The Ostebos

Thursday, February 27, 2014

One month old!

Owen is one month old! I'll leave these pictures up to interpretation. I took a bunch because I know I'll want to remember his every little move in detail at this age. Yes, we're a little obsessed.

A Most Eventful Valentines Day

When Owen was born we noticed a small bump on his head that didn't go away after the normal swelling from birth went down. The pediatrician had us keep an eye on it for the next week or so. When the bump still hadn't gone away, we took him in for an x-ray which revealed a skull fracture on the left side of his head. The next day, February 13th, we took him for a CT scan, which showed he had an epidural hematoma, or bleeding just above his brain. Needless to say, this new information gave us a pretty good scare. One of our neighbors came over to our house to help Mark give Owen a blessing. Mark blessed him to be healthy and to live a full life. We took comfort in this and packed up our goods to drive up to Primary Children's Hospital where we would consult with the neurology group. After talking with the doctors and having his brain activity monitored for 24 hours, they decided he wouldn't need any additional intervention and the bleed and fracture should resolve itself. We breathed a huge sigh of relief!

We stayed at the hospital all day February 14th and were discharged that evening. Mark had slept the night before back at home. When he came back to the hospital he brought both Owen and I flowers! We were so grateful to go home with a healthy baby! We stopped at PF Chang's to pick up some take out and spent our Valentine's evening at home, which was actually also our first night home alone just the three of us as a family. We felt so at peace and blessed to receive a tender mercy.

We talked about how quickly things can change. On the way up to the hospital we joked for a minute about how much our stay was going to end up costing. But really, in that moment, we knew we'd do whatever it took to help Owen. It's just amazing the love you feel for your child.

Cool cap! Having his brain monitored for seizure activity

Hey mom! I grew horns!

Leftover glue from the EEG

My sleeping babies

Healthy and ready to go home!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Coming Home

Well, its official. I've turned into the parent that takes pictures of their child's every move and think it's the most adorable thing on this planet. And I don't care in the slightest. Because, really, everything this baby does IS adorable. Baby Owen has been the BEST baby since coming home. He got right into a great nursing routine, and he is quite the little champion eater. For the most part he sleeps pretty well at night. And his temperament is really easy going. We are already so in love with his little 'isms'....his cute yawns and stretches and pursed lips and smiles while he sleeps and furrowed brow and little squawks and grunts and coos and cries....shall I go on?! He's quite the focuser, his eyes will stare intensely into ours. And we'll be happy to stare into his all the live long day. Owen has brought us so much joy and happiness that we didn't even imagine.

My mom came to stay with us for two weeks and was a huge help cooking and cleaning while Owen and I were on the mend and Mark was at work. The four of us had quite the time together laughing and adoring Owen. The Sochi Olympics also hit at just the right time and provided ample entertainment during our hours upon hours of couch sitting.

I must say that having a baby in January is my favorite. I haven't experienced anything else, but I hope all my babies come in January. Pregnancy sickness came in the summer months, which is my slow time at work. And it was fun to nestle in for the winter as I felt my stomach getting bigger. My bump was the perfect insulation against the winter cold. And having Owen during winter months means I don't feel bad in the slightest about hibernating in our house with him. Springtime will come just in time for him to awake from his newborn slumber and our discoveries of the world will begin.

I love his high waisted old man pants. And oh that chub!

First car ride post hospital...Owen had an elevated bilirubin and needed a few extra blood draws after coming home. He handled it like a champ and didn't even cry. The nurses were gushing over his sweetness.