Best. Father. Ever.

I am allowed to rave about my husband whenever I want, and today is no exception. I am just so amazed at his fatherly abilities. He has sacrificed so much for me and for Elai.
Even though he was stressed and exhausted and sore last night, he still did everything in his power to calm down our crying babe.
But, last night is not the only thing he is amazing at. I keep teasing that he found a list of "how to be the best dad ever" and he is just going down the checklist making sure he gets every one of them.

• Make sure I am fed, rested, and happy
• Make sure Elai is fed, rested, and happy
• Read Elai books
• Sing to Elai
• Sing to me
• Do the dishes
• Make dinners
• Do the Laundry
• Volunteer to change diapers

I mean, this list could go on and on and on, but I don't want to bore you.
I am just so happy and grateful that our Heavenly Father sent him into my life and helped him fall in love with me. I couldn't be happier than I am right now with my husband and our baby.

Baby's First Bath

Okay, so it's not really his first bath--it is his second. But, it was OUR first time giving him a bath.
When babies are this small and their belly buttons aren't quite buttoned, you give them a sponge bath.
We have this cute netted bath chair with ducks on it that we set him in for the bath. He wasn't too happy with being naked and wet, but as soon as we were done and he was able to get wrapped up in his robe and slippers, he was calm and clean.
One of my favorite things is his pursed lip sad face. His lips almost disappear from his face and it is the most adorable things ever. Although, he could be doing nothing and I would still think he is way too cute. :)

Home Sweet Home

We were nervous to take Elai home from the NICU, but so incredibly anxious as well. The discharge from the NICU is a lot more stringent than other baby releases, so we had to go through a list of things to be educated on, like how to fit him into a carseat, what it would look like if he is getting sick, and other valuable things.
So, after hours of information, we were able to take him home around 4pm on Sunday, August 28. :)
He is handsome and happy and we are so grateful to have him home with us, as challenging and scary as it is. (we've never had a baby before).
Wish us luck!

A New Day!

So, today (August 25, 2011) our little Elai Guy was born at 12:06pm MDT at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah. At birth, he weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 20 inches long with a full head of dark brown hair. However, he did come earlier than expected. So here is the full story and a few pictures.

August 24, 2011-

3:00pm:

Julie and I went to the hospital for Julie's Non-Stress Test. We arrived ahead of our scheduled appointment and were lucky enough to get in early. While in the NST, Julie had a contraction which lasted 5 minutes. During the contraction, Elai's heart rate dropped from the low 150's to the low 120's for the duration of the contraction, and for a short time after the contraction ended. This made the nurse worried so she called Julie's doctor, Dr. Grover, to see what she wanted to do.

4:00pm:

Dr. Grover decided to go ahead and induce Julie today rather than on Monday. Julie and I started calling everyone to let them know what was going on. We head over to Labor and Delivery to register and get started.

5:30pm:

The nurse started Julie on Pitocin through her IV and we settled in for the long haul. At this point Julie was at 3cm and 70%.

11:00pm:

Julie decided to get the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in and gave her the epidural. Between 5:30pm and 11:00pm there were no changes with Julie. Elai wasn't enjoying the contractions, either.

August 25, 2011-

1:00am:

Dr. Grover decided to break Julie's water and see if that would speed up the process. Julie and I continue to rest. Julie was at about 4cm and 70% at this point.

6:00am:

The nurse came in to check on Julie. She was at 4.5cm and 90%. Elai was not liking the contractions still, so they added water to the amniotic sac. Once this was done, Elai started calming down.

8:30 to 9:00am:

Elai was finally cooperating so they increased the Pitocin to 18mL (20mL being the maximum). At this time, they checked Julie's progress as well. She reached 5cm and 100%.

10:00am:

Elai continued to do well. Julie finally reached 10cm!!! However, Elai's head wasn't yet engaged so they had us wait an hour.

11:15am:

The nurse came in to check and see how things were going. Elai's head was engaged and so we had Julie do some preliminary pushing. By 11:30 it was go time! Dr. Grover and Dr. Sullivan came in and we got everything ready for the delivery. At 11:40, we were well into the delivery process.

12:03- 12:06pm:

Elai Guy Thompson was born! The nurses come in and start taking care of Elai while the doctor's finish taking care of Julie. During this process, Elai is grunting a little when crying. They decided to take him up to the Newborn ICU to put him on a C-Pat machine to help him open up his lungs. While up there they tested his blood sugar and it was at 20. So they decided to keep him and help him get it up to normal and stable.

As of right now, both mother and baby are doing great! Elai is still in the NICU but he is doing a lot better. They are hoping to have him ready to go home by mid-day on Saturday. We will keep you posted.

Now for what you all were waiting for, pictures!

Pictures

So, I lost my little usb sd card connector thingie in our move to Spanish Fork, so there aren't any pics lately. I want to get better about this whole blogging thing, so I am going to attempt at least one blog/week. . .now that I have written it I will have to be held accountable, right?
Anyways, keep your eyes open for new posts. Hopefully the next one will be about our new addition to the family and that he was birthed with me barely even cringing. . .HA. I wish.

Bean & Cheese Burrito in t-minus 11 days

We had an ultrasound recently, and Elai is about 7 lb 5 oz, which puts him at a really good weight percentile, and we like that. He is healthy and has very little time left in the womb, which couldn't make me happier.

But, since I have gestational diabetes that has to be managed with medication, the possibility of a still birth if I carry him past 39/40 weeks greatly increases. So, we have scheduled me to be induced on August 29!

It is not something I am particularly happy about (having someone artificially put my body into labor), but when weighing the risks, alive baby wins every time.

There is still the possibility I will go into labor on my own before then, which would be amazing. I am 3 cm dilated and more than 50% effaced, so when I do go into labor, it shouldn't take super long (I hope).

It is comforting to know that in 11 days I will have my child in my arms, either way. I got really frustrated that I haven't progressed much, but then thinking about it--by tomorrow, I can count the days on my hands! I can accept that.

SUU is Fantastic

Michael and I are attending SUU this fall. Classes officially begin on August 22, but we aren't worried. We have signed up for online classes only so we can stay in Spanish Fork for a little while longer, save some money, adjust to Elai, etc.

Before you think I am psycho for birthing a child a week into the semester (which, last year I would like to point out I got married like two weeks into the semester, so if you think I'm crazy, you may be correct), I will point out that I am only taking two courses. I am taking a computer literacy course that I am pretty sure I could complete with very little effort and a children's literature course. The lit class is upper division (yay!) and looks like it will be a lot of fun. I have the syllabus already from the instructor (I got it months ago so I could prepare. . .which of course didn't actually happen).

The great part is that the computer class already has all the assignments and quizzes/tests posted online, so I can get started asap!

You're probably thinking I am a total slacker and will resemble previous habits of mine where I put everything off until the last moment.

THINK AGAIN!!!

I have already started the course! There are 6 sections to it: Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, Technology 1, and Technology 2. I have already completed the first two sections, tests and all! I am one third of the way done with the class and it hasn't even officially begun for four days!!!

HA! Take that, naysayers!

I am hoping to have it all finished by the time Elai is born that way I will only have to concentrate on the one class, which will take a lot more effort.

Michael is taking four courses online, so he is going to be really preoccupied this semester, poor guy! But, he can do it. I have complete faith in him.

The biggest stumbling block is our lack of books. We ordered them on half.com and are still waiting on about 5 of the 10. Hopefully they come soon so we don't fall behind already!