Monday, December 29, 2008

We're Home!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we were discharged from Northwestern today. Amazing...less than 72 hours after major abdominal surgery and a new human being breathing his first breath, we were able to go home. It feels great to be back in the comfort of our normal surroundings.

As a side note, I would have to say that I'm really, really impressed with the quality care, informative/supportive staff, and amazing facilities that Northwestern has. Truly some of the worlds best health care....right in our back yard. We're very lucky.

We'd be lying to everyone if said we weren't a little anxious, outside hospital walls. Having a nurse at your fingertips is definitely a luxury that we wish we could take home. However, we're up the challenge. Brady seems to love his new room and has already fixated his eyes on our TV. He loves flashing lights and colors. Tinley is still on vacation in the suburbs with the Stetzers and comes home on Tuesday. Should be quite interesting to see how our"first son" reacts to this noisy, squirmy thing that showed up and trumped him in the pecking order!

Heather has had a rough couple days, so I just relieved her for a few hours to take a nap. I can't stop staring at him making funny sounds, movements while he sleeps...funny stuff. Heather has been a great mom. She and Brady are feeding every 2-3 hours, on the hour, so it's definitely not easy. The entire time she has kept her chin up and had a very positive, even when things get frustrating.

I'm off of work for a bit and Heather has to avoid stairs and driving for a few weeks, so we'll be camping out at home for a while. If anyone in Chicago is interested in coming by, give us a call...we'd love to introduce you to Brady.

Lots more pics, videos, and updates coming a bit later this week!

Braden's Bella Baby Pics

Bella Baby Photography swung by our hospital room on Sunday and took some great pics of Braden. They're only available online until 1/11, but we thought you would enjoy seeing them:

http://www.bellababyphotography.com/interim
login & password: 1226bradeneatherton

Don't hesitate to let us know if you would be interested in ordering any!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Oh no, these are my parents?!

I forgot to add a picture my brother took with his camera phone. Yes, this is really a picture of our son. I told you he likes to open his eyes really wide!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Braden Charles Eatherton has finally arrived!

Yesterday was an amazing whirlwind of a day! On Christmas Eve, we had our non-stress test at the doctor's office and found out that our baby boy was actually in breech position! So, instead of waiting for an induction on Tuesday, they quickly scheduled us for a c-section first thing yesterday morning.

"First thing" turned into a day long event... the patient scheduled for the 10:30a c-section went into labor just before we were going to start and had to be taken first. Then, two other women came in with natural deliveries which required our doctor's immediate attention, so we fell even further back in line. Finally, around 2pm it was our turn and wow, what an experience! Matt was beside me throughout the surgery and was able to see to baby as soon as he was... extracted. Hearing him cry for the first time was the most amazing feeling I have ever had. I was in love before I even laid my eyes on him!

It didn't take long for Matt and I to agree on a name for "Lil E" (although, I'm sure that nickname will stick around)... Braden Charles Eatherton, Brady for short. Braden was a name that Matt and I liked equally from the first time we heard it, and when we tried it out on him, he seemed to respond positively (ie, he quit crying for about 3 seconds!) Charles is in honor of Matt's grandfather who has passed but still means a great deal to Matt. Eatherton... well, that's just our last name :)

After surgery, and once Braden was assessed, weighed in and measured (7 lbs. and 13oz., 21 inches), we headed to the recovery room for a few hours. Once we finally made our way to our room, we were greeted by both my and Matt's parents, my sister and brother, and Matt's sister and brother-in-law. It was a great reception, with plenty of kisses and cuddles. And lots and lots of pictures; our son's first taste of paparazzi!

Last night was a bit of a rough one. Matt and I officially know what it's like to be new parents (no sleep!), but things have been going well today. Brady is taking to his feedings and has actually taken a few naps. He also got to meet his Great Grandma Bubby! We'll be at the hospital until Monday afternoon and welcome any and all visitors. We love to show off our little man :) Early assessment is that he has Dad's eyes and toes and Mom's nose, mouth and ears.

For those of you who are just here for the photos, I apologize for all my ramblings. We're just so overwhelmed with joy! Without further ado... we proudly introduce Braden Charles!


Brady's very first photo!

Brady and Grandma Bunny

Brady with Uncle Mike, Auntie Manny, Grandma and Grandpa Stetzer

With Grandpa and Grandma Eatherton, Dad, Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Jason

I love to open my eyes really wide!

Our first family photo!

A close up shot!

Brady with Grandma Stetzer and Great Grandma Bubby

Sleeping with Dad

We'll be updating the blog with lots of updates and of course, lots of photos, so please come back and visit soon!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Full Term +5

That's the official count, full term plus 5. Yikes! No baby yet and we're getting more and more anxious by the day. Especially with all this snow; I'm going stir crazy being stuck inside all day long. Will anyone come play with me?!

Doctor appointment tomorrow at 11:30a, will keep everyone posted on what he says!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Due Day!

