Tristan Thomas Vital is Here!!

I am so sorry I have not posted this blog sooner.  I have been healing and Drew, Tristan, and I have been adjusting and enjoying our new lives together.

Tristan was very content in my belly and his due date came and went.  We had previously scheduled to be induced on July 16th.  Sunday night my best friend Tara Smith came into town, and we headed to have dinner in BayTowne with one of my other BF Kati Lockley and Drew. I was still hoping that any moment I would head into labor to avoid being induced, but with no luck we headed to the hospital at midnight.

I was very nervous anticipating the pain, but surprisingly I had more down time than I expected.  I rested until my doctor arrived at 7am and opted to receive the epidural before they broke my water.  From then until I was 5cm I was pain free and slept for a while. 

By the time I hit 5cm my contractions were becoming increasingly intense and were ranging from 30sec to 1min apart.  My epidural had stopped working, and I was in pain.  The anesthesiologist took out the old epidural and placed in a new one and then I was good again.

Dialating from 5 to 9.5cm, I slept and was painfree.  My doctor came back in and said I was ready to push.  I pushed for two hours and made little to no progress past crowning...  Tristan (who was estimated to weigh 8-9lbs) was not budging.  I could see the concern on the doctor's face and knew I had little strength left so we discussed moving forward with a C-Section. 

A swarm of people came in and started to prep Drew and me for the cesarean.  I was taken away and 15 minutes later I heard my baby crying.  I had made the right decision.  Tristan weighed 9lbs 15.4 oz.  Only 0.6 ounces shy of 10lbs!  I was told by the nurses that he probably would have ended up with a broken collar bone or arm if I had delivered him.  Instead he was a healthy happy baby!

I was so thankful for the support I had during my labor and while I was in the hospital from Tara, my Mom, and Drew.  Tara was a huge help taking care of the pets, and staying with me and Tristan when my Mom and Drew had to work.

We have had many friends and family members stop by to see our sweet boy and share in our joy :).

Right after Tristan was born! 



Hi everyone!  My name is Tristan Thomas Vital.  I am 1 week 3 days old and arrived in my Mommy and Daddy's loving care on July 16, 2012.

I am not to sure about everything yet, and I am slowly adjusting to my new surroundings.  I love getting to look up at my Mommy and Daddy when they hold me.  My Mommy says I am her greatest accomplishment and I can tell Daddy is so excited about me.   

My Nana was there waiting on me to come too, and two of my Mommy's best friends Tara and Kati!  I didn't know I would have so many people anxiously awaiting my arrival.  I got to meet my Papap and Auntie Erin too!  Also my mom's Aunt Jeanne, Uncle Victor, and cousins Josh and Ryan came and held me.  I love my family so much already, and I can't wait to meet my Grandma and Grandpa soon and my Uncle Rin, and Auntie Lauren!  

When I got home I found that I already had a lot of brothers and sisters although they are a lot more hairy then I am.  They are very curious about me, and I am curious about them too.  Mommy and Daddy keep us all under very good supervision, but I know soon we will all be best friends when I get bigger and stronger.  Mommy showed me my nursery that her and Daddy worked so hard on.  I feel very lucky that they were so prepared for me.

I look like a mini version of my Daddy, and Mommy says I am so handsome already.  Daddy calls me his little Mister Man and sometimes he sings to me "Mr. Tristers who do you think you are..."  He has a nice singing voice, and would sing to me when I was still in mommy's tummy.  It sounds so familar so I just look up at him and listen. 

Here are some of the first photos of me!  Please enjoy :).

 The Doctors checked my heartbeat to make sure I was healthy!

Content after my first bath!

See how much I look like my Daddy !?!

Hi Everyone I am 9 days old here!

Anticipation of Tristan's Arrival.

Yesterday Drew and I headed to the doctor for our 40 week appointment.  We were so excited hoping and thinking that they would say I have progressed more, and Baby Tristan would be here this week.  Well to my disappointment there was no change at all from the previous Monday.  A part of me had been thinking that was the case since Tristan has still been extremely active and in my rib cage with what little space he has left.  His heartbeat is strong, and he is steadly growing so we have a lot to be thankful for, but I am very ready to meet my son.

