Catching Up!

Okay, it has been three weeks since I went into labor and finally decided to write a short (it will actually be long I'm sure) post about it all. If you are completely uninterested you can just skip this post... I lost my mucous plug at work just before lunch. By three I was having really mild contractions. I finished my day at work and then headed to the doctor. She said that even though my contractions were fairly close together that I was only dilated to a one and that it would probably be another couple of days. So Bob and I went home and made dinner and got all ready for bed. I laid down for a few minutes and decided that it hurt too much when I laid down. My contractions had been consistently three minutes apart for a couple hours but I really didn't want to go to the hospital and get sent home. I decided I couldn't take it anymore and we left for the hospital at 10:30.

This was taken a couple hours before we went to the hospital! I kind of miss the belly.

When we got there I was only dilated to a two so they had me walk around for a while. After about 45 minutes of walking I was dilated to a 4 and they admitted me. When they put in the IV they blew my vein on the first try and I think that hurt worse than any contraction, at least when it was combined with a contraction it was awful. We were then transferred from triage to Labor and Delivery, I was getting set up for my epidural and they had Bob leave the room. The first one didn't work but it was pure bliss after the second one. It was about 4 am and I was now dilated to an eight. They told us to get some rest (yeah right) and left us alone until about 6. Ezra's heart rate kept dropping and freaking them out, so they made me change positions a lot which is really hard when you are completely numb from the waist down. By seven they checked me again and I was fully dilated so they shut off the epidural (for Ezra's sake) and had me start pushing. About five contractions and twenty minutes later we had his head most of the way out. The doctor wasn't expecting him this quick and they made me stop pushing so the doctor could get some gloves on. The moment he came out and they stuck him on my stomach was the sweetest moment of my life.

Bob holding Ezra for the first time!

I had my new little guy and Bob was in tears and we just kept wiping him off. I then spent the next hour and a half getting stitched up. Apparently getting him out so fast takes a toll on you. It was totally worth avoiding hours of pushing though.

Sharing the wealth

We just wanted to post a few pictures for everyone who can't be here so you could all get to know Ezra a little better. He is still proving to be very strong and is becoming more and more alert and expressive. He cracks us up with all his faces, his crazy little arms and his skinny chicken legs.

Our little champ!

Well, good news. Ezra is a big strong baby! The hospital staff was very impressed with how well he did. They were wondering if he would have any breathing trouble and if he would be able to eat okay so he spent his first night in the Newborn ICU. He had no trouble breathing and is a pretty good eater so he got to spend the next night with us (though we eventually sent him to the nursery so that mom could get some sleep).

Suckin' it down!

He did lose a little tiny bit more weight than they would have liked but he did such a great job that they let him come home with us yesterday!

Oh son, are you smiling? Nope, I'm just pooping.

He has really big feet like his uncles on both sides, so I bet he will be tall like them too. His strength is impressive. He already moves his head around on his own some and if he wants his hands in his face, he puts up strong resistance if you try to move them. He is continuing to eat well at home and he even lets us sleep (sometimes). He has a nice loud cry, but it starts out with a cute little baby bird like screech. He is super great and has already enjoyed a few visitors.

I wore my Chewbacca pants home! (Mom's favorite pic)

Dad's favorite pic

Shout Hooray!

It is my distinct honor and pleasure to present to you Ezra Robert Bowling!!! Our new addition arrived at 7:30am yesterday (the 4th). He weighed in at 8lbs. on the money, and he is 20in long. He has lots of hair and is absolutely wonderful! He and mom are doing great. Here's some photos and we'll probably blog again soon.

1 month to go!

Here is a quick little shot of my belly at one month left. The Dr. said I was measuring small at my last visit (she thinks Ezra is staying deep and wide?). Ezra on the other hand has been measuring on the large size, so I guess it is a great combination. I have gained 27 lbs. so far.


I only get uncomfortable at the end of the day when my back has had enough, but a good nights rest with a few potty breaks usually does the trick. Bob also has to rub my legs because I have a tendancy to get leg cramps at night but other than that all is well. I really feel exceptionally great. I don't feel like Ezra needs to go, but Bob and I are getting super excited to see him. I plan on packing my hospital bag today and keeping it in the car, so I think we are all prepared (except the bottles).

Fall Adventures

Well here is a little of what we have been up to the last couple of weeks. Uncle Rick, Aunt MaryAnn and Kimberlee (my side) came for a visit to the East Coast and graciously took Bob and I along for a little sight-seeing. We went to Marblehead, Salem, Gloucester, and drove around a lot to see the beautiful fall leaves. It was cold and windy, but we had a good time. As you can see I have been growing quite the belly too. (6 weeks to go!) I was suprised at how little dental talk occured, and how much of what did was between me and MaryAnn. (Rick is a dentist.)

