Two Weeks!

Our little Austin is 2 weeks old today!  He is still a good baby and is very content.  He likes to look around with his big eyes. They are turning brown.  He doesn't want to miss anything and is sometimes awake just staring.  He is filling out quite nicely!  The last doctors appointment we had, he weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces!  :) He is a growing boy.  Sometimes I feel as though I am nursing all day!  He is just like his Daddy and he loves to eat.

He had a busy weekend too!  First we went to church to hear Daddy play the drums for the last time until Fall. The music sounds so good!  He also met Father Mathias who came right up to him and blessed him before mass.  I thought that was really great because I didn't even have to ask.  Father Mathias is a really great priest.  He also blessed Austin before he was born too.  He came right to my classroom and said a prayer for a safe and healthy baby and delivery.  Like I said, he is a one of a kind priest.  :)  We are so lucky to have him in our lives!

Taylor got to hold Austin for the first time.  He had a lot of people holding him!  He doesn't seem to mind though.

After mass, we joined the McMurtrie's for a game of put-put golf and ice cream.  We had lots of fun!

On Monday, we enjoyed Grandma and Grandpa E.'s company for a grilled lunch.  It was yummy!  Austin didn't want to sleep until we finally sat down to dinner.  Then Mommy got some much needed sleep! :)  It was a very relaxing day.

I am enjoying being a mom to Austin.  He definitely is a keeper and my life has forever changed for the better.  It is amazing how much you can love someone who is so new and so small.  :)

More Visitors :) and a Restaurant Visit

Great Grandma and Aunt Maryjo came to visit Austin today!  We had a great visit and they both thought that he was a keeper. He even had a bad case of the hiccups.  Grandma got them to stop though! They took us out to Finley's for a celebration dinner... I of course had the ribs! Austin was such a good boy at dinner.  He slept the whole time.  It was his second time in a restaurant!  The first was with Becky this afternoon at Fazoli's.  He did great then too.  I hope he continues this trend.  Thanks to Becky for letting us use her car while ours was in the shop to get the air conditioning.  I had to take Austin to the doctors again because he had gunk in his eye.  It turns out it was just a blocked tear duct.  It resembles symptoms of pink eye except without the pink.  All we have to do is wipe his eye and put slight pressure on his tear duct. This has helped a lot! He will eventually grow out of this.  I'm glad he is ok!  But being a mom sure is stressful at times because you worry about the littlest things!  Better safe then sorry.

Grandma also met the HUMONGOUS bear.  It is almost as tall as she is!

Austin enjoyed tummy time with Daddy and sleeping with him while he was playing on the computer.  Daddy is completely in love and wrapped around this little boy's finger.  I am constantly catching him with a smile on his face.  He is a great dad.  Constantly, kissing Austin or tickling him.

Austin got his first piece of mail today!  He received his social security card.  How exciting! :)

Yesterday, Austin had his newborn pictures taken.  I can't wait to see them.  He was a very good sport and stayed sleeping for most of the shots.  He did open his beautiful eyes for a few as well.  I was concerned that if we waited too long, he wouldn't still be "squishy".  I know that sounds silly, but he is already growing so fast!  I can't believe it.  I love being a mommy.  The moment Austin was born, my life changed for the better.  I now worry about everything!  You know what they say, you become your mother... I now worry like her.  I guess all good moms do.  :)

Austin and the Zoo

Today, Austin had his first big trip out and so did Mommy!  We went to the Potter Park Zoo to join the second graders on their field trip.  My students were so excited to see Austin and so was Mandy.  :)  We had a lot of fun. He wore a complete zoo outfit complete with monkey socks!  He was so cute! I love our stroller and it felt good to get out of the house.  I am feeling pretty good for giving birth a little over a week ago.  I am still sore, but the pain is tolerable.  It gets worse at night, but I relax with Austin and I feel better.  Here are some comments about Austin from my students:

• "Wow! Look guys he has fists!"  
• "His hair has already grown so long so fast!"  (They didn't think he was born with hair!)
• "He is so tiny!" (The kids went home and told their parents that Austin was a variety of sizes:  10 pounds, 14 pounds, 14 ounces, 7 ounces)
• "Can he talk yet?"  "He just said his first word I think!  It was gooogooogaagaa!"
• "Tell him I said happy birthday!"
• "His eyes are so big, especially for his little body."
• "Mrs. E did you put sunscreen on him... I have some if you need it!"

When asked what their favorite thing at the zoo was a common answer was:  Austin  :)  Every time they would see me with the stroller, they would run and check on him!  So cute!

