Happy Halloween!!!!

Today was Mike's first day back @ work. That month went quick. I really don't think I was ready for Mike to go back. Rooney & I haven't worked out a schedule yet & now Mike & I are taking turns getting up @ night with him. Last night was my night. Rooney only got up once, so I can't complain, but it's a challenge getting back to sleep. During the day Rooney seems to be taking cat naps more than solidly sleeping. I'm sure we'll work it out, he & I, but it took a long time to fully get ready today.

Tonight Rooney is going to dress up in a little pumpkin outfit & trick-or-treat @ Uncle Dana's house and pass out candy. We'll post those pics tomorrow. We were going to go trick-or-treating @ Daddies work but since Dad has been sick he didn't think it would be a good idea- dad felt there may be alot of talking involved. Seems Mom & Dad won't feasting on Rooney's loot tonight.

All Smiles

We all like to believe that our families are advanced. We especially like to believe that our offspring are more highly evolved than ourselves and certainly their peers. Most of the time we just humor the braggart parents with a smile and walk away or change the subject. It is probably true that in most cases it is just the parents hopeful thinking or imagination running wild but I have captured in a photo, proof of my son's superiority...@ 3 weeks in age Rooney smiles!


Other random cute pictures of Roonster

Rodney's Curse

I haven't posted in a while because Mike's folks came to visit. Rooney has had quite an active nightlife since they've been here & has become very international. Monday we went to a Mexican restaurant, Wednesday we went to an Italian restaurant & Thursday we had Thai. Other than having to change Rooney's diaper on the floor Wednesday everything went well & he was a pleasure to dine with. He's become cultured too. On Thursday he went to the Renton Historical Museum with Grandma, Grandpa, Mom & Dad. He learned a lot about the town he lives in and was able to see the salmon swimming upstream on the walk there.

Tuesday, Rooney visited with his aunt Eileen & uncle Mark. It also was the night of the longest World Series game. The action and drama was too much for Rooney & wore him out.
He was very conflicted- should he root for the Astros, Eileen's & Great Gma Webers team, or should he root for the White Sox, who are from Gma Peggies (& Great Gma/Gpa Morse) hometown?

Sleeping avoids conflict.

Finally, I have realized what will be Rooney's curse. The first time it happened was @ the MD's office & this morning I opened up his new Social Security card & got this:

Rooney's Folks

I thought I'd post some pictures of Mike & I as babies. I think you can see both of us in the lad but I'll let you form your own opinions. Please forgive the quality of our baby photos (especially mine) we were born in the 70's.

Rooney's First MD Visit

Rooney had his first MD visit today. Other than the receptionist calling him Rodney I'd say it went pretty well. He didn't cry when I had to strip him naked and only cried a little when he got his 2nd PKU test. For everyone that does not know this is a test that is sent to the state. They take 5 drops of blood from the foot & screen for different metabolic disorders. I think he was more upset that we had to hold his feet.

Seems Rooney is growing like a weed already. He now weighs 9lbs 7oz & is 23" long. The MD said he was perfect (I couldn't disagree) & said he really liked him. Rooney was very easy going at the MD's office & every one seemed to notice. That & his big feet. The general consensus was that he was going to be a tall drink of water.
The MD said everything looked good, nothing abnormal & his heart & lungs sound excellent.

I realized that this appointment was much easier on me than my own MD appointments. That was nice however the next appt. is the 2 month appointment. This is where the shots begin and I only hope that it goes as smooth.

Two Week Recap

(Mike imitating Rooney)

The other day I told Mike I was surprised that he has not posted yet re: his experience, as the Dad, on Rooney's birth. I really thought it might be nice & one day if Rooney read it, it could warm the cockles of his heart. Mike said that he couldn't post because he really didn't remember much...I told him I really hope he's kidding.



In the 2 weeks since Rooney was born I have made 4 outings. One was to the MD last Monday. I was still really swollen & I immediately went back into hiding after that appt. The 2nd & 3rd outings were on Thursday when I went to the chiropractor & got coffee with my sister/went out to dinner. It was nice to feel apart of the real world again. Now the worry is "Do I still look pregnant while I'm ordering this beer?". What is also notable about the 3rd outing is that it was the 1st time Rooney was babysat. My sis watched him about 2-3 hours & I believe she held him the whole time.

