Bath Time

Hudson loves bath time! He coos and coos! It is too cute. Oh, and had to end with the famous fencing picture :) En Garde!

My Cutie.

Cute Pics of Hudson.

Cute Pictures of Our Little Man :)

Random Cute Photos :)

More Pictures of Hudson

We have been staying very busy-Dominique and Jason have been here for the weekend and we have had a great time. Hudson has had a busy first couple of weeks-he has gone out to brunch, dinner, shopping (a few times) and to Boulder :) Vinny is home too-thanks Meg for watching him! He loves his new brother and is doing great with him. Hudson also got weighed again today at the pediatrician-he has gained almost an entire pound in only 5 days-he is up to 8 lbs and 1 oz!

Here are some pics of our big boy. We love him and he is keeping us busy!!

Daddy's Photos of Hudson

Here are a few pics Brandon took of Baby Hudson and his room. He can't seem to stop taking pictures :)

Hudson's First Bath

Here are a couple pics from the first sponge bath-he did really good!

Hudson's First Week and Hudson's Room

Here are some pics of Hudson on his way to his first pediatrician visit with Dr. Amy on wednesday. She is great! He had to wear a snow hat because it was snowing...yay May! :) We went out to breakfast afterwards and he did great! His first big outing. :) Here are also some pictures of Hudson and daddy, as well as his room (we got his name letters and made a second outing to the mall for the shelf). Finally, we exchanged the baby girl clothes for some cute summer baby boy clothes-take a look!

We are Home :)

We are home :) Everything is going great. Here are a few pics of Hudson Benjamin and the adorable giant stork Ellie-Bubbie and Gramps ordered for our front yard for the week :)

Birth Story

Because I am sure everyone is curious (and because I want to remember every detail), I wanted to write about my birth story. We are in love with our son, Hudson. He is perfect and we both stare at his every move, waiting for the next milestone (whether it be something as small as a pee or a feeding), or the excitement of putting him into one of the little blue outfits we now have for him. Here is a story of how Hudson Benjamin came into the world:

