246...

Number of days that Jake has been alive. 188...number of days he's been home. Lately, I've been drifting back to those first 58 days quite often. It seems like a lifetime ago. It often seems like a dream. Did I really deliver my child nearly 3 months early? Was I in the hospital for a week? Did only get to briefly see him and then have to wait until the next day to actually meet my son? Did I then really have to wait a week to finally hold him? A month to bathe him? Two months to take him home?



When Jake was in the hospital, I didn't take time to blog...ha...I didn't have the time to blog. I also didn't have time to write in a journal or otherwise record the experience. So, I thought I'd try to take some time in the next few days (okay, so in reality with me it will likely be weeks) to blog about those 58 days.



Days 1 and 2...


DAY 1, January 10, 2007
I learned the night before that they would be inducing me. Through the night, the doctor on call started to get concerned about a few small episodes of bradycardia and finally decided to speed up the induction by a couple of hours. I don't have fond memories of the 12 hours I was in labor. The very best moment was the moment that Dr. McLees said the magical word that I'd been waiting for...c-section! At last! I was so ready to have the delivery over...mostly because of the drug I was on to prevent me from having seizures--magnesium sulfate. The mag made me beyond lethargic. By the end (I'd been on it for several days), I could barely move or speak. In my head I was participating in conversations, but what actually came out was "buuuuuuuh." Not my best moment.



Andy was with me for the delivery. He was so sweet and so terrified. He wouldn't watch the surgery...the wuss! :) I had an epidural rather than a spinal block because of my blood pressure. I was surprised that I could actually feel a tugging and then feel when they pulled Jake out. It only took a split second for him to cry, but that was honestly one of the longest moments of my life as I closed my eyes and held my breath. They prepared me that it could be up to 3 days before I'd actually see Jake...he would be whisked away to NICU and I would be bedridden and on the mag for up to 3 days to give my kidneys time to recover. Miraculously, his breathing was stable enough for them to bring him right up to my face before taking him away. 3 seconds...that was about all I had. The mag also made my vision terrible--I had double vision, so I had to concentrate really hard and close one eye to get a good look at him. It would be another week before I'd get to kiss him again.



27 minutes...the length of the entire surgery. McLees is a speedy guy...and good...you should see my scar--it's fantastic.



12 hours...the amount of time before I get the best news since learning Jake was healthy...they were stopping the mag...I'd get to see Jake within hours. It was 4am on Day 2--January 11, 2007. My room was ready by 10am and as soon as I moved (and we had a lot to move:), Andy wheeled me to the NICU. I scrubbed in for the first time; he wheeled me through the door, down a row lined with isolettes, turned the corner and Jake was straight ahead. It was so overwhelming. Part of it was also so unfair. Andy and the grandparents had all got to spend time with Jake. They'd toured the NICU. They'd met the nurses, learned the lingo and the procedures...and here I was, his mother, lost and essentially the last to meet my son for the first time. I cried...a lot...I still cry now thinking about it. I could never see how small he really was...how scary he looked (seriously)...all I could see was my Jake. My beautiful Jake...and how he looked just like his daddy.

246 days ago . . . 2 pounds, 9 ounces/ 14 1/2 inches long

Fun in the Florida Sun

So, I thought maybe I should post some pictures from our trip to Florida. I only wish we had pictures of Jake in the ocean...he had a blast. Of course, because it was so hot, he only lasted about 1/2 hour, but he was all smiles during that period.

Jake chillin' in the hotel room

View of the beach from our hotel room

Grandma let Jake do his favorite thing--hang out naked...well, he was wearing his hat!

I took some time away from "mommy duties" to hang out with my friends (Amy, Brian & Dan)

Amy and I may have had a bit too much fun by this point in the night!

Jake had his own seat on the flight to Cincinnati...such a big boy!

I love this picture of my two favorite boys in the whole world! It just looks like Jake and Nate are deep in conversation!

This photo-blog wouldn't be complete without this picture--of my very favorite (male) cousin and Jake. As you can see, Jake was mesmerized by Tyler (aka Bubba).

