Big milestone - Mason's umbilical stump fell off today. That's his first big step toward becoming a big boy. Mommy and daddy are both so proud of him. We can't tell yet if it will be an "innie" or an "outie", but we hope it's the former.
Also, some new pictures were added to the web gallery. There are some new ones under First Week and a whole new Second Week album. Adrienne has added some clever captions.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Expectnet results
I finally updated the Expectnet game - game name is 'MasonDale'.
Looks like "Great" Aunt Julie is the best guesser. Congrats to her! She wins a trip up to Pittsburgh to meet the little guy. Actually she was coming up anyhow, but it sounds better to have a prize ;-) Can't wait to see you on Thursday Aunt Jul!
Looks like "Great" Aunt Julie is the best guesser. Congrats to her! She wins a trip up to Pittsburgh to meet the little guy. Actually she was coming up anyhow, but it sounds better to have a prize ;-) Can't wait to see you on Thursday Aunt Jul!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Adrienne's Birthday
Today is Adrienne's first birthday as a mother. Though it pales slightly in comparison to the other recent birth day, it is no less important. A relaxing day will be spent with her two favorite guys.
Happy Birthday Mommy!
Happy Birthday Mommy!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Down with Baby Depot
So, let me start by saying we sincerely appreciate all the phenomenal gifts we've received off our registry and are blown away by everyone's incredible thoughtfulness and generosity. Thank you all so much!
However, a word of warning to current and future parents -- stay away from Baby Depot - a subsidy of Burlington Coat Factory. There were many aggrevating incidents, but two stories in particular support my animosity (but I won't go into too much detail here):
1) They made a pregnant Adrienne so frustrated one day, she walked out of the store in tears because she couldn't deal with "those incompetent idiots" anymore after they gave her such a difficult time about an item they were supposed to have available for purchase.
2) Baby Depot sent us a coupon in the mail to spend $200 at one time and get a $25 gift certificate. However, the attempt to redeem the coupon almost wasn't worth it because they were so inflexible about their point of sale rule.
After the gift card incident, I vowed never to step foot in the store again and pass the word on to anyone who will listen. Unassuming parents to be, don't choose this company for your baby gifts! Furthermore, I hope no one had the same negative experience with this store when purchasing gifts from our registry, and if so, we sincerely apologize.
Although we realize that this may be isolated to our local Baby Depot, we have gotten the impression that many of our issues are on a more company wide scale. Therefore, my suggestion: go to Babies 'R' Us; We would have, except the closest store is 20 minutes away, whereas Baby Depot is only 5 mins right down the road and supposedly had better prices (not true). The staff at Babies 'R' Us was so pleasant and helpful, they immediately gained us as customers.
Craigslist is also an excellent source for used items: furniture, clothes, strollers, etc. and has a local site for most major cities (link to Pittsburgh's).
However, a word of warning to current and future parents -- stay away from Baby Depot - a subsidy of Burlington Coat Factory. There were many aggrevating incidents, but two stories in particular support my animosity (but I won't go into too much detail here):
1) They made a pregnant Adrienne so frustrated one day, she walked out of the store in tears because she couldn't deal with "those incompetent idiots" anymore after they gave her such a difficult time about an item they were supposed to have available for purchase.
2) Baby Depot sent us a coupon in the mail to spend $200 at one time and get a $25 gift certificate. However, the attempt to redeem the coupon almost wasn't worth it because they were so inflexible about their point of sale rule.
After the gift card incident, I vowed never to step foot in the store again and pass the word on to anyone who will listen. Unassuming parents to be, don't choose this company for your baby gifts! Furthermore, I hope no one had the same negative experience with this store when purchasing gifts from our registry, and if so, we sincerely apologize.
Although we realize that this may be isolated to our local Baby Depot, we have gotten the impression that many of our issues are on a more company wide scale. Therefore, my suggestion: go to Babies 'R' Us; We would have, except the closest store is 20 minutes away, whereas Baby Depot is only 5 mins right down the road and supposedly had better prices (not true). The staff at Babies 'R' Us was so pleasant and helpful, they immediately gained us as customers.
Craigslist is also an excellent source for used items: furniture, clothes, strollers, etc. and has a local site for most major cities (link to Pittsburgh's).
Friday, March 23, 2007
New Pictures!
Check out the web album for updated pictures of Mason's first week! There's a link to the gallery in the right margin -->
Or go straight to the new pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/fyockm/FirstWeek
Also, pictures of the nursery have been posted if you haven't already seen them.
Enjoy!!
Or go straight to the new pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/fyockm/FirstWeek
Also, pictures of the nursery have been posted if you haven't already seen them.
