It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas...

I realized this morning it has been quite some time since I've blogged about our family. Anthony James is a happy, healthy almost 11 month old. He's reached all of the appropriate milestones well before he was due. He just started walking a few steps at a time, and has gotten pretty "confident" in himself. We are starting to transition him to a solid food diet as he is nearing a year old. He still has about 3 bottles a day, but he gets most of his nutrients through jar or homemade food. His favorites seem to be yogurt, bananas, carrots and yellow squash. He loves his orange veggies, so much so, that a few weeks ago he started to get an orange tint to him, haha. The pediatrician said this was normal, and that it was ok to continue to feed him these. Recently, Anthony has had his second cold since he was born, poor little guy. I'm thankful he hasn't been more sick, although he took it like a champ. He still has a runny nose, but the doctor said it was more than likely just allergies.

The past 9 months since I last blogged have flown by. Anthony has learned so much and brought so much joy into our lives. He still goes to Mom-Mom's house 2.5 days a week, and spends his other days with Mom and Dad. 

We started physical therapy with Anthony for a torticollis diagnosis at about 4 months old. His head would always tilt to one direction, which he began to notice at 3 months of age. Throughout this particular journey Anthony has undergone an EEG, MRI of his brain and cervical spine, blood tests and numerous doctors appointments with specialists like a Neurologist and Neurological Ophthalmologist. After seeing the Neurologist for the first time we were told he was being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, as he didn't just have torticollis, he had complete right sided weakness. Luckily, he has come around full circle and they aren't seeing any weaknesses at this time. In the past month we were able to cut his physical therapy appointments down to once a month, instead of once a week. We also patch his left eye (the good eye) in attempts to strengthen his right eye which seems to have become weak. None of this has phased Anthony though, he still plays hard and is just as happy as can be.

We've decked the house out for Anthony's 1st Christmas (pictures to follow), and are well under way with shopping for his gifts. The only things left on our wish list for him are big boy car seats (which we are in no hurry for, he still fits in his infant seat just fine), the Boon frog tub organizer, a sturdy umbrella stroller, a ball pit and the Radio Flyer tricycle that grows with the child until age 4. We may just save those for his birthday, though.

We are starting to work on the details for his 1st Birthday Party. We are so excited to celebrate this milestone in his life!

JJ and I are doing well, he is still working for Orlando Health in the Security department, and I am still at the Drs office near Dr. P Phillips Hospital. We are enjoying our home still, finally getting this up on the walls and starting the wheels rolling to decorate the rest of the house. We have big ideas, Pinterest has become an awesome website to pull ideas off of.

9 Weeks Old

JJ and I are amazed by how much Anthony has changed and grown since birth. At his 2 week check up he gained 1lb and 1inch respectively putting him at 8lbs 6.5oz and 21.25inches with his head measuring 14inches. It has taken him quite some time to learn his days from his nights, but finally seems to be falling into a nice sleeping pattern, though it took him a good 8 weeks to learn this. He loves taking baths and showers, and is a fantastic eater, averaging 30oz per day (4-5oz at a time). 

I thoroughly enjoyed my 6 weeks of Maternity Leave (FMLA) but returned to work on March 6th. It was really tough to leave Anthony for 24hours straight, and he seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to the schedule once he was home with Daddy. He enjoyed his days with MomMom and Auntie Katryna though. Recently I was presented with another job opportunity, that would allow me to be home every morning and every evening working Monday through Friday. After a lot of consideration, I put my two weeks notice into Lake Sumter and accepted the new position. I will be staying on the ambulance part-time, picking up shifts whenever I can. JJ and I look forward to getting Anthony into a nightly routine and hopefully teaching Anthony to sleep through the night. He has a bit of a nighttime routine now, but is still waking up every 3-4.5 hours to eat. Don't get me wrong we are thankful for the full hours of sleep!

Anthony James Marinelli

We welcomed our Anthony James into this world on January 17, 2011 at 6:40pm at Winter Park Memorial Hospital. After 24 long hours of labor, and an additional 2.5 hours of pushing he made his debut into the world. I wish I could say the minutes following his birth were amazing, but they weren't. Instead, they were down right terrifying. Anthony was as blue as could be and was not breathing. They carried him to the warmer and had to bag him for over 2 minutes. His APGAR score was 0 at birth, 4 at 2 minutes and then 9 at 5 minutes. JJ went with him and was not allowed to take pictures. He finally whimpered, then cried and I knew our baby boy was going to be okay. But what an awful first 5 minutes. The first time I got to hold him was incredible. He was absolutely perfect. 10 fingers and 10 little toes. No, I didn't actually count them in the moment. :)

In the warmer

My contractions started around 4:30pm on Sunday, January 16th. I had already had one run in with being in Early Labor, so JJ and I decided to go for a walk around the complex to keep them coming. About 9pm the contractions were so frequent and intense we collected all of our belongings and headed to the hospital. Upon first exam I was 3cm dilated and 70% effaced, and my contractions were 4 minutes apart and not letting up. The doctor decided they were going to admit me and if I wasn't progressing on my own, they would start pitocin in the morning after the new shift started. I labored all night, contracting steadily the whole way through. At 7am the doctor did another exam and I was 4cm dilated and 100% effaced, and still contracting. Around 10am Dr. Breit came back and broke my water and started the pitocin. My Mom and sister were there to keep us both company. About 1pm I got my epidural (and was told I became a completely different person), and by 4pm it was time to start pushing. 2.5 hours later and Anthony James was born. 

