Easiest Labor Ever ... or so it seemed

Here is the birth story of our new little boy: Seth Tetsuhiro Funai.
Brief details: He was born June 24, 2009 at 6:25 pm (37 weeks, 3 days) and weighed 6 lbs 3.8 oz (2830 grams) and was 19 inches long. He has a lighter complexion than Andrew with lots of brown hair and gray eyes.

Birth details follow below.

Andrew was kind of sick Tuesday evening and he just kept waking up, so at 10:00, all of us went to bed together and we all slept until 8:00 am (actually Katsu woke up a little earlier). I am so glad we all had a good night's sleep. We needed to go to the Farmer's Market so we hurried and got ready. This is probably too much TMI but I was a little leaky and thought "Hmm, maybe my water broke," but I figured probably not since I was only 37 weeks and decided I would wait and see. We got our CSA share, dropped Katsu off at work and came home. After a couple of hours I decided that I must have broken my water since I was still leaking. Katsu came home at like 10:30 and we got stuff ready, took Andrew to a sitter, and left for the hospital.

We got to the hospital around noon. After an exam they determined that yes, indeed, my water had broken. I was relieved that I wasn't just imagining it, but of course, still definitely not in labor. They moved us to a regular room and we told them that we might as well start Pitocin because at this point it had been several hours after my water had broken and nothing was happening. I also said that since I was going on Pitocin, I would want an epidural, but I would wait until contractions were well established and pretty painful. They started Pitocin at 2:30 (it took a while) after taking 4 attempts to get an IV in (I still have a nasty bruise on one hand from that). Nothing happened for awhile (just weak contractions) and so they upped it to a "1" at 4:00 and I walked the halls and started getting feelable contractions. They upped the Pitocin again to a "2" at around 4:30 and to a "3" at about 5:00.

By 5:00, it started to get a bit more painful (to the point I needed to breathe through contractions) and we went back to the room. I spent some time in the rocking chair, and some on the birth ball. I decided to switch positions and by this point the contractions really started to hurt. I kind of felt like a wimp since I had had only contractions for a little while, but when the resident suggested it looked like I might want an epidural, I said yes. Let's do it. So, at this point they gave me my one and only exam and Lo and behold at 5:45 or so I was 6 cm dilated and 90% effaced (no wonder it hurt).

From this point, I was in transition and the contractions REALLY hurt. But since the epidural was on the way (right?), I vocalized my way through them (i.e. moaning) and the pain was bearable. But as the nurse was directing me through the contractions she sent for a delivery team and said I was completely dilated. This was maybe like a little after 6 pm. I was like, "What?" and was still kind of waiting on that epidural because after 4 hours of pushing with Andrew I was kind of scared of pushing.

But the delivery team showed up and after about 10 minutes of pushing (about 4 pushes), little Seth came into the world. So a total of about 1 hour of active labor was all it took!!! I think I spent the next half hour saying "Are you sure it's done" and "That was so easy". It hurt, yes, but it was SO fast. I still couldn't believe I was at the hospital at all, much less already had the baby. I guess the placenta flew out immediately. Everything was little shocked at that - they had never seen that, and unfortunately they couldn't get any cord blood because of that for the study I was in. They weren't sure if Katsu would be able to cut the cord, but he was able to.

The labor started with my water breaking, no labor, and Pitocin and ended with a nasty third degree tear, just like with Andrew. But the whole middle was completely different. I am so much happier. I am hoping that my recovery will be a little easier, too.

Seth has been a very sleepy baby and for the first 24 hours really didn't have much of a rooting reflex and wouldn't open his mouth wide open or latch on or suck. He wouldn't even really suck on a finger. My attempts at breastfeeding were pretty much rebuffed so after a while, we ended up with a routine of trying to feed him, pump, and then spoon feed him colostrum each feeding. I had no idea, but I guess babies born right at term often have a hard time breastfeeding. So, everyone though it was best if we both spent an extra day at the hospital. Thankfully, things went much better last night. Seth is still really sleepy, but he is latching on and feeding. Hopefully things will get better from here on out.

June 24, 2009, 6:25pm

Details to follow but we had our second son this evening! Thanks for all your support!

The next big move and Toddler Stuff

First, we are so glad that Katsu is home. And it looks like we will be going to St. Louis for Katsu to do postdoctoral training (a "post-doc") at Washington University School of Medicine starting in January sometime. For those who don't know about the whole academia thing (probably most of you), after getting a PhD in chemical or biological sciences and other things, you need yet more additional training before you will even be considered for a tenure track faculty position or even some jobs. It's not school, but it's a temporary 2-4 year job (we're shooting for 3 years), though they keep getting longer and some people do more than one (NOT us)! They are kind of academic limbo because at most schools you have a somewhat tenuous connection to the university, may or may not have benefits, and the pay kind of stinks (about 35-40k a year for first year post docs) considering that one has a PhD. I think of it as "indentured servitude", although Katsu thinks I am a bit pessimistic about the whole thing. Anyways, he is very excited and the lab looks good, so we'll see.

