A Day of Rest?

I know that Sunday is a day of rest for many folks, but for those of us in the clergy department, it's a day of work, and this Sunday was no different for me. However, there was one very enjoyable twist: I got to introduce Kevin, Jr. to the congregation here at Cat Spring.

The weather didn't cooperate too well. Dawna and I brought Junior to church in the middle of a downpour. I'm sure we were a sight huddled under an umbrella with Kevin tucked safely and warmly between the two of us.

There were many oohs and aahs as folks got to see the little tyke for the first time. After walking up and down the aisle, I returned him to Dawna, and she took him back home. It'll probably be a week or two before we take the chance of taking everyone to church. The biggest deal will be finding babby sitters to help out because there is no way Dawna can handle all three by herself at this stage.

Home at Last

There's no place like home.

Anyone else remember that line? It is true.

We arrived home yesterday at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Everyone is trying to adjust to one another at the moment. The girls were EXTREMELY tired. They slept for about 20 minutes in the car until guess who started crying and was hungry? Yes, baby brother is already getting to his sisters. Unfortunately, it was mommy and daddy who had to deal with all the behavior issues.

Today has started much better. I am going to take my six weeks of paternity leave from the congregation. Well, it will be a modified paternity leave. I'll be preaching and conducting worship on Sundays, however, I will not be keeping office hours, neither will I be doing much visitation. I have to commit to being daddy for a while as we get everyone in some kind of rythm-at least that's the hope-probably a far-fetched one, but it is a hope.

Kevin continues to do well. He's got the nursing thing down, and he is sleeping well at night. He continues to go about every four hours at night between feedings which is nice for us. He looks to be gaining weight, however we'll know for sure when we go to the doctor's office next week. His jaundice is almost gone, but we can still see evidence of biliruben in his excrement. (I know that's a big word, but my mother would get upset at me if I used the common language.)

He has started staying awake more during the day. In fact, he has had several instances where he stays awake almost 2 1/2 hours between feedings. It's a neat thing to watch.

My gardens are growing. I planted just before leaving for San Antonio, and I made the remark, "This one is completely up to God. I won't be around for a couple of weeks to help Him." Sure enough, God did the job He always does. I've got some great looking green beans, squash, and corn. Well, at least the squash looked pretty good until Lucky started running through the garden. Totmato cages should solve that problem. I hope.

Homeward Bound

Hooray!

Everything went very well at Dawna's doctor's appointment today. Doctor Gelderneck said that Dawna's incision looked very good, and cleared her to both drive and travel. This was happy news for Dawna since she has been chomping at the bit to drive our new GMC Yukon XL. Her dream car has always been a suburban, but she thought she'd never see one in our drive way. That was before we had three children.

She happily placed herself behind the driver's seat and drove back to Nona and Grumpy's. When we pulled into the drive, she said, "You did good, hon."

I replied, "So, you don't want me to take it back?"

"NO WAY!" she said.

Looks like I have to keep the thing for a while.

Kevin, Jr. had his blood drawn for his PKU test today as well. He was a trooper throughout the ordeal. He screamed his bloody head off while they were squeezing his foot, but he managed.

This evening and tomorrow while Nona bowls, we will be packing up. Hopefully, we'll have an easier time getting things put into our vehicles. It's amazing the amount of stuff you can actually get from one house to another for a four week stay! If all goes well, the next time I post, it will be from the (relative) peace and comfort of my own home.

Birthday Party #1

It's fun watching your children get older, at least at this stage. It's hard to believe that Kaylee is turning two this year. She is transforming very quickly from a toddler to a little girl. She's a little behind on her talking, but that's probably due to her older sister finishing sentences for her!!!

We had birthday party number 1 today. Nanaw, Uncle Gardy, Uncle Emery, Aunt Barbara, Granny, Uncle Bubba, Nona, and Grumpy all came together to help celebrate today. Nona made mostaccoli with green beans and garlic bread. Now, this isn't exactly Kaylee's favorite meal, so she muched out on hot dogs and fruit. After the meal, we opened presents. We got the most reaction from a Wiggle's book that Dawna and I purchased for her.

