Letter to Edison Dec. 30

December 30, 2011 My happy baby boy, You are 21 weeks today. You are growing so quickly. I wish I had a button to slow time down. As I type, you are sleeping on the guest bed beside me making the sweetest noises. You can now grab things. You put anything you can in your mouth. At your last doctor visit, you were 26.5 inches long and weighed 15 pounds. You are my joy. Your smile is so contagious. Right now you are experimenting with your voice. It is the cutest thing. When Daddy and Go Go play their instruments, you sound like you’re trying to sing. You started eating rice and oatmeal about a month ago. You have oatmeal in the mornings. You started eating vegetables a few days ago. Your great grandmother (Maw Maw) fed you squash for the first time. You were such a good sport and made the funniest faces. We recorded it and took pictures. Two nights ago you had peas for the first time. You like peas. You sleep on your tummy and you are great about taking naps and going to bed. We do not have to rock you to sleep like some moms do with their children. Sometimes I rock you because I want to and because I know that you won’t be this little for long. Everyone comments on how happy you are. You are such a good baby. Daddy and I are so blessed. Maw, Daddy, and I took you to see Santa. You didn’t cry. Of course, at this point, you will let anyone hold you and love on you. You had so much hair when you were born, but a lot of it has fallen out around the sides. You have a good bit of hair right on the top of your head. When you wake up, it looks crazy and Daddy and I always laugh at the crazy mess of hair on top of your head. You eat around 6 oz of formula every 3-4 hours. When you are hungry, you scream until we pop the bottle into your mouth. As long as you aren’t hungry, you are a very easy-going baby. You steal the hearts of everyone who comes in contact with you. You met your Maw Maw and Grandaddy for the first time last week and they are crazy about you. You even talked to them (in your baby language). As I look back, I can’t believe it’s been almost 5 months since you were born. It seems like last week. I can’t believe how much you have grown. I shake my head as I put clothes away that are too small for you to wear. You wear 6 months clothes. You wore newborn clothes for 2 weeks. You wore 0-3 months for about a month. You wore 3 month clothes for a month. 3-6 month close for about 2 weeks and have been in 6 months close for a little over a month now. I take pictures of you all the time. When I put them on the internet for people to see, I just about add them all because I think they are all adorable. Even though I am sometimes saddened by your rapid growth, I also look forward to the new things that come along with each milestone. You have this toy that hangs from the handle of your carrier. I remember when you looked at it. Then I remember when you smiled at it. I remember when you raised your arm as if trying to grab it, but you couldn’t quite get the coordination to touch it. I remember when you touched it, and then you were touching it over and over and made it swing back and forth. One day as I was driving, I heard you pull it down (because it makes a funny noise when it’s pulled and retreats back to the original position), I was so excited. Now, you pull it all the time as if it is the easiest thing in the world to do. Your pediatrician says that you are perfect. We really like him. His name is Dr. Oliver. He takes his time with us when we take you to see him. You got shots at the last visit. You cried as they gave 5 shots to you, but you quickly got over them and became happy again. You ran fever the next day, but we gave you baby Tylenol and you were fine. Daddy and I think you may be teething. You gnaw on your fingers/hand all the time and we see a little white mass under your gums on the bottom jaw. You like to play on your play mat that has toys hanging above. You also like your swing. Sometimes you get so relaxed in your swing that you fall asleep. You got a lot of toys and things for Christmas, but we haven’t had much of a chance to sit down and play with them. You are so loved. Your daddy and I hope you love music as much as we do. We play instruments and songs for you all the time. Everytime you laugh, you get the hiccups! Oh! You rolled over from your back to your tummy about three weeks ago! You did it at home. Daddy and I missed it. All of a sudden, Daddy realized that you were on your tummy. You later did it for us again  You do not like to play on your tummy. Instead, you like to be on your back. You can even scoot yourself some on your back. You enjoy bath time and never give me any fuss about it, even if you are really tired. I’m looking forward to the summer time when I can spend all my time with you. Christmas break has been wonderful! I love you to the heavens! -Mommy

Letter to Edison Oct. 22

My sweet Edison, You are 11 weeks old today. Wow, how time flies! You are the joy of my life and I couldn’t imagine loving anyone more than I love you. My favorite part of the day is in the morning when you wake up and mommy and daddy are not ready to get up, so we bring you to our bed and cuddle with you. You started smiling around 6 weeks. You first (intentionally) smiled at your Maw. Mommy was slightly jealous, but you made up for it the next day by smiling at me over and over. At night when I lay you down to sleep, you are normally awake and swaddled. You lie there and smile at me and it just melts my heart. You look so cute that it’s hard for me to walk out of your room to let you fall asleep. You are beginning to coo and make more sounds. You really like your car seat and sometimes we put you in there because we know you’ll go to sleep in it. Sometimes you get gas and it hurts your tummy. This past week I had to come home from work to see about you because you kept crying and fussing and would not eat anything. Turns out, it was just gas. You started rolling