A Baby Story (Part 3 of 3)

It was a little over two hours later, around 1:30 am, when Mindy was finally out of the OR and brought into the recovery room. She was given a blood transfusion for the blood that she lost. We stayed in the recovery room until 4 AM at which point we were finally moved back to the labor and delivery room with Carter where we attempted to feed him for the first time. We were both very happy that he started to breastfeed with relative ease.

Mindy has no memory of the events from right after Carter was born to the first feeding around 4 am and even then her memory is very vague. In fact the whole morning’s events are very limited. That afternoon however, the drugs that she had been given during the c-section where mostly worn off and we were together as a family, enjoying each others’ company. That evening we finally moved to the Mother Baby unit in the hospital and Mindy even made the walk with very little assistance. Mindy was very happy to be able to start eating again.

On Saturday several family members and friends stopped by to visit, then Sunday morning we were discharged from the hospital. At that time Carter had started to develop a slight case of jaundice and we were told to take him to his pediatrician the next day, but overall he was very healthy. On Monday at the pediatrician, we were told to keep an eye on his color and if it worsened then we should go back in, but it appears to be clearing up. Mindy continues to improve on a daily basis and is doing very well for only a week after the c-section.

We continue to thank God for the successful delivery of our son and pray that he continues to be healthy. We ask that you keep us in your prayers as we continue to grow as a new family together.

A Baby Story (Part 1 of 3)

Okay so where to begin? Wednesday evening we made our way to Parkridge East Hospital to begin the induction. We arrived shortly after 8 pm and completed the necessary paper work for admissions. Around 9 pm we checked into our room for the next two days. The room itself was fairly nice; one of the larger labor and delivery rooms they had. They have some very small rooms and we were thankful for the extra space.

They started prepping Mindy for the process, drawing blood, starting the fluid IV drip, etc. Cervidil was scheduled to begin sometime from 9-10 but was delayed significantly. Before the nurses came back they had two busses and three wheelchairs come in for delivery and then a couple hours later around midnight had three more, so it wasn’t started until right before 1:30 Thursday morning. At that point we were finally able to get some sleep for the long day ahead.

Tuesday morning around 8:30 the Pitocin was administered to start the contractions. Two hours later Mindy was right at 4 cm and our Midwife, Amy Miller Anderson, decided to break the water. Because contractions intensify once the water is broken, Mindy decided it was time for the epidural to be administered. It took a while for the anesthesiologist to arrive in the room and by that point Mindy was very grateful for the relief. The afternoon progressed uneventfully except it appeared around 3 o’clock that she had dropped off the normal dilation curve which was a little bit of a concern. But when the Amy rechecked at 6 pm and she had reached 9 cm! Amy said she would go change and would be back to begin the pushing process. At 6:45 pm it began.

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A Baby Story (Part 2 of 3)

Before it began Amy (the midwife) said that 2 -3 hours was the longest they recommend pushing to lower the stress on both mother and baby. At first things seemed to be going well and that Carter would be born vaginally. As we progressed into the second hour the apparent progress had slowed but enough progress had been made to hope that it would still be successful. However, the further into the hour we went the more apparent it was becoming his downward movement had stopped. As we approached the third hour we started to discuss the next options.

Amy left at the beginning of the third hour to call the doctor to prepare for a possible cesarean section which gave Mindy a chance to rest. It turns out that Doctor Sabrina Collins was already headed to downtown Chattanooga to perform a c-section at Erlanger. About 30 minutes later Amy re-enter and Mindy decided to continue to push until the doctor made her way back to our hospital on the chance that he would become unstuck.

At the end of the third hour it was very apparent that he was not going to be born without help. Once Dr. Collins arrived the only option left on the table was a c-section and so the preparations began. They took her back into the delivery operating room while I waited in the hallway until they gave me the all clear to enter. Once in the room with her we were both waiting anxiously for him to be born. As the procedure progressed Mindy could definitely fell the pressure and a dull ache and so they started to administer additional sedatives.

Once Carter was born, at 11:07 pm, we heard “he’s a big boy” from the nurses and doctors in the room. Once they had him cleaned he weighted in at large 9 lbs 3 oz. They showed him to both Mindy and I and at that point Mindy’s memory of the night’s events are hazy at best as they put Mindy under deep sedation. They gave Carter to me to hold and for a few minutes we were all three together for the first time as a family. I then walked Carter to the nursery for his first exam.