After presents, it was time for the cake. Kaylee actually did a good job of blowing out the candle. We were a little disappointed because we were hoping to do a Wiggles theme. Kaylee really enjoys them. You should see her dancing every time the show comes on. However, we looked in several different spots to find decorations, etc. There was NOTHING, NADA, ZIP! Apparently, they haven't come out with the new stuff since Sam replaced Greg. (For non-Wiggle's fans, I apologize for the side note.) Therefore, we had to go with the Backyardigans. Kaylee was no worse for the wear.

In fact, she very much enjoyed her cake. So did everyone else, for that matter.

Quiet's Over

I picked up the girls today. I took our new gas guzzler down to Kenedy, TX, met mom and dad at Gloria's Mexican Food Restaurant, ate lunch, and took the girls back to San Antonio.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed their time at grandma and grandpa's. They apparently had a blast playing in grandpa's garden, baking cookies with grandma, and playing in the water. Grandma said that she had to wash clothes every day because they were going through three outfits a day. They were doing a good job keeping up with Kevin, Jr., only he was soiling his outfits in a different manner.

I put the girls down for a nap shortly after we got back, and they slept for two straight hours. That's a rarity, but it was good for them. After they awoke, it didn't take long for them to want to hold baby brother. Daddy was happy to oblige, but daddy's beginning to wonder if he can get another arm or a bigger lap.

It should be an interesting couple of days as we wait for doctor's appointments. We hope Dawna is cleared to travel on Tuesday at her appointment.

We decided that we're going to give Kaylee two birthday parties this year: one in San Antonio and one in Cat Spring. Sunday, we'll have the San Antonio party with several relatives coming over. On April, 27th we'll have the second one in Cat Spring with my family. Lucky girl, but it's a unique year since baby brother was born.

A Couple of Quiet Days

Grandparents are wonderful.


The past several days, my parents have had Kiera and Kaylee down near Corpus. Apparently, they are doing very well down there. Talked to my mom and dad, and they said the girls are thoroughly enjoying playing in dad's garden. They picked squash several times and washed them. If my garden comes in, I now know they can get their hands dirty and then clean with stuff grown in their own backyard too. They'll probably stay with mom and dad for a couple more days before we pick them up.


Kevin, Jr. is doing very well. His jaundice is all but gone, and he is getting into a pretty good schedule. He tends to feed, stay awake for an hour or so, then nap until the next feeding. He is wide awake and alert.

He's already had his introduction to eating out. He slept through a trip to the Olive Garden today, came home, ate, pooped, and loved spending time with his Nona.


Dawna continues to recover from her surgery. She is looking good and gradually getting her energy back. Monday, we went to Target to pick up a few things for the kiddo, and after about 25 minutes, Dawna said, "I'm tired. I need to go sit down." She did, and I finished shopping, so she's still got a little ways to go.


Kevin does a very good job sleeping through the night. He usually feeds around midnight, and last night, after finishing up about 1:30 a.m., he slept to 6 a.m. If he continues in that pattern, we're in luck.

I Never Would Have Thought...

It's amazing how one changes over time. One of the things that I have discovered is that I make changes based upon my life experiences. Case in point:

Throughout the first several years of our marriage, I NEVER walked down the girl toys aisle in Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Too girly for my taste. But, shortly after we adopted Kiera, I changed my tune. I wandered down the girl toys aisle on a regular basis, staring at all the stuff with wide eyed wonder. I pictured Kiera playing with these toys and thought about buying them for her at some point as she grew older. When Kaylee came along, I continued this practice. All things considered, I would never, ever have done this if I hadn't have adopted our girls.

The experiences of this past week have changed me even more as I reflect upon the birth of our son. The induction, C-section, and time in the hospital seemed to fly by. There was really no time for thought; no time for reflection; no time to really think through the very real implications of this momentous occasion in the life of my family. Those thoughts and reflections came later.