over from your tummy to your back at 3 weeks and we were amazed. Maw took you to get shots about 2 weeks ago. She said that you smiled and flirted with the nurses, but that it didn’t stop them from giving you 5 shots! The nurses said you had very strong legs. You never ran a fever from the shots. You seemed a little cranky, but otherwise, you took it well. Maw said you only cried a little while they were giving you the shot. We gave you some baby Tylenol at home and it seemed to help. I love rocking you and singing to you. I hope you love to sing as much as I do one day.Your cousin, Ivy, was born 2 days ago. I’m sure y’all will be great play mates. You drink around 4 oz every 3-4 hours. Yesterday you drank 5 oz…you are getting so big. You weigh 12 pounds, 5 oz. Your fingernails grow so quickly. I have to cut them every week. Today, you scratched near your eye to the point that it drew blood. Last Sunday was your first time in the nursery and it was very hard for me to leave you. As soon as church was over, I wasted no time in getting to you. You are such a little snuggle bug. You loved to be cuddled. You love to lie on your back and kick your legs and move your arms around. For some reason, you LOVE your changing table. When I change you, you become so excited about something, but I can’t seem to see what you’re looking and smiling at. Whatever it is, changing you at home is a breeze! I remember the first week that we brought you home. You cried every time we changed you as if we were doing something terrible to you. I was so nervous that you would always be like that, but now, you are so calm. You still have to be swaddled to go to sleep, and I wonder when you will get out of the need to be swaddled. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night simply because you have become un-swaddled. During the day, we let you take naps on your tummy, and you seem to like that. As a matter of fact, you are napping in your crib on your tummy and that is why I have time to write you this letter.  Your daddy and I take turns feeding you in the night. I normally take the first shift, between 9-2 and Daddy gets you from 2-6. Lately you have been sleeping through my shift, so your daddy gets the pleasure of getting up with you. We put you to bed anywhere from between 8:30 and 11:00. I love giving you baths. You seem to enjoy bath time. You just sit there as I bathe, sing, and talk to you. I normally give you baths at night. Lots of people say you look just like your daddy, but if you look at my baby pictures, you look just like me when I was a baby. Sometimes when I’m watching you sleep, I feel like I’m looking at a baby picture of myself. You have your daddy’s beautiful lips. I have to work, so on Mondays and Tuesdays, Mrs. Kristy watches you, and on Tues, Thurs, and Fri, your Maw keeps you. You haven’t been to your Pappy or Nana’s house yet. I won’t let you go yet because they smoke in their house and I don’t want anything to harm you if I can help it. They love you very much and come to our house to see you. You are their first grandchild, and you are Maw and Paw’s 4th grandchild. You like your pacifier, but you don’t have to have it all the time. You normally go to bed without it, but for car rides or just hanging out during the day, you like to suck on your pacifier. I breastfed you for the first 3 weeks of your life; I wish I could have done it longer, but I got a terrible rash called PUPPPs and had to get on steroids. It was very hard for me to only give you formula. I felt like I wasn’t providing for you, but at some point I had to just get over it and move on. As long as you are growing and staying healthy, that is what matters most. I sometimes look at you in awe. It’s hard to believe that you were made from your daddy and me. You are such a miracle and watching you breathe as you sleep never gets old for me. You are so innocent. You are beautiful inside and out. Your eyes, they are just gorgeous. You have a way of smiling without your lips, but through your eyes. I have a perfect picture of it. I hope you feel the love I have for you. I’m looking forward to watching you grow, but at the same time, wish you could stay this little forever. I love you to heaven and back, -Mommy

Letter to Edison

Edison, I’m not sure where to begin. Your Daddy and I are looking forward to meeting you. Mommy is 38 wks. 3 days and it seems as if the days are getting slower and slower in anticipation of your arrival. I pray for you every night. I pray for our family every night. Some of the things I pray for are your health and happiness. I hope you are a good, happy, and healthy baby. I hope you are funny like your Daddy, and affectionate like your Mommy. I hope you are easy going and respectful. I hope you learn to realize just how much you are loved by your Mommy and Daddy, along with other family members and friends. Your Maw hasn’t missed one single doctor’s appointment. She would get excited just to hear your precious heart beat. You were not planned, but you are the best unplanned surprise to happen to us. We loved you from the moment we knew you were in my stomach. We hope we will be wonderful parents for you. Since Mommy is a teacher, I have it planned for you to be able to read before you ever get to Kindergarten. We’ll see how that goes! You have already been very sweet to Mommy during this pregnancy. I have not had any morning sickness or bad effects from being pregnant. I love being able to feel you move around in my tummy. It’s going to be hard to share you once you come into the world; for 9 months, you have been all mine. I hope that your daddy and I will be able fall into a smooth routine. I wonder what you will look like. I wonder if you will have any hair. I hope that labor does not stress you out too much. Mommy would like to avoid a c-section if at all possible. I wish you could see your room right now. Mommy has done a lot to make it just perfect. Your Maw made your bedding, valence, some