Welcome Tobias Edward Thornton

Tobias Edward at birth

Tobias Edward Thornton was born yesterday (April 11th, 2012) at 4:44 PM at Hamot Women's Hospital.  He weighed in at 7lbs 4oz.  He was born via C Section.  I was later told that the number 444 indicates the presence of angels, which is very fitting with his religious name.

Tobias wrapped up in the NICU

During the C Section some complications were encountered and Tobias' lungs filled up with amniotic fluid.  He was admitted to the NICU for monitoring because he was straining to breathe.  After 4 hours they admitted him and will monitor him closely for at least 48 hours.  Due to the complications with the surgery Ashley was not able to see or hold him after the C Section.

Ashley holding Tobias for the first time

 

 Mommy and baby again

 

A few hours after giving birth, we were able to get Ashley stable and wheeled down to the NICU.  The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife, nobody was quite sure how mommy would react.  As the nurses rolled Ashley's bed up next to Tobias, you could feel how happy Ashley was and we didn't think she could be any happier.  She was forewarned that she would not be able to hold Tobias and was only allowed to ask once.  If the NICU staff said no, she wasn't to complain or ask again.  Before mommy had a chance to even ask, Lisa the NICU nurse at the time, offered to let Ashley hold Tobias.  Ashley cried tears of joy and was the happiest person that she has ever been.  Even though he was hooked up to the monitors and they had to hold oxygen to his face, she didn't notice anything other than how amazing he is.

Around 3 AM last night, the NICU staff took Tobias off of oxygen and he was maintaining good oxygen levels on his own.  First thing this morning at 9:30 AM the nurses took Ashley down to the NICU and she has been down there ever since.  Around noon the staff put Tobias into a "big boy bed".  I stopped in on lunch break and got to hold him for awhile.  As I was leaving Ashley started to breastfeed Tobias for the first time.

 

A special thank you goes out to everyone that visited Ashley at the hospital, those that brought gifts, and everyone that offered to help in anyone.  A friend of ours, Katie, even stopped by our house and started cleaning it for us and taking care of Gizmo.

I will keep you all updated as things progress, below are some videos of our experiences.

Tobias Edward Thornton Enters the World

 

Ashley Hold Tobias for the Very First Time - Part 1

Ashley Hold Tobias for the Very First Time - Part 2

Wish Me Luck!

Ashley at 34 weeks and 1 day

Sorry for the short post today, I am headed off to our house closing!  Please wish me luck that everything goes smoothly. 

Closing On Our House

For those that know, Ashley and I have been living in our new house since December 29th.  We are finally closing on the home tomorrow (March 22nd), the owner was generous enough to let us live there until the closing happened.  I got everything lined up for tomorrow and double checked every detail.  

This has been a huge stress for me because I wanted to close before Tobias comes.  It hasn't felt like that was going to happen and I was getting very nervous.  I am still praying that everything goes off tomorrow without a hitch, but I know that everything will happen the way it was intended.

I may not be posting tomorrow because I will be very busy, but I will be back on Friday for sure as a less stressed man.

Nesting Is Upon Us and I'm Not Talking About Birds!

Just as an update, Ashley's ER visit on Friday was nothing serious.  It was just some issues that showed up from the previous night's exam.  Other than her ear infection, everything is okay.

Ashley's "Nesting Instinct" has kicked in and she wants all of the household chores done and everything cleaned.  We had some friends over on Saturday and they brought their daughter.  We watched as she tore through the house, showing us everything that wasn't "baby proof."  After they left, Ashley started talking about how she wanted to spend Sunday getting everything straightened out.  My friend Matt offered to come over and help us tackle some projects.

Projector finally mounted on the ceiling

The picture above is our projector in the living room that has been a big point of interest for Ashley.  Previously it was sitting on a table in the middle of our living room with cables run across the floor to it.  Every time someone would walk in the living room the picture would move and lose signal.  I ordered a mount from Monoprice.com  (My favorite website) and Matt went through the process of mounting it securely to the ceiling.  We then adjusted it and made new cables to run through the basement and then up the walls to the projector.  As you can see in the pictures the wires are still just draped, but we will be getting conduit next weekend.  Matt also took it upon himself to mount up all of our surround sound speakers which is something I never got around to.

Projector "screen" with Ashley for reference

After Matt left Ashley started to organize the cupboards and pantry in the kitchen while doing laundry.  We aren't done yet, but we are certainly getting there!  We will get the inside of the house cleaned up throughout the week and then we plan on cleaning the exterior of the house next weekend.

 Gizmo is loving the weather

Counting Down the Days

I know I shouldn't be counting down the days until Tobias comes, but I can't help myself.  I know that it makes time seem slower.  I am just so excited to see my son and see the looks on everyone's faces the first time they see him.

Ashley is starting to feel a little bit better, so hopefully the infection is starting to clear up.  I feel bad for her that she is sick because it is already hard enough being pregnant and tired all the time.  She still pushes through and manages to keep up the house and still have fun.

We finally have a closing date on the house, next Thursday 3/22/12!  I am just so excited for this ordeal to finally be over.  We have been working on buying the house since October 2011 and we were supposed to close on December 29th, 2011.  It has been a long winding road getting to hear, but the end of the tunnel is near!

