Daddy's a Hero

As some of you know, yesterday was quite a crazy day for our family. Daniel was in an accident at work, but praise God he is doing fine!

This will be rather lengthy but I want to share the details about what happened.

Yesterday Caleb and I had to run to town and drop off some papers in town. As we were driving to the bank, I passed the Animal Clinic off of Hwy 64 and saw big flames coming from the clinic. I had the strangest feeling when I passed by. I knew Daniel was on shift at Station 2 (Skyline) so that was out of his zone, but I still had an odd feeling. I immediately called Daniel's cell phone, and he did not answer. This is not unusual because sometimes when there is a fire they have to cover central station. I just assumed that he was sent to Central and he had left his cell phone at skyline. Boy was I wrong.

After I dropped off my papers, I decided to go back home on Hwy 64 to see what was going on. When we approached the animal clinic, the cops had already arrived and had the road blocked.  As I drove home I received a phone call from Daniel from a different number.

At that moment; I received a phone call that no relative of a fireman wants to receive. As I answered the phone, Daniel said to me "I have been burned and they are taking me on an ambulance to the hospital". My heart sank and I began to panic. He quickly told me that he did not think his burns were very bad and there was no need for me to take Caleb out to the hospital ( at this point it was pouring down raining). I asked him if he was sure and he reassured me that he was fine. He did not go into details about the accident, which I am actually thankful for.

I had no way of reaching Daniel because the number he had called me from was one of the EMS members and they had already left him at the hospital. So I waited for what seemed like FOREVER to hear back from him. He finally called again and said that he was about to leave the hospital, they had treated his burns and he was being sent home. I asked if I could come pick him up and he said that he was fine to drive and that he would be home in a little bit, boy is he stubborn. So there I was again, waiting to find out what happened.

About an hour later, I heard Daniel's truck pull into the drive way and my heart began to race. When he walked through the doors he had a look on his face that I had not ever seen before. He gave me a huge bear hug and quickly walked into the living room and picked up Caleb. He sat us all down on the couch and began praying. In his prayer he was thanking God for giving his Captain strength to get him out of the room that he was TRAPPED in, as soon as I heard this I began to boo-hoo! It was a very emotional moment and I realized that God had watched over him so that he could return to us.

WOW! After he prayed he began to tell me his version of what happened. He said that they were actually at station 3 (16th street) when the tone for the fire went off. They were the closest to the fire so they immediately left the station and headed that way. They were the first on the scene so Daniel and his Captain were the first to enter the fire. As they crawled in, Daniel was the first one leading the way. He entered a room and a garage bay door falls directly on his legs. He described the door as 16 feet wide by 12 feet long and weighing around 500 pounds. The door landed on his ankles and his body was left in a room that quickly turned into an oven. Praise God his feet caught the door because it allowed him to still have water in his hose. Daniel was TRAPPED. His captain was on the other side and kept knocking on the door to let Daniel know that he was trying to help. Thank God Daniel had a hose of water so he was fighting off the fire and praying as he was stuck inside. He said he prayed that God would give Captain the strength to lift the door.

A few minutes later Daniel said he felt the pressure of the door lift off his legs. Captain and Greg were miraculously able to lift the 500 pound door a few feet so that Daniel could get free. He went outside to get some fresh air and everyone could see his burns on his face, ears, and neck. Of course, my courageous husband was adimant that he had to go back in. So he did. When he was inside he and another fireman decided to try to lift the door that he was trapped under and he said they could not make the door budge. As most of you know my husband is VERY STRONG, so for him to say that made me cry. God gave his fellow firemen the strength to lift that door up. PRAISE GOD!

Daniel was sent to the hospital so that they could treat his burns. He has a few 2nd degree burns on his face, neck, and ears. His ears are definitely the worst part, but wow I am just proud to say that he was able to walk away with just minor injuries. You can not even tell where the door feel on his ankles. I am sure it helped that his legs are so strong and muscular, I am pretty sure most people's ankles would have broken.

Daniel and I are just extremely thankful that God had his hand of protection over him. I cannot imagine my life without him. Days before his accident we were talking about how blessed we feel. God has really been making his presence known in our lives over the past year and this is just another one of his blessings.

We want to thank everyone for their sweet thoughts and prayers. Now... I just have to find a bubble to keep my husband in!!!

