Christmas 2007

Well, Jason / Debbee and family all arrived a day late and VERY tired but they did get here with all their luggage. Thanks for all your prayers!

Annika, Tyler and myself spent Christmas together and we really cherished the time. The house was quiet and it was a good day to reflect on just what we are celebrating. One of my Christmas gifts was a DVD called Dust of the Rabbi--I've seen it before and it is perhaps the most powerful explanations of who Jesus really was and what it means to be a disciple. Get it or rent it if you can--or ask me to borrow it--its that good!

Back to work I go for the rest of the week :-(

The last pic you can see didn't go quite as well as we'd planned ;-)

Missed Flight!!!

We received an email this morning that my brother and his wife missed their flight out of Paris. Looks like our family get together will be delayed by at least one day. It really stinks for them--they were 15 minutes late but since it was an international flight they wouldn't let them on. I'm assuming because they had already given away their seats to stand-by passengers (still doesn't seem right being that its Christmas--but then again, perhaps that's the attitude they took about the other family that was waiting on stand-by). Needless to say it really stinks for them because now they have to stay in a hotel in Paris and basically wait the next day out in the airport. Please pray for them as I know it has to be very frustrating.

Two beautiful pictures posted:

1) The radiant Annika and Tyler
2) My hand vs Tyler's

It's Almost Christmas!

Two major developments on the Tyler front:

1) He slept 7 hours straight last night--that means mom had her first full night of sleep in 4 weeks!
2) He's starting to coo and smile...(very cute)

He also had the busiest day of his life today (well, besides the day he popped out I suppose) as we took him to church, then back home...and then 45 minutes later we went to a Dr. appt for Annika. So yes we've been running around a bit today. But the good news is Annika's OB gave her a glowing report and it looks like she is well on her way to a full recovery. We are very thankful for Dr. Saberin-Williams. I'd have to say she is by far the most compassionate Dr. I've ever met. She actually takes the time to sit down and ask how you are doing and you can tell she's not just making small talk--she actually cares (paging all Dr.'s--take note)!

I'm sure my posts will get fairly spotty over the next few days (weeks) so Happy Holidays--just kidding-- MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :-)

Some Changes

Well some changes to report in Tyler's thus far "perfect behavior". He is still sleeping well at night-- 4 to 5 hours at a shot. He is starting to become fussy but I guess we shouldn't complain since he's sleeping at night :-) {I know, I know--some of you are shaking your heads saying you don't know how lucky you are...}

I've been back to work since Monday and it hasn't been too bad but then again that's from my perspective. I know Annika really misses having me around to help out. Annika is definitely doing much better since she's been on the antibiotics. She's actually hasn't even taken any Motrin since early this morning...she's come a long way in a short time and I'm very proud of her. If only I could convey to all of you how much she's been through outside of all the normal pregnancy stuff you would be amazed....

In other news, we are looking forward to Sunday when pretty much the entire Chiodi clan will be in town for an early Christmas dinner at our place.

Enjoy the new pics which are courtesy of Apple's Photo Booth software.

Whoa--two days no post?

Sorry about that, we've been a little busy the last few days but all is well! We are getting ready for the holidays and I had some running around to do. Next weekend our family from all around the world (literally) will be joining us on Sunday. Since our house is only slightly larger then a thimble, we are just hosting everyone for the day. Wegmans will be our food provider of choice--they are excellent caterers (try their ham dinner).

Not sure if I posted on this before but I noticed the other day that Tyler is starting to respond when you tickle his toes. Last week you could tickle him all day long and there was no response. Now, he doesn't laugh, but he does recoil. It is so awesome to watch him progress.

Until next time!

Grandparents Visit @ Home

Hey all! We had a good time this evening as Grandma, Grandpa and Nona visited us for the first time at home.

Tyler really has been sleeping well for us...he can do almost 5 hours straight at night. He's most definitely going through a growth spirt as he now prefers being fed every 2.5 hours instead of the previous 3 hours. Tough life: eat, poop, sleep. What a perfect man life! :-)

My Baby Pic

Ah yes...its 11:50 PM so I still have 10 minutes to blog about today and to post a baby picture of myself. You be the judge--who does he look like--heck, I'll even do a poll so ya'll can vote ;-)

Annika is doing better thanks to the antibiotics. I don't want to give anyone the impression that she's back to the gym better, but there has been a notable improvement. Great pain still, yes, but she will tell you she is feeling better. Thanks to everyone for their prayers--keep praying!

