Quick Update

No coin in Keegan's belly! He was such a good boy for all the x-rays, he got four stickers, which he is still enjoying. But it's quite a relief knowing that the coin isn't in his belly anymore, he must've passed it without me noticing. Thank Goodness!!

Delilah is jaundice free. That was all the checked for at the doctor yesterday, to make sure she didn't have jaundice. The doctor said all of her levels are perfect, so that at this age he will no longer worried about her getting jaundice. She doesn't get her first shots until two months of age.

I am still in a great deal of pain, but am getting around so much better than I was my first day back at home. Lila is sleeping about 4-7 hours at a time. SOMETIMES she does sleep less, waking up maybe and hour or two after her last feeding, but that doesn't happen very often. At the doctor yesterday, she weighed 7 lbs 13 oz (11 oz less than her birth weight). The doctor said at this point she should start gaining steadily!

Rule #266. Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.

Welcome Delilah!!

So I know Jonas already announced Lila's birth on here, but I figured I would post it in my own words!

I went to my dad's wedding this weekend because I just couldn't stand the thought of missing it. So, I left Shreveport for Atlanta after my doctor's appointment on Thursday afternoon. I didn't get in until 4:30 AM on Friday morning, so I spent most of Friday just resting and relaxing. Saturday morning, around 6:15, my contractions woke me up. The wedding was that night! They lasted for several hours and were consistently 5-6 minutes apart - looking back, I think I may have been in labor then but was able to postpone it because of the wedding. Anyway, after a busy day on Saturday and WONDERFUL night watching my dad get married, I knew I had to leave as soon as possible on Sunday morning.

My mom rode with me back to Shreveport from Atlanta because she didn't want me going into labor alone on the road with a toddler in the back seat. Well, we made it home without any contractions, so I was beginning to think that I would have to just wait out the rest of my pregnancy in misery.

The next morning (Monday), my mom asked me to drink Castor Oil, which has been known to start labor. I couldn't even think about it, because I have read it can make you terribly sick, so I did say that I would take a walk with her, but that would be all I would do to get things going. We drove to walk at the nearest high school, but there was construction being done so we never actually got to walk. I finally just said "Okay, let's get a sitter, go home and wake Jonas up, and just go to the hospital. I'm big and miserable, maybe the doctor's will consider doing the surgery today, even though I haven't had any contractions yet."

So, we did just that. At first, we went straight to Labor & Delivery. I put on a terrible looking face, as if I was in pain (although I wasn't), and said I was ready to have the baby. They said "Well, we don't exactly have any rooms right now. Everybody has decided to have their baby today, so we are just going to have to send you upstairs to the doctor's office for a NST to see if you're having contractions and actually in labor."

Great. I wasn't actually having contractions at this point, so I thought for sure that they would just send me home. I still went upstairs with my mom and Jonas though, just in case there was a small chance. My doctor, of course, was out of town, so I saw another doctor, Dr. Stockrider. I told her I didn't think I was going to dilate at all because I never did with Keegan. So she did a cervical check and hooked me up to the monitor to check for contractions. I was at zero centimeters dilated - completely closed. Just as they got the monitor going, the levels started going up. The nurse asked "You feeling crampy?" I said "No not really, why?" She said "Because you're having a contraction right now!" I didn't know that you could have contractions without feeling them.

15 minutes pass, the levels on the monitor going up occasionally but I could hardly even feel anything, and the doctor comes back in. "Alright, you're having a few regular contractions. Let me check your cervix again... yeah, you're dilated to two centimeters now. We're going to have this baby today!"

I was totally shocked! In 15 minutes, I had already dilated without even feeling a thing. So, we headed back down to labor and delivery and waited about 3 hours for the doctor to come down (she was going to do the surgery right after she got off work, and the work day ended at 5:00). During those 3 hours, I felt all the contractions and they were quite painful. My feet had been so swollen for DAYS at this point.

The time had finally come!! Jonas had prepared himself this time - he knew I would be having a cesarean so he had been watching videos and learning things to know exactly what would be going on so that he could watch it. Last time, he didn't know anything about c-sections, only that they would cut a big hole in my stomach, exposing everything, so he couldn't watch it then - in fact, he looked like he was going to pass out, haha.

But that was very different for me. With Keegan, I didn't know I would be having a c-section so I didn't know anything about them, other then I would have my baby afterwards. I was so exhausted from hours upon hours of contractions, medicine, and sleeplessness, so when the doctor told me I would have to have a c-section, my only thought was "You mean I'll finally be having this baby for sure?? Count me in!" This time, I had time to learn exactly what they did, and it scared me so bad. I was shivering and shaking throughout the entire wait and surgery, I was so nervous.

