Planning is Overrated

On Wednesday September 24, 2008 at 12:44 am Oliver Cole Novoa was born...4 weeks early! It all started with Monday night football with the Jets vs. Charges game. It was 11 pm and Bret Favre had just made a really bad play when Jennifer turned to me and said "I feel a little strange" and then woooooosh, her water broke. She went running for the bathroom and quickly realized that this was not a joke...it was the real thing.

We called the hospital and they said to come in ASAP. At this point Jennifer wasn't having any contractions so we tried not to panic and pack our things. We hadn't packed for the hospital yet (we thought we had a couple of more weeks to get ready) so there was lots of scrambling bur fortunately I had a list printed of all the necessary items we would need at the hospital.

We hopped in the car and we were off. Fortunately because it was so late we didn't have to worry about Red Sox traffic so that helped me put my mind at ease.

At around 11:30 pm we checked in the labor and delivery floor at Beth Israel hospital and were admitted. Jennifer was still not having any contractions so the staff let us sleep through the night hoping that some contractions would start by 6 am. Well 6 am rolled by with no contractions. This posed a little bit of concern because after ones water breaks the doctors sort of want the baby to come out relatively soon because there is a chance of infection so they put a small pill on Jennifer's cervix to help it soften and help some contractions and dilation start. Light contractions did start within the hour but still no dilation. So a second pill was put in place but still no dilation. Finally at around 11 am we decided to step it up a little and go for the Petosin. We knew this was going to make the contractions even stronger but we were comfortable with this choice.

Jennifer was doing really fantastically dealing with the contractions. She used her hypnobirthing techniques which really helped her stay "in the zone." But by 12 pm when she still had not dilated and the contractions were just too strong for her to keep going we decided to go for the epidural. We really wanted to try and do this naturally but it got to be very challenging when Jennifer was in that much discomfort without any progress. Perhaps had the contractions started before her water broke we would be telling a very different story. But either way, we were happy with the choices we made.

So after the epidural was given Jennifer felt a lot better and concentrated on letting he cervix open. By 4 pm she was 7 cm dilated and by 8 pm she was 8 cm dilated. At 10:30 pm the doctor determined that she was 9 cm dialated with just a little more to go. Jennifer really concentrated with each contraction on opening her cervix and by 11:15 pm she gave the signal that she was ready to start pushing. By the time the doctors got ready and set everything up it was 11:45 pm and the pushing began.

Jennifer did an amazing job at pushing and within one hour pushed our little baby boy out and into this world. 5 lbs 3oz, 19 inches long. It was the most surreal experience I have had ever had and I have never been so proud of anyone in my whole life as I was of Jennifer. Seeing the birth of our son will go down as one of the best singular moments of our lives.

As if delivery wasn't exciting enough...because Oliver was under 36 weeks old (35 weeks and 5 days to be exact) he had to be observed by the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) for at least 24 hours. After he was born the NICU staff took Oliver for observation. All in all, he was doing really well for being born pre-term. He was breathing on his own and very responsive. All they needed him to do was hit some major milestones: eat consistently, maintain his body temperature, pass the jaundice test, and pass the car seat test. It took him about a day and a half to get acclimated and to finally start eating consistently but he was having trouble maintaining his body temp. By today he is able to eat very well, and his body temp maintenance is looking good. He did have slightly elevated test results for jaundice so he will be spending a few more days in the NICU and hopefully we will be taking him home by Tuesday.

So, it's been quite an eventful week! We really have to thank all our family and friends for all the great support they gave us while we were going through this. A special thank you to Katie for being the disseminator of info and for buying us groceries to help stock our fridge. And another special thank you to Jeff and Shawn for running to Babies R Us to pick up some last minute items that we hadn't purchased yet and for picking up some preemie cloths for our little boy to wear. Also, thank you to Danielle and Patri for taking care of the puppies during this entire week of baby drama. We appreciate everyone's help and it is a tremendous relief to know that Oliver will be surrounded by such loving and giving people. We feel very lucky and can't wait to introduce Oliver to everyone!

