Jordan Lynn Wood has Arrived

Please Welcome Jordan Lynn to the Wood Family.

Kevin and I made it to the hospital at 6:30am for my scheduled C-section. After getting all prepped they walked with me to the OR. I was actually freaked out, having to walk in there and seeing all the tools and people that were there for my C. Plus it was freezing in there. I got on the table and they gave me my spinal. Once I laid down, I felt my whole lower half go numb. That made me a little nervous too. Once they made sure I was numb, they brought Kevin in the OR. I was so happy and relieved to see him. He was good at keeping me calm. We chatted about what I was feeling as I was staring at the clock, wondering when our daughter would be born. Then we hear them tell Kevin to look over the curtain to see her being born. He hesitated at first but did look over. There she was. I started to panic a little cause she wasn't crying. One of the doctor says that's normal, just give her a minute. Then all of a sudden.....here comes the cries. Kevin and I started crying as well.

Once they assessed her they brought her over so we could see her. I gave her hugs and kisses, then Kevin took her to the recovery room, where I would be shortly. I made sure this time I stayed awake. I couldn't wait to see and hold her in my arms. After they finished, they moved me to the gurney and wheeled me to recovery, where I could hear Jordan crying. Kevin said she hadn't stopped crying yet. But the minute he put her in my arms, she stopped and just stared at me. She must know I am her mommy.

After being in recovery for about an hour they took us to our room. It was about another 30 minutes or so, before we could have the family come in. Nathan was the first to see her, and he just loves his baby sissy. He especially loved the gift she gave him.

We had many visitors the first day. I was happy to see them all. I had a great night bonding with her, but I also really missed Nathan. I couldn't wait to get home and have both my kids together.

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She was born on 02/23/11 at 9:04am @ Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.

She weighed 7 lbs and 13 ozs and was 20.25 inches long. She has red hair and blue eyes.

Jordan wasn't named after anybody. We wanted something different, but not too different. And we don't know anyone named Jordan. As for her middle name, I have always wanted my daughter to have the same middle name as me.

Jordan's name means: Hebrew: To flow downward; Jordan, the river in Palestine where Jesus was baptized, has been used as a given name since the Crusades.

Jordan's birth sign is: Pisces, just like her mommy's.

1 Year Old!!!!!

I have so much on my mind about/for Nathan that I want to get it all down, but as I am typing, I can't seem to get it into words. But I will do my best. Here is goes....

1 year old. Where did the time go??? I spent a lot of the weekend thinking back on this past last year, and the road that led us here. Nathan had a ROUGH first year, and that's an understatement. But through it all he amazed us with his strength. It was fitting to name him after my grandpa, and little brother. I went back and re-read this site, and can't believe how much went on, and to see all the concerns I had when I was pregnant with him. It just amazes me. When I read the journal "I've decided, 04/10/08" I could not help but crack up. To think I was SO scared to give birth, I actually said I was not going to do it. ~Lol. Even though I did not have him the way I wanted, I would not change a thing about it. Kevin and I wanted him SO bad, and we were both ecstatic when we found out I was pregnant. And now a year later our love has grown into SO much more.

I look at Nathan and can't help but to laugh and cry. I never realized how much you could love 1 person until he was born. I actually found the perfect shirt for Nathan while we were in Birch Run last month. It says "Mommy's New Man". Which is SO true. I just love him. I would do ANYTHING for that little boy, as would his daddy. Saturday( 5/30) at about 5:30pm I was thinking about how Kevin and I were on our way to the hospital to begin the induction. I remember being so excited yet so nervous about it. But I was ready to meet our son or daughter. I remember exactly what I was wearing:

I remember them coming into the room to start the induction process, and how I kept telling myself: "I am ready, let's do this". They started me on Cervidil, and would check the progress in 12 hours. I am sure everyone thought that peanut would be born the next day. Well morning rolled around and NOTHING!!! The medicine did not work at all. They then tried another medicine (cytotec), and while I felt some contractions it really didn't work. Once that didn't work I kind of knew in the back of my mind that I would need a C-section, even though I did not want to go there. They broke my water about 5pm (3rd attempt), and gave me an epidural (They thought the epidural would relax my body enough to progress). I was also given pitocin to speed things up. Finally Sunday morning rolls around, and in deed they decided a C-section was best. So they got me prepped for my So they got me prepped for my C-section:

Again I was super excited but super nervous. I remember them pushing me into the O R, while they made Kevin stay in a broom closet. (As he put it) The epi didn't work, so I ended up needing a spinal. I thought they were going to start without Kevin, but they assured me he was on his way. Finally there he was holding my hand. Kevin was AMAZING, he just talk to me the whole time letting me know everything was OK. Moments later we heard the most amazing sound in the whole world: The cries, and then "It's A Boy" That was just music to my ears. They held him over the sheet and we just melted. We cried as Kevin held me tighter. His first words: He looks just like me." (Which I totally agreed) My first words: "I told you it was a boy". (Kevin thought it was a girl) I remember Kevin holding him, and letting me give him kisses before they were off to the nursery.

