Dinner drop off - Heather and Jon

Heather and Jon came over with copious amounts of sushi (and Sake!). I had lots of sushi and just a wee bit of the sake. :) They ate dinner with us and hung out for awhile.

Dinner drop off - Mike

Mike brought over Ethiopian takeout and ate dinner with us. I was bummed Jenny couldn't make it, but we had a nice time and got some cute photos.

Tasty Bites

Jeremy is Master of the Finger. Nothing seems to appease little Noah more than sucking on Daddy's pinky finger. Dr. Hank taught us this trick and it's been an amazing life saver. Clearly personal hygiene must be carefully observed. :)

Jeremy goes back to work

Unfortunately Jeremy had to go back to work today. If he had been at his job for a year he would've been able to take advantage of California's Family Leave Act and stay home with me and the baby for much longer, but we feel lucky that he got as long as he did given the chaos of his new job.

Today was so much harder without him. He's really been such an amazing Dad, taking on most of the diaper changing and helping me in general. It's amazing how another pair of hands are really necessary so you can even just go to the restroom. The day was hectic and crazy and I didn't even get a shower. I know I'll eventually get the hang of everything, but it's just so much better with him home. We missed him dearly.

Dinner drop off - Steph

Steph came by with some super delicious veggie curry with sprouted peanuts. I thought for sure we'd have leftovers for my lunch tomorrow, but instead we gobbled it right up. We're going to be soooo bummed when this whole friends-bringing-us-dinner-thing ends. We've been eating like royalty.

Dinner drop off - Kenny

Kenny came by and stayed for dinner. It was such a treat because he brought takeout from Trattoria La Siciliana, which friggin' rules!! Kenny's taken to calling Noah the Yoches Monster which is really cute.

Thanksgiving in Vegas

We went to Vegas for Thanksgiving (November 21 - 25) and travel was a total success thanks to the awesome sling that Heather made us. Jeremy carried the little guy and he slept the whole way there and the whole way back. Noah (like his Daddy) can sleep through ANYTHING. We also took him to a bowling alley (!!) and he just slept away. (If they hadn't given him a hearing test in the hospital I'd be worried.)

People thought we were crazy to travel with a 2 week old, but it was a piece of cake. I think the trick is to go early, remain calm and don't bring everything. We were able to travel minimally because the Grandparents have a car seat and Noah sleeps with us so that meant we didn't have to worry about two very bulky items. When we were out in public we kept him in the sling to keep nosy people and germ infested hands away and it worked like a charm. Honestly, it worked almost too well because you couldn't even see that we had a baby. This was only a problem when we tried to board the plane. Jeremy was carrying Noah, yet the baby boarding pass was stapled to my boarding pass. I got half way down the entry way before the gate attendant came running after me, "Ma'am, ma'am, where's your baby!?" I laughed and pointed to Jeremy's belly. Did she really think we just forgot him?! I mean, I know we're new at this and all...

The coolest thing that ALL public spaces should really have is the "family" restroom. We used one at the Oakland airport (the only place I've actually seen one) and it was great. It's so helpful when you're new at this whole changing the baby in public thing to have your partner right there to help. Especially since I think I've only changed 4 diapers so far--that's been Jeremy's job. :) Oy, it's going to be rough when he goes back to work.

We were both so happy to make the trip. It was such an awesome sight to see Booboo and Zadi with their first great grandchild.

Four Generations

Zadi, Great Zadi, Noah and proud beaming Daddy Jeremy.

Pictures from Dayna

Dayna stopped by tonight and brought us some delicious dinner--butternut squash lasagna and some other goodies. She stayed for a bit and took these pictures.

Dinner drop off - Dayna

Dayna came by with some awesome takeout from the Pasta Shop. I love that she brought over some great comfort food--mac and cheese and butternut squash lasagna. Yummy!

Doctor Visit (12 days)

It was Noah's first doctor visit. For some reason we couldn't see his regular doctor which was kind of a bummer.

We were expecting that Noah would lose a little weight, which is normal, but were surprised to find out that he'd lost so much. The doctor wasn't overly concerned because he didn't appear to be dehydrated. He felt that Noah had more than likely been incorrectly weighed at the hospital. He said that he's seen many times where an extra blanket was left on the scale, or even sometimes a hurried nurse doesn't realize they still have the hands on the scale. Jeremy and I both knew he was wrong about either scenario because we have several photos of Noah after he was born where he is clearly the only thing on the scale and we can see the readout perfectly. The doctor also acknowledged that my milk did take longer than usual to come in--5 days--which probably played a part in his extra weight loss. He said as long as Noah was back to his birth weight or higher by the next visit then he wouldn't be concerned.

