing how much more laid back we are the second time around.  Breastfeeding is going well.  He is peeing and pooping like a champ.  He is a happy, easygoing baby, so we really had no concerns to raise.  I guess easy doctor's appointments are a good thing. :)  Going to the doctor really wore him out.  Here he is asleep in his car seat after the appointment that afternoon.

The rest of Saturday went well.  Samantha did not take a nap because she was too excited about Grandpa and Grandma being there still.  When she came down from her room, she could not wait to get outside and play in her sandbox with Grandma.  She got her bucket and shovel, some toy cars, and some cups to play with.  They were outside playing for quite some time, so I just had to capture these precious moments of a grandmother and her granddaughter playing together.

Grandpa and Grandma offered to buy us dinner from somewhere, and actually offered up Sweet Grass as an option.  I can never turn down that restaurant, so we feasted on a delicious dinner that night.  After dinner it was time for Grandpa and Grandma to go home, but Samantha did not want them to leave.  In fact, she sat on their laps practically begging them to stay.  It didn't help that she was overtired from not napping and staying up too late at night, but she was really sad to see them leave after them staying at our house for almost an entire week.  She really enjoyed her one on one time with them.  They did an amazing job making her feel special and loved, and we are so appreciative of all they did to help us while we were at the hospital and when we first got home.  We certainly couldn't have done it without them.  Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!

I had to admit, I was sad to see them go, too.  It was nice having someone to occupy Samantha and give her attention when we couldn't.  It was nice having someone to help us cook and clean, and it was nice to have some other company around the house for awhile.  I looked to Ben and said, "Well, we're on our own now."

Saturday night was another rough night with Aedan.  He didn't seem to be happy laying down on his back.  We thought he might be having tummy troubles and some gas, so Ben decided to sit in the rocking chair with him for awhile and eventually brought him downstairs so that he could sleep on his tummy comfortably.  I was grateful for Ben taking his turn with Aedan that night, even though he had a big day with teaching his ACG on Sunday morning.  Once again, what a sweet, thoughtful husband I have, looking out for my best interest.

I stayed home from church on Sunday, but Ben and Samantha went to church together.  I helped Samantha get ready for church, and she requested that I braid her hair.  (I think she likes it this way because then she looks like Anna from the movie Frozen.)  Ben and I were in the other room upstairs getting dressed, and then went looking for where Samantha was, and we found her in Aedan's room, sitting right next to him in his little chair, looking quietly at a book.  It was SO sweet.  Samantha loves her "little Aedan," can't wait to see him in the morning, and loves to be near him, wherever he is in the house.

It was kind of strange being home by myself with Aedan, but it was so nice and quiet.  He fell asleep in this little chair, and I found myself just sitting in front of him, watching him sleep.  I think I had a pretty peaceful morning companion.  It was lovely.

Sunday afternoon, after eating lunch together, Samantha ended up actually falling asleep for a nap, which we were so grateful for since she hadn't taken one most of the week when Grandpa and Grandma were visiting us.  Aedan also fell asleep and took a good nap in the swing, so Ben and I decided to put the monitor downstairs so we could hear when Aedan woke up, and went upstairs to take a nap ourselves.  We figured we'd take advantage of both of our children napping at the same time, as I'm sure that won't be an every day occurrence.

For some reason, I was in a lot of pain on Sunday from the stitches I had to get.  It seemed like even though I took ibuprofen and was taking it easy, it hurt to even sit.  I am definitely ready to be feeling back to normal physically, and even though it hasn't even been a week yet, I am feeling ready to be able to move and act like myself again.

Sunday night Michelle and Sadie came over to bring us dinner, visit with me, and see Aedan for the first time.  It was great to sit and talk to her for awhile, to share the story of my labor, to catch up a little bit, and to see how much Sadie has grown and changed since I stopped watching her at the beginning of April.  It was also very generous of her to bring us dinner, and we are so thankful for all the people who have signed up to bring us meals over the next few weeks.

Monday was my first day at home with just Samantha and Aedan.  Daddy stayed home a little later in the morning before heading to campus, but the day went really well, even with having both kids.  Once Aedan fell asleep for awhile in the morning, Samantha and I had some good bonding time playing together, and I painted her fingernails and toenails, something she wanted me to do for quite some time.  I also was able to get Aedan into the Moby Wrap so that we could go outside and play on the jungle gym and swings in our apartment complex.  It was a pretty successful morning, and overall, I felt like it wasn't too bad having both Samantha and Aedan to take care of by myself.  Many people will ask me how things are going with Aedan and Samantha, and most of the time my answer is that it is easier than I thought it would be.  I don't know if I just had really low expectations for how much work two kids would be, and granted, it's only been a week so things can change, Aedan could get fussier and Samantha could get more jealous and act out, but so far, adding Aedan to our family just seems natural.  He fits right in.  We love him him so much.  He's only been in our family for a week, but I already cannot imagine our life without him.  He is such a wonderful blessing to our family, and I can't wait to see how our family will grow and change with this new little boy entrusted to our care.