Caleb's First Month

Wow, time flies when you are having fun! Caleb will be one month old tomorrow! He is such a blessing to our family and we could not imagine life any other way. Here are a few milestones from his first month: 

• At one month old Caleb weighs: 10 pounds, 15 ounces,  and measures 22 inches long.
• After leaving the hospital, Caleb lost 1 pound. It took him about 4 days to get back to his birth weight. We had to go to the hospital 2 times to get his jaundice levels checked. Thankfully once my milk came in, the jaundice levels got better,
• Caleb outgrew newborn diapers at 2 weeks old; he is now wearing size 1 diapers
•  Caleb does not like to sit in a wet or dirty diaper. This means we are changing LOTS of diapers
• Caleb wore newborn clothes for the first 2 weeks, now he is wearing size 0-3 clothes. Most of his 0-3 month pants are still too big. They are fine in length, but way to baggy in the waist and legs. (He must have daddy's tiny waist)
• Caleb loves his wake time during the day, he typically stays awake at least an hour after being fed. He is becoming increasingly more alert and is learning how to focus on things better. (He was pretty entertaining the first few weeks because he would make lots of funny faces with his cross-eyed eyes)
•  Caleb loves to listen to music and singing. Some of his first smiles were observed when I was singing to him (maybe he was laughing at how bad I sounded?)
•   When Caleb surrenders to his sleepiness, he enjoys taking his naps in his swing. He sleeps at night in his fisher price rock n’ play sleeper in our bedroom.
•  Caleb has some WILD hands. Everyone that visits comments on how big his hands are. He loves to have them right under his chin or in his face. Needless to say, when we swaddle him at night; the hands will be free in no time!
•   Caleb is nursing every 2 hours during the day for 20-25 minutes, and every 3-4 hours at night. I am so thankful that I did not have to supplement with formula. Caleb is gaining about 1-2 ounces a day.
• Caleb has slept for 4.5 hour stretches a few nights, hope it keeps getting longer! 
•  Caleb has been trying really hard to hold his head up. He can turn his head pretty easily too! 
• Caleb HATED sponge baths, but loves his baths in the sink! He will sit in the warm water for 30 minutes if I let him. His favorite part is getting his hair washed. 
• Caleb hates when I put lotion on him. He will shake his arms and legs and make the worst faces.
• Caleb LOVES to have his hair brushed. Sometimes when he is fussy and I don’t know what’s wrong I will brush his hair and he calms down.
• Speaking of hair, Caleb has a little rat tail in the back. It’s the funniest thing. I have been dying to get it cut, but I am trying to be patient and let his hair grow.
•   Caleb enjoys being rocked but falls asleep on his own at night. THANK GOD! 
•   Caleb has a love/ hate relationship with his pacifier. He wants it in his mouth, but cannot seem to keep it in (especially when he has the hiccups).
•  Caleb loves traveling in his car seat and taking field trips. He has been to church several times and is such an angel! Everyone comments on how calm he is! Our favorite field trip is definitely going to see Daddy at the fire station! 
• Caleb has had tons of visitors this month. Most people say you are a good mix of me and Daniel. He definitely has Daddy’s tiny ears, big hands, and toes. I am pretty sure he has my nose and I think his eyes are going to turn brown.
•  Caleb is a pretty content baby! He typically only cries when a) he is hungry or b) his diaper needs changed. 
• We have noticed that Caleb gets fussy at night around dinner time. Most of the time it appears like he is straining and has a tummy ache. We have used quite a few tummy drops to console him.

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I cannot believe that Caleb is growing so fast, I cannot wait to see what milestones are ahead of us this month.

Best Baby Daddy

I feel the need to write a post and dedicate it to my amazing husband. He has been such a blessing to me and Caleb. 

Let me begin by saying that during my whole pregnancy Daniel was very supportive and encouraging. I was unsure of how he would respond with me getting a  big belly, but he was absolutely wonderful. As some of you know my first trimester was very brutal as I had to deal with "morning sickness" all day for the first 14 weeks. Daniel was extremely patient with me and would help where he could. As the rest of my pregnancy progressed, Daniel would help clean and do laundry. He even cooked for me a few times and when he was on shift at the fire station he would always call and invite me to EAT (not ask me to cook--- like pre pregnancy).

My daily foot rub in the final days of my pregnancy!

Since Caleb has been born, Daniel has quickly taken on his new responsibilites as a dad. Daniel has never been a huge "Baby lover", but his mom always told me that Daniel's dad was the same way and when his kids arrived he quickly transformed. I have to say; Daniel is following in his daddy's footsteps. He feel in love with Caleb immediately. It is very clear to any person that spends time with Daniel. Every morning and afternoon Caleb and Daddy do their "exercises", this is just too precious (I have got to get a picture of this). 

Before Caleb arrived, when we would spend time with our friends lots of time was spent talking about hunting and joking. The other night I thought it was so cute, Daniel kept telling our friends stories about Caleb and he even paused for a minute and said --- My goodness, I am turning into one of those people that only talks about their kids. I thought it was adorable! 