As soon as Lila was born, at 5:21 PM, I had an extremely intense pain in my right shoulder. I was practically screaming in pain - the anesthesiologist said it was from my uterus being out of place and that it would go away shortly. When it didn't, he gave me pain medicine, which didn't work. This pain lasted about ten minutes, and I can honest;y say I've never felt a greater pain in my life.
So there was Lila - born 18 days before her due date and 8 lbs, 8 oz. HUGE!! All ten fingers, all ten toes, a head full of hair, healthy as can be! I am so thrilled and overcome with joy - she is perfect!
And, needless to say, my mom was extremely happy that she could be there for this joyous occasion! She was very pleased that her daughter was able to fulfill her dream of traveling all that way to be there for the birth of her granddaughter.
Little toes are so precious. One thing, that you can't really tell here but maybe if I pull out both children's footprints at birth, is that Lila has very skinny and long feet, fingers, and toes. Keegan's were (and still kinda are!) short and stubby. This makes me believe that maybe Lila will be taller than Keegan (poor Keegy!). I think Keegan has my height and Delilah has Jonas's. Only time will tell!

Sweet big brother

Fun fact: Both Keegan and Delilah were born on Mondays. I wasn't released from the hospital until Thursday with Keegan, but they released me on Wednesday this time. I am thinking that it was too soon.

The first night was pretty miserable. I could hardly move, I couldn't even roll over in the bed, let alone get up to get diapers or to use the restroom. My mom left this morning so for most of the day it was just the four of us. I absolutely can't lift Keegan (I can barely lift my big newborn!) and per doctor's orders am only supposed to take care of Lila for a few weeks. So Jonas was with Keegan all day, leaving me to fend for myself with Lila.

Throughout the day I got better, but I am still in quite a bit of pain. My stomach contracting back down is pretty bad, along with cramping in the back and along my incision site. However, I am getting around much better now than I was this morning. My brother Colton and two of his friends, Michael and Ryan, got into town at around 7:00 this evening and will be here for a week to help me out. Jonas goes back to work tomorrow morning and will be working until the day of or day before the boys leave, so having them here to help me with Keegan will be so great.

Tonight is night two back at home, but my first night alone with Delilah. So far so good :) More pictures will be coming soon, along with pictures from my dad's wedding. I just have to find the time and energy first.

Delilah has her first doctor's appointment tomorrow. I think she will be getting shots, but I'm not positive. Keegan also has an appointment to get some x-rays taken because on Thursday night, on our way to Atlanta, we stopped in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to take a break and visit a friend of mine, and Keegan managed to swallow a nickel. I don't want to freak anybody out, but I read that if he doesn't "pass it" (poop it out) on his own in three weeks, that he will need surgery to remove it because it can cause serious damage internally. I have been so worried about him, checking his diapers with no luck. The x-ray tomorrow will see where it is and we will take it from there. I will keep all my readers posted!

If you want to see pictures from Keegan's first few days, click here! Also, to compare her live pictures with her 4D ultrasound picture, you can view that here. :)

Rule #265. Don't gamble.

Delilah Anneliese

Sorry USA, but this post will be in German...

Schoenen Guten an euch alle von mir, Delilah. Ich bin heute Nachmittag um 17:21 central time auf die Welt gekommen. Fast 2 1/2 Wochen zu frueh, aber mit meinen

3628.738 g (8lbs 8oz)

und

49.5 cm (19.5in)

war es hoechste Zeit fuer mich auf die Welt zu kommen.

Meine Oma, mein grosser Bruder und mein Papa haben mich heute schon besucht und ich freue mich riesig euch all kennen zu lernen.

Hier sieht man mich noch in Mama's Bauch http://jonasandsam.blogspot.com/2010/06/4d-ultrasound.html und hier sind noch Bilder von meinem Bruderherz als er noch ganz klein war: http://jonasandsam.blogspot.com/2008/09/big-arrival.html

Ich bin sicher, dass es von mir noch ganz viele Bilder und Videos geben wird. Dazu dann aber spaeter mehr!

Liebe Gruesse,

eure Delilah Anneliese

Keegan's Trip...to the ER

At about 9:00 last night, Keegan was running around in the kitchen and slipped and hit his head on the tile floor as he went down. I heard a little cry, and then about 20 seconds later loud screams (he had been crying the whole time but was crying so hard he couldn't breathe). I picked him, as he wasn't picking himself up (not normal for Keegan after a fall). I carried him around for a few minutes trying to console him, he just kept crying and saying "Owee, owee, owee" over and over again. I then noticed that he was extremely hot and drenched in sweat, mainly from his neck up. That worried me. I got him an ice-pop to try to cool and calm him down, and he did. But then he got really really pale, so I tried my best without a flashlight to see if his eyes were dilating, and they weren't. About 15 minutes passed, me trying to get a hold of Jonas the entire time (he was working last night) and Keegan started walking again, occasionally putting his head down on whatever was near him, whether it be a table or a couch or the fireplace, etc. I read online that, especially with toddlers, it's hard to tell whether the child is concussed or not, and that they can act normal and then suddenly not wake up from sleep or have brain trauma, among other things. I finally just couldn't wait and loaded him up in the car and headed towards the Emergency Room at the hospital. On my way to, I got a hold of Jonas and he agreed that I should take him. So, after a couple hours, we went home with doctors orders to rest and just look out for other symptoms (a dent in the head, vomiting, etc.) and bring him back immediately if anything shows up. While he didn't have a concussion, I'm still glad I brought him in to give me peace of mind.

