August! Introducing Asher...

Yay, I finally got to August! Not that anyone hasn't seen most of these pictures already but there are probably a few that you may not have glimpsed. Most of August was spent waiting for Asher and then enjoying him.

The delivery: I had been having contractions for a few days irregularly but the 13th I started contracting pretty regularly and the early hours of the 14th I knew it was probably going to happen that day. About 6 AM it was time to head in. When I arrived I was dilated to a 4. Within a few hours I was at a 7, and got an epidural. By about noon I was at a 9. And I stayed at a 9. For about 2 hours. My water sack still hadn't broken and the doctor had to break it for me - he said it was a pretty tough one - and checked again. He proclaimed I was at a 9 3/4 and said within the hour I could start pushing. He said he was surprised because Asher still hadn't "dropped". By this time the epidural was wearing off on one side and they wouldn't give me another boost because I was too close to pushing. Pushing was hard. Duh. For about 2 hours I pushed without showing much progress because his head was wedged. I had to try different positions to unwedge him. The doctor decided that he was too big and they had to turn off the epidural in the hope that I could push better, otherwise I'd have to have a C-section. The pain was not something I'd ever like to experience again and had I a gun, the doctor would have left the earth for turning off the epidural on me. :D Finally his head moved and he came pretty quickly after that. He was born at 5:52 pm. They were afraid he might have inhaled some meconium and suctioned him but didn't get anything out. His scores were low at first though so they took him to the ICU for about four hours. I FINALLY got to see him about 10 that night. My new little man!

Kate loves her new brother!

My little man

Caught him sort of smiling

Love the red in his hairMy favorite picture. I love the way he looks at me, like he's happy to finally see me and knows me well. I feel the same way about him!

My beautiful little girl!

The hospital: Asher was born at St. Joseph's hospital in Syracuse, NY. The delivery room was nice but the post-partum rooms were wonderful. They had just redone the whole unit and the rooms were light and cozy. The only problem was that the plumbing broke. So I couldn't take a shower. For like a day and a half after giving birth. Ick. I was quite tired and recovery was pretty typical for giving birth I guess. His big size bruised my tailbone and sitting or standing was painful. When the doctor came in to check on me the day after Ash was born he looked at him and said, "He's a little overcooked, isn't he," referring to his 8 lb 15 oz size. Yeah, I'd say so. I think my due date was probably a little earlier, to be honest. Anyway he was a good baby in the hospital but I was excited to go home. I hate being awakened by the nurses and being prodded every few hours.

Finally showered, holding my little man

Geez am I lucky.

About 4 hours old

Kate and Jon visiting the new little man.

Pants holding little man.

At home: My mom came for a couple of weeks to help out and to play with Kate. It was immensely helpful and I am so very very grateful she could come. Kate of course loved it and had a really hard time after Grandma left. There was no one at her side whenever she needed someone and that's been a hard adjustment for her, even now. She loves her little brother though and is a very good big sister. She was so excited to help give him a bath.

First bathPants being a good big sister

Little man leaving the hospital - out of order, sorry

Kate loving her new brother

Pants just being pants.Little man's funny faces

Drunken slumber of milk

Trying to stop the crying...

Kate, Grandma, and the newest grandbaby.

My little Ute.

It seems like we sleep an awful lot but not at all...

too cute

Janet and John were in the neighborhood for a little vacation so they stopped by to see us. We went to dinner that night and had a picnic in the park the next afternoon. It was a lot of fun. We rented a bike made for seven people and rode around. Kate liked running in the mist-maker as well.

Kate playing in the mist-makersThe bike made for seven

Grandma and Asher

Pretty little princess

Grandma and Kate being penguins at the zoo

Grandma and Kate at the zoo