Today I made my 4th outing- this time with the boy. Mike, Rooney & I went to Annie & Dana's soccer game. For all of you who religiously read this blog you will remember that it was 2 weeks ago to this night that I went into labor after their soccer game. It was real nice to be able to show off our new baby. He's pretty cute. I also was able to test out the Ultimate Wrap. It worked pretty well for the 1st test. Rooney does not like the sling position (wh/was the position I really intended to use), but the tummy to tummy position he seemed happy with. Next step is to get Mike comfortable with the wrap. I fear that may go as well as his blog posting though.

Finally, this week 2 other big events happened. 1. Rooney lost his umbilical cord. My nephew, Cuyler, was very relieved about this. He thought the little, brown umbilical cord nubbin looked like a big raisin sticking out of his belly button. 2. Rooney got his 1st official bath. He did get a sponge bath previously but this time I was able to soak him...and inadvertently myself.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

(Not my body)

Today is my 32nd birthday. I think I have officially passed the age where I should be lying about it. I should be telling everyone I'm 29, right? This one really snuck up on us and that is a good thing because now I have the greatest birthday gift (Rooney) to focus on & not this whole getting old & dying thing to think about.

I have next year for that.

The 1st Week

Yesterday was the 1 week birthday of sweet little Rooney. I can't believe it's been a whole week. Of course, we did spend half of that in the hospital. However, when I flash back to being in labor (I try very hard not to do that) it seems so long ago.

Being a Mom has so far been terrific- if not very surreal. I cannot believe how much you can instantly love & @ the same time be in awe of such a pruney little baby. And I know I shouldn't do it but I already find myself thinking of the future and him growing up so fast. I told him I did not want to miss a second of his life. Then I remembered my teenage years and decided maybe ignorance will be bliss @ some points.

The most difficult part of the week has been dealing with the discomfort of my swollen body & getting Rooney's diaper to fit correctly. Since he's a newborn nothing really seems to fit right & we've had difficulty with him leaking through when he pees. We've done more laundry this week, just in baby clothes & bedding, than I do all week for the rest of the house. I think we're getting a handle on it but I don't think we'll actually ever get the upper hand.

Our 1st two babies (Courage & Rocco) are handling the new addition quite different. Courage is obsessed with Rooney- especially when Mom is with him. He wants to give him kisses constantly & wants to be a part of whatever is going on. Rocco is staying away. Every once in awhile he'll sniff Rooney, without getting too close, and then run away. I think both the boys are feeling a little deprived of attention, although truth be told, I think they are probably getting more. I think they are preying on my guilty conscience. Hopefully they do not teach this manipulation to Rooney.

To cap the week off we had our 1 week MD appt. yesterday. The MD prescribed Lasix to help deflate my feet & hands. They seem a little better & there is hope that I will be able to wear shoes & my wedding rings in the near future. Maybe next week we can venture out of the house.

Pop Quiz...

In honor of the one-week anniversary of Rooney's birth, I thought we would play a little game I like to call "Spot the Non-Rooney".

It is a game that takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master. Simply identify which of the following photos is not a picure of Rooney.

( ) A

( ) B

( ) C

( ) D

1st Bath

Today was Rooney's 1st bath by Mom. It's been about 9 years since I've given a baby a bath. They're tricky. I had to stay clear of his belly button & circumcision but wash & hold w/one hand. I can't say he cared for it much. He was so cold when I was going to get him dressed that I had to slip his little puppy robe on.
Ok, Ok it's entirely possible this post was a thinly disguised reason to post these pictures. However since I'm posting I'll fill you in on the homefront. Mike & I are doing well. Strangely enough we feel we've been getting enough sleep. Since getting in & out of bed is the most difficult thing for me Mike took on nighttime. Because I get more sleep @ night I am up a little earlier than Mike & I've been basically handling the daytime. Seems to be working. Also, I think so far we've been very lucky & Rooney seems very easy. He wakes up to eat & get his diaper changed but there isn't alot of crying out of him. We haven't been up consoling him for hours yet. I have my fingers crossed that we won't have to. He seems to love to have his hands, thumb, sleeves...anything in his mouth. We let him suck on a pacifier & he is so happy. When I go to feed him I am constantly playing "Beat the Hand" when I try to get the bottle in his mouth. It's pretty cute.

Rooney also went in his swing for the 1st time yesterday. He seemed very relaxed while he was in there. He just stared out the window like he was deep in thought. It was really sweet & I tried to capture it on the digital camera but it doesn't come through. We really need to get a video camera. Then we can bore all our friends w/every cute facial movement Rooney does.

Finally, I thought I'd share one more photo with you. Seems hormones are still running rampant throughout my body & I am still swollen up like a balloon. I know you've seen a gazillion pictures of my feet but here is one more. All I can say is that it looks like my feet are wearing a fat suit.
So until this passes people can come & visit but we cannot go out & visit.

