One of my favorite things that Caleb does (although the list has grown considerably since this one was added), is stretch when he wakes up. Jason took a video to try to capture the cuteness. Caleb wasn't super cooperative (he doesn't like to show off for the camera), and Jason had some trouble unswaddling him one-handed, but here's a bit of the Caleb stretch for you at least. :-)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
growing fast (kendra)
For a while it was difficult for me to tell that Caleb was getting bigger. I was around him too often to notice the changes. But when people saw him after not having seen him in a week or so, they would say how much bigger he'd gotten. So I just took their word for it. :-)
In the past week, however, that has begun to change. The other day I put on the first outfit that we put on him in the hospital. I hadn't put it on him in a while because he was swimming in it that first time, so I figured he needed a little time to grow into it. But when I put it on the other day, I could barely get it over his head! Then I was holding him on my lap and realizing how much more room he was taking up there these days. I looked at him in his bassinet and noticed that he took up more room in there as well! So on the night of his six-week birthday, we decided it was time he graduate to the crib...
I'd noticed a while back that one of Caleb's little outfits had the same pattern as his crib sheet. So of course I had to dress him in the outfit, put him in the crib, and take pictures. :-) And when I put that outfit on, I realized that it too had gotten small on him!
Here's a photo of the camo baby...
And here's him in the same outfit the day we took him home from the hospital...
A noticeable difference, wouldn't you say?
In the past week, however, that has begun to change. The other day I put on the first outfit that we put on him in the hospital. I hadn't put it on him in a while because he was swimming in it that first time, so I figured he needed a little time to grow into it. But when I put it on the other day, I could barely get it over his head! Then I was holding him on my lap and realizing how much more room he was taking up there these days. I looked at him in his bassinet and noticed that he took up more room in there as well! So on the night of his six-week birthday, we decided it was time he graduate to the crib...
I'd noticed a while back that one of Caleb's little outfits had the same pattern as his crib sheet. So of course I had to dress him in the outfit, put him in the crib, and take pictures. :-) And when I put that outfit on, I realized that it too had gotten small on him!
Here's a photo of the camo baby...
And here's him in the same outfit the day we took him home from the hospital...
A noticeable difference, wouldn't you say?
Friday, August 29, 2008
our birth story (kendra)
So for those of you interested in more details about Caleb's trip from womb to world, read on. For those of you who aren't, feel free to skip this post. It actually ended up being quite long and I think I was writing it primarily for my own sake, but I'm happy to share if you're curious. :-)
The story begins on July 15th. Jason was at the office late getting ready for his big meeting the next day. He'd been preparing for this meeting for...oh...over a month probably. It was scheduled to last the entire day on the 16th and all morning on the 17th. Jason was scheduled to present for a good chunk of that time. His boss had made it clear that the 16th was the one day that we should not have our baby. Anyway, the night of the 15th, I brought some Thai food to Jason's office because it was getting late and neither of us had eaten dinner. And, ironically enough, before we left his office that night, my labor had begun.
I wasn't so sure at first that it was "true" labor, but as the night continued, I became more and more convinced. My contractions were about 10 minutes apart through the night. I was up trying to time them and figure out whether I was really in labor. I went and hung out on the couch so that Jason could get some rest and I did my best to rest in between contractions myself, but that wasn't the easiest task. After a long, restless night during which Jason slept like a rock, I decided it was late enough to wake Jason up and tell him that I was pretty sure I was in labor. Jason's sister, Ali, and I had been planning on hanging out that morning...so I told Jason that it would be okay with me if he went into his meeting for a little while as long as Ali would come over and hang out with me in the meantime. So Jason left for work, and Ali arrived shortly after. In an attempt to keep my mind off of the contractions, Ali and I decided to play Scrabble for a while. After making a couple of phone calls to my family, I tried to eat something, but couldn't really stomach food and started feeling rather nauseous after one bite. Nausea is not something I deal well with so after feeling like I was going to throw up, I decided to text Jason. He left his meeting to call me, and I told him I was ready for him to come home. When he went back into his meeting, before he told them what I had said, Jason's coworkers told him they thought he should go home. I was glad they were so understanding even though the timing worked out so poorly.
