Monday, November 3, 2008

how he came to be...

There once was a boy named Mack, and here is the story of how he came to be: His mommy waited expectantly for him to arrive through much heart burn and uncomfiness. But alas his due date came and went with no baby to speak of. After some hefty begging on the part of mommy, the doctor agreed to induce her to help little Mack arrive in a more timely manner. So, the date and time were set for Sunday night anywhere between 9pm and midnight (Mack's parents appreciated the specific request of their doctor). Grandpatty (Mack's mommy's mom) arrived on Friday night to take care of everything (truly--EV.ERY.THING.) at the house, and prepared a yummy Sunday dinner before the trip to the hospital. While sitting at dinner at 7pm, the phone rang telling Mack's parents it was time to go (once again, thanks was expressed for the specific requests from mommy's doctors). So, Mack's mommy, daddy and grandpatty gathered up everything and headed down to the hospital. Mom had overpacked as usual, and they took a full duffel bag, and a full suitcase to the hospital, but nothing was forgotten.


Paperwork was filled out, needles were poked, hearts were fluttering with anticipation, and finally the medicine was administered to start the labor at 10pm. Between 10pm and midnight, mom only progressed 1 cm (from 2-3), but the contractions were strong enough to warrant an epidural.
Mr. Anesthesiologist was under direct orders to keep the needle out of mom's sight, and daddy was under direct orders not to let go of mommy's hand. Turns out the epidural wasn't so bad--more like heaven-sent, because it allowed daddy to sleep and mommy to drift in and out of sleep in between bi-hourly checks of blood pressure and heart rate. By 4am, progression had moved one more cm, and the doctor promised the progression would be faster from then on out. Mack's mom, being a first-timer, had forgotten that epidurals have the tendency to wear off during labor and began to feel more pain than she was prepared for around 8 cm. Once again, daddy was under direct orders not to let go of her hand, and mommy was reminded she could up the dose of the epidural, which she promptly did, and was relieved to find that epidurals work.

Around 11am, the doctor (Ms. Candace Moore) decided it was time to start pushing. In the beginning, everyone seemed confident that the baby would arrive in no time, and that mommy had little to worry about. However, after an hour and a half of pushing and mom losing anything that was left in her stomach at the time, it became clear that was not the case. It seems Mack had decided he wanted to meet the world facing up and to the side, and he wasn't about to change his mind. The mention of there still being a possibility of the baby not having to be delivered by c-section along with the fact that mommy is sure the epidural had completely worn off by this point had Mack's mom a little worried. When two hours hit, Mack's mom asked the doctor to consider other alternatives to help Mack meet his parents and the doctor acquiesced. 13 minutes, an episiotomy, and a vacuum later, Mack was introduced to the world. He was handed directly to his mommy, and she was filled with wonder, amazement and relief. He was a perfect little boy entrusted directly to she and daddy. Daddy's thoughts were somewhat different in that he was surprised at the sideways cone shape of his little boy's head, and he hoped it would return to normal to save his son from humiliation on the playground in years to come. However, once he was able to hold the little one, those thoughts melted away and he too was amazed at the creation of a little life. At 8 lb 7 oz, Mack was a healthy boy, and Mommy is hoping subsequent children will perhaps be a little less robust, but just as healthy.


In the ten days since Mack's birth, everyone around him has been amazed at what a good baby he is.


He sleeps in four hour blocks at night, and he cries very little during the days.

His mom, dad, uncle stevie, grandpatty, and grandma leelee (mommy's name for DJ's mom. She hasn't quite decided what she wants to be called yet) are completely charmed by him.

Mom loves to watch dad with little Mack. He makes such a cute daddy.


Mommy is humbled by the opportunity take care of such a sweet baby and is excited for what the future will bring.
And enough thanks cannot be said to the sweet grandmas for coming out to take care of us, the baby, and every little thing around the house, and to their families back home for lending them out.

And, we'll always remember the story of how little Mack came to be...

29 comments:

Jill T said...

Good post! Hope to see these more frequently. He is adorable and we're so happy for you!

kami said...

beautiful! he seems like a great baby...4 hour blocks - lucky you!! hope you're doing well! and be sure to update lots...

Michelle said...

What a wonderful story. When he is a little older you can read to him about his special day and he will ask to hear it over and over. You guys will be great parents and I wish you the best.

Katie said...

What a sweet post and a sweet boy! It was silly of me to wonder where all that hair came from; all I had to do was look at the last picture of the post! I'm so happy for you guys and can't wait to meet Mack in person!

jamieyk4 said...

wow! you'll be telling this story for years and years. He is adorable and so are you and dj. can't wait to see you at Christmas

Brooklet said...