New Pictures

Rooney's Story

Sunday night had come. Seemingly I was not going to have this kid by myself this weekend. I was starting to get a little nervous about being induced on the next day, Oct. 3rd. I was excited though because I could be induced & have my epidural ready...dare I dream @ the same time? Mike & I decided to go to Annie & Dana's soccer game. It was the their 1st game & we had alot of friends playing so we could see everyone before the big event. Their team ended up being short on players so Mike stepped in & helped out. Since Mike was playing we stayed for the whole game & we were there until 8pm. On the way home we decided Mike should call his folks & let them know that it seemed I would absolutely would be induced the next morning. While Mike was talking w/his Dad about Jim's new laptop I noticed I started not to feel that great. I've had alot of weird "pains" for the last month so I did not think much of it but it was unpleasant whatever I was feeling.

Once we got home I headed for the restroom while Mike finished talking w/his parents. I still wasn't feeling well. Having some pains & I thought I'd lay down & wait for Mike to finish. These pains I was feeling weren't going away like they normally do so I decided to try to find a rhythm & decide if they were contractions. But they were coming kind of quick to be real contractions. However, Mike finally comes in & finds me doubled over the bed. The pain was getting worse. Mike decided to start trying to time them. The contractions were coming about 2-1/2 min apart. Before we could go to the hospital they were supposed to be around 5min apart & last for 60-90 sec. (for @ least an hour). Mine were coming much closer together but there still wasn't a strong pattern established. Finally around 9:30pm we decided to call the hospital. They told me since I was a 1st time Mom to basically stay home & wait until they got worse. I really didn't think they could get worse & now they stole the only gauge I was given as to when labor has started (timing). Mike & I waited another 1-1/2hrs & the pain really did get worse, so we said screw it @ 11pm & decided to go in.

We live about 2 miles from Valley Medical & I managed to have 4 very painful contractions on the way to the hospital, I had to stop walking while I had one in the parking lot & had 3 in the wheelchair from the ER to the Birthing Center. They got me in a birthing room, checked me out (I was 4cm)& decided to admit me. Personally, all I can say about contractions are that they are absolutely the most painful thing I can imagine. Prior to ever having contractions I could never imagine that something could hurt so much. The best description I could give is that it felt like what I would equate to having the lower half of my body explode...slowly.

I let the nurse know that I would appreciate an epidural as quick as possible. Within a half hour I had the epidural & felt great. However, those minutes I had to wait to receive the epidural & for the epidural to kick in were absolutely the longest few minutes ever. I actually thought time stopped several times. By the time the epidural kicked in it was about 12:30pm & it was time to check my progress. I WAS COMPLETE!!!! I was ready to start pushing Rooney out (I got that epidural right on time) & the oncall MD wasn't there yet nor the resident! I got excited because I thought this was going to be real quick & I couldn't feel anything below my waist. Then I was worried because my sister had not got to the hospital yet! Finally the resident MD got there & I was about to start pushing when my sis got there. Everyone was floored & excited & let's start pushing!

Now I'll speed up the story...after the oncall MD finally got there & 3hrs of pushing it was determined that Rooney still had not got through my pubic bone. I had 2 options: Option 1a. try vacuuming him out & b. if that did not work a c-section or option #2 got straight to the c-section. I opted for option #1 & unfortunately the vacuuming didn't work & they wheeled me in for a c-section.

At 5:09 a.m. Rooney Evan Wade was born. Annie & Mike were in the operating room with me & got to see him right after he was born. Because he was a meconium baby Rooney had to go to the NIC unit & Mom (that's me!) finally got her hands on him @ 8am. He was finally given a bath @ 9am & I was finally able to kiss him. I am probably being bias when I say he is absolutely the most beautiful baby boy in the whole world. He's totally amazing.

Finally, after 3 long nights in the hospital & 1 @ home Mike has already shown what an amazing dad he is & will be. I couldn't imagine going through this without him.

A couple pictures...

I finally got the camera working (this software guy was too quick to blame it on hardware...)

At long last...

Rooney Evan Wade decided to join the real world recently. Born October 3, 2005 at 5:09 a.m., he weighed in at 8 pounds 0.5 oz, and 21 inches. Mom and baby are both doing fine: Susan had to have a C-section to get him out, but seems to be recovering nicely (aside from the itching).

It turned out there was no need for inducement, but that's a whole story, which will have to wait until we get back from the hospital (Mama and baby should be released Wednesday).

Unfortunately, now our camera is being stubborn, so you will have to wait until later to get pictures.