Harrison Edward Schneider's delivery into this world!!

Most of you know by now that we welcomed baby Harrison into the world a little earlier than expected! I was due on 01/20 and had just started my maternity leave. I had three days of leave to be exact - I think that as soon as I slowed down the baby was like 'here I come'.

I went into labor on Monday 01/11. I woke up in the middle of the night on the 10th having some contractions and then the real thing started around 5pm on Monday evening. I tried calling Todd at work without any luck and ended up texting him. He was on a call with a client when he texted me back. At that point I had been having contractions 3-5 min apart for about an hour and a half and told him that he should probably come home.

We made it to the hospital about 10:30 that night and I was still determined not to have an epidural. I labored until about 3am with the help of my awesome labor partner (Todd). He was full of ideas like sitting on the labor ball and rubbing my back, etc. But still, I thought that I was going to die because of the back to back contractions without a break. At that time, I begged for an epidural. By 3:30am I was resting more comfortably and Todd and I were both able to sleep for a couple of hours. When I woke up the doctors were rounding and my midwife arrived. They decided to start pitocin to speed up my contractions - since they had slowed a little with the epidural. They slowly increased the dosage. About 3pm on the 12th I was fully dilated and pushed for about 45 minutes. Todd did the counting for me and helped me with lots of encouragement. He also watched the whole delivery and did not pass out! I delivered at 3:43pm with a little drama with the umbilical cord around the Harrison's neck and a little meconium. It was the best sound to hear that little baby cry for the first time! Todd and I were so happy!

Birth Stats -
Date of Birth: 01/12/2010
Time: 3:43pm
Weight: 7lbs 2oz
Length: 20 1/4 in









We stayed in the hospital for two nights and it would have been okay with me if we stayed a little longer. The baby stayed in my room the whole time, Todd hung out with us most of the time, and people brought me my food and medicine. There was nothing else to worry about. But we had to go home:)







Murphy greeted us very happily when we arrived home. At first he was a little scared of Harrison and unsure what he was all about. But he is adjusting without any hint of jealousy and has been great. He is very gentle around the baby, smelling him, checking on him when he cries, and then just checking in to make sure that he is okay.







Todd stayed home for a few days after we arrived home from the hospital and then I had a about 4 days at home on my own. During that time our friends and neighbors were awesome bringing us dinners. We also made our first visit to the pediatrician.








One Week Stats -
Weight: 7lbs 8 oz
Height: 20 1/2 in













My parents arrived on Sat 01/23 and have been here since. It has been great to have them. They were so excited to meet Harrison, their first grandson, and it has been great for Todd and I to have the emotional support and help around the house.

















Harrison is two weeks old today and there have been so many changes already. He is feeding well! Todd says that my milk is like human growth hormone:)

Two week Stats -
Weight: 8lbs 2 oz

Height: 21in

It has been a crazy and amazing ride over the past two weeks (sorry to those of you that I have not gotten a chance to call back yet! I promise I will! And, thank you to all those that have sent such generous gifts -We love everything! Thank you notes are on the way). Harrison we are so happy that you have arrived and can't wait to see you grow!

38 weeks and my last day of work!

Today was my last day of work! I have really been looking forward to this day. Now that it is here I have such mixed emotions!

I am so happy to have some time to relax and finish preparing for the baby's arrival. I have not been sleeping well at night, so I have been tired and by the end of the work day, I need a nap:) But, with the being said , it was sad to leave today. I set my out of office reply for my email and my phone. I got everything set up for my patients and the clinical fellow that I have been training! My boss, who is also my friend, gave me a hug and said 'good luck, everything will be perfect' and I got all teary! I think part of it is that I have worked so hard to get my career to where it is and have invested a lot of time and energy into my current office. I also love the people that I work with and will miss having my little work community surrounding me. I know that I am going to be back at work in a few months and my career is not ending, but it feels weird. I think that it really hit me that in about two weeks we are going to have a baby! Wow!! News flash...we are having a baby! Life if changing! It is going to be an amazing change - but there are so many unknowns that it is hard to know what to expect! I guess I just have to roll with the punches and see what happens.

I had my 38 week appointment today. My midwife asked me how I have been feeling and I was telling her about the significant amount of pressure I feel down on my pelvis by the end of the day. She said it was good. After walking the dog, I feel it the most. She said is was good and I should keep walking. She said the head is 'way down there'....so he is in good position. She coached me on the signs of when to call the hospital - if I have a really bad headache and do not feel well - meaning my blood pressure may be high, if my water breaks, or I am having regular, painful contractions. I actually had a braxton-hicks (a practice) contraction while I was laying on the table today. It was good to have it while she was there because I was not sure if it was the baby moving and stretching or a contraction. Now I know. She said there will be no mistaking when I am having real contractions....At this point, she said there is no predicting when the baby will come. God only knows!

My next appointment is on my due date (01/20). At that point she will examine me to see how things are going. They will let me go one week overdue and then do an ultrasound and monitor the baby and decide where to go from there. Only time will tell what is going to happen...I will keep you all posted!

The unveiling of the nursery in 2010....

Happy 2010!!!

Todd and I went for a nice dinner on new years eve and and actually made it to watch the ball drop at midnight! Although it took some serious smack talking to get Todd to stay awake:)

There are so many things to be thankful for in 2009 - for each other, all of our family and friends, being able to buy a house, and most importantly the experience of growing a baby and looking forward to his arrival. 2010 is bound to be an even more exciting year.....


These are our first two pictures taken with our new camera. As you can see Murphy is very pleased (translation - being tortured by Todd) to be taking this picture.


As I mentioned before, my mom and I made some final purchases for the nursery during their stay. And, Todd and I rearranged and hung the pictures and shelves. So, without further ado (is that how you write that??) Here is the baby's room.....


My mom and I picked out the clothes to bring to the hospital - that are laid out on top of the dresser. So, now all I have to do is actually pack them and pack my own bag. I have been putting that off for some reason and the midwife 'encouraged' me to get going with it at my last visit.

This wall is all built in cabinets and shelving. It is great...you can see that we are already stocked with some stuffed animals and books. The monitor is set up so we can hear every peep and I have the iPod set up. I just need to download to lullabies and other fun baby music.


Here is the crib! I love the bedding and that was really the inspiration for the color scheme of the room - brown, green, and blue (the room, like the rest of the house was already painted a great color, so we really did not have to do much). The little blue elephant is from my mom and the Murphy replica is from Todd's mom.

You can see the great rocker (thanks to mom-mom and grandpa schneider). And if you scan up from there you will see Snoopy, the golfer, who hung in Todd's room when he was little. Next to Snoopy will be picture of the all four grandparents...they all went to dinner together recently during the Schneider's trip to Chicago and there was a great picture from that night. So, now the baby will be able to see his grandparents everyday!

There is really not a lot of space in this little room but I think we have made the most of it!! It is really cute and just waiting to be lived in!

PS. Thanks Amy for lighting the fire to get me to take these pics and get them on my blog.....love you bunches!

Well happy 2010 again everyone! I have my 38 week appt on Wed and we will see how things are moving along. I will keep you posted!

xoxo