okay, so i just saw the rude remark that someone left on our blog. i think it's pretty cowardly to place a comment on someone's blog without using their real name.
if your goal is to incite anger, mission accomplished. if you'd like to talk privately (or take this outside) send me a message at vdelarosa@mts.net.
i'll make sure i take care of your appearance.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
random rudeness
Check out this 'annonymous' comment I just got on my last post:
Isn't that great? I'm leaving it because it made me laugh so hard. What the deuce is that all about anyway? Is there some random comment generator that picks blogs and leaves strange, rude messages? Or is it just one guy or girl with too much time on their hands? Seriously. Weird.
I know you just had a baby, but couldn't you take the care to pay attention to your appearance?
Isn't that great? I'm leaving it because it made me laugh so hard. What the deuce is that all about anyway? Is there some random comment generator that picks blogs and leaves strange, rude messages? Or is it just one guy or girl with too much time on their hands? Seriously. Weird.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
patience, please!
For those of our blog readers who go to our church, please have patience with us. We won't avoid church forever, we promise. And if you want to see Kai before then, feel welcome to give us a call and book a time!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
13 things about being a new mom
This won't be a surprising list to those of you who are parents, but I thought I should write this for my own rememberings...
1. You don't need as much sleep as you think do. You just need enough to function for a few hours at a time.
2. It's amazing how much you can love someone who caused you so much pain coming into the world. Makes me marvel again at how women are so blessed to experience something about as close to God's experience with humanity as humanly possible. I don't know if that makes sense, but it kind of blows my mind.
3. Being a food source is kind of a surreal experience. There's a fine line one walks between resenting being so depended upon and desperately needing to be so depended upon.
4. I don't like being scolded by strangers. In the first couple of days of having Kai home, I was getting way too much advice from way too many 'professionals' that was similar and yet different. And every once in a while, they'd give me that tone in their voice that made me feel like a child getting reprimanded. So I chucked it all in favor of my own instincts and my mom's advice.
5. It's hard not to say things like "I can't wait 'till..." I keep reminding myself to enjoy each moment of every day of my son's life.
6. Time moves insanely fast.
7. Babies grow insanely fast.
8. It would be so great if you could get paid to be full-time parents. I'm not ready for Vergil to go back to work, even if my parents are going to be here for two weeks.
9. When people tell you "It's different when it's your own kid," they're not lying. It is different. And better and worse and more right than you ever imagined.
10. It's fascinating trying to pick pieces of yourself (or your husband, or your dad, or your grandparent) out of your child's face or mannerisms.
11. For a person with only one menu choice, why is it so impossible to keep his shirt clean?
12. What I wouldn't do for this face:
13. Moments like this:
1. You don't need as much sleep as you think do. You just need enough to function for a few hours at a time.
2. It's amazing how much you can love someone who caused you so much pain coming into the world. Makes me marvel again at how women are so blessed to experience something about as close to God's experience with humanity as humanly possible. I don't know if that makes sense, but it kind of blows my mind.
3. Being a food source is kind of a surreal experience. There's a fine line one walks between resenting being so depended upon and desperately needing to be so depended upon.
4. I don't like being scolded by strangers. In the first couple of days of having Kai home, I was getting way too much advice from way too many 'professionals' that was similar and yet different. And every once in a while, they'd give me that tone in their voice that made me feel like a child getting reprimanded. So I chucked it all in favor of my own instincts and my mom's advice.
5. It's hard not to say things like "I can't wait 'till..." I keep reminding myself to enjoy each moment of every day of my son's life.
6. Time moves insanely fast.
7. Babies grow insanely fast.
8. It would be so great if you could get paid to be full-time parents. I'm not ready for Vergil to go back to work, even if my parents are going to be here for two weeks.
9. When people tell you "It's different when it's your own kid," they're not lying. It is different. And better and worse and more right than you ever imagined.
10. It's fascinating trying to pick pieces of yourself (or your husband, or your dad, or your grandparent) out of your child's face or mannerisms.
11. For a person with only one menu choice, why is it so impossible to keep his shirt clean?
12. What I wouldn't do for this face:
13. Moments like this:
Thursday, February 07, 2008
life with kai
Is pretty dang cool. It took a long time, but it's starting to feel like he's really mine. Maybe that's a funny thing to say, but I couldn't help feeling like this was just a temporary situation - that eventually someone would come in and say, okay, that's it. You're done with him now. But no one's done that, he's still here, still ours and I quite like it.
Kai's a really good baby. He doesn't cry much, except for bath times, sudden temperature changes and when he's overly hungry. But even then, his crying is always short lived. As soon as we solve the problem he's cool again. Verge and I were both saying how this has been a lot easier than we anticipated. We worried that it would be a lot more complicated to take care of a newborn, but his needs are so simple and so basic, it's really not that difficult to figure out how to make him happy.
