Don't be scEER..ed...

I think the many faces of Josh has been passed on to Austin...he's looking everywhere but the camera...and of course it doesn't help that I'm laughing the whole time. This poor kid, doesn't have a chance.

He's like enough just feed me already!!

And what's the deal? Do the people who make shorts for old men, also make them for newborns? They are like up to his armpits.

And here's the difference...

...between how I take a picture with Austin and how Josh takes a picture with him.

The sad thing is we have about a hundred pics of Josh making the same face holding a beer.

And sorry for getting a hair cut. Little shorter than what I was going for...but it's summer...I'm breezy.

Back home

A little Mother's Day kiss for my little guy. It's hard to be upset about the lack of sleep and when he's crying when he falls asleep on you like this. We are back home as of Sat. Things of course have been going day by day. Austin has done a great job of initiating us. He peed on Josh the morning we left the hospital. Peed through his diaper and all over our comforter 2 hours into being home. Pooped out of his diaper on the changing table, and in the wee hours of the morning kicked open his diaper and peed on the table. Got to keep that sense of humor up for sure!!




We already nicknamed him "the turtle." He tucks in his bottom lip like this. Especially after nursing and you prop him up to burp him, he's got his little lip in and no neck. It's pretty funny.

Josh started a webpage for Austin for pictures and updates for friends and fam. Added it to the blog. Check it out if you get a chance.

Meet Austin!

Austin King Steging

Born May 7, 2008 2:01 a.m.

8lb 1oz 20 1/4 in

It was a long awaited arrival, but it all happened so fast. Our induction that was set for Thursday we found out Tuesday at 4pm, that it was moved to Wednesday morning, and we were to go into the hospital Tuesday night at 7 pm for some prep work...a.k.a. cervix ripening gel. Now remember I had been having regular contractions about 10 min apart since Sat. So, we get in still only dilated to 2 cm, and the contractions are about 6-7 min apart. Still not close enough for there liking...the magic number being 5 min. I get the gel, sit for a couple of hours, check me again, no change...but the contractions intensity are starting to get much worse. Still send me home, tell me to take an ambien to help sleep, and will start induction at 7 in the morning.

Get home about 10pm, take the ambien STAT do some stuff around the house get ready for the next day....get in bed around 11ish....11:45 mid dream contraction....POP...I yell out to Josh, Oh, my gosh, my water just broke....and man, they weren't joking about that gush of fluid....more like a soaker hose..but anyway, getting back to the story. Now, my ambien dazed self, Josh and my parents arrive back at the hospital by 12:15. The ambien, doing absolutely nothing for the contractions I am now having which are more like 3 min apart, and I feel like I'm going to go into shock everytime I have one.

Check me again, now dilated to a 3, but says, we could give you an epideral, since you are contracting pretty hard on your own. Praise the lord!!! But...she says, I just want to bring in the nurse to do a quick sonogram, because I'm not sure if that was his butt or his head I was feeling. And here's where it just got crazy....pretty much found out at 12:45 he was breech...in the OR by 1:15...and he was born by c-section at 2:01. Let me tell you that spinal tap did not come soon enough...but after that I was on drug overload, ambien, spinal tap...morphine...not so good on the ole' stomach. I think I puked in every single room I was in that night, OR, recovery and Mother and baby room. AWESOME.

It's funny how these things work out. Austin came out with he cord wrapped around his neck 3 times. The first day he was having a hard time keeping his temp up, but has been on antibiotics and has really perked up since then and looks even different today than yesterday, so sending some updated pics. I'm doing well. Looking forward to getting the staples out of the belly, but no complaints. I'm glad he is here and healthy. Thanks for everyone's well wishes, emails, and phone calls! He is a cutie!!

Smiling for the camera!!

Kicking it with dad...taking care of my grease bonnet in the background.

"Squakin" as Josh calls it with Grandma King

Staying warm with Grandpa King

Hopefully the last update...