I have to say that I think sometimes bad days allow us to appreciate good days even more! Yesterday was definitely a ROUGH day at our house. It all began around 4 AM when Caleb was extremely fussy. We could not do anything to pacify him. Most days, Caleb is pretty easy to read; he fusses when a) his diaper is dirty or b) he is hungry. 

Well yesterday after I fed and changed Caleb's diaper, he would just scream. I felt like a horrible mom because I could not make him stop crying. This continued ALL DAY! Yesterday afternoon, Daniel told me he would watch Caleb so I could get out of the house for a bit to run some errands. I really needed a break, so I took him up on the offer. I was only gone for about 2.5 hours and I am pretty sure I called 3 times (ha). When I returned home, Caleb was fussy just like I had suspected. Daniel was a trooper  and he was trying everything to make him content. Those of you that know my husband, know how adimant he was that when we had children he would NOT change diapers. When I walked in from getting groceries guess what Daniel was doing??? Changing a poopy diaper :)

I quickly came in and took Caleb from him to see what the problem was. While I was tending to Caleb, Daniel put up all the groceries and cooked a delicious dinner. He even prepared my plate for me and brought it into the living room for me to eat. He took Caleb from me and said you need to eat, I will watch him. The night continued to get worse and after his 8:30 feeding, I decided to swaddle Caleb and put him to bed for the night. I thought he was just overly tired. I was WRONG again, he cried and cried. I was EXHAUSTED so my precious husband came in and took Caleb and put him on his chest and consoled him until he feel asleep.

With all this being said, I am so proud of my Baby Daddy! He is such a help and I could not imagine this journey without his help. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful partner that is so supportive and in love with his son! I hope that Caleb is just like him!

Field Trips & Products I love

Caleb is 3.5 weeks old and is growing like a weed! He measures 22 inches long and weighs 10 lbs 10 oz. He loves his carseat so I have been taking full advantage and we have been going on daily field trips! He is such a sweet baby and does well on our trips, everyone says wow he is soo good! He likes to show his true colors around dinner time, but hey if that is the only time he is fussy, I can handle it!

Last week I even took the little fella to Center Valley for the Valentine's party. It was so good to see all my students and my colleagues.Caleb got lots of attention :) It was so funny to see my kiddos expressions when I walked into the classroom with Caleb. They were so quiet and just stared for about 2 minutes. I started laughing really hard because they are never that quiet. One of my students looked up at me and said "I think we are just really nervous" haha! Two of my students just stared at me and said "You are so beautiful" which makes a momma post baby feel extra special. One of my parents said "I don't think they are used to you without the big belly". We had lots of fun and Mrs. Magill made the most precious quilt for Caleb. She helped get all my students' handprints on the border of the quilt. I will cherish this quilt forever! 

Caleb is one loved little guy! I feel so blessed to know that I have such supportive friends and family around. This weekend we had so much fun. Our best friends are expecting their first baby and we had the pleasure of taking some pictures of them for their pregnancy announcement :) I think they turned out so cute and fun.I cannot wait for Baby Shinn to arrive. Caleb will have a buddy to play with come September!

Every time Daniel is on shift; which means that he is gone for 24 hours, we go have dinner with Daddy. It's so fun to go to the station beacuse the two precious men that work with Daniel are so in love with Caleb. They fight over who gets to take care of him while me and Daniel eat. I know Caleb is in great hands and we joke about how he has two Papa's at the fire station. I haven't got a picture of them  with Caleb (surprising huh?) --- I will have to do that Tuesday. 


Now on to the meat of the post. I have quite a few friends that are expecting and have been asking what to register for. Here are a few of my favorite products- thus far! Thought I would share!

1. Baby Scales- This is not a must have, but a very nice thing to have. Especailly if you are nursing and unsure if your little one is getting enough to eat. My mother-in-law bought these and I weigh Caleb every morning around the same time. 

 

2. Medela double handsfree pump- If you plan on pumping for any length of time, this thing is a GOD SEND, worth the money!
 

3. Fisher Price rock'n play sleeper- This is what Caleb sleeps in every night beside our bed! I love it because I do  not have to worry about him choking on his spit up.
 
4. Motorola Video monitor- This thing is awesome, especially during nap time when I want to get some things done! 
 
5. Aden and Anias swaddle blankets - These are light weight and breathable! Wonderful investment! 
 
6.  Fisher Price Discover n' grow swing n' seat- I love this swing and calming seat because it does not take up your whole living room. It is very compact and Caleb loves to nap in this! 
 

7. PUJ Bath- My friend Laura let me borrow this bathtub. It is amazing because it is so soft and not bulky like those hard plastic tubs. I just put it in the kitchen sink and it molds to the sides. 

