Best Friends

Blitz has been such a good dog with Caden.  He follows us everywhere we go with Caden.  He has been so gentle with him and when Caden cries he will walk over there to see him to see if he is doing OK.  Its really cute.  Caden doesn't seem to mind it much when Blitz licks him.  He doesn't even flinch when Blitz barks at the UPS man.  They say b/c Caden heard Blitz in uterus that he is used to those noises.  It's really nice that he doesn't wake up from naps when he barks.

To this day, week 3, so far Caden has not cried for over 2 minutes or so.  We are so lucky and we're getting pretty decent sleep.  We're so blessed to have him be so calm.  I think it's all the Bob Marley I listened to while I was pregnant.  Or else, he is just building up all the calmness for now and will just rage when he's a teenager :)

Spring Ball Done- Caden Just Beginning

Well the first 2 weeks of Caden's life were a little hectic for me because our team was in the middle of spring practice. Luckily Caden has been pretty cooperative and has been sleeping well and my Mom was still here and able to help Mimi out a little. Caden is changing daily, even this early into his life you can tell how having a child speeds up life, they just grow and change so much and then that moment is gone and you never have it back. It is fun to watch him learn new things and grow each day. On the football side of things our spring practice went well, we got better as a team. We still need a few guys here and there, but we should have a chance to be pretty good next year.

Bath time!

Last Sunday we gave Caden his first bath.  It was really cute.  Adam and I got everything ready and Caden was really interested in what we were doing.  He just laid there and had his little toes in the water.  He was OK at first...we started pouring water over his little body and he seemed to enjoy it.  The real crying didn't come until we started taking the wash cloth and started bathing him.  He was not down with being washed.  Adam did a lot of the scrubbing and I tried to keep him warm by pouring water on him.  The water was apparently too relaxing and he started peeing a little waterfall in his tub.  Luckily, our tub drains easily and it was really smooth putting water back into the tub.

For the first bath, I think it was a success!!

Happy Birthday!

Today Caden is 2 weeks old.  I can't believe it.  Just 2 weeks ago today I was in complete pain and agony and then in a few hours the most amazing thing in the world happened to me-Caden was born.  It seems like time has gone by so fast.  I can't imagine how things were BC (before Caden).  It seems like so long ago I was pregnant and had such a huge belly.  Now, I can't imagine being without him.  He has been doing much better breast feeding and is looking around and trying to grab things.  In particular, he loves holding my St. Gerard necklace when I feed him.  His little fist just clutches around it and he just looks up at me.

I went to the doctor today for a check up and I've lost 32lbs.  My blood pressure has gone down and my headaches are gone.  I'm pretty much back to normal.  In about a week I think I'll be able to Zumba again!  So, things are definitely going well.

Adam went to Albuquerque today for a school thing.  The poor guy had to drive 4 hours there to attend a 2 hour event, then he will drive 4 hours back.  I feel so bad for him.  Nick Lucy, the Offensive coordinator went with him though so that was nice.  We will miss Daddy, but he will be home just in time for Caden's 1am feeding :)

Loves Daddy

When Daddy comes home, Caden loves it!  Adam tries so hard to spend as much time as possible with Caden.  Its really cute.  Adam is such a natural Dad, it really surprises me.  He loves feeding him and he likes  making him do weird things with his legs and arms.  He thinks it's funny to take his little arms and pretend that he is hitting himself-so mature.  But he said, now that he has his own baby he can do those things.  If he had done them with other people's babies then they may have gotten mad.  So, instead Caden is his little guinea pig

Last night we did some tummy time and Caden scooted across his blanket.  It's surprising how strong he is.  We're still working on making his little head stronger, but he gets stronger and stronger each day. 

Body aftermath

Well, my body is ALMOST back to normal, but far from...I can walk normal again and things are looking up.  I'm still not up to doing zumba yet, but hopefully in the next few weeks or so I will be up to it again.  I've lost almost 30lbs so far and have 10 more to go.  My belly still kind of looks like I'm pregnant, but it's getting smaller each day.  I've got a ton of stretch marks, so it looks like-one piece swim suits for the rest of my life-I'm such a mom now.  I'm hopeful they will fade though, we will see.  I have some nice fake implants it feels like, I'm about almost a D cup.  It looks really weird and fake-it's hilarious.

