Hospital stay

After the big procedure I was able to spend some quality time with Brooke while they took her to check her vitals, give her a nice bath and take some footprints.
Here she is weighing in at a healthy 7lbs 10oz and 20 inches of length:

Shortly after mom was re-united with Brooke

Following a 2 hour wait to ensure mom was healthy it was off to our new home for the next 3 days. Apparently we had the nicest recovery room in the hospital. It was large with lots of chairs and sunlight but I believe my pull-out couch was older than me and I probably would have been better sleeping on the floor.

Mom turned out to be a quick learner at swaddling and much better at it than I was

Burrito time!



As nice as the staff was as well as the care received, we were very excited to be released and once Brooke and mom received the all clear....it was time to hightail it out of there. It still amazes me that we entered the hospital as 2 and left as a family.

Before:

After:

The big day!!!

At 35 weeks we realized that Brooke was in a breech position and time was running out for her to turn around for a normal delivery. Due to her upright (and comfortable) sitting position, our obstetrician wasn't very confident about her turning on her own. Some people attempt to turn their babies through a procedure called an External Cephalic Version but we decided against that option due to negative potential outcomes. Our future sister-in-law informed us of a Chinese herb that could be used that we tried out. After several unsuccessful trips to various locations we found the Chinese herb called Moxa that we burned near the pinky toe while mom lay feet up on our ironing board (I wish I took a picture to show). The radiant heat is said to trigger an acupuncture point making it easier for the baby to turn. After trying this for over a week, we eventually had to prepare for a C-section. December 19th is the date we decided upon after asking my father if he was okay that his future grand daughter would have the same birthday!
Here we are on the big day:

As much as our doctors attempted to downplay the seriousness of a C-section, it is major surgery and mom was very brave leading up to this day....especially so as mom had never had any form of surgery in her life. A few pics of us in the surgery prep room:

Of course my lovely wife attempted to pass the time by doing work and filling out on-line paperwork and forms. Yes that is 2 iPhones and an iPad she is using....

 



After 3 hours of waiting, preparation and bloodwork - it was time to enter the operating room. I was lucky enough to be a part of it and able to watch the entire procedure. When I saw the 5+ inch epidural needle being inserted into my wife, I decided to take my seat beside her which also blocked my view of the procedure. One of the biggest moments in mom's life and she's still smiling.

Our anesthesiologist with over 30 years of experience remarked that he had never seen anyone have such amazing and steady blood pressure during the entire ordeal. An almost rock steady 112/72 the entire time was a testament to the incredible health of my wife. After about 20 minutes the time came and I was told to have a look. I was a bit worried about passing out but was completely fascinated at seeing our baby being "removed" from my wife. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking of the overwhelming emotions experienced during this life changing event.
Our first picture taken seconds after the birth of our little angel - baby Brooke:

I also had the honor of cutting Brooke's cord.....they told me it wouldn't hurt her.....

And Brooke's first incredible video.....actually it's her second but this is more viewer friendly:



Our first of many future shots as a family:

Mom and Brooke re-united and already showing off her motherly instincts by shielding Brooke from the bright lights:

A completely surreal experience for us both that will never be forgotten....





Baby registry and shower

There were many books, articles and movies we watched in expectation of Brooke's arrival. As we were both beginners we quickly learned the important steps to bringing a baby into this world. Most importantly we realized that babies need a lot of "stuff" so we registered with Target. We have been extremely fortunate (as well as overjoyed) with the generosity of both family and friends as well as all the positive words and advice. Today's post is our way to show our gratitude to everyone that helped us through our journey.

Here are just a few of the many gifts we received from everyone that we put under our tree.

As all of our close family and friends live physically far away, our friend Jenny decided to host a virtual shower for mom. This unexpected surprise was yet another example of how lucky we both are. Here are some shots of the decorations I put up for mom's shower:

Surprising mom when she gets home from work:

And here is a sampling of the gifts:

We can only hope that all our friends and family realize how appreciative and fortunate we both feel. All of the emotional support, positive words and encouragement have not only brought us joy but bridged the physical distance gap as well.

Down the baby building road

Today's post will be a timeline of the incredible journey mom went through during the past 9 months. We are firm believers of the importance of caring for your baby from day one and of course mom was very successful as she has been in everything else in life. Diet, exercise, nutrition and staying healthy involved staying away from a few of mom's favorite foods and some other sacrifices but it was all worth it in the end. Being extremely fit to begin with certainly helped as well. Here are some shots of my beautiful wife and the activities we maintained after finding out she was pregnant.
A short trip to Arizona:

We were also able to continue our camping adventures:

Some early shots before heading to work:

Growing another human being is no easy task and although it didn't take a toll on mom while at work, she certainly felt it during other times.
At home:

At her bros house:

And back at home again:

As time went by and Brooke started to grow - so did mom:

Even though we were past the acceptable 24 week cut-off point for cruising we managed to "sneak" on the ship at 27 weeks and still had a great family vacation.



Throughout all this, mom kept a smiling face while at work:

Even though sometimes she felt like this while at home:

With the house almost ready for Brooke's arrival, Mom wins an award for going through the whole experience like a champ.

 We can't wait to meet you Brooke: 

 









In the beginning

Our journey began with a move to sunny Los Angeles and the start of a new Job for mom at the TCO Santa Monica location. Little did we know that our lives would be changing even further with the wonderful news of a positive pregnancy test. Note that the .99 cent "cheap-o" version worked just fine!

After a trip to our obstetrician we realized that we were quite a bit further along than we thought. Here is Brooke's first picture at almost 13 weeks where you can notice her excellent spine action as well as many digits on her hand.

We then went to a specialist to make sure that Brooke would be a healthy baby. It put our minds at ease after several genetic tests for both of us and a 3D ultrasound to ensure Brooke was growing normally and had an excellent 4 chamber heart. Here's a 3D shot of Brooke saying hello to everyone.

Another surprise was Brooke's due date of Dec 25 which was just another thing to look forward to for Christmas.