Update on Owen

Getting that sucking motion down with the pacifier.

Gazing up at Mommy.

Holding Mommy's hand.

So peaceful.

Look at that face!

Thank you all for your sweet messages and prayers. The Lord is hearing you as Owen is making great progress. We were allowed to go visit him in the Special Care nursery at 10 am for the first time on Monday. We were greeted by the Neonatal doctor who told us what was going on. First off though I cannot tell you the agony of walking in and seeing your son hooked up to so many wires and a plastic bubble over his head. I balled and still tear up now writing this. The doctor was super positive and basically said they were doing everything under precautionary terms. They let me hold him and were going to see how he did not under oxygen and he did great so that was the end of the oxygen bubble!! I can't describe the emotions that I went through sitting there. I was overwhelmed with sadness that he was going through this and yet so happy to have him here finally. I wanted to sit there and hold him forever but of course I only got like 10 minutes.

During the day, we took turns with my parents visiting him and talking to him. Jeremy was with him while he had an EKG done on his heart. The doctor had heard a mumur earlier so he had ordered an EKG as a precautionary measure. We have the results back and everything is great.

Though he did not have to be on extra oxygen, he still was not in the normal respiratory rates. Because of this, I was not allowed to feed him because they were afraid it would put him in distress. Luckily babies don't need a whole lot of fluid in the beginning and IV could hold him off for a while. Throughout the day, his rate improved and the doctor wrote an order that if his levels consistently stayed below 80 I could try to breast feed him. We were hoping that 8 pm last night we were going to get our first chance but he wasn't consistent enough. Instead I tried to pump just being next to him. This morning they called me at 8 am and told me he was hungry and his levels were great so please come! I literally jumped out of the bed and ran (ok skooted) down to him. We seemed to do ok for our 2nd attempt and I'm going back in there at 11 with the lactation specialists to try again. We're on our way!!

He is still on antibotics and they are measuring his blood cultures for 48 hours so he can't leave the nursery until at least 8 am on Wednesday. So that brings us to our big dilema...Because Owen was delivered right before midnight, Sunday night counted as our first night here. With normal deliveries, you only get 2 nights in the hospitals, making last night my 2nd night. This means that I should get discharged sometime today, without Owen. I'm extremely sad that I am going to have to leave him here for the night. I'm really hoping that somehow we are allowed to stay again tonight or that Owen is doing so well that he can leave the nursery early.

Thank you for your prayers. Keep them up!

Introducing...

Owen Brinson! He was born at 11:06 on Sunday evening. He weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz and was 21 inches long. He came out crying and beautiful after only 10 minutes of pushing. He is a big ole' boy and we can't imagine how big he would have been if he had come on his due date which is still about a week and half away.

After he arrived, I was allowed to hold him for a few minutes before the nurse came and took him over to clean him and check him out. Jeremy got tons of pictures, but to save time you're only getting a sample. He is super cute and all the nurses think he looks like his Poppa (my dad) which of course my dad is eating up. He definitely has a Piner face, esp. the signature no upper lip.

This was our first family picture that the nurse took as we were being wheeled to our permanent room. It was 12:30 at this point and I was very out of it, in pain, and extremely hungry (I hadn't eaten since 8:30 the previous morning.) Once we arrived in our room, I was able to order food and pain meds as well as try to feed him.

At 2:30 they took him to the nursery so we could sleep for a few hours. We are glad that we did this because while he was there his breathing became irregular. They checked his sugar levels and they were low so they had to give him an ounce of formula, which helped correct the problem. His breathing was still very fast so they have now started running some tests on him and doing some x-rays as well as giving him oxygen. He is now in the special care nursery, on an IV, oxygen, and antibotics while they wait on some more results. Please pray for him... pray that his breathing would regulate and that he would not have an infection. Pray that he would be able to join us again in the room.

People have asked about visiting and of course visitors are always welcomed. We are at Rex Hospital. We're moving rooms again so you'll have to ask them at the check in desk. If you want, you can wait until we're back at home. Believe me, you want to see him...he's cute. :)

Owen is on the way!