We made arrangements to be induced at 12:05 am Monday morning July 16th (prayers are appreciated).  Tristan is estimated to be pretty close to the 9lb mark, and the longer he stays in the larger he is getting.  Drew and I are still not giving up hope that he will decide to come before that.  I bounced on a yoga ball for hours yesterday, went on a walk, ate spicy foods, etc.  I am currently still working and move around a ton while I am there, but Tristan seems to be pretty content.

A couple of things have happened since the last blog.  Tristan's rocker came in and so I took a picture of the other wall I did not post last week.  We also bought Tristan an adorable going home outfit, and his Great Auntie Jayne bought him some little crochet flip flops that will look so cute with his outfit.  I keep on thinking this time next week I will definitely be holding my baby in my arms!  Still praying for a quick and easy labor with a happy healthy baby :).           

We will spread out the space a little more once we move the bassinet to our bedroom.

Tristan's going home outfit :).

back of outfit

 

 Sailboat Flip-Flops :)

Tristan's Nursery!

When we found out we were having a baby boy our next step was coming up with the theme for the nursery.  I wanted something he could grow into, and would not be changing constantly.  I have been in love with the Ralph Lauren Sailboat Print and Nautical Stripe for a while now and finally had an excuse to buy it and incorporate it in my home.  We had lots of help from our family and friends putting the room together.  My friend Tara Smith came over one weekend to help us get motivated painting, and then my Mom helped Drew finish the painting. 

As the wall color we chose one of my favorites- Sherwin Williams' Tradewind.  This is a light muted blue with a tiny hint of green, and I love how it looks paired with navy blue and white. 

As Tristan's dresser/changing table we chose a solid oak dresser (kind of the typical dresser that most of us had growing up).  We found it at the thrift store for $80.00.  We painted the dresser navy blue, and the drawers white for contrast.  We used the existing drawer handles painted white and then we wrapped the handles in twine to give it that extra Nautical punch. 

The painting in the center is of all the lighthouses in Cape Cod.  Tristan will hopefully spend many summers up in Cape Cod and will get to see the lighthouses for himself :).

The shelf belonged to Drew and stored his massive DVD/Blue Ray collection for years.  It was just a cheap particle board piece that I thought we could makeover.  We painted the shelves and sides navy and then we used the Ralph Lauren Sailboat print wrapped around the back.  We only placed three shelves back in so that you can see the massive print.

 Along another wall is a bench we found at one of our local shops Scavenger's.  I fell in love with the bench, but it took some convincing to get Drew to agree with me on how great it would be for the room.  The artwork we made fits in with the seaside theme and adds a vintage feel.  I made the large blue and white striped pillows (using that amazing fabric I fell in love with years ago.)  Drew picked out the sailboat pillows and our friend Kati made them for us.  I think he did a great job in choosing them.

Here is an angled view of Tristan's Crib.  The bassinet will be moved to our bedroom when he arrives, and his glider and ottoman will go in the corner.  I made the crib skirt out of beach towels that have white anchors on them $15.00 total project (yes very proud of myself).  His name is mounted on the same Ralph Lauren print used for the shelf, and the drapes are made out of the striped fabric (we will be raising the drapes to elongate the window.)

Here is a picture of inside Tristan's crib.  His bedding came from Pottery Barn and his quilt was a gift from my Aunt Jeanne and Nana.  The mobile was a gift from our friend Kati.  Most of the stuffed animals belonged to me when I was born.

Today I am 39 weeks.  Tristan is estimated to arrive next Thursday, but we will see what he decides.  I am ready for him to come sooner if he would like :).  My house is clean and organized, the baby's room is pretty much done (still waiting on the crown molding), bags are packed and ready to go, and Tristan's Nana and Auntie Erin arrived yesterday.  Now we just play the waiting game and pray for a quick and easy labor and a happy healthy baby.  Hopefully my next blog will be about Tristan Thomas' arrival (fingers crossed).~ Tina