What a beautiful family picture! He is adorable! I love labor and delivery stories, and your sounds like it went really well (well minus the 2 1/2 hours of pushing, but he made it!) I am so excited to finally meet the little guy!

Sketchy said...

I say the retelling of this story should be a "night before birthday" annual tradition. So sweet!

Congratulations again.

(PS: Your mom is such a cute primary chorister, lol. The kids loved her. We could see where you get it from!)

Amy F said...

So nice to see you are keeping the pictures coming. And what great pictures they are. I sense Stevie at work??

And so nice for you to get the story written down. It is amazing how the details fade with time... so good for you! You'll want to remember later...

I hope you got a picture of the conehead! Cute that DJ was worried like that.

I love how calm he looks. He just looks so healthy. I know you guys are taking good care of him. Can't wait to hold him myself!

Dad (TMF) said...

Amy: You need to get some sleep. Look what time your comment was posted. Libby was probably up feeding at that time, though.

Amy said...

I can't get enough of labor stories. Sounds like you have fun and unique story to tell for the rest of your life. We're so happy for you both! But, you totally skipped over the last 13 minutes. You can tell me later :)! Let me know when you want some dinner!

libby said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
libby said...

Amy F., The pictures were actually the work of Mom Frandsen, DJ and myself. Stevie thought the pumpkin was silly, are you surprised? :) Although I was able to use his super cool lens, which most likely made the pictures.

Amy A., I wanted any guy reading the blog to feel comfortable, so I skipped over the last little bit. But I'm pretty sure it's seared in my memory, so I don't think I'll be forgetting any time soon!

Emily said...

he's beautiful libby! i'm happy you FINALLY put just one prego picture up so i can believe he's yours and didn't just appear in the night by some unknown means and fake labor stories. love you.

Tawni said...

I love this Libby! Good to finally hear every detail! All Ive been getting lately is the hand-me-down story :) Love you!

Seidi said...

So cute Libs!!! Congrats, congrats, congrats. Sorry it didn't go as "smoothly" as you would have hoped. But of course you could do it! Yay for you.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you were able to get induced, obviously Mack was big enough to be welcomed into the world! You look great, too good for having brand new baby!

Amanda K said...

He is beautiful! The pictures are amazing. I hope I get a chance to meet the little guy sometime soon.

Anonymous said...

I'm so happy for you guys, awesome post, and beautiful photos!:)

Ryan & Amanda said...

Congratulations Libby! He is such a beautiful baby! I am glad he is a good baby, those "long" sleep stretches at night make life bearable.

Stephanie said...

Wow! What amazingly beautiful pictures! I'm so glad he finally decided to come. Congratulations again. Keep us posted. I love seeing your pictures.

Richins Family said...

wow that was a really neat post! i'm so happy for you!i've been wanting to come by but i'll wait till your family all leaves! it's fun that our boys are so close in age! maybe they'll be buddies!! talk to you soon!

Kimi said...

You're baby is adorable! Those pictures are so cute! I love all his hair. I am glad you and the baby are both doing good. Let me know if you need anything... we'll have to come visit you soon and see baby Mack. :)

MJ said...

He is so beautiful, as is his mother. The picture with you and Mack is so adorable. And, it was nice to hear the complete story of how he arrived. Thanks for sharing.

Brett and Rachel said...

Libby, I LOVE the pics! They are gorgeous! What a cute little dude! I esp. love the first three b&w ones. I must know what kind of camera you took them with.

Libby said...

what a nice story...you are so cute. i am glad everything ended up with a healthy baby and no c-section. i can't wait to meet him. he is adorable!

Hina Schneider said...

Mack is such a cute little guy. Reminds me of my little guy. I love the pics they are just fantastic. Wish you all well. Can't wait to see you guys for Christmas time.

Melissa said...

MY GOODNESS, he is gorgeous! Congrats on your new arrival. When I can coax Rick to spend some time relaxing, I will show him your blog. He would love to keep up on the happenings of the Jones family! We are so happy for you & DJ. Lots of love! Melissa

Elise said...

Congrats! I love reading birth stories. I definitely know how you felt with the pushing...I pushed for four hours before Violet finally came out (or was pulled out with the help of forceps). No fun! Your baby is beautiful!

JoDell said...

Thanks for sharing--the story and the pictures! What a beautiful baby boy! My goodness, that hair is amazing! I love it! I love the pictures--they're beautiful. What a blessing to have a healthy baby.