So Jason came home and hung out with Ali and I for a while. When my contractions started getting more intense (and I started getting more nervous), we called the midwife and told her we wanted to meet her at the clinic to see how far along I was. The three of us (Jason, Ali, and I) headed to the clinic and at around 2pm, our midwife checked me and found that I was 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced. She said that I was welcome to either go home and wait until my contractions were more regular or check into the hospital then. After some debate, I decided to go ahead and get checked in since we were already at the hospital and the thought of going back home wasn't too appealing. So we headed to the labor and delivery unit and checked in. After they took care of a few routine checks, we walked out to the car to get our stuff. We had come prepared with a bag of clothes, toiletries, etc. as well as a bag full of "labor tools." Little did we know, we would later laugh at how we ended up using next to none of the things in that bag of goodies.
By the time we got back to the room, my contractions had gotten pretty intense. That was the last time I'd be leaving that room for a while. I labored in the jacuzzi tub for what seemed like a long time. Of course, once in was in the throes of the labor, everything became a bit fuzzy. But it felt like I was in there a long time at least. Jason was right by my side the whole time (not in the tub, but right beside it). He helped me through every contraction, although in the end we used very few of the pain management techniques we'd learned about in our class. I wasn't interested in switching to a different breathing pattern, but instead stuck with the same one the entire time. I wasn't thinking much about massage tools and the like. All I could think about was surviving the labor. Jason did set up his computer in the bathroom and put on the playlist I had created to listen to during labor, which I did pay some attention to at times.
I'd heard that no matter how modest a woman is before she goes into labor, all modesty goes right out the window during labor. I was under the impression that there was some sort of conscious switch from being modest to not caring at all...a decision that the laboring woman made that it really didn't matter too much to her. But really it's just that you are so caught up in what your body is going through that the thought of modesty doesn't even cross your mind. It's just a non-issue. At least that's the way it was for me.
Anyway, I labored in the tub for a while. A nurse came in to start an IV for me "just in case." My veins, not being very agreeable to such a task, were stubborn as usual. Two nurses, one anesthesiologist, and about 10 needle stabs later, one of my veins finally surrendered and the IV was set up. Fortunately, I did actually end up needing it later so it wasn't a worthless battle. I was still in the tub when we decided to call the midwife and have her join us. I knew that I only wanted Jason, our midwife, and a nurse in the room with me for the delivery. So Ali, who had come with us to the hospital and hung out in the room for a while, graciously took her leave when my screams started to freak her out a little too much.
Like I said, everything was sort of a blur...and the memory of it is even more so. But at some point, our midwife suggested I get out of the tub just to try something new. I remember laboring on the toilet for some time and getting a foot massage from our midwife. And then I remember being back in the birthing room and our midwife asking me if I was feeling the urge to push. I wasn't, to my knowledge. I was definitely feeling the urge to be done with the whole ordeal, but no particular urge to push. I told her I wasn't sure what that would feel like really, and she said I would know. But at some point, she said I could go ahead and try pushing even though I wasn't feeling a strong urge because my body seemed ready to go. So I began to push. At first it was a relief to be able to do something in response to the contractions instead of just trying to relax through them. But after a short while, I was far from feeling relieved. All I was feeling was extremely uncomfortable and ready to be done with it all. In fact, I had told Jason several times by that point that I didn't want to (or simply could not) keep going. It wasn't that I wanted drugs...it was just that I wanted so badly to be done with it all. I didn't feel like I could take it any longer. I didn't have any energy or will power left.
But I guess there was something left in me because after about an hour of pushing, Caleb made his way out into the world. Jason, who had wondered in advance if he would pass out during the delivery, actually helped deliver him, placed him on my chest, and cut the cord when it was time. I'd heard it said that the moment the baby is placed on your chest, you feel like it had all been worth it. That wasn't exactly the way I felt at the time, and I wondered if that was a bad thing. Instead, I had an overwhelming feeling of relief that it was all over...and disbelief that I had actually survived the whole experience. But I had. And there on my chest was our beautiful, precious baby boy. For days, Jason and I were in disbelief that Caleb had actually been inside of me...and was now outside of me. Birth is a pretty incredible thing.
