The first gallery is now up!  It is located on the right and is called “Zoe in Hospital”.  The gallery with Zoe’s first days at home will be up shortly.  Enjoy!

Jon Q

PS. OK, here is one of her at her first bath…

 

Today was Zoe’s first bath at home (we’ll spare the naked pics for now) and Michelle picked out some new threads.  Check out how clean she looks!

Jon Q

 

 

In honor of Zoe’s one-week birthday, I thought I’d post a little more about her actual delivery. (Feel free to skip if you’re not  interested in labor stories!) As a bit of background, on Wed. night we went to a neighbor’s pre-Thanksgiving party, where I ate tons of cheese and other appetizers (note: this is relevant for later) and got tons of advice/well-wishes from the oodles of moms there. We headed to bed around 11, and I woke up a few hours later with some major stomach issues. I immediately blamed the cheese, but when the pains started coming at fairly regular intervals, I started to think about labor. I actually got on my Treo in the middle of the night and Googled “labor pains and gas” to see if labor could possibly feel like GI pains. Indeed, it could!

I woke up Q around 6 AM, and we started doing contraction counts at 8. Football games came on at 9, so I was kept distracted by them for awhile – but by noon, the contractions had become pretty intense. They tell you to wait to go to the hospital until the 5-1-1 rule (one-minute long contractions every five minutes for an hour) applies, but most of my contractions – painful as they were – only lasted 20 or 30 seconds. When we called the hospital, the triage nurse told us that we should probably wait to come in; if we showed up too early, we would just be sent home.

By 2 PM or so, my mind-set was “screw the nurse!” I was in some pretty major pain, so we headed to the hospital (which, luckily, is only 10 minutes away). I was taken to an exam room and – after what felt like hours of waiting for a doctor to see me – we learned I was already 5 cm dilated. (For those not in-the-know, you only go to 10 cm before it’s time to deliver.) “When can I get the epidural?” was one of my first comments to the nurse – that, and “I’m sorry I can’t talk. I didn’t know it would hurt this much.”

I was taken to a delivery room and an anesthesiologist was paged. He was all set to give me an epidural – but only after my platelet count got checked. Unfortunately, the lab took forever to get back to us, and it wasn’t until 6 or so that I finally got the go-ahead. (My platelets, thank God, were high enough.) It was worth the wait, though: Once the medication kicked in, I felt like a new woman. I had virtually no pain, and I was just so happy that the worst part was over.

I was checked shortly after getting the epidural and was told I was fully dilated. We’re fairly confident that I had gotten all the way to at 8 or 9 cm before I got the meds – which means that Ms. Pain Management herself basically experienced natural childbirth (without wanting to)! If I had to do anything over, I would have gotten to the hospital sooner, and demanded a blood test upon arrival!

Back to the story… The labor team had me rest for a little while, and we started pushing around 8. This part of the process was amazing – and totally different than I had expected. Maybe I’ve watched too many movies and ER episodes, but I imagined that labor would involve tons of people coming and going (and yelling at you to push) in a sterile, bright room. During the majority of my pushing time, though, there were just three of us – Q, the labor nurse and me – in the dimly lit room. It was just so tranquil, and I told the nurse that if we had some incense and candles, it would feel like a spa! The nurse was absolutely amazing, and beween contractions the three of us talked about a whole bunch of non-baby topics, including football. (She’s a huge Chiefs fan, and she was thrilled when Q pulled out his cell phone, checked the score, and informed her that they had won that night’s game.)

My contractions slowed down, but after a bit of Pitocin things sped up again. Q was really hoping that the baby’s birthday wouldn’t be the 23rd (why? it’s a long story), and it was looking like perhaps we would make it to the 24th. But then, a bit before 11, a team of doctors came in, and we knew it wouldn’t be long. The doctors got on their gowns and approached me, and I was told that all it would take was one final push. “That’s it? One push and she’s here?” I asked, and I remember thinking, “Oh my God – this is it.” Sure enough, one (painless) push later, out came Zoe. They plunked her on my belly, and I was in total awe over what just happened. As posted earlier, it was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. I was too much in shock to even cry, although I certainly did get teary.