Noah grew one inch in 12 days! He's getting taller, but losing weight. Our son is a bean pole. :)

Height: 22 inches
Weight: 8 pounds 3 ounces
Head circumference: 35 cm

After the visit we decided to go out to eat--our first dining out experience since he was born. We went to Sushiya for some real sushi!! I was so excited. We'd been going to Sushiya every Monday night before our birthing class so it was fun to go in with our new baby. The owner and wait staff was happy to meet our new little guy. And I was happy to eat real FISH!! Sooooo good.

Dinner drop off - Val

Val stopped by to bring us some delicious homemade spicy Indian chicken soup. He stayed for awhile to visit but we forgot to take a photo with him and Noah! :(

Dinner drop off - Josh and Mia

Josh, Mia and Jonah came over tonight and made us dinner. It was nice to have the company and Josh hadn't seen Noah since we first got home. After dinner they went down to get us Fenton's ice cream which made me very, very happy.

Baby's First Pedicure

I was too terrified to clip Noah's teeny tiny fingernails so I made Jeremy do it. Everyone said to just bite them but that just seemed weird to me, maybe because I'm not a nail biter. Jeremy found the perfect time to do it--when Noah was fast asleep. :)

Dinner drop off - Jake and Ritu

Jake and Ritu brought over the most amazing homemade Indian food. I seriously wonder if we'll ever be able to eat regular Indian food again. It was such a treat with amazingly complex and layered flavors. I think we were supposed to have leftovers, but we ate it all up.

We asked them to stay and hang out for a bit. It's nice to get the one-on-one time with friends. We also got a cute picture of them with Noah. (We thought it would be fun to get everybody who brings over food to pose for a photo holding Noah.)

Dinner drop off - The AnderClan

Our friend Alene was kind enough to organize a few weeks of meals for us. The idea is that every other night for two weeks someone brings you dinner--something easy to heat up or ready to serve. They are supposed to drop it off and can only stay to see the baby if we invite them in to hang out a bit. Since we had family around for a few days we weren't going to have it start until the 17th, but when Lacy called and said they wanted to bring us dinner we couldn't really saying no. I mean, Trevor is a professional chef. :)

They showed up with homemade minestrone soup, pesto, garlic bread and champagne and stayed to eat dinner with us. It was delicious, of course, and the champagne went straight to my head and sent me straight to bed.

Noah's First Walk in the Neighborhood

We went out for a walk with Noah and Grandpa Watson. This was Noah's first time in his fancy schmancy wheels. It was a beautiful day and you could see spectacular views of the city. I'm not sure Noah really cared but Grandpa thought it was cool.

Tree Planting

We planted a Pineapple Guava tree in our backyard to commemorate Noah's birth. Hopefully it will grow big and strong just like our little man.

Grandpa Watson Visits

Grandpa Watson came out from Oklahoma City to visit his first grandchild. He only got to stay for a few days but he was clearly smitten with little Noah.

First Bath

After getting over the initial shock Noah seemed to enjoy his first bath. Booboo, Zadi and Uncle Josh watched while Jeremy and I carefully cleaned the tiny little man.

Baby's First Feeding

Aside from labor I was most anxious about breastfeeding. I believed in the benefits of breastfeeding and wanted to be successful at it. In preparation we'd taken a class and I had a really good resource book. I knew there was nothing easy or "natural" about it. I knew it would be work, but I was ready and willing to do everything I could to make it happen. A couple hours after Noah's birth a nurse came to help me get started. My milk hadn't come in, but I knew the colustrom was enough to keep him happy and healthy.

First Visitors

Grandma Watson, Booboo, Mark and Shannon waited patiently to meet Noah. Here are the first pictures of them with the new little man.

Photos That Tell the Story

Unbeknown to me and Jeremy, our family was growing concerned about our whereabouts. They knew the c-section would take about an hour and we'd been gone almost two. Tobey finally checked with a nurse and learned that we had been delayed by a more urgent c-section. She was told that we'd only just gone in a few minutes earlier. My Mom, Tobey and Shannon returned to busying themselves figuring that it would be at least another hour before they heard anything. My brother waited downstairs.




About that time Jeremy was walking to the nursery alongside a nurse as she carried Noah. It was hospital policy that hospital staff carry all newborns. She asked Jeremy if he had any family waiting. He said yes, so she immediately handed Noah to him and told him to stop and say hello to the family. He hadn't realized where he was and how close he was to the waiting room. He literally turned the corner to find himself in the waiting room. Mom, Tobey and Shannon saw him and jumped up in surprise. It was at this moment that Tobey thankfully grabbed her camera and took these photos.

