The Great Sleepathon, Night #3

Well, we went through our bedtime routine last night, and after about 20 minutes of crying, and a diaper change, Reagan got quiet. I cheered, and told Richard our time was going down, so that was a good thing. I didn't think it could be this easy... and it wasn't. Reagan was lulling us into thinking he was done so we'd be calm for what was to come next. 20 more minutes of straight crying! Thinking something might be wrong, I went to check on him. He got silent when I picked him up. (So neat that I can have this effect on him!) He was dripping in sweat, but that was because of the crying, kicking, and screaming. I held him so he could cool off and calm down in the fan. Then, while I was holding him, he started acting hungry (which was weird, since I'd fed him only 2.5 hours before (and he doesn't usually get hungry for about 3.5-4 hours). I felt like a bad mommy for letting him cry all that time!

After he ate, he went down for another hour of crying (with me checking on him periodically, to make sure he was truly okay). I nearly caved in because I felt so bad that he was crying. However, I knew that he was well fed, had a clean diaper, and would calm down as soon as he saw me. This meant he was testing me! I almost got him and put him in the swing in our room, but right when I was about to, he calmed down and fell asleep (whether from pure exhaustion or the realization that he was not going to get out of that crib, I'm not sure).

He slept for 4 hours straight, ate, was changed, and was back in the crib and asleep within 5 minutes for another 4 hours! When he woke up this morning, he got another diaper change, ate, and has been sleeping for about 2.5 hours so far! HOORAY! We will accomplish this with less crying tonight, I'm SURE! :) (Well, at least, I hope for Reagan's poor little lungs, we do!)

The Great Sleepathon, Night #2

Well, here in the Smotherman household we take pride in our ability to learn quickly what is expected of us. Reagan has stepped up to take on his new responsibility of sleeping for longer periods of time (and in his own room).

Last night we had church services, so we didn't get home till 9:30 or so. Reagan was screaming from hunger the whole ride home, so the routine changed a bit. No bath was needed, since I'm only bathing him every 2-3 days to avoid drying out his skin. First thing he did was eat. Then, it was off for a diaper change and a good lavender bedtime lotion rub-down. The bedtime music was played on his cd player, the monitor star projection was turned on, and lights were out for bedtime. All was well for about 5 minutes. Then, the crying began. It went on for exactly 25 minutes (babybix.com is AWESOME!), and then he was SILENT! Richard and I crept into the room to see that he was, in fact, ASLEEP. We did a silent cheer, and I went to shower.

After getting out of the shower, I heard Reagan crying again. He'd only been asleep for about 1/2 an hour. :( Thinking I'd rejoiced too soon, I went to check on him. Wet diaper. He was perfectly silent as soon as I picked him up, and just stared at me while I changed him. Back in bed he went... to cry for another 30 minutes. But then... SILENCE :) and he was out for 4 hours this time! HOORAY! I woke up, fed him, and we both fell asleep. When I woke up in the rocker 1.5 hours later, I set him gently down in his crib for another 3 hour stretch! HOORAY! Then, after his morning feeding, we both went back to sleep for another 3 hours! HOORAY AGAIN!

Hopefully tonight there will be a little less crying and a lot more sleep had by both of us, but I'm so excited about our progress thus far! :)

The Great Sleepathon

Yesterday began our journey toward what I like to call the "Great Sleepathon". What is a sleepathon? Well, according to the Smotherman dictionary it is a lengthy, deep sleep enjoyed by both baby and parents! Like a marathon, you have to train to be successful at a sleepathon. So, we began training little Reagan for his participation in this esteemed event last night.

First, we introduced him to a routine. Bathe, dress for bed, eat, go to bed in the crib awake, and sleep all night! Reagan shook hands with the routine, but quickly chose a different one of bathe, dress for bed, eat, go to bed awake, cry a little, pretend to be asleep, cry a lot, scream a lot, sweat a lot, get 2 diaper changes, cry more, scream more, get picked up by mom, get stripped down to the diaper because he was sweating a lot, get another diaper change, hang out in the swing WIDE AWAKE, get into bassinet awake, cry, eat some more, go to bassinet asleep (and wake up for one more feeding 4 hours later).

So, our first attempt was not quite as successful as I had hoped. Tonight, we shall try again! I'm starting to track our activities, diapers, and feedings on babybix.com, hoping this will help me keep up with everything. I can even print charts to show the doctor at his next appointment! Now, that's my kind of organization. :)

Reagan's Birth Story

Tuesday, July 20th, I started feeling contractions throughout the night. They weren't terribly painful, but I figured things were getting started. Richard took Wednesday, the due date, off work because we thought it would be THE DAY. We ran some errands around town, hoping the contractions would get stronger and closer together. No such luck. We went to Bible study that night, answering questions about why I was "still here" over and over. I was tired of answering questions, tired of being pregnant, and just plain tired.

