Saturday, November 10, 2007- Birthday!
Nina's water broke that morning at about 5:45. We grabbed our stuff, headed to the hospital and were admitted right away. They started Nina on pitocin and after about 2 hours of that Nina was ready for an epidural. Her dad teased her for being a "wuss" but she was so glad she had gotten it. We watched a few movies, tried napping, talked a lot and Nina called her mom a lot. Her mom was just amazed that Nina was able to talk(although definitely still somewhat painfully) to her through some of the contractions.
At about 6 pm Nina told the nurse she needed to be checked again and sure enough, it was time to start pushing. Unfortunately, Nina's regular doctor(Dr. Brian L. Wolsey) was out of town so she met his backup(Dr. Kent Gamette) that day. Everything went well though and Ethan Riley Mortensen was born with no complications at 7:33 pm. He weighed 8 lbs 2 oz at birth and was measured at 18 inches long. He had a full head of hair and was just perfect! The whole time at the hospital all the nurses kept saying that all babies are cute, but he is really cute. Of course Mom and Dad agree! He isn't very photogenic though. Everyone who has seen him and seen pictures of him says that he is cute in the pictures, but they just don't do him justice.
That night, he was making little noises all night and once choked on some spit up(amniotic fluid), so Nina couldn't sleep all night long.
Sunday, November 11, 2007-Day one
We spent most of the day just enjoying watching Ethan. He is surprisingly alert and awake for a newborn. He still sleeps a lot, but he also has quite a lot of alert time. We had a few visitors but mostly we just relaxed and recovered. Nina had a hard time sleeping that night again.
Monday, November 12, 2007-Day two
Loren had to go to class in the morning since he was supposed to take a test Saturday. When he told the professor why he hadn't taken the test, the professor said it was the best excuse he could have and we agree! Nina spent the day getting ready to go home. She was still pretty worn out so she just took her time. After his class, Loren went home to do some cleaning we hadn't gotten to before since Nina wasn't supposed to(Dr.'s orders). Nina's mom got there that evening and after a quick stop at the pharmacy we were home. Ethan's first night home Nina and Grandma took turns sleeping and holding him since he wouldn't sleep on his back. He was also getting hungry but Nina' milk hadn't come in yet.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007-Day three
We had to go have Ethan's Bilirubin levels tested. It broke just about broke Nina's heart when they pricked his heal and he started screaming. His doctor called us around noon and told us that they had jumped quite a lot since the day before so we needed to get him in a bilirubin light as soon as possible. He ordered a "Bili-bed" for us and it was delivered a few hours later. Unfortunately, Ethan still wouldn't sleep on his back so we had to hold him on our chests and hold the bed up so the light would hit his back. Ethan was so hungry by then that we gave him some formula in a syringe. Nina felt awful that he was so hungry and she couldn't feed him yet. Loren had to go take his test and Nina and her mom were just focusing on Ethan. We gave Ethan his first bath at home and he didn't like that very much. That night Nina didn't get more than an hour or so of sleep because she was holding the light all night long.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007-Day four
Nina's milk came in during the night and Ethan started doing better. We had his first doctor's appointment. The nurse who weighed and measured Ethan said that they must have been off when they measured 18 inches for his length. She said it was closer to 20 inches. After the appointment we took him to have his Bilirubin levels tested again and he was much more content. He only winced when they pricked his heal. It's amazing what a full tummy will do! The doctor called and said his levels were lower, but not where they should be yet, so we needed to keep up the light until Thursday morning, let him go without until Friday morning, and have his levels tested again then. Since he was more content, Ethan would lay on his back now, but he got sweaty on the bed and really didn't like that. He could relax without being held though so we figured out how to tilt the bed on the couch and he could lay next to it. This allowed Nina to get some much needed sleep, even if it wasn't nearly enough to make up for all she'd lost. Overall, it was a better day than the one before! Nina stayed up most of the night with Ethan again but did get some sleep.