Although it had been very difficult for me, I was so grateful that things had gone as smoothly as they had. I had done it just as I had hoped...no complications and no drugs. Our little guy was finally here...and ready or not, we were embarking on a new journey with all of its own joys and challenges.
The story begins on July 15th. Jason was at the office late getting ready for his big meeting the next day. He'd been preparing for this meeting for...oh...over a month probably. It was scheduled to last the entire day on the 16th and all morning on the 17th. Jason was scheduled to present for a good chunk of that time. His boss had made it clear that the 16th was the one day that we should not have our baby. Anyway, the night of the 15th, I brought some Thai food to Jason's office because it was getting late and neither of us had eaten dinner. And, ironically enough, before we left his office that night, my labor had begun.
I wasn't so sure at first that it was "true" labor, but as the night continued, I became more and more convinced. My contractions were about 10 minutes apart through the night. I was up trying to time them and figure out whether I was really in labor. I went and hung out on the couch so that Jason could get some rest and I did my best to rest in between contractions myself, but that wasn't the easiest task. After a long, restless night during which Jason slept like a rock, I decided it was late enough to wake Jason up and tell him that I was pretty sure I was in labor. Jason's sister, Ali, and I had been planning on hanging out that morning...so I told Jason that it would be okay with me if he went into his meeting for a little while as long as Ali would come over and hang out with me in the meantime. So Jason left for work, and Ali arrived shortly after. In an attempt to keep my mind off of the contractions, Ali and I decided to play Scrabble for a while. After making a couple of phone calls to my family, I tried to eat something, but couldn't really stomach food and started feeling rather nauseous after one bite. Nausea is not something I deal well with so after feeling like I was going to throw up, I decided to text Jason. He left his meeting to call me, and I told him I was ready for him to come home. When he went back into his meeting, before he told them what I had said, Jason's coworkers told him they thought he should go home. I was glad they were so understanding even though the timing worked out so poorly.
So Jason came home and hung out with Ali and I for a while. When my contractions started getting more intense (and I started getting more nervous), we called the midwife and told her we wanted to meet her at the clinic to see how far along I was. The three of us (Jason, Ali, and I) headed to the clinic and at around 2pm, our midwife checked me and found that I was 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced. She said that I was welcome to either go home and wait until my contractions were more regular or check into the hospital then. After some debate, I decided to go ahead and get checked in since we were already at the hospital and the thought of going back home wasn't too appealing. So we headed to the labor and delivery unit and checked in. After they took care of a few routine checks, we walked out to the car to get our stuff. We had come prepared with a bag of clothes, toiletries, etc. as well as a bag full of "labor tools." Little did we know, we would later laugh at how we ended up using next to none of the things in that bag of goodies.
By the time we got back to the room, my contractions had gotten pretty intense. That was the last time I'd be leaving that room for a while. I labored in the jacuzzi tub for what seemed like a long time. Of course, once in was in the throes of the labor, everything became a bit fuzzy. But it felt like I was in there a long time at least. Jason was right by my side the whole time (not in the tub, but right beside it). He helped me through every contraction, although in the end we used very few of the pain management techniques we'd learned about in our class. I wasn't interested in switching to a different breathing pattern, but instead stuck with the same one the entire time. I wasn't thinking much about massage tools and the like. All I could think about was surviving the labor. Jason did set up his computer in the bathroom and put on the playlist I had created to listen to during labor, which I did pay some attention to at times.
I'd heard that no matter how modest a woman is before she goes into labor, all modesty goes right out the window during labor. I was under the impression that there was some sort of conscious switch from being modest to not caring at all...a decision that the laboring woman made that it really didn't matter too much to her. But really it's just that you are so caught up in what your body is going through that the thought of modesty doesn't even cross your mind. It's just a non-issue. At least that's the way it was for me.
Anyway, I labored in the tub for a while. A nurse came in to start an IV for me "just in case." My veins, not being very agreeable to such a task, were stubborn as usual. Two nurses, one anesthesiologist, and about 10 needle stabs later, one of my veins finally surrendered and the IV was set up. Fortunately, I did actually end up needing it later so it wasn't a worthless battle. I was still in the tub when we decided to call the midwife and have her join us. I knew that I only wanted Jason, our midwife, and a nurse in the room with me for the delivery. So Ali, who had come with us to the hospital and hung out in the room for a while, graciously took her leave when my screams started to freak her out a little too much.