Another Birthday and Another Hospital Visit

Ashley at 33 weeks

So as of Monday (March 12th) I am a year older, clocking in at 26 years old.  I had a great birthday this year, which I really needed.  I got out of work early, Ashley made a fantastic dinner (Steak and Potatoes), and I got presents of course!

I took the day off of blogging for my birthday and then locked out my Google account yesterday, so sorry for not posting.  I am back up and hitting the ground running today. 

Ashley had to pay a visit the emergency room yesterday.  She got a little cold and it led to a nasty ear infection.  The doctor prescribed ear drops and an antibiotic.  She is feeling a little better today, but isn't up to much.

We also got news last night that we will finally be closing on our house next week.  We have been living in the new house since December waiting for the closing.  That will be one less thing to stress about and we will be all settled down for Tobias.

Ashley's Birthday!

Today is Ashley's 21st birthday and Tobias is 32 weeks!  Her mom and grandma took her to the casino today to celebrate.  Ashley ended up winning a decent amount of money and cashed out, so she is very happy.  I will be taking her to our favorite restaurant (El Canelo's) tonight after I get out of work.

As far as her appointment from yesterday is concerned, everything is okay as far as we know.  The doctor wants her back in 2 weeks for a check up, which is standard procedure for how far along she is.  Thank you to everyone that prayed for and is praying for us now.

Ashley received a few gifts already of money this year, which is very nice seeing as she can't work.  She has had problems her whole pregnancy eating enough and lately she has been eating healthy because she has extra spending money.  I am very happy about this, because it is very hard to get her to eat 3 square meals a day.

Overall, everything is going pretty well for us and we have really enjoyed unpacking and organizing all of the baby shower presents.  I will try to get some pictures up from the baby shower within the next few days.

Tobias' Nursery

 His name above his window

I told you guys the other day that I would post pictures of Tobias' nursery, well here they are.  The ceiling is panted white and the walls are painted tan.  The blinds in the window will be replaced soon, but for now they do the job.  Ashley picked up letters at a hobby shop and painted them green, I was able to just set them on the window and they stay just fine.

 Tobias' crib and stroller

This is where our little guy will sleep once he is able to sleep in his own room.  The blanket hanging over the crib is a crocheted blanket that Ashley made.

 Jungle animals above his dresser

I got a little creative with wall appliques and thought it would be pretty cool to do over his dresser and above his door.  We may add more, but we ran out after doing 2 sets.  I needed to add a little color in the room so that he has something to look at.

 Jungle animal above his door

His changing table and closet

Nothing too exciting here, just his changing table (sorry for the mess) and the door to his closet.  We need to get a pad for the changing table, so hopefully someone buys one as a shower gift.

That is all for the pictures, but what you can't see is my big smile behind the camera.  The thought of Tobias having his own room makes it feel to me that he is already here.  Every time I walk by his room I get a smile on my face and I'm sure that will ring true after he is born as well.

Baby Shower

Ashley's baby shower is coming up quickly.  It is next Sunday at a local church.  Everyone is scrambling to get everything ready for her big day and she couldn't be more excited.  I hope that everything goes off without a hitch, which I'm sure it will as she has a lot of great people helping her.

I decorated Tobias' room over the weekend, I will try to post pictures tomorrow.  We put up jungle animal wall appliques and put his name in wooden letters over the window.  It is starting to shape up into a pretty neat looking nursery. 

Yesterday, I spent time with my niece (Brooklyn) at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.  It made me feel really good that she told all of her friends that Uncle Ryan is the best at getting tickets.  She went into the ticket blaster and came out with 1,100 tickets, which had her pretty excited.  I helped her win a few hundred more and she got a huge ball to play with this summer.

I've said it before and I will say it again, I can't wait any longer to meet my son.  I am so excited to become a father and be a proud one at that!

Bye George!

Yesterday we had to return George to his previous owner.  There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that his previous owner wanted him back.  He also was very depressed and anxious at our house, and damaged quite a bit of our new home due in part to this.  He wouldn't eat and didn't like to go out to go to the bathroom.  Gizmo (our cat) was also very uncomfortable with him in the house, and being that Gizmo is our first pet we wouldn't want him to feel uncomfortable.  George is now back home and happy, and Gizmo is back to his old self.

Crib Set

 Changing table

 Crib

Dresser

We received this furniture set as an early baby shower gift.  I believe it is from Walmart, if anyone wants to know I can get the full details.  It was very easy to follow the directions and assemble everything, not that I would know because Ashley proudly built everything while I was at work.  Sorry about the mess in the one picture, we were just moving into to our house.  One word of warning, she had to disassemble the crib because she built it in the family room.  It was too wide to fit through the nursery door.

Baby Preparations Part 1

Ashley at 28 weeks and 5 days

 We have been preparing everything for the baby to arrive lately.  Ashley and some friends painted and cleaned the nursery, she chose tan to match all of his furniture and bedding.  She has decided on a jungle theme which I think Tobias will love.  

Gizmo

Gizmo (our orange tabby) went to the vet yesterday to be neutered and De-clawed.  I set up a cage in the basement for George (our German Shepherd/Blood Hound) for days when he is too hyper.

George

Our next preparations will be to secure our projector so that it can't be knocked over.  Also, we have some other rooms that need to be cleaned up and painted.  We just can't wait to meet our little guy!

Mommy and Daddy