What big teeth you have!

Today was BamBam's one month check-up. I knew he was huge, this appointment confirmed it. He's 12 pounds, 8 ounces, 23 inches long/tall, and his head is 15 inches around. His weight has him passed the 100-percentile, and his length in the 95 percentile. Which means (I'll admit it, I still have to think about it this way). He weighs more than 100% of babies his age, and he's taller/longer than 95% of them. I guess all that spitting up he's doing isn't harming his growth. He didn't get any shots today, they come next month. I hope he doesn't scream bloody murder, the way he does when I pull something over his head to dress him.

*rabbit trail* I just got a whiff of my shirt...yuck...BamBam spit up on me. Suppose it comes with the territory. I was going to change it, but I fell prey to the But-First Syndrome. I was going to change my shirt, but first I should do the laundry so I have clean clothes, but first I should nap while the bambino naps, but first I need to update my blog so my husband doesn't do it for me, but first I should find something to make for dinner, but first I should read my emails and blog readers...and on it could go. So, I found something for dinner (I think, if I'm adventurous to make it), I read my emails, my shirt still smells like spit up, the laundry is sitting in the basket staring at me, and I'll be falling asleep about 8pm tonight. Don'tcha love it?

Blondie has gone off to a real live college this fall. Last year, she stayed at home and went to a community college and worked. This year, she's out in the hills?...mountains?...lands! of Tennessee. I clicked through her pictures on facebook, and was surprised to see that she's already made quite a few friends-several guys too! She had her arms around one, she and another girl were kissing another guy's cheeks...and this is a "Christian" college? I mean, I'm not all for the BJU style "absolutely no touching, don't even think about touching to push him out of the way of a falling piano" strict, but I think this college is waaay over on the liberal side. Know what they told her about clothes? Her shorts have to have at least a 6 inch inseam. AT LEAST 6 INCHES?! That's like, what, just enough to cover your butt cheeks? I just had to get that off my chest. I'm good now.

Back to family news. Thing One is headed up to NY with Dad to check out a merchant marine academy. He's been trying to get someone to go since I went off to college! I'm not sure what the merchant marines are/do/is, but I've always imagined that they all work on mast ships selling and traded wool and stuff like that. I mean, the name is very dis-leading. Merchant-why not say clerk or cashier or something else that gives that impression? Merchant--like, Hello, I'm a shopkeeper from the 1700's. Nice to meet you. Then there's Marines. I think of tough, dirty, buff soldiers, don't you? No hair, thick muscles, decked out in BDU's or something. Those two words just don't mix, like Microsoft Works. No it doesn't. Heh, I made a funny!

Forget what I said about falling asleep at 8, I'm propping my eyelids up with toothpicks right now. So I'm gonna go take a little snooze while the bambino is sleeping, maybe he'll sleep for longer that 45 mins. That's been his going rate these days. Crying is good for the lungs, right?

Wordless Wednesday

We, meaning mom-in-law, Melinda, the bambino and I, headed out to the NEW! Target. It was a nice experience. The store still had the new, clean smell. All the racks were nicely organized. Everything was fully stocked.

This one, we hadn't gone anywhere, except to send a letter and check the mail. I put him in the sling in the first place because he wouldn't sleep for more than 20 mins by himself. He slept in the sling for about an hour and a half. Enough time to go visit the office people who were dying to see him again, and to put BamBam's clothes away, and to make some cookies. But as usual, the cookies cooked a little too long...oh well. Maybe one day, I'll be a good cookie maker.

I have a wrap too. I even got a picture with BamBam in it, but I'm not sure where that picture is. It might be on my camera, but my memory card reader went kaput the other day, so it'll just have to sit there until I can find another reader. While the bambino is sleeping, I think I shall take a nap too. It's time.

Mike, Emily, this is especially for you. Leah and Cory named their baby girl Corah Reagan. I wasn't sure if you saw it on facebook but wanted to make sure you knew.

new belly button and babies

MCM's mom left today. The bambino and I took her to the airport. It's just us again. I'm kinda hesitant to see how we'll do. I haven't cooked or cleaned or done laundry since she arrived two weeks ago. I tried to make dinner last night, french toast, but Brendon decided it was time to eat before I could finish. I think we can do this though. I mean, we aren't the first, and won't be the last. Our friends, Cory and Leah just had their baby last night. Miss Baby Girl was born at 11:51pm, weighing 9lbs and 9 oz, and 21 1/2 inches long. She's as big as Brendon is NOW. BamBam was a week and a half late, and Miss Baby Girl was two weeks early. I just realized, of our three babies, Bee, BamBam, and Miss Baby Girl, they've just gotten bigger and bigger: 7.2, 8.4, and now 9.9....I think Devon, who's due in January had better watch out!! Leah's blood pressure was super high, so they induced her labor. I'm planning on headed over to see her this evening. I have to wait till MCM gets home to watch BamBam, cause hospitals don't let outside babies on L&D floors. Cory and Leah hadn't decided on a name for their little girl yet, but I'm excited to meet her anyways!