BabyMoon in Ogunquit, ME

Before our little baby boy is born, we decided to take a little "vacation" to charge up and prepare for his arrival. Since we are saving as much vacation time as we can for maternity leave we planned a quick weekend trip to Ogunquit, ME.

We took our 35 week pregnant belly bump to the beach to enjoy the ocean views. He seemed to appreciate it, sleeping calmly and peacefully without resistance.

We did some shopping, and enjoyed some amazing pumpkin pie fudge. We saw a gay comedy show, and had dinner in a piano bar that actually showcased some really entertaining singing. We walked and walked and walked all around the quaint town, as well as along the Marginal Way with breathtaking scenic views!

We both feel recharged and ready!

When it Rains it Pours...Showers

We have been blessed with the most amazing friends and family. We say this because they were amazing enough to throw us not one but two baby showers! The first one took place in CT at the Novoa's house on August 16th. It was prepared under the guise of Audrey and Salvador Novoa's 40th wedding anniversary party. We were taken mostly by surprise except when we weren't actually allowed to help set up for the impending party...then we knew something was up. We are so grateful to everyone that came and for all the beautiful gifts we received. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures at this moment to post but when we do we will be sure to put them up.

Now, as if it wasn't enough to have one wonderful shower we were surprised yet again this past Saturday August 30th with another shower; this time in Boston. Our dear, wonderful, awesome and beautiful friends Angie and Katie threw us a fantabulous party at their house. Along with help from several other of our friends (a special thank you to the Straubs) they put together a truly memorable event. We received so many fantastic gifts, some of which were incredibly creative. Our friends never cease to amaze us. Thank you so much for all your love and support. Our little boy is going to be so blessed to have so many people in his life to love him and show him the many ways to navigate the adventures of life. Fortunately, we do have pictures of our Boston shower to share. Thanks again Angie and Katie...can't wait to get you back!

31 Weeks and Still Growing

This past Saturday we had our second and final appointment with the 3D/4D Ultrasound. Our little man was acting as usual...shy and stubborn, but cute as could be. As is his M.O., he was facing towards the placenta which is situated at Jennifer's back...that's right, so all we got to see for a while was the back of his head or his little ear (although it was a really cute ear). After about 30 minutes of switching Jennifer's position and jumping up and down we finally got a clear view of his face. He's developing really well and already seems content to just stay asleep (let's hope that trend continues once he's out of the womb). He even opened his eye for us. I think he was trying to see who the hell keeps disturbing his beauty sleep.

We would like to extend our thanks to Shawn and Zoe Straub for making the trip to see our baby boy. We really enjoyed having you there to experience this with us. Perhaps our little man was shy because his boy parts were hanging out for everyone to see. He's just going to have learn that in the Novoa family it's ok to be naked...in fact, it's encouraged.

Spoiled Rotten Already

In reviewing the past few months we discovered that our little one has also been exposed to some really awesome events that hopefully translated well into his womb.

It all started way back in the month of April with a trip to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium for an infamous Pat Benatar concert. This was a real treat for our tiny little boys ears to hear. If you have ever seen Pat Benatar live then you know how special her performances can be and this time was no different. This was definitely a great way to kick off our little boys introduction to some good ol' 80's music (which he will be hearing a lot of around the house once he's out).

The next month the three of us (along with Audrey, Salvador, Erik and Anna) had the pleasure of attending a performance of Le Corsaire by ABT (American Ballet Theater) in NYC. Admittedly this is sort of an annual tradition in the Novoa family but nonetheless special and exciting. We're hoping some of the male dancer's virtuosity made it into our little boy's developing feet and legs. Thanks Mom and Dad Novoa for making this such a beautiful tradition for our family; and one that we intend on continuing.

Then in June we were blessed with tickets to a Red Sox game from Peter Feinmann (Marina's boss). Even though the Red Sox lost to the Seattle Mariners (at the time one of the worst teams in Baseball) we are hoping that our little slugger got Dustin Pedroia's strong swing and "never give up" attitude. * Note: I have to give a special shout out to Angie for the recent awesome invite to a Red Sox game. Unfortunately, the little fetus could not be there so it was only Marina and Angie who got to experience a Red Sox game 8 rows from the field! (Notice the up close and personal shot of Dustin Pedroia from aforementioned game). Hopefully one day our little man will be one of those lucky kids who gets a ball tossed to him from the field by the bat boy.