Today he appears much better, not running around as he normally does but it's still early! I didn't have my camera with me at the hospital, but here are some pictures taken with my phone.

At first he was fascinated by the machines

He was such a trooper the whole timeI'm glad I had crayons and paper in my purse though. We were there for two hours!

So, once again, all is well in the Schuster house! We are now just anxiously awaiting Delilah's arrival, scheduled for 3 weeks from today. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, where I'll have another NST and maybe even an ultrasound. Remember, she was already big five weeks ago, so we may even be given a new due date tomorrow. My dad is getting married in about a week and a half, and I would absolutely hate to miss it.. we'll see tomorrow if I'm able to go to the wedding or not!

E-mail Me Your Address!! :)

As the day for Lila to make her entrance gets nearer, I am updating my address book so that I may send out birth announcements, among other things. I would like to make sure I have everyone's correct address, so please please e-mail me at samantha.schuster829@gmail.com and you will be on our mailing list! Thanks!

Jonas just started a 5 day break this morning, but is unfortunately on call for the whole break - means that at any given moment, if work calls him, he has to go in for the whole shift. So I will try to take some pictures, we ordered Keegan's birthday present and plan on giving it to him early, hoping it comes in soon so that he can have fun! He is starting to act out a little bit, I feel maybe he senses some changes coming. He has been much more dependent on his fish (he now has TWO that he carries around constantly - one from his Grandma and one from his Great-Uncle "Fish" Nobe) and his bottle (he's almost two...getting rid of that thing has been hard, and unsuccessful). He also has a bit of separation anxiety (anytime Jonas or I leave, he throws a fit and cries and cries), but I think that's normal for most kids his age. I just hope he accepts Lila and that bringing her home won't be too hard for all of us! We are nervous, but very much excited for her arrival! And I can't tell you how ready I am, haha, I am so big and miserable, I can hardly move without being in a world of pain. Four weeks from today is when we're scheduled to deliver, we'll see if she actually waits that long to come!

Don't forget to e-mail me your mailing address! Thanks!

Pregnancy Update

Today I am 34 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Keegan was born exactly 4 weeks from this day (if that makes sense). Yesterday, I had some symptoms of pre-term labor, things that didn't happen for me last time until 14 hours before Keegan was born. I went to the hospital and had a NST done (non-stress test) to see if I was having contractions and how Lila was doing, and everything came back normal. At this point I'm just supposed to rest basically until the rest of my pregnancy, because I have been having contractions, and if I want to make it to my dad's wedding three weeks from today, I have to take it easy! Lila is still big for how far along I am, and her lungs are almost fully developed. So, it really COULD be any day now that she comes, she would be perfectly healthy if born tomorrow, but I guess rest and relaxation is what is in store for me for the next few weeks :)

Rule #264. Don't nag.

Flashlight Fun

Keegan loves playing with Jonas's flashlight. We managed to capture a picture of him playing with it, and I think it's a pretty sweet shot!

Rule #263. Don't discuss salaries.

Keegan Learns How To Take Pictures

Oh boy. One day I found 28 pictures of the roof of Colton's car on my camera, and thought that maybe I had been sitting on it, accidentally taking pictures or SOMETHING. Two days ago, I discovered that it was Keegan! He now knows how to take pictures. All of the following pictures were taken by, that's right, Keegan!

And these are just the "good" ones! I deleted about 30+ others haha.

Rule #262. Don't gossip.

Diaper Wedgie!

Who knew that was even possible?! Hehe!

Rule #261. Take family vacations whether you can afford them or not. The memories will be priceless.

Toddler Bed

We bought a railing for the crib so that we could try to give Keegan a little more freedom and see how he handles it. It leaves about 9 inches for him to get out of his crib on his own whenever he's ready. The first three days he did REALLY well, slept 12 hours a night. However, he wasn't napping because of not being confined to the crib alone, so the days were growing longer for both of us as he was becoming more cranky (me too - mama needs a nap as well!). So we put the side back on during the day after his third night in the crib, just to give him a short nap. Well, that night, after taking the side back off the crib with just the railing left, I went in to check on him and this is what I found.

I could barely get the door open he was so close to it! So I brought him into our bed and he immediately fell back asleep next to his sleeping daddy :)

So, we now keep the side on at night, but take it off during the day (unless it's naptime) to try to get him used to it. Perhaps we're not quite ready yet though hehe.

Rule #260. Every day show your family how much you love them with your words, with your touch, and with your thoughtfulness.