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Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Jacob William Eichelberger
Jacob William Eichelberger was born on June 2, 2011 at 2:53 p.m., weighing 8 lbs 4.6 ounces. We are so happy to have this little guy with us! He is now 3 months old, but I wanted to go back and write down what I remember from his birth before I let any more time slip away.
This delivery was extremely different than my first experience with Matthew. I had some extra appointments near the end of my pregnancy due to high blood pressure. I was induced 3 days early with Matthew for this same problem. With Jacob, my blood pressure was high, but not quite high enough for my doctor to feel I needed to be sent to the hospital. We were going to hold out and make it to Tuesday so my doctor could deliver Jacob. Dr. Snow went ahead and stripped my membranes and then set an appointment for me that Thursday to follow up. Instead of showing up for my appointment, I showed up at the hospital. Wednesday night I started having contractions. I want to say they started around midnight. I couldn't sleep and I kept watchin
g the clock trying to time them. There were about seven minutes apart for a few hours and then about 5 minutes apart. I was pretty uncomfortable and decided I should finish packing my hospital bag. By the time morning rolled around, I was having some pretty strong contractions. My dad was going to be the one staying home with Matthew while were in the hospital, but I went ahead and sent him to work thinking I would just go to my scheduled appointment and see what progress baby and I had made. No more than 10 minutes after he left I was on the phone with my sister, Kim, asking if she could watch Matthew for the day. It seemed like the contractions were 3 minutes apart now and I was so uncomfortable. We dropped Matthew off and made our way over to the hospital. It took some time for them to call me back into a room but it was exciting news once they did. Turns out I was already 5 centimeters dilated and they were going to keep me there! However, it was a pretty busy day for them and no rooms were available yet so I had to wait around downstairs until one opened up. That was frustrating because I was ready for an epidural but had to wait until I was taken upstairs. By noon I was up in a room and preparing to receive the epidural. I was given the epidural and I felt some of the pain go away. The contractions still seemed so strong but I thought it would all be better in a few minutes. I also had horrible back pain. I was feeling really frustrated and kept asking for them to check my epidural. It was not working. After about an hour or so they finally came back in to check the epidural only to find out it had come out. I knew it wasn't working right, it wasn't even in! So, I told them I wanted to try again. Trying to sit up without moving through 8 or so strong contractions seemed impossible. I kept saying I couldn't do it, but all the nurses, the doctor, and Todd were so encouraging. The anesthesiologist was still trying to fix the problem when I felt that urge to push. There was so much pressure I told them all it was time. So, we gave up with the epidural and started pushing. Within 10 minutes Jacob was out and I was waiting to hear his little cry. It took several minutes for that little guy to cry. His chord was wrapped around his body (twice). I didn't get to hold him right away and I just remember being slightly out of it. Everything was just a blur. I was worried because he wasn't crying right away and they went to work suctioning him out since he had a bowel movement inside. They did let me hold him for just a minute once they cleaned him up but then they had to take him away for 2 or so hours to observe him and make sure all was well. It was hard not having Jacob with us for a few hours. Todd was able to go and see him and let me know that Jacob was doing just fine. I wasn't able to nurse Jacob right away though and we did have some trouble with breast feeding in the beginning. No cluster feeding going on with this little guy. It was pretty frustrating since I thought I'm not going to make milk if he's not trying to get any. Have you seen a picture of this boy lately though. He's definitely not starving:)
After a wonderful hospital stay (the nurses/staff were awesome) Jacob and I were about to be released that Saturday afternoon. I received the go ahead from my doctor and Jacob's paperwork was being put together. The nurse decided to check his bilirubin levels one more time. He was starting to look slightly yellow. Jacob's bilirubin level was too high and he had to stay an extra night in the hospital. I wasn't able to stay because we weren't able to reach our insurance company to find out if they would cover another night for me. Silly weekends. That's also why we couldn't just check out the lights and bring Jacob home with us. No one was at the hospital to take care of that for us. It was so hard leaving the hospital without Jacob. It was only for one night but I was very sad. We went home and I was able to put Matthew to bed. How I missed my Matthew. He was so happy to have mommy and daddy home again. The plan was to try to go several times that night back up to the hospital to feed Jacob but Todd and I never woke up early like we intended. We slept until 6:30, when I woke up crying because we just left our baby at the hospital and how I was a bad mom because I didn't go back up to see him. It was probably good that we got 6 straight hours of sleep that night but I felt so bad. We got dressed and headed over to the hospital. We were able to do his feeding and then went home while he went back under the lights for a few more hours. By lunch time Jacob's biliruben levels were down and we were able to take our sweet little boy home with us. We are so grateful to have our two miracle boys!