One Week Old

Our little Austin is one week old today!  We have learned so much in that week too.  We love being parents and it is so great to be each other's support team. We have laughed, cried, laughed, and cried some more.  Scott especially finds his little farts amusing... they are pretty cute!  We also love when Austin has his new diaper just about to be on and then he pees! That is sure fun!  Austin loves to cuddle, especially when he is laying on one of our chests.  He had his first official bath today because his umbilical cord fell off.  He has such a cute belly button. :)  He didn't seem to mind it!  One day he will enjoy playing with all of the bath toys we got for him.  He also did some tummy time today.  I laid him down and he was very content staring at me the whole time.  He was trying to figure out what to do with his long legs.  Mickey came over to do "tummy-time" too.  Mickey is sure beginning to love our Austin.  When we have to change Austin's diaper, Mickey will either follow us to the diaper changing area or he will lead us there.  He is never too far away from Austin.  I can tell that they will be good buddies!  Simba is still shy of this new creature we brought into the house.  He is also still freaked out by the ENORMOUS bear that Austin got from Grandma and Grandpa.  This bear is 53 inches long and looks like a very large person.  Hopefully soon he will be comfortable with everyone.  Simba has mellowed quite a bit since we have gotten him.  

Austin had his second doctor's appointment today too!  He gained 9 ounces!  This puts him close to his birth weight again.  The doctor was very pleased with this progress.  Austin was very laid back during the appointment too.  I hope this laid back style continues.  :)

I received a couple cards from my class to congratulate us on Austin's arrival.  They are soooo cute!  They are so excited that he FINALLY made his arrival.  My mom told me that if I didn't have the baby soon, the kids would start thinking  that I was just gaining weight and wanted an early summer.  :)  Here are a few of what the cards said: (I am also keeping the spelling how they had it!)  The third one is my favorite! :)

• Mrs. E,   I really miss you and I hope you will bring Austin to our classroom to show Austin!  Tell Austin I said happy birthday!  I miss you!  We all miss you!
• Finally Austn Scott came out Yay Yay I can't wait to see him in percen!
• Baby Time!  Yay new baby in town!  Yay you got a new baby yay.  I hope he's a good baby.  Anyways, we really miss you so much.  I hope you love him and you should probably use those toys that every one got you.  I hope you love them Mrs. Engemann.

Austin's 1st Week!

Day 1: May 15, 2012 (Tuesday)

Austin Scott Engemann
Born at 7:57 a.m.  St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Weight: 7 pounds 14 ounces
Length: 21 inches

Big eyes and very laid back baby so far!  We think he has my eyes and nose and Scott's lips.  It will be fun to see him grow up!  Austin was visited by his grandparents and his Godfather Tobby (and his whole family)!

Day 2: May 16, 2012 (Wednesday)

Still cute and very laid back.  We had several visitors visit Austin including his god mommy, Becky!  We survived our first night with Austin.  I didn't sleep because I was still so excited about having my baby with me!  Austin was circumcised and given his first shot (hep B).  He did a great job!  He came back tired though.  He is our world! 

                                                  

Day 3: May 17, 2012 (Thursday)

We got to go home!  Austin had his first car ride to our home in Jackson.  He slept the entire way!  He is such a well behaved baby, only really fussing when he is hungry.  We didn't get any sleep on this night.  We had issues with breastfeeding.  We couldn't get a good latch and it was frustrating to both Austin and me.  I was in tears because he was screaming and I couldn't help him.  Scott was very helpful and helped keep me calm.  We made a plan to pump and give him a bottle.  That worked.  I was just glad we survived night 1 on our very own.  Mickey and Simba also met Austin today.  They are both very curious and scared of him.  

Day 4: May 18, 2012 (Friday)

Austin had his first doctor's appoint with Dr. Dinverno.  He had to go because of his jaundice and because he had lost some birth weight.  He got a clean bill of health!  No jaundice and there wasn't too much concern for the weight loss.  :)  He also gave us the suggestion of using a nipple shield to help with breastfeeding.  So we immediately went to Target and picked one up.  It was Austin's first official outing!  We got home and the nipple shield worked!  Instead of taking 2 hours to latch on, it took 2 minutes.  I was so relieved.  We had a super night and could actually get some sleep.  My mom and dad came just in case it was going to be another long night.  Scott and I are so lucky to have such a good baby!  He was pretty low key in the womb too.  He also went on his first walk around the block.  

Day 5: May 19, 2012 (Saturday)

My dad and Scott worked on creating a new door for our porch and a platform deck.  This will make it easier for me to let Mickey out without having to walk outside and open the date.  It was a fun project.  Austin slept on the porch and didn't wake up.  He did have his startle reflex going though!

Day 6: May 20, 2012 (Sunday)

Austin had his first trip to mass at Queen of the Miraculous Medal Church.  He actually gave a smile when the music started to play.  He loves to hear his Daddy play drums.  Becky, Jason, and I all took turns holding on to him during the mass.  Afterwards, he met Father Tim, the musicians, and several of my students.  They were so excited to finally meet Austin and were amazed by his soft skin!  Austin had a big day full of visitors!  He saw Grandma and Grandpa E again.  He also met Aunt Linda, Aunt Jeri, cousin Mandi, and Uncle Alan.  They brought us food, which has been very helpful as we have not felt like cooking! :)  He also met his Aunt Leah who made us an amazing dinner with my favorite... potatoes! :)  Austin did not sleep at all today, but he remained content!  One of my students also stopped by to bring me some cookies!  Yummy!