 

Thank God for Grandma's

Wow! The first week at home was definitely a humbling experience. Daniel and I had so much company at the hospital and I was very overwhelmed with nursing and didn't feel very confident in what I was doing, therefore we made the dumbest decision we have ever made--- to not have someone stay with us our first night home.


With that being said, we got released from the hospital on Friday around noon. When we got home everything was going pretty smoothly, we had a few visitors and Daniel's mom cooked us a fabulous dinner (meatloaf, green beans, and my favorite--- mac & cheese). After everyone left; Daniel and I thought that things would be easy. We would just lay Caleb down and he would sleep until he cries to eat---- WRONG!!! We were up nearly all night with a very FUSSY baby.

Before my milk came in, Caleb had the strangest sounding cry- it sounded like a yelling SCREECH, not a pleasant sound at all. We would lay him down and he would SCREECH very loudly. In desperation, Daniel put him on his chest face down and that was the only way that he would sleep. I cried and cried because I was very passionate that Caleb was not going to sleep in bed with us, and here we were the first night home and where was he? In bed with us! The first night was just about survival--- haha we joke about how we are thankful Caleb will never remember any of the events that took place.

Needless to say as soon as the sun came up, I looked at Daniel in desperation and said "will you please call your mom and see if she will come babysit for a while so we can get some rest?" Mind you I was still very sore and getting up and down was quite difficult after my 3rd degree epistemology. Daveline, Daniel's momma, quickly came over and immediately took over. She watched Caleb while I napped and she cooked a gourmet breakfast for us. I was so relieved to know that I had such great help. Caleb is one blessed guy to have such a special Granny D. She stayed with us most of the day and made sure that we were getting rest. I could not have survived the first 2 days at home without her. Needless to say, I called my mom and told her that I needed her to come back that evening (Saturday), which she was planning all along.

Granny D ( Daniel's Mom), Caleb, and Daniel

When my mom got here she had BAGS of food from Sam's. She filled up my freezer and made sure that we had 3 hearty meals a day. She was AMAZING. She would clean up the house, do the laundry, and at night she would sleep with Caleb in the living room and bring him to me to nurse. She stayed with us until Wednesday and I was extremely sad to see her go. Experiences like this deepen your relationship with the people that help you the most. Daniel and I were so thankful to have our momma's love and support during this extremely emotional time.

Mimi (my mom) and Caleb

I know that I sound like I did not enjoy being a mom, and that is not true at all. I was so in love with Caleb, I just did not know what the heck I was doing. The first few days at home were tough because my milk had not come in and Caleb was not at all satisfied by my colostrum.

For all you first time momma's out there or people that plan on nursing in the future here are some of my favorite  "nursing supplies":

1. Lansinoh Lanolin Cream- use this a few months before the baby is ever born, will help with cracking and bleeding.
 
2.  Nursing pads- I used the disposable ones for the first 2 weeks, due to leaking. I just got the Lilly padz silicone ones and they are FABULOUS, worth the investment and you can wash them off and keep using them! 
 
3. A great rocking chair or glider

4. Medela Nipple Shield- Caleb had trouble latching on and this thing has been a God send!

 
5. A good stopwatch or you can use the clock on your phone- I just start the stop watch when I start nursing and then keep it going after feeding. When Caleb wakes up again or acts hungry I just hit the stop watch on my phone to see how long it has been since I nursed him last- much easier to me than trying to keep track of the time I last feed him.
 

Lots of Firsts

              This post will be a lot of pictures and much fewer words. Caleb is doing great and is such a sweet baby. I am getting used to running on a lot less sleep. Seems like I get it in increments of 2 hours. Caleb nurses every 2 hours during the day and every 2.5-3.5 hours at night. I am hoping that his night feedings start to spread out a little more very soon :).

             I have several friends that have used the "Babywise" schedule and found it very successful. I am trying hard to set up the eat, wake time, and nap routine. Caleb fights his naps during the day but is a great sleeper at night. At night I nurse him, change him, and then lay him right back down and he is OUT.

            He is up to 9 lbs 12.5 ounces and I am one proud momma!

Now on to the pictures Here are lots of "Caleb Firsts" pictures:

Caleb's First Picture

Caleb's First time in daddy's arms

Caleb's first kisses from mommy!

Caleb's first time home

Caleb's first sponge bath at home

Caleb's first time to be dried off by daddy

Caleb's first time to spit up on daddy ** notice the big spot on his sweat shirt**

Caleb's first trip to church with daddy

Caleb's first trip  to church with mommy!

Caleb's first bottle of pumped milk

Caleb's first big trip to town - lunch and shopping

Caleb's first smile on camera 

Caleb's first real bath