From: lcheap@milton.u.washington.edu (Laurel Cheap)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Happy 1st Birthday!
Keywords: cake, candle, presents, hugs and kisses!
Date: 14 Aug 92 19:04:09 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

(Please bear with a very proud mom.  This started out as a momento for
Brendan but I'm so proud I'd thought I'd share it with everyone.)

I'm pleased to announce the first birthday of my wonderful son, Brendan.

Birth stats:
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	Brendan Charles Cheap
	August 14, 1991
	9 lbs. 1 oz.
	21 inches
	APGAR's 9 and 9

Birth story: (since I took 6 months off and didn't post it) 
------------
Brendan was 1 1/2 weeks overdue when I went in for a normal checkup on
Tuesday afternoon.  My doctor said let's induce and arranged to have us
go to the hospital that night (so that if the first attempt didn't work
we'd have a couple more days until his 2 week overdue limit expired).
My husband and I went home, finished packing our bags, ate a light dinner
and arrived at the hospital at 6:00 pm.  (If anyone has the opportunity
to give birth at Providence Hospital in Everett, WA, don't miss it.
In Dec. 1990 they just opened a new birthing center that's *fabulous*.)
I was started on a cervical gel that night to prepare my cervix for
delivery the next morning when we were to start the pitocin.  Well, I
started having some mild contractions (which the gel triggers in some
women) so we stopped after one application of the gel since we didn't
want me to go into labor until my cervix was ready.  At around 11:00 pm
my husband went home (10 min away) to feed the dog and do some things
around the house and was to be back by midnight.  In the meantime, my
doctor was monitoring my & Brendan's stats on the monitor at the nurses'
station and came back in at 11:30 with concern in his voice.  Brendan's
heart rate went down and stayed down when I had contractions.  We tried
moving me and the monitor around to see if that helped.  Then my doctor
tried scalp stimulation on Brendan (ouch!).  Brendan's heart rate went
up and then right back down.  Dr. decided this wasn't good and the best 
thing to do was get him out of there via C-section because he wasn't
doing well at all.  At this point I mentally panicked - not only was I
having an emergency C-section (so much for those breathing exercises)
but my husband wasn't even there!  Just when they were about to wheel me
into the operating room, my husband arrives to see the doctor in scrubs
and wonders who he's operating on.  Surprise, dear, it's me!  It was a 
close call but Daddy was there for the delivery.  At 12:30 am on August
14, 1991, Brendan was born and our lives haven't been the same since.

The first year:
---------------
Brendan has truly been a wonderfully easy baby to care for.  He took to
breastfeeding like a champ and quickly learned to sleep though the night.
He had a short period of evening crying to let off steam but was not
colicky.  He only cried when he was hungry or wet or uncomfortable.  It
took a little bit of effort to get him to take a bottle but he adjusted
well.  He loved to swing and to lay under his play gym and watch the
swinging toys.

Our little guy is now a wonderful kid.  He sleeps from 8 pm until 7 am
and takes 2 naps a day.  He eats anything we give him (has never refused
any type of food) which is probably why he's 28 lbs. 10 oz. and 33 inches
tall: off the charts!  He's so big that he hasn't gotten his walking 
coordination going yet but he's crawling around like crazy, pulling himself
up on furniture.  Brendan has a great sense of humor and is quite ticklish.
He understands words (clap, wave, bounce, dance) and is learning that limits
are frustrating ("no, you can't put the remote control in your mouth or
I'll take it away").  He loves to play with paper and will empty any shelf
of it its contents.  It's a joy to see him discovering his world.

Happy Birthday to my little guy!

Thanks for making it this far, you're a true misc.kidder!

Laurel (mom to a 1-year-old!)
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Laurel Cheap           University of Washington   lcheap@u.washington.edu
Information Systems    Seattle, Washington  USA   a.k.a. Brendan's mommy
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Newsgroups: misc.kids