Rogaine anyone??

I've been told by countless hairdressers that I have enough hair for 2 full ponytails. Travis has his hair thinned when he gets a cut. Douglas was born with a full head of hair and now is currently sporting a curly afro. Do you get the picture here? Our family has hair and plenty of it. Well, Harrison was born with a full head too. As a matter of fact he had Elvis sideburns and a small forehead b/c his hair line came down so close to his eyes. Well, as of Friday, the boy has hit a MAJOR hair loss streak. Seriously. I know it's common for babies to lose their hair but so far it's only in the front top. The sides and back are in tack. So he has a major receding hair line and balding. I hope it grows back quickly because he looks funny. Don't get me wrong, I think he's adorable and love him dearly, but his hair is killing me. Here are some pictures.

The before pictures. Notice his nice black hair and small forehead. See how full the sides are.

The "I need Rogaine" pictures. The major receding hair line and on the sides too. (check out his double chin too)

Oh dear. Poor kid. I hope he doesn't have to go a whole year like this. Hopefully it's like baby acne, cradle cap, etc. and is short lived.

What do you think?

I don't think Harrison and Douglas look alike. I went back to Douglas' pictures at about this age and it's hard for me to find any where I "might" be confused. What do you think? Both A's are one kid and both "B's" are the other. Who is A and who is B? Do you think they look alike?

A

B

Tricycle

So my parents got a tricycle for Douglas. One night when I was in the hospital and Douglas was spending a night, they put it together. They let Douglas help. They told me that they showed Douglas the screwdriver, wrench, and hammer and anytime Dean needed one he'd say the name and Douglas would bring the correct tool. Douglas loves to help with things so he had fun helping them put it together and then "riding" his "bike". He can't petal by himself yet b/c he tries to push both petals at the same time.

Busy busy Dougie

My parents were so kind to take Douglas last Thursday-Saturday while Travis and I got out of the hospital and spent some time with Harrison at home. One of the reasons Douglas loves spending time with them is that they are constantly on the go, keeping him entertained 24/7. The city fire department had something going on Saturday so Douglas got to see a real fire truck and get on it. They said that Douglas was "driving" the truck and having a good ole time but every time a person came by he'd stop. If you know Douglas then you know how perfect that fits his personality. The boy is very WEARY/SHY of strangers and he has a classic look where he puts his hand to his mouth when shy. Here are some pictures.

Having a great time "driving". (no one around)

Someone new came by. (hand in mouth)

Also on Saturday they took Douglas to my uncle's house to show him the horse and cow. The horses name is Sugar and apparently they fed him an apple b/c he keeps saying "Sugar, apple." This was a friendly horse b/c he followed them like a dog. I guess he got right behind them and Douglas was a little uncomfortable.

They also put together a tricycle but I'll post about that later. To end this post, here is a picture I took today of Douglas and Harrison. Harrison was on the couch and Douglas came right up and laid his head next to Harrisons, just staring at him. Douglas loves to touch Harrison.

Pictures

We have been just down right awful about taking pictures of Harrison. With Douglas we had about a hundred pictures right now. I've kept Harrison in a diaper and his hospital tshirt everyday. So without a cute outfit, I've been less motivated to take pictures. Plus with the second child, sleeping all day isn't that fascinating to us like it was with Douglas. And lastly, I just don't think the pictures do him justice. Here they are anyway.

Warming up in the hospital nursery.

Douglas with his Big Brother Shirt.

Douglas patting Harrison's belly.

Cuddling after nursing (my favorite part)

I have a bunch of pictures of Douglas to post. I'll do that in a couple of days. We are having problems with Douglas though. It started yesterday. He's been really defiant. He's usually such a mild manner kid. I make sure to spend time with him and Travis does an excellent job of that as well. He likes to kiss Harrison's head and doesn't seem negative toward him. I know this is an adjustment for him but it's extremely trying right now. Any suggestions?

Harrison

Harrison Gulsvig Hill

I'm sure lots of you are wondering why and how we decided on this name. Travis always said he wanted a boy named Travis but I said no b/c it's too common of a name and I didn't want any juniors. Travis' middle name is Harrison b/c it's his mom's maiden name so I said we could name a boy Harrison. Douglas was supposed to be Harrison but I freaked out at the end fearing everyone would call him Harry and I really don't like that name. So this time around when we learned we were having a boy, Harrison was really our only option. And I decided that since Harrison was the paternal grandma's maiden name that I wanted the middle name to be the maternal grandma's maiden name. And my mom's maiden name is Gulsvig (pronounced like its spelled, Guls- vig) So Harrison is named after his two grandmothers' maiden names. And I will correct people who call him Harry. :-)