My Mom can be a fairly stoic person, but in these pictures you see everything that she was feeling in that moment. Surprise, joy and relief. They're amazing photos that make me cry every time I see them.

November 7, 2007 at 6:11pm

I had a pretty restless night because of the constant nurse parade, but at least I had a bed. Jeremy was folded into some horribly uncomfortable looking chair that opened up to a "bed". Dr. Hank came by to check on me early in the morning. Unfortunately, he told me that he wasn't going to be around today since it was his day off, but the on-call doctor was great and he said I'd be fine. He promised to check on me later that night and again the next morning. Shortly thereafter the delivering doctor came by. She was a friendly tiny Indian woman and I liked her immediately. However, she had bad news. I had not progressed through the night and I was still only dilated at about 2cm. She recommended Pitocin to kickstart the contractions and optimistically proclaimed that we'd have a baby by 11am. In my excitement, I agreed because I was ready to meet the little guy! Every hour after that a nurse came by to check to see where I was dilated and each time they increased the dosage of Pitocin. 11am came and went.

At some point a nurse checked on me and discovered meconium in the sheets which meant the baby had pooped inside of me. I knew from my birthing class that it wasn't a good thing and meant the baby was stressed. I was already running a fever and this bit of bad news meant that there was now a fear of infection. My cart of liquid baggies was getting top heavy. I had my IV and Pitocin, sugar water for my low blood sugar, and now they added antibiotics for me and antibiotics for the baby.

At 3pm the Doctor said that I was not dilating and the Pitocin wasn't working. She summarized that I had: vomited, had a fever, and now with the meconium we needed to watch for infection. She warned if I was not dilated to at least 4cm in one hour we would need to do a c-section. It was not the news I wanted to hear and I cried.

At 4pm I was still no closer to 4cm. The doctor said it was time and we needed to get the baby out now. Once it was decided there was a swirl of activity. Family was rushed out, Jeremy was given scrubs, I was shaved, given some foul tasting liquid to neutralize my stomach which made me vomit (again) and then just as suddenly as it had started all of the activity stopped. We had gotten bumped by a higher priority emergency c-section. Waiting was hard because I wanted it over and I felt ill-prepared about the specifics of what was going to happen to my body. In my mind I was not going to have a c-section so I had simply skipped over anything related to c-sections in my books and averted my eyes when it was time to watch the video in class. But so far nothing had gone as I had prepared so I figured it was just as well that I hadn't read much about c-sections.

Finally they came to get us. The room I was wheeled into was huge and very white and very bright and very sterile. Jeremy waited in a hallway while I was prepped. After awkwardly being moved from the guerny to a narrow operating table my arms were spread out on a thin rail like I was crucified. Administering the anesthesia took forever because apparently they need to be extremely cautious after an epidural. After each minor adjustment to the dosage I was pricked, prodded and sprayed with air to determine just how much I could feel. It took forever. I was tired and became confused about what I could and couldn't feel. In hindsight I don't believe that I was actually as anesthecised as I should have been. As a reaction to the anesthesia that I did get I began to shake uncontrollably as if I was cold. My teeth chattered and then I vomited. Once the blue 'curtain" was hung separating my view of my lower half Jeremy was brought in and positioned on a stool by my head on my left side. When they began I felt a lot of movement, hard tugging and tremendous pressure. It was incredibly uncomfortable and I was in pain. I actually thought that I might die. Really. And then I heard a cry, the doctor said, "it's a boy" and this tiny red, screaming thing was brought to us. I couldn't believe that our baby was finally here.

Jeremy and I had previously agreed that if we had a c-section he would not leave the baby's side. Since I wouldn't be allowed immediate skin on skin contact following birth we wanted the baby to at least be comforted by his Daddy's presence. Jeremy joined the nurse to help clean him up while I stared at the ceiling and listened. I cried because I felt so far away even though they were just in the corner of the room. And then the pain I had previously endured became incomparable. I have no idea what the Doctor was actually doing but it felt as though someone was sitting on my stomach and bouncing up and down. With each push I let out a loud grunt. My whole body lifted up. It seemed to take forever and my shakes had gotten progressively worse. I was in a tremendous amount of pain. (I didn't know it until later but I was hemorrhaging.) Finally, I was moved to a bed and wheeled into a "recovery room". I had to wait there for several hours before I could be settled into my own room. Jeremy came back shortly thereafter with our baby and while I was happy to see them I couldn't really express it because of the amount of pain I was in. I was given Morphine which I could self regulate. Every 6 minutes I pushed the button and waited another 6 minutes so I could push it again. My Mom, Brother, Tobey and Shannon all took turns coming in to say hi. I barely remember any of it because I was so blinded by the pain. I was also intensely thirsty but not allowed anything until I got to my room. I couldn't wait to get to my private room. And while I couldn't really interact with family and friends I just laid there, pushing my little button, and watching my husband as he held his new baby son. He was so full of love and so happy.

