No Not a Spray Tan, Just a Little Jaundice!

When Gavin was born he ended up with a nasty bruise on his head. Because of the bruise the nurses and doctors at the hospital said there was a chance he could develop jaundice, but that his color looked good.

He was born on a Monday and by Wednesday we noticed he was overly sleepy, not eating well and his color had changed from when we brought him home from the hospital. Luckily the doctor was able to see him right away and thank goodness because his jaundice was advancing pretty rapidly. When his bilirubin level was checked on Tuesday before leaving the hospital it was 5.7 and when we checked it on Wednesday it was 17.0. I know lots of babies get jaundice, but I broke down and cried.

The doctors office sent over a nurse that night to the house and we got Gavin set up on a bilibed. My poor little guy had to stay on his bilibed continuously except for feedings. He was so sleepy all the time and not eating enough so I had to wake him up every two hours to eat, which totally sucked at night. I was so exhausted. The only bright side was we were able to put the bilibed between us to sleep at night. It sucked not be able to hold him or cuddle him as much as we wanted.

Every day the nurse came to the house to check his color, weigh him and unfortunately draw his blood. He had to stay on his bilibed for five long days. He is now looking and feeling much better. Thank goodness for great doctors and nurses.

Rub-A-Dub Unhappy Baby in the Tub!

Gavin's first bath time and he sure wasn't happy. Thankfully daddy was there the whole time because Gavin held on extra tight to daddy's finger for comfort.

Baby Gavin Has Arrived!!!

I can't believe he is here!

I cant believe we're parents!

I cant believe this perfect little person is mine!

There are so many emotions that Ian and I are experiencing: joy, elation, pride and most of all LOVE!

My labor started the night before around 8:00pm. To keep things moving Ian and I went walking around the neighborhood and tried to keep ourselves busy while my contractions became stronger and closer together. I cleaned house while Ian put the finishing touches
on Gavin's closet. Ian likes to say he waited to arrive until his room was finished. We headed to the hospital around 1:30am and checked ourselves in. From there things started to move fairly quickly. When we arrived I was still only dilated to 3cm. The midwife broke my water to help progress labor. To make me more comfortable during contractions the nurse tried to change up my positions but when that didn't work for me they put me in the tub. I have to say that tub became my new best friend, making it easier to relax in between contractions.

By 5:30 am we were ready to start pushing. Luckily my mom had gotten there just in time. Thankfully I had an amazing husband and my mom by my side. Ian was so helpful getting me ice and wet wash clothes for my forehead. Thanks to him I was able to keep pushing. At one point I wasn't sure if I could keep going, I felt so exhausted. I remember asking multiple times if they were sure he wasn't to big, but at that point Gavin's head was just starting to crown and Ian made me touch his head, despite my protests. That was all I needed, I became a determined woman after that. And it payed off because at 6:52am Gavin Edward Johnson arrived.

Geocaching at Point Defiance

What a beautiful day to geocach with my good friends Erin, Ashley and Mr. Rychlinski. It was my first time goecaching and it definitely took a little while to get the hang of it. Mr. Rychlinski found the first two treasures in no time but Ashley was able to find our most difficult and creative treasure of the day. Erin and I were no slouches though, it just took us a little longer to find our groove. There was a lot of walking involved but hopefully it will help this pregnancy move along. I had such a great time, I cant wait to do it again.