Orantes Grant Cantrell

2009-01-27T21:02:00.003-05:00

sorry adam, i acidentally posted in this account!

happy new year!

you all have to forgive me for being MIA in the last month. i think i was enjoying the holiday way too much and did not want it to end. we had one of the best holidays i have ever had. adam was home almost 3 weeks, and Christmas was incredible watching it through the eyes of a child. (and my man was extra sweet this year in the gift giving area.)sooo... we are doing great.

i have had so many date nights and girls nights out. i just have to mention it b/c every girl needs to see Bride Wars. i think kate hudson and anne hathaway make the best movie together. i had to see it on opening night, b/c i was so excited.

and i have to let you know how sensitive my man can be, b/c he was trying so hard to not cry in the movie Marley and Me just after Christmas. i just did not think it was going to be that sad. but very funny at the same time.

while i am making recommendations for the new year... i have to share with you a book that is becoming a rock to me. Psalm 91. my dad believes so strongly in this book that he gave everyone a copy of their own at Christmas. i started reading it a few days after later.
the book takes you through the power of praying psalm 91 in the bible, sentence by sentence. oh my. i had never read the psalm in such a way. if you struggle with fear, like i do, then you need to read it asap.

here is a catch up story: one thing the Lord is trying to work on in my life is the issue of fear.this world is so evil! i freaked out in alot of ways when aj was born and i do not want to do that again with this new baby. it was only when i realized that my sweet aj was the Lord's first and then mine, was i able to chill out and release it all to the Lord. (i will explain this more some time) all this to say, i do not want to freak out again with the new little one's arrival. the Lord has working on me to do.
so , i read through the Psalm 91 once and then twice. then, i began praying the prayer of psalm 91 over adam, myself, and aj. later that first morning, i realized that i had not prayed it over my new baby. so, i made a mental note to begin praying it over baby. about an hour after the mental note, my doctor called to say that my down syndrome test came back positve. my thought"okay Lord, you really want to teach me". i went into shock mode and went straight to journalling and praying all by myself. two hours later, i felt the most incredible peace. i waited till adam got home to tell him, and later called my dad. peace. peace. the first thing adam said was "well, i feel like the Lord has prepared us if it is his will we have a special needs child". dad kept saying "i know your baby is fine".
(God is good and at work. i love this book)

and my baby is fine.praise the Lord. so far, baby looks good. i know what sex the baby is and some of you do and some of you do not. na na na na na.
this post became longer than i wanted, so i will share with you on the next day or next.

Its a........Girl????

2009-01-05T15:08:00.003-05:00

Well, we went to the Dr. the other week (right after Christmas) and did an ultrasound. The umbilical cord was all in between the little legs and we could not see much at first. After quite a bit of manuevering....the Dr. got a pretty good shot from underneath....and it SEEMS as though it is a girl. However, I will note that the umbilical cord was still present between those little legs and could possibly be covering something else that might reveal the other sex. Regardless, Erin has been thinking its a girl since about week 10 and I have been scared of that realization for about that long. We go back next week for a big ultrasound/sonogram and should confirm one way or the other the sex.

What's Happening????

2008-12-09T14:05:00.002-05:00

So Erin took our boy to the doctor yesterday for his 1 year check-up. She ran into Greer (one of my oldest friends) while there so I got to catch up with her (through Erin) a little bit. She has 3 little girls now and had the youngest (very new...just a couple of months) in to see Dr. Soapes as the little cutie was not feeling to well. O-daddy's appointment went pretty well. He looks healthy and got some more shots....which he did not appreciate one bit. He is still cranking out the inches as he is still in the 97th% but is way behind my weight at this age. Mom told me today that he is 4 lbs lighter than I was (sorry...can't give you the numbers as Erin could not remember the actual measurements)....but that could certainly be a good thing....as you really didn't know if I even had a neck at that age. There was just this chubby head sitting on a body. O-dawg does have a neck....and you can even see it.
We celebrated Big Boy's birthday on Saturday with all of our family...or as much as could come. We had a great time and he has lots of new toys. I must admit that my Black and Decker work station is his favorite at this point. It makes lots of noises and has tools that he can carry around (trying to keep them out of his mouth) and stuff. Dranny gave him a really nice horse to ride but he is too scared of it at this point to enjoy it. He got lots of blocks and loves to stack them already....and he has started looking at some of the books too (finally). Mom and Dad gave him a cool UGA jacket as well. I hope it snows sometime this break so we can get him all bundled up in it play outside. This first year went really fast. Guess what everyone says is true....I'll turn around tomorrow and be taking him to kindergarten...the next day he'll graduate from high school....and before long I'll be a granddad wondering where all the time went. Kinda scary. No, very scary.
Sooooo....on another note. Erin continues to be a bit sick....which is different than last time....which makes her suspect that there might be a little girl in her belly. I am scared to death of having girls.....but did always want to have one (if I must) in between two boys. I guess my feelings kind of changed when I found out how close our first two will be....as having two boys so close would be just great. They could be best buds and play on the same teams and all that stuff. I don't know anything about girls though (just ask Erin) so I might be raising a tom-boy.....although Erin will probably scoff at that possibility. The real issue is that girls are just so dang expensive. But I can't worry about all of that.....God will take care of us.

