Hip, Hip, Hooray

At Charlie's first doctor's appointment, we learned he would need an ultrasound on his hip. The doctor noticed his hip 'clicked'. As new first-time parents, this worried us. Of course, I thought this was my fault since I am notorious for always popping my hips. The doctor assured me I couldn't have done this, and I think she probably thought I was crazy.

Yesterday, we finally had Charlie's ultrasound at St. John's. The radiologist was great with Charlie, plus he was really good to us. He explained everything he was doing. He was checking to see if Charlie had Dysplasia of the hips. After doing the ultrasound, he told we had nothing to worry about it. This was a huge relief!

Life with Charlie

It is hard to believe what life was like before Charlie, and he is only 19 days old. We can't imagine life without him now. He is adjusting well to life at home. We are working on getting Charlie to sleep more at night. He seems to turn into a pumpkin after midnight :)

At his first doctor's appointment, we learned he lost weight. This was very concerning, because we felt like he was eating around the clock. The doctor scheduled us for two weight checks before his 2-week appointment. At the first weight check, he lost more weight. This was very disappointing. The doctor told us to supplement with formula, something I was seriously hoping to avoid. At his second weight check appointment, he gained 1.5 pounds--the formula was working. Unfortunately, this came at a cost---he now prefers the bottle.

In addition to eating (all of the time), Charlie has enjoyed many visitors. We are very fortunate to have wonderful family and friends near us. Everyone has been very supportive!

Charlie made his first trip to Target after his first doctor's appointment.

Charlie is bright eyed and awake after midnight :0)

Charles Allen Mock a.k.a. Baby Charlie

On Monday, August 31, we went to my 40 week appointment. At that appointment, I learned my blood pressure was high, which was unusual for my pregnancy. My doctor sent me to the hospital to start the induction process. Brad and I weren't quite sure what to expect. Needless to say, we were excited, nervous, and anxious all at the same time. We thought by the end of the day or early on Tuesday, we would have our baby. We were so, so, so wrong :) The doctor took a less aggressive approach and tried to induce labor as 'naturally' as possible. After two rounds of Cervidil (each lasting 12 hours), I still had not progressed.

At 3:30 pm on Tuesday, September 1, the doctor started the Pitocin. This made me extremely nervous, because up until this point, I had not experienced any contractions. I didn't know what to expect. At 11 pm, I had only dilated to a 4. A short time later, I received my epidural (the miracle drug). The doctor broke my water a little after midnight. At 2 am, I was still only at 5. Brad and I were both getting nervous---we just wanted our baby to be here. The doctor continued to increase the Pitocin. At this point, I didn't care---I wasn't feeling much.

At 6 am on Wednesday, September 2, I had fully dilated---it was go time. My doctor arrived around 6:30 am. At 8:20 am, Charles Allen Mock finally made his appearance. Brad and I were flooded with emotions--we finally had our baby.