blankets, and has monogrammed your name on just about everything. I joke with everyone that you will know how to spell your name before you learn to speak in sentences. Your Paw is excited to meet you as well. He has great plans to take you fishing and golfing with him. Your Pappy has bought you many nice gifts, and you are being named after him. Daddy came up with your name off the top of his head one day before we ever thought of having you. When we found out you were a boy (on Valentine’s Day) we kept coming back to the name Edison. We hope you like your name. Your first due date was August 19th. It later changed to August 8th. I hope you love the Lord with all of your heart. I am already praying for your future wife and that she will love the Lord and will be the perfect mate for you. I want only the best for you and I would do anything to make sure you are happy, healthy, and safe. I hope that you are kind to all of your friends and that your friends are kind to you. I hope that you are respectful to other adults and I hope that you are smart, like your daddy. So far, in ultrasound pictures, you look like your Daddy. It seems as if you have your Daddy’s nose . I can’t wait to see what you look like. You have been created by love from your Mommy and Daddy. So far I have gained 23 pounds. Your heartbeat is normally in the 120’s and 130’s. I can’t wait to snuggle you and sing lullabies to you. I hope you are good at nursing and that you will be a strong boy. Daddy likes to talk to you through my stomach. It’s very funny to watch him do it and one day I will reenact it for you! I hope you do not have colic like your Daddy did when he was a baby. I can’t believe the time is winding down to finally meet you. I wonder how your Daddy will do during labor. I hope he is able to cut the umbilical cord. I hope he does not get sick or faint. You got so many things from baby showers. There were 4 showers thrown for you. We got about $400.00 in gift cards to Target, and $100.00 in gift cards to Baby’s R Us. You have so many toys, clothes, diapers, wipes, blankets, and bath stuff. This pregnancy has flown by! Always know that you are loved more than you can imagine. I will always be here for you. I’m looking forward to experiencing love at first sight for the very first time in my life. I love you to the heavens. Love, Mommy

WAY BEHIND!

I have so much to catch up on. One of my new year's resolutions is to blog more. I use facebook more as a journal than anything. Below I am going to post the story of Edison's birth along with the letters that I have written to him.


The story of Edison’s birth (Told by Edison’s Mom)
We originally decided to deliver Edison at the Columbus Medical Center. We chose this hospital because they were the only hospital in the area that had a NICU. As Edison’s due date approached, I was making little progress. Dr. Aranas decided to induce me and they chose to do so on Friday, August 5, 2011. I was to report to the Medical Center between 3-4:00 am. Thursday, August 4th, Matt and I were very anxious. We completed unfinished tasks such as laundry, cleaning out the trunk, packing the hospital bag and picking up around the house. We decided it was a good idea to try and get some rest (yeah, right!). We finally got in the bed around 11:00pm Thursday night. I set the alarm for 2:00 am. At 2:30 am, I awoke in a panic. I rushed to the shower and got ready as quickly as I could. I called the hospital at 3:00 am as instructed by my doctor. Matt and I sat in our recliners feeling giddy, nervous, and excited. A nurse at the medical center answered the phone and I explained who I was and that I was to be induced within the hour, per Dr. Aranas. The nurse explained to me that they had no rooms available and that they would call me as soon as a room became available. Matt and I sat there in disappointment over the news. Matt suggested that that I try and get more rest until they called. I went to sleep for a bit longer. 3 hours later, I called the hospital again; still, no room. Another 3 hours passed and I got a phone call. When I answered, it was a nurse from the Medical Center explaining that they still had no room, but they had talked to Dr. Aranas, and if we were willing, could go on over to Doctor’s Hospital. At that point, I could have almost cared less where he was born. I had that date set and wanted nothing more but to deliver him on the planned date. We agreed to deliver at Doctor’s Hospital and began making calls to family to let them know of the changes. We loaded the car and headed to my parents’ house to get waterproof mascara (I had to look decent!  There would be lots of pictures taken). We arrived at Doctor’s Hospital, got registered, and after waiting over an hour in labor room 7, got the iv’s started. Our first nurse inserted a pill called cytotec. This was a pill inserted vaginally in order to help thin the cervix. Four hours later, another dose of cytotec was inserted. I began to experience mild contractions. Four hours after the second dose of cytotec, they began a drip of pitocin to fully induce labor. Once on pitocin, the contractions became stronger. They had a heart monitor strapped across my stomach and every time I would reposition, so would Edison, and that meant that they would have to come in the room and reposition the monitor so that they could keep a good check on Edison’s heartbeat. They tried putting a vaginal monitor in to check on Edison’s heartbeat, but there was a shortage in the cord, so they had to stick with the stomach monitor. The nurses would up the dosage or lessen the dosage of pitocin based on Edison’s heart rate. Early morning (7:30ish A.M.) of August 6th, Dr. Aranas broke my water. Matt said that it had a distinct odor and that it was probably the worst part of the labor/delivery. Once my water was broke, the contractions became worse and worse. Around 8:00 A.M. the contractions were back to back with little to no break. I broke and asked for an epidural.