Thanksgiving Blues

2008-12-01T14:49:00.003-05:00

So Erin wrote a pretty nice post on her blog about missing Israel during this time of year....and that is true for me all the time. That place is great....and if I thought I could scratch out a living over there I just might move my family there. It would be significanlty more dangerous, obviously, but nothing the Lord could not handle for us. He hasn't called me there yet, so staying put is what's on that agenda. So Thanksgiving was a bit of a downer this year as AJ has been sick pretty much the whole time. Erin's family was all over the place so we did not spend that time on Thursday with them that we normally do....and then Friday saw another break in tradition as my side of the family did not get together at my grandparent's house. If that was not a bummer enough.....the rains came in full force Friday night and continued through most of the UGA game on Saturday. That (and the temperature) kept Erin at home even though she was going to try to go with me for the first time this year. Turns out she didn't miss anything good....as the UGA defense really disappointed. Needing someone to blame, I found out that Erin did not put O-daddy's Knowshon jersey on for the game.....she failed with that for the Florida game as well.....so I will blame it all on her. It should not happen again. My dad has chosen to blame Coach Fabris and has stated that if he is not gone for next year.....Will and I will be paying for the season tickets if we want to keep them. I am not exactly sure where my part will come from....but its gonna happen one way or another. We can't give up those tickets at this point....not with all the issues that starting over would cause. $10,000 to get started on season tickets???? There is no way that could ever happen for Willie and I.....but it is about time we started paying for the tickets anyway....as we use 90% of them anyway. It stinks that Sat's game might be the last time I get to see Stafford and Moreno play live in Samford Stadium......but you never know what kind of decision they might make. I'd be suprised if they both stay....but if one does....I think its more likely they both will. Next year could be tough without those two......especially since we already are losing MoMass. Enough of this depressing info.....but I have nothing else to say today.
Editors note- I failed to mention that we did have a nice Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night at my parent's house with a good number of folks from my side of the family. It was a good 3 hours and O-daddy actually acted pretty normal during that time. Uncle Stephen and his kids were there...so that was really nice too.

Tough Times at Home

2008-11-21T11:09:00.003-05:00

OK...so my wife is pregnant again and is feeling under the weather pretty much nonstop. So that should not be too big of a deal, right? Right...and its not that big of a deal. She has been having some wierd cravings or no appetite at all which has caused us to restructure our normal dinner routine. Mainly.....I now fix my own dinner. Also not too big of a deal, considering I did so for myself for years while a bachelor. I am trying to loose weight, however, and my diet of 10 years ago is not appropriate for such a plan. I could certainly cook better meals for myself, but I enjoy feeding my son dinner, and that is when Erin used to cook. I can't do both....and I want to give Erin a break from O-daddy....so I choose to feed him....and eat "whatever" each night. This is also a choice that I am willing to make and not complain about. Here is the real issue though- Big Boy got his first real runny nose a few days ago. Apparenlty my wife and I have both picked up whatever he is carrying and it has hit us with a vengence. I don't normally get sick....so its an adjustment for me....but manageable. Poor Erin however, is already nauseous from the pregnancy and stayed up most of the night last night coughing and blowing her nose. I feel so bad for her. She is feeling pretty bad overall though too, indicated by the fact that she told me (last night) we would likely have to adopt a 3rd child if we decide we want one.

Round 2

2008-11-11T10:30:00.002-05:00

I am guessing that no one is checking this blog anymore....so it is safe for me to post that we are officially pregnant again. And of course, by "we" I mean "Erin" and that I have very little else to do with the process for the next 7 months or so. The baby is due June 10 and we have told a handfull of folks including our immediate family, some friends who we have recently spent time with, my baseball guys......OK so we've told quite a few people and some of you were left out. Sorry. Really, I am. Erin is kinda reluctant to let the world know that we are expecting again just yet....as we are not quite out of the 1st trimester. She is doing OK....but feeling very much the same as she did the first time around. She went back and checked her journals and said she is feeling exaclty the same...eating the same stuff (anyone ever heard of someone eating carrots and peanut butter together?....that's just wierd), etc.....so I'm hoping that means boy #2. Of course....if we have a girl at all....I want it in the middle....so I am a bit torn if I am being honest. However, if we can guarantee #2 boy will be as great as #1 boy was/is.....I am all for it. O-daddy is the greatest kid ever. Makes me kinda scared about what #2 will be like. Anyway, I am thinking about "Knowshon" being the name this time....for obvious reasons....but it is a worthless battle at this point.....as I ended up losing the battle for "Orantes" last time. Anyway....Just thought I'd let everyone know what was going on.....or let no one know...since no one is reading this but me. Either way....I am taking over this site again as Erin has her own to play with. Check back occasionally to get random updates and postings.

