I cannot believe that Jake is 3 weeks old and I am just now updating this blog. Matt and I started it right after we found out that we were having a boy. We intended to write often, but come to find out that after you find out the baby's gender, not alot of excitement happens until his birth. Just a bunch of indigestion, baby shopping, and preparation (or panic). Now that Jake is here, there is alot to tell about. Some of it is probably exciting to us just because we are first time parents and are amazed by our little guy. Either way, we are hoping this blog will document our family life for whoever is interested.
On June 17, 2011 (Matt's 30th birthday), I went to the doctor and was disappointed to hear that I had made no progress. I was resigned to the notion that Jake would be late and I needed to deal with it, although I prefer to do things on time, if not early. Much to my surprise, on June 18, I woke up at about 7:30am in labor. To spare all the details, we'll just stick to "labor" as the term for extreme pain and discomfort. Until about 11:00am, my contractions were about 10 minutes apart. We called Labor and Delivery and they said to wait an hour. We went to the hospital (Reynolds Army Community Hospital on post at Fort Sill) at 12:20pm and I was kept there for about an hour. After determining that I had not made enough progress to stay, we were sent home and asked to return around 3 or 4 pm. I was not a happy camper as I had envisioned (foolishly) that this process would be quick and easy with an amazing result (I was right about the last part). The nurse told me to go walk - maybe at the mall. This may be the first time in my life that I was repulsed by the thought of a trip to the mall. I was not going to give birth at the Lawton mall. After another unpleasant couple of hours at home, we returned to the hospital at 3:50pm. I was admitted and moved to my room by 4:27pm.
I promptly began my campaign for an epidural and received it an hour later after I got a bag of fluid (5:50pm). I'll never forget my buddy Jeff (Jeff-i-dural as he was referred to), the anesthesiologist. What a hero! He made the epidural easy and labor pain free! Things got a bit tense when the nurse and doctor expressed concern that Jake's heartrate was dipping after each contraction (contractions I couldn't even feel, I may add). They would switch my position which would remedy the situation temporarily, but Dr. Heirigs and our nurse, Cambria, were watching the monitors carefully. At 9:45pm, I was given petosin to speed up my progress. Jake's baseline heartrate was dipping and he was showing other signs of distress. He needed to be evicted from his 10 month home soon! After pushing, the vacuum, and other measures, Dr. Heirigs determined that an emergency C Section was necessary. Nurse Cambria was on top of it as she already had the whole team dressed and ready so we could waste no time when Dr. Heirigs made the call.
Once again, enter my friend Jeff-i-dural, who made sure that the surgery was as enjoyable (haha) as possible for me. I was really out of it and Matt was impressed with the amount of morphine I was given. I remember Matt coming in to announce that the surgical mask would not fit over his nose. I remember the doctor saying he couldn't find my bladder (I choose not to ask any questions about this as I'm sure they found it and put it back in its place). And I remember hearing my sweet Jake cry for the first time! Matt showed him to me, but I was a bit toocross eyed and doped up to get a clear view. Jake was taken back to our room to get cleaned up while I was recovering.
Jake's first visitors were GM and GP (Bontempi grandparents), Oma and Opa (Bandi grandparents), and Aunt Abby. He was loved immediately and has been ever since!
We came home from the hospital June 21 and made a few trips back to the pediatrician to monitor Jake's jaundice (which is gone now). My mom stayed with us for a few days as Matt completed another week of work before leave and I needed alot of assistance after surgery. I don't think GM minded hanging with Jake!
In the first 3 weeks, Jake has added quite a few activities to his daily life. He has had many visitors (GM, GP, Oma, Opa, Aunt Abby, Debbie Reimer, Aunt Harriet, Uncle Joel, Anna, Laurie, Joanie and Godmother Natalie Raff). He is also excited to meet his great grandmother and his cousin Leah Weinstein this week. Jake met his first baby friend, Tyson Walker, yesterday and was even a good boy when we went to eat at Johnny Carino's. Our little man loves his puppies (Tank and Bella) and they love him! His favorite activities include: eating, sleeping, peeing, pooping, crying, and snuggling. Sometimes Jake teases us by sleeping through the night, but it is a much appreciated surprise when it happens.
We are so happy to have Jake in our family. Matt and I are excited to watch him grow...but not too fast!
Here are some pictures from the first three weeks. Gracious knows I have a zillion on my phone, but I'll try to limit myself. More to come soon.
Jake - brand new!
Taking a snooze - a favorite passtime (during the day more so than at night)
Sunglasses make spitting up way cooler.
Tyson Walker and Jake Bandi (July 9, 2011). Michael and Amber Walker are good friends and West Point classmates of Matt's. We are both in Oklahoma for awhile and enjoying being new parents together.
Human family shot
GP and Jake
GM and Jake
Oma and Opa
The whole family including the furry siblings
Growth picture - 1 week 4 days old
Jake - 3 weeks 1 day
Tank - 4 years, 7 months
Bella - 1 week until 1st birthday
Jake - 3 weeks 1 day
Written By: Shanda
