To Lucille - Month One

To Little Lu on your One Month Birthday

This past month has been the getting to know you phase. When you first got home both your dad and I weren't exactly sure what to do with you. Luckily, you were a very content baby and only seemed to fuss when you got hungry or tired. Of course maybe it wasn't so much that you were hungry, but that my way of solving any issue was with the boob. It worked, so I went with it. When I needed a break your dad would step in and implement the 5 "S"s as prescribed by Dr. Karp (the current Baby Guru for parents: Swaddle, Side-lying, Shush (very loudly), Shake (gently) and Suck.




You were a little slow to gain your birth weight back which gave me anxiety in the beginning as I didn't know if you were getting enough milk. Yet another reason to give you unrestricted access to the boob. Happily, it worked. By the time your three week checkup came you had hit your birth weight and then some. What a relief as I really didn't want to supplement with formula. At this checkup you continued to measure high on both your length and head size - you must have gotten those genes from your father.



 In between weeks two and three your belly button fell off. Well kind of. I wasn't sure at first if there was something wrong, but my gut told me it didn't look right. I assumed when the cord fell off it would look, well like a belly button. We took her to the doctor to get an expert opinion and sure enough part of it fell off, but part remained. We ended up using silver nitrate to burn the rest of it off (painless for you).

Eventually it all come off and you had a perfect looking belly button. So it took almost a full month before your first bath. The look on your face when entering the water for the first time was priceless - it was pure shock. Like, WTF?!?! But just like your mommy, you settled in quickly and seemed to enjoy it.



It wasn't until the end of the month that you started showing signs of leaving the newborn phase. (Thank goodness!) You started sleeping longer at night. You also started becoming more predictable during the day. We would get up around 8:00am, eat and then be off for our morning walk by 9:00am. You stayed awake for maybe the first five minutes and then slept for the rest of the ride. At first I could only get two miles and now I have worked up to three.

You wake up promptly on arrival home for your next feeding session and then right back into your longest nap of the day. I would usually use this time to get my errands done carting you around with no problem at all. Per ususal you would wake, want to eat. After this you liked to play. Or at least that is what I like to to think. You would sit alert as I would read you books, sing you songs, and play with Mr. Moose (tracking him back and forth). We would usually end with tummy time which you hated and made your protests be known. You would then take another nap until later in the afternoon and then the schedule became more variable.













This month you had your first visitor! Emme (grandma Jill) showed up to help me get the house back in order to sell and of course see you. She was a great help, cooking and cleaning and sometimes even holding you when you weren't demanding to be fed. She also made you a wonderful  picture book with our family members so you could learn who was who early on.

You also had your first official road trip. We went on our yearly pilgrimage to Helen where you experienced your first Oktoberfest. It was a bit of a challenge driving the 2+ hours because of the frequency of your eating, but we managed. When you started crying your dad would pull over and I  would feed you in any random parking lot while he surfed the internet on his ipad.






 Once in Helen you slept through most of our activities, but did wake up to enjoy your first "Chicken Dance" at the Fest Hall. Your dad commented that this was probably the least we had ever drank at Oktoberfest with me have 0 beers and he only having 2.








Overall, you handled the trip like a champ and true Korb (or maybe Hendryx?) I think you may already be ready for a trip to the real Oktoberfest in Germany! Okay, maybe not just yet!





This month you also went to the wedding of our good friends Jay and Theresa. You were not as passive this time around and wanted to eat rather than dance the evening away. Your dad and I did get to squeeze in a few dances towards the end of the evening while you caught some shut-eye. at the wedding, you also got to meet another future friend- another Lucille! She is the daughter to our West coast friends Heather and Buzzy.



All in all it was a really great first month together.

This picture just cracks me up...the vomit dribbling from your mouth really does make you look like you partied like a rock star.

Lucille at One Month:

One Month Stats

- Weight: 9 lbs 6 oz  - 48th Percentile

- Height: 22 7/8 inches - 99th Percentile

- Head: 14 3/4 - 84 Percentile
- Still rocking the ambiguous Slate Blue Eyes
- Lighter Brown Hair ( still not the much hair, but in the light it looks light brown)
Milestones
- Your belly button fell off.
- You started following objects back and forth with your head. Mr. Moose especially.
- You started sleeping 3 to 4 hours at night,
- You started smiling (occassionally)
- You had more alert time- although still very minimal.


XOXO,

Momma and Daddy

To Lucille - Week One

To our lovely little lady, happy week one (and two) birthday!

