More thanks...

Stephanie and I are very appreciative of Stephanie's sister Jillian (a Labor and Delivery nurse) for driving over for the birth and helping out in the delivery room. In talking with Stephanie today, we realized we had 1 picture of her in the delivery room and one very Not Suitable For Work (NSFW) video, which will never be posted anywhere. Jillian took all the pictures of Daddy with Sullivan and it is rare Daddy gets to be in front of the camera. A big thanks to Jillian for all the help this time around!

Traditional stocking gift and picture...

Sullivan got his stocking from G on his birthday. G always makes a stocking for the new babies in the family and for relatives and friends. It drives G crazy when she doesn't know the name of the baby prior to birth because she can't put the name on the stocking. With each of our kids (3 if you are keeping track) we did not find out the sex or tell anyone the names we had picked out prior to the birth, Sullivan being no exception. So G was forced to put the name on the stocking on the way up to Atlanta when we announced the name. As is tradition, we also put the new baby in the stocking for pictures.

Happy Easter to all

All,
Thanks to everyone who has checked out the website, stopped by the hospital, called, written, or otherwise given up their time to check up on us. A special thanks to G and Pop for driving up yesterday to meet Sullivan, and to Bebe and Papa for coming up and taking care of Hannah and Reilly while we are still in the hospital.
Team Chambers is doing very well thanks to all the support from friends and family.

Hannah, Reilly, and Mommy

They don't realize it yet, but they will be sharing their time at home with Sullivan in about 24 hours.

Hannah and Reilly get their hands on Sullivan

So Hannah and Reilly finally got to hold Sullivan this morning. They were VERY excited. Hannah told me on the way over in the car that "It is hard to be a big sister to two brothers." Hannah says a lot of things, much of it funny, however I can not figure out how or why she thinks it is hard to be a big sister?

Bebe and Papa

So yesterday Bebe and Papa didn't get much time with Sullivan one on one. This morning they did. They are still taking care of Hannah and Reilly while Mommy and Daddy are in the hospital and we greatly appreciate it. They came by this morning at 11:10.

Day 2- More crying pictures

Sullivan is finding it a challenge to stay away long enough to eat. Babies in the first days normally do. So you have to make them uncomfortable enough to wake up and eat. We have been doing that to Sullivan, but he still doesn't really want to eat. However, to be clear, he had not been a fussy baby, I just get the camera out when we make him cry. -Daddy

That's my BOY!

The doctor came in this morning and performed the circumcision. When he came in to recap the procedure, he told us Sullivan was the 5th boy he has performed a circumcision on that had to use the largest size tool on. Rock on Sullivan!

Stephanie with Sullivan

In the chaos that has been our lives since Sullivan was born, I did not realize I had not posted many pictures of Stephanie. That is not atypical because she frowns on any pictures I take of her, no matter how good they are. Anyway, here is a picture of mother and newborn. Sorry for the delay.

-Andrew

Grandparents

Andrew's parent's (G and Pop) came to town today to meet Sullivan and to see Hannah and Reilly. They came after Sullivan got out of the Transition room, so they got to hold Sullivan for a short time. Bebe and Papa (Stephanie's parents) came to town a day earlier and have been very helpful with keeping Hannah and Reilly occupied while we have been at the hospital. We look forward to getting some pictures of Bebe and Papa with Sullivan now that he is out of the Transition room.

Thanks to everyone that is helping us out during Sullivan's first days.

Our Friends- they are great ones!

Our Auburn Gang came by the room to meet Sullivan tonight. We even got to FaceTime with a missing gang member. They brought with them dinner for Mommy and Daddy and some drinks to celebrate. We really appreciate them coming to see us and for the great friendships we have with them all. Here are a couple pictures of the future babysitting crew:

Better times for Sullivan

Here are some picture of Sullivan a little happier...

If you couldn't figure it out, this is Dr. Basill that helped deliver Sullivan. Huge thanks to him for letting Momma see the gender of the baby first!

More picture of Sullivan getting mistreated

They really treat these newborns harshly when they first pop out.

More pictures of Sullivan

Sullivan's progress

The Transition room just called (woke up Stephanie) to tell us Sullivan is getting out of that room and moving to the nursery on our floor. We are thrilled. We should get him back in our room for his feeding sometime in the next 2 hours. Pictures are sure to be taken.

Hannah, Reilly, and Sullivan- "Team Chambers"

Hannah and Reilly have not been able to see Sullivan in person yet. Sullivan is in the Transition room being watched for his breathing, so Hannah and Reilly were forced to check him out from afar.

First Video of Sullivan

He is about 15 minutes old in this video. Click twice to see the full video.

Sullivan William Chambers

Sullivan was born on 04-23-2011 at 12:45PM. He weighed in at 8 lbs 14oz, 21 inches long. Stephanie is recovering well. Sullivan is currently in the "Transition" room to be monitored for fast breathing. We are not real concerned at this point.

Boy

More to follow!

starting in 20 minutes...

Stephanie will start pushing in 20 minutes!

