Welcome Colin

I apologize for not posting sooner, but I'm sure you'll all understand why in just a moment. We had an ultrasound and a doctor's appointment on Wednesday November 28. We had the ultrasound done first, and we were told how great little Colin looked and well developed he seemed to be, but there was one small problem. My amniotic fluid level had dropped from 15 cm the previous week to only 4 cm that week. This was a sign that my placenta was reaching it's expiration date and Colin was in "distress mode" meaning though he was perfectly healthy at that point he had shut down his kidneys to help keep the supply of blood to his heart and brain going strong. We told the doctor we had a c-section scheduled for the following Wednesday and he said, "Well, I was thinking more like this Wednesday." Brad and I looked at each other in shock and both said "Like, TODAY?" The doctor left to call my OB and get his opinion and Brad and I immediately started freaking out thinking of all the things we had not gotten done around the house and for little Colin. I had so much work to do!

We went directly from the ultrasound appointment to Labor and Delivery. I had to wait until 9 p.m. because we had to wait 8 hours after I had eaten anything. So, 6 hours after leaving the doctor's office, at 9:38 p.m. on Wednesday November 28, 2007 little Colin Travis Baker was born into our lives and our hearts. Luckily the doctors were right and he was perfectly healthy, despite being born 3 weeks and 2 days early. He had great AGAP scores and a perfectly healthy set of lungs, he cried for the first hour solid after he was born. We think he got it all out of his system then though, because in his first week (holy cow he's already a week old!) he's been a very content and well behaved little guy. Don't get me wrong, he'll let you know when he needs or wants something. He was 7 pounds even and 19.1 inches long. He has dark blue eyes and the whitest hair. Everyone jokes he has Grampa Frank's hair style because he is pretty much bald on top then has longer hair on the sides and back of his head. I can say without a doubt that he is in fact the cutest baby ever, hands down (sorry Nolan).

We came home on Sunday, both of us doing well. Colin had the slightest case of jaundice, but he's an eater now that he has some of mom's milk and got the majority of it out of his system pretty quickly. Speaking of eating, we've been working on breast feeding and after a few speed bumps he's been doing really well with it. He isn't quite eating all he needs directly from me yet, so we are still having to pump and supplement with milk from a bottle. He is gaining weight back already though. He had dropped to 6.5 pounds in the hospital and he is already back up to 6.10 pounds, so he's doing great.

Mommy is doing well too. I'm moving around pretty nicely, still have just a little pain around the incision and in my back. My energy has come back nicely though and the three of us are getting into a little more of a routine. I've even already lost all of my pregnancy weight. Yay!

Brad has taken off work for the week and has been such a blessing the past few days. He is taking great care of Colin and I. Everyone kept telling us that our lives were going to change and never be the same once Colin got here. All I can say to that is, "Thank God." I don't ever want to go back to life without Colin here. As I told Brad yesterday, as of 9:38 p.m. on November 28, 2007 he had literally made every dream I ever had come true. I love them both more than words can express.