After that I must have passed out, cause I DO NOT remember them finishing me up, or me being wheeled into the recovery room. I remember waking up, and looking everywhere for my boys. Shortly after a nurse came to me and asked if I would love to see my baby. Well of course!!!!! So she went to get an update, and finally after what seemed like forever, it happened:

What could be better????

From that moment on, I knew my life would not be the same. And why would I EVER want to go back?? I DON'T AND NEVER WILL. Now to the present:

Today was a VERY good day. Nathan was up early (7am) which worried me because he had an appointment at 10am for his pictures. On the way to Penney's he fell asleep, which was good because I knew he would be in a good mood once he woke up. He did VERY well, and we got a lot of great shots. He did get fussy when we were doing the family shots, but he made it through. We get them on the 12th and I cannot wait!!!! After that, we went to pickup his cake. Once we got home, Nathan gave me roses. They are just beautiful.

After we were settled at home, Kevin and I started cleaning for the get together tonight, and I put together his present. That was not an easy task. A few times I was ready to throw the hammer through the window. Anywho, Kevin and I got some cleaning done before everyone arrived. Nathan was SO excited to see everyone, especially his cousin Adryan. He even gave her a sweet hug, that brought us all to tears. We have such a sweet little man on our hands.

Once everyone showed up, Kevin and Jim went to get the food. We had ordered pizza and Mr. Chicken. The food was very yummy. After we all ate, we got things ready to give Nathan his cake since he was just exhausted and was getting fussy. So we gave Nathan his cake and immediatly he put his 2 fingers in the cake, and looked very unsure what to do.

So Kevin put a little on his finger so Nathan could taste it. He had a look on his face as to say: "I am not sure if I like this or not"

He really didn't get crazy and tear it apart, so Kristal decided he needed his baseball bat. Oh he loved that.

He began to get fussy again, so we decided he had enough with the cake, and got him ready to be washed up. I was kind of excited he only got the cake on his arms and hands. Hey, easy clean up is always a plus. As Kevin pulled him from the high chair, and being that Nathan was SO tired, he started rubbing his eyes, and got frosting ALL over his face. It was hilarious. We were all just cracking up. He looked so cute and funny.

After he got cleaned up,

He played with his piano before we started doing presents.

Poor little man was SO tired, but he was a real trooper throughout the entire day. So we got through the gifts fairly quickly. He loved playing with his maraca's, and the paper. He really cleaned up~lol

I have NO clue where to put everything. And to think he still has gifts coming on Saturday. Oh Boy!!! I really can't wait for his party. It is going to be a lot of fun, and we get to see some friends and family that we haven't seen in awhile. Today was just perfect. It was so nice to have so many people come by on his birthday. So thank you, Grandma & Grandpa, Grandma & Paw Paw, Matt, Kristal & Adryan, Bryan & Lindsay, Melissa & Mike, GGma, and last but not least Jim. You definitely made Nathan's birthday the best.

Nathan went to bed fairly quickly. As Mike and Kevin played UFC on Xbox 360, Melissa, Lindsay, and I wrote down a list of things I still have to buy for the party. I still can't believe that our son is already a year old. This past year just flew by, and even though it was a rough year, it was still an amazing year.

Nathan you will always be mommy and daddy's little peanut. Our love for you grows more and more everyday. You are THE BEST thing that happened to us, and I just want you to know, that we will always be there for you no matter what. You are such a strong little man, and you continue to surprise and amaze us. We love you SO much, and can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Happy 1st Birthday Son!!!!

Nathan Henry Wood Has Arrived

We are home. Nathan and I are doing great. After a long weekend, it was all worth it. He was born June 1st at 8:27am, weighing in at 8lbs, 7ozs and was 20 1/2 inches long. Here is my birth story:

Because I was overdue, my doctor scheduled me to come in on Friday May 30th to be induced. When we arrived at the hospital they checked me, and my cervix was still closed tight. SO they inserted Cervidil around 730pm, and will check me again in 12 hours. 7am rolled around and they removed the cervidil, they said I made NO progress. So I got cytotec inserted, and that started some contractions. About 5pm they attempted again to break my water (3rd attempt). After they broke my water I had an epidural. The doctor advised me that it would be best to have the epidural to relax me and let my body progress. I was also given pitocin to speed things up. Well I made lil progress over the next few hours, so they gave me more pitocin. And by 7am on Sunday they checked me again, and also advised me that I started to get a fever, and Nathans heart rate was up some, I was only dilated to 2.5-3, and effaced 80% with baby at -2 station. They then decided that with all the factors and me passing the 12 hour mark of my water breaking at 5am, that I needed to go with the c-section. They said I was not going to progress anymore and they didn't want to risk anything. This was what was best for me and the baby, so we went ahead and did it. I was So scared, but everyone was really great and in the end it was all worth it.