Also, Andrew has gotten an attitude! His favorite phrases are "Go away" and "Stop It". He was mad at me the other day and shut the door in my face and said, "Fine, Mom". He also has starting calling Katsu "Katsu" instead of Daddy sometimes. Seriously, he just turned two! Where does this come from? It's pretty cute, though.

Andrew Update - 2 years 1 month

Well, in all the craziness of the trips and feeling all of my 8 months of pregnancy, I forgot to update on Andrew. So, while Andrew and Katsu are away and I get a little peace and quiet, here we go.

Andrew's language has exploded again. In the last month, he has started speaking in complete sentences. He is using different verb tenses (transitive, present, past) and is really exploring the use of prepositions (though he still gets them confused a lot). His vocab also seems like it has doubled in the past month - he just knows so many words! He is even slowly learning to say "I" and "me" instead of just referring to himself as "you". In other languages, he seems to completely understand Bulgarian when he is at his babysitters. As for Japanese, I am not as sure, but I still try to read to him to Japanese often.

Andrew has had a really hard time with the idea of sharing lately. He emphatically declares that he will not share or that may not play with his cars. His best friend, me, his Dad, or the new baby are definitely not allowed. Sometimes, he will even talk about it in his sleep. He definitely is getting very possessive and practically hysterical about "his" toys. Of course, "his" being very subjective - all cars that he seems are his and he has also claimed all the puzzles at the library. Even a kid sitting at the other end of the library is not allowed to use a different puzzle. Sigh ... I know it is still not really developmentally appropriate for him to share, but it does get a little tiring.

Andrew is taking slightly more interest in coloring (there might be two scribbles on his picture from nursery). I got some books this month about different activities to do with 2-6 year old kids - one science book, one nature book, and one shapes and sizes book. Andrew is obsessed with the science book and wants to look at it and do the activities from it all the time. It's pretty cute.

Andrew is very glad Katsu is back (Katsu has one more trip this weekend for another post-doc interview, but it's just a little over a day long). He really missed Katsu. Otherwise, another good month with Andrew.

We've Survived ... (maybe)

Well, this has been a pretty hard month plus a bit. But today Katsu comes home from trip #5. Trip #1 was to Dallas for a post-doc interview for 2 days. Then, he was home for a bit before Trip #2 to Japan to see his ailing mother (9 days, though 2 days were just flying of course). Although there were a few tense moments and I had my dissertation proposal which I was deathly afraid of (but passed), we did pretty well. Having my defense done made me a lot more relaxed ... Katsu was home for a whole 6 jet-lagged filled days (though at work during the day for most of them) just in time to go on Trip #3 to Orlando for two days for another post-doc interview. He was home for a whole day with just enough time to do laundry and pack for Trip #4 to Sweden for 10 days days. My sister Sarah was there, but both Andrew and me were starting to miss Katsu a lot about half way through that trip. I also started to get really worn out and feel like I was going to faint at least every day. Katsu was home for another 3 jet-lag filled days (at work half the time again) before Trip #5 to New Orleans for 4 very long days (he left for the airport at 3:45 AM on the first day and isn't getting home till at least midnight tonight). There is still supposed to be a Trip #6 to St Louis for another post doc interview, but the timing is still somewhat up in the air.

So, I've been really exhausted and then having some contractions (maybe Braxton-Hicks contractions??) pretty regularly, which was odd because I have never had them before - not last pregnancy until I was induced or this pregnancy. I called the office since I'm only 35 weeks pregnant, but since my doctor was out of town, they told me they wanted me to go to Triage at the hospital. I was kind of annoyed because I was like 95% sure I was not in labor - I just wanted to make sure all was okay. So, this afternoon I was at Triage. So fun ... NOT. The funny thing is I am already 3-4 cm dilated. But I wasn't progressing, so I should be just fine. Which is good - I am NOT ready to have this baby yet even though this pregnancy has not been fun at all. But the dilation sure explains why I am feeling so much pelvic pain / pressure. Knowing me, I will probably still go to 42 weeks and then have an incredibly long labor. We'll see. Oh, and my doctor says I have a "special cervix". At first, she said, "I can't tell ... " something in regards to my cervix. It's that special. To go along with my abnormally shaped pelvic bones by doctor "diagnosed" last pregnancy. Maybe my body is just not built for babies?

So, I guess we've survived ... but I think too many trips like this plus me being pregnant is just a recipe for labor brought on by exhaustion. I am ready to rest!

Birthday Boy - Andrew is 2 years old

Sorry - the pictures are from Easter b/c I never posted them and I haven't upload birthday pics yet.