here we go

2008-03-12T00:04:00.001-04:00

my new blogspot is www.ourabchome.blogspot.com. it is in the works, but take a peek and change your links.

new blog

2008-03-10T21:59:00.002-04:00

so, i am working on setting up my own blog. i do not feel like i can be very expressive on "adam's" boyish page that he does not want me to change in any way. (he is a very sentimental man, and i do love that about him.) tonight i am too tired and do not have a name, yet.

i got so frustrated with blogging last week when i had three great posts written on three different nights and lost them all each time i went to publish due to goggle error. so, i almost quit it all together. but then i realized how much i love connecting with all my friends. stinks that google can make me so mad.

i will post the link on here when i get it all set up.

erin

happy 3 month

2008-03-08T11:31:00.001-05:00

my wild sleeper

2008-02-24T20:43:00.004-05:00

Adam has been a sweetheart from the very begining of baby Aj's life in that he does as many of the daily doings that he can for me and Aj. one thing Adam has done is take the morning feedings on saturday and sunday so i can "sleep in". the past few times, Aj is always in some weird position in bed after Adam has put him back after the feeding.

he rolls over and gets his hands down under,

hides his face and laughs at me,

punches out the arm cushions,

and slides all the way down!

ride along little cowboy

2008-02-23T23:00:00.003-05:00

adam loves to sing this song with Aj on his knee. today, Adam started singing the song and then decided to make up some more verses, but Aj thought they were boring. he fell asleep in a few seconds. i would have too!

babe, i do love all your other songs you sing to ME everday. so, do not ever stop singing.

okay okay!

2008-02-22T22:41:00.004-05:00

i know i keep saying that i will get better at this posting stuff, but i just get worse.

i am still not the normal "Erin"(though i am not even considered normal by loved ones prior to baby hormones entering body). we just keep waiting!

no, my baby is not off to college (very funny tays), but he is learning about dogs these days. or just dog. josie has been up with Aj. charlie's brain is still too small to be running around baby Aj. here are a few pictures.

sweet (smelly) josie!

change

2008-02-07T17:18:00.000-05:00

the big joke around this house is that i love to move things (furniture, pictures, rugs, etc.) and my husband does not like change. there is a new feel to the house when you rearrange some furniture or move a picture frame. i love that feeling. he will just have to contiunue to deal with it, b/c i love house decorating.

last week, Adam left me alone too long one day, and Aj and i rearranged his entire room. we also moved some things in two bathrooms, kitchen, and master bedroom. the day began with a trip to Ikea which resulted in a few new items to play with in the house. ending the day, was me hearing Adam in different rooms saying "you got to be kidding me" and then telling me how much he liked things. i am thankful for a husband respecting the wife's role of making a home a home even though he wishes some things stayed the same longer.

just thought i would share. Aj loves it (and his hair)!

p.s.

2008-02-04T16:49:00.000-05:00

i am feeling bad about having written "post partum deprssion" in explaining my emotions yesterday. there are people that trully SUFFER from this illness and i am not one of them. i just felt how easily it would have been to dip into such an illness. i have faith in Jesus Christ and feel that alot of those mental illnesses are spiritual warfare.

when i had to visit psych facilities in my undergrad and grad programs, those where miserable days. interesting days, but i was sick to my stomach the entire time visiting. i would sit next to the door during group sessions with the trash can beside me. just in case i had this stuff actually come up. and i was continually praying for protection and strength to make it through the day. the spiritual warfare in those places is so intense. yes, i think some people trully have chemical imbalances, but some need to find Jesus.

all that to say, that i do not want to take any credit in having to work through such issues. more power to the women that do struggle after a baby with chemical imbalances and come out on top.