Richard went to work Thursday because I figured nothing was going to happen. My contractions were randomly spread out during the day, but started getting closer together when he got home. We went to Popeyes for dinner around 6:30, then went to the mall to walk. We walked for about 2 hours, leaving just about the time the mall closed. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart at the mall, so I went home and started pacing through the house, hoping to keep them going. Rubix followed me as I paced, and I called my mom to let her know that I was pretty sure tonight was the night! However, shortly after calling her, my contractions started coming further apart. I sent her a text message to get some sleep and tried to do so, myself. The contractions continued, mostly 5 minutes apart, but randomly 7-9 minutes apart. I was frustrated because in order to go to the hospital, we were told they had to be 5 minutes apart for an hour.

Around 2:00 Friday morning (July 23rd), I woke Richard up and we called the doctor. She told us to come on in. We quickly packed the car and I called my mom. On the way to the hospital, the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, and by the time we got into the triage and I was hooked up to a monitor, they were coming 1.5-2 minutes apart. The nurse said she thought I would go quickly. I was already 5cm dilated when we got to the hospital. I was worried because I needed to have 2 doses of penicillin 4 hours apart before delivering because I tested positive for Group B Strep (not harmful to me, but could cause blood disease and blindness in the baby if I wasn't treated before delivery). The first penicillin drip started around 4:00am, before we left the room. We told the triage nurse the baby's name, and that it was a secret. She promised she wouldn't say anything.

When they wheeled me over to the labor and delivery room, I was surprised to see my brother, Justin, sitting on the couch in the room. He beat us in there! The couch is where he would spend the entire day, resting on the pillow I brought for myself. Around 5:30am, shortly after arriving in labor and delivery, I met the man I will always be grateful to and never forget--MARK, the anesthesiologist! This man gave me such a good epidural that I felt NOTHING my entire delivery. I couldn't even feel the pressure of the contractions! He made this one of the most enjoyable, relaxed, and memorable experiences! I'll certainly be asking for him the next time I give birth at TGH!

After the epidural was administered, my Granny and parents arrived. The doctor didn't want to check my progress again until after 8:00am, to ensure that she didn't break my water before the second penicillin drip was administered. I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I spent hours just talking with my family, so relaxed because of the epidural. When Dr. Lynch finally came into the room to check me, I was 7cm dilated and she broke my water in the process. When they sat the bed back up, I felt my arm getting squished against something, which I quickly found out was my leg. I hadn't even realized they had moved it until they sat me up and I could see it! Thank you, Mark!

Dr. Lynch left to perform a C-section and said she'd be back to check on me when she was done. I was turned on my side because the baby wasn't facing the right direction completely. Another dose of penicillin was administered and she returned around 1:00pm. (Our family spent the time from the last check till then talking with the labor and delivery nurse, Monique, who was really sweet. She wasn't supposed to be our nurse, and was just subbing while our nurse was busy with another patient. However, she asked if she could stay with us because she enjoyed talking with us so much.) At 1:00pm, I was 10cm dilated and told we were going to start pushing. Since I wasn't feeling any pain or pressure, it was a bit surreal that we'd already reached this point.

Richard was by my side the whole time. Between the pushing, we were talking about the weather, joking around, and laughing the whole time. My family sat outside the door on a gurney (when they were supposed to be in the waiting room--don't know how they got away with that) and listened to the whole hour and a half of the delivery. They were worried when they heard me gasping loudly between pushes because they thought the epidural was wearing off, when in fact I was just trying to breathe because they'd made me hold my breath the whole time I was pushing. Dr. Lynch did tell them to turn off the drip so I could at least feel pressure. I had to receive oxygen at one point because I'd been pushing for so long.

Reagan Milton Smotherman arrived at 2:28pm on Friday, July 23rd. He weighed 8 lbs., 13 oz. and measured 21" long. Richard and I were sobbing like crazy, so happy to meet our sweet little man. Rubix met him Sunday, July 25th, and fell in love immediately. We're all doing well and adjusting quite nicely! This next year will be an adventure for all 4 of us!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...

a TURTLE?! A short, stumpy thing with a big head, fat tummy, and little nubs for arms and legs? That's exactly what we saw on the screen... and it's inside of me!

Yes, we are expecting. As of now, we're not exactly sure what we're expecting, but the doc says it's a baby, due July 21, 2010. Today marks 10 weeks, and we're currently calling our offspring "Turtle-Bean". Since it's almost Christmas, we thought we'd send you all a special greeting from the fam! Happy Holidays!