Meet Jack!

Sorry about the delay since the last posting, but we've been kind of busy. Just to warn you, there are A LOT of pictures in this posting...

On Tuesday July 27, we woke up at the crack of dawn, and by 5:15 am were walking across the SkyBridge at Providence Alaska Medical Center towards Ob Admitting. They quickly got me settled in and started an IV. Around 7:15 am, I was wheeled to the OR, where the very nice anesthesiologist started the spinal. I think I was more nervous about that than anything else! The spinal was pretty trippy, it was really weird having my legs and lower abdomen numb and paralyzed. Chris came back to the OR once the spinal was complete and I was prepped. It always amazes me how quickly it takes for the baby to come out during a c-section. At 8:01 am, Jack was born! The first thing I heard was Dr Ha say was a comment on how much hair he has, and he does have a lot! Apgars were 8 and 9- I didn't see the breakdown but I'm imaging 1 point lost for color at both times, and 1 point lost for some grunting at 1 minute (breathing difficulties, for you non-medical people out there). Chris got to see him get weighed (8 pounds 12 ounces) and measured (length 21.5 inches, head circumference 34.5 cm). They then brought him over to me, so I could be with him while they sewed and stapled me up.

Jack a few minutes after he was born

At some point, Chris took Jack out to meet my mom, dad, and step-mother, who were all waiting to meet him and for the big announcement of his name: John Francis Brigham. John was Chris' dad's name, and Francis was my maternal grandfather's name. Like Chris' dad, we will be calling him Jack.

Me, Chris, and Jack shortly after his birth

Because I had a c-section, we were in the hospital for 4 nights (through Saturday July 31).

Jack and my mom on 7/28

Jack on his belly on 7/30, slightly jaundiced. And look at all that hair!

I honestly don't know how women do it who go home after only 2 nights in the hospital. I really needed the support of the nurses and lactation consultants, and 2 days and nights certainly wouldn't have been enough to make me feel confident as to what I was doing. And the nurses there really were wonderful. Chris slept over in the room with me, and we kept Jack with us at all times, and one night we were really struggling- I was having trouble breast feeding and then even when that was over, we couldn't get Jack to settle. One nurse sat in the room with me for an hour, helping me feed him and then helping me get him to sleep. I couldn't believe that she was able to spend some much uninterrupted time with me!

Chris with Jack on 7/31

We came "home" to the Hickel House on the afternoon of Saturday July 31. It was nice to be back among familiar surroundings.

The three of us heading leaving the hospital!

My dad and step-mother flew home to Boston on Saturday, but my mom is still here, staying at Marika's house, until this coming Thursday, when she returns to Boston. It was been very nice to have that extra support! Jack is a really good baby, so happy during the day and a great napper! However, at night, for the first few nights, he did NOT want to sleep, and spent several hours crying, which was hard on all 3 of us. But last night, we had two 3 hour chunks of uninterrupted sleep, which makes such a difference!

Our first bath time experience with Jack on 8/1


Jack and me hanging out in our room at the Hickel House

We have had a relatively busy day today. Jack had his 1 week follow up appointment with his Alaskan pediatrician, Dr Tulip, who is so nice. He has gained 5 ounces since his discharge, and is doing really well. We then went up to the Chugatch Mountains, the same place that Chris and I went the first day with Marika, and then later went back with my mom. We went for a little walk with Jack, and then had a picnic lunch.

Chris, Jack, and me on the Anchorage Overlook Trail

Chris, Jack, and me on a bench with the Chugatch mountains in the background. This is the same bench (although slightly different angle) as earlier pictures of Chris and my mom. He is wearing a hat knit by Marika's mom and a sweater knit by my mom. Fortunately, this is summer wear in Alaska so he wasn't sweltering...

It is amazing how long everything takes now. We think we're ready to go out the door when he decides he's hungry, and then after I feed him, he needs a diaper change. I wanted to do a blog posting yesterday, but never had time to do it. I started this posting at 9:45 am, and 7 hours, I'm only this far.

It's actually pretty hard for me to believe that we are scheduled to go home in 1 week! I almost can't imagine being at home at this point. It's going to be weird not seeing Marika so frequently, I've gotten spoiled by seeing her so often again! But I am looking forward to returning home, having Jack meet his aunts, uncles, and paternal grandmother, as well as many friends and family in the Boston area.

Chris and I of course think that Jack is just about the most handsome, adorable baby ever, and feel very lucky that everything turned out so well in the end. And all that hair!! What has been somewhat of a surprise is that we have become some of those people, you know the ones, the ones who endlessly talk about how cute their baby is. This is somewhat surprising, given that neither one of us were particularly baby people, but I guess having one of your own really does change you!! And along those lines, here are a few short videos my mom took of Jack, videos that my mom would point out only a parent could love (specifically his parents), because otherwise they might be a bit boring. But I think they're awfully cute...

Jack wiggling and stretching

Jack discovering the joy of sucking his thumb for the first time