Monday, October 19, 2009

Pumpkin Patch (Mason's first!)

When Mason was just 1 week old & I (Kassie) was feeling good, we decided to take advantage of a beautiful fall morning & not being at work in the middle of the week...we went to the pumpkin patch. It was fantastic! We first drove to the field & picked out a "family" of pumpkins. Addie was more interested in picking up dirt & rocks, but at least she enjoyed it.





It was kinda cold so Mason had to experience it all while bundled in his car seat.

Next we went to the main area which has animals, a maze made of hay bales, a bounce castle & a large air-filled slide. We thought Addie would love the animals, but after trying the slide, it was all she wanted to do. Fortunately there weren't too many other people there, so she could slide to her hearts content (and until she was completely worn out!)


Addie running to get back to the slide...


Friday, October 16, 2009

Mason's first days

October 14th, 2009:
We had an early morning & dropped Addie off at daycare at 6:15am, then brought our other "baby" (Polly) to Camp Bow Wow & headed to the hospital. Surgery was scheduled for 9am. It was a planned repeat c-section. While getting me (Kassie) prepped and taking my vitals, the nurse informed me of a new hospital policy. Starting October 15th, to decrease the risk of spreading H1N1, no one under 18 years old is allowed in the hospital unless they are a patient. What?! This meant Addie would not be allowed in. Would have been nice to have known this ahead of time...someone majorly dropped the ball on that one! So as my mind was racing with who to call and who to watch our daughter, the nurse re-took my blood pressure. Apparently it went a bit high after I heard that news!
Surgery went great, and Brian was able to announce the baby's gender. He did this with a big "yeeessss!" I knew we had our boy! And does that boy have lungs! He was a screamer and VERY loud. He then proceeded to pee all over the nurses...I strained to get a glimpse of him, but could only hear the splatter on the tile floor. Glad I didn't get him right away!

After a peek at my boy and a couple snuggles, Brian left with Mason as I got closed up. In the recovery room, Mason was brought in and I was told he had low blood sugar and needed to supplement with some formula to get it up quickly. I was devastated as I had troubles breastfeeding Addie and was really wanting success with Mason. Fortunately my worries were unnecessary. After a little supplement, we started breastfeeding and he's been going strong ever since.

We had planned to wait a day before having Addie come meet her new brother, but with the new policy we had no choice. We were thankful just to have missed the cut-off by one day! Addie came that evening along with her daycare family and met Mason. She liked him! We had no idea what to expect, but she thought he was really cute and liked the presents he gave her :) We're now a family of four!


We left the hospital after just 48 hrs...anxious to get back to our first born. We might have be just a bit too hasty to leave the hospital because on October 16, at just 2 days old, Mason had his first urgent care visit! (Addie has yet to have one...knock on wood)

Mason was circumcised that morning. At about 10pm I realized that I had not changed a dirty diaper all day. I mentioned this to Brian and he recalls the only instructions he was given was to make sure the baby has a wet diaper within 12 hrs of the circ. It was about 12 hours. So I called the nurse line. The advice: he's probably ok, but take him to the nearest ER. I freaked! All the pregnancy hormones kicked in & I started sobbing. Fearing the worst, we rushed to the Children's Hospital urgent care after dropping Addie off at the neighbors. I was crying the whole time. Brian told me to relax...not good advice at that moment and I let him know it. I knew it'd be fine, but my body wouldn't calm down. After arriving with tears streaming down my face, getting his weight checked and waiting in the exam room, the doctor finally arrived and...he had a wet AND dirty diaper! Little stinker! Sheepishly we waited while she checked him out since we were already paying for a visit. We've been assured it was best to have him checked out vs. waiting, but did he have to cut it that close?!

Here's Mason chillin after the excitement he caused!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Mason is Here!


Mason Scott Mercer arrived at 9:42am on October 14th, 2009 via c-section (planned).
Weight: 7 lbs 10 oz
Height: 20 inches

Momma & baby are doing great!

Family photo album has been updated to include pictures of our first days with Mason. WARNING: there are a few graphic ones of the surgery.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The night before Mason

Despite missing out on some of the surprise and excitement over when baby will arrive, my c-section experiences have been great. One of best things about having a planned c-section is being able to enjoy the night before baby arrives, knowing that the next day your life will change forever. With Addie we were full of anticipation and were unsure what to expect. With Mason we were still eager, but blessed with the chance to cherish our last evening as a family of 3 and dote on Addie during her last hours as an only child.

Our last family picture before Mason:


And last family pic before Addie:


Final belly pics with both kiddos:

Saturday, October 10, 2009

First snowfall!


Addie is a total snow bunny and daddy just loves it! Mommy likes snow too, but usually prefers to enjoy it through a window.

Here's Addie playing in our first snowfall of the season...captured through the window :)



Friday, October 9, 2009

Family Pictures

We recently had our pictures taken by a very talented photographer from our church (www.jamiemariephotography.com)
We think they are amazing & are so thrilled to have these memories captured of our last days as a family of three! Thanks again Jamie!!