Enjoy!!
Mason goes to the Doctor
Today was Mason's first pediatrician appointment and it went very well. As we suspected, Mason is proving to be an exceptionally gifted baby - must get it from his parents :-)
Apparently most babies don't regain all the weight they loose after birth until about 14 days- but Mason not only reached his birthweight (6 lbs 9 oz) again, he far exceeded it! He weighed in today at 7 lbs 2 oz. The doctor was super impressed and praised Mason and I for the awesome job we are doing feeding! Yea us! I'm glad to know that all the hard work is paying off. So Mason is ahead of the game in the weight department, and was right on track for everything else they checked- good color, breathing, heartbeat, etc. And as an added bonus, he barely cried at all, even when they stripped him down...such a good baby! How did we get this lucky? All in all- an A+ on his first 'exam', the first of many I'm sure :)
His next appointment is in a few weeks and that is the one where he will get the next dose of his immunizations...hopefully he'll do better with needles than his mom.
In other news, Mason has seemed to have found his arms/hands, and is all about the "touchdown" pose, touching his face, and once he even reached out and touched my face- so cute I almost cried! He is also starting to break out of his swaddle and is stretching his legs a bit- and even kicking some...clearly getting ready to swim!
Well, that's about it for now. Hard to believe that only a week ago today I was just starting to have some contractions and we were only hours away from meeting our little guy...already I can't imagine my life without him.
Apparently most babies don't regain all the weight they loose after birth until about 14 days- but Mason not only reached his birthweight (6 lbs 9 oz) again, he far exceeded it! He weighed in today at 7 lbs 2 oz. The doctor was super impressed and praised Mason and I for the awesome job we are doing feeding! Yea us! I'm glad to know that all the hard work is paying off. So Mason is ahead of the game in the weight department, and was right on track for everything else they checked- good color, breathing, heartbeat, etc. And as an added bonus, he barely cried at all, even when they stripped him down...such a good baby! How did we get this lucky? All in all- an A+ on his first 'exam', the first of many I'm sure :)
His next appointment is in a few weeks and that is the one where he will get the next dose of his immunizations...hopefully he'll do better with needles than his mom.
In other news, Mason has seemed to have found his arms/hands, and is all about the "touchdown" pose, touching his face, and once he even reached out and touched my face- so cute I almost cried! He is also starting to break out of his swaddle and is stretching his legs a bit- and even kicking some...clearly getting ready to swim!
Well, that's about it for now. Hard to believe that only a week ago today I was just starting to have some contractions and we were only hours away from meeting our little guy...already I can't imagine my life without him.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Online Picture Gallery created!
Check it out at http://picasaweb.google.com/fyockm/
New albums will be added periodically. I'll post blog entries to announce additions. Link to gallery is also in the right menu.
New albums will be added periodically. I'll post blog entries to announce additions. Link to gallery is also in the right menu.
Day 2 at Home
First of all, I want to thank you so much for all of your sweet responses and kind words of congratulations. They mean so much to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures, and I will apologize ahead of time for the mass quanities of Mason pictures I'm sure you will be receiving in the upcoming days and months. Hopefully you'll forgive me for being such a proud Mommy! I know I'm just a tad biased, but he is the most precious thing I've ever seen and I can't seem to get enough of him!
Well, we made it home yesterday after a great stay at the hospital. I know Mark filled you in on the labor and delivery story- and although Mason's distress during labor and emergency c-section were easily the scariest moments of my life, they were quickly overshadowed by the unbelievable joy of hearing his first cry and kissing his sweet face. I was, however, a little unprepared for the recovery necessary after major abdominal surgery. But once I accepted that there was no room for modesty or shame and allowed the nurses and Mark to help me with everything, recovery moved along nicely- and of course the pain killers helped tremendously, too :) I can't say I'm a big fan of not being able to even get out of bed myself or use the restroom, bathe, etc wihtout help, but each time I look at Mason it is so worth it! I'm feeling much better now and regaining some of my independence, and now that we are home Mark has stepped in like a trooper as my personal nurse. I still can't drive, do stairs or pick anything heavier than Mason up for a few weeks, but we are finding ways to make things work around the house. We quickly realized that many of the stories of how difficult the transition to being home with baby can be are true. But we survived our first day and night home- and managed to still get a few hours of quality sleep in the process. Today is already easier than yesterday was, so I'm sure that in a few days we will have a nice little routine established and things will run much smoother. I didn't realize that nursing would be such a full time job, but after some initial difficulties, Mason and I have made tremendous progress and it has become a rewarding experience for both of us. In fact, he is quickly reapproaching his birth weight, and the pediatrician seemed really impressed with how well he is doing. Although, since he is still a bit smaller than we had originally thought, Mark is off to buy some little premie clothes for him today until he can start fitting into so many of the adorable newborn clothes I received at my showers. Mason is adjusting to his new home and I think he really likes his nursery. Piper (aka Piggy- our dog) seems to be taking to the new little one rather well, although she does not like the sound of Mason crying- but then again, neither do I :(
I don't think I've ever learned so much in such a short period of time...these past few days with Mason has been one enormous and amazingly wonderful learning experience, but I'm sure that will continue to be the case as we venture further and further into parenthood. Maybe it's just the hormones, but I actually get a little sad each day when I think that it is one less day that Mason will be my little baby! I am so overwhelmed by the joy and wonder he has already brought to us, and just can hardly believe he is really here after all the months of anticipation. I find myself truly speechless and without the words to adequately describe how I feel- a rarity in my life, as most of you know :)
I will be home on maternity leave until May and Mark is officially taking off this week, and will be working from home for a while after that to help me out.