After taking a few pictures of Carter, the concern then turned to Mindy and her recovery. It was taking longer than expected for her to emerge from the OR. It was then explained that they were having difficulty stopping the uterus from bleeding further and that she had lost around double the normal amount of blood during the procedure.

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Carter is born!!!

On Thursday, March 15 at 11:07 pm, Carter James Herman entered this world and our lives. He weighted 9 lbs 3 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. This being the end of his fourth day of life, it seems so far that he is doing quite well. The biggest concern at this point is he has a slightly elevated level of jaundice, but so far nothing that is a concern. We just have to watch it carefully and make sure he eats regularly and gets some sunlight during the day.

We have uploaded pictures in the gallery from the first few days and, as time permits, over the next few days will fill you in on how the delivery went.

Labor?

Wednesday morning Mindy started having mild, but consistent contractions. This lasted until Thursday evening with a few that where irregular. But it wasn't to be, this morning they had subsided and gone back to being very irregular. Regardless we did visit the doctor today instead of waiting until our Monday appointment. At this point things haven't progressed and our midwife doesn't expect anything for at least a few more days, but also said thing can obviously change at any point.

So we continue to wait.

Carter Update

Since we found out we are expecting a boy we've been busy getting things ready in our spare time. Originally we had setup the house with one guest room and used the other bedroom as an office. We have since moved the office and guest room together, cleaned out the former guest room, and have begun setting up the nursery.

We are most greatful for the gifts we have gotten from our friends and family. Without them we would have a very difficult time coming up with everything we would need to fill his room. Clothes, furniture, blankets, bottles, etc, the items one needs to have a home for a baby is almost overwhelming. We thank everyone that has given not just to us new parents but to every expecting family.

Speaking of furniture we are using the same crib that I used as a baby. It was also used by my older sister, Amy; and Amy used it for her son, Tristin until around December when they bought him a toddler bed (he is now 2 years old). The glider should be here next week and then the room will be competed, well mostly, we have a few remaining items we will be buying to fill his room, but nothing that is a "oh you have to have this with a baby."

Mindy has been working from home, helping format a dissertation for Vinita Sauder, a VP at Southern. This has kept her fairly busy since the beginning of the year. This project has mostly come to an end though which means she is probably done working until after Carter is born. She has also kept busy getting Carter's things in order, she has washed most of his clothes and has put things away quite nicely in his room. We have hung a few things on his walls but have a couple more items we want to add. It is safe to say his room is coming along nicely. After the baby shower last week however, there are now a few more things to take care of but it will get done.

Oh yeah, almost forgot we can now bring him home from the hospital. On Monday we bought his car seat and stroller. And don't forget to check out the gallery again there are a few new pictures and videos.
That's about it for now, we are having a SuperBowl party here tomorrow night with some friends so we will be busy tomorrow morning getting ready, we are going to grill pizza's. Yummy!

IT'S A BOY!!!! Carter James Herman

Yesterday, never before was I so thrilled at watching a black and white TV. Mindy laying on the exam table- belly covered with goo, me off to the side watching the TV screen, we anxiously listened to the nurse describe the different parts of the baby we were seeing. She started with the head, taking measurements and printing various angles. Slowly we moved from head to toe. We saw the heart beat at 152 bpm, his hand waiving at us, as if to say "Hello Mommy and Daddy." Being a Herman, he had to be difficult by crossing his legs. The nurse gently "poked" at him to encourage him to move around. And then......it was confirmed, "Most definitely, you are having a boy" said the nurse.

Of course in reality it really didn't matter, but we were definitely hoping for a boy. If you want to see the rest of our ultrasound pictures visit our gallery. Without further ado, we are proud for everyone to see Carter James Herman.

From Carter James ...

Majorly late update... sorry

Well, here’s an all time low for us- 5 months without a blog. We sincerely apologize. For those who haven’t heard the news yet, we are expecting an addition to our family this coming March. We’ll find out in about a week if that addition will be a boy or a girl. We are really excited.

Also since our last post, we’ve both changed work positions. Ryan became a student finance counselor for Southern back at the end of May. I quit my job with Life Care back on June 1, because I had finally had enough of my boss and the social environment of the office was just depressing in general. I now work as a floater for Southern, filling in for offices when employees are out for vacation or medical reasons.