Thursday, November 15, 2007-Day five
Unfortunately, Loren had to go back to work, but the rest of us slept in!!!! We didn't have to be anywhere so we just slept for as long as we could. Nina's mom got some good sleep, so Nina gave Ethan to her when she woke up and Nina got about 3 hours of really solid sleep. That gave her the energy to go to Walmart that evening with Ethan and Grandma to get some stuff we hadn't known we would need or just hadn't gotten yet. Nothing crucial, just some conveniences that we felt could almost be considered needs. Nina got pretty shaky at the very end of the trip, but it felt good to do something. Ethan slept in his own bed that night, but he is a very shallow breather and Nina kept worrying about him so she still didn't get much sleep.
Friday, November 16, 2007-Day six
Nina, Grandma and Ethan dropped Loren off at work so we could have the car, then went to the hospital to have the last bilirubin check. The doctor called and said it was looking great and we were in the clear. After the hospital Grandma and Nina went to the mall to get a blessing tuxedo for Ethan. Then we went to Michael's to find something Nina's mom wanted. Then to Costco and oh, boy, let's just say we were wondering if we might have to leave Ethan behind just to get everything home! After that Nina was getting pretty tired and she had a surprise for Loren at 5:30 so we needed to go home to rest a little. When we picked up Loren from work, we drove to the mall again and after getting there Nina told him that since we hadn't had a chance to really even talk all week with him so busy with school and work, and the baby taking all Nina's time, she had made reservations at PF Chang's for a nice date night before Grandma left. Grandma took Ethan and walked around the mall while we enjoyed a nice meal and unwound a bit. After an hour though, Nina was getting pretty antsy to get back to Ethan and she knew he would be hungry soon. Ethan slept most of the night in his own bed and Nina got a little more sleep. She came to terms with knowing that if she does all she can to protect Ethan, she has to leave the rest up to Heavenly Father. Also, by not getting sleep, she was causing herself to not be able to take care of him as well as he needs. This was by far the busiest day of the week.
Saturday, November 17, 2007- One week old!
Grandpa Lee and Grandma Karen Mortensen came to visit and brought KFC, YUM!!! We had fun talking to them and showing off Ethan. They seemed to think he was something pretty special and we agree. Nina tried to get some more rest but she was getting so tired she was having a hard time sleeping. She spent a lot of time talking to her mom since she was leaving the next day. She also tried to write in Ethan's baby book a bunch and we took pictures of him next to a teddy bear which we will continue to take each Saturday so we can see how much he has grown over time. That evening, Loren and Nina got a few groceries and rented two movies. We watched Shrek III and have to say we were a bit disappointed. Ethan was doing pretty well except that he was going through tons of diapers. Nina felt bad because she hadn't thought of it at the time, but he was probably starting to get diarrhea. Nina was up just changing him what seemed like all night.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
We decided that Sage is ok with Ethan if not excited. When Nina woke up to feed Ethan at around 4, she decided to have Grandma hold him after so she could take one last(for a while) shower with no time limit. Nina and her mom talked for a few hours after that till we needed to get ready for church. We only went to Sacrament meeting since Nina was getting so worn down from so much missed sleep, and Grandma needed to go back to Cowley and wanted to get on the road in good time. After Nina's mom left, Nina had a bit of a hard time, but we put in Ratatouille(the other rented movie) and Nina fell asleep probably less than 15 minutes into it. She got a total of about 5 hours in naps that afternoon and it made a major difference in her ability to cope. Which was good since Ethan gave us a good scare that night.Monday, November 19th, 2007
At about 3 am, Nina woke Loren up to give Ethan a blessing because he hadn't slept since around 10 pm and he had diarrhea and wouldn't calm down enough to nurse. At 4, Nina felt like we needed to go to the emergency room. To make a long story short, the doctor thought he picked up a stomach bug or something but he didn't have a fever and he wasn't lethargic. They gave him a bunch of pedialyte and he calmed down enough to nurse fairly well. At around 7:30 they said to come back if it didn't get better. Thankfully, after the pedialyte got through him(and it soaked through the diaper!) it seemed to have flushed most of the sickness out of his system. Most of the day he had only one diaper per feeding. Unfortunately the almost constant diarrhea left him with a nasty diaper rash, but we can take care of that. After we got home we took a nap then had to get up and get Nina to her doctor. She has been having a few different problems that really needed to be taken care of to keep them from escalating. Nina got another nap in the afternoon which also helped matters. That night we went to get haircuts because we both really needed them. Loren because he was looking like he had an animal living on his head, and Nina because as much as she loves(oops, loved) her long hair, it was getting in the way and it takes too long to wash and brush. She didn't plan to cut 8 inches off... but it looks good, is easy and Loren likes it. Besides, she won't even notice how short it is for at least a month except in the good way of not taking as long to wash and brush. It is still shoulder length, it's just short for her. Sometime while we were there, Ethan's umbilical cord fell off. We don't miss it! He doesn't like sponge baths. Nina got about 5 hours total sleep that night and Loren got at least 7 hours.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007-today
Well, we are all caught up now on events. Whew! That took me all day working only on that, just in my moments when I had both hands available, and even sometimes when I only had one. I have to admit I had a hard time understanding how a baby could really take so much time. I figured they must, but I just didn't know how. Well, I do now!