I now marvel at our little boy. I marveled at my two girls, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't there for the whole ordeal. I didn't get to experience the sound of their first cry. I didn't get to experience seeing them revealed to the world for the first time. I didn't see them measured, weighed, or cleaned up. All of these things, I was able to experience for the first time. It was quite amazing.

I now believe that every teen-ager who wants to engage in pre-marital sex should be forced to watch a live birth and a C-section. The process is anything but pretty. In fact, I'd call it down, right nasty. There are bodily fluids all over the place, pain, and weird smells. And that's before the actual birth. C-sections are just as bad. There's lots of blood, and I actually saw a part of my wife that shouldn't really see the light of day. It's really a wake up call to the reality of how life comes into being for us as human beings.

Yet, despite this nastiness, the ultimate reality of this child that has come into our lives is absolutely beautiful. I gaze at Kevin, Jr. and I marvel. I ponder how this kid is part me and part my wife. I ponder that I never thought that this would be a reality. I ponder how we struggled with infertility, the joys of adoption, and then the reality that Dawna was pregnant. I marvel at how this boy started as a couple of cells and has turned into this tiny person. It's truly amazing to see God's hand now throughout the whole ordeal. I know that there are many who doubt His existence, but I can't fathom the thought of that now. The reality of this situation has confirmed my faith a hundred fold.

That same reality has led me to places that I would have never considered going before. I am now the father of three. Three lives that I bear responsibility for preparing for life. What an overwhelming task. These three children who are different in every way are now bound by the ties of family-our family-the Haug name. I know the future holds both joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, and I will have to lead and teach these kids so that they can eventually make all their own choices-hopefully good ones. I never would have thought that God would trust me in this manner.

I haven't really cried throughout this ordeal, but I have had some pretty emotional moments. Yesterday, I took the girls to the San Antonio Zoo to give Dawna and her folks some down time. After looking at the animals and enjoying the things that the zoo offers for kids, I took them on the train in Brackenridge Park. It's the same ride that my parents took me on years ago. We bought tickets, and I purchased a small popcorn to eat as we rode. This was the second time I did this for the kids. Kaylee was too young to remember last time, but hopefully she will this time. As I sat on the bench with my kids along the way, I had one of those moments. As we crossed the San Antonio river, Kiera looked at me and asked, "Can we ride the train again?"

I responded, "Not today, sweetie." But my mind flew into the future. I saw Kiera, Kaylee, and Kevin, Jr. in the next five years. I saw them sitting on the train in Brackenridge Park eating popcorn. Then I flew 20 years from now, and I thought about them remembering how Mommy and Daddy took them to the park to ride the train and eat popcorn. These are the moments I hope and pray that they remember. I hope that they will know how much the two of us love them. It is an overwhelming thing to know that Dawna and I have the power to give them these kinds of memories. I never would have thought that such a simple question could cause me to think so far into the future and to reflect upon the nature of raising children.

But such is the reality of parenting. We have a great responsibility before us. There are many things that will need to be taken care of in the weeks to come. Doctor's visits for Dawna and the kiddoes. Kaylee's birthday. Moving back to Cat Spring. I've already done something that I swore that I'd never do. I bought a used GMC Yukon XL. It's basically the GMC version of the Chevy Suburban. Nine months ago, I would have sworn I'd never do this. Horrible gas mileage. Too expensive both to buy and maintain. Too big, period. But I changed. I am the father of three. If we want to go anywhere, I have to have a vehicle that seats five with three in car seats. I've got to have luggage room and maybe room for baseball or softball equipment and teammates. I've got to have space to transport diaper bags and all the stuff my girls and boy will need. I didn't want to, but I am a father. I have a responsibility. I never would have thought that it would happen this way. But it did, and I'm glad it did. And I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the health, safety, and care of my family.

