Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Many Faces Of Dain III

Dain II here again. Marie is now in the "hospitality" phase of her time at the hospital (I am just now seeing that "hospital" is part of "hospitality"...I'm not sleeping much these days), meaning she is able to stay in the room she's been in, but no longer is receiving any care from the nurses. She's on her own for getting food, dispensing her pain meds, and so on. But, she's roughly 50 feet from our son, so given the choice of staying at Delnor or coming home really wasn't much of a dilemma. She may be coming home tomorrow (Thursday), like it or not. Obviously, if it's up to us alone, we'd rather she stay, but who knows the limits of Delnor's "hospitality".

To update health-wise, she continues to recover from her surgery, having her staples removed today. Little D is also doing well...he's eating directly from the source, so to speak, and has had the incubator (or whatever they call them) top of his bed removed. Basically, at this point he's in a plastic bed covered in blankets, so the doctors are trusting him to regulate his own temperature. He apparently is a little jaundiced, but after doing some brief research, I've come to learn that this is completely natural and happens even to full-term babies, so not a big deal. Tonight also featured his first bath given by his parents (well, Marie did most of the work). Not his favorite activity, as I really heard for the first time what an unhappy D sounds like...which is pretty much like an irritated infant. But, he cleans up pretty nicely, so he'll have to learn to cope.

So, here goes nothing. I've successfully downloaded video from our spankin' new camcorder (thanks again Dan and Suzie for the early Christmas gift...it's been great) to our laptop...now, the challenge is to upload said video to this here blog. Wish me luck (results should follow directly below this sentence):



Finally.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Run Extended Due to Overwhelming Popularity

That's a little theater terminology for you all. Being married to an expert in the realm of the performing arts has apparently rubbed off on yours truly. Due to an inability to figure out the wireless internet of Delnor Community Hospital, I (Dain II) will once again be filling in for Marie on the blog.

First, an update on Marie and Little D (we're giving this nickname a trial run...feedback appreciated). Mom is recovering well from the C-section. Her doctors feel everything is healing well and the staples holding everything together will be removed tomorrow (Wednesday). She's still a little sore, but is moving around well and trying to stay busy. To pass the time in the hospital, Marie has developed a routine that has been quite effective. I'll let her describe it in full detail when she gets home.

As for the bundle of joy, he couldn't be doing better. When he first was admitted to the Special Needs Nursery, the nurses explained that he would need to clear a series of hurdles before we could take him home, with an expected completion window of a week. It was interesting to learn that these hurdles were to be completed in succession, rather than concurrently...babies literally teach themselves how to do the most mundane things that most of us take for granted. First, he had to show that he could breathe on his own, which he was having trouble with when he first arrived. He was given some medicine to help lung development, and his right lung wasn't inflating properly. After a day, the lung was almost completely inflated, and by day two, x-rays showed that breathing was no longer a problem. He had been receiving oxygen to this point, but it was removed at this point. Next, he needed to be able to digest his food. Apparently babies don't require food for the first day or so, so he was able to transition directly from the learning-to-breathe stage to the digest-formula/breastmilk. He had a couple stops and starts in this area, but now he's eating like a champ, and without the benefit of what Marie referred to as the "nose hose" (feeding tube). He took to the bottle like a natural, and when he isn't eating, he's sucking on a pacifier. I'm not thrilled with this development (not a huge fan of the pacifier), but I'll cut the kid some slack since he's had a pretty tough start. Finally, D must master the fine art of maintaining body temperature without the aid of an incubator. Apparently this is the easiest step...the nurses predict he won't need artificial heating in no time. So, things are going well.

Personality-wise, it's remarkable to see him already exhibiting traits passed on from his parents (at least, we interpret what he does that way). For example, he's a stubborn little dude...to help him with his digestion initially, they put him on his stomach or side (which is OK...he's being monitored constantly). Just like his mother, if he wasn't satisfied with his positioning, he made a stink until a nurse (or he himself) got it just right. Also like Marie, he's a big believer in personal space...not a big fan of being messed with too much, and he'll let you know with a slap or a kick if you're violating his comfort zone. He seems to have inherited his father's sleeping habits; i.e., constantly and with mouth gaping wide open.

