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I know not everyone knows the story so I wanted to let everyone in on the details. Starting last week I started to get sick like I was with Alanna. My proteins were high in my urine and I had a headache for days. After staying in the hospital for a few days trying to monitor me and the baby to see if I had pre-eclampsia again the docs let me go home and rest for a few days while we ran more tests. I had to promise to come back on Fri though. When I went in on Fri I had gotten worse. Finally they decided to transfer me to the bigger hospital off post since it has a NICU and I was going to be delivered at 35 weeks.

Once I was transported by ambulance to Memorial I was put in a room and immediately put on pitocin. I was already contracting some so they just sped up the process. I was started on pitocin at 5pm on Fri. I progressed pretty slowly and finally after hitting 3-4 centimeters I got an epidural. They had to do it twice because the first time she hit a nerve, that was no fun! So after my epidural I got a little sleep but was still not moving along. About an hour later I started to feel pain again only on my right side. So they backed out the epidural and pushed more meds, this helped for a while.
I begged for them to break my water because I knew it would move things along. Finally after they checked me again my water broke. I went from 3-4 centimeters to 7 in about 10 min. (I told them that is all they needed to do!) We are now into Sat morning. I stayed at 8 centimeters for a few hours because he was coming down at an angle. We tried everything to get him to reposition, even laying me upside down..that was crazy! Keep in mind my epidural is still worn off and acting funky.

Well they had an emergency c-section to go to and the anesthesiologist was busy of course. I just wanted something before I had to push! He made it in there just a few min before they checked me again and just gave me some iv meds to hopefully help with some of the pain. About a min later I was pushing. I pushed for about 15 min and out came Drake..his head and hand came out at the same time..then the rest of him. So his head was a little bruised from where his hand was stuck. After they whisked him off and cleaned him up, my meds kicked in. Of course after the fact, but at least I had some relief! He was born Nov 22 at 1338. 6lbs 2oz 19inches long! He looks EXACTLY like Eric. I thought that Alanna was a little clone of her daddy but now after seeing him I think she looks like me. From his mouth to his fingers to his feet his looks just like his daddy!

He was breathing a little fast but they thought that he was going to be able to go to the regular nursery at first. Turns out they took him to the NICU because he couldn't slow his breathing down enough. I was already expecting him to be there though since we was so early, but hoping it wouldn't be for anything serious.

As of now he is on oxygen to help his saturation to stay up. He has a feeding tube because of his oxygen but they are going to try him on a bottle soon. He should be a little jaundice and go under lights today. As soon as he can eat an ounce by himself with no help from the feeding tube and is off the high flow oxygen he can come home. Even if he needs to stay on oxygen though he can still come home, it just needs to be the regular flow. So..things are looking good.

He is such a sweet baby, but seems like he is gonna be whiny. Boys are boys I guess! I'm so ready for him to be home but I know he is where he needs to be now. I will update with more changes. But..that is pretty much the story for now.

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes! I'm sore but hanging in there. Hope to show off our little man soon!!


Holding him before we had to leave the hospital!

Drake

Alanna meeting her Bubba

Proud daddy right after delivery

Just born




UPDATE!!!! He is now off of his high flow oxygen and on the regular kind. He ate out of a bottle twice yesterday and is hoping to get off the IV today. He is such a strong little guy and all of yall's prayers are working! Thanks so much! I will let you know when he comes home.

Until Later~Ash

Licking the beater...



Alanna swimming in Houston

Daddy and Alanna at the Zoo


29 weeks!!! Getting SO close!



So I realized that I have not blogged in FOREVER! I figured I would give an update. Things around here are going good. It is just about to start snowing here, and I am actually kinda looking forward to it. It will be the first full winter we are here in Colorado and I am excited to see real snow for the first time. It is a big difference from home. I just got back this past weekend from my last visit home for a while and we went swimming. Only in Texas can you still swim in Oct. haha! The trip was fun but I'm sad I won't be able to visit again until at least March. I don't want to fly with the baby until he is at least 3 months. Plus, I'm not allowed to fly anymore during this pregnancy. Luckily my mom and mother in law will be coming to visit in Dec and Jan after Drake is born.

Speaking of Drake, I don't remember if I posted or not what our little man's name is! It will be Drake Clinton Harless. Clinton was Eric's grandfather's name so that is special to us.

I'm officially in my 3rd trimester and I hit 29 weeks today! Time has flown by and I am so ready to see my son! Not much longer and I will be able to post pics of him!

Eric is doing good as well. He has to have surgery on his foot on Dec 1st because of his tumor that he has had since birth. He had one surgery when he was younger but he will now have it fully removed. I'm just praying that Drake doesn't decide to come early so that Eric will be able to drive me to the hospital if needed. It looks like we made it out of this deployment for the year but he will for sure be deploying again pretty early next year. I'm just greatful that he will be here this time around for his son's birth. He missed everything with Alanna, so hopefully we will be lucky this time with Drake.

Alanna is HUGE! She is doing something new everyday. She is trying to talk and says lots of things. She is also in the copy cat phase so we have to be careful what we say and do because she tries to do everything we do! She is getting really clingy to me lately. I think she knows that she is not going to be the baby anymore and soaking it up while she can. She is such a sweet girl and I love her more and more each day.


Until later~Ash