Ethan has his dad's eyes and full hair, his mom's nose and toes and he has his mom's hiccup! I have a random "squeak" hiccup every once in a while, usually just one at a time, and Ethan does that too! He also has continued his pattern from the womb of hiccupping(normal ones though) very frequently. He wasn't born with blue eyes. They are a grey/brown color. We aren't sure whose ears and chin he has. He is a very expressive baby. Loren says he speaks with his eyes like me. And they are adorable eyes! When he is fed and clean he hardly ever fusses. He is really good about making eye contact and he does it a lot. He is just a little angel and we love him so much! There have been many times so far, and I'm sure they aren't over, where we just don't know what to do about something. It is daunting and scary, but we are getting through it and Heavenly Father sent us a wonderful little guy to be patient while we figure it all out. My mom gave me the best advice: "Babies aren't breakable, they are washable and if you love them and spend time with them they will be fine."
Sage has been really good about Ethan. He has been a little bit curious a few times, but mostly he just acts the same as before. It is as if Ethan is hardly even here to him, which is the best response I was hoping for.
We will be blessing Ethan in my parents ward in Wyoming, probably the week before or after Christmas. For those who can make it, we will let you know more when we know for sure.
I'm planning to spend a little time at least once a week updating this. Hopefully I'll be able to get closer to every few days though.
Thank you to everyone for your love, encouragement, prayers and support. Especially during my pregnancy. I really hope the next one(which is a ways off by the way!) is easier. I couldn't have gotten through it without all the support I had. I'm especially grateful to Loren and my Mom. They have been there for me on a day to day basis, even when I know I've been unbearable to be around whether I was grumpy or whiny! I'm grateful to Heavenly Father for sending me such a perfect little angel and trusting me to do my best in raising him. I'm grateful that the weather was good for my mom to come down. I knew I didn't have to worry about her on the road. I'm grateful to my dad for the sacrifice he made in letting my mom stay so long. I know that is hard for him(and he does let me know) but it makes a world of difference when she comes to visit and this time that was especially true. Thank you to my Grandma and Grandad, KJ and Leslie also for handling things while Mom was down here. I can't wait until you get to see Ethan! I'm grateful for my husband's family. They accepted me with open arms and have made me feel welcome. I'm grateful I had such an understanding doctor. He seemed always to want to make life a little easier for me when it was so rough. Many times at an appointment he would give counsel that would help me get through the trying times. I'm grateful to my extended family members and friends who have been there for me. It makes a huge difference when you know people care about you. I'm grateful we have Sage, he is so fun and brings humor to our lives. I'm grateful he hasn't been too friendly or malicious toward Ethan. I'm grateful Christmas is coming. I didn't start that list because it's Thanksgiving, but I guess I'm in the spirit of it anyway! I have so much to be grateful for right now. This is not even a drop in the bucket of all I'm grateful for right now. Again, thank you to everyone for all you've done for us. Happy Thanksgiving!
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