Contractions / Discomfort

Stephanie just got the "Pitocin" drip, which makes the contractions harder and more frequent. I got the impression we are going to be on that for about an hour before they check to see if Stephanie can start pushing. Stephanie is "uncomfortable but not in pain" due to the epidural drip.

Stephanie allows herself to be photographed

For the first time, and after totally covering herself from head to toe with her sheets, Stephanie agreed to be photographed!

Doctor just came in and is going to "kick it up a notch" and give Stephanie some drugs to speed up the contractions. Stephanie is going to love it. -Andrew

"The waiting is the hardest part"

Just talked to the nurse... We are waiting for Stephanie to feel pressure, then we start pushing. Sorry for the boring update, but Stephanie is sleeping and the lights are off (no pictures). I am bored too. -Andrew

Names...

You would think with 10 months time to discuss names, we would have a boy and girl name picked out already, however you would be incorrect. We have the girl name picked out, but still can't agree on a boy name. I am going to wait until Stephanie is drugged up to sign the birth certificate! -Andrew

Water broken... now we wait more

The doctor has broken Stephanie's water and now we wait some more. He thought it would be within 3 hours, however 3rd time mothers tend to go fast.

11AM?

The doctor just left the room. Drugs are on the way! Stephanie is doing well and the doctor thinks K3 could be here by 11AM.

Doctor in the room, talking...

Talking with the doctor now...

Waiting...

We are in our room at the hospital, and Stephanie is now resting. We got here around 2:15AM. We were told not to expect the baby to arrive until around noon later today. The doctor would likely be in around 8AM. I'll keep you posted via this space. -Andrew

At the hospital!

Here we are again, this time for baby #3.

Making Room

Baby #3 has been making room lately, however there really isn't any room to be had. Don't believe me? Watch this...

Click on the video twice to open it to see the whole thing (our blog cuts off the edge of the video)

Stephanie's progress

Stephanie's doctor visit today showed progress toward delivery. The doctor said she would be surprised if Stephanie made it to her Monday induction, and she thought the baby would come by tonight!

NOTE- I was specifically given permission to post these pictures!

Monday

I have been scheduled for an induction on Monday morning. I will go in Sunday night. We'll be a family of 5 by the end of Monday (hopefully!)

-Mommy

Baby's First Blessing

On Sunday, I was walking into Mass when the Deacon approached me from the side. He said Holy Cow! How much longer? I told him it would probably be an Easter baby. He said, well I hope so for your sake! He then proceeded to bless the baby with the sign of the cross and then told the baby to be good to his Momma! I hope he listened!

Nothing.

Nothing has changed. The doctor is willing to induce. I am not.... I think it's only fair to give him until his due date. (and no, I don't know that it's a boy). So, I go back Friday. If no Easter weekend baby, then we'll most likely induce early next week.

As Promised...

Here's another update on "K3" (Kid 3). We went for an ultrasound this morning. He/She looks very healthy, head down, doesn't have much hair, and weighs about 8 lbs 8 oz! However, the tech said that ultrasounds can be off by 10%--that's a lot when you're talking about 8 1/2 lbs. So, we'll see how much this little stinker actually weighs.

After seeing the doctor, we decided not to induce because my body is not ready yet. She said to see what happens over the weekend and come in early in the week to see if anything has changed. We go back on Tuesday morning.

Until then.....

Before I Forget...

I like to blog about some of the things the children say and do mainly so I don't forget them! I've been meaning to post a couple, so here goes.

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After visiting the zoo the other day, I asked Reilly what his favorite animal was. Without hesitation, he said "the ring-a-tings". That would be the Orangutans! It does sound like a pretty good name for a band though!

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A couple weeks ago, we were leaving a store. I always stress the importance of holding hands in parking lots. Reilly let go of my hand halfway across the street to dart over into the median. I (in my oh-so-pregnant waddle) try to chase after him to catch him because I see a car pulling out just beyond the median. I grabbed his shirt and yanked him to the ground. He looked at me a little puzzled. I emphasized that he never should let go of my hand in the parking lot to run to the car. Hannah chimes in and says, "Yeah, Reilly, you'll turn into a pancake.". Reilly after grunting and whining in disappointment says "Uh, I wanna be a waffle."

I'm pretty sure my point was lost that day!

Baby #3 Update

I am currently 38 weeks and 1 day... and feeling every bit of it. I go to the doctor weekly now. Last Friday, they scheduled me for an ultrasound for this Friday. They want to check the size of the baby to determine if I should be induced or not. Because Reilly was such a big baby (9lbs 8 oz), they don't want me to have another one quite that big! I personally do not want to be induced. I would much rather the baby come on its own, but if it's best for the baby, then obviously I'll be induced. We'll update the blog on Friday with whatever the doc says!

My hospital bags are packed. Ready whenever you are, little one! Can't wait to meet you!

Little Backyard Photo Shoot

Reilly the rock star

Reilly is really stepping out when Hannah takes the soccer field. Here is was seen with his "froggy boots" accented with his $8 kid sunglasses. Someone of camera called out for a rock star, Reilly naturally jumped up to answer the call.

the happy siblings... for now.

Look how happy they are tonight. What age exactly do kids figure out sharing a room is not really fun?