Sam is Crawling!

Our newborn has grown up! A few weeks ago, he was pulling himself across the floor with one side of his body, kinda like a floor version of Igor. Then last week, he decided he'd had enough and is now using all four cylinders. Full speed ahead!

Monster Baby

Sam's newest sound...is he a monster baby or a baby monster?

Bouncy Bounce

Sam loves his gift from Auntie Cathy!

Sam Moos!

Some would call it cooing...we call it mooing! Exclusive footage of Sam mooing on cue.

Watch Sam Go!

First trip with Sammie

Playing catchup so here goes nothing....

We took our first trip with Sam to St. Louis for Passover this weekend and Sam did really good. We didn't leave as early as we wanted to, which was to be expected with the new little one. We might have underestimated how long it would take ;). Anyway, Sam slept the two hours it took to get to West Memphis and woke up in the parking lot of Katie's grandmother's nursing home. Just amazing! Such a good baby.

Katie fed him while we caught up with grandma, and other family members that happened to stop by. It was a mini-family reunion!

Got back on the road and a little while later Sam woke up and Katie had to feed him. What was normally a 4 hour trip took about 6 hours, which was to be expected. After the second feeding, Sam was good to go and didn't wake up until we got to their house. Josh and Daria were already there, with Daria flying in late and barely missing her plane.

We were able to see lots of family at Passover the next day. Sam was the star of the party; everybody wanted to hold him and squeeze him and call him George. Not really, but he did get passed around to lots of people. Josh and Daria did a great job leading the service and are getting better at leading a rowdy group of people.

Diving back on Monday was pretty easy, with Sam sleeping most of the way. We stopped one time for feeding before Memphis and then right as we exited off the highway to see Grandma again, Sam woke up. Great timing! We visited a little more with Grandma and aunt Avis before we had to leave to get back home.

It was a lotta driving for a two nights in St. Louis but well worth it to see everybody's smiling faces.

Got out of the House Today

We actually got out of the house today to go to cousin Angela's baby shower. She's due towards the end of May. We have not been out of the house with Sam except to go to the hospital or to the doctor's office. So this is a momentous occasion.

Sam did very well at the shower. We arrived late, since we're still getting used to this whole parenting thing. We now have to remember to bring more things than before Sam was born. Sam was passed around to awaiting relatives who hadn't seen him in a few weeks. While they held him, he started to make his way down to feed, only it was the wrong person! Katie took him and fed him the milk of life.

After the shower, we visited his grandparent's house and saw uncles Keaton and Kaleb. The wind was blowing hard so we weren't able to be outside. We had wanted to walk Sam around in the stroller later on, but it was too windy. We'll try it again in a few weeks when it is warmer.

New sounds and faces

Sam started to make new cooing sounds. It's amazing that he can just start doing so and that he knows how to do it.

He also started making faces, though it's usually only in his sleep. He smiles, makes an "ooh" face, purses his lips. He usually goes through many different ones in a matter of seconds. It's quite amazing to see.

Good News

We heard from a pediatrician today about Sam's scans on Monday. The docotr said that his hips are normal and that his head plates have not prematurely fused. Great news!

We had another fairly good night. Sam woke up at around 3:30 and nursed for an hour or so. We tried to put him back to bed, but he didn't want to be alone; he wanted to sleep with his daddy. We slept until 8:30 or so. Luckily, he seems to be giving us almost 8 hours of sleep a night.

Sam's Scans

At our pediatrician appointment last week, the doctor ordered a hip ultrasound on Sam to make sure there were no problems since he was born breech. He also ordered a head x-ray to make sure his head plates hadn't fused too early. We see the doctor next Wednesday, so we'll have more to report. We're hoping for the best.

We're Home

We got home from the hospital Tuesday afternoon and were very ready to leave. Monday night wasn't very fun but his billirubin levels came down, so we were able to go home. We were definitely ready to leave. Papa Lee helped us leave and Grandma and Grandpa were at home to greet us. Zig was happy to see us, especially Katie.