So as requested, I just wanted to fill everyone in on how we were doing. I anticipate that the next few days will still be a little hectic, but I will certainly be in touch again soon, and with more pictures. I hope all is well with you, and thanks again for all of your friendship, love, and support- throughout my pregnancy and now! We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives to share these incredible moments with. We are grateful to those who were already able to visit and meet our little guy, and we look forward to introducing the rest of you to him as soon as possible.
Lots of Love,
Adrienne, Mark, and Mason Dale
Well, we made it home yesterday after a great stay at the hospital. I know Mark filled you in on the labor and delivery story- and although Mason's distress during labor and emergency c-section were easily the scariest moments of my life, they were quickly overshadowed by the unbelievable joy of hearing his first cry and kissing his sweet face. I was, however, a little unprepared for the recovery necessary after major abdominal surgery. But once I accepted that there was no room for modesty or shame and allowed the nurses and Mark to help me with everything, recovery moved along nicely- and of course the pain killers helped tremendously, too :) I can't say I'm a big fan of not being able to even get out of bed myself or use the restroom, bathe, etc wihtout help, but each time I look at Mason it is so worth it! I'm feeling much better now and regaining some of my independence, and now that we are home Mark has stepped in like a trooper as my personal nurse. I still can't drive, do stairs or pick anything heavier than Mason up for a few weeks, but we are finding ways to make things work around the house. We quickly realized that many of the stories of how difficult the transition to being home with baby can be are true. But we survived our first day and night home- and managed to still get a few hours of quality sleep in the process. Today is already easier than yesterday was, so I'm sure that in a few days we will have a nice little routine established and things will run much smoother. I didn't realize that nursing would be such a full time job, but after some initial difficulties, Mason and I have made tremendous progress and it has become a rewarding experience for both of us. In fact, he is quickly reapproaching his birth weight, and the pediatrician seemed really impressed with how well he is doing. Although, since he is still a bit smaller than we had originally thought, Mark is off to buy some little premie clothes for him today until he can start fitting into so many of the adorable newborn clothes I received at my showers. Mason is adjusting to his new home and I think he really likes his nursery. Piper (aka Piggy- our dog) seems to be taking to the new little one rather well, although she does not like the sound of Mason crying- but then again, neither do I :(
I don't think I've ever learned so much in such a short period of time...these past few days with Mason has been one enormous and amazingly wonderful learning experience, but I'm sure that will continue to be the case as we venture further and further into parenthood. Maybe it's just the hormones, but I actually get a little sad each day when I think that it is one less day that Mason will be my little baby! I am so overwhelmed by the joy and wonder he has already brought to us, and just can hardly believe he is really here after all the months of anticipation. I find myself truly speechless and without the words to adequately describe how I feel- a rarity in my life, as most of you know :)
I will be home on maternity leave until May and Mark is officially taking off this week, and will be working from home for a while after that to help me out.
So as requested, I just wanted to fill everyone in on how we were doing. I anticipate that the next few days will still be a little hectic, but I will certainly be in touch again soon, and with more pictures. I hope all is well with you, and thanks again for all of your friendship, love, and support- throughout my pregnancy and now! We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives to share these incredible moments with. We are grateful to those who were already able to visit and meet our little guy, and we look forward to introducing the rest of you to him as soon as possible.
Lots of Love,
Adrienne, Mark, and Mason Dale
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Born Lucky
Mason Dale Fyock was born at 4:19am Saturday, March 17th (St Patty's Day) via Cesarean-section. He was 6 lbs 9 oz, 19.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great.