OK, updates over. Now to the good stuff. You'll notice he no longer has that nasty tape and tube on his face.

Having dinner, prepared by mom, served by pops:



A little size perspective (that's my hairy wrist and hand):



Flashing the signs of the gang he and his fellow nursery-mates have apparently formed:



If only we could all feel as peaceful and relaxed as he looks (and I'm insisting he looks like his Great-Grandpa Kohl here...Steph, back me up on this):



So, that's tonight's update. The ETA for his home opener is still Saturday or Sunday, but of course we're holding out hope it will be sooner. Coming tomorrow: A Motion Picture Debut (if I can figure out the camera).

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Very Special Episode of "In the Wings", Guest Starring Dain(s)

Hello friends. Over the past 7 or 8 months you've been visiting this blog to read the musings of a woman experiencing the joys (and pains...and nausea) of being pregnant. The lovely and talented Marie did her best to give everyone insight, from her obviously unique perspective, into the thoughts and feelings of a pregnant woman who definitely lives her life in her own way. Whether it was the Great Crib Argument, the Diaper Bag Decision, or the Cloth Diaper Husband-Persuasion (still not buying it, by the by), loyal readers have come to get to know my wife (yes, Marie is not typing this), myself (yes, Dain is typing this), and even a little about the personality of a little dude known as Boogie.

So, guess what?



Dang, wrong picture. Although not a bad one. Here we go:



Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Dain Stanton Meyer III, the little guy once known as "Boogie" and henceforth known as "To Be Determined". He was born at 1:52 AM on October 25th, 2008 at Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva, IL. He weighed 6 lbs, 15 oz and measured 19 inches of length.

And he was 5 weeks early.

I'll have Marie fill in the details when either (a) we figure out the wireless Internet at the hospital or (b) she comes home, but needless to say, his arrival was a complete shock. Basically, Marie's water broke (unbeknownst to her) around 4 AM on Friday, 10/24. She called her doctor later that morning (like around 7), and the doc thought it would be best that Marie go in and get checked out. 20 hours, several bags of labor-inducing fluids, 1 epidural, and 1 c-section later, we have the man you see above (the little one with the full head of hair).

Little D (current frontrunner in the nickname sweepstakes) was born early, so his lungs aren't quite where they need to be. They had to help him breathe when he was first born (I felt terrible that Marie wasn't able to see him or be with him right away, but I'm glad she didn't have to see that), but eventually he got the hang of it and now, 33 hours into his life here on Earth, he's breathing just fine on his own. He'll probably need to stay a week or so before we can bring him home, but all of his doctors and nurses are pleased with the progress he's making (in fact, his pediatrician stopped by on rounds yesterday and wondered why he was in the special needs nursery due to his size and health).

Marie is also doing well...she had a pretty rough day Friday into Saturday morning, but agrees that the happy ending was worth it. She'll be in the hospital probably until Tuesday morning, at which point she'll be discharged. Knowing her, she'll probably spend about 5 minutes at home before turning around and heading back to see the boy. There are some unique circumstances she's forced to deal with, but I'll let her fill you in on those details.

So, he's here. Didn't want to wait a year to trick or treat, I guess. He's awesome: never cries, sleeps like a champ, and has the potential look of a billionaire Nobel Prize Winner / Superstar Athlete.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Political Coffee

This morning I was amused when I saw a co-worker of mine walk in to our office with a take-out coffee in a blue "Obama" cup. How cute and hilarious and just a great idea?!?

Yep - 7 Eleven is staging their 3rd "Coffee Vote". Apparently the results have been surprisingly accurate...both the past two presidential elections followed suit from how consumers bought their daily cups of joe. I heard even the close race between Bush and Gore in 2000 was even a close race at 7 Eleven!