I just want to let everyone know that Owen is on the way. It all started this morning at about 3:30 when my water broke. We called the doctor and she told us we didn't have to come it right away so we tried to rest a little. Of course we couldn't go back to sleep at this point so we eventually got up and started getting ready. We took showers and made sure we had everything packed. After talking to the doctor again finally head to the hospital at about 10:00. I was 2 1/2 cm dialted so they started me on some pitocin. I just had the epidural a little while ago so everything is good now. We're just waiting on him to decide he's ready to come up. I'll update everyone once he's here. Pray for us.

Week 37

I had my 37 week appointment this morning (despite being 2 days away from week 38). Nothing new to report as Owen is in the same place as last week. My feet are starting to swell on a daily basis now and I have a weird pain in my left foot which cause me to limp. I am extremely tired today and feel like I could lay down and sleep for a few hours. According to everyone at school, I am huge and look like I could pop. Thanks friends...way to encourage a person who already feels like a whale! :)

When it rains, it pours...

Doesn't this always seem to be the case? When one thing goes wrong, it starts a series of events of even worse things. We are no exception this month.

First, we had two months of extremely high phone bills. I know for the most part it is my fault which kills me. I really need to learn to shut my mouth. :) But nevertheless, we had two high phone bills that we now have to pay. Jeremy has looked into changing our plan and has realized that we have the worst plan of all the carriers so we are thinking about changing plans. To get out of our current contract would cost a bit, so we are trying to sell our phones in order to cover the cost. I have a Blackberry Curve that is less than 3 months old (I got a tremendous deal this summer) and am hoping to sell it for what its worth. (If you know anyone who wants to buy one let me know!) If we can switch carriers, we are hoping to save money because we will be on the same carrier as my family.

After the phone fiasco, Jeremy then gets a speeding ticket on the way home from work. He was going 15 over so we probably need to find a lawyer to help him get out of getting points on his license. (If you know anybody in Franklin Cty. let us know!) Tack that price onto our 2 high phone bills.

Friday, we had the home inspection done on our new house. I'm happy to report that the inspector didn't find any major issues so that's wonderful. However, we had to pay him for his services.

Then, the 4Runner has been making a weird sound every time you brake. So Saturday Jeremy takes it to the mechanic and he finds out we need new brake pads, routers, and shocks. More money!

When it rains, it pours... Sadly, this month we were trying to save up the extra money were going to have from both of us working full time. That money was going to go to paying off the car and saving up for the day when I wouldn't work. Now there will be no saving. I guess I have to look on the bright side and be thankful that these things came in a month where we are both working. Thankfully, we know that the Lord is taking care of us and will continue to meet our needs. Praise be to God!

36 week appointment

We had our 36 week appointment with Dr. Campbell today. I have heard he is the weight nazi so I was excited that I had lost 1/2 lb. and he was very complimentary on my weight gain for the pregnancy. He said I only gained around 20 lbs the whole time and it should be really easy for me to lose once Owen arrives. :)

Other than that, he said Owen is measuring right on schedule (so no real growth from last week since now he is measuring 37 and I'm almost there). He estimates that he will about 7 to 7 1/2 lb. when born. He is head down and moving a lot. I am not dialated and I continue to remain around 40 to 50% effaced. Dr. Campbell basically said see you next week.

So Owen's holding on for a while. Thursday marks week 37 and he will be considered full term at that point. Only 3 more weeks!

Getting Ready for Owen: Part 2

We've now reached week 36, meaning Owen is only 4 weeks away from his due date. In order to be ready for the big day, this Saturday we took a Preparing for Childbirth class at the hospital. This was a one day crash course in everything childbirth. The morning discussed stages of labor, comfort measures, and the process of birth. During our afternoon sessions, we talked about medicines, watched a birth (on video), took a tour of the birth center, and learned some baby basics. Overall it was a very informative day. While we didn't learn anything mind-blowing, we do feel we are better prepared for the process. Though I'm not really sure I could ever prepare myself for labor...it is by far the most fearful part of pregnancy to me. I feel very blessed though to have had a fairly easy pregnancy. I am hoping his birth goes the same way!

