Andrew, Day 2

So technically this was still Andrew's first 24 hours, or day 1, but it was kind of our second day at the hospital, although we only had to stay for 24 hours ourselves (a fact which thrilled me. I don't know how anyone can ever recover in a hospital, what with all the poking and the prodding). After breakfast, we took a shower and were finally moved to a recovery room. Dave went home to get Grandma and the girls for a visit:

The girls seemed to like Andrew well enough, but after Maddie got restless, we turned on PBS, and they became much more interested in watching TV:

After about an hour, we sent them home again, and spent the afternoon making sure all of the necessary paperwork was getting started so we could leave. Around 9 pm, they took Andrew for his PKU test (which has to be performed at 24 hours old), and then they let us go home. The requisite "car seat" shots:


We arrived home a litle before 10 pm, exhausted. But it's better to not sleep in your own bed than in a hospital bed.

Hike that baby out!

On Wednesday, July 6th, I was still 2 days from my due date with no sign of baby. I had my mom and my girls to entertain, so we went up to the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, mostly because I have a membership and it would be free. (We discovered it during our adventures last summer, and found a good deal on Groupon). So off we went.

We arrived shortly after 10 am, hoping to get in a quick hike before it got too hot. (I walked miles around Manhattan and did stairs up and down my apartment building when Emma was due, and while it didn't do anything for me then, I figured it was worth a shot). But when we got there they told us about an animal program, so we started inside.

These shots are for Mumma. She LOVES geodes, and we found one in the shape of Mickey Mouse!


During the animal program, we got to touch two animals: a turtle and a snake (unfortunately, no pictures). Then we went out on our half-mile hike:

Though it was quite hilly for Texas, it did nothing to induce labor but it certainly made us all HOT! But we couldn't leave without checking out the animals:

I have no idea what this thing is, but it reminds me of the R.O.U.S.es from "The Princess Bride".

We left around noon, hot and ready for lunch. We figured we'd have to wait another week for this baby and consoled ourselves with some In'n'Out burgers on the way home. But little did I know, it might have actually worked! I was up half that night with pressure contractions, which stopped by Thursday morning, and then came hard, fast, and painful by Thursday afternoon. A few hours later we had Andrew. If I decide to have another one, perhaps I will renew this membership???

July 4th Parade

Ever since we went last year, Emma and Madeline have been eager to be in our town's 4th of July parade, when they saw other kids ride their bikes and walk their dogs. Bikes were a big part of this dream, though neither of the girls is quite proficient enough to ride for a mile or two that is the parade route. So we opted this year to push Maddie in her Cozy Coupe, with Emma walking beside. The only downside was that the parade was held on Saturday (the SECOND of July), right around the time we had to pick Grandma up from the airport. But Dave agreed to take the girls. They dressed up in their most patriotic attire:

At the parade gathering point, they found some friends:


Maddie made sure to practice her flag-waving skills:

And then they were off and marching:

In a fortuitous turn of events, Grandma and I made it back from the airport just in time to see the marchers turn the final corner by the courthouse:

We are already practicing riding our bikes in anticipation of next year!

Andrew Karl's Birth Day

Here is Andrew's birth timeline. I will actually start a few days before.

Saturday, July 2: My mom gets into town!

Monday, July 4: Mom and I go for a two-mile walk around the neighborhood, in the hopes that I am far enough along to get an induction date at my appointment on Tuesday.

Tuesday, July 5: Doctor's appointment. I am barely 3 cm and only slightly effaced, but my doctor agrees to schedule an induction anyway. She calls the hospital and the earliest available is the following Tuesday (July 12th). I am annoyed.

Wednesday, July 6, morning: Mom and I take the girls to the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney. I joke that maybe our short hike (1/2 mile) will put me into labor.

Wednesday, July 6, evening--Thursday July 7, early morning: I start feeling contractions in the evening, though they aren't painful--just pressure. After waking up around 1 am, I am up for several hours with contractions coming every 15 minutes or so. I pack my bathroom stuff in my suitcase in the wee hours of the morning.

Thursday, July 7, 8 am: Contractions stop. I unpack my bathroom stuff, bring Emma to preschool, go to Kroger.

July 7, 1 pm: I email Dave to tell him the earlier contractions were a false alarm. I take a nap, go pick Emma up.

3 pm: Contractions start up again with a vengeance. I can't lie down or sit. They are coming every 10-15 minutes.

4 pm: Painful contractions continue, sometimes coming every 5 minutes. I call Dave and leave a voicemail that he should come home.

4:30 pm: I call the doctor and she agrees I should head for the hospital. Finally get ahold of Dave, who leaves work.

4:45 pm: Contractions are coming fast and hard. I start to panic. I call Dave, who is stuck in traffic. I decided to meet him at the hospital.

5 pm: We leave for the hospital.

5:45 pm: We arrive at the hospital. Dave is already there. I get into triage and start begging for drugs. After all of those painful contractions, I am only at 4.

6:05 pm: My begging for drugs gets me a room. The nurse keeps telling me how strong my contractions are on the monitor. No kidding!

6:30 pm: Process paperwork, blood tests, and I get some pain meds through an IV. Contractions are still strong, but not quite an painful.

7:20 pm: Epidural time! Suddenly I am much happier.


7:35 pm: The nurse administers pitocin. Might as well get this show on the road!

8:10 pm: The doctor's resident comes in to break my water and check my progress. We are all surprised to hear that I am almost complete and go for launch! The nurses try to frantically find the doctor.

8:25 pm: Begin to push. Doctor is convinced this baby will come right out. But he's wrong. I can't feel a thing because my legs are completely dead.

8:35 pm: My contractions seem to stop. We wait a little bit.

8:40 pm: My IV, with the pitocin drip, has fallen out. I get a shot of pitocin to get things going again.

8:57 pm: Andrew Karl is born. He is 7 lbs, 7 oz and 20 3/4 inches long.




He looks a lot like Madeline, with my ears and freakishly long, skinny feet and toes.

9:20 pm: First feeding. Andrew eats like a champ for 15 minutes.

10 pm: The nurse tells us there is no room at the inn! All of the recovery rooms are full, so we settle in to stay in labor and delivery for the night.

Mini Vacation

On Father's Day weekend, we escaped to the Gaylord Texan for a mini vacation. It was partially to celebrate my birthday, partially to celebrate Father's Day, and mostly to just enjoy time as a family after a long Spring where Dave was working a lot. It was so nice to get out of town, even if it was only an hour away.

We picked Dave up early from work on a Friday afternoon, checked into our room, and then hit the pool.


Emma's favorite was the lazy river, but unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of that.

After an hour or two of swimming, we were ready for dinner. We changed and ran into Big Tex:

We ate dinner at the Texan-themed restaurant. It had a sports bar in the front with a HUGE screen. Maddie enjoyed relaxing and catching up on Sportscenter:

After dinner we wandered around the four-acre atrium.


We ended the night with a fireworks show over the Grapevine Lake. The girls enjoyed it, even though Maddie in particular was exhausted.

It was a great weekend!