The Week in Review

It's hard to believe it's already been a week since Jacob was born (but then again there are parts of me that feel like it's been a whole lot longer!!) Overall, the week has gone amazingly well. Jacob is turning out to be quite a relaxed little baby. He doesn't cry very often. Even when he's hungry, he just lets out little grunts and whimpers. He has a fussy time of night, late evening, where he sometimes cries for awhile. But really, he's been very easy. Most nights have gone very well. He'll eat every three hours and go right back to sleep. We even had one night where he went 5 hours (which kind of scared me at 4 days old!). Last night was another story - he woke up to eat every 1-2 hours!! Needless to say, today my energy level is beyond being helped by caffeine and make-up! But, what do you expect with a newborn?

Matthew continues to be a very proud big brother. He still adores "baby Jacob" and loves to kiss him and hold him. He often says "Please baby Jacob, play toys". He's desperate for a little playmate. He likes to share his cars with his brother, putting them in his carseat or near his hand. I think some of the excitement is starting to wear off, but he's still being very good.

David has been off this whole week and doesn't go back until next Friday. His time off has been the biggest blessing! I don't know how I would be surviving without his help. He has just been amazing with doing all the cleaning and housework and letting me take it easy. I couldn't ask for a better husband and father for our two boys. Our family is so blessed by him. I'm already sad that his time at home is half way up (and am not sure how I will handle two kids by myself all day with little sleep!!)

Here are a couple pictures we've taken this week of Jacob. He's already changed a lot. We tried to be artistic a little bit in our picture taking - and not all too successfully! Two of them won't rotate right for some reason, so they are sideways.

The Big Brother Camp Out

During his time off from work, David has done an excellent job of really giving Matthew some one-on-one attention. He's taken him to the zoo, the "man store" (Lowe's/Home Depot), and many other things. Wednesday night, he and Matthew had a camp out in our basement. This is something David has been really excited to be able to do with Matthew (and is more excited to be able to do it outside some day). When David told Matthew about it a day or two before, Matthew got so excited saying "yay" and clapping his hands. I have no idea how he knows what a camp out is, but he sure did!! So that night, David created a tent in the basement out of sheets and twine. They watched the "Bee Movie", a new love of Matthew, and we had s'mores. They spent the whole night in the basement. Matthew stayed up for the entire movie, and then rolled over and went right to sleep. He did great. They might even do it another night. Here are some pictures of their adventure.

The tent.

The campfire - Matthew and I made it.

My boys.

The s'mores made in the microwave - not the same, but fun anyways.

Matthew telling Jacob "night night".

First trip to the doctor

Today we made our first trip out of the house....to the doctor! Because of various reasons, the hospital asked us to visit our doctor early this week instead of about the time Jacob turns one week old. Dr. Bird said he looks very good. He is down to 7 lbs. 8 oz, which is what he weighed Saturday when we left the hospital. His length was still 21 inches (many babies are slightly shorter than in the hospital, usually due to the cone head going away). Jacob's head (I forget the measurement) was only in the 10th percentile. He never really had too bad of a cone head (probably since he came out so quickly!) It was nice to hear that he is a very healthy baby. We are all cleared for the month and go back at the end of October!

Here is Jacob and Dr. Bird meeting for the first time!

Here is a close up from tonight so you can see how much Jacob has changed already!

Hospital Pictures

Hospital pictures are never very cute, in my opinion. All babies seem to look funny in them. But anyway, they are special. Here are Jacob's pictures.

Welcome Home, Jacob!!

We're home!!! We came home late Saturday night, about 10 pm. We had to be out of the hospital 48 hours after birth, which was 8:42 Sunday morning. We decided we didn't want to have to rush out early in the morning, so Saturday evening after dinner was our goal (we wanted to stay and get our free dinner. The food was so good this time. They give you a menu and you call "room service" to order whatever you want. It was so cool! I'm really going to miss their brownies!). We were on track for that until Jacob had an episode of choking on some mucous and spit up right before we were going to go. They decided to keep us for a couple more hours to make sure he was okay. He's been fine ever since.