We went out for the first time yesterday. Kai had his first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Martinez, a very cool guy. We liked him a lot. Kai is already growing like a weed - he's back to his birth weight in only a week and we're sure he gets bigger every day. He's still a little jaundiced, but it's on its way out and he should be back to his normal colour by the time my parents get in town on the 16th.
After the Dr's, we decided to give me a chance to be in the world for a little while. We went to the mall and visited Vergil's staff to say hi and then went and got me some nursing bras. It went well, Kai slept through most of everything and only got cranky on the ride home when his tummy was grumbly. Walking for a couple hours got a little difficult for me by the end. It's funny how being upright and mobile for extended periods of time is still an issue for me, even after having my body back. When I was pregnant, it was hard to be mobile because I was so large and now it's hard because I'm still a little tender and sore from giving birth.
The only other weird thing about being out was my initial sense of disorientation. I've had tunnel vision, focusing on this kid for so long that it was really weird to have to actually look around and take in more than his face.
I have to admit that I like being a mom more and more everyday. I like watching him sleep, I like feeding him, I like seeing him take in his world, I like the faces he makes, I like his cry, I like changing him, I even like getting up multiple times in the night to feed him. It's pretty amazing. I feel so blessed. In fact, I'm tearing up just thinking about how thankful I am to be experiencing all of this.
Anyway, that's life for us right now. We're a little picture obsessed, but that's mostly because my parents and in-laws demand new pictures every day. You can see them all by clicking on this link, but I'll post a few here if you don't have that kind of time or interest...
Kai's a really good baby. He doesn't cry much, except for bath times, sudden temperature changes and when he's overly hungry. But even then, his crying is always short lived. As soon as we solve the problem he's cool again. Verge and I were both saying how this has been a lot easier than we anticipated. We worried that it would be a lot more complicated to take care of a newborn, but his needs are so simple and so basic, it's really not that difficult to figure out how to make him happy.
We went out for the first time yesterday. Kai had his first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Martinez, a very cool guy. We liked him a lot. Kai is already growing like a weed - he's back to his birth weight in only a week and we're sure he gets bigger every day. He's still a little jaundiced, but it's on its way out and he should be back to his normal colour by the time my parents get in town on the 16th.
After the Dr's, we decided to give me a chance to be in the world for a little while. We went to the mall and visited Vergil's staff to say hi and then went and got me some nursing bras. It went well, Kai slept through most of everything and only got cranky on the ride home when his tummy was grumbly. Walking for a couple hours got a little difficult for me by the end. It's funny how being upright and mobile for extended periods of time is still an issue for me, even after having my body back. When I was pregnant, it was hard to be mobile because I was so large and now it's hard because I'm still a little tender and sore from giving birth.
The only other weird thing about being out was my initial sense of disorientation. I've had tunnel vision, focusing on this kid for so long that it was really weird to have to actually look around and take in more than his face.
I have to admit that I like being a mom more and more everyday. I like watching him sleep, I like feeding him, I like seeing him take in his world, I like the faces he makes, I like his cry, I like changing him, I even like getting up multiple times in the night to feed him. It's pretty amazing. I feel so blessed. In fact, I'm tearing up just thinking about how thankful I am to be experiencing all of this.
Anyway, that's life for us right now. We're a little picture obsessed, but that's mostly because my parents and in-laws demand new pictures every day. You can see them all by clicking on this link, but I'll post a few here if you don't have that kind of time or interest...
Saturday, February 02, 2008
the story so far
So after six odd months of trying to get Verge to post something, I guess it took Kai's birth to break him. :) It's all good.
So let's see... Where to begin? Well, I guess I should start by apologizing (again) to Eric. I only got one day to train him by the time all was said and done. Monday we had a good day of getting him familiar with stuff, Tuesday we had a snow day, of all things and then Wednesday, well, let me tell you about Wednesday.
5:00 am - Feeling kind of gross. Bad gas? Maybe. Braxton Hicks? Still haven't quite figured out what those are supposed to feel like, so I couldn't say. Thought I'd try to sleep it off.
6:30 am - Now I'm in pain but it's also intensifying every six minutes or so. What the heck is going on?
6:40 am - Vergil begs me not to go to work, just in case. I agree, thinking that would be the last thing Eric (or anybody for that matter) would need - me going into labour all the way out in Otterburne.
8:00 am - Email Eric instructions for the day.
9:00 am - Contractions (I was confident enough to call them that by this point) are coming 3-6 minutes apart and lasting 40 to 45 seconds apiece. Oh boy. Decide to call Dr's office. They say, maybe you should go to triage at the hospital and have yourself checked out. Call Vergil, he heads home.