8 weeks

2008-02-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

time has flown and i still do not know what to think of all this mommyhood stuff. here are a few things i do know to be true: i am more and more in love with my son (and husband). i feel more and more like a mom. i think i have the cutest baby. my body does not feel as much like it was hit by a car. and i am going to survive mommyhood.

so much has happened in the past few weeks. greener pastures are in my view. i think i may have had a touch of the post-partum depression that you hear about. i did not dip deeply into it, but there were days my head was not clear. as if i was in a daze and did not know what to do next but feed, burp, pump, and sleep. my sweet husband has gone above and beyond his role for this household. he is my jewel. i could talk more and more about my emotions, but this post is for Aj being 8 weeks old.

please forgive me for taking forever to post updates. i told you i was going to work on that, and i did not do well. i will keep trying. so many of you have asked for pictures. this is a big picture update for you. i hope you enjoy them all.

we are making huge progress in the baby growing area. he is so much more alert. which allows us to actually interact! there is so much joy when your baby responds to you. Aj loves his baths and waking up in the morning. i think he is going to be a morning person taking after the Lightfoot family (not the Cantrell family!). every morning we talk and smile for several minutes before feeding begins. he is staying in his bed from the last feeding around 10pm till 5 or 6am. he stirs through the night, but always goes back to sleep. we take walks and sing tons of songs completely made up. i just love each day more and more.

God is so good all the time and in everything.

i have a few more things i could tell you about, but i will save them for later posts this week.

much lovin.

meltdown

2008-01-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

these meltdowns can be so cute to the eyes, but not always to the ears.

a simple prayer

2008-01-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

aj had his biggest "blow out" today. the poop was coming out of his diaper near the belly button, both legs, and the back. i did not know such was possible in a 6 1/2 week old baby. a precious baby. i have always been known to have a strong stomach and be able to talk about and see anything at anytime. not recently.

my prayers during this cleanup where hard core. stuff was in my throat, but aj no longer has poopie on him. there are tons of prayers that i whisper with aj everyday from"get me through this poopie" to "i pray he be such a Godly man". never has my prayer life been more different than with aj's birth, and i have a feeling it is going to continue to change. just thought i would share this simple prayer with you today.

(the picture above is aj praising Jesus in his sleep. my prayers are already working.)

2008-01-20T17:31:00.001-05:00

i know. i know. i am terrible at this blogging stuff. i remember when adam mentioned starting the blog for the delivery. my first thought was "oh, no, then i will have to keep it up". i love looking at other people's blog, but did not want to become one of "them". who would want to read our blog?
here we are with a blog and i loved the blog in the beginning when adam wrote. i still love the blog, just a little less. i just do not know what to do in writing. my friends come up with these great stories. my day is the same. feed, pump, nap, and repeat. i know things will get more interesting as aj ages. each day does include aj doing something new; focusing longer on my face, smiling more on cue, bigger poopie diaper, etc. so, all this to say, i am sorry at being bad at the blogging. i will try harder.

aj has been great this week. his little personality is already coming out in his grunting and hand motions when he is trying to get his point across. there is this feeling in me that he might have his dad's strong willed personality. oh fun!

aj had his first playdate with little dylan (almost 10 months) on wednesday. he was struck by her beauty that all he did was stare at her the whole time. i enjoyed having tays and dylan here, b/c i was able to talk in something other than baby babble and drill tays on her baby knowledge.

then, i was out of the house on thursday morning and friday morning without aj. i feel like i was in a daze the entire time thinking about my baby at home, but enjoying some freedom. will i ever feel like i did not just leave my heart at home when aj is not with me. ( i do miss my husband when not together. though, it is not the same.)

all day saturday, i kept thinking about how much differently the day with snow would have been if aj was just a little older. we would have been out there in the snow making memories. that is the kind of mom i want to be everyday. i want to be the kind of mom that goes off the beaten path to make memories with my kids. i feel like i had a very blessed childhood with a mom and dad that took the extra moment to make a memory with me and my sisters. pray that adam and i will be the same. great memories.

2008-01-15T19:10:00.000-05:00

please tell me other new moms do these things. i am still not wanting to leave aj out of my site during the day when he is awake. it is like i just know he is going to get up and walk into some trouble when i am not looking. so, i come up with these crazy things and places to put aj. the above is one of them (yes, that is his playpen in the background. it was not good enough b/c i could not see his face from where i was.).
on to the moment of truth... i did it. good thing i wrote on the blog last night that i wanted aj to try his room(or me to try his room). aj would not have been in his room had it not been for me to keep my word. he went to his bed after bottle and falling asleep on daddy. then he stayed all night in that room far away or 20 feet. so, i do not know if i slept better with him at the foot of my bed or in his room. i do know that i felt very accomplished this morning.

