Home sweet home

Pete had a stork put in our yard with balloons announcing the arrival of our little Solomon.

Neighbors and friends dropped off tons of food for us along with their well wishes. We had dinner made for us each night for about the first week of being home. It completely warmed the more traditional side of my heart. Mayberry does exist and I live there.. :)

Solomon's first 'sleeping bag' in our bed. Neither Pete nor myself can stop staring at him. He's just sooo dang cute.

Mommy and baby time in the nursery.

Solomon Graele

He has a smile that'll melt your heart.

A Mom's love.

A Dad's love.

A new family.

In..AWE

Solomon's Nana bought him a balloon which said it all.

Leaving the hospital.. First trip to his new home.

Our new little family

Our new little family!!

First encounters

This was the first time I was able to hold Solomon in the recovery room which I stayed in for a few hours after surgery.

Our new family lived in the hospital for a few days after Solomon was born. Here we were able to start healing and learning about our new little family.

Our room on the Mother and Baby wing of the hospital. Pete's bed where he held Solomon for some tummy time the first night we were in our room. Pete was in love!!

Pete changed Solomon's diapers while we were in the hospital since I wasn't able to move for a couple of days and to allow me to heal. He was a trooper!!

I slept with Solomon in my hospital bed each night. However, Pete grabbed him up and spent much of the morning hours sleeping and snuggling with our little guy.

Solomon was born - Sept 27, 2010

After being woken up all night long Sept 26th vomiting, my water broke around 5am in the morning Sept 27th. We called the doctor who instructed us to go immediately to the hospital and check in. This is where I labored all day. Things were going well and I even almost missed my window for the epidural when the doctor told me around 2pm that I was at 8 cm dilated w/no epidural at this point (you are 10 cm when you deliver) and that if I wanted an epi I needed to have it done NOW. I started to skip it since I had gone that far w/out however, w/the advice of almost every one I had ever met, I got the epidural. I had the doctor put it in during a contraction (which is the opposite of what I was told to do) for the hope that I would feel the contraction and not the gigantic needle going into my spine. I braced myself to not move an inch per instruction and it was a success and I never felt the needle or much else from that moment forward. However, several hours passed and still no baby. I was then told that I had a fever of 102, the baby had a fever, I was getting infected, the babies head was starting to swell. My doctor instructed that she recommends an emergency c-section to get the baby out right away. This was exactly what I did not want however, whatever was best for the baby was what I wanted and this was best.

Moments later Pete, myself and baby were prepped and taken into the operating room but not before getting some well wishes from Pete and my Mom..

Me scared....getting some comfort from Pete

me.. moments before going into surgery.. scared.. getting comfort from my Mom and one of the surgeons

At this point I was already cut open and the surgeons were working quickly to get our little guy out (we were told it took only about 10 minutes to get him out). Pete is already an excited DAD and I, although excited, you can tell by my eyes that I was very nervous!! Alas, mere minutes from this photo being taken we were introduced to our little guy. (Pete watched the entire surgery and I have more graphic surgery photos if you care to see them just let me know).

Me hearing the first cries of our little one.

Solomon Graele was born...Sept 27, 2010...7lbs 11oz...20 inches long...9:09PM

My first look at our little Solomon. I couldn't have been more happy to know he was completely healthy. Solomon, after 10 months of being pregnant had arrived!!

(Due to his finger arrangement in this photo, I do believe he was extremely comfortable in my belly and not wanting to be taken out. God definitely has a sense of humor!!)

Solomon getting his initial once over. Solomon was crying until Pete went over to him and started talking which quieted him right down. Solomon knew his Dad already.

Pete cutting the umbilical cord from Solomon.

The final clean up completed before giving him over to us. I was across the room watching every thing going on via a flat screen tv. Pete stood by his little guy.

A VERY proud and thankful Dad!!! Priceless!!

Extremely happy and proud parents of the cutest, most perfect baby boy in the world.

Solomon's nursery

In the final weeks before Solomon was born his nursery was finished.

Growing..growing...growing

My belly continued to grow straight out as the months moved closer to Solomon's due date. I got stares from strangers, the kind of stares of excitement for our growing family and what a gift that will be, of wow and pure astonishment (how does a person's belly get THAT big).

Solomon continued to kick up a storm and getting to the point it felt that he was at any second going to be kicking a hole in my belly and/or a vital organ. OUCH!!! He stayed in one position however, for about a month which luckily for me (or so I thought) was the perfect exiting position minus the one foot lodged into my right side at all times.