Anyway, my side of the labor story. So I was pretty bummed Wednesday at noon to learn of my no progress and an induction available 5 days later. The doctor said she did a "vigorous exam" and that sometimes starts contractions. During Douglas' nap I laid down and started feeling some pain. This was at 2:30. I wondered if they might be contractions (I didn't feel any with Douglas until I was induced). I thought, I bet these are time able so I started timing and immediately they were 3-4 min. apart and I had to go to the bathroom with nearly everyone of them. So after about 7 contractions I called a friend (Heather) to see if she thought they were contractions, and what should I do. She suggested waiting 30 more minutes b/c after all, most doctors want them to be for an hour. I called my mom to tell her I was having contractions and she wanted me to call the doctor. The doctors nurse seemed to think I should wait longer too but I informed her that my labor with Douglas was only 4.5 hours so I wasn't sure and then she asked my doctor and the doctor said to come in right away. Heather came over and we took Douglas to her house where we then continued to the hospital. Travis was waiting with a wheelchair. It was 4:00. Travis took me up to labor and delivery where I immediately informed them I wanted an epidural and my contractions were 2-3 min apart. The contractions had worsened in the car. And as we were driving by the hospital I felt my first desire to push. So the nurses took me into the room, checked me and said I was fully dilated. I informed them again of my need for an epidural and they said they had to get an iv in me first, etc. My doctor came in and checked me and said I was fully dilated. I told her that I wanted and epidural. I was in major pain then. She said there was no time and that the only thing keeping the baby in was that the water hadn't broken. No more than a minute after she said that, I had a contraction and pushed slightly and my water burst. It wasn't a drip. The poor nurse got alot of my meconium water on her. How gross! She thought so too b/c she let a curse word slip. :-) Anyways, there was no time for the pain shot either b/c I HAD to push. I felt like I was in a movie b/c I seriously screamed the 4 minutes or so I pushed. I'm sure the whole hospital heard. Anyway, after a couple pushes I told them I couldn't push anymore and they said I had to that his head was out. So after a couple more pushes he was out and the relief was immediate! That was 4:17pm. Then they gave me some pain medicine that made me very drowsy. The doctor said I tore a little.

I can't believe how surreal this experience was. It went so fast and it felt like I was in the movies. However, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It seems like such a unique experience that I will definitely treasure the rareness of it. Anyway, recovery has been WAY easier than with Douglas. So I'm hoping that continues. The only issue now is nursing. He seems impossible to wake up and when he does get going on one breast and I switch him to the other, it's hard to wake him up. I'm sure it will work out soon.

I'm not quite sure what Douglas thinks. He says baby all the time and seems to be okay with him unless we make him get too close. Douglas, however, was very concerned when we changed Harrison's diaper. The circumcision looks extra gross and when Douglas saw it he started fussing. I guess even little fellows can take one look and know that that is NOT how it's supposed to look. We've been bad at taking pictures so hopefully this weekend we'll get more and post them. Thanks for all the well wishes.

All Natural

Well, I got "the call" at work today.


I had spoken to Crystal at 1 pm after her morning doctor's appointment only to be disappointed like her that there was no progression (she was only dilated to 3 cm and had been for week). However at 3:30 while in a meeting my co worker came and got me. He said my phone was ringing off the hook. (I had left my cell phone at my desk). I called home to find that our friend Heather Grundei answered the phone. She said they were leaving to the hospital.

I got to the hospital first and had to wait for Crystal (I work right by the hospital, but Crystal had a 20 minute drive and she had to get Douglas situated with the Grundei's). She got here just after 4 and I pushed her upstairs. She was in a lot of pain at this point and said the contractions were about 2 to 3 minutes apart. She immediately asked the nurse for her epidural. The nurse let her know that they had to hook her up to the IVs and check her out first. However, when the nurse got her onto the bed she went to check Crystal and immediately brought her hand back out and said she was fully dilated and ready to go. But they weren't ready for her yet.

Then the room became quite full as five nurses appeared out of nowhere hooking up IVs, taking blood, hooking up monitors. Dr. Petrovski showed up and also checked her out. Crystal was still wanting her epidural. Dr. Petrovski said the only thing holding the baby in was the water sac hadn't popped. They said they didn't have time for an epidural, but said they could give her a quick shot to help with the pain. They rolled her over to position her for the shot and "pop". Water went everywhere; however, mostly on the poor nurse. It made me laugh a little. Well with that there was no more time even for the quick shot. It wasn't two minutes later and Harrison was here at 4:17.

So it was a very quick delivery. Contractions started at 2:30 and delivery at 4:17. It was all natural. What a trooper that Crystal is. I will say it didn't seem all peaceful without medicine, there were a few loud screams of pain, but it was over quick.

So now that you heard the story, here are the important details and pictures. Harrison Gulsvig Hill was 9 lbs 4 oz and measured 21 inches long. Check out the pictures below. I know he looks like most other babies, but I say he is the cutest (tied with his brother Douglas). Thanks you every one for your support through the pregnancy and for those that helped out today.

Mom and Baby

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Harrison taking his first nap as he rests under the heat lamp

Despair

I'm 40 weeks 2 days today. I went to the doctor today and hoped to schedule an induction for this Friday but the soonest they have is Tuesday the 9th, a whole 5 days away!!! I'm very sad and a little mad. I did the whole 41 weeks and then induced with Douglas. Do I really have to do this again?? What's wrong with my body? It just holds on to things. I'd rather the baby be late and forced out then super early though so I should count my blessings there. Nothing has changed in a week either. I'm still 3-4cm, 50% effaced, and the head is down but still floating high. The sonographer thinks he's 9lbs though. That doesn't surprise me b/c Douglas was 8lbs 14oz at 41 weeks/birth. This baby has the fattest cheeks. Anyways, I sure hope and pray that I don't make it to Tuesday. I'm sulking right now by dipping my chocolate chip cookies in whole milk. (I don't go above 1%, so that should say something,right?) :-) Wish me luck.