Well the grandparents are headed down our way tomorrow so we are excited. I've been telling Tyler all week and I know he's pumped. Grandma will get to change his diapers all day!!!

Pictures of the visit tomorrow...

Oh, one more funny story...I was changing him today and already he just loves to test me. Almost every time I change him he waits for me to be 90% done and then he lets loose with either a #1 or a #2. Usually its a #1...today we had a record as I had to use three diapers in one changing. Our diaper champ is already full and I just changed it like three days ago (ok, he takes after his dad)!!

Baby Pic Comparison

Ok, so everyone always says, oh he looks such and such...based on these pics I'd say right now he looks like Annika. Of course that could change tomorrow because I swear I can see him growing up right in front of my eyes. When I find my baby pic I'll post it--I know the picture is probably within 10 feet of where I'm sitting but since Annika is sleeping I won't ask ;-)


Mom is still in pain but I believe it is to a lesser degree.

Unfortunately I have to go back to work next week :-( I work for a great company (Deloitte) and they give me two weeks of paternity leave so I really can't complain. But when you are around your wife and son 24/7 for almost two weeks it makes it really hard to go back. I'm not looking forward to it even though I like my job.

Mom Update & Pics

Update on mom: Annika started to feel marginally better today but it could still be a few more days until the antibiotics work their magic. She is still in a lot of pain but I'm fairly confident these will do the trick...

Tyler continues to amaze us with his constantly evolving facial expressions. One second he smiles, the next he's frowning--its like he's figuring out just what muscle in his face does what. Its kinda' cute :-) I never understood before how parents could just look into the face of their child for hours, but now I fully comprehend. God has blessed us so much.

Peditrician Visit II

I just got back from taking Tyler to his second pediatrician visit and let me just say that he is doing phenomenal. He has gained 10 oz since Friday--which is truly an amazing feat--this puts him at 8 lbs 15 oz. Only 1 oz short of his birth weight. The doctor said whatever we are doing as far as his feedings its perfect and not to change it. Funny story: as I was stripping him down for his weigh in and placed him in the scale he started to pee. He peed so much that he literally was sitting in a puddle up to his neck. The nurse said in 20 years she never saw so much pee (its a good thing)!

Annika update: she visited her OB today because her pain had not subsided and they believe she was/is developing an infection. They prescribed an antibiotic for her so hopefully she will be feeling much better by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. We'll keep everyone updated.

More pics / videos soon!

HUGE Foot!

Checkout this kids huge foot.

Video!!

I just figured out how to add video so I will add them as I have time. Most videos are from a few days ago when I had more energy. Enjoy!

The first one is him test driving the cradle swing (he digs it).


And lastly we have Nona Dalbon singing to Tyler in Italian (she use to sing this lullaby to me, I almost fell asleep listening to it!).

A Day Without A Post

Well, sorry I missed posting yesterday but we had one crazy day. I won't get into all the details but I had to take Annika to the ER around 1 PM for the pain she was experiencing. Thank God two close friends from our Young Married's Ministry were able to quickly stop by and take care of Tyler for much of the afternoon and evening. As everyone knows ER's are not the most fun place to be and yet we had the sheer pleasure of being there from around 1 PM to 8 PM. An excellent place to spend your Saturday. We saw all types of people: cancer patients, drug addicts, you name it. The thing that really topped it all off for me was when the guy in the station next to us passed away. It was a very depressing moment as I watched his family grieve--apparently he had a long battle with cancer. An interesting thing happened though: as I was saying a quick prayer for his family, I was listening as his pastor/priest read him his last rights--when he was done I had goose bumps all over and I could almost feel his spirit leaving. It was an absolutely surreal experience. [Annika was not aware any of this was going on.]

On a less somber note, Annika does seem to be feeling a little better today. I know what bothered her most yesterday was being away from Tyler. As I said previously, I am absolutely amazed at how motherhood can transform a woman. There were three things that got Annika through yesterday: 1) Prayer, 2) the thought of seeing Tyler, and 3) My being by her side.

Pics later today :-)

Pediatrician Visit

We met with our pediatrician today (All Star Pediatrics) and Tyler received an outstanding report! He did loose a few more ounces which is typical, but he's still weighing in at 8 lbs 5 oz--still big by any measure.

The doctor was very impressed with his head control and said it was typical of babies that are much older. He obviously gets this strength trait from his father :-)

In other news: we are very blessed to be part of such a strong church community and here's why: starting this evening we are going to be receiving three square meals a week for the next several weeks. This will be a HUGE help as we both often have to remind ourselves to eat...having something that you just need to re-heat is wonderful.