We brought Sam in the house in the car seat and set him down on the table. Zig didn't even notice anything was different. It was only until Sam started making sounds that Zig noticed. He sniffed around Sam and was very curious. Zig "feels" with his pointy nose so it was natural for him to touch Sam's head. We're trying to teach Zig to be gentle. Zig's a very licky dog and of course he wanted to sample the new addition with a few licks on his hands and feet. Overall, Zig was well behaved; we were pleasently surprised.

Katie's still swollen and hurting, but was able to walk down the driveway and up the two steps into the house. She'll be drugged up on pain medications for a few more days. The hospital staff told us that she should feel better within two weeks. Two weeks! Hopefully by next week she'll be able to do more by herself. She still won't be able to lift anything heavier than Sam and can't drive. I'll be taking some days off of work to stay home and take care of her and Sam.

Grandma and Grandpa cooked us up a pot of soup for dinner and left later in the afternoon. They had been in town for a week and a half waiting for the pot to boil. The pot finally did and they needed to get home.

Mama Lee flew in tonight to see Sam. She wasn't able to be at the delivery and luckily was able to come in to see us. I'm sure she was happy to see her baby and the new baby.

Quiet Day, not so Night

Yesterday was a little quieter. Sam's getting the hang of feeding and nursed for a while in the morning. Laurie, Michael, and Francis arrived around 11:30, at which point Katie and Sam were deeply asleep. Momma hadn't gotten much rest and we decided to let them sleep for awhile. Francis brought up pot roast, carrots and potatoes (Katie's favorite) and we had a good lunch.

Sam's opening his eyes more and is becoming more alert. Though he still loves to sleep. At one point, Michael was holding him and Michael's head slowly bent forward and both were sound asleep.

Katie walked down the hallway to try to get her legs moving. Her legs are even more swollen then they were during her pregnancy. The doctors' say that it may get worse before it gets better. It really limits how much she can walk around.

I was able to go home for a few hours to play with our first baby, Zigaboo, and get some rest. He was sooo happy to see me and was looking around the house for Katie. He's going to be a handful when we bring the baby home, and we'll have to deal with it one day at a time.

Sam's looking a bit jaundiced, which is normal for newborns, and hopefully will eat more so that he will stop looking yellow.

Laurie and Michael brought dinner and we were able to sit around and talk until after visiting hours. Aren't we a bunch of rebels! Karen and Keaton called from Houston and we Skyped for quite awhile. They were able to see Sam and Katie and see Sam nurse a bit. Of course Keaton was grossed out and didn't want to see his sister indisposed. You can check his blog for current updates on his treatment.

Sam was brought from the nursery early in the morning and Katie tried to nurse, but he was unable to get as much as he wanted. He's quite a demanding little one! He kept us up a lot last night; we got a small amount of sleep, which I expect will be how this week goes.

What a Wild Ride

What a crazy 24 hours it's been. Katie had to undergo an hour of needle sticking for the cord blood kit last night. Because she was shaking and cold, the nurses could not get the required amount of momma's blood for the kit. Finally, they were able to get a small amount of blood. Meanwhile, daddy and baby were bonding and talking. We finally got some sleep around 4 in the morning when we moved to our new, smaller room. Sam went into the nursery and Katie and I rested.


The morning came early and Sam was wheeled in around 6 am. He's quite an active little guy, trying to suck on his thumb and hand when not breastfeeding. But he can be quiet too. The family got to hold him and hear his coos and oohs today. Wanda, Becky, Cindy, Avis, Roger, Kaleb, Francis, Michael and Laurie got to see Sam discover the new surroundings and new people. He opened his nice, blue eyes a few times today. I think they'll probably change as he gets older. We'll see.

Katie was able to get out of bed today and walked in the room. She took a warm shower and cleaned up a bit. Her incision looks good; she's recovering nicely.

Sam has had a little trouble nursing, but finally, after a few missteps, he latched on firm and strong tonight. It's amazing that he already knows what to do.


Here are the proud grandparents holding our bundle of joy.

Samuel Austin Vander Velde Has Arrived!

We are the proud parents of a healthy, 8lb 9oz, 22 inch baby boy! Samuel Austin Vander Velde was born at 9:35 pm on Friday, March 21.