I'll sign off by reminding everyone of the countdown---3 days, 14+ hours and counting until OSU FOOTBALL!!!!!! 3 days, 22+ hours until it's FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!!!!

Affair in Red Square

In 8 years of driving on Neyland Drive, I've often had to stop in the middle of the road and wait for the geese to cross the street. Thursday morning on my way into work there were two dead geese in the road. It breaks my heart.

I took a couple of hours to myself today and joined my friend Kristi at SoHo for a mani/pedi. My feet are now in beach shape and my nails look fabulous! I've also discovered my new favorite color--from the OPI Russian Collection--An Affair in Red Square:




Last week we got to hang out with some old friends and, of course, Jake was a doll! He was also stylin' in his Cincinnati Reds gear (compliments of Grandpa Steve):

Although everyone always says that Jake looks EXACTLY like Andy, I never really saw it, until I saw the picture above on the right! Shauna is right....it's like Andy has a "mini-me."

We leave for Florida this Tuesday. Traveling with a 7 month old and with no car is sure to be an adventure, but I'm really looking forward to all of the time I'll get to spend with Jake.

One last picture before I sign off. Grandma and Grandpa bought this for Jake at Bass Pro Shops (of course) and it finally fits! Look closely, you may not see him:)

Boating Fun!

Check out Jake's first trip to the lake!

Jake's Big Weekend

First let me apologize for the second post in a row without a picture or video...I'll strive to do better in the future:) Jake had a very productive weekend with two major developments.

1. He actually CRAWLED! Well, it was a form of crawling at least. On Saturday, Andy turned him over for tummy time and the next thing we know he's scooted/crawled over 2 feet across the floor. It wasn't a full blown crawl b/c he kept his right hand in his mouth the whole time, which brings me to...
2. He's teething. All of my friends are confirming my suspicions. He's been constantly gnawing on everything...his hand, his blanket, toys, clothes, and he's drooling a lot. He also got fussy a few times this weekend without explanation. All of that adds up to the fact that my baby boy must have his first tooth on the way!

Portrait Session

I almost forgot to mention...we had a fabulous photographer come to the house last week to photograph Jake and Mikah. She's posted a few of the pictures of Jake on her blog. He was fantastic...he smiled and laughed for her and then fell asleep and let her mold him into different positions for more pictures. If the rest of the photos are anything like the ones she posted, I'm in for some hard decision making when it comes to choosing which ones to buy!

So far, the favorite of most is the picture of Jake in his red chair. What do you think?

By the way, I would highly recommend Nancy (www.nancyhellsten.com). She has tons of photos posted on her website and blog and are worth checking out!

Lake v. Beach -- Lake Wins

Jake's had an exciting past few weeks. He had both is first trips to the lake and the ocean; he turned 6 months old; and he started daycare!

The Lake--Jake loved it! Well, at least he loved hanging out in the boat with mommy and daddy. He wasn't quite so sure about the water, but really enjoyed floating after he got used to it. We had the best time with him...despite the bumpy beginning to that particular lake trip. Let's just say that I won't be pulling the boat trailer in a crowded parking lot anytime soon!

The Ocean--I think Charleston was just too hot for my poor little guy. He's not a huge fan of sun anyway and even with a baby tent (Thanks Jen!), it was still a little much for him. He was a trooper though--he spent a couple hours on the beach and some more time at the pool. I'll definitely be signing us up for swim classes b/c he really enjoyed the pool.

6 months--Has it really been 6 months?

Daycare--I think this has been much harder on me then Jake. He is such a happy baby! He smiles when I drop him off in the morning and smiles when Andy picks him up. His teachers all comment on what a happy baby he is and how he just smiles all day long! That has helped alleviate my anxiety and mommy guilt. I am so lucky to have such a good baby. The only issue has been his schedule...I think he's still trying to get used to daycare and work out when he wants to eat, nap, sleep. I'm hoping he's not sleeping at noon today, b/c I'm hoping to pop in for a quick visit. Mom is picking him up today and keeping him overnight...I need to visit to avoid massive Jake withdrawals later tonight!