Tonight I am planning on letting Annika sleep a good bit because, quite frankly, she's been running on cat naps since Monday. Hopefully she can get a solid 5 or 6. Say your prayers!

Day 4

After I got out of bed this morning Tyler switched positions with me and was enjoying my "warm spot". We don't actually let him sleep in the bed but I thought it was a cute picture. Mom is still very tired and sore but man is she a trooper. When I woke up this morning I came out into the living room and she had organized a lot of the baby paraphernalia into separate baskets. Not sure when she did all this but I'm amazed at the power of motherhood.

Tyler will be taking his second car ride later today as we head to the pediatrician's office for his first visit. Hopefully all is well and he's maintaining his body weight. We'll let everyone know the prognosis!

9 LB baby = pain

Ok, now I have both hands free so I can type. Just a quick Annika update for everyone--please continue to pray as she is still in a lot of pain. After normal child birth there is always discomfort, but in Annika's case there is extreme pain. You can pray that she heals quickly and that the pain would subside. I am doing all I can to help her but sometimes I wish I had a magic healing wand.

Life Lesson: as I serve my spouse in her greatest hour of need I am not only serving her but God as well. I think people often think that being married is about being enslaved to another person--its simply not true--I love serving Annika and the more I serve her, the more I love her.

Random Pics

I'm typing with one hand right now so lets just show you what you came here for :-) The last pic is where it all started...

When Tyler is cold...

This kid absolutely cannot stand to be cold. When we change him, you would think we were circumcising him again! One layer of clothing simply does not cut it even with the heat set at 71. Speaking of cold, its 21 degrees here and our little home is quite drafty.

Last night we had about three inches of snow--Tyler wanted to go out and play but we think he might still be a little too young ;-)

Mom and dad are still very tired and are beginning to figure out a schedule. Having a baby requires teamwork and I really think we are doing well. We've been using the tag-team method--she feeds, I nap; I burp--she naps, etc. I've never had to run on catnaps so this is making life fun AND I now understand why God created caffeine!

Other news: we have our first pediatrician visit tomorrow!

Grandparents Part II & The first afternoon home!

Hello from Malvern--we made the long commute from Paoli ;-) [those of you who know the area know that we only live 1 mile from the hospital so it actually took us much longer to pack up the car then it did to drive home]

So as I was saying, we are home now and are very happy about it. The hospital staff was great, but there really is nothing like your own home. I'm actually watching Tyler right now as he sleeps quietly in his Cradle Swing. I tell you, this kid is so content its amazing! He fed for 40 minutes today when we got home! When we left the hospital he weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz...so he's dropped a few since birth but that's completely normal.

Annika is napping now so I'm enjoying the quiet and the absolutely beautiful angel in front of me.

Maybe more later! Enjoy the new pics.

Good Morning - Day 3

Hi everyone! Annika and I had some MUCH needed sleep last night. For those of you who have been through this, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about--for those of you who have not--I can't explain it. We've both never been so tired in our lives...today feels like a new world.

The other grandparents stopped by late last night so I'll post those pics a little later today. We should be getting discharged from the hospital around noon--it does seem a little soon but we can all thank the insurance companies for that!

Grandparents - Part 1

Grandpa Baumgardner and Grandma White stopped by to see Tyler and as you can see they were disappointed... ;-) {extreme sarcasm intended}

I was seriously disappointed though because we missed the free Christmas dinner in the hospital cafe--which is awesome btw.

Morning Update

We've been trying to absorb all the information that has been fired at us--its like drinking from a fire hydrant! Do this, do that, hold this that way, but not this way, etc, etc. Its funny because all of you know Annika and I are huge readers / researchers, but you pretty much forget everything your read during the heat of the moment ;-)

Today has been designated "grandparent vist" time. Annika's side is visiting around 1 PM and my parents after work this evening. We are keeping the visits to 20 minutes due to the high level of fatigue Annika is experiencing, plus let's face it--there's plenty of time to see him at the house! Another caution around house visits: we'll probably resemble Nazzi's if you attempt to stop by and visit--especially if your sick :-) Our staff of professionals has highly recommended we limit visits until after 3 or more weeks. SORRY! :-(

Tyler Day 2 PIC

Hey everyone, the sleepy parents are here! Annika is starting to get sore--as can only be expected after basically passing a 9 pounder! Enjoy the new close up pic!