This week has been a whirlwind of excitement and emotions for your dad and I (and I imagine you). We have spent most of our time getting to know you and trying to make you as comfortable as possible. We started the week off in the hospital where, to-date, we had our most stressful night trying to keep you pacified. I finally got you settled in time for the first shift nurses to come in and wake you up again. Lovely.

Things got much better when we got home.


Like all newborns, at this point you basically do three things really well: eat, sleep and poop. Overall, you are not very fussy- you basically cry when you want to eat and quiet down when you are satiated. You sleep pretty well at this point. You go down between 10 and 11pm and then wake up around 2am and need a snack. You then go to sleep again until around 7am. Your dad likes to catch some shut eye with you on occasion.

Breastfeeding seemed to come to you pretty easily. Even at the hospital before my milk came in the nurses were impressed with your latch. At home we got lots of practice because you LOVE to eat. I mean all the time. You make these grunting and snorting noises when you get really excited about eating, earning you the nickname, "little piggy." My early fears of you not gaining your birth weight back quick enough were unnecessary. You take your time, but you get it done.



I have (mostly) avoided scarring up my nipples too bad in the midst of your feeding frenzy. I credit the Lanisoh's Lanolin cream that I use like an OCD person slathering it on pre and post feedings. Although you don't taste it, it does create a greasy sheen all around your mouth adding to your piggy persona. And it provided you with your first case of baby acne.







Your dad had two full weeks to hang with us which was just grand. We took you on at least one walk a day in your carriage - it looks like an old fashion pram on a jogging stroller bottom. We had to roll up a bunch of blankets and surround you so didn't roll around.









Your first real outing was to a coffee shop and then lunch in Oakhurst Village which is down the street from us. I was able to practice breastfeeding in public and learned that a heavier "cover-up" blanket is necessary on a windy day!

We also took you to the neighborhoods jazz night where you got to meet Auntie Rebecca and Uncle Ross. We enjoyed charcuterie from Aunt Meghan and Uncle Felix while you snoozed through the whole thing!




You also got to meet your best friend - Reese! At this point you two weren't too impressed with one another, but you both looked really cute in your matching car seats!

Lucille at Week One:

Week One Stats

- Weight: 7 lbs 4 oz 

- Height: 21inches

- Head: 13 inches
- Slate Blue Eyes (or whatever color it is that all babies seem to be born with)
-Brown? Hair ( you had very little of it except for a tiny mullet in the back)

Milestones
-You had very good muscle control from the very beginning including being an exceptional kicker. It  could be because you were two and a half weeks late, but I like to think its because I had you working out in utero including the Disney Princess Half Marathon with Emme.
-You look to both my and Daddy's voice and a few times you have turned your head on your own to look at one of us.
-You came out sucking your own hand/fingers in order to sooth yourself. Similarly, you could suck a pacifier from day one.


-You had a little hair, most of it concentrated in a tiny baby mullet in the back of your head. You have nice and long and lovely eyelashes and also long and not so lovely fingernails.
-You make a variety of sounds including an "eh eh eh" which means "give me a boob or I am going to loose it" and this quiver machine-gun cry which means we waited way too long to feed you. You also make the cutest little squeaks in your sleep.

We are both so in love with you and are so happy you finally came to join our family. You are the light of our life and we look forward to learning more and more about you.

At Piedmont Hospital Recovering

"Recovery" Room

 Our first night together was peaceful. Although only a few hours of sleep, we all appreciated what little rest we could grab before the real day started and the endless stream of nurses started coming in and out. Recovery room it was not.

We spent most of that first day just holding her and staring at her.  She was seemed so tiny, even being two and a half weeks late.

Lucille - one day old

 She already loved to suck her hand which she did with gusto! She also learned to use the pacifier pretty quickly.

She did have a few tests including a hearing test. She passed all of them with flying colors.

Hearing Test

Miss Lucille also had a few visitors in the short time that we were there - Grandma and Grandpa Korb dropped by, as did Grandpa Hendryx with Great Aunt Michelle and Great Uncle Joel. In addition Uncle Jason, Aunt Cami and Auntie Laura came as well. (Send me pictures if you have them and I will add to the entry!)

The second night (the first full night) was rough. I think she finally figured out that she was not in her nice cozy warm home anymore and she was inconsolable. I stayed up trying to soothe her as best as I could. She finally fell asleep at 4am. The nurses promptly came in at 5:30. Again, recovery room it was not.

Through some heavy pressure on my part, we ended up getting to leave later that day. After three days at the hospital, we really wanted to be home with our new daughter where we all could really recover and start our life as a new family.

