Ethan's 2nd Week!

Here are some pictures of Ethan's second week:

Daddy has been reading Ethan lots of books already! 

Ethan loves laying in his boppy pillow. 

Aunt Marlene and Uncle Paul bought Ethan a Tigers outfit and hat! It is a little big, yet. ;o)

This week we went to visit Uncle Larry, and cousins Rece and Brody!

Ethan's first week

This has been quite the week. Little Ethan has struggled a bit with jaundice, weight loss, and feeding. However, I think we are finally all doing better. We had a great report at the doctors today and we finally have him eating (we had to resort to the bottle after many sleepless nights with failed efforts of breast feeding, finger feeding, tube feeding, feeding with a cup, etc.). 

When the visiting nurse came we found out that Ethan had lost over a pound  - which they were very concerned about. We almost had to go to the ER, but instead she had us immedietly go to the doctors and we found out that his jaundice was very high. We had to put him on the light for 24 hours and that helped. The doctor was concerned about his eating - since we discovered he was getting very little. Now that we changed to the bottle, he has gained back 6 ounces. He is also a much happier baby (we had about 24 hours with a very frantic little guy). 

Overall it is has been a good week. We have had some visitors and we are very lucky to have great friends providing meals for us for 10 whole days! We have been sooo spoiled. It has been a tremendous help though. 

Ethan James Royer has arrived!

I am very happy and proud to announce that our baby boy, Ethan James Royer, arrived into this world on Saturday, July 19th @ 5:47 p.m. It was love at first sight! :) Today he is three days old and we are enjoying every second of our time with him. I can't get enough of that boy! 

The story of his entrance into this world: On July 19th I had a doctors appointment at 2:00p.m. My Mom came with me and then we went to lunch and a few stores. James was going to be gone for the evening, so my Mom took me back to her house. As we were hanging out I started cramping - which I later found out were contractions. She took me home and I called triage. They told me to come in and get checked out. James was on his way home from West Bloomfield - so I painfully waited for him and then we took off. At triage they said my contractions were 5 minutes apart - but not intense enough - so they sent me home! Of course, as we were driving home I felt as though they were getting worse. Let's just say from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. I was in total pain! Contractions were 3 minutes apart and severe. I called triage again and they told me to bear it as long as I could at home. Finally, when I didn't think I could take it anymore we left for the hospital. After being evaluated in triage they admitted me to our birth and delivery room. Probably the worst part of the whole process was dealing with contractions and getting the epidural at the same time. I found it very hard to stay still enough for him to put the needle in my back. Once that was done, I was at total peace from 6:45 a.m. until 4:20 p.m. I sat there, feeling nothing, and chatted with James, my parents, and James' Mom. It was wonderful! The nurses said that I was one the few that felt absolutley nothing! The pushing started at 4:20 and Ethan was delivered at 5:47 p.m. It was a little bit tramatic at first because he was having trouble getting his first breaths out. The pediatrician team had to come in and work with him for a while before he was finally able to get out his first loud cries. Thankfully, he is very happy and healthy. Once the epidural wore off, I was quick to realize just how terribly sore I am! I am hoping it doesn't last too long. We were able to leave the hospital 24 hours later. 

Enjoy the pictures! If you click on them, they will open up in another window and appear larger. 

Happy Birthday Rece!

Today my nephew, Rece, turned....you guessed it....2 years old! Isn't he the cutest!? Every time you ask him how old he is, he holds up his two fingers, just like he is in the picture. I can't believe he is already two - time sure does fly! He enjoyed picking off the M&M's from his ice cream cake. 

Baby Shower Pictures

I am ready to meet our little guy!

This has been tough! I am very thankful that I am home for the summer, but the waiting game is NOT fun! I have been done with school since June 6th and feel like I am just waiting to go into labor. ;o) I don't feel very motivated to do much, so I have been getting a little bored with sitting home. I am pretty sure everything is ready for our little one. The room is set, the pack and play is out, basinet is by our bed, swing is up, changing stations are ready, all the clothes are washed, our bags are packed! We have nightly "pep talks" with our little one encouraging him to make his appearance into this world. So far, he isn't convinced. 

I guess the doctor got my hopes up. A couple of weeks ago, at my appointment, she made the comment that his head was very low and she anticipated that I would be a couple of weeks early. So, I guess technically I still have a week or two until my due date - but we are READY NOW! :o) I can't wait to meet our little one and see what he looks like! 

Here is a picture of our completed babies room. I have another picture of the other side, but I can't post that yet, because it reveals his name (which is a secret)! :)