((side story)) I had back surgery a few years ago. The anesthesiologist looked over the surgery report from when I had my surgery and explained that he would try and administer the epidural, but wasn’t promising anything. It was a 50/50 chance that it would kick in.))
I had to wait approximately 45 minutes to get the epidural so that they could pump me full of liquids. As soon as the liquids had enough time to get in to my system, the anesthesiologist came in. Due to Matt’s squeamishness, he requested that my mom be with me during the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in and Matt stepped out. He instructed me to sit up in the bed and hug my mom while bending over. Both my mom and I quivered in hopes that it would take. After he started the epidural, they had me lie flat for a few minutes to wait for it to kick in. About 10-20 minutes later, I felt relief from my terrible contractions. That was the most I was able to rest since I had been admitted to labor/delivery. Within a few hours, I began to feel pain on my left side. I called the nurse in and explained that I could feel contractions on the left side. The nurse called in the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist came in and explained that because of my prior surgery, there wasn’t anything more he could do. He put another dose in my epidural, but it did not take away the pain. Back to square one/contraction pains! A nurse came in and explained that the baby didn’t like some of the positions I was taking such as my left side. My hips were killing me, and on top of that, they were making me wear an oxygen mask. I could do nothing more but pray and cry. I prayed that the Lord would give me strength to endure. The nurses told me that I still had probably 5 or more hours until I was dilated enough to push. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it 5 more hours without the help of the epidural. At that point my contractions were on top of each other with little to no break. A nurse came in and asked me to turn over on my left side. I did as she said. She then asked me to turn on my right side because it seemed as if the baby did not like that position. Again, I asked no questions and turned over on my right side. She called another nurse in. They had me turn over on my back. They decided to check me to see how dilated I was. They told me that I was 7 centimeters. There was hope! Matt called his parents to tell them to come on to the hospital because I was almost at 10 centimeters. He then went to the waiting room to let the rest of the family know of my progress. While he went to tell the family, the nurses were still trying to get me in to a position and I could tell that they were closely keeping an eye on Edison’s heart rate. A few seconds later a nurse said, we have a 911 in room 7. WHAT?! 911? What in the world could be happening?
