Oscar Quincy's Birth Story

Just like with Xander, I spent a month in prodromal labor with pretty severe HG symptoms controlling my life. On two different occasions we shipped the older two kids off with friends so we could head to the hospital, only to have contractions disappear as soon as the kids were gone. On Tuesday Aug 1st, Chou called my doctor and begged them to put me out of my misery, as I was contracting but getting nowhere and no longer able to eat or drink. They sent us to the hospital (so, again, we dropped off Xander. E was on vacation with my parents) who was not so compliant, but eventually gave me 2 bags of fluid, some Zofran, and sent me on my way. On Thursday, the midwife sent me back to labor and delivery due to a high fetal heart rate. While on the monitors for hours, baby's heart rate stayed around 170 with very occasional dips down to the 130s. After this pattern continued, the OB was fairly certain that the high readings were simply accelerations caused by excessive movement, and that 130 was the actual baseline heart rate, and she once again sent us on our way with instructions to come into the office again by Monday. Friday night around midnight I felt a few contractions, but nothing more than I had been feeling for a month. Around 2am I decided that we should probably make sure we could get ahold of friends to take Xander just in case things progressed. At 2:30 we packed the car, dropped Xander off, and headed to the hospital. We think we arrived around 3:15am. We parked and took a good 10 minutes to walk 3 steps, contract, walk 3 more steps, etc. etc. and eventually make it to the door. Chou checked us in and I headed to the restroom to sit and work through some more contractions for another 10 minutes. By the time I came out, they asked me if I wanted a wheel chair, and I gladly accepted their offer. They wheeled me back to a room (no triage this time, praise Jesus!) and gave me a gown and motioned to the attached bathroom for me to change. I decided that right where I was, still sitting in the wheel chair was good enough, and Chou and the nurse helped me put on the hospital gown and then hop over to the bed where they hooked up the monitor.  I was getting uncomfortable and mentioned I that an epidural sounded like a great idea, and the nurse said, "well, let's make sure they're going to keep you first" before she left the room. Chou applied pressure for the next contraction or two, and I told him I felt like we needed people in the room, like we shouldn't be alone. He asked if I needed to push, and I said not yet. The doctor came back with the nurse and checked me. I was 9cm, he felt it was too late for an epidural, and the baby was still too high to break my water. I was fine without the epidural knowing I was at 9cm already and clearly not still in prodromal labor, but bummed he couldn't break my water. I generally get stuck at 9.5cm until they break my water. With E I stayed there for 6 hours before they broke it! Regardless, Chou applied pressure with the next contraction, and the OB took a few large steps back, informing Chou he was about to be showered with the water breaking. Sure enough, the next contraction broke my water at 3:42am, mere minutes after we made it back to the room. The nurse declared she was giving up trying to get an IV in my arm. I pushed with the next contraction and everyone in the room yelled at me to "STOP PUSHING!!!" The baby's head was out revealing the cord tightly wrapped around his little neck. The doctor clamped the cord, cut it, and then I pushed his body the rest of the way out at 3:44am. I asked if it was a boy or girl, and the oh-so-helpful doctor replied that he had no idea. Chou checked and announced it was a boy! Baby was incredibly blue and bruised from his quick entrance and unfortunate cord placement, so I kept picking him up off my chest to make him cry just to make sure he was breathing.

He was born so fast he didn't expel any amniotic fluid, so he spent the first 12-13 hours refusing to suck or eat until he eventually spit up enough to make room in his small tummy. The nurses and pediatrician reassured us it was no big deal, so we just held him while he slept his first day of life away. He was born nameless (seems to be a trend) but we eventually settled on Oscar (meaning God's spear) Quincy (just cuz we like it, nod to John Quincy Adams). He goes by Oscar, Oscar Quinn, or just Quinn.

Oscar weighed 8 pounds even at birth and was 21 inches with a head circumference of 14cm. 

Xander Turns Two!

Xander Zekiah is two. Well, he turned two two months ago, but... life happens. Middle child problems, or something like that.

He's all boy. He loves to be outside playing with sticks or in mud and testing his strength and balance by climbing and jumping and running endlessly. He is LOUD. He barely talks, although he communicates quite well, but he is loud! He's sweet, a total mama's boy, and a hot mess since Oscar arrived. I'm a little over the kicking, hitting, spitting, and full body meltdowns. Transitions are hard when you're two!

He loves to snuggle and often still falls asleep in my arms at naptime. He sleeps with E in her bed at night, and is still a great sleeper! 

Xander is currently into dinosaurs, cars, trains, puzzles, and books! He has always loved to read, and would be happy to have me read to him all day every day. He particularly loves the How Do Dinosaurs books. A few tickles can completely change his mood, and he loves to chase and be chased. He can be bribed to do just about anything for a pack of fruit snacks (not that I would...) He loves riding rides at Dutch Wonderland, although he often looks unimpressed, bored, or even terrified. Without fail, he'll ask to do it again and again!

He has a spectacular sense of humor. The boy has been cracking jokes since he was 15 months old, and he still thinks he's absolutely hysterical. Normally I agree.

He was off the bottom of the growth charts for close to two years, and then all the sudden in January he started to grow! He's gained almost a pound a month since then, and all his jeans are suddenly too short. He's 25 pounds and 33 inches tall. He insisted he weigh and measure himself at every single OB visit I had this year.

We decided to take his 2 year pictures and he was NOT having it.

He asked to sit in the car, so we went with it.

He spotted animal crackers, and suddenly all was right with the world.

I am so very thankful for this sweet little boy! I love watching him grow, learn, and smile!

Oscar Quincy's First Month

Oscar is somehow already a month old. I have no idea how that happened! 

He came home after 24 hours in the hospital and enjoyed a few days with his siblings. We were just starting to get into a rhythm at home when he was sent straight back to the hospital on day 4 for phototherapy to treat jaundice. Once again poor Xander was shipped off to friends and once again E snuck her way into the hospital to stay with Oscar. Having a baby who hates to be put down and only sleeps swaddled forced to lay naked under lights and unable to be held proved challenging for all involved. Fortunately we had our own room and our nurses were fantastic. We were able to syringe feed pumped milk after each nursing session to avoid formula and help keep him from dehydrating under the lights. We had the added benefit of working with a lactation consultant while we were there to help him learn how to latch. He's still learning a month later, but doing so much better! After two long days of 3 overhead lights and a biliblanket underneath, we got to go home. He spent another 4 days on the biliblanket at home before bidding jaundice "goodbye!"

Since all of that drama, we've spent a week with Mommom, been all over Lancaster County enjoying market and Dutch Wonderland. We got to meet E's kindergarten teacher, see her classroom, and enjoy a back-to-school night. We've been to church and on hikes, had lazy days at home and just a handful of sleepless nights.

Oscar is my first baby to take a bottle, and he gets one regularly at night from Dad so that I can sleep! He's a pretty grumpy baby, but sleeps well enough that I forgive him. He has only smiled in his sleep and has Xander's adorable dimple on his right cheek.

E adores him and has been a huge help since his arrival! Xander adores him, too, but he still hasn't forgiven me for having a baby.

Oscar is now up to 9 pounds 5oz from his lowest weight of 7 pounds on the day he was admitted to the hospital. He's 21.5 inches with a head circumference of 15cm. He's gone from 90th percentile for height to 50th for both height and weight. If he follows his siblings' lead, he'll soon fall off the bottom of the charts. He's about to outgrow 3 month clothes due to his length, but he's still way too skinny to size up.