Well, it's here. The day we've been waiting for since April... due day! Secretly (or, not so secretly), we didn't really think we'd be without Lil E come Dec. 18th, since he should have technically been due on the 11th. But here we are, still waiting to see when he'll make his appearance. We had our 40 week appointment yesterday and I'm happy to report that I am finally dilated to 1 and am 50% effaced. Now, I realize that there's a lot of ground to cover from 1 to 10cm, but 1 is better than nothing, so I'll take it! Just need to work on getting that effacement to 100% and my breakfast of champions (pinapple) should hopefully do the trick! And a couple of contractions wouldn't hurt either, so I may take a stroll through Dominick's (the doctor laughed out loud when I told him yesterday I only get contractions at Dominick's, but it's true!) And walking, of course. Lots and lots of walking!

So, what's next? We have another appointment on Xmas Eve (yeah, I know) and the doctor will hook me up to the fetal monitor for 20-30 mins to do a stress test; make sure he's still thriving in there and has enough amniotic fluid to get him through the holiday. And I'm guessing they're going to assess his size, as their last guesstimate was that he'd be about 8.5 lbs (yikes!) If all is well, they'll send us on our way, and have us come back for another stress test that Sat., at which time we'll schedule an induction. This, again, all assumes he doesn't come on his own before then. We'll keep you posted along the way.

Those of you in Chicago know that we have another Winter storm warning this afternoon, so everyone keep your fingers crossed that if he does decide to come today, Matt will be able to get our little CRV out of the parking lot!

Here are some pics from the snow day on Tuesday, which was actually very beautiful to watch, so long as you didn't have to drive in it. Travel time from Chicago to O'Hare during rush hour was up to 4 hours-- unheard of! I got a great shot of Tinley gazing out the window at the snow, I've never seen him do that before... But don't worry, he got to play in it when Dad got home. He was covered in little snowballs!!


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Nursery done... baby wanted!

Well, the nursery is "done"... all we need is baby! And a name, which will go up in block letters on the blank wall above the crib, once we finally decide. Then, it'll be done.



Not much change from 38 weeks, of course, but I just thought I'd show how good I am at recycling my maternity outfits!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Baby's First Christmas... tree??

Here I sit, 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant, not sure if 2008 will be "Baby's First Christmas" after all. We had our 39 week doctor appointment yesterday and she doesn't seem to have any confidence that this little guy is on his way out anytime soon. No dilation, no thinning, no dropping... no nothin'. We have our 40 week appointment next Wed., and if the situation is the same, she said she won't even think about inducing me yet (apparently 50% of inductions in my state result in c-section). Fan-tastic! So, now we let nature continue to take its (very slow) course, and help it along any way we can-- walk, walk, walk some more, do squats and eat plenty of pineapple!

But while we wait, and to pass the time while I'm home, we've constructed "Baby's First Christmas tree"... Fingers crossed that we don't have to duplicate it all again next year!



A "not so little" E, but you get the picture

Really getting use out of those shower decorations!

I couldn't resist this baby ornament with its little blue blankie!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

38 weeks and counting...

I know I've made lots of jokes about the baby being just like his Mom... late, but it's starting to not feel very funny. While he's not late yet (we're still a week and a half from his due date), a late arrival not only feels like my luck, but it's starting to feel like it might be a reality.
I never understood when other women would say that they couldn't wait for it to be over, because my pregnancy had been such a breeze. But now I get it... being 38 weeks pregnant is no walk in the park. Besides being large and extremely uncomfortable, and the occasional Braxton Hicks contraction, every day I wake up thinking, "is today the day when we have our baby?!", and every night I go to bed still pregnant. All that hope and uncertainty can really start to mess with a girl's head, especially when she has nothing to keep her occupied other than daytime television and a dog who follows her around like a shadow!
While we haven't started tapping into all the different labor-inducing tricks (eating chili with a little bit of jalapeno doesn't really qualify as "spicy"), I have a feeling that if doing headstands in the snow would bring it on, you'll see me doing gymnastics outside soon! Who knows, maybe the 3-6 inches of snow predicted for this week will be the best labor inducer of all :)

Here is a 38 week photo of a huge pregnant woman and a very, very cute pic of a doggie who is not so sure that he's ready to be a big brother...



Here's to hoping that the next blog entry is the announcement of our bundle of joy. Everyone think with me now, "contractions!!"

Sunday, November 30, 2008

So Much to be Thankful for...

Hard to believe Thanksgiving has come and gone already... We celebrated this year again at my parents' house, but it was nice to have Justin and Megan join us. While eating a big plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole (that I didn't screw up this year, thank you very much) and a sea of gravy, I couldn't help but be thankful for all the blessings Matt and I have in our lives. Of them, and the most shallow one of all-- the gift of our baby dropping, so that I could really enjoy that delicious meal! But we are blessed to have the love and support of all our family and friends during what has been the most amazing time of our lives, and for what is sure to be the greatest blessing... the upcoming birth of our son (still affectionately named, "Lil E").
The doggies (all 5 of them- Molly, Tinley, Minnie, Oscar and Izzy) were surely thankful that Grandpa Scraps was being his normal generous self when it came to handing out the Thanksgiving leftovers...


And I, selfishly, am blessed to have been able to spend another holiday with those who mean the most to me...

The camera adds 10 lbs; it took 3 cameras to take this picture.