Doctor, Induction, C-Section, Happy Birthday

It's been a couple of interesting days to say the least. Most of you know why.

Monday, we went to the doctor's office expecting a routine visit. Interestingly enough, there was nothing routine about it. We only had a 5 minute wait to be led back to our room. That in and of itself is rare, but that was something minor in the big scheme of things.

The nurse began her routine, and for the second appointment in a row, Dawna's blood pressure was high as measured by the doctor's machine. Red flags went up. The nurse then took Dawna's blood pressure manually. Usually, there's a dip when you do this. There wasn't. Dawna's bp was right at 142/90--too high for comfort.

The doctor came in shortly and visited with us. After measuring and visiting for a few minutes, she took Dawna's blood pressure again. This time, it read 158/103. Not good at all. Doc looked at us and said, "I think I'm inducing today if the hospital has a room. Wait here."

Sure enough, the hospital had a room, and doc ordered us to head over. We were not to go home or anywhere. It was straight to the hospital.

We drove the 1/2 block to the hospital and parked. I was thinking to myself how fortunate it was that I had taken two weeks of vacation to prepare for this event. It was happening faster than anticipated, but that was o.k. By that evening or the next morning, our son would be born.

We arrived on the second floor of Christus Santa Rosa New Braunfels. We were taken to Birthing Suite 3, and preparations started to induce labor. Dawna was given those wonderful hospital gowns, and they gave her an IV. She was started on pitosin, the drug that induces labor. All the monitors were in order, and everything looked good. Knowing that I had plenty of time before the "action" began, I kissed Dawna and headed to San Antonio to get the hospital bag that we had kept packed just in case. I had almost grabbed it that morning. I guess I should have.

I made it to San Antonio without speeding, but almost running a few red lights and stop signs. My mind was in other places, but luckily, the Lord was watching over me, and I arrived safely. I informed Nona that all this was going to take place, and I made several phone calls. After getting all the stuff, I headed back to New Braunfels. After getting a hamburger, I went back to the birthing suite to watch the process play out.

Sure enough, when I got to the room, I spilled my Dr. Pepper all over the place. It made the floor and Dawna's shoes sticky, but that situation was mild compared to what would happen later.

Time progressed, and the medication began working pretty well. Dawna began to dialate, and the process of birth began. Her contractions became more regular. We had several visitors who came and went. Dawna's mom ended up staying throughout the ordeal.

About 9:30 p.m. or so, the nurse called the doctor in because Kevin, Jr. started showing some signs of duress. They gave Dawna oxygen, and he stabilized. The doctor wasn't too concerned, and she went back to her office (where she had a bed to sleep in). She gave instructions to the nurse to watch us carefully so that nothing serious might happen. At the time, Dawna had dialated to 4 cm, and the doc said that things should progress pretty fast from there.

She was right. Dawna dialated very rapidly from that time forward. Kevin, Jr.'s heart rate was good, and things were progressing as they should. Doc had said that we should expect a baby sometime between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. At 12:30, Dawna was fully dialated, and it was time to begin active labor. That's when things really got interesting.

Dawna began to push as per the nurse's instructions. At the beginning of each contraction, Dawna was to push for 10 straight seconds, take a deep breath, push again, take a deep breath, and push one final time. Dawna was very diligent in doing this. A contraction came, and Dawna pushed. Another contraction, another push. Another contraction, another push. An hour passed. Nothing. Kevin, Jr. had only moved a little way. Dawna was giving it her all, but he wasn't coming. Dawna's pelvis was just too small.

Another 1/2 hour of contractions and pushing brought little or no change. Then, that's when things got stickly. Remember that I told you that they would?

The doctor came in and looked at the readouts that monitored the baby's heart rate and Dawna's contractions. The readouts showed that Kevin, Jr. was beginning to come under duress. His heart rate would dip way south of baseline just after the contraction. This isn't good. Then, his heart rate would race. Doc said, "This isn't good."