So here's the story of how everything happened! Friday morning I woke up somewhere between 4 and 5 with what I first thought was a stomach ache. Around 5:15 I had a really strong one - and I quickly realized that it was more than a stomach ache. The next couple contractions were about 7 or 8 minutes apart. They quickly went to 4 minutes apart just after 5:30. They were already very strong contractions! We called our family to let them know what was happening. I called the doctor to let them know - they had to page the doctor on call and have her call us back. We decided around 6 not to wait any longer (I was already 4 cm dilated and we didn't want to risk having the baby on the road!). We just left and called the doctor again on the way there. Because it was very early in the morning, about 6:15, we had to enter the hospital through the ER. They took us right up and put us in a triage room. A nurse first came to check on me just after 6:30 and I was already 8 cm dilated! I was begging with every contraction for my epidural. I finally got that around 7:30. Shortly after I had my drugs, the doctor checked me again. I was 8-9 cm. She broke my water to "get things really going" (as if they weren't going fast enough!) She predicted we'd have the baby within an hour. Not too long after that, my labor and delivery nurse had me push once to see what would happen. I did that and then had to stop and wait because the baby was already crowning! We waited for a little while for the doctor to come back. I pushed through two more contractions and the head was out! We did have a scare with the umbilical cord. It was wrapped around his neck twice and around the body too. The nurse was very calming saying it was totally normal. But the doctor was making comments like "hmmmm...this is interesting". They had me stop pushing so they could deal with the situation. The baby was a little more blue than normal, so David and I were a little nervous. It took some of the magic out of the moments of the birth. But they got it all taken care of. I pushed one more time and he popped right out, about 4 hours after labor began!

It took us over an hour to really decide on a name. With Matthew we pretty much knew he would be Matthew, but we wanted to see him before we totally decided. With this one, we had it down to Jacob, Peter and Samuel, but really had no idea which one we were going to go with (and by the way, if it had been a girl, she likely would have been named Bethany). We had to wait to call people because we weren't sure what to name him! But finally we went with Jacob William. He was 8 lbs. 1 oz and 21 inches long.

Other than the umbilical cord, everything went so smoothly. Well, actually there was one other minor issue. I tested positive for Group B Strep (a bacteria that some women carry). When you have that, you are supposed to get antibiotics during labor to protect the baby. They like the antibiotics to be in you for about 4 hours before delivery. I got them with my epidural, so there was less than an hour for them to really be in my system. My labor was too quick (I don't call that a problem!) Because of that we have to keep an eye on Jacob for 4-6 weeks for symptoms of him getting sick - and odds are only 1 in a 1000 that a baby will show up with something. So overall we were really, really blessed with how well things went.

The first day went really well. Jacob went about 24 hours before he really discovered his lungs. We were kind of concerned for awhile because he was so quiet! We had several very wonderful visitors come see us that first day, which really meant a lot. We really love the time in the hospital, especially when people come to meet our new addition. It's just a special, special time. So, thanks to those of you who came to see us - it was special to share that time with you (and if you haven't, we'd still love to have you!)

The first night went very well too. He went about 13 hours without eating during the day. Even during that night he wasn't all too hungry. When he'd wake up to eat, he'd just let out these little squeaks. I, of course, didn't sleep anyway. I couldn't help but listen to each little coo and want to make sure he was okay. All day Saturday we actually got a little bored. We had less visitors than Friday, so it was just a lot of downtime. Matthew was there a lot of the day, which was fun, but got to be a little hard for him to know what to do with himself. By evening we were ready to go home.

Matthew has been an awesome big brother. He is so proud of Jacob. He was SO EXCITED to come meet him. We have some very precious video and pictures of him coming to visit for the first time. I can't even begin to describe some of the very sweet little things he has done that just make us so proud. He constantly offers toys and food to Jacob. He LOVES to hold him (and when you ask him if he wants to, he'll automatically say "cheese" because he knows we'll take a picture). Matthew gave Jacob a "ba", which is a blankie, when he was born, and Jacob gave Matthew a Veggie Tales Castle and book. When he opened them he told Jacob "thanks, Jacob" without us asking him to. He's just been so sweet - it's been incredible.

I feel like there are so many things I want to share (and record for my memory) about these first few days. But, not to any one's surprise, I'm tired and want to go to sleep. Jacob is just fed and about to fall asleep. Now's my chance for some shut eye! I'll post more as more comes to my mind!

Here are some pictures of our hospital stay.

The little big guy (I don't call 8 lbs. 1 0z very little!)

Matthew and Jacob meet!

One of Matthew's favorite things in the hospital was the buttons on my bed. We went up and down many times!

The new family of four.

The very proud big brother holding Jacob.

He's Here!!!