After our class we went to Morrisville for the KidsEveryWear consignment sale. My friend Cheri introduced me to this sale last year but I was not able to attend. This year I volunteered so I could shop early. Jeremy and I were really hoping to get a glider rocker for the nursery that I had seen when I was working, but it was already gone by the time Cheri or I had gotten there. However, we did not leave empty handed. We were lucky to find the high chair we had registered for in mint condition for 1/3rd the price!! We were stoked!

We also picked a few other items that we were still lacking as well as a present for our niece, a Little People Noah's Ark set, and a toy for Owen when he is a little bigger.

We feel more prepared now and can't wait to meet our little guy. I'm weird though, and don't want him to come right now. I really like the idea of his birthday being in October so I hope he waits until then. :) Plus the longer he stays inside, the more developed he becomes. So stay put little Owen.

Getting ready for Owen..

Owen is scheduled to arrive one month from yesterday! We think it's about time to start getting prepared. Jeremy has now inserted the car seat into the car.
Here is Owen's crib all ready for his arrival. Many have asked about his nursery; we have set up the crib and have put his stuff in baskets on the bookshelf. Jeremy had to pack up the seminary books to make room but this is only temporary since we will move just a few weeks after his arrival. (Yes the W and E are a little far apart..o'well) We will decorate a full blown nursery for him at our new house.

Now I just need to pack our bags and we'll be ready. Ok there are a few things we still need... see the Babies R Us registry if you are interested. :)

(Keep strolling down...I posted 2 posts below.)

What the doctor says..

Monday morning I went to the doctor for my 35 week appointment. During this visit, they check your iron levels as well to see if you are a carrier of the beta strep virus. My iron was great and I'll find out next time about the strep test. Dr. Bruton also measured my belly and evidentally Owen is a big boy! I am measuring at 37 weeks instead of the 35 1/2 I should have been. It wasn't enough to warrant an ultrasound (bummer!) but she said that we will continue to monitor it. I asked her if this meant he would come early and she said no...I could just have a big baby...8 or over lbs. if he goes full term. She also checked for dilation...there was none but I was effaced 50%. So Owen doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon. It's ok...he still got some lung development to work on and we'll be glad to have him when the Lord says it's time! We now go to the doctor every week so next Monday we'll go again. We're in the home stretch!!

Baby Shower

My aunt (with my mom and grandma's help) threw me a shower this weekend in Raleigh. It included family from both of parents' side as well as some local friends. We had over 30 people there! It was super fun and we got lots of great stuff for Owen.

Mom and I looking at all the cute stuff in the package.

Butt Paste

This rocker is awesome and can be used all the way until he is a toddler.

Yay! Our pack-n-play!

My cousin painted this sign to match Owen's bedding.

All the yummy food... my family is known for their cooking and ability to entertain. They did not disappoint!

The cupcakes were adorable. Each one had a baby jungle animal on them.

Can't wait to use all the fun new stuff! Owen come soon!

35 weeks

"Mrs. Cox...you're fatter than you were last week," a lovely 3rd grade student today. "So you're due like any day now, uh?" checkout lady at Wal-mart. "Um no, I have 5 more weeks, thanks!" Yes I know I'm big but really come on people, am I that big?

Owen is doing well from what I can tell. He is moving around, so much so that many people can see him move from the outside of my belly. I can't wait to see what he looks like and meet him.

My energy level is decreasing by the day and my ankles and feet starting swelling for the first time this weekend. We're heading into the final stages and we'll go back to the doctor again on Monday so hopefully we'll know more about what's going on.

Moving on Up....

to the east side! That's right folks, we're moving further east. As of Friday, we're under contract on a 1700 sq. ft house in Nashville, NC. It was built in 1998 and it has 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. We sign on the dotted line on Friday, Oct. 31st and will move in that weekend.

We're super excited about our purchase and we went back this weekend to see it again as well as take some pictures, so you, our lovely friends and family, can see it. Enjoy! Remember that all the stuff in the house is not ours. We'll post new pictures again once we move in.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com