July started the run of music concerts that the three of us attended. Along with our dear friend Kris, we got to see the revival of one of the hottest 80's performers of all time... George Michael. Yes, he's back...and better than ever. The music was loud and proud and if our little boy turns out to be a little gay boy then we can certainly attribute this concert to his sexual awakening.

So far, August has not disappointed with musical talent either. At the ripe old age of 29-1/2 weeks our little boy has already been spoiled by sitting only a few rows from one of today's greatest pop singers....that's right you know who it is....Celine Dion. As most of you know Marina is a die hard fan and proud of it (so keep you snickering to yourselves; after all, you know you were just as guilty of belting "My Heart Will Go On" in the shower or car as she was). The concert was extra special because we were so close we could almost touch her (take notice of the live shot Marina took with her dinky cell phone camera). Our little man was definitely enjoying himself as was evident by all the jabs and rolls he did inside Jennifer's belly.

Well, we only have a few more months to go and I'm sure whatever events we experience will be full of excitement and joy for us and our little son.

A Farewell to the 2nd Trimester

Here we are, 29 weeks along! Woo Hoo! What an excellent 7 + months this has been! The 2nd trimester was fun and interesting in its own way for us. If you've been keeping up with our posts, then you probably already read about the woeful month of June we experienced due to a nasty bout of Salmonella and then the resulting rectal abscess requiring surgery. I guess you could say that we were given opportunity to rehearse for labor/delivery.

Our pregnancy has been spectacular. No problems, no complaints... all joy and fun. In fact Marina and I have enjoyed the pregnancy experience so much, that I'm pretty sure my rectum was getting jealous of all the attention the bump in my belly was getting, and decided to make a bump of its own (my lovely abscess) to spite us.

Our little growing baby has been really active and pretty predictable. We can always count on him to give some active kicking/movement about 30 minutes after I eat, as well as consistently every night from about 10:30pm to midnight. This is when we notice him most. He does gymnastics in his little cozy and dark womb. I think he thinks nobody is looking, so he can practice his jitterbug without criticism.

Our little fetus also reacts to music played/sung to him. He seems to really like the heavy base sounds, or very percussive songs. Some of his favorites include Marina's rendition of "Little Bunny Foo Foo", Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" (very percussive), Cole Porter songs preferably sung by Cesare Siepe, and his most favorite of all recordings so far is the rich deep sounds of his grandpa Novoa singing opera.


My favorites for the second Trimester:
fresh sliced tomatoes
ice chips
red meat
fountain soda, with ice chips
slushes, frozen beverages
baby bump defining maternity clothes
baby bump defining dances
"The Girlfriend" body pillow
fetal hiccups
Tums (peppermint)
Marina's singing to the bump
4D ultrasound video
The Salfity's


Items I am happy to leave behind in the second Trimester:
glucose tests
tomatoes
leg cramps
pulled stomach muscle
salmonella
bleeding/sensitive gums
my well-traveled hospital issued ass pillow
extra holes in the ass
drainage bags
rectal exams
standing on the sidelines in the rain during our softball season

The 4th of July!!!

Jennifer and I spent our 4th of July in CT this year with the rest of the Novoa family. We had a great time despite the fact that the weather decided not to cooperate with us.

We got to see Erik and Anna's new apartment in Stamford, CT which looks like an awesome place to live. All I have to say is pool with retractable roof, tennis and basketball courts, a full size pool table, a professionally equipped gym, a common area which includes a full size kitchen area with a living room and a flat screen TV, a screening/movie room, 24 hour concierge....oh and free garage parking and free washer and dryers. Sounds too good to be true right?....but it isn't! It's the wonder of living 45 mins. out of NYC.

We also celebrated the 4th with some good ole' sparklers and some good ole' John Philip Sousa music.