Number One Baby

Jennifer also tagged me with this one, about your first baby. I hope this doesn't fall into the category of "TOO MUCH INFORMATION." I really tried not to be too graphic. However, if you've never had a baby, don't blame me if this freaks you out.

First, some photos of my little guy. Note how pale, pink, and practically bald he was-- NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING!!!! I really thought people would question my virtue... However, who could be disappointed with a cutie like that? I was really relieved he was so adorable.

1. Were you married at the time? Yes

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? I hate to admit this, but I had no clue I might be pregnant until I went to the doctor with an ear infection and the doctor asked, before writing a prescription for antibiotics, "Are you sure you're not pregnant?" Oh, I was sure... I had PMS, right...? That night, I did the math. Then I started FREAKING OUT, and praying to get my period. I felt totally overwhelmed. However, I knew I did want children, so I decided instead to pray for peace, no matter what the outcome. The moment the nurse told me I was pregnant, I felt a calm wash over me that erased the anxiety. THEN, I was really happy.

3. How old were you? 28 when I found out, 29 when he was born.

4.How did you find out you were pregnant? I took 2 home pregnancy tests, but I was in denial until I got the results of my blood test (over the telephone)!

5. Who did you tell first? The Daddy-O, who laughed!

6. Did you want to find out the sex? Absolutely! The Daddy-O said he would have preferred to "be surprised," although, being a witch doctor, he said from the beginning, "it's a boy." I say, as long as I'm having the babies, we're finding out ASAP.

7. Due date? June 19.

8. Did you deliver early or late? I was induced on the 21st, two days late.

9.Did you have morning sickness? Praise the Lord, no. I did have some queasiness for a few weeks, but no throwing up.

10. What did you crave? What didn't I crave? First bananas, then McDonalds McNuggets, Fruit Loops (dry), Crunch Berry cereal (dry), chocolate milk, Cherry Pepsi, lemon poppyseed muffins (gasp!), carrot sticks, pineapple... etc. I also consumed MASS quantities of ketchup and tomato sauce. I easily could have eaten pizza, spaghetti, or lasagna EVERY day. After the fifth month, I never felt full. Ever.

11. Who irritated you the most? Again, this is horrible, but probably the kids I worked with at school. In all fairness, one of them scratched up my wrists and broke my necklace. Another liked to scream and run away from me. One kid asked me why I was so fat. Another told me I couldn't be married to Daddy-O because he was brown and I was white. Yeah, good times...

12. What was your first child’s sex? Boy

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 39 lbs, at the highest point (about 38 weeks) . By my due date, it was down to 34 lbs, but I found the whole process very traumatizing. There is a reason I don't have a scale at home!

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Hmm, this falls under the "do you really want to know?" category. At 15 weeks, I had unexplained bleeding and had to go to the ER. The only good thing about that was getting to see him on Ultrasound 5 weeks ahead of schedule. The ultrasound tech commented on how much he moved, and correctly predicted his gender.

During the last 2 months, I retained huge amounts of water and was uncomfortable all the time, so I had to take sick leave the last 2 weeks of school. But, the real problems began at the very end of my pregnancy, when I tested positive for group-B strep (not such a big deal) and my always-perfect blood pressure suddenly shot up at the end. That's when they decided to schedule the induction. Of course, if you know me REALLY well, you know my major complications all occurred after his birth. :(

15. Where did you give birth? Mary Greeley Medical Center

16.How many hours were you in labor? They broke my water at 7:30 am. But I swear I never felt a contraction until noon, after a LOT of pitocin. Then they were suddenly NON-stop. Kiddo was born at 5:55 p.m. If he'd had a smaller head, he could have been born almost 2 hours earlier. The very nice, but nonetheless dingy, nurse said, "Oh, you'll have him out in about 3 good pushes." HA! Famous last words...

17. Who drove you to the hospital? The Daddy-O.

18. Who watched? The Daddy-O and my Mommy.

19. Was it vaginal or c-section? Vaginal, but with forceps. Blech.

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? You bet your sweet bippy. After an hour straight of constant contractions, I could hardly breathe at all. Yeah, I wanted to go natural, but... I'm a total wimp. After the epidural, I felt tired, boneless, and shivered a lot, but I didn't feel anything from the waist down until after he was born. For a brief hour I thought, "hey, that wasn't bad at all." Then the real pain began (from 3rd degree tearing and a grapefruit-sized hematoma)...

21. How much did your child weigh? 7 lbs, 14 ounces.

22. What did you name him/her? Well, you know I'm not posting that. But his first name is my Dad's name, and his middle name was chosen by my husband's parents, and means "prayer." I had considered naming him Isaac, since we laughed when we found out (plus, I love the name), or Moses, since I was reading the Old Testament while I was pregnant and wondered why nobody names their kid after an awesome guy like Moses any more. However, about 2 months before Kiddo came along, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their son Moses, and I REALLY didn't want anyone to think we copied them. I do love them both, but just not that much.

23. How old is your first born today? Two, going on 40.

I always feel disappointed if I tag someone, and they don't want to do it, so here's the deal: if you're reading, and have a first-born, and you want to, I tag you. If you'd rather not, don't worry about it. I promise I'll still love you.