Most recently we took our first real vacation in our 3 years of marriage. We took a 5 night cruise to the western Caribbean, stopping in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We highly recommend cruises as a vacation. Everything is provided and there’s always something to do, but you can also just veg if that’s your choice. However, be prepared to be restricted on the excursions you can participate in if you’re pregnant, but you can still find fun things to do. To bad we probably won’t get to go again for a while, or at least until the baby’s old enough to leave with the grandparents.

I’m sure there’s more to update on from the past 5 months, but those are the biggies I can think of right off. We will try to get updates posted more regularly, but as you can see, we’re somewhat slackers on our efforts, so no promises. But we WILL TRY.

The rest of the story

The following Sunday, we noticed that the linoleum was starting to bubble in front of the fridge. We didn't think much about it at first. Figured it was an air pocket after moving the fridge. Well on Monday when Mindy got home from work it had enlarged considerably. We poked it with a sick-pin and a little bit of water started coming our. Not good news. It was then we realized what was happening. We moved the fridge away from the wall again, and sure enough the value was slowly dripping.

Instead of dripping on top of the flooring, it was dripping behind the drywall onto the plywood and then rolling under the linoleum. You might not think a slow drip could push up the flooring, but we are now a believer. We cut a larger piece out of the linoleum and started pushing and vacuuming the water out. In total we probably had at least one gallon of water in the wet/dry vac when done.

If there was any bright side of the story, we didn't have to pull up the flooring as we were able to re-lay the linoleum under the fridge and the rest is no longer bubbling.

A couple of days later, we pushed the fridge back into place and though all was finished. You guessed it, it wasn't. That evening we started smelling something hot. We quickly suspected the fridge but couldn't figure it out. After a little bit of time we realized the cooling fan was not running. GREAT!

The next day I was able to buy a replacement fan and started to install it. However, pulling the fridge back out and upon closer inspection there was a packing peanut stuck in the fan blades. Once removed and plugged back in, the fan started without a problem.

Finally some good news, the fridge was fine.

So something as simple as the cat spilling his own water cause a leak and a scare of the cooling fan dying. Let's just say we are happy it's over.

The Past Month

It turns out a lot has happened this past month and I didn't have time to write about all of it this weekend. We definitely had a great time in NC over the New Year weekend. The whole Herman side of the family was able to make the trek to my parent's house. It was a full house with 15 from my parents to siblings to nephews and nieces, plus the four grandparents, for a total of 19, definitely full

While we enjoyed our time together, there were some low points from some of us getting sick. I suppose it started with Sarah (Mike and Julie's daughter). She had been sick while they traveled. Once in NC Sarah seemed to be better, but then Saturday Julie was sick followed that night by Mike. We tell Mike he brought it upon himself when that evening he said he never gets sick, yeah right.

While nobody else got sick that weekend, it continued to spread the next week. Both Mindy and I succumbed to the flu the next week. Mindy had it a little worse, getting sick on Tuesday feeling a little better the next two days but then relapsed on Friday. I was sick on Wednesday mostly healthy on Thursday and felt mostly normal on Friday. Since then we have gotten back to a normal schedule.

The other "major" even during January was trouble we had at the house and I have to blame it on our cat, Tippin. It started when Mindy arrived home from work one evening and found a puddle of water in front of the refrigerator. When I got home I investigated but could not figure out where it had come from. I cleaned it up and moved on. However, while I was looking under the fridge I realized that it probably hadn't been cleaned since it as purchased. So I decided I would clean it. The reason I blame the cat at this point is because the next day when I went home for lunch there was water on the flow again. However, this time there was a slight trail of water from Tippin's water bowl to the puddle on the floor. He had some how tipped his bowl just enough to spill his water on the floor.

That evening I and bought a fridge brush and started to clean. It was extremely full of dust and other items, some of them being a batteries, a calculator, markers and pens, plastic wrapping from food containers, and empty food boxes (similar to Mac & Cheese boxes). Making sure I cleaned thoroughly I moved the fridge away from the wall. Needless to say this is when the problem occurred. What we wouldn't realize was a small drip of water was now coming from the valve behind the fridge.

To be continued...

Long time, no post

Its been over a month since our last update and there definately has been a lot happening in January. We are heading to NC this weekend for a special project. While I don't have time to detail what has happened last month, this weekend I plan to take the time and update it. This update will also include more photos from our New Years weekend with our family.

Christmas Wishes to All

Welcome friends and family. For those that are visiting us because of our Christmas Card, we want to say welcome. Every week or two we post what is currently happening in our lives so feel free to look around and see what we have been doing.