Baby update

Today Caden went to the doc for a check up.  He has passed his birth weight and now weighs 6.9lbs.  He has grown 1/2 inch and is now 20 1/2" long.  The doc thinks that his bilirubin level has gone down and he seems to be a happy growing boy! 

He has been so happy and hardly ever cries.  He will make little dinosaur noises and then when we come to his rescue he stosp.  He eats about every 3 hours and has been more and more alert.  He follows our voices around and he's been trying to focus on this look book that one of our friends got him.  He loves staring at the black and white images.

He's just the perfect baby!

Grandparents

My Dad, Adam's Mom and Dad both made it out to see Caden.  My Mom will be here in April for a few weeks when I go back to work.

It has been so helpful and so nice to have them around.  We've had a lot of good home cooked meals and all of my household chores and spring cleaning are done.  I really put my Dad to work and he completed all his list before he left.  He came an hour before Caden was born and was able to hold him within the first hour of his life.  It was pretty cool to share that moment with him and we were so happy he made it.  I missed my Mom, but it will be so helpful for her to be out here when I'm working in April.

Adam's Dad and Mom made it out day 2 of Caden's life.  They drove from San Diego and made it to Silver City around 10 that night.  Adam's Mom has been cooking up a storm and Adam's Dad has been very helpful as well.  It was nice to have them all here to see their first grandchild.

Caden's Nursery

We were just waiting for one last addition to make the nursery complete-it was Caden.  Here are some pics of his little room.

Gila Regional Hospital

Leaving Gila Regional

So, at first I was seriously so scared to give birth in such a small town and such an out dated hospital.  But, I was totally shocked how amazing the experience was.

I was in the hospital from Tuesday through Sat and the nurses and doctors were amazing.  My regular doctor from Cassie Health, Dr. Diaz, was seriously so helpful throughout my first pregnancy, i could not have asked for better.  She really took the time to understand who I was as a person and how I wanted my pregnancy to go.  She was so awesome and easy to talk to.  I also liked how organized and informative she was as well.  Unfortunately, she did not deliver Caden, instead it was another doctor, Dr. Nwachuku, who was equally awesome!  We had met with him a few times before and he was very through.  His laugh is very contagious and it lights up the whole room.  The doctors were so awesome to have for our first birth and it really made the entire process so easy and flawless.

Now the nurses at Cassie Health are seriously the best!  They really make up for the neon lit, windowless rooms.  The nurses had one priority and it was me.  I know it sounds so conceded, but when you are in the hospital all you want is someone to wait on you and be very prompt and not keep you waiting for anything.  All the nurses did just that.  They were so personable and caring, it made me feel so comfortable and re-assured me that I was in the right place to have our first baby.  I can't thank the nurses at the hospital enough for taking care of our family.  Gwen, one of the nurses (who has the same birthday as Caden) even called to check up on us on her day off.  They were all so sweet.  I'm not sure how they get trained or who manages them, but their service is one of the best I've ever experienced.

Adam and I also had services from our baby classes and home health care through Gila Regional and they were amazing as well.  Home health sent nurses to our house to take his bilirubin levels and also his weight.  It was so nice to not have to go to the doctor for that kind of stuff and instead have someone come to us.  The nurses were great who came and very caring for our little guy.

Now that it's kind of back to normal and we can stop hopefully going back to the hospital, we are seeing a regular pediatrician at Silver Heath Care, Dr. Etheridge.  HE IS AWESOME.  He is so detailed and caring.  He really takes the time to explain things to Adam and I regarding Caden's health and you can tell he really cares about him.  He's done everything from calling us at our home to visiting us in the hospital at 4am to check on Caden.  If you ever need a recommendation for any of those docs, i would say use Diaz, Nwachuku, and Etheridge.  Dr. Davenport-Reed circumcised Caden-which looks very good, so she knows her way with the knife.

OK, so you would think that I'm getting residuals or something from all these reviews, but honestly, we are just overjoyed with how awesome our birth went in such a small town.  Adam and I expected to deliver with like forceps and with nurses that smell like Marlboro lights, but it was completely awesome and we will never forget all the people who made it such an awesome experience.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

McDonalds Rage

Ok, so I promise to update my blog more and try to do it everyday.  I thought I could start with this.

