Lizzie Sue - Happy 1 Month

Dear Lizzie Sue,

Happy 1 Month Birthday today (ok fine 2 days ago, yes daddy is still a slacker)! Mommy came up with a great way for everyone to see how you are growing. Here is a picture of you with Roxie Bear.
Roxie Bear was given to you from a wonderful woman at Daddy's office. As you get bigger, Roxie Bear will stay the same size and we all will be able to see you grow over time.

So you are a month old, it feels like only yesterday we brought you home from the hospital. You have had a busy first month of your life, from the many different visitors at our house to your frequent trips to walmart and church. You also seem to be pulling a fast one over on everyone who meets you outside of the house. At church or when we run into friends you always are sound asleep and angelic. Nobody ever sees you at home when you are "encouraging" mommy to get ready to feed you faster or "motivating" daddy to get that diaper changed quicker.

You spent 4 nights at Nana and Pop's house, went shopping with Nana and Mommy, and spent a couple of nights falling asleep in Pop's or Great-Grammie's arms. You spent the two hour car ride, both times, out cold in a Mommy milk coma. If only we could travel with the cats and it was that simple. Also you just had a visit from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Matty. Daddy is an only child so your going to end up with tons of random aunts and uncles...get used to it.

Mostly you have spent this 1st month sleeping: be it swaddled, in your swing, wrapped up in receiving blankets, in sleep sacks, next to us in bed, in your co-sleeper, or laying on Mommy or Daddy's chest while we watch tv...yep you seem to enjoy your sleep...you get that from both of us! Just in case you think this next month will be boring, I'll let you in on a secret...your going to have a bunch more visitors this coming month. Aunt Julia will be here for a week and she'll be babysitting you while Mommy and Daddy are both at work. Also Grammie Sue and Grumps...I mean Gramps...will be here for a week too!

You are already starting to show your personality and seem to be more and more alert and intelligently processing things while you are awake. We can't wait to see what this next month brings as you seem to be changing ever day. We can't wait!

We love you,

~Mommy and Daddy

Lizzie Sue pictures

So I've gotten some messages about more pictures. So in case anyone is reading this and not friends with us on facebook here is a link to a bunch of pictures anyone can view.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020444&l=29599&id=70000700

Cheers,

~Keith

Happy Due Date

Dear Lizzie Sue,

Today is your due date, January 15th. Since you didn't get the memo I'll spell this one out for you. Today is the day that mommy is supposed to go into labor, go to the hospital, the stork drops you off for us and that makes means this is supposed to be your birth day. Don't get me wrong, we are very happy you decided to join us three weeks early, yet daddy was really hoping for 3 more weeks to get things done around the house. That's ok...we still love you!

So in this past week, you have had some new adventures. This past Sunday was your first Steelers game (don't worry they won!) Just like your mother, you slept through the entire first half of the game. It's ok the Steelers are a 2nd half team anyway. Since it is the playoffs, and they play again this sunday, we aren't going to let you be a jinx. So you will be wearing the same exact outfit you wore this past sunday.


Also Uncle Whitney came to visit. You should know that before this visit Uncle Whitney hadn't changed a diaper or given a baby a bath. You helped him check both of those items off of his birth control list. (I'll explain that when you are older). By the end of his visit he felt a lot more confortable with you in his arms. And now you are celebrating your Due Date at Nana and Pop's house for the weekend. Have no fear, you are being well loved this weekend!









Love,
~Mommy & Daddy

Lizzie Sue - 2 weeks

Dear Lizzie Sue,

Today you are 2 weeks old. One week and a day to your due date...Jan 15th, guess you had another plans. It feels like yesterday that your mother told me her water broke and 15 hours later you came rushing into our lives 3 weeks early. In such a short time, your mother and I have fallen deeply in love with you. Becoming a parent is a life changing event and I am so happy you are the change in our lives. In just 2 weeks you have already had great adventures such as explosive diapers, a trip to walmart, a visit to daddy's work, peeing while daddy attempts to change your diaper, doing 2 nights back at the hospital to get the yellow out, no longer sleeping on your back but instead only sleeping on your stomach on mommy's stomach, your first bath and the first time you lifted your head up all on your own. Here's to the adventures yet to be had...

We love you,

~Daddy

First Bath


















Nap time


















Lifting your head

Update on Jaundice

So here is an update on the Jaundice.

As many of you know we went back to the hospital on Saturday. We were there until Monday afternoon when we got to go home. The home health nurse came today to check her levels again. She was down to 12.8 when we left the hospital but today she is back up to 15.4. We have not heard from the doctor, only the home health nurse so as far as I know we are not going back to the hospital. We have a pedi appointment tomorrow so I am sure they will draw more blood then.

