July 20, 2006

I Have a New Little Sister!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, and this one isn't even about Sam! Margaret (Maggie) Parker Costello was born today at 4:37 pm weighing 5 lb 14 oz. She was about 10 days early. Susan (her mom) was induced this morning, and did great with the labor. Maggie has to have surgery tomorrow to repair it. The surgery takes 3 hours and has a 90 % success rate. Please keep Maggie in your thoughts, she is my sister and I'm already in love with her! She is so beautiful. It is definitely still funny to think that my sister and little boy will grow up playing together! Also, please keep Susan in your thoughts. She is all alone because Rob had to go with Maggie to the Children's Hospital ICU since she was transported there since that's where they'll do the surgery tomorrow. Susan and Maggie are both doing well so far, but I'm sure she is worrying tonight. Woo hoo! There are photos in the photo album, and I promise to update about Sam soon. Dad, Helene, and Lianna arrived tonight for their visit, so I'll be sure to update again by next week since so much excitement is happening!

July 6, 2006

Update on Maggie

I just talked to Rob and everything is fine with Maggie! They kept them at the hospital last night and monitored her, and she is doing A-OK. We are back to the original plan of Susan being induced on the 19th, and Rob and Susan are down in Tacoma enjoying the Farmer's Market today. Yay!

July 5, 2006

I Might Have a New Little Sister Soon

I've written some of this before, but the background is that my stepdad (was married to my mom for 17 years, they got divorced 2 yrs ago, so he's really a dad to me) and his new wife are expecting a baby. The baby has duodenal atresia, which means the stomach & intestines are not connected right so the baby has to have surgery within 12-24 hours of being born to repair it. The surgery has a very high success rate, but the baby will be in the hospital a minimum of 3 weeks (that's if everything went perfect), and maybe up to 2 months. They are having the baby in Seattle, which is about 1.5 hours from where they live in Bellingham, so they'll basically be moving to Seattle for a couple months and are not sure where they'll stay (maybe Ronald McDonald house or something). We offered our place, but it's a 1 bedroom condo and they didn't seem sure about staying here especially since we have a 2 month old baby. She is due around the 28th, but they scheduled her induction for July 19.

Rob just called me and Susan is on the way to Seattle in an ambulance right now. She went in for her twice weekly NST today and the baby's heartrate is fine, but she was not moving as much as they would like. So, she's on her way down. Rob is heading back to their house to get some stuff and drive down here. Susan is all alone in the ambulance, and they're meeting the doctor when they get down here to find out what's next. It's possible that this baby is going to come now. Please keep us in your thoughtsand wish us good luck - I may have another sister soon!

Two Months and Going Strong

Once again it's been way too long since I updated. I have been spending most of my 'free time' in the last week reading "The Emperor of Scent", which is my July book club book. I just finished it, and it was interesting. I was worried after finding it in the biology section that it would be too hard or dry, but it was actually well written. Now I'm about to fully immerse myself in the new Laurell K Hamilton book. Yay! On a personal note, I am currently very happy because I have contacts again! I stopped wearing my contacts when I was only a couple of months pregnant because they were uncomfortable and I couldn't deal with the maintenance because I was so tired. I now have soft lenses and I can't believe the difference comfort wise. It's great! I ordered my first 3 months supply and have also sent my glasses off to get new lenses.

We had a great weekend in Bellingham last weekend. On Saturday we went to Katie and Marshall's wedding! Sam was awake for a crazy amount of time - I think almost 5 hours, then slept during the party that night. They got married in Katie's parents backyard, and it was a beautiful day, and the gardens were a great setting. The wedding was pretty short, then we all hung out and ate and visited, and Katie's brother and his band, 'Feed and Seed', played. They are a really good bluegrass band and her brother plays the banjo and sings. We left for a bit and visited Justin's dad, then went back for the party and bonfire. They had 2 kegs from Boundary Bay, and it was crazy! How crazy? Well, at this party began the longest chaing of keg stands that most of us had ever seen. And who started this madness? Yes, the mother-of-the-bride. Not only did she start the whole thing, but she did FOUR keg stands. The father-of-the-bride and father-of-the-groom also participated, as well as other family members and friends. It was pretty hilarious. Sam did not have to witness any of this debauchery as he was asleep in his sling the whole time.

Speaking of the sling, it's actually "The Ultimate Baby Wrap" and I would recommend it to anyone reading this with a baby or expecting one. It is basically a REALLY long piece of t-shirt fabric with a pouch and rings to secure it. It is soft and holds the baby so comfortably. Sam loves it, and when he gets bigger he'll be able to ride facing outwards. Check it out. It would have been great to have it when he was a newborn just to wear around the house to be able to hold him while doing other things. Rob gave it to me, and it's awesome.

Sunday we had brunch at the Bagelry with Rob and Susan. Susan is still looking big, and we are very excited because they have scheduled her induction date! She's going to be at the University Hospital on the night of the 18th and will be getting induced on the 19th. It's going to be a busy week for me - Dad, Helene and Lianna also arrive for their visit on the 19th! The baby is doing fine, and will have surgery to repair the intestines 12-24 hours after she's born. The surgery has a very high success rate, so we are all really optimistic. The bummer is that they found out last week that Maggie will have to be in the hospital for longer than they were first told. She'll be in the NICU at first, and will have to be in the hospital for a minimum of 3 weeks if everything is perfect, but it could be between 1 and 2 months. Rob and Susan will basically have to move to the Seattle area for a while. It has been a strange journey for me with Rob & Susan getting pregnant and then getting married, but now I am really excited to meet Maggie and spent time with Rob's new family.

Sam is doing great. He smiles all the time now, and it's the best thing ever. Of course, I know there are many more 'best things' to come in the next... well, the rest of my life! After trying Playtex Drop-Ins bottles because Sam was spitting up a lot, we've switched to the Dr. Brown's bottles, which seem to be working great. He's spitting up much less, and the way the bottles work, he is able to eat at a good speed and doesn't get any air in what he's eating. He's also a lot more interested in his Play Gym now. He bats at the toys and smiles and last night he actually grabbed the ladybug toy! I just looked over and he was holding on to it. It was pretty funny because he sort of had this look on his face like he was a little freaked out that he'd actually done it and had no idea what to do now that he was holding on to it!

I'm a little nervous because Justin is going to be leaving for Hong Kong/South Korea in a few days for a week and a half. It's a long time to be on my own with Sam, and I'm just nervous about the nights when he's fussy and being really tired and up with him in the middle of the night with no help. Maybe when Mom gets back from her vacation I can talk to her about staying here with me for a few days. I told Justin he better bring me back a good present from China.

We have Sam's 2 month doctor visit tomorrow so we'll be able to find out how much he's grown, and I can't wait! Two weeks ago, we also went to Phil's birthday Luau. Check out the photo album for a picture of Sam in his Luau gear. I think htat's all for now - I'm going to go get something to eat while Sam is still napping!