Yes, the women in my family have a hard time taking photos...

Thanksgiving Day was also the end of our 37th week of pregnancy-- full term! Yep, that means that Lil E can come at any time now, which has us both excited and mortified all at the same time. Matt has his checklist, of course, and is diligently marking each and every item off- car seat installed- check, bassinet and swing constructed- check, curtain rod and shelves hung- check. My list looks more like Grandma Hottie's blanket she's been knitting for the last 22 years... bag packed- sort of, baby's clothes washed- mostly, thank you cards written- halfway done... there's so much still to do at home to prep for his arrival, but that's what I took the time off for, right? Let's just hope he doesn't come tomorrow...

Our 36 week shot (black is so slimming, isn't it?!)

Monday, November 24, 2008

Road Trippin' to STL

Just 5 weeks before our due date, Matt and I made our final road trip as a twosome, to St. Louis for my friend Courtney's wedding. Friday night we got to spend some quality time with the Baileys and Drew showed me what I can expect from a little boy of my own... We can only hope our little guy is as easy going as Drew is. What an absolute joy to be around (and so darn cute!)



Saturday we attended Courtney and Rip's wedding in downtown St. Louis; the reception was in the Champions Club at Busch Stadium. Finally a wedding that a guy actually wants to go to! Except his own, of course (so he says!) As a Cardinal fan, Matt was thrilled to be in the new stadium and enjoyed stepping out into some of the seats. The bride was beautiful and every little detail was picture perfect...

The Bride and Groom

Us and the Baileys

Kathy and I

Gives new meaning to the chicken dance (yes, I know it's a Cardinal)

Busch Stadium

Monday, November 10, 2008

Lil E gets showered... again!

Yesterday, my Mom hosted our second (and last!) baby shower at their home in Plainfield. It was another amazing day. Surrounded by my family, and DGS and SIU girlfriends and families, Lil E was showered with well wishes and a ton of wonderful gifts. He finally has transportation home from the hospital (a carseat from his Great Grandma and Great Aunts), a way to cruise the mall (a stroller courtesy of the "Jedlicka" ladies) and enough clothes to get him through at least his first week (I hear babies throw up quite a bit...) When we got home and unloaded all the goodies, we looked at the nursery and said... where will the baby go?!

Thanks again to everyone who celebrated with us yesterday, we appreciate you all being part of this amazing journey. And a special thank you to my Mom, Aunt Nancy, Sue and Megan for all you did to make our day one we'll never forget.

Matt and I with Aunt Nancy's cake

The DGS girls

Homemade centerpieces (craftiness runs in the family!)





The happy Mom and Auntie...

and Grandma-to-Be!

Holy cow... I'm pregnant!

Sometime between 32 and 33 weeks, around 2 or 3am, it hit me... I'm pregnant. REALLY pregnant. Clearly I've been aware of my pregnancy this whole time, but it just hadn't felt like this before. Or how it's felt ever since... Don't get me wrong, I still love being pregnant. It has been an amazing experience. But as we get closer and closer to the big day, I cannot help but be physically ready. Mentally, well, that's a whole other blog.
I breath heavy, snore like a sailor, and have been a bit more... on edge?! I can barely put on my own shoes and only have one coat that actually buttons (and that one button is on it's last string!) When I wake up in the middle of the night for one of my frequent trips to the bathroom, I have to actually sit and make sure that I can take in two full breaths before standing, fearing that I might pass out on my way there (yes, my bathroom is only 5 steps away from my bed...) Poor Tinley thinks I'm losing my mind. And, did I mention that I'm huge?!
I do enjoy having Matt tuck me in at night, literally. I have him sausage me in between two pillows so that I don't roll onto my back while sleeping, making my hands and feet go numb... it feels fantastic until I need to switch sides, which turns into a 3 ring circus. Luckily for Matt he's been able to sleep through the whole ordeal every night (a prelude to "I'm sorry, I just don't hear the baby cry", no doubt.)
But I do consider myself extremely lucky, as it took me almost 33 weeks to have this "holy cow" moment. Some women experience it much, much earlier (so I've heard). Hard to believe though that there are only five and a half weeks left...

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Let it Rain! Um... I mean Shower!

This past Sunday Matt and I had our first baby shower, given to us by his Mom Linda, sister Lindsay and sister-in-law Megan. Everything about the day was absolutely perfect! We walked into the restaurant to find the most adorable onesies hanging from clotheslines from the chandeliers and beautiful blue table decorations including personalized M&Ms, "It's a boy!" Hershey Kisses and "Thank heaven for little boys" ribbons. All it once it hit me-- I'm about to be seriously outnumbered at home!! Guests included Matt's childhood neighbors and "Soccer Moms" from Park Ridge as well as highschool friends and their significant others. Thank you to our family for giving us such a wonderful party and to our guests for all the gifts! We can't wait to dress up "Lil E" in all the cute clothes and bundle him in Matt's childhood blankie (yes, it made it's first appearance in 27 years!)

Some of the onsies that decorated the room

Matt and I opening gifts

The gracious hosts-- Megan, Lindsay & Linda (with prego!)

Lil E's first taste of being spoiled!

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