The rest of the night is like a blur. They had me stay in the delivery room for at least a few hours; they wanted to make sure I was okay after the pain medication stopped (I was) and that my platelets were still at a good level (they were). Q’s brother Dan and his girlfriend, Jenny, came to visit us - so they were the first family members to welcome Zoe to the world. I was moved into a postpartum room around 2 AM, and both Q and Zoe were able to stay with me. Q called it a slumber party, and it was certainly one of the most fun ones I’ve ever had (despite all the nurses/doctors coming and going every few hours)!

The rest of the stay was positive and uneventful, until we learned about Zoe’s platelets on Sat. afternoon. The extra days at the hospital threw us a curveball, but the experience wasn’t terribly negative. We met some amazing people – including this sweet and fun nurse who actually lives three blocks from us (we’re getting together for coffee in a few weeks) – and got a lot of baby tips from the nursery staff. The time there was also a total bonding experience for me and Q, and we were able to get into a little pattern when it came to caring for Zoe. (I was the feeder, he was the soother and diaper-changer.)

Despite my lifelong fears of labor (and general ambivalence about having children), one of my first thoughts after having Zoe was, “I want to do this again!” I even started feeling sad that I wasn’t pregnant any longer! (Of course, that could have just been the hormones.) The pains and troubles really WERE worth it, and I’m so grateful to have experienced such an incredible thing. As I told my dad this morning, the pain was worse than I thought it would be – but the payoff was better.

-M

As anyone who has had a baby knows, having help the first few weeks really is nice.  Well, Zoe is having both sets of grandparents visit her in her first 2 week of life.  This week is time for Zoe to meet Grandma and Grandpa Brandt.  They must be doing something right because every time they pick her up, she falls fast asleep.  More fun posts to come as the week progresses…

Jon Q

 

 

OK, enough about the cigars and beer that dad had today – he was able to drink and smoke for the past 9 months.  How about mom’s first drink?

Jon Q

 

 

 

A wise man once said, you just haven’t had a child until you have had your first celebratory cigar (well, it wasn’t really a wise man…)  So, Elan (who is my oldest friend and I have known since I was 10) came over today with cigars to celebrate the birth of Zoe.  Elan came with his son Ari and we asked him to take the picture of us. (Note: don’t ask a 5-year-old to take a picture of a moment you really want to keep without checking it out first.)  Anyway, I have added it below for your enjoyment.

Jon Q

 

 

 

The past days have been exciting ones for Zoe. She came home yesterday, and today she has her first pediatrician’s appointment. (I’m sure she’s really sick of doctors by now, though!) She also met her first set of grandparents – my parents – last night, which was exciting for everyone. My parents seemed to fall in love with Zoe right away… When coming back from the airport, I asked my mom, “Do you like her?” She looked at me with teary eyes and said, “What’s not to like?”

-M

As I was crawling into bed (deliriously tired) a few hours ago, I couldn’t help but think that the last time I was in our bed, I was in labor. It’s amazing to me what has transpired over the last five days!

As Q posted below, we are finally home. We got a good feeling that the end (or beginning) was near last night around 9:30. When we went to the nursery for her feeding, the nurse asked us if we wanted to room in with her that night. Her platelet level was up, and there was no reason to keep her hooked to all her little monitors. We excitedly said “yes,” and the three of us became roomies a half-hour later.

At 6 this morning, we learned that her platelet level was still up – and she would definitely be coming home. We quickly filled out paperwork, made an appointment with her pediatrician and took advantage of some last-minute advice from the nurses there. A hematologist came by for one last-minute look at Zoe, and we were officially out of the hospital just after 12 PM. (On a note, things really came full-circle when the attending physician during Zoe’s labor got on the elevator as we were leaving. I thanked him for the wonderful care we received, and he told us to have a wonderful life!)