I will be posting more pictures soon. I am awaiting my new computer so I can download his pictures.

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He was born on 06/01/08 at 8:27am @ Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.
He weighed 8 lbs and 7 ozs and was 20.50 inches long. He has brown fussy hair and blue eyes.
Nathan was named after my grandpa E, and brother Bryan. (It's their middle name)
Henry is after Kevin's dad, Henry (Hank)

Nathan's name means: Hebrew: Gift from God; The biblical Nathan was a prophet during the reigns of David and Solomon. Nathan Hale was a courageous American patriot and spy of the Revolutionary War, and one of America's earliest heroes.

In 1997 this was the number 35 chosen name in the US, Based on the 1990 US Census, Nathan was ranked the number 108 most popular Boys name in the US. Nathan ranked 40 in the top 1000 given names for births in the 1990's (January 1990-August 1999).

Nathan's birth sign is: Gemini

Doctors Appointment & 3rd Childbirth Class

Well I had another appt. today. All is well. Kevin and I got there checked in, and off we went to the room. The nurse weighed me, and said I lost a pound. WHAT??? I dont know whats going on with that. I make sure I eat, so I the baby and I are never hungry and I am still losing. I mean don't get me wrong I'm not complaining, but I want to make sure I am not harming peanut. So as of today my weight gain since getting pregnant is 3 pounds. The nurse asked me if I was working out more, and I told her no. (But I was really thinking "Honey, I havent worked out since I found out I was pregnant~lol") She then took my BP and said it was good. Dr. Al-Jerdi then came in and read my stats and said all looks good. He measured my belly, and then grabbed the doppler to hear peanuts heartbeat. It was SO cool. I just love that sound. It was a lil harder to hear cause peanut kept kicking, but the Dr. said its strong and at 150bpm. He said we are right on for our due date of May 24th. He also told us he doesnt think we will have the baby earlier, it may even be later than the 24th. Your first pregnancy usually goes past the due date. I did question the weight gain again, and he said not to worry, baby is healthy and growing fine. He says if I keep it up, the baby will be about 7 to 8 pounds when born. My next appt is April 30th, and thats when they start the internal check up to see if I am progressing. After that I will be going in every week until birth.

Our class was pretty interesting today. We went over c-sections. They talked about when a c-section is needed, and how its preformed, and what to expect after. It was pretty scary actually. She did advise that for your first pregnancy they normally want you to try to deliver vaginally and if you can't they will do a c-section. Which I thought was kinda good, that way you can avoid surgery. There is a lot that happens during a c-section, and that its a long process. I was glad to get the info just in case, but I really dont think this will happen to me. (Thank god!!) Besides practicing our breathing techniques, we learned different positions for delivery. Some were very interesting and uncomfortable. Well next week is our last class, and I am really excited about it. They are going to talk about what happens and what to expect when its time to leave the hospital and head home. They will also show us how to bath a newborn. She said they will "borrow" someones baby, who just gave birth that day or day before and show us how its done. I am looking forward to seeing a lil newborn. Well thats it for me today.

I've Decided

Okay I have decided I am NOT giving birth!!!!!! I have officially changed my mind.

We had our 2nd childbirth class yesterday, and it literally scared the crap out of me. She was explaining the different stages of labor, and how long they last, and what goes on from the beginning of labor until the delivering of the baby. Then we got to see a wonderful video (NOT!!!) of labor and birth. I am truly freaked right now. I also had NO CLUE how huge the placenta is. OH MY GOD!!!!! I thought it was like the size of a tennis ball, but OH no its flippin HUGE. Its like the size of a HUGE beach ball. My goodness. Then I find out about the up coming weeks after. Okay I knew you bled after giving birth, that's a given. But she told us you bleed for WEEKS after. And I mean she said you bleed. She talked about how much, and how they will send me home with these "undies" and "pads that are like diapers". WHAT!!!!!!! So not only do I have to take care of a newborn when I come home, I have to flow like a faucet, while doing it.