Well, I don't have the beach pictures uploaded yet, but here are some others from the lake:

He was very happy to get out of the life jacket and hang out on the boat deck for awhile!

He preferred just skimming the top of the water.

He sat and entertained up by jabbering and screeching for quite awhile!

His daddy was cracking him up!

He's starting to get the hang of a spoon.

A New Man..um, Baby

We're post-surgery now and all is well. Jake had a great time playing before they took him bak. He especially loved chewing on his hospital gown. He stole the hearts of many! I only had to be apart from him for a little more than an hour. Seeing him post-op was probably one of the worst things I've ever experienced...even worse than the NICU. He was in so much pain and was inconsolable. Once the pain meds kicked in...all was well. After a couple of days of being groggy, he is now back to normal and even now seems to play more than before!

Jake has also learned a new trick....he can roll over on his own! Ugh! So he can make it to his stomach, but I'm not sure he can roll all the way over. He loves to sleep on his stomach...though he always has. Because of tummy aches, he spent a lot of time on his stomach in NICU.

Our Own Personal Bumpkus'

When they moved in several months ago, we joked that the Bumpkus' had moved in. They had tons of cars parked in their driveway and their yard. We also likened him to Frank the Tank, as he not only worked on his cars in his driveway, but always had his classic rock loudly blaring. I put up with all of that, even found it endearing. But, after last night, much like Ralphie's dad, I'm ready to declare war on our Bumpkus'.

2am last night, I'm awoken to the loud sound of a car alarm just outside my window. This honking persists for what seems like hours, but was more likely about 15 minutes. Oh yeah, and providing backup vocals to the horn was every single dog in the neighborhood (save my two angels:). 5 minutes later...alarm (and dogs) AGAIN. Now I'm completely awake and annoyed. After another 15-20 minutes, the alarm is silenced again....for a total of maybe 2 minutes. I try to cover my head with the pillow...doesn't even begin to mute the sound. I proceed to the guest bedroom, where the sound of the alarm is muted, but the sound of the dog chorus is elevated. Ugh! Andy tried to come to my rescue. He got dressed and went to the Bumpkus' house, banging on the door and ringing the doorbell. Either they were not at home, or scared of my Andy:)

Finally, after an hour and a half, God had mercy on me and somehow silenced the alarm. The irony of the incident is that Jake actually slept through the night. I would have had about 6-7 hours of beautiful, uninterrupted sleep but for that *&^% car alarm! I'm even more pissed that I'm too exhausted to confront the jerk when I get home tonight.

Sorry for the rant....and for lack of new Jake picture. Jake IS officially off of the monitor now. His hernia surgery will be scheduled this Thursday. No other updates...he's just as fantastic as ever!!!

More Jake

I haven't had much time to blog lately...very busy week. But, here is a quick Jake update. He's now 10 pounds. He had his sleep study at the hospital yesterday. He hated the medicine they gave him and having all of the wires and probes peeled off of him (can you blame him?), but he was such a trooper. He slept most of the day, so I'm looking forward to this weekend with him. Look for pictures/video next week of Jake's first day on the lake! Also, we should hear from the apnea clinic today whether we can finally "officially" ditch the monitor for good.

Kudos to Lost, To Hell with Grey's

Kudos to Lost. I loved the episode again this week. I have a couple of criticisms, but was very pleased overall. As for Grey's . . . to hell will Grey's. The season finale was the worst episode of the entire series. Nearly everything about this episode pissed me off--in no particular order:

• George/Izzy storyline continues to be ridiculous!


• Callie as chief resident over Bailey? Come on! Earlier this season the Chief was basically telling Miranda that she'd be chief of surgery if she were an attending.


• Meredith--I'm over her character. The writers explain that the episode shows how flawed she is and that she never had a parental example of how to be in a relationship. Boo freakin' hoo! I could now care less if she and Derick ever end up together. I wish she'd drowned and put us all out of OUR misery.


• Burke/Cristina storyline . . . huh? Are you kidding! That was out of left field and it sucked!


• Chief chooses new Chief only to remain Chief. Stupid! And how can he get back together with Adele if he continues to be Chief?