Yesterday was Andrew's birthday, but between church and getting ready for my dissertation proposal prsentation, I was a little swamped. I have now finished my proposal (YES!) and am taking Andrew's off instead of working .... so I finally have time for this post.

Andrew's birthday yesterday was pretty low-key. Katsu is still out of town, so we didn't open any presents or anything. Besides, he got so many presents already from family and friends, I am thinking of taking them back. I only got arts kind of stuff, so maybe we'll keep it. Andrew is still very uninterested in coloring, but I am hoping something will eventually strike his fancy and he will like art. When Katsu gets back from Japan we will have to open presents and maybe we can celebrate Mother's Day late, too?

Back to Andrew. Well, so I was totally crazy last week. Not only was Katsu out of town all week and I was preparing a paper for submission (hopefully that gets done this week!) and I was preparing my 45 minute presentation for my proposal (2 hrs with questions!), but I decide to throw Andrew a last-minute party too. With this unexpected trip to Japan, we never got to planning a party and I was planning on doing it when Katsu came back until I realized that most of Andrew's little friends were moving away before then (36 families are moving out of our ward this summer!). So, I sent out an evite on Tuesday morning and we had the party Thursday afternoon. I worked in the morning, but while Andrew napped I got the food together and frosted the cupcakes and we ended up having a really nice party.

So, an update on Andrew. He is just getting more and more fun (except for the tantrums, the "No's" and the poor sleep, he really is a fun little kid all the time). He is always so cheerful and happy. He has also become a lot more cuddly and loving since Katsu has been out of town. He always wants to sit in my lap and cuddle now. It is pretty cute.

Andrew is still 100% obsessed with cars and trucks. He is a car magnet. He can find little matchbox cars anywhere ... when we are shopping at Old Navy, when he got his pictures taken, when we picked up free baby clothes from someone on Freecycle. His collection is growing and growing and he wants to take all the new ones everywhere! He fills up this shower caddy with toys until it is all full and he can barely carry it and brings it with him in the car. He puts them on his bookshelf right by his bed everynight when he goes to sleep. He likes other things too - books, puzzles, necklaces and purses, blocks, and other toys - but nothing compares to his true love of cars.

Andrew loves to count, but he always counts like "1 2 4 9 ..." and then will repeat from there. He is most definitely not a parrot and will not say anything just because you tell him to. I figure he will say "Thank you" in his own good time, right? Because he has had the "Please" down for a long time. The only way I could get him motivated to repeat what I said was when I was having him tell me what color M&M's were before eating them. But he is adding all kinds of words. He uses lots more verbs and is also calling people and animals by their names. In pictures, he calls himself "you" which is pretty funny (Mommy, Daddy, you). His favorite word to say lately (besides "no") is "what". He will come up to me or Katsu or the cat and say, "What, Mom? What?".

Andrew loves to play outside and go places. He especially likes playing with "kids" and going to "friend's" houses. He really loves his friend Jonas and is always pointing his picture out in the ward directory and asking to go play with him. But he loves playing with all kinds of kids everywhere. He loves the park and would love to go every day. He loves driving in the car and has a really good sense of direction - he always tries to get me to drive on the street that goes to the library and he protests when I take a different way to someone's house - especially when it goes by church "No church, Mom. Friends' house". He does not however like running errands and does not like shopping.

Andrew could still live on white rice. His other favorite foods are chips, strawberries, and blueberries. He increasingly loves cheese and milk, which I think is great. He does not drink juice or soda however. His babysitter always says he will eat anything. Not quite, but pretty close.

Andrew loves to hide. I am increasingly having a difficult time chasing him, so getting the mail or the laundry can be problematic because he likes to run off. He is usually pretty good, though. Thankfully, he is deathly afraid of moving vehicles and will practically jump into my arms if there is one within seeing distance. He also intensely resists diaper changes. He hates being dirty and wants a napkin and to clean his hands several times during a meal. He also hates markers for this reason. He, unlike other toddlers, hates being without clothes on, and will follow you around with the missing clothing article until you put it on. He is very helpful and likes to feed Joe and help with other chores. Andrew does hit occasionally when he gets really mad. If you express hurt or are just in general sick or hurting, Andrew will come and pat your check and say "Okay, okay". He tries to be gentle and has associated the phrase "Be nice" with petting. So, he likes to "be nice" to the cat or to the baby (patting my tummy).

Well, that's about all I can think of. Andrew is growing up and we are having a lot of fun.

Weekend Trip to Holland

Holland, MI that is for the annual Tulip Time Festival. It's just under a 3 hour drive from here, but we decided to make a weekend of it and stayed Friday and Saturday evening.