It's Time!

After the ultrasound Shannon and I came home where I spent the afternoon lounging on the couch. Jeremy had plans to go to a show in San Francisco with Kenny so Shannon and I decided to indulge in a carb loading spaghetti dinner in anticipation of labor (positive thinking). While Shan was making dinner I became aware that my pants were wet. I thought, "oh great, another side affect of the pregnancy--I have lost all bladder control!" For the next couple of hours I changed my pants often.

After dinner and about 40 minutes into our movie I decided I needed to consult with "What to Expect When You're Expecting". I had a feeling that I really shouldn't be changing my pants this often and I wanted a good description of what the whole water breaking thing felt like. After reading that the water doesn't always break in a "swoosh" and can sometimes just trickle out I thought I better call the doctor. The on-call doctor said it sounded like my water had broke/was leaking and advised me to come into the hospital to get checked out. After I hung up the phone and told Shannon we had to go to the hospital she went into panic mode while I called Jeremy. He and Kenny hadn't even made it to the show yet so they were going to leave the city right away and meet us at the hospital. Next I called Gary and Tobey who had the farthest to travel and then my Mom and Brother.

I figured this was the real deal so I better make sure I had my hospital bag and all the cameras packed too. While I was calmly going through my list to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything Shannon was following me around repeatedly asking questions like, "Can I take your bag?" and "Who do we need to call?". Each time I would answer, "No, I'm still gathering my toiletries" or "Nobody. I've called everyone." Then a few seconds would pass and she would ask the same questions again. She paced frantically and looked nervous. I knew I was moving slow, but I also knew we had time.

When we walked out to the car I was surprised to find that it was running. It wasn't like the car needed to be warmed up and I didn't really see it as a time saving move so it struck me as very funny. As I got in the car I leaned over to close the door and swoosh, a big flow of water came out and wet my pants. My first instinct was to run back to the house and change. Shannon wasn't having it so she began to back the car out of the driveway. I was wearing heavy cotton sweat pants and i didn't know if I'd be stuck wearing them for a long time so I pleaded for her to stop the car so I could change. I knew a fresh pair would make me feel better and I promised to be fast. She refused and kept backing up so in a desperate move I flung open the door which scared her to death. However, the new dry pants did make me happy.

The drive to the hospital was a little sketchy. Shannon was tense, overly cautious and seemed oblivious to the general rules of the road. I was relieved when we pulled into the parking lot, but fearful that she would be unable to park without taking out some innocent bystanders. As I eagerly stepped out of the car there was a sudden swoosh as though someone threw a bucket of water at my legs. I was completely shell-shocked as Jeremy and Kenny approached us. Undeniably, unquestionably my water had broke. As Jeremy and Shannon escorted me into the hospital the guard only had to take one look at me before uttering, "4th floor." So much for my new dry pants.

Unfortunately, before we could officially check in they needed to make sure that my water had indeed broken. Given my current status it seemed like a silly formality but we had to follow procedure. I was given an ugly gown and some goofy slippers and hooked up to a baby monitor in a holding area. It was no surprise to find that my water did break and I was definitely in labor. Contractions came out of nowhere and they sucked. After about an hour I was taken to my private delivery room where I began to go into hard and fast labor. I was shocked by the contractions and their unrelenting intensity. They were coming so close together that I had absolutely no time for recovery. I started to feel a little betrayed by my child birthing class and all my stupid books. Where was my opportunity to get my bearings? to breathe? to walk? to bounce? to stretch? to just get on top of the pain? It was continuous. It seemed as though I would be having this baby soon and we began to wonder if I was going to make it midnight and his official due date.

Tobey managed to catch the last plane out of Orange County and miraculously was the first to arrive. My Mom and Brother arrived shortly thereafter. Since I was only allowed four people in the labor room Mark sat in the waiting room.