((REWIND** After being put in room 7 the prior morning and waiting an hour or so to get the iv started, the nurse explained that if for some reason, something went wrong and a lot of nurses rushed in my room, to not ask questions. She said that most likely everything would be fine, but just in case something did happen, to let them do their jobs))
As they are calling a 911 in my labor/delivery room, I went back to what the nurse said about asking no questions. I did my best to remain calm so that it would help them do their job. It just so happened (by the grace of God) that my doctor was on the same floor taking a nap. She was in my room in a matter of minutes. She checked me and all I remember was her sticking her hand up towards the baby saying over and over, “Come on, Baby…come, on.” At that point, I thought he had no heartbeat. There were nurses everywhere in my room working together. They inverted my bed so that my head was lower than my feet. At that point, Matt walked back in from telling my family that I was 7 centimeters. He had no clue what was going on and he had to wait in the hallway. They gave me a shot in my arm in hopes of getting his heart rate back to where it needed to be. Up until this point, his heart rate ranged anywhere from 120-150. I later learned that his heart rate had dropped to the 60’s. Dr. Aranas quickly and sympathetically explained that I was about to have an emergency c-section. I simply nodded my head in understanding. They whisked me out of the room in my bed. As I was being rolled down the hall I passed Matt who had tears in his eyes. His face was a face I will never forget for as long as I will live. It was a look of helplessness and fear all wrapped into one pitiful package. I then passed my mom who tried to give me a reassuring wink. Once in the operating room they were throwing me around like I was a sack of potatoes. I could feel the urgency in the room. Everyone was working together so well. The anesthesiologist was at my head and was inserting something in to my epidural. In my head I was thinking, “Hello??? This isn’t going to work!” I knew that Matt was getting dressed in the surgery clothing and I kept waiting for him as they draped a sheet in front of my face. All of a sudden I felt something sharp being poked at my stomach and I quickly let Dr. Aranas know that I could feel the sharp pricks. Within a matter of seconds, they put a mask over my face and told me to take deep breaths. I knew that they were putting me under and I also knew that Matt would not be able to experience the birth of his son. My last words were, “please take care of my baby.” I sucked in the air as hard as I could, gave my worries to God, and everything soon went black. I awoke in the recovery room in excruciating pain. I felt as if I had been ripped open and beaten shut. My sweet nurse, Sandy, was by my side and I told her I thought I was dying from the pain. Because the epidural didn’t work, the other pain medicine that was put in to the epidural during the operation did not properly get in to my system either, hence the terrible pain. She quickly gave me pain meds through my iv. As she was doing so she was telling me that my baby was fine and everything went well. The pain meds did not touch my pain, so she gave me a dose of something else. At that point, Matt walked in. I could see relief come across his face as he saw that I was coherent…and alive! He started telling me how much he weighed, how long he was, etc. I asked if he had hair, and when Matt replied yes, I could have melted. The nurse told Matt that he could go get Edison. A few moments later Matt came rolling in with my beautiful baby boy. I was still in excruciating pain, but as soon as I saw Edison, I felt nothing but pure joy. I wanted so badly to hold him, but I simply could not move. Matt held him up for me to see and I touched him as best as I could. Matt asked me if I wanted to see my mom. She was exactly who I needed and wanted. She came in and we shared a few moments. I asked the nurse if I could try to nurse him. The nurse tilted my bed up some and Edison nursed with me. It was the most precious moment. From that point on, I was his source of life. I could finally provide for him. I wasn’t helpless anymore. Thank you, Lord, for this miracle. Thank you for his health and safety. My mom, Edison, and I sat there as he nursed in amazement and relief. What a precious ending to a horrendous day.
Maw’s facebook status updates throughout the process of awaiting Edison’s arrival:
• is anxious to meet my new Grandson, Edison tomorrow!! Asking that you all remember April Dorrill Sawyer in prayer during her labor and delivery process. We are heading to the hospital @ 4a/m. Thanks!!August 4 at 6:36pm
• Gonna try to get a little nap in before we head to the hospital. Thanks for your continued prayers!! Will keep updates coming as I can.August 5 at 12:09am
• No bed yet for labor/delivery. We wait. August 5 at 3:26am
• Heading to doctors hospt. Medical center is full. August 5 at 8:37am
• Waiting on a nurse to get this process going! We've been in here an hour. — August 5 at 10:40am
• 11:23am iv being started.
• 1st pill vaginally inserted to thin cervix. It's gonna be a very long day. August 5 at 12:34pm
• Next check @ 4:30. Edison may not be here until tomorrow morning. August 5 at 1:56pm
• 1 1/2 cm 50% thinned. Progress!! Pitocin to start @ 8! August 5 at 4:35pm
• 2cm 60% thinned pitocin given. August 5 at 9:09pm
• 80% thinned. Progress though it may seem slow to many....this is on schedule of how it's to be. Nurse estimates it will be later in the pm before Edison is born. August 6 at 1:18am
• 3cm dilated! August 6 at 5:32am
• Could be 8 hrs longer. August 6 at 7:21am
• April's water has been broken, approximately 8 hrs and Edison will be here. August 6 at 7:42am
• Waiting for epidural! Thanks for your prayers! We are feeling them. August 6 at 8:38am
• Epidural given! Praise the Lord! August 6 at 9:25am
• Last check... No change.... Next check afternoon. August 6 at 10:23am
• 4cm! August 6 at 12:46pm
• Pray emergency c section August 6 at 3:32pm
• Edison mark 7 lbs 2oz born at 3:38 P.M. August 6 at 3:48pm
• April's in surgery still. Keep praying Edison 7lbs 20 /2 inch long. August 6 at 4:01pm
• Cord was around his neck and foot August 6 at 4:12pm
• Thank God for his mercy and care! August 6 at 7:25pm