Day 7: May 21, 2012 (Monday)

Austin and Mommy had the day to do things on our own as Daddy had to work from home.  I think things went really well.  We even visited Daddy while "at work".  "Aunt" Katy came to see Austin too.  It was nice to see her.  We made a stop at school to visit some of my coworkers.  My principal was super excited to hold Austin! We already have several offers to babysit.   I can't believe Austin is growing so fast.  It makes me a little sad that he is growing up, but I know that there are many memories to be made on this journey.  I just want the journey to slow down a bit... quite a bit.  I love Austin being so squishy... I will enjoy these moments while I can.  

Labor and Delivery!

Tomorrow, Austin will be one week old already!  Wow, time sure does fly.

Labor was long and painful. We got to the hospital around 9 a.m. and were checked into Labor and Delivery Room 1!  I was nervous and excited at the same time.  I was very hopeful to have Austin on the 14th!  I had to be checked out and did not receive oxytocin until around noon.  This is when light contractions happened.  I mean very light!  I could not move around very easily as I was attached to the oxytocin and the hydration stuff.  Both my parents and Scott's parents were there waiting patiently for Austin's arrival.  At 6 p.m.  Dr. Fleming decided to break my water and that is when things got started.  I was still at 3 cm dilated. Austin was at -1 station.  The contractions came in waves... painful waves.  Scott was very helpful with the "he-he-hoos" (I soon got very tired of this!).  He kept me in rhythm and held my hand with every contraction.  I also had back labor! Austin was faced the wrong direction!) My mom was also a big help rubbing my back and holding my hand.  She was a great big help in the delivery room.  I don't think Scott and I could have done it without her there.  Scott's mom was there too.  She was a great cheerleader and held my hand a few times too.  I finally got to move out of the bed and we tried the rocking chair method with Scott rubbing my feet to try and subdue some of the pain.  These contractions continued until about midnight when Dr. Fleming came in to check my progress.  I was at a 8-9!  We knew then that it was going to be a long night ahead of us!  He suggested that I get an epidural to help me relax and that would get me to a 10.  He thought that I could start pushing soon.  I was definitely feeling the urge to push!  At around 2 ish in the morning, Dr. Fleming said that I was at a 10, but I could not start pushing because Austin wasn't low enough!  So my nurse Dana, (our favorite nurse during the entire labor!) had me do all of these different positions called the Trudy method to get Austin to move down.  We were using gravity to our advantage!  This took awhile to do, but it worked!  At 3:45 a.m.  I was told that I could push!  We were so close to holding Austin in our hands!  Pushing was hard.  We all got a workout too.  Scott was supporting my feet and my back.  My mom was counting for me.  The doctor said I wasn't pushing hard enough... yeah right!  He did say that if I didn't push harder we might have to do a C-section!  So he told me to get angry and to give me even more motivation, he told me that once he gets his green outfit on, the baby was close to coming!  At around 7:30 a.m. I was told to take a 15 minute break with no pushing.  This is hard to do especially when your body is telling you to push!  It worked! We came back from the break and tried a new way to push.  It is called the towel pull.  This way I could concentrate on using my arms and abs and not my legs.  Dr. Fleming put on his green outfit and then he lay a baby blanket on my tummy.  He said, "There is a baby coming now!"  I was so excited.  :)  At 7:57 a.m.  little Austin Scott was born and laid on my tummy.  Love at first sight!  Then he was taken to the warmer and I had to finish the labor.  I was bleeding quite heavily I guess, Scott was concerned and worried.  I had passed three huge clots which was a concern to Dr. Fleming.  He had to have the nurses give me a shot to stop the heavy bleeding.  Finally, Austin came back to his mama!  He was healthy and perfect.  He had the biggest eyes and was very alert looking around everywhere!  At around 11 ish, we were taken to our Mother Baby room.  They played Brahms' lullaby as we were rolled to the room.  I teared up as I looked down at Austin.  Becoming a mother is beyond words. It is so surreal that Austin is made from a part of me and a part of Scott.  Amazing how God works!  We are blessed.

41 + Weeks pregnant!

Well, here we are!  Overdue by nearly 2 weeks.  Who would have thought that little Austin would wait so long to come out.  Most people were predicting that we would go in two weeks early!  I am so ready to have this baby.  Sleeping has gotten really uncomfortable as well as moving around in general.  I loved being pregnant (for the most part), but I am ready to have a baby boy in my arms. The journey of being overdue has been very taxing on my mental state.  We have been to the hospital and sent back because I wasn't dilated enough.  We have tried nearly every method of natural inducement and I have to say that it was disappointing that they didn't work! :(   Today is also Mother's Day... I am so excited about being a Mom.  Even though Austin didn't arrive before Mother's Day, I still hope to celebrate being a mom with Scott!  I wonder what he has planned!  :)  It is our last day together just the 2 of us.  Tomorrow, May 14th, I am getting induced.  Hopefully the process will go smoothly and by the end of the day or on Tuesday we will have Austin in our arms. Then we get to start on our next adventure of parenthood!  I am glad to have Scott there with me as we figure it all out.