Mindy is working on her paintings and we update her gallery when new pieces arrive, the next update will be either the 2nd or 3rd of January 2006. Ryan has started a photoblog of pictures present and past that he has taken.

We want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Happy Holidays,
Ryan and Mindy

Business as usual

So what have we been doing since Thanksgiving? Pretty much the usual, working during the day and enjoying the evenings at home. The weekend after Thanksgiving we awoke Sunday with no power. There was bad weather Saturday evening and while we don't know the exact cause of the outage, our whole neighborhood was without power. Because of this we visited Amy most of the day and Ryan was able to watch the Carolina versus Atlanta game and Mindy was able to play with Tristan.

Since then, Mindy has continued to work on her portrait portfolio and Ryan was able to complete a redesign of Ridge Rest's website, feel free to have a look. Mindy has also started tutoring of one of her coworkers daughers one night a week.

Currently we don't have plans for Christmas as New Years weekend is when we'll get together with the whole family in NC. We will probably get together with family in the area both nothing has been finalized.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is upon us all, Mindy's mother (Ruth), brother (Kevin), and girlfriend (Trista) will be arriving late Wednesday evening from Indiana and we are excited to see them again. This will be our first holiday we host in our home and we do have to admit we are enjoying not having to travel.

We are busy planning and readying the house. We still have to finish painting the Kitchen although it should be finished this evening (at least we are hopeful). We finished most of the prep work last night and tonight we pull out the paint. Besides the kitchen we have to do the usual cleaning everyone does before guest arrive, we also have to buy the turkey and other food for the extended weekend. Things are going to be pretty busy, but we plan on making time for our extended family in the area, Aunts, Uncles, Sister, Nephew, and other in the area.

We'll try to take plenty of pictures this weekend and share our experiences next week. Till them, have a great Thanksgiving.

More Wallpaper

We finished removing the wallpaper on the lower portion on our kitchen wall last night. We worked a little on Sunday and then finished last evening. We have become quite effecient in removing it the more we go. The process we use is as we listed before. Score the wall, spray with DIF, remove outer layer of paper, wet second layer with water, and then remove it.

We now have to go back and sandpaper the wall, patch any holes, and then paint it.

Removing Wallpaper

Last Sunday we started removing the wallpaper in our kitchen. Neither of us have attempted this before so it's a learning process. We first scored the wall with a special tool (we are using the 'Paper Tiger') being careful not to break the drywall, then we spray it with a product call DIF gel. It sits on the wall for about 20 minutes and it is suppose to make the wall paper come off fairly easily. We don't have anything to compair it to so I guess it works okay. We had problems at first, but after a few sections we were able to get the paper to come off in full sheets instead of small sections. An alternative method is to use a steamer. We haven't decided if we want to go that route or not.

The DIF wallpaper remover seems to make the top layer of wallpaper come off, but leaves the backing. The backing is fairly easy to remove by making it damp with a sponge and then slowing using a straight edge to peel it off. This is where we stopped last weekend. We still have more wallpaper to remove and then we have to sand, clean, and patch the walls. At that point we will get to paint it.

Happy New Year!

We have started a New Year together and there have been a few changes since our last update. We have a new nephew, Tristan Gauge Hulsey. Ryan's sister Amy had him on Decemeber 30, 2004 at 11:40 AM. You can find pictures in our Gallery section. We also got a dog - Buddy, he is a Beagle mix, about a year old, and quite adorable. Pictures of Buddy can also be found in our Gallery,

We've updated the look of the Gallery which makes it easier for us to update pictures, so hopefully it will be updated a little more frequently.

Open House

Well after almost a month, we're able do a quick update. We signed on our home on the 18th of August as planned and we started the moving process the following weekend. We have setting in nicely and are have an open house this weekend, Sept 11 at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. It's short notice, but if you see this in time your welcome to stop by. Give us a call and we can give you directions. Of course you can stop by anytime as well. Well thats all for now.

Buying our new home

As most of you konw we are in the final stages of buying our first home. Our closing date is set for August 18, 2004, which means in a week we should be home owners. We are both very excited. We will post pictures as soon as we can

One Year Anniversary

Yesterday was our one year anniversary. We had dinner at the Olive Garden in honor of our first meeting. We then went on a walk on the Coolidge Part walking bridge in downtown Chattanooga. We walked on this bridge on our very first date. Finally we returned home and followed the tradition of eating the top layer from our wedding cake. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad, although we still didn’t eat very much of it.