the sun needs to shine and the cold wind needs to stop blowing. aj and i can not wait to go outside and take some more walks. maybe in a few days.
much love

psalm139:13

2008-01-14T22:49:00.000-05:00

sunday is the day of official napping at the cantrell's household. adam was forced to take a nap every sunday when he was a kid, and his body expects one every week. the tradition has moved into our marrriage. the only problem with this these days is that it looks like my place in adam's arms has been taken by sweet aj. i will have to do something about this...

aj discovered his hands today. he has been trying for weeks to get them in his mouth, and today he did it a few times. i know b/c i heard and saw the sucking for several seconds. it is so cute. i love him more and more everyday and feel more and more like a mom everyday. thank you jesus.

i found this verse, psalm 139:13, on the cfhusband website. it was just the verse i have been needing to hold onto. "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb." as many of you know, i have been having a hard time letting go of my sweet baby and trusting the Lord with him. trusting in everything from how my baby will get his food, to what if he gets sick, to how do i pray for this boy's life and myself as his mom, to what if this and that... I know i have to let go and trust that my baby is not mine, but the Lord's first. and only the Lord knows the best for aj, especially, what each day will bring. i need his strength to chill out.

today has been the first day that i have trully been able to release a bit of all that i am holding onto to the Lord. it is freeing! (so freeing, that aj will be starting his nightime in his real bedroom. i can not say how i will do overnight, therefore, i write"starting") i know that i have so much to learn in this area, as i am just touching the surface in all the Lord wants to teach me. today was a good start at relaxing with the motherhood thing. i just pray my husband can be patient with me as i discover this out. and all you sweet friends. and aj.

for the prayer warriors out there... Rock(my dad) is in Korea for working matters.pray for productivity and safety. thank you

a precious blogspot

2008-01-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

last night i was searching blogspots of friends of friends, and found this amazing man. his wife has Cystic Fibrosis, and just delivered a baby girl at 24 weeks as she is fighting for her life. their journey has touched my heart and i will be praying for them. just thought you might want to take a look and pray with them as well. i was challenged in my faith by reading their story and i know you will be too! go to www.cfhusband.blogspot.com

(today was good as i am learning that Aj DOES have a fussy period around 7pm, and just in time for Adam's arrival. my friend Tay's encouraged me to simply love on him and let it run it's course. who knows how long this will last.)

2008-01-09T21:33:00.000-05:00

i have the most advanced baby ever! he is very much into pushing up and holding his head up. it keeps catching us off guard, b/c he used to just lay there and head stayed in one place. this active baby is so fun and keeps us jumping to catch him moving in our arms. i caught Aj hanging out on Adam's chest tonight after a full belly and had to share.

one month and one day

2008-01-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

this is picture of mommy trying to capture first smile. mommy was a little slow. but you can see the end of a smile.

today was such a blessing to my sweet soul. today was a day to celebrate my new motherhood (rather than yesterday). sweet Aj smiled at me two times for a long time. yes, they were real smiles to my face. he was not sleeping or dreaming. i was simply changing Aj and talking really close to his face, and then he broke into a smile as i began to cry. Aj (and the Lord) knew i needed a smile. love.
more blessings today came with visits to the house... Aunt Cayce, Ms. Heather, and Aunt tt. their visits were heart warming. a million questions were asked by myself and Aj to these beautiful mothers with such experience. ( i also drilled Wanda Stidham and Crazy Deb from work when they visited the day before)they all made me feel very normal and greatly encouraged me in ways they will never know. thank you girls.
Ms. Heather brought her girly girl, Annie. Annie made Aj blush by sharing her dollie, blankie, and another blanket. she laid them ALL on Aj while he was in the swing. so precious. i love Annie so much.
thank you so much to all those praying for my new family. i trully felt the Lord's presence today (as i should every day) in everything i did (even when i got up at 4 am to feed Aj after an "interesting" discussion with my husband). i do have to say that the great weather has helped my hormones. who knows what will come tomorrow.

this is one of my future babysitters, Meagan. she was a natural with Aj and he took very well to her. she held him so well that Aj was dreaming in her arms. mommy Wanda did a good job too!
(i am new to blogging and forgot to turn picture before posting. sorry)look closely and find Annie, dollie, blankie, and pink blanket. Aj would have made a beautiful girl, but Orantes Grant would definately not have worked for the name.

one more note...everyone needs to go to Heather's blogspot to read about her morning as a mom. Annie gave her mom a story to tell. www.hheaton.blogspot.com just picture that innocent face above.