Thoughts

Well, it was one long day. As I sit in our quiet room looking at Annika and Tyler--both sleeping so peacefully, I am reminded just how blessed I am. God is truly amazing!

I will tell you that the last 30 minutes of the delivery were not fun. In fact, I was scared although I couldn't show it to Annika. Tyler simply did not want to come out and they needed to use forecepts. These things are straight medieval looking and although the doc says she wasn't using a lot of force--she was from where I was standing.

In those tense moments I was praying with Annika and although I was scared, I felt a peace because I knew he was in control--not the doc, nurse or anyone--simply Him. As Tyler was pulled from Annika, I did everything I could to contain myself because when you see the miracle of life there is no denying the existence of God. More tomorrow after sleep!

Tyler's First Hour

This is the moment everyone has been waiting for--the pictures! Enjoy--more will of course follow after I get some sleep!

TYLER EMANUEL CHIODI

Born at 9:52 PM
Weight: 9 LBS (NOT A TYPO!!!!!!)
Length: 22"

ANNIKA WAS AWESOME!! but because he was so big, she's going to need a lot of time to heal. Pictures soon!

PUSHING

We've been pushing for 40 minutes...

Almost Time!!!

I know everyone is going crazy with excitement...the time is almost here to start pushing. I am going to guestimate 30 minutes tops and she'll start pushing. If Annika could speak she would say thank GOD for epidurals. She is feeling pain but the epi takes so much off (easy for me to say as the dad I know)...The nurse said she could feel everything and he is perfectly in place.

The Waiting Game

Annika was just checked by the nurse and she is now 9+...which means the pushing could start soon...but don't quote me on that. We are waiting for the doc to finish up a c-section and then she will come in for the final check. Things are going to get exciting real soon--I can feel it! I will update everyone once the doc does her final check. Keep praying!

Good News

Well, Annika is now 9 cm. Which means one more cm and she SHOULD be able to start pushing. This will be so awesome to experience. I will keep everyone posted and there will be pictures as soon as we absorb the moment. Thanks to everyone for their prayers--we can feel them!

Sleeping

Annika is still sleeping--which is a great thing. She looks very peaceful as the epidural is doing exactly what it was designed to do. As you can all imagine, I am very excited for the big moment to arrive, however it looks like it still could be a few hours away.

The medical staff have all (well, almost all except for one nurse who is a little Nazzi) been phenomenal. Including the anesthesiologist who gave me an entire lesson on how to insert the needle into the L4 vertebrae (i think its L4).

More updates as they become available!

Ahhh RELIEF!

How do you spell relief??? EPIDURAL!!! It was successfully administered by the anesthesiologist. It worked so well that she had a contraction that hit 92 (out of 100) and she didn't even know it. She is now peacefully sleeping...power nap. The fun will start no doubt in the next few hours. More to come as it happens!

Afternoon Update

Annika is experiencing frequent contractions that are very painful. She has requested the epidural and we are waiting for it...Annika would pay $10,000 for it right now ;-)

She's moving along well and I'm very proud of how she's handling the pain.

More News..

80% effaced (of 100% for those of you who are not living in baby centric world) and at -1 station (scale goes from -5 to 5, plus five means the baby's head not only has come down past the ischial spines, but also is visible at the opening of the vagina--also known as crowning).

My apologies if that's too much information for some of you ;-)

To summarize: Annika is moving along in classic textbook fashion.

Some real news for once...

Ok, so the doc just broke Annika's water which means things should start moving along. This will cause the contractions to strengthen and start the "real" laboring process. They also lowered her dose of Oxytocin as they don't want her contractions to be too painful--as they are starting to become. Hopefully the next update will be even more fun for all!

As the IV drips...

So we haven't made any further progress at this point. Annika is attempting to take a nap before the party really starts. Last night she probably slept for a total of five hours--the nurses are constantly coming in so its tough to sleep. No other news to speak of at the moment.

We're Moving Along...

Annika is doing awesome! The contractions are about 5 minutes apart and are getting stronger from the Oxytocin (the body typically makes this, but in our case they are administering it via IV to speed things along).

9:20 AM - Progress!!

Annika has just showed progress and her contractions are becoming much stronger. Maybe it will happen today!

8:37 AM

Cervix still isn't ready for a baby to come out even after having meds
overnight to soften it! So more then likely they will start us on an
alternative treatment in a few minutes...as of right now all is well
and Annika and I had a little sleep last night. I will send updates as
new information is available :-)