As for our plan of attack, we had pushed her feedings to 3 hours apart because she was not acting hungry when we were feeding every 2 hours but, now that her levels are back up I am going to start feeding her every 2 hours again to see if I can get the levels back down by tomorrow. I guess I won't be getting much sleep tonight.

On a happier note she is 1 week old tomorrow. I can't believe she has already been with us for almost a week...

The Birth - Keith's version

Ok so I'm going to start this post off by saying I have not yet read what Meggan posted about the delivery of Elizabeth Susan McCusker. So with that said, here is my version of what happened only a few short days ago.

It is a tuesday night...just like any other tuesday night. Meggan come home from work and has this super long list of things we needed to do around the house before we left for NH for x-mas. We tackle the list of packing, cleaning, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, dishes, etc. because we are going away for 2 nights??? (Surge of energy/nesting = Hint #1) In the middle of all this cleaning at like 1030pm at night meggan decides to eat 2 veggie burgers that were way in the back dark reaches of our freezer. (energy loading via food = Hint #2) We finally are all packed and decide to lay in bed and watch a movie. Meggan falls asleep half way through the movie (no not hint 3, she does this with every movie we watch) and I decide what the hell, I've got nothing big to do tomorrow, just drive to NH for x-mas eve, I'll stay up and finish the movie. So at 1210am I turn off the movie and go to sleep.

Next thing I know meggan is coming back into the bedroom from the bathroom to tell me her water just broke (water breaks = BIG HINT #3) and I wake up thinking I must have been asleep for at least 4 or 5 hours. I look at the clock to see it is 1230am. She calls the doctor to see what they want us to do while I lay in bed making sure I'm not having a dream. The doc says come on down...your the next contestant on The Baby is Coming show! So we grab the hospital bag we had just packed that night...just in case...and head up to the hospital.

Here is where I am going to brag a little bit about how tough of a chick I married. We get up to the birthing center and get all settled into our room and the hook meggan up to a bunch of machines...probably around 130am at this point. The nurse asks have you had any contractions yet, Meggan says no. Again the nurse asks and meggan says, well maybe I just feel a little cramping. As meggan is saying this, the nurse looks at the monitor and says, well your having a pretty big contraction right now. Looks like they do make them Northern New Hampshire girls tough up in these parts.

So at 7am the doctor we talked to at 1230am leaves for the day but on his way out he says we are 4 cms along. We do the whole pitocin thing and the contractions start to get closer together and stronger and stronger and stronger. Eventually meggan says she's had enough and is thinking about an epidural. She did the first 12 hours of this whole thing naturally...I think its time for the epidural too. Just before they give it to her, she is about 6 cms. Just after they give it to her, she power naps for 30 minutes and they check again and she's 10cms...game time! They start to wean her off of the epidural so she can push.

Oh I didn't even mention yet the doctor who came on after our first doc left at 7am. The new doctor was amazing. She was the one out of the 6 docs at the practice we had yet to met...go figure she'll be the one to deliver our child. Anyway the only catch with this doctor was that she looked like she was maybe old enough to buy beer. I was worried that every time she walked out of our room someone would be passing her notes in the hallway and she'd be busy chatting high school gossip during study hall. Obviously she knew what she was doing or she wouldn't be a doc at the hospital so we just ran with it. Anyway back to the story at hand...after another nursing shift change we get to the good stuff.

At 415pm Meggan starts to push. I was on the side of her bed, expecting to stay up by meggan's head and just wait for my cue to cut the umbilical cord, when the nurse looks right at me and says, OK I'll hold this leg you get that leg. Next thing I know I've got a ring side seat for the most amazing experience of my life. With some amazing pushing, next thing I know at 459 pm out comes Elizabeth Susan McCusker, weighing in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and a length of 19.5 inches.

I know I'm pretty biased and I'm not really that versed in seeing new born babies, yet I'll go out on the a limb here and say she was the most beautiful new born baby ever born. Just hearing that first cry out of her mouth brought tears to my eyes and to meggan's as well. They put her on meggan's chest and as those two bonded I just stood there amazed at the whole experience. Eventually I get awakened from my nirvana like trance to cut the umbilical cord...at this point I knew I had to step up my game. Meggan just had the best delivery of any baby that day at the hospital, Elizabeth was the most beautiful baby of all the babies delivered that day, I knew I had to do my best at cutting the cord and live up to the best cord cutter of the day award. I cut through that cord like a Jedi cutting a wet noodle with his light saber. Oh I probably should point out that it was X-mas ever that all of this is taking place, so we were the only family in the birthing center...but even so we still had a great delivery and a great baby girl!