At 8 am on friday, May 7, 2010 we left the house, fully expecting to be back after breakfast to mow the lawn and enjoy a day together (Brandon took the day off because he said he "thought something might happen"). We arrived at the office of our midwife at 8:30 am, the appointment took place at the St. Joseph's office instead of our regular Stapleton location. Our midwife did an exam and stripped the membranes. At that point, she listened to the heartbeat and decided she wanted to monitor it a little further. I was given a graham cracker and juice and told to sit with the monitor on for a little while. Apparently, Mr. Hudson Benjamin was not happy that I had skipped breakfast (we were going to go out after the appt), because his heartbeat was not taking the active jumps they wanted. We were sent to the hospital for some quick monitoring. We showed up at Labor and Delivery and were placed in Observation. We had a terrible nurse who wouldn't let me eat (even though the reason for the reading earlier was thought to be a lack of food)-great, right? Our midwife came in and looked at the movement and thought it was fine. She did say she wanted to continue to monitor it over the weekend. She asked if we wanted to stay and be induced or undergo the monitoring throughout the weekend. We were confused and nervous-we discussed our options. At that point, we asked her to check me to see if I had dilated anymore-she agreed and found we were already dilated to 4 cm. She thought that breaking my water was all I needed to be in active labor. She said we would likely be back at the hospital that night. We told her about our goal to avoid Pitocin and she agreed she would work under our rules. She got me a meal (God bless her)-I can't imagine if I had had a dr. that would have denied me food on my delivery day. I headed to labor and delivery (to walk the halls to try to spur on more dilation/ contractions), Brandon headed home to grab our bags. Our midwife broke my water (or so we thought)-and we walked and walked for hours. At that point (early to mid afternoon), I was only having small contractions, our midwife decided she was going to go for the water break again because she didn't think she had gotten it. At that point-around 5:30 pm, she broke my water and this time, lots of fluid flowed-within 2 minutes I had INTENSE and HARD labor. Brandon helped me to labor in the tub, then on the bed, putting hot towels on my back and massaging my back. We worked through contractions, which suddenly were only 1-2 minutes apart. At that point, I was checked again and was dilated to 7 cm. The labor intensified (I have never felt pain like that), and I caved for the epidural-which was amazing. I have to be honest, I was nervous about getting one but always said I would keep my options open. Our anesthesiologist did an amazing job, I could still feel enough down there to function through labor, but we watched contractions, which were right on top of each other on the screen, and couldn't feel anything but maybe a bit of pressure. Meanwhile, Baby Hudson stayed strong, no fluctuations at all in his heartbeat. He handled everything fantastically. Only a few hours later (of me resting and enjoying my labor), we were checked. I was told I was fully dilated--we couldn't believe it!!! The midwife wanted baby to move all the way down, so we waited 30 minutes and when I started feeling amazing pressure, we decided to start pushing. 30 minutes of pushing (and it really didn't hurt and wasn't that difficult), in a peaceful environment (literally a midwife, nurse and my husband), and our baby boy was born. I even got to watch on a mirror. He was immediately placed on my chest, we couldn't believe we had a boy!!! (There hasn't been a boy born into the Barnes Family in 56 years (since my dad)). I would push for counts to ten, 3 times, with each contraction, eventually I could see his head, subsided the pushing a bit, then pushed out shoulders, etc. Hudson literally slid out. It was unbelievable and I never thought it was possible to actually get him out. :) Childbirth is a miracle. We were able to keep Hudson on my chest through all of the tests, etc. He was 7 lbs. 4 oz. and adorable. We enjoyed our birth greatly and can't believe how well everything worked out. We are so grateful. We are recovering well and go home tomorrow. :) Wish us luck on our first night home with a VERY hungry little man. Love you all,
Becky

Hudson Benjamin Albano...

We welcomed our beautiful son, Hudson Benjamin Albano at 12:22 am today, May 8, 2010. He is 7 lbs 4 oz. and 20 inches long. He is amazing and we are thrilled! Labor and delivery went fantastically and we are doing great! Enjoy the pictures:

In labor....

I am in the hospital and in labor. The day started dramatically-we had a midwife appt at 8:30 am and had the membranes swept again. The midwife then decided she wanted to monitor the heartbeat. The baby was tired this morning because the heartbeat wasn't fluctuating as much as they liked, so we were sent for more monitoring. After about an hour of monitoring it was determined Baby Albano was fine. However, the midwives wanted to keep monitoring it just in case. We had the decision whether to be released or to stay and be induced. We DID NOT want an induction. We asked the midwife to check me again-when she did the baby had cooperated and acupuncture had helped and we were all the way to 4 cm. Currently I am at 5 cm. At that point, the midwife decided I was progressing and would probably be back tonight anyway, she offered to break my water (to try to again avoid Pitocin). Currently, water is broken and contractions are getting stronger. Hopefully we will keep progressing! Brandon will keep you guys updated. For now, signing off and the next time you hear from me, I should be a momma! :)

Acupuncture

Finished up the acupuncture....wasn't painful at all. I actually still have some little tack looking things that she left in several pressure points for the rest of the day. She also did some e-stim to try to get the uterus contracting...nothing yet, but on average it takes about 24 hours she said. Anywhere between 6-60 hours is possible though. It did make me tired and I am going to rest a bit. We will see if the great acupuncture experiment is successful!! The acupuncturist (also a nurse) said that at the very least-it should help even an induced labor to move quicker. I guess only time will tell :)

40 weeks, 4 days :)