one month

2008-01-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

today is my sweet baby's one month birthday. Aj is so precious and
gorgeous and... i just want to stare at him and kiss his little
cheeks all day long. this month has flown by, and i only hear the
years go faster and faster. sad. how do i remember all these
moments?
i feel like i can not even put into words all my thoughts and feelings
on this whole motherhood thing. maybe i still have hormone
levels out of whack, but i can not grasp my emotions.
people ask me "isn't it just the greatest thing", and "aren't
you just so happy". yes and yes, but no and no. this stuff is
hard. and it is even harder when you get started off by
having to put your baby into the NICU. your self-confidence
goes into the toilet. all the knowledge from those great books
you read make no sense.
my entire life has changed for the better and i would not want
anything different. i am just filled with this new love that takes
my breath away and knocks me down. trying to get back up
is the part where i need to make sense of the thoughts and
feelings. and that is where i am trying to run to my heavenly
father and ask Him to pick me back up and give me the
confidence I need in Him to be the best mother and wife i can
be.
this is the summary of my first month. pray next month comes
with hormone levels back to normal.
happy birthday sweet Aj.

my turn

2008-01-03T22:21:00.000-05:00

My sweet husband has been great at managing the blog of our precious baby boy's first days of life. But, I do have to say that it has been very "boyish" and I am ready to "girlify" it a bit. You may not see me calling him Little O and O daddy for a while, b/c I did win the poll and must take advantage of my win. AJ is a beautiful name and must be used. (Orantes Grant, you do have a beautiful name as well. It is just not my baby's REAL name. Sorry)

I also have to say that you will be seeing more pictures. I have to admit that I go look at other people's blog's and just look for pictures (not you tays or heather. i do care what your thoughts are.)Others must do the same thing. So, to start, I have added some pictures my friend tays took the other day. We needed something on this blog without AJ being in a UGA something or other and these bring my "girlifyness" to the site.

Many have asked how the feeding is going, as my sweet husband asked for prayers a few weeks ago. I do not have much to say, but that it is at a standstill. AJ is obviously eating, pooping, and peeing. But,not eating the way I would wish for him. At the moment, he drinks formula and expressed milk from a bottle. We will leave the comments to that for the moment. I keep working with him everyday, and I feel that one day he will just latch on and everything will be great. Keep praying till then. Thank God I do have a healthy boy that is thriving.

Thank you Adam for keeping this blog the way you have been over the past four weeks. (MY BABY IS 4 WEEKS OLD TOMORROW. WOW.) You have done a marvelous job at telling the world about our journey with AJ so far. I love you so much more than I ever have and thank God it is with YOU I can share this journey.

You all will have to be patient with me as I learn which direction to take this blog. I do not want people to get tired of me bragging about my sweet baby or something to that effect. Maybe, I will use this as a reflective place for me to release all my different thoughts and feelings as a new mom or as a get to know the Cantrells site. I have no idea. We will see what happens.Bye Bye for tonight.

Passing the Torch

2008-01-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

I have obviously not done a lot on the blog lately and (for any of you who are still keeping up) I apologize. I am passing the torch to my wife after this post...so you can blame her if it does not stay updated...although I might be adding to it from time to time. I am going back to work tomorrow and neither Erin nor I are real happy about it. We have gotten the little man onto a bit of a schedule though, as O-daddy is going down around 9:30....crying for about 45 minutes...and then sleeping until about 5. I will continue to get up with him at 5ish and then just stay up for school....and let Erin begin the life of being a stay-at-home mom.

We had a good time last night getting O-Dawg all dressed up for the game (see pics above) and then watching the game with him for a bit before it was bedtime. Erin went to sleep shortly after he did...although she felt bad leaving me to watch the game by myself...so she slept in the chair with me while the game finished up. It was a long game....but if you are a Dawg fan...it was very enjoyable. It will be fun to tell Little O about the game as he grows up...and I have it on DVR to show him sometime when he is old enough to know what is going on. Anyway, pray for us as we transition into school mode tomorrow and the next day. At least its a short week before another break. Next week will likely be the real test.

You might also notice that the "name poll" is no longer available to be seen. Based on Rock's recommendation I ran it again...but the results were not much better...although it was closer to 50/50 this time. Thanks to all of you who voted the second time.

The Morning After...

2007-12-26T12:48:00.000-05:00

Wow...baby's first Christmas has been a whirlwind. We have spent the past two days at our families' houses (I am quite sure its supposed to be family's.....but there were multiple families and multiple houses....so I gave "families' " a shot) and have learned many new things about having a baby. Christmas Eve was the first time we have taken our son out for the day...and had no idea how long it takes to get ready. We were supposed to be at Meme's between 11 and 12, and given that it takes about 10-15 min to get there....I thought we could leave by 11:30 and be in good shape. So around 10 AM we began the process of leaving for the day. By 12:30 we were actually out the door and headed toward my grandmom's. Did you know that you must multiply the normal getting-ready time by 5 the first time you take the baby out? I did not know this. I multiplied by 3 (giving us 1.5 hrs to be ready to leave) and fell way short. Did you know that if you pick out the perfect little Santa outfit for your two-week old boy that he will pee all over himself as soon as he is dressed (even though he just had his diaper changed)? I did not know this either...but it is true.