g the clock trying to time them. There were about seven minutes apart for a few hours and then about 5 minutes apart. I was pretty uncomfortable and decided I should finish packing my hospital bag. By the time morning rolled around, I was having some pretty strong contractions. My dad was going to be the one staying home with Matthew while were in the hospital, but I went ahead and sent him to work thinking I would just go to my scheduled appointment and see what progress baby and I had made. No more than 10 minutes after he left I was on the phone with my sister, Kim, asking if she could watch Matthew for the day. It seemed like the contractions were 3 minutes apart now and I was so uncomfortable. We dropped Matthew off and made our way over to the hospital. It took some time for them to call me back into a room but it was exciting news once they did. Turns out I was already 5 centimeters dilated and they were going to keep me there! However, it was a pretty busy day for them and no rooms were available yet so I had to wait around downstairs until one opened up. That was frustrating because I was ready for an epidural but had to wait until I was taken upstairs. By noon I was up in a room and preparing to receive the epidural. I was given the epidural and I felt some of the pain go away. The contractions still seemed so strong but I thought it would all be better in a few minutes. I also had horrible back pain. I was feeling really frustrated and kept asking for them to check my epidural. It was not working. After about an hour or so they finally came back in to check the epidural only to find out it had come out. I knew it wasn't working right, it wasn't even in! So, I told them I wanted to try again. Trying to sit up without moving through 8 or so strong contractions seemed impossible. I kept saying I couldn't do it, but all the nurses, the doctor, and Todd were so encouraging. The anesthesiologist was still trying to fix the problem when I felt that urge to push. There was so much pressure I told them all it was time. So, we gave up with the epidural and started pushing. Within 10 minutes Jacob was out and I was waiting to hear his little cry. It took several minutes for that little guy to cry. His chord was wrapped around his body (twice). I didn't get to hold him right away and I just remember being slightly out of it. Everything was just a blur. I was worried because he wasn't crying right away and they went to work suctioning him out since he had a bowel movement inside. They did let me hold him for just a minute once they cleaned him up but then they had to take him away for 2 or so hours to observe him and make sure all was well. It was hard not having Jacob with us for a few hours. Todd was able to go and see him and let me know that Jacob was doing just fine. I wasn't able to nurse Jacob right away though and we did have some trouble with breast feeding in the beginning. No cluster feeding going on with this little guy. It was pretty frustrating since I thought I'm not going to make milk if he's not trying to get any. Have you seen a picture of this boy lately though. He's definitely not starving:)
After a wonderful hospital stay (the nurses/staff were awesome) Jacob and I were about to be released that Saturday afternoon. I received the go ahead from my doctor and Jacob's paperwork was being put together. The nurse decided to check his bilirubin levels one more time. He was starting to look slightly yellow. Jacob's bilirubin level was too high and he had to stay an extra night in the hospital. I wasn't able to stay because we weren't able to reach our insurance company to find out if they would cover another night for me. Silly weekends. That's also why we couldn't just check out the lights and bring Jacob home with us. No one was at the hospital to take care of that for us. It was so hard leaving the hospital without Jacob. It was only for one night but I was very sad. We went home and I was able to put Matthew to bed. How I missed my Matthew. He was so happy to have mommy and daddy home again. The plan was to try to go several times that night back up to the hospital to feed Jacob but Todd and I never woke up early like we intended. We slept until 6:30, when I woke up crying because we just left our baby at the hospital and how I was a bad mom because I didn't go back up to see him. It was probably good that we got 6 straight hours of sleep that night but I felt so bad. We got dressed and headed over to the hospital. We were able to do his feeding and then went home while he went back under the lights for a few more hours. By lunch time Jacob's biliruben levels were down and we were able to take our sweet little boy home with us. We are so grateful to have our two miracle boys!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Baby Eichelberger
Todd and I saw our newest little gummy bear on Monday and we were able to hear our baby's strong heartbeat (140). That might possibly be the best sound ever! We feel so blessed and are excited for our growing family. Here is a picture of Baby Eichelberger:
I'm sure the pictures will look like more as this baby grows:) I just love it though, so perfect!