• Alex/Ava . . . does anyone remember Izzy/Denny? Another doctor/patient relationship?


• Speaking of Ava--Griffin as her husband (or was it his twin, aka Pink?)--I love the actor, but what in the hell was on his chin? Terrible.

What did I like? Not much, but here it is:

• George failing...that's what you get, you cheater!


• The moment between Bailey and George.


• The fact that Adele's baby was Richard's.


• Callie...even though she shouldn't be chief resident...she is fantastic. How sad that she's grasping at straws to keep her marriage together.


• Sandra Oh...I hated her storyline, but she is a fantastic actress.

Okay, enough about crappy television. I've been very neglectful in posting any updates on Jake lately. In a nutshell, he is fabulous. He's now 9lbs., 10oz. Here is a video of him enjoying his swing:

It's Official

It's official. Having a baby has truly changed my life, scrambled my brain. Before this weekend, other than adjusting to less sleep, I could have argued that my life was not much different. Then it happened...this past Saturday...I FORGOT the draft. ME...just completely forgot. I remembered about 4 hours in, just in time to catch the end of the first round.

Despite the fact that it's changed me, I am enjoying motherhood. I'm loving my weekends with Jake. We've been able to spend lots of alone time on Saturdays. He hasn't weighed in for a couple of weeks, but he's definitely well over 8 pounds now.

Mother's Day weekend, we are walking in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica (www.walkamerica.org/jakerice). It terrifies me how many people I personally know who have been touched by premature births. I know that Jake is part miracle and partly a product of all of the research and development accomplished with the help of the March of Dimes. So, I'm really looking forward to working with this organization.

Okay, back to Heroes . . . which has become a television version of the X-men. Of course, I love the X-men!

Saturday Night

These days, my Saturday night's are simply thrilling. I'm still in my pajamas at 9:25 p.m. and posting to this blog. I really don't have anything to say, but did want to post some newer pictures of Jake. He is now weighing in at nearly 7 1/2 pounds. Today he's been eating about every hour and a half, so he may just make it to 8 pounds this week:) He's still on his heart monitor, but barely wearing it. He's had no real alarms since we've been home, so he now just has to wear it when he's asleep and we're not close by. We can get rid of it for good once he undergoes a sleep study. Overall, Jake is still the sweetest thing and Andy and I are still counting our blessings!!!

That's What She Said

I hate coming up with a title for these things. I'm watching The Office, so loyal fans will know where I got this title. While we are on this topic, I must say that Dwight Shrute is the most awesome (yes, I said awesome) character to EVER be on television. I love Dwight!

So, this is a picture of my 38 week gestational age son holding his own bottle. We keep trying to explain to him that he's not even supposed to be born yet, but he doesn't seem to notice or care.

I also had to add the second picture because it is just so damned cute! Jake was wide awake tonight after bath time (which he seems to really like...after the initial shock of being in water) and being so adorable! He's also wearing his new OSU hat for the first time...in support of their first tournament game. Unfortunately, he has no UT gear small enough for him right now.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You . . .

What would have me singing like Annie, you may ask? WE'RE GOING HOME . . . TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rooming in with Jake last night went really well. The comforts of a hospital room leave something to be desired, but being in the same room with Jake for more than a few hours more than makes up for the accommodations.

I'm still rather in shock that we are finally bringing our baby boy home. He's coming home on a monitor. I'm happy for the extra piece of mind, though my goodness is that damned thing loud! :)

Feeding time! More later . . .

Back in the Saddle

ANDREW JACOB "JAKE" RICE

Born January 10, 2006 4:46 p.m.

I thought that was a great way to begin . . . it explains why I've been MIA for so long. Although I could easily compose a small novel recounting the past 6 weeks, I'll try to break it down briefly. . . Due to a sudden onset (and very severe) of toxemia, Jake was able to make his appearance a bit early...11 weeks early! We have truly been blessed with a wonderful and HEALTHY child...which is no small feat for a 29 week preemie.

Jake continues to reside in the NICU (in his new, fabulous private room!) at UTMC, though we hope to bring him home very soon. He's been off of oxygen for a couple of weeks, is now in a crib bed, holding his own heat and keeping his stats stable. Up next...ditching that feeding tube. I'm confident he'll get the bottle/breast feeding down in no time (we just started tonight).