After 3 crappy hours of sleep, where I just incorporated my contractions into my nightmares. I almost woke Josh up at 4 am, because I couldn't take it anymore. I was like, I don't care if they send me home again...I need drugs....but I eventually decided I could deal with it until 9am. So at our appt., have a contraction in the parking lot, bathroom, twice hooked up to the stress test....but just our luck the paper had run out, so didn't record any of them. Had another one while they are refilling the paper. Of course the Dr. comes right back in, and says..."Have you had any contractions today?" I mean I'm going on no sleep, and she's already come in and told us, that we aren't getting in until Thursday for the induction, unless someone cancels.

So, I had already decided Josh will be the designated "talker" at these appts., because if I talk several things could happen...a)crying...and or b)angriness and hate will spew from my mouth. Which would be bad for everyone. So, check the cervix...drum roll please!!!!....not quite a 2...you've got to be freaking kidding me...but this is the first time she could feel his head, and cervix was softer. She's like, I wish there was something we could send you in for like if he wasn't moving....but, then they would just look at his heart rate, and he is still having a party in there.

The positives: I left with some ambien to help sleep...writing this now, it was a beautiful thing last night. My parents came up yesterday. It's nice having them here for distraction for Josh and I. Still a chance we could get in for Wed., but Thursday is the day people!!

...(SIGH)...41 weeks...

Sorry I'm going to b*tch and moan for a sec. So, wake up Friday night/Saturday morning to some pretty intense contractions that are not going away. I'm like...well, I'll just monitor them, see if they don't change yada...yada...Josh had plans to go play golf, I go about the rest of my day mixing it up seeing if these contractions stop at all....They don't...so basically from like 8:30 to 3:00 I'm having contractions every 10 min. Yeah, and by the time Josh gets home...I'm pretty much in pain, and to the point of tears when these things are coming on. So, call Labor and Deliv, describe the situasche...and they tell me to come in.

I go in...yes, having contractions every 10 min. And dilated to....1....I'm sorry what?!?!?!?! Pretty sure I was at a one 36 hours ago when I wasn't having contractions. 2 hours later nothing has changed. I think they felt bad for me so they threw in a dilated between 1 and 2. But, after talking to my doctor and no water breaking, baby's head is still high, they send me home. They were like, but come back if they are 5 min apart. Because...10 min, apart and painful is just crazy talk..that's just too irregular.

Obviously, I'm disappointed, because this is exactly what I didn't want to happen, but the saving grace was, well we go back to the doctor Monday and then inducing Tuesday, right? Oh...just kidding. As Josh said, adding insult to injury. As we are getting ready to leave the nurse comes in and says, well, we have you on the books for Thursday to induce...I'm like, you mean Tuesday...she's like, no Thursday...(deep breath...tears...welling...)..."What? Our doctor said she was going to make it for Tuesday." She's like, oh, well, we probably didn't have an openings until Thursday...but I wouldn't expect you to make it until then. OK, fine that's all well and good, and would make me feel a lot better if YOU WEREN'T SENDING ME HOME!!!!

So...today has been AWESOME. Contractions still on avg every 10 min....and still REALLY painful....I've tried everything in the world to make them feel better...but alas...no water breaking, and no contractions every 5 min., ultimately the things we need to send us back to the hospital....so, back to the dr. tomorrow at 9:45, we'll see what happens. I'm really, really, really, really trying to stay positive...and really, really, really hoping I can sleep tonight.

So....my due date was last Sunday...

Went back to the doctor Wed., and today. Not much progression. Did a stress test, he is still very happy. Dilated 1 cm, but his head is very high up. She said she would set the induction date for Tuesday. We will go back Monday to check everything again, and then depending on what my cervix is like will possibly go to the hospital Monday night for a hormone pill to help ripen my cervix, and then go back Tuesday to induce.

It's frustrating, and I'm umcomfortable. The past couple days I've been having some pretty intense contractions, so it was annoying to not have much change from Wed...but I'm happy that the baby is healthy, and things are progressing...and that there is an end in sight. At the last couple of my appts., I had been very emotional for various reasons, so when we were there Wed., I told Josh that if we went to Chipotle for lunch afterwards I promised not to cry. :) In honor of this thing coming to an end, I stole Lisa's idea and threw in a slideshow of the belly progression.