The pain was debilitating and began to make me feel nauseous. I went to the restroom a couple of times thinking I was going to throw up. Eventually as I sat back in bed I began to throw up uncontrollably. I remember thinking, "oh great, there goes my dinner and all my carb loading energy." After that I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything except ice chips so I began to feel weak and exhausted. I was tired and the one substantial meal that I'd had that day was now purged from my system. I worried that if I didn't get a break or a nap or something I wouldn't have the stamina to go on much longer. It was shortly after 1am that I found out that I was only dilated at 2cm. The news was crushing because I already felt too weak to carry on. It was at that point that I told Jeremy that I needed the epidural. It wasn't what either of us imagined, but I was exhausted and needed a break and it was obvious that the contractions were not going to space themselves out. Once I said "go" the epidural happened fast. It was uncomfortable, but not horrible. Jeremy said he could literally see the wave of relief wash over my face as soon as it hit me. While I could still feel the contractions they were mild. I was so tired and I knew that I could finally sleep if given the chance so we sent the family home to rest. Although anti-climatic given the speed and intensity of the contractions and our earlier concerns about making it to midnight, rest was the best thing for everyone.

Big Baby Yoches?

Because my fundal measurement jumped so significantly last Friday Doctor Hank ordered an ultrasound to find out the baby's approximate size. After an eternity of measuring obscure looking objects the ultrasound finally settled on something recognizable --his sweet sleeping face. It was enough to make me say, "awwww" even with the weird ultrasound distortion.

So, their guestimate is 8 pounds 13 ounces which puts him in the 86th percentile for weight. Although, he's big they don't classify him as macrosomic (or big for gestational age) until he's over the 90th percentile.

8 pounds, 13 ounces certainly isn't big for my family so I'm not sure what all the hoopla is about. Unless the little-big guy comes soon my next doctor's appointment is Friday where I'm sure we'll discuss the possibility of inducing labor and cesearean.

Last Big Belly Photo

This is the last picture of me pregnant. It was take November 5th--two days before Noah arrived. I took it with the webcam for Jerusha. She wanted to see just how big I had gotten. :)

Shannon's Trying to Lure the Baby Out

In an effort to lure the baby out Shannon is playing songs with "Baby" in the title. I don't know that it'll work, but I'm game for anything.

Now playing:
Miles Davis: Baby won't you please come home

Here's the Baby Yoches Play list (so far):
Baby Won't You Please Come Home--Miles Davis
Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (Verve Remix)--Dinah Washington
Cry Baby Cry--The Beatles
Baby, I Love You--Aretha Franklin
Baby, It's a Fact--Hellogoodbye
Baby I--Amy Millan
Baby We've Got A Date (Rock It Baby)--Bob Marley
Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You?--Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Don't Cry Baby--Madeleine Peyroux
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)--Death Cab for Cutie
Hightime Baby--The Greenhornes
Had A Dream About You Baby--Bob Dylan
Love to Love You Baby--Donna Summer
Babyface--U2
Baby Love--The Supremes

Prenatal Visit

Continuing the saga of strange pregnancy issues I had the worst night ever. I had a craving for one of my favorite comfort meals--mac n' cheese with broccoli. Big mistake. Similar to my previous encounter with broccoli while pregnant it was not a good thing. I awoke at 1am with terrible, debilitating pains down my right side. I cannot even begin to express just how much pain I was in. I could not lay on either side, I couldn't get up, and at times I couldn't even move. Jeremy tried to massage my side for almost an hour, but finally I realized there wasn't any way I was getting better and I didn't want to keep him up any later. I bathed, I watched the telly and basically stayed up the rest of the night.

Thankfully I had a doctor's appointment scheduled. Dr. Hank explained that I was completely constipated (thanks Broccoli) and the severe bloating was pushing on my sore rib causing a world of hurt. Who knew that a sneeze and some broccoli would be my downfall. I was sent packing with a grocery store list of some of the most disgustingly foul things ever to relieve my symptoms.

My fundal measurement jumped to 41 cm which caused the good doctor to be quite concerned about the baby's size. He acknowledged that my stomach could have rapidly grown because of the bloating...or I've got one big baby in my belly. He ordered me to have an ultrasound to determine the baby's size.

After the doctor visit I went to the hospital to have the baby monitored. I was exhausted, in pain and not in a generally good mood. The overly cautious nurse worked my last nerve as she chronicled every little issue. I told her I had just come from my doctor but she insisted on taking my blood pressure not once, but three more times, she said it was borderline, my ankles were too swollen and insisted I pee in a cup, even though I had just done that at my doctor's. I felt like she was looking for something to be wrong and wasn't listening to what I was saying...maybe, just maybe my blood sugar was high because I was in pain and tired?!?!

All in all, a rough day.