Finally! I begin...

With Isaiah's three month birthday fastly approaching, I thought it was time I finally start documenting my little one. At first, I felt a little guilty that it took me so long but in retrospect, I needed these three months to get Isaiah on a schedule so that this blog was even possible! I just learned how to get at least six hours of sleep a day and eat three meals and maybe even a snack! Well, anyway, on to the more important stuff - Isaiah.

Isaiah was born on Wednesday, August 22, 2007. He weighed almost 9lbs! I was in labor for over 27 hours! I would love to use that as a bragging right but the fact is for most of it I was feeling the effects of a wonderful thing called an epidural. On Monday evening, my husband, Richard and I rushed to the Upper East Side because I was experiencing contractions every five to seven minutes. I was CONVINCED we would turn right back around and go home because I had been told when labor started I would know. I was still pretty unsure and the pain was somewhat bearable (with the exception of a few) so I assumed Isaiah wouldn't be coming that night. Picture Kirstie Alley in Look Who's Talking - that is pretty much how I thought it would be. So, when we got to the hospital and they told us they were going to prep me for labor you could have knocked me over with a feather - if I wasn't lying down.

The labor room was beautiful. Flat screen cable TV, lovely Daddy recliner (that Richard and my Mom took shifts sleeping in) and again a little button that increased my pain medication when I felt the slightest bit of discomfort. The first picture is Richard in the Daddy recliner watching the flat screen. The second is me in the bed also watching the flat screen. When I look back, I really can't complain about that part. Aside from the nurse or doctor coming in every so often to violate me, in a way only gyno-staff can, I was sitting pretty. In retrospect, I would have gotten much more sleep! But, silly me, thought the baby would be coming any minute so I could barely sleep. WRONG! After dilating to 8cm and 50% effaced, Isaiah decided he wanted us to come in and get him. My poor baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck... twice. It seemed like less than an hour after they suggested a c-section, Isaiah was here!

Adorned in our lovely blue shower caps and scrubs, Richard and I headed into the operating room. I was given even more epidural and after a few tugs and pulls I heard the most magnificent beautiful sound I had ever heard. Isaiah's cries! It wasn't the screaming you hear on TV. Isaiah sounded more like he was testing his voice out in a series of short little cries. Of course, I cried too. In a way I never cried before. I can barely articulate the emotion but it was some mixture of relief, excitement and love... but love seems like too weak of a word. Everyone was screaming congratulations and Richard was kissing the tears from my face. Because they had a large sheet spread over the lower part of my body, I couldn't see him but I watched Richard strain his neck to look over the sheet and stare at our new boy. Finally, it occured to me - Richard can go see him! I told Richard to go look and he ran over and started taking pictures. He brought them back for me to look at and finally someone handed Isaiah to me, swaddled up, eyes wide with some sort of ointment all over his eyes. I must have kissed him a million times! My first thoughts on seeing him were he looks JUST like Richard and second, those are the pinkest lips I have ever seen! :-)

After Isaiah and I kissed for the first time - the nurses took him back to finish up my surgery. Richard headed off with Isaiah to be sure he was safe. Unfortunately, Isaiah had some trouble breathing so he was taken to Intensive Care to receive oxygen. It took five hours before Isaiah and I were reunited! It is still pretty emotional for me to think about. After my surgery, I had no feeling below my waist and I was instructed that I could not see him until I was able to move. I had asked Richard to stay with the baby so I just remember sitting in recovery crying my eyes out. Some insensitve nurse put me in a room full of women recovering with there babies so every time I heard a baby cry my heart would break. Finally, a much nicer nurse told me if I could contact my husband she would allow him to wheel me to intensive care. I had my cell so I called him and finally my brother came down and wheeled me to see Isaiah. I was in the hospital six days, Isaiah stayed in intensive care two days. I insisted on nursing from the beginning so every two-three hours I would wheel down to intensive care to feed and hold him. This picture is our first picture as a family that my brother took with his camera phone.

We left the hospital on August 26, 2007 - headed back to home and have been making it up as we go along ever since. So many people visited Isaiah in the hospital andn continue to visit him at home! To the left is my mom and dad with him. He is quite a popular kid. He is also advancing very quickly. At six weeks old, he was already lifting his head. Before two months, he was already stiffening his legs to stand.

Now, he laughs and smiles ALL the time. He is such a character! He sleeps big blocks of time at night. Usually about seven hours and then six. When he wakes in the morning he talks to his mobile patiently until his coos wake me up. He sleeps in a cosleeper on my side of the bed. Below is a picture of him sleeping in his cosleeper. When he finally hears my voice a HUGE smile spreads across his face. It is the best thing! Then, I usually bathe and feed him and we start our day! My goal with this blog is to share his milestones and my struggles and joys as a new parent.

Will blog soon,

Tiara (Mommy Esq.)