9:00 - 10:00 am - Finish packing my bag, continue to count contractions.
10:30 am - Get to St. B, wander into Labour and Deliver instead of Triage while Vergil parked the car. Apparently, my brain was already turning to mush by that point. Make it to triage where they check me in and check me out. I was 2cms dialated, 40% effaced. They contact my Dr who says, well, you can hang out here and see how things progress or you can go home and see how things progress and we'll go from there. Vergil won't let me go home. My contractions were already getting worse.
10:30 am - 2:00 pm - Tried to eat, made me nauseous. Mostly laid across two chairs and breathed through the pain. I think I was blacking out between contractions, I don't remember much.
2:00 pm - Go back to get checked. Get a bit of an incredulous look from triage. They got slammed that day, but say they'll try to find me a bed.
2:30 pm - Triage calls me back and puts me in a bed. A nurse comes to check me, I'm now 4cms dilated and 100% effaced.
2:30 - 6:30 pm - There are absolutely no free beds in Labour, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP for future reference). I suffer it out in triage. Don't remember much. Poor Vergil did what he could to help me through contractions. I accepted a morphine injection at one point which did exactly nothing.
6:30 pm - I'm 6 cms, 100% effaced. My nurse, well, the only nurse working triage during that shift (poor lady), finally decides to send me to a room in Labour and Delivery, saying something about moving me after baby is born. I'm so incoherent at this point I kept asking Vergil what was going on. My ears weren't working, I couldn't retain information and everything hurt. I swear I asked what was happening 1000 times and was still confused. By this time I'm asking for something stronger to control the pain. The nurse suggests going right to epidural. Vergil says yes on my behalf and I again asked about 1000 times whether or not I was getting one.
6:45 pm - Off to L&D. We get to the room, I get on the bed only to be told that a room opened up in LDRP, and I get whisked back down the hall. The anesthetist is there waiting for me. They spend about a half hour getting the epidural in and working properly, pausing every time I have a contraction. You have to sit incredibly still in exactly the right posture so that they can get the catheter in exactly the right position. My neck and shoulders were so stiff after, but man, am I ever glad I didn't try to be a hero with the pain meds. I never would have made it through transition otherwise.
7:30 - 10:30 pm - Epidural's in, the OB/GYN intern checks me and my water breaks. Now I'm in full-blown transition, or dilating from 8 to 10 cms. Pain has changed from mind-numbing and just about impossible to manage to some of the most intense pressure I've ever felt in my life. My body would literally stiffen into a plank while I tried to prevent myself from pushing.
10:30 pm - My nurse says I'm good to start pushing. It takes a while to teach my body that it's okay to go with the feeling of the pressure instead of holding back, but once I get into it, we're rolling. My Dr (who happened to be on call that day) comes in and we start working on getting baby out. Vergil was an AWESOME coach. It was kind of surreal, really. I remember listening intently to Vergil counting me through each push. I remember focusing on the pressure and 'pushing like I meant it', as Anna Magyar advised me to do. I remember my Dr's encouragements and advice and telling me to relax my face when I was done pushing. Vergil said I looked mad. I remember just being incredibly focused and determined.
11:20 pm - Malakai makes his entrance, gives a good scream and I feel shocked and amazed. What a wild ride. My Dr compliments me on my push-control and I'm happy to hear I didn't tear or anything. Just swelling and some abrasions. Not too shabby, I think to myself.
11:30 pm to today - Getting used to life with Kai. He had swallowed so much amniotic fluid that a nurse lavaged him, or flushed his stomach on Thursday evening. He was just really gaggy and wouldn't feed properly, so I'm glad we had that done. There was also some concern about his blood sugar, but it turns out it was the hospital's machine and not baby.
Anyway, that's the story of my labour and delivery. All things considered, it was pretty textbook - well, apart from the whole 13 days early bit.
So yeah, thanks again for all your support, prayers and thoughts! We couldn't have made it through without you! Here are some more pictures for your enjoyment!
So let's see... Where to begin? Well, I guess I should start by apologizing (again) to Eric. I only got one day to train him by the time all was said and done. Monday we had a good day of getting him familiar with stuff, Tuesday we had a snow day, of all things and then Wednesday, well, let me tell you about Wednesday.
5:00 am - Feeling kind of gross. Bad gas? Maybe. Braxton Hicks? Still haven't quite figured out what those are supposed to feel like, so I couldn't say. Thought I'd try to sleep it off.
6:30 am - Now I'm in pain but it's also intensifying every six minutes or so. What the heck is going on?