We made the appointment a family event so we could take a picture with Dr. Loy. I wanted to bring Matthew in when he was a baby but I never did. So here we are with the wonderful doctor who is helping to bring these miracles into our lives.
Dr. Loy is very optimistic about this pregnancy and I can now continue my appointments with my regular OB. I have my first appointment next Friday, so of course I will be super excited all week:)
I'm sure the pictures will look like more as this baby grows:) I just love it though, so perfect!
We made the appointment a family event so we could take a picture with Dr. Loy. I wanted to bring Matthew in when he was a baby but I never did. So here we are with the wonderful doctor who is helping to bring these miracles into our lives.
Dr. Loy is very optimistic about this pregnancy and I can now continue my appointments with my regular OB. I have my first appointment next Friday, so of course I will be super excited all week:)Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Lizards
Matthew loves to watch Lizards outside the sliding glass door. He understands when I say lizard and comes over to check it out. Love this boy!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Driven By A Blind Man
As my friend was driving me to the airport she spotted the back of this van:
So I tend to be pretty gullible. Thinking aloud I said, "no, that's not possible, is it?" Yet part of me wondered. I feel so silly now, especially as I relayed the story to Todd. He reminded me that you have to pass the vision test when getting your license. Duh! I almost failed that myself last time! Anyway, it was just too funny because as we switched lanes and approached the side of the van, we saw that it was covered with a logo for blinds, shades, and various window treatments. I still crack up when I think about it. It just never crossed my mind when I saw the back of the van, yet it seems so obvious now that I know:) Good times!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Colorado
Matthew and I were able to fly out to Colorado last Wednesday to see my best friend Dodie and her family. I was so very excited to see such great friends again. They've been stationed in Germany for the past 5 years and although they have made a couple trips to Florida, I've never traveled to see them. I enjoyed spending a whole week just catching up and also seeing how big Eric has gotten! It's crazy how quickly kids grow. He is so adorable and I can't wait to see him again (hopefully) to celebrate his 3rd birthday!
The week started out pretty rough as Matthew had yet another tooth coming in (his 4th!). He was running a fever the second day we were there and he threw up the next morning. My heart broke watching my sweet son feel so miserable. Luckily his fever went down with a little Motrin. There was one point where he was screaming for like 30 minutes and I just couldn't do anything to calm him. I tried holding him in every position and he just kept throwing himself around. I tried putting him down and also laying him back down (he had just woken up from a nap). Nothing worked and I felt so helpless. Dodie came in to see if she could help and I just broke down crying. She gave us both a big hug and I was so grateful for that! By that point Matthew started to calm down and he fell asleep as I rocked him for a few minutes. He was feeling much better the second half of the trip, just a little congested.
One of our little outings was to the zoo where we got to feed the giraffes! That was so neat, their tongues are crazy long! I do not have many pictures from the trip but this I do have a picture of:) All in all the trip was wonderful. Matthew loved following Eric around and Eric was so kind to share all of his toys with Matthew. Matthew was so smiley for Elmer, it was too cute. I loved, loved, loved seeing Dodie and spending a little time together. Next time we'll have to have a night out without the little ones!
The boys playing together
The Flight Home
Yes, the child screaming on and off the whole 3 1/2 hours of the flight was mine. Yes, it was his nap time but he does not know how to fall asleep if he is not in a crib or pack n play. It was a miracle that I actually got him to sleep when we first took off, but another little boy was crying for a few minutes and that woke Matthew up. So my exhausted Matthew was up for the whole flight. I tried to stay calm but was so very happy when we finally got off the plane. I felt so bad for everyone sitting around us. Luckily there were some very nice people who offered help. There was the couple who basically let Matthew walk all over them while we waited to board. He kept touching them and playing with there phones. They were so nice to him and showed him pictures of their grand kids. Then there was the lady with two older girls who folded up our stroller for us. She could tell I was struggling with it and remembered how tough it was traveling with her girls when they were younger. She says age 2 is the hardest...if so then I am in trouble. Guess I won't be traveling for a while...at least not without Todd that is:) Even if Matthew is screaming it's just not as hard or frustrating if you're not alone. At least that's how I feel. Next there was the lady and her sister or friend who sat behind us on the plane. Her son was the boy who woke Matthew up. They offered to hold Matthew for a few minutes as they could see I couldn't calm him down. He LOVED it! Such a flirt. He was smiling and and being so cute with them. They took him a couple times during the flight. Every now and then her sons would play peek a boo with Matthew, they were so fun! There was also the lady sitting next to me on the flight. She talked to Matthew a few times and mostly to me. She was just so kind and let me know that she was not bothered by us. I'm just so grateful for people who reach out to those in need. It really did make such a difference and helped me to stay calm. They were all so wonderful and were so willing to help. I want to be like that. I will always try to help a struggling mother when I see one. Having been there I know what a world of difference it makes. Even if the situation doesn't change, it's just nice knowing people care.