Well, we spent a few hours with my extended family that afternoon and things went very smoothly....with the small exception of Orantes getting kneed in the head for the first time (I am sure to be just one of hundreds) by one of his cousins. The good news is that he must have a hard head as he didn't even react to it. Just shrugged it off and went about his day. Yeah, baby....I got a tough one. Next, we went to Lilburn Alliance with Erin's family for the candlelight service and everything went very well. O-daddy stayed in the little carrier thing on my chest the entire time and didn't hardly stir at all. Good stuff. Following the service we continued the Christmas Eve tradition of eating at On the Border (very good tradition) and O-daddy was great there too. When dinner was over, we headed back to the Lightfoot house for big Christmas there. Everyone took turns with the boy and we finally crawled back into the car around 12:30 AM. It was only 12 hours away from the house...and everything went as smoothly as one can imagine....and yet I still felt like I had run into a brick wall by 11:15 PM or so. But we got to do it all over again the next day....so it was great.

Christmas day began around 9:30 with getting ready to go to Mom and Dad's for our side's big Christmas thing. We actually left by 11:15 this time as I decided to organize leaving a little differently. Brunch was great and once again we had a great time with all the family...and AJ did great. 3 for 3....we'll call this a success without question. Around 4 we headed up to Blairsville to Dranny's for the last stop. Dranny is Rock's mom and had not even see Little O yet...so this was the big finale....just ripe for disaster....but there was none to be found. Things went as well as you could hope for a perfect 4 for 4 Christmas Eve and Day.

There was, of course, one problem. You see, this was our boy's first Christmas and should certainly be recorded on film (digitally, of course)...but the moron that is the father (although I did remember to bring the camera to each location) forgot to take any pictures at all of the outfits, the families, the events, etc until we got to Dranny's house. Even then, I managed to take all of 6 pictures. That's right....SIX. Are you kidding me? Its our son's first Christmas and we have 6 pictures to remember it by. And by last count....none of them are of him alone. What a moron. I have included one for your enjoyment at the top of the post. Sorry, but its the best I can do. Please forgive me. I hope Erin does as well.

You Make the Call

2007-12-22T23:09:00.001-05:00

I have been hearing for a while now (and I must admit that I agree) that O-daddy doesn't look like his dad....but more like his mom. Obviously this is not a bad thing in any way, shape or form (surely you have seen my wife....WOW), but every dad wants to have his son favor him. I have been told forever that I look like my dad and that has always been a source of pride for me....even though as I grow older I have started to favor my mom's side more and more. Regardless, I was a very ugly baby.....and I have therefor not been disappointed that Little O has not looked like me to this point. However, out of curiosity, I decided to put one of my baby pics (one of the more favorable ones....the only one that I have ever seen that is favorable, as a matter of fact) next to his and see what I thought. The picture of O-daddy is one that is the closest to the same pose as mine....although the double chin on him is deceiving (pic is from below) while mine was completely legit. I'll let you decide if you think he favors me or not....although certain aspects are undeniable (the mouth and lips and the lines under the eyes to name two). I do not have a baby pic of Erin to scan for you to see....so this is not truly a fair comparison....but I thought it'd be fun anyway. Let us know what you think.

Night on the Town

2007-12-22T18:08:00.000-05:00

Erin and I decided to go out last night and take O-daddy with us. Erin had been in the house for about 4 days straight and I felt like she needed it....even though the weather wasn't great. After getting O-dawg all bundled up (see pic to come later), we headed over to Babies 'R' Us first (the one off Steve Reynolds Blvd) to get a car seat that Erin had scoped out to be the best around. There was a SuperTarget next door....so we decided to go in there for a few minutes also. I had Little O in a Baby Bjorn (a little carrier that goes on the front of me) which was very fun. He slept the whole time pretty comfortably (I'm assuming) even though I am not real sure how he was able to breathe. We decided to steal an idea from Will and Cat and do separate shopping for Christmas gifts for each other....$15 limit. Once that was over we ran across the street to Circuit City to pick up a couple of movies for my nephews (David's two oldest) and some headphones for my Zune. Erin decided to keep O in the car with her and by the time I got back, she was feeing him....which meant that we weren't going anywhere fast. After a while we drove over to On the Border (courtesy of the Boyd Smith Family...thanks) and placed an order to go. While we were waiting we ran in Barnes and Noble for about 10 min as well. All in all it was a fun night out, even though we didn't get home and actually eat until almost 10 o'clock.