We then spent the rest of that night and x-mas day just hanging out the three of us for the first time. Of course we saw tons different nurses, doctors, lactation consultants, food delivery people and even our pastor from church came to visit, yet those alone times with just the 3 of us made Christmas 08 an experience of a lifetime.

I know everyone wants to see pictures...I'll be working on that this next week. To hold you over until then, you can see a few pictures here on my facebook page. Just follow this link...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020444&l=29599&id=70000700

Where to begin...

Where to begin...

Monday the 22nd was our last child birth class. I didn't think I would be able to go because there were games at school and I didn't expect Keith to attend the breastfeeding child birth class by himself but I was able to go because the games at school got canceled due to weather. I let Keith off the hook because he had to make a cheesecake to take to Mom and Dad's for Christmas (more on this later). The class was good and very informative.

Tuesday the 23rd was my doctor's appointment. I picked Keith up at work and off we went. Doctors appointment was uneventful. I had the GBS test done and scheduled appointments for the next three weeks which was when I would be at 40 weeks. I was considered full term this week at 37 weeks. After the doctors appointment I took Keith back to work and went to get my haircut. I had not had my haircut since finding out I was pregnant and it really needed it. Now most of you know everyone throughout my pregnancy has been guessing that I am having a boy. Ginny (my hairdresser) took one look at me and said girl. I refused to believe her. After the haircut I went home, had lunch and then to wal-mart to buy a few stocking stuffers for Keith and I. That afternoon I went to work and at this point I should have known something was up. I kept getting this urge to clean my office I was thinking that I should organize in case I didn't come back due to having the baby after my 3 days off. Of course I denied the urge to clean and my office is still a mess. I also made a list of everything that I wanted to due at home before we left.

I left work about 845 and the whole way home I couldn't deny the feeling that something was going to happen that night. Call it a mother's intuition. I got home and Keith and I finished packing and cleaning. About 1030 we crawled into bed and started watching a movie. I guess I fell asleep about 1130. At 1230 I woke up to use the bathroom. When I got to the bathroom I barely made it to the toliet and I thought that was weird because it had never happened before. I then realized that my water had just broken. I went into the bedroom and woke up Keith (who had only been asleep about 20 minutes) and told him that my water had just broken and I was going to call the doctor. The doctor told me that we needed to head to the hosptial because they didn't know my GBS status. I also called my mom and she wanted to head over right away but I told her she didn't need to because we didn't know how long it would be.

We got to the hospital around 130 and I wasn't really having much for contractions. They put me on monitors, started and IV and told both Keith and I to try to get some sleep. Keith was able to get a little bit of sleep but I couldn't sleep at all. At seven the doctor came to check me and found I was 4 cm. I was impressed because I wasn't really having much for contractions. They were coming about every 5-7 minutes and were lasting about 45 seconds, but not getting a lot stronger. At this point he ordered pitocin (which is no fun) and he went off call. Keith and I decided to walk the halls for a bit to see if we could get something going as well. I talked with parents eventually and found out that they were on their way over and would be there about 1030. We walked the halls and talked with my parents once they got here. Around 1 pm I was getting really uncomfortable and wanted to be checked to see where I was. The doctor came in and said that I was 6-7 cm, with that news I decided that I wanted an epidural.

The anestesiologist came in and it took her 3 tries to get my epidural in but that thing was a god send. While she was placing it I was very uncomfortable and feeling lots of pressure. Once the epidural was in and I was laying down I told the nurse that I was feeling lots of pressure and the doctor came to check me. I was completely dialated but they wanted me to "labor done" a bit to let the epidural wear off. I was able to take a short nap, which made all the difference in the world. About 4 pm we decided that I should start pushing. I began pushing at about 420 and at 459 pm on Christmas Eve Elizabeth Susan McCusker was born. She came into this world weighing a petite 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19.5 inches long.

We were in the hospital until the 26th at about 11. We went home, had a good first day at home but unforunetly ended up back in the hospital due to jaundice on Saturday the 27th. So I am typing this as she sleeps under the "billi" lights. She had blood drawn at about 10 this morning by and home health nurse and the levels came back too high so we had to come back in. This is very hard for me but I know its for the best.

She had blood drawn again tonight and her levels are down a few points. If this continues and her levels are even lower in the morning we will probably (keep us in your thoughts and prayers) be able to go back home.

I wanted to get this all down before it escaped in the land of mommy brain. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my whole life and I have a whole new appreciation for what my body is capable of doing.

Have a great day and stay tuned for more Lizzie Sue updates and Keith's version of the birth story.