Here's a cute picture of BamBam sleeping in his moses basket that Aunt Shannon sent for him. I don't have to worry about him flinging himself off the couch. He's go

tten good at scooting himself around in bed or on the couch.

When I lay him down, I put his feet by the back, and in about 15 mins, he'll have wiggled so that his head is where his feet were and he's practically smooshed his face into the back crack of the couch. Silly boy!

Saturday, my baby boy's cord stump fell off. It was looking pretty nasty, and it was bleeding every now and then, not much, but enough to be gross. Then Saturday morning, I took his PJ's off and there it was! It was sitting on his diaper just staring at me. And there was his precious belly button...well, it will be precious when it heals up. It's almost there. So Saturday night we gave him his bath. I think he tolerated it well. He didn't cry. It looked like he might have once or twice, but he didn't. The look on his face when I

lowered him

into the water was priceless. Kinda like, "What the--?!" MCM took the pictures, and he did a good job. Then we swapped; he got the baby and I took pictures of them. He's so good with BamBam.

That monkey and this giraffe are from the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. We went Saturday morning. It was kinda boring. Definitely geared to the younger population. Half of the exhibits were closed :( and it was super hot and humid. BamBam did good though, until his tummy said he can't wait any longer to be filled. Then we came home and we all crashed on the couches/beds in the house.

Well, I gotta go make something for lunch and go meet MCM at work.

Pictures and stuff

They're in no certain order, ok? You know how me and Blogger and pictures don't mix. If you want to see all the other pictures, go check out my facebook site, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=287889&id=545255187&l=e6bd1dd282 or my mom's http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=123773&id=556481762&ref=mf

Finally! Donut Day has arrived!

Hi there!

look how big his feet are!

Merlene was so excited to be there!

My midwife, Lois, and her new friend

no longer a couple, now a family

hi daddy!

Brendon Archer McMillen

Waiting to go home

wow

nice nails, huh? did them myself!

Grandma

Aunt Sarah

Aunt Beka

this is my angry face!

of epidurals, birthing and donuts

Ok, the epidural. I have a very vivid imagination, and I was 'concerned' that I would be imagining horrible things going on back there. Uh yeah, I wasn't counting on the contractions taking up my every thought. Well, maybe there was a little bit of space left to think about the shakes I had. Wow, you would have thought I was *freezing* with all the shaking and chills I had. They got my feet all the way up to my teeth. I couldn't stop them, even if I tried tensing up, they still came. And even after the epidural they still came. My legs didn't shake, but I'm sure they would have if they could.

So the epidural was a welcome relief. 18 hours of labor and no sleep since Thursday night. You can bet I fell asleep. It wasn't really a deep sleep, so I could hear them talking about me. Saying things like, wow, she's sleeping through a contraction. Um, I think that's the point of it.

Some time after that, the nurse came in to hang pitocin since the contractions were quickly leaving. She asked me to lean to the left (nurses like PG women on the left side, supposedly gets more blood/oxygen to baby). As soon as I did, she left. But she came in like 30 seconds later, not panicked, but more purposeful and focused. I heard the monitor dinging, but it did that a lot. She had me roll on my back, checked me (now I know she was making sure no cord was hanging out), and stuck an oxygen mask on my face. I don't remember if she went out and got Lois before having me flip over to my hands and knees or after. But I did. I was scared, I'll admit it. I glanced up at the monitor as I was moving-which was surprisingly easy even with the epidural. My heart jumped and I got really worried. Brendon's heart rate as in the 50's. Mine was in the 90's. Normal heart rate for an newborn/unborn is from about 150-110. They like it to stay above 100, love it to be above 120. So 50 caused some excitement. I started to cry and told someone, anyone, "Go find Mark, please!"