I STILL HAVEN'T HAD A F-ING SHAMROCK SHAKE!!  I think I've called McDonalds about 10 times and have stopped by there at least 6-10 times.  Our parents also tried for us and McDonalds just isn't having it.  My dad even tried to get a regular shake and their machine was broken.  The other day I even went inside to check on it again and their credit card machines were broken.  This McDonalds is seriously ghetto.  The manager is seriously cranky and wants nothing to do with any of the customers.  I fell for anyone who works there, seriously.

I mean I may seriously have to drive to the next town to get a shake, that is 1/2 hour away, but it may be worth it.

The 1st week at home with Caden

Out little eskimo

We are finishing our 1st week at home with Caden and it has been a pretty amazing experience thus far. I always believed people when they said that the experience of having a child was something you can't completely explain and I feel the same way now. The immediate feeling of responsibility I had when I first saw him was incredible. The need to do all I can to help him become a good person was intense right away. He has been pretty cooperative thus far especially lately as Mimi and I have both been getting decent sleep. He just needs to be fed and changed and he stays pretty happy. It has been a little hectic being in the middle of spring practice having a new born son, but I wouldn't change it at all. Mimi and I are so happy and feel blessed. Mimi's Dad and my Mom stayed with us all this week and helped out a ton. We can already see small changes in him day by day, it really is a lot of fun. We will update you all as our journey continues. Thanks- Adam

The beginning of our family

Baby makes 3

Ok so I totally stole this title from my friend Emily's blog, but it's perfect.

Here is the story of Caden's birth process.

MARCH 8TH I had been having headaches since Friday of the week before and they were just not going away.  I called the doctor and I checked into labor and delivery so they could monitor my blood pressure etc and make sure that my pre-eclampsia wasn't elevating.  We figured we would only be there for a few hours like before, but this time was different.  The doctor recommended that I stayed overnight (which made me bawl) and take some percocet to see if that would elevate the pain.  I really didn't want to as I didn't want anything effecting Caden, but it was the only way to see if my headaches would worsen-that would cause a seizure and we didn't want that.

The percocet didn't work and they decided to give me an IV of a drug called Stadol, it made me very dizzy and felt very drunk.  It temporarily got rid of my headache, but didn't make it go away.  I received 2 doses of this through out the night and then they decided to give me 2 other drugs.  It was a long experience and I was completely drained.  My headache was still persistent and blood pressure still a little high.  I slept about 2 hours that night in the hospital.

MARCH 9TH the doctor said that if the baby looked healthy and since my pregnancy has been so great up to this point then if necessary they would induce me.  She ordered an ultrasound and at around 10 the ultrasound tech told us our baby was about 7lbs and 3oz.  So, healthy baby to deliver.  That was music to my ears.  After a horrible nights sleep and not wanting to go home without a baby I was so ready to have him.

getting ready for baby!

Later that afternoon the doctor gave me a pill in my vag to start thinning my cervix.  Since my pressure was still also high I was also put on a Magnesium drip and other liquids.  The whole night was a little less stressful than the night before, but I still didn't get much sleep.  I was comforted more though as Adam slept in the hospital with me.

MARCH 10TH I was dilated at about 1-2CM.  The doctor said I would most likely deliver around 5pm that night.  I was OK with that as I was so ready to have him.  Adam and I couldn't believe that this moment was happening to us.  It was amazing.  We were anxious and just kind of awkward the whole day, it was weird, we were just hanging out and we just knew in a few hours that we'd have a baby.  It was a funny feeling to have.

At around 11:30 I started having pretty intense contractions.  They were coming about once every couple minutes.  They were very intense and I was not able to get up and walk around due to my magnesium drip they had given me for the blood pressure.  It was NOT comfortable. I wanted to just walk them out and focus on different things (that was in my birth plan) but things were completely turned upside down since I had been there since Tuesday.  Adam was awesome throughout my contractions and I was so happy to have him with me.  He was a great birth coach and kept me calm and comfortable.  For about 3 hours I was in pretty intense pain.  The doctors checked me again and i was dilated up to a 3.  He said I would most likely deliver in 5 more hours-so that meant 5 more hours of intense contractions.  I was exhausted and falling a sleep in between contractions already since I was so physically drained from the days before.  I decided to get the epidural and in about 2 hours I went from 3cm to 10cm.  I was ready to deliver.