Our trip got off to an adventure with a completely blown out tire. We managed to switch to our spare and were luckily right next to the exit and a Costco to get a new tire (darn, we had to join and got to feast on free samples while they got us a new tire). It definitely could have been worse.

We were staying in a really great cabin - I didn't feel quite up to tent camping at almost 7 months pregnant - but we still had some of the camping experience. Katsu grilled us up some delicious sausages and hot dogs for dinner before we took off to watch the fabulous fireworks show. WE all loved it!



On Saturday, after some home cooked bacon and eggs, we started off at Kinderplats - a little kids festival. We got to see animals at the petting zoo, get a caricature drawn of Andrew, watch some Mexican and Dutch wooden shoe dancing, learn safety information while climbing on a sheriff boat and a garbage truck, and meeting his all-time favorite character, Curious George. We walked around the cute downtown and admired the tulips, checked out the art and crafts fair, and watch more dutch dancing. We then drove around the Tulip tour around town and Andrew fell asleep.












We drop to the tulip farm and hung out in the car while Andrew napped for a couple hours. I swear, half the people we saw during the Festival were Indian - it was kind of weird. But there was a whole van of Indians who got stuck driving their car in the parking "lot" (just a field). After about 30 minutes and about 15 people working on it, they got the car out of the mud for it to only go another 10 feet and get stuck again right behind our car. Thankfully, we weren't ready to leave yet. We didn't actually go in the Tulip Farm (it was so crowded, there looked like their were more people than tulips!), but we admired from afar and saw the wooden shoe factory as well as Delftware factory.




We went home to our cabin for a rest and then set off for the beach. It was gorgeous and a lot of fun! The water was pretty cold, but we weren't planning on getting in of course. Andrew loved the Dunes and didn't want to leave. We rounded out our evening with a nice Mexican dinner and then watched some TV before a long night's sleep (At least 10 hours for all of us!).









Sunday we were planning on going to the Meijer Sculpture Gardens in Grand Rapids, but it didn't open until 12 and Katsu needed to come home and pack for Japan, so we hailed goodbye to Holland and our cabin and came home to do laundry! It was a nice break, especially before Katsu is gone so much the next month or so.

2 Year Pictures

I went and got Andrew's pictures taken at Sears yesterday. He was so good - just smiling and laughing. The lady said he was the easiest person she had ever photographed. These are the pretty low-def pics from their webpage, but I still think they are pretty cute. I was going to wait until he didn't have any scratches (wounds from Nursery, mostly) or bumps, etc. But then I decided that would never happen with an almost 2 year old, but I don't think you can really see the scratch on his cheek (granted, it's over a week old, but it certainly seems to have staying power).

On another note, this is our crazy month and a half. Katsu went to Dallas for a post-doc interview last week. This weekend, we are going to Holland, MI for a little vacation to see the Tulip Festival. Then, Katsu leaves for just over a week to Japan. Back for a week before another interview in Orlando, back for a day, before something like 10 days in Sweden (a conference) and then back for a few days before leaving for another conference in New Orleans for four days. Yuck! I think I added up like 25 days gone or something like that. Not to mention he is missing Mother's Day, Andrew's birthday, and our 6th year anniversary. I will be glad when he is home for good (but then we have just one month before the baby comes - YIKES!!!!).

Weird (Pregnancy?) Symptom

I swear, sometimes it seems like between Andrew and me, we get all kind of weird problems. So along with my fabulous pregnancy problems I posted about before, here is a new one: I can't hear. And I am sick of it. You know the feeling that you get when your ear is plugged and everything seems too loud and yet muffled and you really need to get it to pop? Like on a plane or something. Yeah, my right ear has been like that for the last 3 weeks. It doesn't hurt, but it is sure driving me crazy.

So, last Monday I decided to go see my regular doctor about it. I mean, you would think after almost 2 weeks it would go away. My regular doctor is assigned to the Student Health Center ... and they wouldn't give me an appt - said walk-in's only. So, I walk in with Andrew after his nap (after taking him on the bus, which wears me out to begin with) and the wait is 2 hours!!!! But there is no way I am coming back, so wait we will with a whole bunch of undergraduates with colds. Thankfully, we waited for just over an hour before I finally saw a nurse practioner. She looks in my ears and says they look great. "Must be a pregnancy thing - I think that eustachian tube disorders are more common in pregnancy. If it hurts, come back. Otherwise, it should go away at delivery". Whole 2 minute appt.

So, I guess not only does this pregnancy mean almost continual pain for 6 months (although the yoga I have been doing the past few days seems to help a bit on that front), it also means no hearing from my right ear for 3-4 months. Swell.

Andrew in the paper?

They took Andrew's picture for the paper at the Easter Egg Scramble a few weekends ago - whether it actually made it in there or not, I don't know. But the picture is pretty cute. Too bad they didn't airbrush out the runny nose!