I made him go get something to eat. The poor guy hadn't eaten practically anything since a bowl of cereal since before we left for the hospital. Maybe he had one or two munchies, but he was hungry. Lois came in and put a scalp electrode in Brendon's scalp. It's two thin wires twisted together with a small sharp cork-screw on the end that basically, screws into his head. It only goes under the top layer of skin, much like putting a safety pin in your finger. It did leave a bruise, but I guess that's a small price to pay to be able to ensure his heart rate was being followed.

After all that excitement, they had me laying on my right side. If a PG woman lays on her back, there's a chance of the huge uterus compressing the major blood vessels and preventing adequate blood/oxygen from getting to mom and baby. Side is better than back. Anyways, you know how gravity works? Well, not only does it work to pull all the blood to your head when you're standing on it, but it also works to pull all the fentanyl in my epidural space to one side when I'm laying on it. I could still feel the contractions, as a pressure, but then I started feeling stuff in my back, but just in my left hip area. For a while, someone pressing on it really helped. Then it started following the contraction patterns. Oh my goodness, did it hurt! I think the drastic difference in that one spot, about the size of MCM's fist, and the rest of my lower body was just astounding. Then my toes stopped tingling. That's when I realized "hmm, I bet my epidural is flowing down to my right side." I called my nurse in, and she got the anesthesiologist to come and give me an extra boost. I really just wanted to be able to move a bit.

We tried going back to the left side, to even things out, but his heart rate dropped again, so that was out of the question. We guess that he has his cord on that side and would compress it with some body part. I did lay on my (shh) back to get things straightened out. And it worked. And so did that extra boost. I was completely numb from my belly button to my toes. I could only wiggle the toes on my left foot. Talk about weird.

I think about 6ish I was dilated to 10 cm. That's when things picked up. My nurse was very thorough, she did a lot of stuff. Can you tell I don't remember much? Lack of sleep will do that to you. She pulled the stirrups up and MCM and Mom were given the jobs of holding my legs and only that. Mom tried to text people, but I set her straight :) Like I said, my legs were completely numb. MCM got the picture and held my leg good, but Mom...she had some learning difficulties. LOL, I think she let go of it once and it just flopped. Then she got on the bandwagon and held it good. I had no sensation of where or when to push, but my nurse helped with that. She cheered me on, she counted to 10, she watched for contractions. She did a good job!

As the pushing went on, we talked-well, my family talked, I was given the task of breathing slow and deep with the oxygen mask-about what time he'd be born. Some guessed 615, some 630. My brother, Marine (he called to talk to us) guessed 730. Hang on, it was not even 5 when he said that, but I wasn't pushing yet, because I remember being devastated that someone would even *think* it'd last that much longer. But anyways, I breathed and pushed and rested and breathed and pushed and rested. For about an hour and 15 minutes I pushed.

Mom and Bekah watched his head start to crown. They brought in a mirror so I could see the fruits of my labor (LOL pun totally intended!!) As he was crowning (meaning head coming out) they told me to touch him. I was a little hesitant, but Lois was instant. She knew it would be good for me. She said, "Mom, that's your baby, touch him" she wasn't mean, just knew it would help me push better. I touched his head. It was covered in dark hair. It felt kinda mushy, but, oh, so soft! In between pushing, when his head was right there in the middle of it, Lois commented, "I wonder what's going through his head right about now." That made me laugh, still does.

Finally his head popped out, they suctioned it, and another contraction and another push, and his shoulder was out. Lois said, "Bring your hands down here, reach down and catch your baby, mom." I did. I grabbed his shoulders and with little effort pulled him from my body and brought him on to my stomach. WOW. I still cry then I think about it. It was amazing. A true miracle from God. The nurses rubbed his body with the blankets and he cried. It was so...there are no words, just amazement. MCM was offered to cut the cord, he declined, so Mom did it. He told me later that he was a bit dazed by it all.

Brendon Archer McMillen. 8 pounds, 4 ounces. 19 3/4 inches long. His head measured 13 1/2 inches. Born July 18, 2009 at 7:33 pm.

I got stitched up, he got wrapped up, and everyone else took pictures. Brendon stayed awake for a long while, probably about 45 mins. I could be off, but it seemed like a long time. MCM followed Brendon and his nurse to the nursery. My mom and sisters made the appropriate phone calls. I got my donut that I had been fantasizing over since early that morning.

Imagine the hardest thing you ever accomplished. Well, I totally outdid you. It didn't "go" as I planned out in my head, but now, looking back at it all, I don't think I would have changed anything. It was my birth experience, and I'm glad at how it turned out.

