Sebastian Boo Boo's First Halloween

Sebastian's First Weekend with Nathan and Bella

Happy Birthday Sebastian!

He's finally here! Sebastian Anthony Pessoa was born at Memorial Hermann Katy on October 20th, 2011 at 6:10PM weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 inches long.

There isn't much excitement to our baby story since I wasn't going into labor on my own, but it was the most amazing experience for me regardless. Thinking back to the day Sebastian was born is just as surreal as it was in the moment. The day before his birthday I passed time with a relaxing spa pedicure, followed by dinner at the original Lupe Tortilla's. I got up Thursday morning at 4:00AM to prepare for my baby boys birthday. I wanted to get fully ready with washed hair and the whole nine yards. I had been ravenously thirsty for ice water the entire pregnancy and my biggest worry was going without liquid until the baby was born. I went ahead and had a few ice cubes for breakfast. Still not satisfied though.

We left the house at 5:30AM and we were at Memorial Hermann Katy hospital precisely at 6:00AM. We got to go straight to the labor and delivery room to get started. By 8:30AM I had my epidural, but I knew something was wrong as I could still feel the right side of my body. When I felt strong contractions I knew something was definitely wrong and demanded more pain medicine. After checking out my epidural they decided there was something wrong with it so I got a second epidural. This time it felt right and I could finally relax.

I'm ravenously thirsty, but they are at least letting me have ice chips. I'm trying not to devour too many but it's so hard not to. I'm disappointed every time they check and I'm not dilated any more than I was before they started the pitocin. At this point, I'm getting exhausted from my lack of liquids. Around 3:30PM the nurse informs me that my doctor will be back after his office hours around 5:30PM and would most likely need to do a c-section. Another 2 hours of waiting later, and sure enough they are prepping me for surgery. The nurse took my ice cup away and informed me I wouldn't get anymore until 1 to 2 hours after the baby is born.  At this point, I instantly felt a panic attack.

They wheeled me into the surgery room. I've had a visual of this procedure for years since Heather has had two c-sections. But even with that knowledge I was unsettled (not sure if it's because I'm panicking about not having my ice or the actual procedure). It all started so quickly, and before I knew it they had begun cutting into me. I didn't expect all the pulling and tugging to be so vigorous either. My eyes were about to pop out of my head. Then at 6:10PM I heard the cries of my baby boy and felt such overwhelming elation. A few tears went down my face as I watched him being cleaned up by the nurse and his proud papa snapping photos of the process. I couldn't believe the amount of love I instantly had for him, I thought I'd loved as much as humanly possible already.

They sewed me back up and wheeled me into recovery which wasn't as bad as I was expecting. And I got my ice chips much sooner than anticipated so that was a huge relief! I recovered quickly and by 8:30PM I was in my room with my baby boy in my arms for the first time.

It was such an amazing experience, one I hope I get to do at least one more time.

An eCard from Auntie Bingle:

Last Checkup

Today was the last checkup for this pregnancy. According to the ultrasound, this little prince is now 8lbs. We will see how accurate that reading is when he gets here on Thursday. Once again the ultrasound technician tells me that he has chubby cheeks and big lips. She's now telling me he also has long legs.

It is really sinking in that my pregnancy journey is coming to an end.

Showering Baby

Baby Shower at Ashland House.

Birthday ~ October 20th!

And just like that, out of the blue, I'm told our baby's birthday will be October 20th! I definitely wasn't expecting to be given the actual birthday at this checkup, but we were expecting the doctor to induce between October 24th and 28th. I never thought it would feel so surreal being told your baby's birthday. Then the realization that I'm about to spend my last weekend pregnant set in, which made me feel nostalgic and emotional that my pregnanacy journey is coming to an end. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather have my baby boy in my arms where I can see him and cuddle with him over pregnancy any day. I'm sure once he is here I won't have any time to reflect on not being pregnant anymore and will be purely focused on the present.

Identical Boy Cousins?

For the first time ever, my twin sister and I are pregnant at the same time. Not only are we only 3 weeks apart, but we are both expecting boys! It is such a special experience to share with your sister (especially your twin sister), and for both of us to be having boys makes it even more special. I hope that our boys will always be close, just like their moms. We joke about them being identical cousins as we know there is no way they will look anything alike given how different their daddy's are. Here we are together in a photo taken on August 20th, Heather is on the left at 27 weeks while I'm on the right at 30 weeks.

Of course, I will never forget the day I found out Heather was also having a boy. She insisted that she had to tell me in person, so I was left anxiously waiting for hours. When she came through the door I was on my laptop writing an email which I wanted to finish before looking up at her. Something told me not to look until I was ready, and when I did look the first thing I saw was 'OH BOY' written in large letters on her t-shirt. I was beside myself with excitement. After having two girls, I knew that the odds of her having a boy this time were lower than before. Needless to say, I was happily surprised!

Read my sister's blog about the day she found out she was having a boy: http://abeainmybonnet.blogspot.com/2011/08/oh-boy.html