The First Week

We made it! It was a fun first week of getting settled into our new "routine" and getting to know our little man. I can't believe how fast the time has flown!

During this first week we learned a lot about Frankie as well as about life with a newborn. Many of the things we expected but there were a few unexpected learning items that I wanted to share:

- The impossible is possible: Steve can take naps. :-) Prior to Frankie this was something that happened once in a blue moon but since Frankie, it doesn't seem to be a problem.

- There is no limit to the number of times you (or the wall) can be peed on in one night.

- You can become a master swaddler in no time.

- A newborn will give you a heart attack when they successfully roll over in their first week of life.

The late nights and lack of sleep are a moot point since we are so in love with Frankie. We are blessed with a beautiful (healthy) baby boy and couldn't be more excited to see what we will learn in week two and beyond!

Frankie has arrived!!!

I'd like to start by apologizing if this gets a bit lengthy. As is expected with new found parenthood, sleep deprivation has become the new normal. 

On Saturday, August 10th, 2013, Amanda and I woke up like any other day. We had many errands to run and things to do around the house. At 7:05 AM, Amanda started to have small, consistent contractions and those plans went out the window. Amanda was a stickler to at least keep our first plan in tact; go to Fat Nat's for some delicious breakfast. 

Throughout the morning, we battled back and forth with the thoughts that it was either false labor, simple movements, or full on labor. As we moved on through the day it became apparent that the little guy we were so anxiously waiting to meet would be joining us this weekend. The contractions became more and more intense through the day, but they remained manageable as we tried to "walk the baby out". We called the doctor to tell her of Amanda's progress and updated our "playbook" for the remainder of our labor. At about 5:30 PM, the contractions became much stronger and I could tell pain was starting to get to her. Still, she kept soldiering on and walked around our basement to help it progress. At that time, we made a goal to last until 6:15 PM and then we would gather up our already packed bags and head to the hospital. At 6:00, Amanda's parents, Dan and Deb Herrmann, made it up from Marshall, MN, and we updated them on our game plan. We got out of the house and on the way to the hospital by 6:25 PM. On the way to the hospital, while Amanda battled contractions while I battled her urge to shift our car into neutral when she clamped down on my hand towards the gear-shifter. Amanda's water broke about half a mile from the hospital. 

Once we reached the hospital, I sprinted in to grab a wheelchair and an ER nurse who was nice enough to wheel Amanda upstairs to the baby doctors on the 2nd floor. Once upstairs, we were admitted into a delivery room at 6:40 and we found out she was already at a 10! That is when things started to get a bit more interesting. We met the doctor who would be delivering our baby due to our doctor not making it to the hospital yet. Amanda's pain quickly began to increase. She went from "I would really appreciate something to help with the pain" to "IT HURTS!!!" and then to "I WANT TO PUSH" in the matter of minutes. 8 minutes of pushing later, and we were two proud parents of a beautiful baby boy! Francis Baldwin Singer was born at 7:02 PM on 8/10/2013. He weighed in at a trim fighting weight of 8 lbs and 3 oz. while measuring at 20 1/2 inches.

First picture as a family!

Proud Mom cuddling up her bundle of joy.

Dad practicing his football hold for the upcoming Packers season.

He quickly found it was a suitable place to nap.

Frankie was not a fan of car seat at first.

Grandma Deb very excited to hold her new grandchild. 

Grandpa Dan gets in on the action loving up his new grandson.

Grandma Nancy gets her fill while Kirby supervises. 

Grandpa Jim (aka the 3rd Francis Singer)

Great Grandma Singer giddy to meet the little guy.

Date night 10 minutes in.

Date night began.

Family Photos

I knew before our little boy arrived, I wanted to get a few photos of our family taken. My friend from high school was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule and meet Steve, Kirby, and I at Lake Nokomis for a little photo session. All the photos turned out fabulously! Here are a few of our favorites.

Oh, at this time, I was 37 weeks pregnant.

The Singer Family

 

I love this man!

Excited for what is to come!

 All photos were taken by Ashley Sammons.

August!

It is officially August! 

The year has already flown by and we are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of our sweet little man (which could be any day now). We are so excited to meet this little person who is going to launch us into our next adventure. 

Currently, nothing exciting is happening around our house (just the waiting game). Steve is trying to get as much golfing in as possible right now and I don't blame him! Once baby arrives, he may not have as many opportunities to make it to the club. As for me, I am loving the cooler weather! We have had the windows open for almost a week now and it is truly lovely for this 38 week pregnant woman.

People continue to ask, "are you ready?" or "do you have the nursery all set-up?", etc. Our response is always "sure...". Can you really be ready for this life changing event? Steve and I think we are as ready as we will ever be since there isn't really a way to know if you are "ready". As for the nursery, it has what we think he/we will need right away and I feel like that is all that matters. There will definitely be a learning curve beginning once he is born until forever! Oh, it will be a beautiful mess and Steve and I can't wait! 

 

37 Weeks Pregnant
Photo by Ashley Sammons