My Big Boy is Three Weeks Old Today!

Wow!  It has been three weeks since Stephen made his grand appearance!  It has flown by, and it makes me realize how fast time will go.

When we left the hospital, Stephen weighed 7lbs, 14oz.  At his check-up today, he’s tipping the scales at 10lbs, 10oz and he’s grown a inch for a total length of 21 inches.  What a big boy!  In the past week, he’s grown out of his Newborn diapers and clothes, and we’ve had to adjust the straps on his car seat already!  While it is exciting to see him get bigger and stronger, it is scary to look at how fast he’s growing.

Stephen is developing his own personality.  He loves getting a sponge bath, watching the monkeys on his pack & play, listening to any kind of music, walking around the neighborhood, and riding in the car.  He is not a fan of going to sleep, getting his clothes changed, or shopping at Wal-Mart.  He has the most heartwarming smile, and I see it every time he eats, and right before he falls asleep.  While it is still too early to figure out all of his habits, he’s sleeping for about 3 hours at a time during the night.  He naps in the mornings and afternoons, but fights sleep in the evening and around 4:30am. 

We’ve had lots of things going on since we came home.  Stephen has had plenty of visitors, and everyone has fallen in love with him.  On Monday of last week, we had a session with Samantha from Two Little Monkeys Photography.  She was amazing, and stayed for about four hours taking picture after picture of our beautiful little man.  She has posted a few sneak peeks on Facebook, so if you’re on the social networking site, “like” her page and you can see some amazing shots!  Samantha posted the gallery of all of the pictures online yesterday.  I have no idea how we will choose which pictures to order.  I thought it would be a quick process, but seeing all of these pictures makes me realize I was SO WRONG!  Once I make a decision, I will post them on here so you can enjoy them, too.

Stephen has a busy summer planned for him already!  Next weekend, we’re heading to Virginia to meet my mother and grandmother.  Abi will be coming with us, and she’ll head up to Connecticut with them for a two-week session at Camp Sloper.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Stephen will be a good traveler, since we’ll be on the road more often than not!  I’m so excited for Stephen to meet Great-Grandma DiVito, and I just know she’s going to love him!  The following weekend, we’re heading to visit Shawn’s family in IL.  That will be a longer drive for Stephen, so I’m double-crossing my fingers that he is content in our travels.

Since we’ve come home, I’ve found it difficult to keep up with the blog, but I’m going to do my best to continue to post pictures and stories to share!  He’s already growing so fast, so I need to make sure to keep up with every milestone.

After meeting Shawn, I never thought I’d fall in love again.  Stephen has proven me wrong; I just love this little guy!



Despite the look on his face, he really does like bath time!



Trying to get warm after bath time!



Relaxing during nap time



 

Stephen loves to go for a walk...he's usually awake when we go!



He's Here!!

Wow!  What a ride the past few days have been!  Stephen arrived on Friday, July 1^st at 3:17am.  However, it seemed that there was a long road to get there….

Not long after my spill in the front yard, I had another appointment with my doctor.  During that appointment, he ordered a growth ultrasound, as he thought we were measuring big for being 39 weeks pregnant.  He also ordered a Non-Stress Test (NST) because of my high blood pressure.  We headed to the hospital for the NST, and everything looked good.  My blood pressure went down, and Baby Q’s heart rate was still perfect.  We then headed to the ultrasound lab.  The tech was wonderful, and we got lots of pictures of our Little One, including a few more 3D pictures.  At the end of the appointment, she informed me that Baby Q was estimated to be 9 pounds, 1 ounce!  WHAT?!?! 

We went back to the doctor’s office, and discussed our options.  After some research, discussion with the doctor, and a long heart-felt talk with Shawn, we decided that our best and safest option was to schedule a c-section.  We were scheduled to check into the hospital on July 5^th at 6:30am to prep for our c-section.  And then it hit us….we had a date that Baby Q was going to join us!  WOW!!  At this appointment, the doctor also put me on modified bed rest.  We were given permission to go out to dinner that night, but until Tuesday I was ordered to stick to bed rest rules.

Shawn and I ran to the store to pick up some things I would need while on bed rest, and then went to dinner at Logan’s.  We then headed home to watch a few movies on our “last date night” before baby.  During our first movie, I got off the couch, and started to wonder if my water had broken.  However, since we’ve had a few “false alarms” and too many visits to the hospital recently, I sat in denial!  Shawn and I went back and forth over whether or not to go check on things, and after two hours, Shawn won the argument and we headed back to Labor and Delivery.

At 1:35, the nurses on duty confirmed that my water was broken.  Since we were already scheduled for a c-section the following week, they decided to go ahead with the surgery.  The next hour went by SO fast, and I don’t really remember all of the details.  I do know that I was terrified of so many things:  the spinal block, major surgery, a different doctor performing the surgery, and everything that could go wrong.  Shawn was scared, too, but did a wonderful job of trying to keep me calm. 

At 2:30, Shawn dressed in his scrubs, and I was wheeled off to surgery.  He had to stay in the hallway during the prep process, and came into the room right before the doctor began the surgery.  He was able to sit right next to me throughout the entire surgery, though it was slightly difficult for him to get around, since he’s still in his boot!  At 3:17, I heard the doctor say, “Look at that blond hair!”  Not long after that, I heard the most beautiful sound in the entire world:  my baby’s cry.  To say that “I lost it” would be an understatement.  I cried at the beauty of that sound.  Stephen was whisked off to get cleaned off and assessed, but we were able to see him.  His Apgar Scores were 7 and 9, and he was just perfect!  After giving him a quick kiss, Shawn took him to the newborn nursery while the doctor completed my surgery.

Stephen is just perfect.  He weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long.  He has a head full of blond hair, and the most beautiful slate blue eyes I have ever seen.  He has 10 fingers and 10 toes (over-achiever….remember Mom only asked for five fingers and five toes!)  We are debating over who he looks like….I think he has my mouth, but Shawn’s nose and ears. 

I am so in love.  Stephen Belden Quinlan is just perfect!  And while he has big shoes to fill, I have all the faith in the world in this little boy.  His name is a tribute to two very special men:  Stephen is in honor of Shawn’s father, and Belden is in honor of my grandfather, who we called Poppa.  I think the name fits him perfectly, and I know that our special angels are smiling over him. 



Prepping for Surgery



Stephen Belden, Born July 1st, 3:17am



Proud Papa



See...I told you he was perfect!



Bonding while Mommy is in Recovery




Getting ready to come home!