And this baby is stubborn just like his/her momma :) I had serious contractions all night-the kind that prevent sleeping :) (*UPDATE: still having some this morning-we will see!!) I am headed to Boulder, CO today to get some labor-inducing acupuncture, which is a fantastic alternative to Pitocin (which we are REALLY trying to avoid if we possibly can). Our midwife has informed us that acupuncture carries very few risks and a lot of benefit. Our midwife will let us go 10 days past our due date if we choose to, next week however will bring on the need for an ultrasound, two stress tests, etc. to make sure the baby is still thriving, placenta still working to its fullest potential, etc.. It is TIME for this baby to come out because I really want to avoid more unnecessary intervention. So, we are putting our trust in the acupuncture today. I have read A LOT of research on this topic-and it is pretty well-supported in its success to safely induce labor (ONLY if baby is ready). We will see what happens.....bring on the needles folks!

Appointment

We had our midwife appointment this morning-she stripped the membranes, and then will do it again on friday if it doesn't work today. Baby good with heartbeat of 130. :) Same as last week. On friday, we will discuss our options if this baby hasn't come by then-we are hoping today did the trick. In the meantime, I am relaxing and enjoying a quick few days before our lives drastically change! :) Jazzing up the side yard with some flowers and other accessories. It is a beautiful day here and I am thankful to get to enjoy one or two great days before baby duty LOL :)

Up Bright and Early

I am up bright and early today, ready for our midwife appointment and really hoping that today will be the day! :) I had A LOT of contractions in the evening yesterday and throughout the night-hoping that means maybe things are moving right along. Will update after the appt. :) Crazy to think I am not going to work today...my oh my, what will I do with my time until baby arrives? Maybe some gardening in my side yard? I think so.. :)

2 days after the due date...

We are two days after the due date and nothing yet...today is my last official day at work before maternity leave starts-I would keep working but it is getting to the point where I am just too tired and need a little rest for when baby arrives. My schedule over the last few weeks has not slowed down and I think it is time to slow things a bit. Tomorrow we go into the midwife and if I am dilated enough she will do a sweep of the membranes. If that doesn't work to move things along, I have an acupuncture appointment on thursday morning with an acupuncturist that my neighbors swear works wonder to induce labor safe and naturally. We will see if we make it to thursday. :)

We have relatives coming into town this weekend to see the baby. Let's hope baby is born by then. :) What a nice mother's day gift that would be for me too...

No Baby Yet.

No baby yet, no sign of a baby yet....40 weeks and 1 day. I am headed to work as usual today, tomorrow as well. Wednesday we have an appointment with the midwife and we will check the progress. Apparently our baby is already a lot like us (constantly late for the party) LOL. Wish us luck that this baby will be born in the next few days healthy and happy! Mostly though-we just want baby to be HEALTHY :) I am so excited, but if he/she needs more time then so be it-we want him or her to come on their own time.

Take care and I will update soon :)

D Day

As you can see based upon the ticker to the right-It is supposed to be "go time." Only problem, apparently our baby doesn't agree. LOL. Today is my due date-a date we have waited for for several months. Although you always know heading into it that the calculation of due date is not an exact science (I already know it is normal to go beyond the due date), you HOPE by that date you will have your bundle of joy. Our crazy little bundle has different plans. So...we wait. On wednesday I have a midwife appt., tuesday will be my last day of work.... I WILL have a baby by mother's day...maybe.

In the meantime, I am having an enjoyable, relaxing weekend. I am going to do some planting in the yard today and get the house cleaned from top to bottom "just in case." I may also do some mother's day shopping. :) Will update you guys later! Have a nice Sunday and Happy D Day!

1 day left and a May baby :)

We have one day left until the actual due date. Looks like we will have a May baby. :) I love May! It is actually better, because the further we get into May, the better chance we have of good weather for Brandon's two weeks off and for future birthday parties. In Denver, usually the chance for a strong snow has subsided by mother's day weekend--since we would eventually like to have outdoor birthday parties, it is probably better to have a May baby LOL.

Weekend plans:

Long walks

Spicy Food

Relaxation

Maybe have a baby? We will see!