She also went over the different types of pain management. 1) medicine directly in the IV and 2) a epidural. Now I understand the IV medication, and I thought I knew about the epidural. Boy was I wrong. So she explained the epidural thing, and I am SO glad I am not getting it done. She stated how the needle goes in, and that they push this metal wire thing through the needle to the spin, then take the needle out. So you have this metal wire thing (looks like chicken wire) sticking out of your back, and then they put it to a machine, which sends the medicine to your spine. ((I thought the needle they insert to your spine was how the medicine was injected)) She also said that if you have a epi then they have to catheterize you, so you can empty your bladder. WHAT?!?!?!?! So you have a chicken wire coming from your back, a tube inserted up you, not to mention you know have to pass a watermelon. That is Crazy Insane!!!!!! If I was for getting a Epi prior to yesterday, I definitely am not now.

Well Kevin was SO great through the whole thing though. He could tell I was totally freaked out. He kept trying to calm me down, saying I can handle it, I will be great, think of the end prize. It was SO sweet!!! But really, can I handle it?? I know its all worth it, and the end result is holding my baby in my arms, but I am still freaked.

There are some things that she talked about yesterday, that I have to get with my doctor about because I am opting against some things. So hopefully there are no issues.
Last half hour of the class, we practiced our breathing exercises, and she introduced the birthing ball. We all took turns sitting on it, and I loved it. I am going to make sure I ask for it when I get checked in.

Well that's it for me today. Sorry for the long freak out, but I needed to get it out.
My Thought: How am I going to handle this? Especially since I am going to be doing this ALL natural

Appointment & 1st Childbirth Class

Well we had another appointment. Everything is right on track. I am measuring right on schedule. My BP was 118/80, and I gained 2 pounds. (I think 1 pound is from the dinner I ate 30 min. before~lol) We seen Dr. Al-Jerdi today, and he advised us that he will be on call Memorial Weekend when peanut is due. Now normally peanut sleeps through all our appts. Well yesterday was NOT the case. He/She was active ALL day, and it didn't stop at the appt. Dr. Al-Jerdi put the doppler on my belly to hear the heartbeat, which was strong. But as he was getting the bpm peanut decided to kick the doppler HARD, and the Dr. ALMOST dropped it. I was shocked!!! I mean peanut really kicked that thing. Dr. Al-Jerdi said WOW he must be having a party in there. I said I think so. The Dr. then moved the doppler to another part of my belly, and we could hear peanut kicking, and swimming in there. It was SO funny. I had to try to stay still so the Dr. could get the bpm. Finally he said, Sounds good, its at 156bpm. I asked him if that's normal since 2 weeks ago it was only 140bpm. He stated its completely normal. When they are active, the HP goes up. I am SO excited everything is on track. I can't wait until May. I so want to me Peanut!!!!

We also had our first childbirth class after our appt. It is a 4 week class on Wednesday's from 6:30-9pm. There is about 8 couples in our class. 5 couples are having girls and 3 couples (including us) do not know what we are having. How CRAZY is that!! No one who found out is having a boy. The nurse was like, well I think all of you surprise couples are going to have a boy!!!! Another funny thing is when we were announcing what we were having, we even sat down on opposite sides of the desk. (Girls on one side, and unknowns on the other w/the exception of 1 couple) It was too funny. So anywho after we introduced ourselves, the nurse started talking about how are bodies are doing right now. Then she talked about what real and false labor is like, and when we should come to the hospital. She explained to us what will go on in Triage when we arrive. Then she showed us come wiring that is used when and if they do internal monitoring. She passed the cords around, which Kevin had really no interesting in looking at, so he just handed them off to me. Then she passed around the tool they use to break your water. After she explained dilation, effacement, and stations we took a break then toured the maternity ward. I took a tour already, but it was real nice for Kevin to see it. He seemed really impressed by the rooms. They even explained how the babies will each have a monitor on their leg, that sounds an alarm if they are too close to the exit or if someone tries to tamper with it. (I think they call it huggies~not sure) I think every hospital should have this. To me Kevin seemed a lil confused about it, and I just said its like a lil tether for babies. Then he got it. Finally to end class for the night, we practiced our breathing techniques. It was very soothing and I know it will be very helpful when in labor. I just sat there in front of Kevin and practiced my breathing while Kevin rubbed my head, shoulders and back. I was SO relaxed I could have fallen asleep right then and there. The way home was pretty quiet. We were both tired and I was trying to nap while Kevin drove home. Well out of nowhere Kevin says "Ya know, I really hope your water breaks on its own." I was like "Oh really why?" So he proceeds to tell me, "Cause I don't want them to have to break it, with that orange peeler." OMG I could not stop laughing. I just thought that was the funniest thing. I mean if you think about it, it really looks like a orange peeler. That was just what I needed to hear after a long and exhausting day.