5PM-My epidural wore off and I was ready to start pushing.  The epidural was heavenly and when I could start feeling every single nerve again in my body, it was so painful.  My Dad booked a last minute flight and got there just in time for delivery-it was so great to have him there.  It was so helpful and supportive.  During labor Adam coached me and was so motivating.  He kept close to me and watched the entire thing.  I pushed for a little over an hour.  1/2 way through the process I could feel his head with my hand and it gave me a second wind to keep pushing.  It was the most intense pain i had felt in my life.  I just kept asking how far along i was and how much longer i would be pushing.  Adam was great and didn't lie, he just kept telling me to keep it up and I was doing awesome.

6:02PM-I heard the most amazing sound in my life.  Caden came out screaming and they laid him on my chest.  It was so awesome.  Adam and I were overwhelmed and fell in love instantly.  I felt an intense feeling to protect and love him as much as I could.  Adam felt an intense feeling to make him as successful as possible and do everything right by him and be the best dad he could.  After seeing him all my cares and worries I've ever had in life completely disappeared and I was just in love with my new son.  He was perfect in every sense of the word.  He had Adam's nose and my lips, he is a perfect combo of the both of us.



The next few days I spent in ICU and back in labor and delivery, but was finally able to go home on Saturday-MARCH 12TH.  It was the happiest time in my life.  Adam's parents got there on Friday night and have been helping ever since with our little guy and taking care of Adam and I as well.  My Dad has been doing the same and everyone loves being new grandparents!  It's killing my mom to not be here yet, but she will be here a lot of April to help when I go back to work.  It will be a huge help

Were all back home now and just living life with our new addition Caden Kwan Clark-he's amazing and is the happiest baby.  He loves being held and he has hair that never ends.  When he looks up at you with his little brown eyes, it melts your heart you fall in love with him over and over again.

Baby Thursday! The best day of my life!

The happiest moment in my life came on Baby Thursday-Caden Kwan Clark was born on Thursday, March 10th at 6:02pm.  He weighed 6lbs and 6.6oz and was 20" long.  He is amazing!  Adam and I are so in love with him it's unbelievable.  The entire experience was amazing (and tiring) but I would do it in a heartbeat.  It's the most rewarding experience I've had in my life.  The love I have for Adam and our son Caden is un-measurable, it's crazy.

We will recap the entire story...

First Friday

This weekend Raz and I went to First Friday, kind of like an open gallery art walk.  It was NOTHING like Denver's.  I was very disappointed.  Many of the galleries closed early and nothing was open.  It was such a let down, I was really looking forward to it.

But, something awesome did come of it.  I found my new favorite art gallery.  Her name is Lois Duffy.  I've been meaning to go into her gallery since I moved her and just got the chance.  She is VERY VERY talented and she uses mostly acrylic to paint.  I could go in there every day if I could. 

Here is a link to her site: Lois Duffy in Silver City!

Baby Thursday

Today Adam and I went to the doctor for our check up.  There were higher amounts of protein in my urine still, so I'm still not out of the clear for preeclampsia.  The doctor said to take it easy and make sure I'm not doing too much.  I'm not quite on bed rest, but definitely, I need to slow down.  She said that Adam needs to do the chores (which he does now thankfully).  He has been a huge help around the house and takes really good care of me.  He is such a good husband.  He has been amazing and hasn't complained once.

My blood pressure was down to more normal levels, so I can stop taking it every day now.  I do have to start getting ultrasounds each week now to make sure that the baby is OK.  With the possibility of preeclampsia they want to make sure he is doing OK in there and is not under any stress.  They are called bio-physical exams for the baby.  They check how much fluid is in my belly and they measure his little limbs.  I'm excited to see him each week and can't wait until he finally comes.  The doc said it could be any day, so I'm very excited!

Adam has spring break next week, so we will get to spend a lot of time together this weekend and the following week.  It will be nice to have him at home.   Even if we're not in the same room and he's just home, I really like it, just knowing he is around.  I love him so much.

Caden's Room

Caden's room is almost completed.  We just have a few more finishing touches to do for it.  Just need a bed skirt and a changing table pad.  Adam is hanging a shelf next week while he is on spring break and then it will be ready!  I love how the room smells-LIKE BABY!  I think it's coming from the diapers, but I love it!  His little beach theme was kind of hard to put together in New Mexico, but I think it turned out OK.  Definitely a lot easier to pick out decorations in San Diego.

I'd like to find a little shell shaped lamp and maybe some other cute nautical decorations, but for now we're saving our money and trying to focus on the necessities.  I did however find this pillow on ETSY-huge steel and I love it!

More fab. pillows found here: KainKain