09.22.09 ~ Connor at 2 Weeks Old ...

Connor is now 2 weeks old! We had a 2-week check-up with our pediatrician today, and he weighed in at 8 lbs, 3.5 ounces! My baby boy is growing so fast already! I'm happy to see that he is eating well and we have no problems in that department ...

09.20.09 ~ Mr. Funny Face ...

"I'm wide awake and lovin' it!" ... Baby Connor

09.19.09 ~ When Will it Ever Fall Off? ...

So this umbilical cord stump is so close to falling off, and Nate and I can't wait. Why, you ask? ... Because of the SMELL it gives off! Whewee! So awful ... I think it accidentally got a little wet when I gave Connor his sponge bath the other day, and now it has been really stinky. Don't worry ... it's not infected or anything, and it is drying up wonderfully ... it just stinks like crazy! Like I said, can't wait for it to fall off. Only a couple more days of alcohol rubbing and drying up ... and hopefully it'll come off sooner than later!

09.15.09 ~ Connor at 1 Week Old ...

Isn't he the cutest baby ever? Yeah, I know ... I'm biased, being his mom and all ...

09.14.09 ~ Connor's First Hiccups ...

Connor had the hiccups ALL the time while in my womb ... not surprised that he has them all the time now too ... these were his first set, and he gets the hiccups at least twice a day now, if not more ... so adorable.

09.13.09 ~ Connor's First Sponge Bath ...

Connor didn't like the sponge bath so much. We are excited for his umbilical cord stump to fall off so we can give him a nice, warm bath, rather than washing part by part instead.

09.09.09 ~ Connor's First Night Home ...

We were sent home early (on Wednesday night rather than Thursday afternoon) because everyone was trying to have their babies on 09/09/09 ... that was my actual due date but I am so glad we didn't actually have him that day! It was very stressful and was a madhouse at the hospital. We were happy to go home early ... I was recovering well and Connor was doing great ... even though I was a little nervous. It was nice having nurses take care of your every need and scary to think we'd be all on our own here on out ... but it wasn't bad at all and actually very comforting to be home again.

I think Connor likes being home ...

09.08.09 ~ Connor Nathan Jorgensen ...

Connor Nathan Jorgensen has arrived! He was born at 12:40am in the morning at the Parker Adventist Hospital on Sept. 8, 2009. He weighed in at 7 lbs., 6.4 ounces, and measured at 21 inches in length. His head measured at 14 inches ... big head! My epidural wore off at the end, so it was extremely painful ... the actual pushing and the "sewing up" afterwards (3rd degree episiotomy - yikes!), but it was all worth it to have this precious baby boy in our lives.

We had quite a scare at the end of labor as well. Connor was born with the cord wrapped around his neck and body... the doctor worked extremely quickly to get it off of him once he came out, but he didn't have a heart rate. I, of course, didn't know this was all happening (I was in so much pain by this point) until later that night when Nate had filled me in. He had just been deprived of oxygen the last couple of minutes when he was crowning. Dr. Tyler said it was the cord that was around his body - it had been pinched at the last couple of pushes and that is why she had to immediately "snip" me and get him out as quickly as possible ... so thankful that she did. It was the best sound in the world when I finally heard that baby cry (it took him a minute) - he had a lot of fluid to get rid of, so it was a soft, gentle cry. It was so precious to hear him for the first time.

The nurses then took Connor to the NICU to monitor him for a bit - just because of the "cord" situation - but they brought him back in to the room a half hour later, saying all was well. His apgar score was a 9 and throughout the stay at the hospital, the nurses/doctors said all his tests were turning out perfect. He is completely okay - so luckily, the last part of pushing was just a scare and nothing more.

Major conehead ...
... and good thing I had just gotten a pedicure two days before, eh?


Connor getting weighed in ...


So precious ... just had the gunk put over his eyes that they do after a baby is born ...


Seeing my baby for the first time ... a moment to remember forever ...

09.07.09 ~ Going into Labor on Labor Day ...

For our first time experiencing this, I think labor went really smoothly ... I had started labor on Labor Day ... ha, ha, ha ... around 9am in the morning. I had just finished mopping the floor - the last thing on my "to do" list before our whole place was spotless. Perfect timing, eh? Nate timed my contractions that morning as I tried to just stay relaxed on the couch and watch the US Open on TV. Watching tennis through all of this really helped me - it was soothing to watch the ball being hit back and forth and it took my mind off of the pain. When I thought the contractions were lasting around a minute, and were around 5 minutes apart, we went to the hospital, which was around 2:30pm. They admitted us and told me to walk around for an hour and they would check my dilation. An hour later, I was dilated at a 4, and by 6pm, I was dilated at a 6. I then got an epidural and "enjoyed" the rest of my labor. Nate's family came and it was a joy to have them there as well. The only thing that was weird about my labor was the fact that my body kept shivering uncontrollably. The nurse said it was my adrenalin and my body just dealing with the labor. I was glad I couldn't feel any of the intense labor ... just some pressure every time a contraction came. I then quickly progressed and was ready to push around 11:30pm. I pushed for a little over an hour and the last 15-20 minutes, I could feel EVERYTHING!!! My epidural had wore off and I had run out of my reserve. So pushing was extremely painful, but very well worth it to bring this beautiful baby into the world.

Just got the epidural ... I feel great!


Nate's sisters and mom witnessed the birth ...