6:40 am - Vergil begs me not to go to work, just in case. I agree, thinking that would be the last thing Eric (or anybody for that matter) would need - me going into labour all the way out in Otterburne.
8:00 am - Email Eric instructions for the day.
9:00 am - Contractions (I was confident enough to call them that by this point) are coming 3-6 minutes apart and lasting 40 to 45 seconds apiece. Oh boy. Decide to call Dr's office. They say, maybe you should go to triage at the hospital and have yourself checked out. Call Vergil, he heads home.
9:00 - 10:00 am - Finish packing my bag, continue to count contractions.
10:30 am - Get to St. B, wander into Labour and Deliver instead of Triage while Vergil parked the car. Apparently, my brain was already turning to mush by that point. Make it to triage where they check me in and check me out. I was 2cms dialated, 40% effaced. They contact my Dr who says, well, you can hang out here and see how things progress or you can go home and see how things progress and we'll go from there. Vergil won't let me go home. My contractions were already getting worse.
10:30 am - 2:00 pm - Tried to eat, made me nauseous. Mostly laid across two chairs and breathed through the pain. I think I was blacking out between contractions, I don't remember much.
2:00 pm - Go back to get checked. Get a bit of an incredulous look from triage. They got slammed that day, but say they'll try to find me a bed.
2:30 pm - Triage calls me back and puts me in a bed. A nurse comes to check me, I'm now 4cms dilated and 100% effaced.
2:30 - 6:30 pm - There are absolutely no free beds in Labour, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP for future reference). I suffer it out in triage. Don't remember much. Poor Vergil did what he could to help me through contractions. I accepted a morphine injection at one point which did exactly nothing.
6:30 pm - I'm 6 cms, 100% effaced. My nurse, well, the only nurse working triage during that shift (poor lady), finally decides to send me to a room in Labour and Delivery, saying something about moving me after baby is born. I'm so incoherent at this point I kept asking Vergil what was going on. My ears weren't working, I couldn't retain information and everything hurt. I swear I asked what was happening 1000 times and was still confused. By this time I'm asking for something stronger to control the pain. The nurse suggests going right to epidural. Vergil says yes on my behalf and I again asked about 1000 times whether or not I was getting one.
6:45 pm - Off to L&D. We get to the room, I get on the bed only to be told that a room opened up in LDRP, and I get whisked back down the hall. The anesthetist is there waiting for me. They spend about a half hour getting the epidural in and working properly, pausing every time I have a contraction. You have to sit incredibly still in exactly the right posture so that they can get the catheter in exactly the right position. My neck and shoulders were so stiff after, but man, am I ever glad I didn't try to be a hero with the pain meds. I never would have made it through transition otherwise.
7:30 - 10:30 pm - Epidural's in, the OB/GYN intern checks me and my water breaks. Now I'm in full-blown transition, or dilating from 8 to 10 cms. Pain has changed from mind-numbing and just about impossible to manage to some of the most intense pressure I've ever felt in my life. My body would literally stiffen into a plank while I tried to prevent myself from pushing.
10:30 pm - My nurse says I'm good to start pushing. It takes a while to teach my body that it's okay to go with the feeling of the pressure instead of holding back, but once I get into it, we're rolling. My Dr (who happened to be on call that day) comes in and we start working on getting baby out. Vergil was an AWESOME coach. It was kind of surreal, really. I remember listening intently to Vergil counting me through each push. I remember focusing on the pressure and 'pushing like I meant it', as Anna Magyar advised me to do. I remember my Dr's encouragements and advice and telling me to relax my face when I was done pushing. Vergil said I looked mad. I remember just being incredibly focused and determined.
11:20 pm - Malakai makes his entrance, gives a good scream and I feel shocked and amazed. What a wild ride. My Dr compliments me on my push-control and I'm happy to hear I didn't tear or anything. Just swelling and some abrasions. Not too shabby, I think to myself.
11:30 pm to today - Getting used to life with Kai. He had swallowed so much amniotic fluid that a nurse lavaged him, or flushed his stomach on Thursday evening. He was just really gaggy and wouldn't feed properly, so I'm glad we had that done. There was also some concern about his blood sugar, but it turns out it was the hospital's machine and not baby.
Anyway, that's the story of my labour and delivery. All things considered, it was pretty textbook - well, apart from the whole 13 days early bit.
So yeah, thanks again for all your support, prayers and thoughts! We couldn't have made it through without you! Here are some more pictures for your enjoyment!
Friday, February 01, 2008
First picture of Kai
Hello again everyone.
Krista has a thing against taking pictures of mom after delivering the baby, but she has no problem getting pictures taken of our beautiful son.
So here's the very first photo of my son I took with my phone.
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