This picture is from tonight's visit. Not only is he grinning (which he does often), but he is also striking a Heisman pose! I'll do my best to keep the blog updated and post updated pictures of Jake...but with my schedule, I make no promises:)

Playing Catch Up

Okay, so I’ve been MIA for a long time. Well, now I have a lot to catch up on.
1. We’re having a BOY!!!
2. OSU v. Michigan in 9 days . . .
3. The Democrats took both houses of Congress….and Rumsfeld is out!!!
4. Just got back from a fantastic trip to NYC with 6 of my girlfriends.
5. Did I mention we're having a boy?! I think that will have to be the focus of this post. So, this first ultrasound picture proves it. If you can't tell, the arrow is pointing at the penis. How funny is it that I have a penis growing inside of me? :) Anyway, this shows his little bottom and his legs. The next picture is my very favorite . . . This one shows his perfect little face with his hands up just in front of his chin. It was truly amazing how much he's grown!

I'm also feeling him move regularly now...and I love that only I can feel him right now.

So, world, meet my son...Jacob (Jake). Formally to be either Andrew Jacob or Jacob Andrew. Isn't he gorgeous?! :)

Catching up . . .

Since it has been so long, I thought there would be no harm if I made two posts today.

Why I think we're having a girl:

1. Had a dream it is a girl (though I was disappointed in said dream!);
2. High heartbeat, which some claim points to girl (though absolutely no scientific correlation);
3. Chinese Calendar says girl (though one Chinese calendar I consulted said boy?);
4. From day 1 Andy and I both have had a strong "girl vibe;" and
5. God is sure to punish me (pay me back) for all of the bickering, fighting and headaches I caused my own mother over the years.

My biggest fear if I find out in 4 1/2 weeks (i'm not counting down or anything:) that we're having a girl: having a sudden urge to buy all things PINK. Ugh! I know I'll do it, I'm sure it's inevitable. Meanwhile, I'm telling myself that the nursery will still be blue and yellow and red and green (all primary colors) and that I will NOT give in to the Pink!

"We Have a Soccer Player!"

Well 10 1/2 weeks down and 29 1/2 to go! Our first "official OB" appointment is now behind us and we still have a healthy pregnancy. Given my history, the doctor agreed to a quick ultrasound so that I could have some piece of mind. I was not prepared for what we saw...a baby with arms and legs actually moving around! Andy is certain that we have a soccer player on our hands! The nurse pointed out that baby loves being on camera because it was moving around like crazy (a bit of his/her mom in 'em already perhaps:).

I am now, finally, breathing a big sigh of relief. I'm also allowing myself to get excited and start to make plans for this baby. I close my eyes and still only see that ultrasound...and a tear escapes.

Oh yeah....and GO BUCKS! And VOLS!

Circle of Life

So happy to report that today is a good day. Okay, not so much good as AMAZING!!! I know it's much too early to get too excited and be shouting to the world, but I cannot help myself. World, meet Baby Rice:) I have obviously been on pins and needles with this pregnancy and I do understand that we are not out of the woods yet, but my doctor has no reason to believe that this will not be a HEALTHY pregnancy!

I've read about first hearing the baby's heartbeat and knew that we should hear a heartbeat today...but nothing can prepare you for actually hearing it! I think Andy and I also had tears of joy in our eyes, since we never had the opportunity to hear the last baby's heartbeat. Our next goal is to make it past 9 weeks. Although I am breathing a bit easier today, I will feel much more relief if we make it through our next visit on September 1st with a good report (at which time the chance of miscarriage--still hate that word--will drop to only 4%).

Kim and I had a very short discussion today...we can't help but think that this baby is meant to make it. It would somehow make sense that God is giving me this life to help make up for our loss of Zane this week. Yes, I guess I am back on speaking terms with God...at least I am now that I had such a good report today.

Have I mentioned that I heard a HEARTBEAT???!!! I haven't been this happy in awhile and I am truly thankful.