Though Adrienne was scheduled for the section at 10am Saturday morning, she started having contractions and went into labor Friday night. So we went into the hospital at around 2:30am thinking perhaps it would be a natural birth after all. However, when the nurses hooked up the fetal monitor, they found the baby's heartbeat to be a little low. At that point it was decided that the c-section was not only necessary but had to be done right away. Quite a roller coaster ride, but all is well now. Adrienne is still in the hospital - to be released on Tuesday. Enjoy!
Though Adrienne was scheduled for the section at 10am Saturday morning, she started having contractions and went into labor Friday night. So we went into the hospital at around 2:30am thinking perhaps it would be a natural birth after all. However, when the nurses hooked up the fetal monitor, they found the baby's heartbeat to be a little low. At that point it was decided that the c-section was not only necessary but had to be done right away. Quite a roller coaster ride, but all is well now. Adrienne is still in the hospital - to be released on Tuesday. Enjoy!
Friday, March 16, 2007
By this time tomorrow...
Hi Everyone,
Although my due date has come and gone, we just found out that by tomorrow at this time I will be a mom! Sorry I haven't been in touch much the past few days, but we've been waiting for a bunch of test results that my doctors were running. Turns out from an ultrasound I had yesterday they were able to determine that my amniotic fluids are running a little low...the baby is just fine- strong heartbeat, still moving lots, and just about 8lbs...but they don't want to keep him in there much longer without enough fluids. So, they gave me the choice of either waiting a few days to see if things start on their own but then having to induce me by the end of the weekend, or going ahead with a scheduled C-Section. With low fluids and my family history, the doctor said that there was a higher chance that the baby may not be able to make it through a natural delivery, ultimately having to have a c-section ....so after weighing all the pros and cons, it seemed more logical to just go ahead with the c-section rather than risk going through hours and hours of labor, only to have to have a cesarean in the end anyway. Go with what you know is gonna work, right? Besides, I have no desire to be a hero, and unnecessary pain just doesn't sound like a good time to me. So I am scheduled to go in at 8am tomorrow morning, and the surgery will take place at 10am. I can hardly believe that I will be holding my son by lunchtime tomorrow...crazy!!! Despite my anxiety about surgery (this will be my first surgery and the first time I've ever been in the hospital) I am beside myself with the anticipation of meeting our little one. I will be in the hospital until Tuesday, but Mark will hopefully be calling and emailing everyone tomorrow evening to let them know how it all goes, and of course to send pictures!
Thanks again for all of your calls and well wishes lately. Please keep Mason and I in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow as you celebrate St. Patty's Day... hopefully we'll have the luck of the Irish with us. What a great birthday, huh?
I'm off to enjoy my last afternoon and evening as a non-parent. It has been suggested that I simply revel in the opportunity to sleep! :)
Lots of Love,
Adrienne
Although my due date has come and gone, we just found out that by tomorrow at this time I will be a mom! Sorry I haven't been in touch much the past few days, but we've been waiting for a bunch of test results that my doctors were running. Turns out from an ultrasound I had yesterday they were able to determine that my amniotic fluids are running a little low...the baby is just fine- strong heartbeat, still moving lots, and just about 8lbs...but they don't want to keep him in there much longer without enough fluids. So, they gave me the choice of either waiting a few days to see if things start on their own but then having to induce me by the end of the weekend, or going ahead with a scheduled C-Section. With low fluids and my family history, the doctor said that there was a higher chance that the baby may not be able to make it through a natural delivery, ultimately having to have a c-section ....so after weighing all the pros and cons, it seemed more logical to just go ahead with the c-section rather than risk going through hours and hours of labor, only to have to have a cesarean in the end anyway. Go with what you know is gonna work, right? Besides, I have no desire to be a hero, and unnecessary pain just doesn't sound like a good time to me. So I am scheduled to go in at 8am tomorrow morning, and the surgery will take place at 10am. I can hardly believe that I will be holding my son by lunchtime tomorrow...crazy!!! Despite my anxiety about surgery (this will be my first surgery and the first time I've ever been in the hospital) I am beside myself with the anticipation of meeting our little one. I will be in the hospital until Tuesday, but Mark will hopefully be calling and emailing everyone tomorrow evening to let them know how it all goes, and of course to send pictures!
Thanks again for all of your calls and well wishes lately. Please keep Mason and I in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow as you celebrate St. Patty's Day... hopefully we'll have the luck of the Irish with us. What a great birthday, huh?
I'm off to enjoy my last afternoon and evening as a non-parent. It has been suggested that I simply revel in the opportunity to sleep! :)
Lots of Love,
Adrienne
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