It's great to be home and I know Matthew feels the same way. He was so happy riding in the car on the way home from the airport and was loving playing with daddy. It was so cute watching him reconnect. Next time, whenever the traveling memories start to fade, we'll take a family trip!
The week started out pretty rough as Matthew had yet another tooth coming in (his 4th!). He was running a fever the second day we were there and he threw up the next morning. My heart broke watching my sweet son feel so miserable. Luckily his fever went down with a little Motrin. There was one point where he was screaming for like 30 minutes and I just couldn't do anything to calm him. I tried holding him in every position and he just kept throwing himself around. I tried putting him down and also laying him back down (he had just woken up from a nap). Nothing worked and I felt so helpless. Dodie came in to see if she could help and I just broke down crying. She gave us both a big hug and I was so grateful for that! By that point Matthew started to calm down and he fell asleep as I rocked him for a few minutes. He was feeling much better the second half of the trip, just a little congested.
One of our little outings was to the zoo where we got to feed the giraffes! That was so neat, their tongues are crazy long! I do not have many pictures from the trip but this I do have a picture of:) All in all the trip was wonderful. Matthew loved following Eric around and Eric was so kind to share all of his toys with Matthew. Matthew was so smiley for Elmer, it was too cute. I loved, loved, loved seeing Dodie and spending a little time together. Next time we'll have to have a night out without the little ones!
The boys playing together
The Flight Home
Yes, the child screaming on and off the whole 3 1/2 hours of the flight was mine. Yes, it was his nap time but he does not know how to fall asleep if he is not in a crib or pack n play. It was a miracle that I actually got him to sleep when we first took off, but another little boy was crying for a few minutes and that woke Matthew up. So my exhausted Matthew was up for the whole flight. I tried to stay calm but was so very happy when we finally got off the plane. I felt so bad for everyone sitting around us. Luckily there were some very nice people who offered help. There was the couple who basically let Matthew walk all over them while we waited to board. He kept touching them and playing with there phones. They were so nice to him and showed him pictures of their grand kids. Then there was the lady with two older girls who folded up our stroller for us. She could tell I was struggling with it and remembered how tough it was traveling with her girls when they were younger. She says age 2 is the hardest...if so then I am in trouble. Guess I won't be traveling for a while...at least not without Todd that is:) Even if Matthew is screaming it's just not as hard or frustrating if you're not alone. At least that's how I feel. Next there was the lady and her sister or friend who sat behind us on the plane. Her son was the boy who woke Matthew up. They offered to hold Matthew for a few minutes as they could see I couldn't calm him down. He LOVED it! Such a flirt. He was smiling and and being so cute with them. They took him a couple times during the flight. Every now and then her sons would play peek a boo with Matthew, they were so fun! There was also the lady sitting next to me on the flight. She talked to Matthew a few times and mostly to me. She was just so kind and let me know that she was not bothered by us. I'm just so grateful for people who reach out to those in need. It really did make such a difference and helped me to stay calm. They were all so wonderful and were so willing to help. I want to be like that. I will always try to help a struggling mother when I see one. Having been there I know what a world of difference it makes. Even if the situation doesn't change, it's just nice knowing people care.
It's great to be home and I know Matthew feels the same way. He was so happy riding in the car on the way home from the airport and was loving playing with daddy. It was so cute watching him reconnect. Next time, whenever the traveling memories start to fade, we'll take a family trip!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Halloween Costume Ordered!
Todd and I decided to order the Hulk costume for Matthew. We are excited and I hope it fits him. He's wearing 9-12 month outfits so we'll see when it gets here:) We chose it because Matthew is a pretty big dude and we joke about him having super strength. So excited for Matthew's first Halloween...especially since daddy is trying to get the evening off to enjoy it with us! Here's a picture of what it looks like:
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