As you can tell from his posts, Q is particularly ecstatic about being home. I have never seen anyone so excited about a baby – he just can’t stop looking at, taking pictures of, and playing with her. It’s adorable. I’m excited, too – but I won’t lie when I say that nothing looked as good as my bed this afternoon! I never thought I’d be so grateful for 1.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. (Wow – I really sound like a new mom now, don’t I??)

While I was typing away, Q took other fun pictures of Zoe – so we have put a few below. Enjoy.

-M

 

 

Before I head for a quick nap, I thought I would put up a picture of daddy’s little girl in her new crib.  She looks very comfy!

Jon Q

 

Well, after 24 hours of great-looking platelets, the family has made it home!  We are all very tired, so we are heading for naps.  But here are a few more pictures to keep everyone happy until we have time to upload the big batch.  Thanks for all the warm emails, we love them…

Jon Q

As you all know from Michelle’s past posts, the higher the platelet count the better.  Well, little Zoe’s counts were up to 193K last night and 131K this morning!  If they stay over 50K for the next 24 hours, she’ll be coming home soon!  Mom and Dad are very glad to hear the news and will keep everyone posted.

As a treat, I have some updated pictures here.  The gallery with the rest of the pictures will be going up soon…

Jon Q

This is going to be quick, but I wanted to post an update on Baby Zoe. After a (relatively) smooth delivery and hospital stay, we learned Sat. that Zoe’s platelet level was a little low. (Like mother, like daugher!) The doctors think the count is a temporary thing, and they say she looks great (they never would have even checked her platelet level if it wasn’t for my history) – but they do want to boost her level before sending her home. We’re all still at the hospital (technically, I was formally charged on Sat., but they’re letting us stay in our room as “boarders”), and it looks like Zoe will need a day or two of treatment.

We were disappointed that we couldn’t bring her home on Sat., but we’re glad she’s getting the platelet thing taken care of. (Note: if I never hear the word “platelet” again, it will be too soon!) Plus, everyone at the hospital has been great, and we’ve had a lot of fun feeding and spending time with her these past few days…

We have about a zillion pictures (she already looks so different – much cuter – than she did Thurs. night!), and I can’t wait to share them with everyone! Hopefully we’ll be able to upload all of them very shortly.

-M

 

The bad news? Q and I didn’t get any turkey or stuffing yesterday. The good news? We got a baby instead! I hope to post a longer version of the story later (when I’m not so tired) but for now I’ll say that Sesame (official name: Zoe Alisabel Browdy, weight: 7 lbs 3 oz, height: 21 in) was born yesterday at 11:11 PM. We got to the hospital around 3 PM (after several hours of watching football and trying to determine whether I was really in labor), and I started the pushing process around 8 PM. My pre-epidural experience totally stunk, but after the anesthesiologist – my new best friend – came, things were fabulous. And I learned that what all moms have told me is true: you really DO forget about the pain when you meet the baby. I was completely in awe when the nurse plunked Zoe on my belly; it was the most amazing moment of my life! (And this comes from a person who never considered herself very maternal!) Other highlights include watching her sleep (which she’s done a lot of), and watching Q – a total natural – snuggle with her.

All in all, the experience has been like nothing I could have imagined – and I would do it again in a heartbeat. We can’t wait for everyone to meet her. We’re going to be posting Day 1 pictures in the gallery to the right soon. For now, here are also a few of our faves.

-M

As of 11:11pm PT on 11.23.06 (or 2:11am ET on 11.24.06), Zoe Alisabel Browdy was born. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 21 inches in length. Both mom and baby are doing great and will return home tomorrow.

With the change comes a name change to this site – you can now follow Zoe’s adventures either here or at  http://zoe.browdy.net. 

Just wanted to give everyone the update of the good news!

-Jon Q (the proud dad!)

Well, it is Thanksgiving and we have plenty to be thankful for – Michelle has had a pretty easy pregnancy and our little one will be arriving soon.  Michelle woke up early today with some “practice” contractions, which is a good sign that things are going well.  Maybe after some turkey and stuffing, the baby will be ready to come…My guess is Sunday, so I hope she takes some time to digest the turkey before arriving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Jon Q