The Marinelli Family

We had only family visitors while at the hospital (at our request). We all were so exhausted the whole time, it seems like such a blur now. We spent a little over 36 hours at the hospital and were sent home on Wednesday, January 19th. 

Leaving the hospital

The past 2 weeks have been amazing, crazy and trying. Anthony still hasn't gotten the memo that you're supposed to sleep at night and stay awake during the day. He had his first doctors appointment the Friday after we left the hospital and he was only 3ozs under his birth weight. 

At the doctors for the 1st time

The following Tuesday he had his circumcision, which was a terrifying experience all in itself.  I thought it would be a good idea to go with him for the procedure and hold his hand (I definitely don't recommend any Mom do that, by the way). He goes for his 2 week checkup tomorrow, and we hope he has gained some weight. We think he looks thinner, but longer. He is a really good eater and feeds every 2-3 hours, 2-3ozs per serving. He isn't a big fan of his baths, but we sleeps really well after them.

My First Bath (at home)

It's incredible the strong emotions that come with being a parent. We love and adore our little boy and can't even seem to remember what life was like without him. Watching TV has taken a back seat to watching our little guy make different faces, including smiling after he eats and is "milk drunk". We will try to update as often as possible, but am sure it won't be nearly as often as before.

38 Weeks

Not a whole lot has gone on the past few weeks, we are up to weekly doctors appointments. At the last two appointments I was 1cm dilated, Anthony's heartbeat was 130-140 and beating strong, and he is considered FULL TERM!Yay!  I've gained another 4lbs total, making a grand total of 8lbs from pre-pregnancy. My belly is feeling much heavier these days, and the dreaded stretch marks have reared their ugly head. I've had a few episodes of tachycardia (increased heart rate in the 130's when 60-100 is normal), shortness of breath, and near syncope and was sent to the hospital for monitoring at my 36 week appointment. They didn't find anything wrong, my urine-analysis came back normal, as did all the blood work, and my blood pressure was fine. The doctor said it could be just a blood flow issue involving my vena cava, the main artery that supplies my body with blood. I was urged to rest and relax as much as possible, and have been trying my best to do just that. 

JJ and I had a great Christmas surrounded by family. He worked a lot of overtime over the holidays, which I am both sad and grateful for. Since JJ was working at Wyndham New Years Eve, I went to a neighborhood party with my Mom and Step-dad to celebrate. They only live about 5 minutes away so I figured that was the safest option with the least amount of driving.

I had a labor scare on Thursday, January 8th starting around 8:30pm. I started getting contractions, and as time went on they were getting more and more intense and coming closer together. Eventually I used one of my iPhone apps to time them, and they were coming every 3.5 minutes and lasting a little over a minute each, for about 3 hours steadily. JJ was fast asleep, and I figured if this was it, I might as well try to get a nap in while they weren't too intense to handle. Turns out they stopped on their own, but I now know what to expect when the time comes. They felt nothing like the Braxton Hick's I have experienced since about 18 weeks, I could tell these were much different.

As if adding a new baby to our lives isn't stressful enough, we are looking to move into a house shortly after he arrives. Our apartment complex has gone downhill a bit and we are concerned about our safety and Anthony's. There have been break ins and burglary's, and we feel it's time to move onto bigger and better things. In the meantime, we have decided not to set up Anthony's real nursery to avoid having to move it shortly and have instead set up the pack n play in our bedroom to bring him home to the first few days or weeks. I have been nesting and organizing all of his stuff, washing and folding clothes and cleaning the apartment to make for a smooth transition when we do come home. I have packed my hospital bag, all except for the electronics (computer, camera, video camera) and JJ's things. Since things could happen any day now, I wanted to be prepared. Mom-Mom will be shopping for Anthony's going home outfit soon, since it is her goal to buy each grandchild their going home from the hospital outfit.

Anthony's Setup in our bedroom

 The next step will be to have our car seat bases installed in our cars, in preparation of bringing Anthony home! How exciting! We will take them to a local Fire Department where they are trained to install them properly. 

JJ and I are thrilled and nervous that the big day is right around the corner! Mom-Mom is hosting a Baby Shower on January 14th at her home to celebrate baby Anthony's arrival! We are hoping he holds off on his arrival until after this event. Insomnia has set in for me and I seem to get my best sleep in our recliner in the living room. I'm awake most of the night, and rely heavily on my daily nap everyday from 6am-9am. Oddly enough it seems to last me throughout the day. I keep saying it's to prepare me for the sleepless nights to come. And boy, I can't wait!

*38 Weeks 5 Days*