Just wanted to let you know that Jacob William Rudolph arrived this morning at 8:42 a.m. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 1 oz. (two weeks early) and 21 inches long. He came quickly, which is great (only about 4 hours of labor). We're at Mercy Fairfield until either Saturday night or Sunday morning, room 3. We'd love for you to come meet him! We're all doing great!

No time for updates....

but we're on our way to the hospital!!!!!!! Contractions are 4 minutes apart and we're out of here. Sorry for no updates for a long time, but we were out of power from Sunday until Thursday. Yay for electricity. More updates later!!!!!!! Gotta go!!!!!

Potty Talk

Today was a big day for Matthew. We started with the second day of school. His pre-school is a co-op, and today was my day to stay. I had a blast with all the little two-year-olds. I was amazed at how well behaved they all were. It was neat getting to see Matthew in that kind of setting, to see him listen so well to another adult, and to interact with other kids.

The other big part of the day was that Matthew pooped on the potty!! (And if you don't want the details, stop reading here!) That is a huge deal, being that we aren't even thinking about potty training. He has recently started telling me that he has already gone potty in his diaper, which I knew was a good sign. But I wasn't planning on making any drastic training moves until well after the baby was here, maybe in the winter. This afternoon he told me he needed to go, and agreed to go sit on the potty. We both sat on the potty so I could keep him company. He handed me a magazine and said "mommy read". I started reading the article to him. I kept asking if he was all done (his diaper was warm when I took it off, so I didn't expect anything at all.) He kept saying no. Next thing I knew, he had pooped in the potty. I think I might have scared him in all my excitement. He was most excited to tell Daddy. I asked him who he wanted to call, and he kept saying Daddy. He knew Daddy would be proud too. Matthew was thrilled with his M&M's, and the pack of cars he got when Daddy got home. We've probably trained him to expect cars every time....but I'm so excited I don't care.

After he was done, we dumped his little potty into the big potty and he got to flush (which is probably enough of an incentive for him on its own!) And as he flushed, he said his notorious "bye-bye, pee pee" as it all went down!

Lessons on Patience

Well, the doctor who predicted they wouldn't see me this week at my appointment was wrong! All that excitement and hype pretty much led to some stress and anxiety that could have been avoided. Don't get me wrong, it was kind of fun for awhile thinking the baby could be here so soon. But after a week of sitting on the edges of our seats, we're getting a little worn out. In talking to lots of people, it can be quite normal to walk around at 4 cm dilated for weeks (and some people have even ended up being late!!) While I'm glad the little bun in the oven has a little more time to bake, I'm ready to meet him or her and get this show on the road.

Here are the stats from today. I am still 4 cm dilated and 70% effaced. The baby is head down and ready to go. The heartbeat was 160 today (151 last week and somewhat consistently in the 130's for a couple weeks before that). I met the new doctor today. We had a new doctor start at our practice at the beginning of this month. So far I am not a huge fan - probably because I had to wait an hour to see her, and my appointment was at 10 in the morning (why are you running that far behind so early in the morning?) She pretty much treated me like a textbook patient, not making any attempt to talk to me more personably. She didn't really give me the time of day and barely took the time to answer my questions. Even though last week's doctor gave us all that excitement, at least she took interest in us, got excited with us, and acted like I was a real person.

At Finneytown, there were three teachers all due within 2-3 weeks of each other. The first had her baby last night (9 lbs. 1 oz!!!!) Now we're excited who will be next. Hopefully me!!

So for now, we're still waiting. It has to happen eventually (and it's hard to believe that I really still have over three weeks until my due date. I feel like it should be sooner!) After finding out which doctors are on call this week, I'd really like to wait until at least Friday. But, we'll be ready and excited whenever it happens! And if it's not this week, it's back to the doctor next Tuesday.

My Big Belly (does that sound better, Jodi?)

Well, I'm still pregnant. After leaving the doctor on Wednesday, David I and really felt like the baby was coming any minute. While there are definitely signs that it will be soon, nothing has happened yet. I had a period of time last night where I had some more painful contractions pretty close together, but then they stopped. So, we're still waiting! In talking to various people. it can be pretty normal to walk around 4-5 cm dialated for a couple weeks. In some ways it would be nice to have a couple more weeks to get things ready, but in other ways, it's really hard to sit on the edge of our seats all the time, expecting it to happen so soon. We'll keep you updated as things happen.