Since this is already plenty long, I'll do a different post with pictures.

Brendon Archer McMillen

Friday night, MCM and I went on our last pre-parent date. We went and saw a movie....I forget what movie. I'll come back to that part if I remember. MCM's brother-in-law sent us a text saying that this was our last date. Being fully confident and pessimistic, I replied back that nope it wasn't, we're going to have a full weekend. Ha. Little did I know what it would be full of.

Another round of contractions slowly started about 10pm-ish. I'm not sure of the time, but it was around then. We took it slow, put on a movie, and MCM fell asleep. These contractions were pretty intense, but nothing that I couldn't cope with. After the movie (yeah, I don't remember what it was either), I took MCM out for a walk. We stayed around close to the house, but quit after two contractions came because I couldn't walk through them. I wanted to stay home as long as I could, but soon we left, soon being 1am.

I got a wheelchair ride this time, and being checked in and situated to the room happened a whole lot more quickly than a few weeks ago. They hooked up their monitors, and check my dilation. SURPRISE! I was 5-6cm dilated! Yeah, no way they were going to let me go home (but now thinking of it, I could have gone home and come back with plenty of time!!) I convinced them not to put an IV in my hand, but in my arm (my hand was going to be kinda busy...). Once we knew we were staying and having this baby, we texted and called the appropriate family member and friends.

My mom, my sister Blondie, and Thing 2 came down (they didn't get there till about 5 or so). I got up and walked around, sat on the ball, breathed through contractions all morning long. It was kinda boring all morning long. I think I got up to 7 cm by 8am or so. Yes, it was going really slow. The contractions really just felt like really bad menstrual cramps, I get some pretty bad ones, but they were worse than those. The nurses and midwife encouraged me to not stay in bed and to move around and get in different positions. I was very active, well, as active as I could be with an IV and the monitors. About 11am, Lois, the midwife, came back in and it seemed I had hit a plateau. My water hadn't broken, and my contractions were slowing down.

So they popped the balloon. Oh my goodness, I thought they were digging for my belly button. Nevermind the fact that I was lying down and trying to go through contractions with her fingers inside. Then she popped it, and...nothing really happened. No gush, maybe a trickle, but no gush. I was post-due, so they wanted to be prepared for meconium at delivery (there wasn't though). The first contraction that came with my waters broken was like comparing a flash light beam to a stadium light. Oh my goodness! And on top of that, every contraction brought a gush. Every laugh (and my sleep-deprived family was pretty funny) brought a gush, and each gush brought a little laugh--it was a never ending cycle. We got pretty good at changing the pad in 2 minutes between contractions.

I know sometime I asked for some pain medicine. I don't know when it was, but I'm sure it was after I had my water broken. They gave me stadol. Now, I still was aware and felt each contraction, but it's like sleeping and realizing that someone turned on the light, but being so tired that you don't care. Oh, and the dreams I had. I remember something about a dragon, flowers, and something else. I could hear them talking about me. Someone said something about it being like Antarctica in the room, but I was sweating and almost said something, but didn't care enough to. I remember the contractions coming and being more aware of them. They were still not as bad as before, but because I had a little break from the intensity, they seemed stronger.

The stadol wore off, and the contractions tapered off AGAIN! Lois didn't want to go as far as pitocin just yet, so she suggested nipple stimulation. I think this about 1 or 2pm Saturday afternoon. Everyone else left the room, so it was just MCM and I. I tried to relax against him, but the contractions got stronger and closer together (it seemed that way to me), but I know that was the point. I was exhausted, I just couldn't cope with it any more. I really wanted to try natural, but knew I couldn't. And I was still at 7cm, stuck again.

Everyone was so wonderful, they were cheering me on, telling me how good I was doing. MCM was wonderful. He kept whispering to me I was doing so good. Maybe he wasn't whispering, but that's how it seemed to me. I think the anesthesiologist was in the room within 3 minutes of me asking for the epidural. I had to endure two contractions while they were doing their stuff. MCM held my head and rubbed my neck (that really helped me stay still) and soon my toes were tingling and the contractions were fading from my senses. It was a weird sensation, the epidural. Think of your legs falling asleep, but not quite there (still in the tingly stage), being able to fully move them--at least in bed, but not able to bear the weight--yet, not feeling anything but deep pressure.

I think I got the epidural about 2 or 3pm. I'll be back to finish later, I need to feed the baby.