Our First Month!

Wow, an entire month has flown by. Strange since time has taken on a whole new meaning now that we have entered "baby-time." Crazy! Ethan turned one month old yesterday and I can hardly believe it has been a month. He feels like he has always been a part of our family. He is to be blessed in our church on Sunday, December 2. 1 PM at the Dean Rd. building if anyone wants to attend.
He is beginning to see better and is getting better control of his neck, arms and legs. It is so awesome to see him grow. I can't wait to see what the next month brings. No doubt it will be an adventure.

Our First Day

Well, today was our first day all alone (Ethan and me). We did pretty well. Although I'm pretty tired and knowing that the day isn't anywhere near over makes me even more tired. It's a different kind of tired than when I was pregnant. When I was pregnant I would just crash anywhere, anytime. Now, I'm tired, but can't sleep knowing my little guy may need me. I'm still getting used to his sounds and knowing when to get up and what to do.
Overall, it was a good day. I love being a mom and have already discovered that this is the most difficult, demanding, and rewarding job I have ever had. : )

LCSW, Baby!

Well, I did it! With all the excitement of Ethan's arrival, I forgot to share another personal achievement. I sat for my state licensure exam on October 24 and passed! That means I am now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. This is a huge accomplishment professionally and I am so happy that I completed this goal before Ethan arrived. Good thing I didn't procrastinate, huh?

Pictures (finally)

Thumbs UP! Labor and delivery are over and all went well! I am SO tired!

Here's our sweet baby boy sleeping: )


I swear, he sleeps just like his dad!

Jared and Ethan minutes after delivery.

Dr. Abrudescu delivered Ethan. He is my doctor's (Dr. Brown) husband and was the one on call when I went into labor.

The Hesson's and Ethan. Everyone is so excited to be grandma and grandpa and aunts and uncles!

Closeup of our handsome son!

Parenthood

Well, my mom was here for two weeks and left last night. I thought I was going to have to check her purse before she left to ensure that she didn't steal her grandson. It was hard for her to leave and hard for me to see her go. She was such a help to us. Now that I'm more mobile, I think I'm ready to embrace all that she was doing (chores--dishes, cooking, laundry, etc) and take care of Ethan. I still am not going up and down the stairs. Hopefully, the pain from my laceration will subside soon so I can feel totally normal. I have cabin fever!
If you're nearby, come visit me! Just call first to make sure I am decent: )
Jared and I love being Ethan's mom and dad. He is so awesome and brings so much joy into our lives. We both agree that we love each other even more than before now that we have a child together. It's a pretty amazing feeling. I never knew I had such a capacity to love until Ethan came along. We are truly blessed!
P.S. Still working on the pictures.

Ethan's Arrival

Well, as many of you know, Ethan came early. Three weeks earlier than we expected! He is growing so fast and I wish I could share pictures but am having technical difficulties with our camera. As soon as that's figured out we'll post them. In the meantime, here is the story of Ethan's arrival. : )
Jared and I were at Sunday dinner and Brandon's Boo-day (his B-day is on Halloween) party on October 28. Melissa, my sister-in-law who is also expecting, and I were talking on the couch. Dinner was announced at 6:30 and we helped each other up. As we stood, GUSH! I'm thinking, "Did my water just break? I need to go discretely to the bathroom now!" So, I excused myself, checked things out, called Jared in to discuss and returned to dinner. My water had indeed broken and we announced this to the family. I had had no contractions and they would start for another hour at least.
We should have probably left then, but knowing I wouldn't get to eat for many hours, insisted that we stay through dinner. We left about an hour and a half later, went home to pack a bag, and head for the hospital. While Jared packed up the bag, I sent a last email to work and shaved my legs! I know, I'm a freak!
On the way to the hospital, the contractions got so bad I couldn't talk through them and they were getting closer together. I was admitted and sent upstairs. By 11:30, I was dilated to a four, getting an epidural and hearing of my family's arrival from St. Augustine (they must have sped all the way here). I then slept through most of my contractions and felt no pain! It was awesome. Just before 3 AM, I was dilated to a 10 and we began pushing. By we, I mean our nurse, Ashley, Jared, and me. Jared was so awesome! He definitely was an active participant. At 3:59 AM, Ethan William officially entered the world weighing in at 6lbs 12 oz and 20 inches. He is AWESOME!
We are so happy and hope to have photos posted soon! Love you all, Andrea, Jared, and Ethan Krause