Today we had some pictures taken to remember my big belly. I really wanted to get a family shot and some good ones with Matthew "talking" to my belly (or giving hugs, kisses, whatever). Because he's two, it didn't go as well as I had imagined, but we did get a couple good ones. We haven't done a good job so far of taking our own pictures as my pregnancy progressed, so this was our attempt to be able to really remember what I looked like when I was pregnant. I only have a handful of pictures from being pregnant with Matthew (mostly from showers), so I hoped to be better this time. We started taking pictures weekly of my belly - that lasted maybe three weeks, and three weeks that you couldn't even tell I was pregnant! At least now we have some at the beginning and some at the end!

Here are a couple of the shots we had taken today.

After our appointment on Wednesday, I was really hoping I'd make it until today to have these pictures taken. Well, now I have my pictures, so the baby is allowed to come any time now :)

Here we go...a little early!

Today I went to the doctor and I'm already 4 cm dialated. Last week I was less than one...so that led us all to think that this baby is likely coming soon. The doctor said that she didn't expect me to make my appointment next week!! She asked how close we lived to the hospital and said that if my water breaks, I need to move quickly. Needless to say, we left the doctor feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of having a baby so soon....and overwhelmed with all the things that have to happen before it can! Tonight we are quickly making our preparations (like finally packing our bags!). We'll keep you updated on what goes on. Who knows....it could still be a couple weeks (I have a little over 4 until my due date).

Day One, Part Two

I just picked Matthew up from his first day. He was very excited to see me - he yelled, "Mommy", and then ran the other way to keep playing! :) His teacher told each parent something she learned about their child today. For Matthew, it was that he will sit and eat every bite of his food, no matter how long it takes. At snack time she finally had to take the snack and put it in his lunch. If you have ever eaten a meal with Matthew, you know that it is often almost impossible to keep him still enough to eat anything! Staying at the table for the whole meal was one of the things I was worried he wouldn't be able to do when school started! But, by golly, when I looked in his lunch box, he had really eaten every single bite! I guess his snack and lunch were really good!

Matthew and I had a nice "conversation" on our way home. I asked him what his favorite part of the day was and he said "playing outside". I also asked him if he had to sit in the "thinking chair", which is time out, and he answered yes. All I could get out of him was that maybe he took a toy from someone. But he often will just answer yes to all questions asked, so I'm hoping that's the case :) I'll have to ask next week! I talked to him most of the way home, but a few blocks from home I stopped talking for about 30 seconds. When I turned around, he was suddenly sound asleep!

Next week is my week to co-op for the day. I get to be in the classroom all day. It will be neat to see how Matthew interacts with all the other kids (there are 5 total) and to get to see what they do all day. I'm excited (and am sure I will be napping with Matthew that day!) Although I wouldn't be too disappointed if I have had the baby by next Wednesday and David has to go instead.... ;)

The First Day of School!

Today is Matthew's first day of pre-school!! He handled it like a champ. Yesterday he asked us if he could go. I told him Daddy was at school and he said, "Me go my school". When asked he could tell you his teacher's name and seemed very excited about it. Even this morning he did well at home and wanted to go. We got to school, he walked right in his room and started to play. We washed his hands (classroom rule) and he went right back to the toys. He did really well until he heard another mommy say goodbye to her little one. He started looking around the room a little nervous. Then another mommy said goodbye and her little boy started crying. Matthew got really nervous, looked at me, and looked around some more. He gave me a hug when I asked for it and seemed to be doing well. He went back to his toy as I said goodbye, but then he suddenly turned and the tears started. I had to go set up some toys outside, and when I walked in the building about 15 minutes later, I couldn't hear him. His teacher, Mrs. Shockley, has been teaching at the pre-school for 26 years and has 6 kids of her own, so I'm sure she can handle just about anything! I can't wait to hear how his day went! Here are some pictures of my little school boy.

Posing with his Cars lunch box and a handful of cars. He looks like he's smiling, but he's actually whining and I caught a good moment!

Here's Matthew with his Buzz backpack, walking the wrong way, away from the building (not on purpose!)

Matthew carried his backpack all the way into the building, up two stairs and into his classroom. I was so proud of him!

Oh, Deer...

This past weekend we had a deer come in our yard! One would think that living as close to the park as we do that we might see more, but we have never seen a deer in the four years we've lived here. This little one walked across the street, hopped our fence and helped herself to the delicious pears from our pear tree. She must have thought they were quite yummy because our neighbor told us she came back the next day. She's very welcome to clean up our back yard for us, just as long as she leaves our tomatoes alone....