First Outing!

Henry had a few "firsts" today. To start off the day right, he had his first "mom and dad administered" bath. He was great throughout the whole thing. He slept and didn't really fuss at all. He was so relaxed that he just threw his leg up and lazed around until we made him move. Why can't I bathe like this?


After his bath, we had his first doctor's appointment. They made him strip down to just his diaper so he could be weighed. When he was born, he was 8 pounds 9 ounces. Upon discharge from the hospital, he was 8 pounds, 3 ounces (totally normal to lose up to 10 % of your body weight shortly after birth). The scale at the doctor's office said that he's up to 8 pounds TWELVE ounces. That means that in just 4 days, he's not only picked up the weight he lost, but added another 3 ounces on top of that! Feeding is going well!



Now, I'm not totally convinced that he is really 8-12. Right before we put him on the scale, he had a massive pee. I changed him after the doc's exam and the diaper was pretty full.

After weighing in, he still needed to keep his clothes off for his exam, so he got all snuggly with mom while we waited. Dr Gould came in, did her thing, and pronounced that he was perfect! (or maybe she just said that he was doing really great. whatever, he's perfect )

After Henry's doctor appointment, we went to see Molly's doctor for a check-in. After a long morning/early afternoon, we went back home for some lunch. Molly napped, Henry and I cleaned the house in the sling. Seems kinda stupid now, but I didn't get a good picture of him in the sling yet. Oh well.

A little bit later, we had our second outing. Molly needed to get to the store, so we went out again. Henry was again on his best behavior and commanded the attention of everyone around him.

Henry is a really good napper...during the day. He'll go down, and we won't hear a peep for 2 hours. Or, he'll go down, wake up 30/45 minutes later, eat, go down, wake up 45 minutes later, eat... Nighttime is a totally different story. Henry is not all that great at sleeping at night. He typically gets fussy between 10 and 11, but we can't quite get him to calm down long enough to fall asleep. Precisely why we try to get some decent naps in during the day. Was up with him last night until 1:30am. Once he settled down, had a late night snack, he was good to sleep. He gave us his longest overnight sleeping stretch yet (4 hours). Woke up again around 5:30 to eat, then 8:30. Not bad, considering what he's done to us previous nights.

Another doctor's appointment next Tuesday, just to check in to make sure things are still going well.

Home From the Hospital

ok, I actually have a few minutes to devote to this...

Here's how things have gone over the past few days:

Monday evening, Molly started feeling some back discomfort. After we went to bed, she woke up again around midnight, then woke me up a little after 1am. Her back was hurting more, and she was getting some contraction pains.

Around 4am, we discovered that if Molly was on her feet, the contractions weren't quite so bad, so we went for a walk. A little after 5am, we called the Doctor because most contractions were less than 5 minutes apart.

We got to the hospital around 5:30am. As of 6 am or so, Molly was 6cm dialated. Woohoo!

Molly got some stadol around 7 something to take the edge off the pain. It didn't take the pain away, but it distracted her and let her get some rest, and let me get some coffee. The epidural came around 9 something? Molly was nervous about that, but all-in-all, it went rather well. Within 15 minutes, she was completely un-aware of her contractions, except for when she looked at her monitor.

After that, she was confined to her bed for the rest of the labor. Good thing, cause she couldn't feel her legs, and after a while, she had next to no control over them.

At noon, she was 8cm dialated and the doc had broken the water for her. Not sure why that was necessary, but whatever, I guess.

Around 3:30ish, she was fully dialted and ready to push. Only problem? she couldn't feel the contractions (which is when you push) and she couldn't feel the push. Around 4ish, the determination was made to turn the epidural down. Then, when she still wasn't feeling what she needed around 5:30(?), the determination was made to turn it off competely.

Molly started pushing around 6:00pm, and it was totally amazing. With each contraction, and each push, I could see just a little bit more of his hair. All of a sudden, there was a full head, and then a push or two later, the rest of his body.

Still haven't slept all that great since that day. I get confused on what happened when. Sometimes, I accidentally call him Beef (it's not just me. Molly does it, too). We got home from the hospital yesterday around 4:30ish? Since then, Henry has cried, pooped, peed, looked at us with interest, vomited on me (twice).

He's gotta be one of the most beautiful people that I know.

Henry and Contact Info

Ok, I found out that he's 21 inches long. we're at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. The phone number to the room is 708 763 5677. Room number is 677. he's sleeping now. guess its been a long day for him. We're gonna see if we can get a few z's too. at least til he needs to eat again.

Henry Alberto Alvarado

Born Tuesday October 23rd 2007. 8lbs 9oz they didn't tell us about inches. so, sorry.

At the hospital

got here around 5:30 am. 6cm. sleepy. waiting. eating a granola bar

so, here's a weird thought...

...I'm about to be a dad. Like...really...a dad.

it's not 9 months away. It's not 2 months or a month and a half away. He's due in one week, but as all babies do, he'll come when he feels like it.

Don't get me wrong...I am really, really, excited to meet him. But I am also terrified of him (it what i hope is a normal and healthy way).

But the uncertainty just makes it worse. I could be a dad tomorrow, or maybe in two weeks. How does a rational person cope with that thought? (molly has just informed me that i need not worry about this because i am "not a rational person, and everyone knows it."---nice.)

I think we've finished the basics to be physically ready for him

We've got a comfy chair, a changing table and books. The changing table cabinets are stocked with cloth diapers and new-born sized disposable diapers. We've got the bum-wipes and art on the walls.

Molly made curtains and we have a nice pull-down shade (this side of the house faces the sun-rise, so we don't want him up that early in the summer-time). We've got brackets on the walls to hold the curtains open.

He's got a Sealy Posturpedic mattress. Heck, it's better than my mattress. And his crib-skirt matches the curtains on the windows.




























the carseat is installed and ready for use (although it does make the car seem a whole lot smaller).

and...we have a nice swing to rock him back to sleep.

He's even got a Halloween costume. I didn't take a picture of it, but it should look something like this:

what else could we be missing?

no really! what else!?!?!

EDIT - 5:25PM---I've had several people say "you're already a dad, you just haven't met him yet" (or something similar) so, this post is hereby clarified---i'm about to be a dad to a real-live-oxygen-breathing-baby. it just seemed easier to say that i'm about to be a dad.

very strange dream this morning

this is only just partly about beef...

In my dream, I'm only 16 years old. I get home (except not my real home), and my grandma (but not my real grandma) is there waiting for me. "Where have you been?" All I can think about is how to tell her that my girlfriend is pregnant. But i plop down on the couch, lazing around like any good 16 year old would...

Then she tells me that molly (but it's not actually Molly, I think she said Ana?) is in the hospital. Then she said things like, "he's so beautiful" and "he was crying so loudly" and I realize that the baby has already been born! And she's been just letting me sit and lounge on the couch!

and then i woke up.

I hate dreams that end with "and then i woke up."

1st, why am i only 16 in my dream?
2nd, who the heck is Ana?
3rd, who was this Mexican woman pretending to be my grandma? She definitely wasn't my Mom's mom (seeing as how she was Mexican), and she looked nothing like the pictures of my dad's mom. So i think i just made her up.