Welcome to the world, Robert Peyton!!!

On Wednesday morning, June 17, 2009 the world welcomed Robert Peyton Kozacek at 9:25 a.m. weighing 7 pounds and 9 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches in length. After laboring for 42 hours and being sent in for an emergency C-section, we were blessed with Peyton. His entrance into the world was as dramatic as could be, but he's here none the less! Wednesday morning after a scary drop in baby's heartrate and surge in Mom's heartrate and blood pressure, a final decision for a c-section was made due to the fact that Mom couldn't dilate any more and Peyton was "distressed." After getting in the operating room to discover Mom's body was not fully responding to the spinal block intended for c-section, I had to be put under, and Dale couldn't be present for Peyton's entrance. During the procedure, Peyton's heartrate once again dropped, and when being removed it was determined he had aspirated meconium (his first bowel movement) and blood. This caused him to stop breathing and require CPR. Dale was waiting outside the operating room as doctors and nurses rushed around trying to revive Peyton, and thankfully, Dale's mom and sister were here to support him through this most traumatic time. Dale describes it all as the best, worst day of his life. My operation went well with the exception of losing a lot of blood. God was definitely with our family that day, because Peyton pulled through and is as healthy as a baby born without difficulty. He was sent to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at another hospital, where he stayed until Monday, June 22. His tests and observations were superb and he is healthy and well, and acts like a baby without a care in the world! We couldn't ask for a better baby! We will be going in next week for his two week appointment/ follow-up and I'll be updating then. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers during this most amazing time in our lives!

PS. Here's Peyton relaxing in his swing on his first day home from the hospital...isn't the tie great?!

40 weeks, 4 days...any day now!!!

Well, here we are, forty weeks pregnant, the due date has come and gone and we're still waiting on Shooter to arrive! I always questioned what mothers meant when they said the last month is the worst....now I fully understand! Between the swelling, anxiety and anticipation (not to mention lack of sleep!) it's by far the hardest month of the pregnancy!

Our appointment last week went well, there's not much to report aside from the fact that the little man likes his home. The cervical exam last week just showed the dr. that I'm not dilated, softened or really ready at all for delivery. But, that's okay, we're optimistic he'll come before Wednesday this week. If not, I'll go in Wednesday afternoon to begin the process of induction. If all goes well (keep your fingers crossed!), we'll be meeting the little man hopefully Thursday, but the dr. said it could be a two to three day process...so we'll just wait to see.

We enjoyed our last weekend without baby this past weekend by going to the annual "Blueberry Jubilee" in Poplarville, MS, the blueberry capital of Mississippi. It was full of blueberry everything....jams, jellies, lemonades, pies, breads, ice cream....you name it! We sampled some of the deliciousness and had a great time together! This picture of me was taken yesterday, lounging by the pool....I've decided this would work perfectly as a Halloween costume...green M&M! haha!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days....our next update will introduce Shooter to the world!! Yay!!!

39 weeks, 3 days

Thirty nine weeks and three days along here in this picture...any day now our little man will come into this world! We are anxiously awaiting his arrival! The doctor's appointment this week has nothing new to report, bp is still good, weight is stable, baby is moving, his heartrate is right on and contractions are coming much more frequently.

We had a wonderful visit from Dale's sister Chris and niece Ashton this past week. They both were hoping to meet our newest addition, but alas, no baby. Our visit was great though, I'm sure they enjoyed watching me waddle around the house and pool. Dale also started work this week, which didn't include doing much of anything, but he'll get enough work when he reports to his ship in a couple of weeks.

I've been finishing little things for Shooter, like washing his clothes and bedding, and reorganizing his drawers and closet. It seems like every time we go to Wal-mart or any store for that matter, I manage to think of something we "may need." I'm not sure if it is the whole "nesting" phenomenon or not, but it is an overwhelming feeling to want everything to be perfect for when we bring him home.

We also discussed the little guy's circumcision with the doctor this week, something we hadn't put much thought into. Apparently there is quite the debate in the world of medicine about feeling and anesthesia (local or topical of course) in infants. Some physicians will argue that the baby cannot feel pain, but we've read various studies that prove otherwise. I personally believe they just can't say they feel it. Well, we decided not to put our little man through any pain (Dale feels very strongly about this!) unless necessary and it's just not necessary, so we're going to request some local anesthesia from the pediatrician.

Anyhow, we're still just waiting on the little guy (as patiently as we can!). Sorry to all of you that have been pulling for various days the last couple of weeks, but I guess he needs more time in the oven....until next time, we wish you all well and ask for your thoughts and prayers in a smooth labor and delivery (hopefully before the next scheduled appointment!).