Us freezing in Marblehead at a lighthouse not pictured...Rick is also not pictured.

Bob was sent to the stocks while we were in Salem for his bad behavior!

I also had my baby shower from the ward. I got some pretty cute stuff. I actually enjoyed hearing some of the advice I got, and it was good to get to see people in the ward I don't usually get to talk to much. I feel pretty ready for our little guy to arrive.

If our little guy doesn't like this blanket I am more than willing to use it for myself.

Bob and I also went a little crazy while trying to finish up the baby's room. It's still not done, but I would be okay with bringing him home to its current status. We made our sweet headbands from ribbons off of gifts that we have received.

As you might be able to guess, this was Bob's idea!

We also had the Chase's over for family home evening and carved pumpkins. It always seems to take longer than I ever remember, but I am much more happy with this years pumpkin as opposed to my attempt last year.

I made The Cheat from Homestar Runner and Bob made a Jack-O-Lantern with proper tooth anatomy.

As much as I have loved giving Bob a hard time about being a dental dork, I can't be too rough because some of his dental instruments worked really well for carving pumpkins. I guess we really will get our money's worth out of them.

Check out that molar, it has all four cusps. Ahh! Beauty!

Whether you like it or not

Well, as promised, we are officially announcing our baby's name. We had a girl's name but it took us a long time to agree on a boy's name. I eventually gave in and grew to love EmmaLee's suggestion of Ezra Robert Bowling.

This is on the wall above the baby's crib.

Extreme Close Up!

We just wanted to give a quick update on the baby. Our most recent ultrasound was on Friday (10/3). Not much has changed. The baby is doing good and growing like crazy! They estimated that he weighed about 4 lbs. That means that we are on track to have an 8 pound baby. He might need the extra weight since feeding will be a little tough for him but he's a champ! EmmaLee says that all the sweets she's been eating have been going straight to the baby. She may be right. Anyway, here's the promised extreme close up. He was really close to the uterine wall so it looked kind of like he had a blanket draped over his head. What a cutie!

The cleft is under his big-looking nose. Sorry about the picture quality.

Also we have officially decided on a name. We know a lot of people have been asking in the comments but you will have to stayed tuned for that blog.

And the Verdict Is...

Yesterday we finally met with the plastic surgeon that will be taking care of our baby after he is born. It was an all day appointment at Children's Hospital. We really liked the hospital. It was definitely kid themed which gave it a really warm feel. Everyone was really nice and helpful. We're really lucky to be out here for the great health care.

Children't Hospital Artwork

The appointment was really long. We went in at 8:50 and didn't leave until almost 5:00. They started with another ultrasound. During the ultrasound he starting playing with his toes - it was super cute! Next, they did an MRI to help them determine the extent of the cleft. They told us that it is definitely a complete unilateral cleft of the lip and palate. After the MRI we met with the surgeon and he told us about the surgeries. The baby will need an appliance that moves the gums and palate together placed surgically that will be in place for six weeks. He will need a surgery called a lip adhesion that will start to fix the nose, sew the gums together, and move the skin of the lip closer together. He'll have another surgery to completely seal the lip and fix up the nose more. Finally, at 9 months or so, he'll have another surgery to fix the palate. We were a little overwhelmed to hear about so many surgeries during the first year; however, we got the impression from the team that he will be in really good hands. We still have the same attitude towards the situation, we know that everything is going to be fine and that we will have a wonderful baby, we're just not excited about lots of surgery.

These pictures are actually from the last ultrasound that we posted. They didn't print these ones out for us before, but our doctors made a disc with all the ultrasound pictures to give to the specialists at Children's. Needless to say we took the opportunity to download the images onto our computer before we handed it over! In these you can see the cleft on the baby's left side pretty well. His face is in the middle and you can see the uterus on either side. In the bottom picture, his hand is at the bottom of the picture. Feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Abandoned Property?

So the most expensive part about attending Boston University School of Dental Medicine, after tuition, is by far housing. When we were moving here, no one wanted to rent to us without actually meeting us. We eventually signed a lease for an apartment which we saw no photos of and paid the entire first years rent all up front. It actually worked out really well for us and we like our place. Our landlord is okay but I think he stopped paying his landscapers or something. Our front yard has weeds as tall as I am and the back yard is too overgrown to even venture into now. I thought maybe he would send the landscapers at least once this summer...but now summer is officially over. Maybe I just need to borrow a weed eater from someone.

Our neighbors on the first floor were gone for a week awhile back when I took these photos so their newspapers piled up on the stairs adding to the abandoned lot effect.


We promise that we're not just squatting but at the price we're paying, we kind of wish that we were.