 I don't think I have ever been more nervous driving then that first car ride home with her.

First car trip

Part II: From Theory to Practice - Labor and Delivery

Part II: Things Don't Always Go as Planned

Headed to the hospital with a packed car!

 
After trying every natural induction technique that exists (per our earlier post), on September 3, 2012, we headed to the hospital to be induced. It was a difficult decision for us as you can imagine and there were times we both considered going it on our own so we wouldn't be pressured into inducing. Calmer minds prevailed though and we decided to (finally) listen to our midwife.

Incidentally, our "labor day" started on our nation's Labor Day. Started is the key word. Unlike my mother who popped my sister and I out in a matter of   hours, for us the holiday actually marked the beginning of a three day event.

So let's revisit our original labor goal shall we?
Labor Goal
-- We would like to have a natural childbirth if possible.--

(This of course would include, no meds or other medical interventions.)

Yeah, not so much. This sentiment pretty much went out the window when we agreed to be induced.

 
We were admitted to the hospital at 8:00am. By 10:00am I had my first dose of Cervidil. I was checked throughout the day and unfortunately did not progress.

So the beginning of labor was a lot of sitting around trying to entertain ourselves.
 

Bananagrams anyone?

 
Our midwife decided to give me a second dose at 10pm that night. Luckily this time around something did happen! Overnight I became entirely effaced, but only a few centimeters dilated. Boo.



My midwife was worried about fatigue (there is no eating on Cervadil) so she recommended I start Pitocin, a synthetic oxotycin which should get the real contractions going. Unfortunately for me, I only progressed slowly throughout the day despite feeling intense pain. I tried my best to cope, but it was hard to manage the Pitocin induced level of pain. Pearce tried to whip out some of his best Doula moves including the aromatherapy kit. The nurses commented that they loved coming in our room because it smelled so good!
Unfortunately because of the Cervadil, etc. I had to be constantly monitored which required me to stay in the bed for most of the time. There were remote monitoring devices I used every now and then, but we were warned that the battery life was limited and so should save them for "the really rough times". Uh, have this people never been in labor?!

When it got really intense, I tried to use the bath tub, but for some strange reason there were no bath tub stoppers in any of the rooms. We tried jamming a wash cloth down in the drain, but that only worked for a limited time. By the evening of the second day I made it to 7 centimeters through pure determination, but I knew that I was running out of energy without food.

In the end I made the tough call (for me personally) and decided to have an epidural. I felt this was best way to regroup, rest up, and mentally prepare for the pushing phase. I was most worried about running out of steam and getting an emergency casearean.

Luckily for me, my strategy paid off. I got the epidural causing my lower half to go numb, with the exception of one leg. I had a few hours of rest and then pushed for three hours. I was able to get her down fairly quickly, but her ginormous head stalled the progress and I again was running out of stamina (epidurals require no food or drink).

Approaching the 40 hour mark I decided to have an episiotomy. Within two series of pushes she was out.


At 2:24 am, on September 5, 2012 Lucille May Korb was born.  She timed it so that she would be born on her grandpa Hendryx's birthday.
 
She weighed 8lbs 8ounces and was 21 inches long. It was confirmed she did have a big head- coming in at 13 and a half inches.

Due to her length of stay in utero she was immediately taken to a "meconium removal station" where her lungs were cleared from any stool that she may have inhaled. Meanwhile, my blood pressure dropped (which happens often with epidurals) and I started shivering uncontrollably. They pumped me full of Epineferon -3 doses I believe- and I quickly normalized as well. Well at least until I had my first sips of water and then I started puking.  Lovely.

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                                         

 




Notice anything in this photo??

Tummy time

Needless to say, Pearce was the first to hold Lucille, unbuttoning his shirt to lay her on his chest. After recovering a bit, I was able to hold her in my arms for the first time. Having waited a long time to meet her - ten and a half! months - it was overwhelming to say the least. We were allowed a few hours of bonding time where we all kind of stared at each other in wonder. I also attempted (and succeeded) feeding her for the first time.
 

 
 
Eventually the "clean up" nurse came in to give Lucille her first bath and not long after we were shuffled off to our recovery room where we tried to get some rest before our visitors came the next day.

 Not a fan

 Butts Up!

 

Pearce playing the newborn song - checkout the time!

 
Her birth didn't go exactly as planned. 

BUT. 

The most important part of it did. After a long and hard labor, I was able to give birth to a healthy baby girl. We couldn't be happier.