Like I said, everything was sort of a blur...and the memory of it is even more so. But at some point, our midwife suggested I get out of the tub just to try something new. I remember laboring on the toilet for some time and getting a foot massage from our midwife. And then I remember being back in the birthing room and our midwife asking me if I was feeling the urge to push. I wasn't, to my knowledge. I was definitely feeling the urge to be done with the whole ordeal, but no particular urge to push. I told her I wasn't sure what that would feel like really, and she said I would know. But at some point, she said I could go ahead and try pushing even though I wasn't feeling a strong urge because my body seemed ready to go. So I began to push. At first it was a relief to be able to do something in response to the contractions instead of just trying to relax through them. But after a short while, I was far from feeling relieved. All I was feeling was extremely uncomfortable and ready to be done with it all. In fact, I had told Jason several times by that point that I didn't want to (or simply could not) keep going. It wasn't that I wanted drugs...it was just that I wanted so badly to be done with it all. I didn't feel like I could take it any longer. I didn't have any energy or will power left.
But I guess there was something left in me because after about an hour of pushing, Caleb made his way out into the world. Jason, who had wondered in advance if he would pass out during the delivery, actually helped deliver him, placed him on my chest, and cut the cord when it was time. I'd heard it said that the moment the baby is placed on your chest, you feel like it had all been worth it. That wasn't exactly the way I felt at the time, and I wondered if that was a bad thing. Instead, I had an overwhelming feeling of relief that it was all over...and disbelief that I had actually survived the whole experience. But I had. And there on my chest was our beautiful, precious baby boy. For days, Jason and I were in disbelief that Caleb had actually been inside of me...and was now outside of me. Birth is a pretty incredible thing.
Although it had been very difficult for me, I was so grateful that things had gone as smoothly as they had. I had done it just as I had hoped...no complications and no drugs. Our little guy was finally here...and ready or not, we were embarking on a new journey with all of its own joys and challenges.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
it's a boy! (kendra)
On July 16th, Caleb Jonathan Fraze entered the world. He was 7 lbs, 3 oz at birth and stretched out to 19 inches.
I was in labor for a total of about 24 hours, but I was only in the hospital for six of them. Everything went smoothly (and painfully), and we were able to have the drug-free birth we'd hoped for. It was intense, and I was extremely relieved when it was over!
We had some difficulty with breastfeeding in the beginning, and Caleb lost more weight than is normal...so we ended up staying an extra day in the hospital until the breastfeeding was going a little better. But on Saturday (the 19th), we left the hospital and arrived home with our new baby boy!
It was definitely strange at first. We weren't exactly sure what to do with the little guy. The past six weeks have been a learning process, but thankfully the three of us have come a long way in that time! We're getting the hang of things. At least it feels that way some of the time...other times it feels like we've gone back to square one! But I gather that's all pretty normal...
I was in labor for a total of about 24 hours, but I was only in the hospital for six of them. Everything went smoothly (and painfully), and we were able to have the drug-free birth we'd hoped for. It was intense, and I was extremely relieved when it was over!
We had some difficulty with breastfeeding in the beginning, and Caleb lost more weight than is normal...so we ended up staying an extra day in the hospital until the breastfeeding was going a little better. But on Saturday (the 19th), we left the hospital and arrived home with our new baby boy!
It was definitely strange at first. We weren't exactly sure what to do with the little guy. The past six weeks have been a learning process, but thankfully the three of us have come a long way in that time! We're getting the hang of things. At least it feels that way some of the time...other times it feels like we've gone back to square one! But I gather that's all pretty normal...
Saturday, August 16, 2008
long time no post (kendra)
I know, I know...it's been a while. In fact, Caleb is one month old today! Which means I have some catching up to do. I'll work on that. Believe it or not, the little guy keeps me pretty busy. But it is my intention to write on here more whenever I start finding some time to do so. Hopefully I'll be back soon!
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