Darr Family Blog

So it’s a new year…and I realize that I haven’t posted anything since Joseph was a few weeks old…now he’s almost 5 months old…it seems like time is just flying by! We stayed home to ring in the new year…I know, what party animals we are! I was woken up at midnight by firecrackers as well as gunshots going off…luckily, Joseph slept through the whole thing. That’s one thing I have been ultra blessed with. That boy SLEEPS. He only wakes up once or twice in the night to be fed, and then he’s (for the most part) back to sleep. He also takes several naps during the day, making it easier for me to get things done. What a blessing! We have spent the rest of January just plugging through our routine. It’s gotten a bit easier, finding out that Joseph is lactose intolerant. A switch in types of formula (I’ve had to use formula for a while now…the little piglet was wanting WAY more than I could produce) and we’ve got a much happier baby…and a much happier mommy, who isn’t having to do 2-3 loads of laundry a day, or wincing every time a dirty diaper is expected (WILL it all be in the diaper?!). So, life is pretty good…nothing much else to report…and I hear cooing as well as raspberry-blowing (his latest discovery) coming from the other room…guess my break’s over, lol

I thought I’d test out my mad skills of lounging back on the couch, Joseph propped up against my shoulder, and my computer balanced on my lap. I can actually type like this, lol. I wanted to get out a quick update on the happenings here. We are settling into some sort of a semblence of a routine. Joseph is growing each and every day. It is so hard to believe that the baby I carried inside of me for nine months is now just over 3 weeks old. One month old is just around the corner! The more I look at him, the more I see his daddy in him. He’s got a few of my features, sure…but I think he is going to be his daddy’s boy, which I am ecstatic about, because his daddy is a very handsome man! I have adjusted to a somewhat fractured sleep pattern at night, as well as napping during the day when he does (unless I’m doing other stuff…laundry and dishes cannot be ignored for long…especially when I go to get out an outfit for him (usually at night) and realize that we’re down to one footie outfit (a must at night…easier for me to deal with only one article of clothing for diaper changes)…a load of his stuff goes in the next morning for sure. I had no idea that such a little person could go through so many clothes at a time! I suppose some of it can be attributed to the fact that I may not get his diaper on quite right at 2 in the morning, but I think that I’m slowly getting better at that as well…I’m amazed at how quickly the day goes by when it revolves around: change, feed, (sometimes change again), rock to sleep, feed Mommy, sleep, repeat (with an occasional shower or errand thrown into the mix). We’ve already had quite a few outings as well…the commissary, Target, and the bank. Not to mention church. I went back the first Sunday after he was home. I just felt the need to be there. Plus, I know how easy it is to slip into the, “I’ll stay home just today” cycle that quickly becomes a habit. Luckily for me, Joseph seems to handle church quite well, as long as it doesn’t interfere with his feedings, lol. Let’s just say I am glad that there is a mothers’ room 🙂 I have found, though, that while it is good to get out of the house and do stuff (and a couple of times my parents came and sat with Joseph so that I could get some errands done…SO grateful for their support as well), I really prefer being at home. It really can be a Heaven on Earth.

I need to try to type this quickly, while Joseph is still sleeping 🙂 I wanted to post this so that family and friends have the particulars of Joseph’s birth. I had my last doctor’s appointment on Friday, Sept. 2, where my doctor stripped my membranes (sorry if that’s too much TMI). Paul and I then went to Target to get a few last minute things, when I got a call from my doctor’s nurse, saying they thought that my doctor might have inadvertently broken my water (so THAT’s what that small gush was), and that if I felt like I was leaking (again, sorry…) to go into the hospital. I was a bit, but it wasn’t too bad. Then contractions started coming…and started getting closer together and more consistent. Paul downloaded an app on his phone so that we could time them properly, which was a lifesaver! I also noticed I was leaking more fluid, so after a couple of hours, we called the hospital. At first they wanted me to wait a bit more, but when they found out that I was leaking, they told me to come in. So we grabbed everything and drove to the hospital. We got there about 7 PM, and they did some tests for amniotic fluid, as well as hooking me up to monitors to track contractions and Joseph’s heart-beat. After the tests came back positive, they admitted me and started pitocin. I wasn’t progressing very quickly, and was in a lot of pain, so they gave me my epidural at 3:00 AM on the 3rd (I was 2 centimeters). After that, I was actually able to go to sleep! I slept until 5 AM when they came to check me again…and I was 4 centimeters…I was gearing myself up for a long day. Then, they checked me at 8 AM, and I was 9.5 centimeters! We got that last .5 centimeters gone, and I started pushing. Joseph’s heart would decelerate every time that I had a contraction, so they ended up using a vacuum to assist in the delivery (they REALLY didn’t want me to get a C-section). At 9:17 AM, Paul Joseph Darr III was born. They had to take him to the NICU for a bit because there was meconium present, and they wanted to be sure he hadn’t inhaled any of it. We got a bit of skin-to-skin time, and then they came and took him. He was only there for less than an hour, and then he got to come back in with us. After that, things got into a routine, and we actually came home the next day. It has been more than a week, and it amazes me each time that I look at him. Paul and I CREATED him! We are truly blessed 🙂