I just found this whole thing very interesting - and such a good marketing idea for 7 Eleven! If you know me at all, you know I talk about everything except for 2 things: religion and POLITICS. So - I won't go into any personal political opinions. But I WILL tell you that I think you should go to 7 Eleven to get a cup of coffee before November 4th! There is ONE thing I'll talk about any time - - my extreme love of coffee (had to switch to mostly decaf for Boogie - but I used to drink regular all day every day)....so I'll be stopping by to vote soon!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A Month? Really?

Yeah I have like one month left. Seriously?? I will have a kid in a month?!? WHAT?!?

I guess it's surreal to me. I've enjoyed being pregnant for the most part. (The vomiting throughout trimester #1 was not so fun). Feeling Boogie kick and move and grow in my stomach, however, has been nothing short of amazing. However - it still is surreal that there will be a KID at the end of all this. I will have to go to give birth, and I will have a little person that will forever be mine. WHOA!

So, we're at "operation finish line" to quote a Gilmorism. Time to get busy getting prepared.

Here are the things I need to accomplish in the month I have left (to name a few):
-Wash ALL the clothes and cloth diapers
-Make curtains
-Finish the artwork for the wall that I started
-Finish the mobile
-Pick up bassinet & pump from my boss
-Get the car seat bases installed in our cars
-Call & line up a pediatrician
-Clean out the downstairs closet for toys, etc.
-Inflate the tires of the stroller (that's right) and store in the garage
-Pack a bag for the hospital
-Make a "to contact" list for once Boogie arrives
-Buy Christmas presents
-Save money

Watch out world - I have one month and motivation!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Shower #2

I'm BACK!
I decided I needed to get a post up about my 2nd baby shower - held on October 11th at my sister Theresa's house.

It was a great time - and once again - everything was amazing. My mom and sister planned an entire pumpkin theme - complete with a pumpkin dessert that was one of the best things I've ever had. (A good new recipe mom - keep that one!). Here are me and the hostesses. (Not our best photo).

My mom's side of the family were almost all in attendance. Her 4 sisters, my cousins, and some of their kids were there. My grandma Chummie came up...Dain's mom, Denise, and I rode down together. One of my best friends Molly even came as well, and brought her little 3 girls! Here's Molly & I - followed by a shot of her youngest, Cora, enjoying the party.

We played some very cute games, including guess the baby food, guess the baby POOP (candy bar), and a timed game of me hanging cloth diapers on a line - as my sister is convinced that these are a stupid idea and uses every chance possible to make it seem like it's going to be horrible :)
The 9 kids in attendance kept busy playing upstairs and down - and Amelia and Molly's 2 older girls played dress up. Here's Amelia:

Once again - I'm so grateful to have these people in my life. I received some wonderful gifts for Boogie - including adorable clothes, cloth diapers, toys, bath gear, and books. It was a wonderful day. Thanks to all!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

MIA

Yes - I'm MIA this week.
Sorry - no time to do anything...not scan pictures of Boogie's last ultrasound...not write up a summary of my last shower...not ANYTHING as I've been at work all day each day - and rehearsal all night each night.

The good news is - the show is this Saturday so you don't have too long to wait for an update! :)

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Babysitters Club

I'm VERY excited to report that we have a potential daycare!!

Dain's old co-workers SWORE by this woman in Roselle who was SUPER UNBELIEVABLY affordable. When I first found out about Boogie - I asked him to find out her name and info. He tried, but they thought she was full - and one of his old co-workers was trying for #2 and wanted to keep that in mind for this woman as well...
Fast forward to last week. Dain gets an e-mail from one of his old co-workers (they keep in touch) and she reported that her daycare lady's DAUGHTER was going to start doing daycare out of her home as well. Apparently she was just as fabulous, had 3 kids of her own, a big house, and had become friends with this woman at Dain's old work as a result of helping with her mother's daycare. I immediately called her.