We arrived at the hospital around 5 pm and she was having stronger contractions. At around 6:30, he water broke, just as I was coming back from getting our birthing ball from the car, figuring she would be laboring for some time. Boy was I wrong! Soon after, her contractions were more painful, longer and stronger. Her aunt Avis, grandpa Michael and grandma Laurie and other family members came and comforted her through the peaks and valleys of contractions and rest. By 8 pm she was already 8 cm dilated. She had about 2ml of Stadol to help take the edge off of the pain. By around 8:30, she was 9cm dilated. We were all amazed at her strength and how fast she was progressing. But, by 9, the doctor reported that the baby was breeched.

This was something we talked about and hoped that she wouldn't need a c-section. She had done so well in the past three hours and we were so sure that he would come out naturally. But it wasn't meant to be. They whisked her back to the operating room to prep her for an epidural and for surgery. By the time Avis and I got back to the O.R., the doctor had already started and Katie was on the table with a green blanket blocking her view. I was able to see the progress in a mirror and I didn't faint! Soon after Katie arrived, our baby emerged from the comforts of the womb at 9:35. Since there was meconium (he already pooped) in the womb they had to suction it out of his throat, least he aspirate it. All the while he was grunting and crying and trying out for the opera, as some nurses said.

We left the O.R. with our baby and announced the happy news to the family. What a relief. Katie is doing well and very tired. We'll have more updates over the next few days as Katie recovers and Sam discovers life.

Nada, Zero, Zilch

Well, still no baby to celebrate, yet. At the doctor's appointment yesterday, she was now 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced, at which point, the doctor said, some women get an epidural. But not Katie. She's a trooper. She's really doing well considering that her feet are swollen up about 40% and she's waddling a lot. The baby had dropped a little more and is definitely ready to view the world. He just needs a little push.

Mom and Dad's friends mention to eat Chinese food and apple pie. I don't know about the apple pie, but we had Chinese food tonight and it hasn't kicked in yet. We're also hoping that the full moon will pull him out. Or at least make some waves in the womb to push him out.

The "new" due date is March 23, but if there's no activity by next Wednesday, he'll be arriving at 7 am on Wednesday anyway.

Bun Still Firmly in the Oven

This bun doesn't want to come out, despite any predictions and desires of its parents and family. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, so we may have a baby tomorrow. Or we may not.

Whoaaa, Look at the Belly

March 16, 5 days of night-time contractions, and ready to pop!

Not Here yet....

No baby yet. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and Katie's already 2cm dilated. She's definitely ready to have this baby. My parents are coming down tomorrow and staying around until he's born. We'll keep this updated with the latest news.

Don't come today

Katie woke up this morning feeling lots of contractions. Thankfully they were false ones. The weather forecasters had predicted we'd get some snow today, but as of the morning we had only received a light dusting. Then around 9 or 10, the blizzard started. The sky was so thick with snow and clouds you couldn't see the river from Andy's place of work, which is right next to the river. Andy was able to leave work early and came home during a lull in the storm. By the time he came home, around 4 inches of snow was dropped on the front lawn and back porch. Of course it was time to play!

The snow was the kind of snow you dream about: wet, dense, easily malleable into snowballs and snowmen.

Since Zig hadn't seen snow yet, he was understandably hesitant to go out earlier in the week. Today, he bounded out after Andy. Andy would throw snow up in the air and Zig would try to catch it mid-air. Zig hid his nose in the snow and would use it to make pathways. He went crazy for us in the backyard, running and leaping over the snow. We were quite surprised to see Zig wanting to stay outside; he usually doesn't like being wet.

Andy built a fire, our first in the house, and ... we probably won't be doing it again. While it took a few tries, he finally got it roaring for a short time.

Getting Closer

Katie's starting to feel more contractions, though not the "real" ones. He's now the size of a basketball and trying to get out. His head is pointing down and he's getting in position. Sometimess a diagonal patch of her belly is just hard-as-a-rock-solid baby!

The nursery's done; Andy's cleaned the house seventeen million times. Katie's cleaned it eighteen million. Everything has to be just right for the baby.