They wondered a bit whether or not a C-section was in order. Doc felt bad because Dawna had come so far into the birthing process. She hated that all her work would be in vain. She asked me if we wanted to try to use the vaccuum process to try and bring him down. I said, "No. Let's do what's safest for her and the baby."

"That would be the section," she said. "Let's go."

With the decision made, the doc and hospital staff jumped into action. Believe me when I say that they moved FAST!!! They wheeled Dawna out of the room at 2:25 a.m. They said that they would send for me in about 10 minutes. I figured that it would take them time to scrub, and I'd get in there and they would begin the procedure. Wrong.

Nona and I waited together for those 10 minutes, and then they called me in. The nurse hem-hawed a bit when she saw that I wasn't in scrubs. She wanted to make sure that I was allowed to come in without scrubs. After a trip to the nurse's station and a quick peek in at the operating room, I heard the doc say, "Get him in here, or he's going to miss it!"

With that, I was thrust through the operating room doors, a cap was planted on my head, and a mask was put over my mouth. Moments later, I heard the tell tale cry of a little baby. They recorded the time as 2:47 a.m. Kevin, Jr. had finally been born!

I witnessed them cleaning him up. I walked him down to Nona so that she could see him. I saw them take him to the nursery and weigh him, clean him, finger and foot print him, and clean him up. What a process it was. If I would have had any energy, I probably would have been jumping for joy, but I was dead tired. My wife and son were o.k. That was the most important thing. I thanked God for this fact, and I looked for a place to get some rest.

San Antonio for the Duration

As I told my congregation today, "I'm taking vacation starting after church today. You won't see me until I come home with a wife and a baby!"



After a fun filled week with Grandma and Grandpa, the girls and I packed up my brother-in-law's Suburban and headed for central Texas. We arrived about 3:30 at Nona and Grumpy's, and the girls immediately started asking for Mommy. However, Mommy and Nona were at a baby shower that was thoroughly enjoyed. We got a boat load of great stuff.


Now, all we need is a baby!


The girls are worn out because they got to play, play, play with grandma and grandpa. The girls were constantly outside riding bikes, playing on the playground, or running around the outside of the church. You would think that as tired as they were at night that they would sleep late into the morning. Nope! Up at 6:45 or 7 every morning. I'm still trying to figure out how to get them to sleep later???


Dawna is doing fine. Kevin, Jr. has seemed to drop even more, but we'll know more after the doctor's appointment tomorrow. Dawna says her women's intuition tells her that he's coming sooner than later. We will see for certain.


Until tomorrow!

The Gals in My House

You should see what has happened in my household today.

All the gals under this roof are completely worn out, and I mean WORN out.

Grandma wore out Kiera and Kaylee, and Kiera and Kaylee wore out grandma. They played outside on the playground. Grandma chased the girls on their bicycle and tricycle respectively. They finger painted. They made cookies. They played with play-dough. They crashed. Hard.

It will be interesting to see how late they sleep in the morning. Hopefully a while. It'll let me sleep in too.

Dawna is resting very well at her parents. She misses the girls, but this is very good for her blood pressure. It also lets her rest up for the ordeal that she will be undergoing in just a little while.

Excited Kids

Well, I got the kids home safe and sound, and I was blessed. I mean, I was really blessed. Not even an hour had passed when my mom and dad walked through the door. Didn't have to worry too much about trying to corral those two without assistance. (BTW, I think I could have handled it.)

The funny part about everything is that I told the girls that I would be taking them home with me. I asked Kiera, "Guess who's going to come and stay with us?"

Kiera: Mawmaw and pawpaw?

Dad: Yes.

Kiera: Me want to go home now!

It's probably a good thing. Nona had those two spoiled this past week. She's such a good grandmother! Now the other one gets to do her damage.

I have resolved that if Kevin, Jr. doesn't come this week, I am definitely taking vacation time to stay with Dawna for the duration. Friends in SA, Seguin, and New Braunfels--get ready. If the girls start giving us too many fits, guess who I'm coming to see?