After chatting on the phone - I was very excited that she and I got along famously, and she was EXTREMELY affordable compared to the other research I'd done. She even was on board with cloth diapers! In addition, we had a "personal reference" which was really important to me...and her location is reasonable considering where Dain and I work.
SO - we're meeting with her next Sunday. I'm so excited. This has been something that's been really worrying me. I have several other possibilities that I've called - but none were this affordable or personally recommended. I'm hoping that we're as impressed with the situation in person...wish me luck!

Of course - when I wrote the title to this blog - I was immediately sent back in time to thinking about some of my favorite books - The Babysitters Club series! I was obsessed with these in my youth - and my friend and I (like every other young group of girls in our generation) even were going to start our own club! We would swap the books, and LOVED it when the videos came out! I'm now singing the theme song from the show/videos out loud at my desk....GREAT.
Here - relive the past with me...

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

GRADUATES!

Last night was our final night of childbirth class. We graduated! (Does that mean I'm allowed to have my baby now?)

We had a short review of stuff we learned about signs of "true labor" - then proceeded to rotate around to various "Labor Stations" - where we tried different methods of coping with labor pains, doing pelvic tilts, and breathing during contractions. Here's an image I found online that shows a bunch of the positions/things we tried last night.

After all that - and a pee break for us big pregnant ladies - we talked about what to expect at the hospital, and helpful items to pack. Then we went into postpardum and what to expect after the baby arrives! We also went over how to introduce your baby & pet safely. (We even got a Delnor Babys&Barks frisbee for Penny!).

We finished everything with a tour of the New Life Maternity Center. I was pretty impressed with the facilities. The labor & delivery rooms were really nice - - and Dain was thrilled to see the huge Sony flatscreens on the wall! After the baby is born - you're moved to a mother/baby room - but they were all full due to a baby boom at Delnor - but we got an idea of what to expect. The rooms have computers, flatscreen TVs, nice bathrooms, etc. They encourage you to keep the baby in the room with you of course - but even at 9:15 last night there were 2 babies in the nursery area that we got to take a peek at. They told us their sizes - so it was a nice reference point. SO weird to realize I'll have one of those in a month and a half!! We got to see a few "gathering" areas they have in the center - as well as a new "garden room" for larger family gatherings that you can use anytime. They have free snacks for the mom and family in a little kitchen area as well. The whole place was very nice.

The whole tour experience made everything VERY real. I know it SHOULD be real by now - but this was like the whole crib thing...it became way more real to realize I'll be in one of those beds - and I'll be the mom to one of those babies!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Decisions, Decisions

As you can tell by my ongoing discussions on my diaper bag...I'm the world's worst decision maker - when it comes to the small stuff. Seriously, it's an affliction.

This came up again this weekend in argument-form with the hubster - as I'm up for an upgrade on my cell phone. This means going to the Sprint store, picking a new phone, and activating it for 2 more years. This is not difficult. However - I can't pick a phone. I want a blackberry-type that I can use as a day-planner - but I don't use my phone for the internet or e-mail, and the fact that they make you sign up for a "data" plan is ridiculous - and makes the phone kind of a waste. So - I need a regular phone. But, do I want a flip-phone or this new one with a slide-out keyboard for texting? I don't know. I'm not in a rush to decide - so I didn't make a decision. This drives Dain INSANE as he's a just-go-and-do-it kind of person.

So - here it is, Sunday night, and I still have my old phone that drops calls. Get over it. I did pick a diaper bag though! It's the last one from the most recent diaper bag post. I'm having it made - as the bag in the photo is a purse-size...so the maker is making a large version with many pockets on the inside. Hooray! HAHA DAIN - I made a decision!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Inherit The Wind


Here's the poster for my theater's new and upcoming show that I'm spending all my free time getting ready for. Between rehearsals, program design, poster design & printing & distribution, press releases, and being the assistant director - I'm a bit wiped.

I thought I'd share the poster with all of you - - this is being done as a partnership with The Kane County Bar Association - and will be performed in the old Kane County Courthouse on 3rd Street in Geneva.

Let me know if you're interested in attending!!