A couple of highlights from the night:
1) While talking about where one of Becca's teammates is from (and why she was being picked up at the Atlanta Airport)...Erin told me that she was from somewhere in North Carolina....you know, where they have the Daytona 500.
2) While in line at Target, a sweet Asian lady asked me if the Christmas card she had picked out was a "good" Christmas card. Upon looking at the card, I realized she had gotten a "Thank You" card that said those words on the front....and the words "....very much" on the inside. Needless to say she couldn't read English....so I took her back over to the card section and showed her where the Christmas cards were. She was thankful. She could have given me the original card...but she didn't.
3) While waiting for Erin to finish at Target...one of the workers noticed that I had a baby on my chest and asked how old he was. Upon hearing that he was 2 weeks old she commented (with a straight face), "Oh, they are so cute before they can talk."

Yes. It was a good night.

Back by Popular Demand (or The Resurfacing of the Hanging Chads)

2007-12-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

I have been getting complaints and requests regarding the poll that existed for a short while on this blog that was supposed to help convince my wife how cool the name "Orantes" is. The complaints stem from the fact that the poll was open only a short time (around 24 hours). Many friends and family members have also complained because they were unable to cast a vote or cast an "incorrect" vote due to the complications that existed with the system. It was apparently very confusing....so much so that many were in tears when they realized what they had done (not really). The requests revolve around reopening the poll in some way to let there be a recount. Just so that all are aware....this recount will not have any real impact on the name....as my wife's choice has become official. However, it will go a long way to show her how much support (or lack thereof) is actually out there for such a cool name. If you need a reminder of why I even wanted such a name...please read the story to the right. You can only vote once....so no ballot stuffing will occur. You can change your vote....but be careful when doing so as the internet could shut down and prevent you from changing it back. The last count was something like 24 for AJ....and only 9 for Orantes. Let's do this thing and see how it all shapes up in round 2. We'll keep it open for a week this time...to give everyone a chance to vote that wants one. Hopefully we'll see some new results this go-round.

No News is Good News!!!!

2007-12-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

Things are rolling right along here on Catherine Drive. Today is O-dawg's 2 week birthday and he is doing really well. He hardly fusses at all unless he is hungry...and even then it is extremely minimal. As a matter of fact....I don't know that I have heard him cry good in about 2 days. I have been gone for a few hours each of the past two days....so maybe he got some good crying in then...but I am not sure. I'll have to ask Erin about that one. I am glad that he is not crying all the time or anything....but surely he needs to get some good work in for his lungs and vocal chords. I don't think I cried a whole lot though....and my vocals work just fine...as any of my ballplayers can attest.

Erin is doing great as a mother. She does such a good job of talking to him and keeping him warm and stimulated and everything. I just help him relax (so he can pee on me some more...way beyond double digits at this point). Erin is allowed to drive today for the first time (Dr's orders) so I am trying to talk her into leaving the house for an hour or so to go get some Starbuck's or go by Target or something. We are going to try to go out tonight for a little bit as well. Maybe run by Circuit City, Target again, or something. The picture is from the other day when Erin and her mom went to walk around "The Avenue" shopping center. Hopefully the weather will cooperate today like the other day....although the rain is certainly a blessing for us around here these days.

Well, I wish we had some more exciting things to share with you at this point....but like I said earlier..."no news is good news."

Flying Solo

2007-12-19T19:29:00.000-05:00

O-daddy chilin' with Big Daddy......

Last night was our first night alone as Nina has left for Las Vegas with Rock. The boy slept pretty well through the night but wanted to eat around 3....and even though I told Erin that I would do it...she woke up and sat with him for about an hour. We got out of bed this morning and tried to breast feed for the first time in a while....and Erin did great. After a few minutes of fussiness...Little O latched on pretty well and fed for about 15 minutes total. Obviously we fed him some other milk we had refrigerated to top him off...but he stayed up for several hours and then fed again for Erin while I was at school. Two other times since then he has fed really well for about 10 minutes on each side. We are really excited. Brian is over here for the first time and Cayce and the kids are here too. Just wanted to share with all of you who might still be reading as you are probably the ones who are still praying for us on a regular basis. Thanks so much for all of your love and prayers and food and everything else that all of you have done to support us. Keep on praying and we'll hopefully see many of you soon.

First Bath

2007-12-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

O-daddy's umbilical cord fell off today....which meant it was OK to give him his first bath. If you know my wife at all....you know that would mean it had to happen today (she is quite the clean freak). It was amazing that she was able to wait until tonight to do it....but we hoped it would relax him and get him ready for bed. Turns out that was a good decision....as he loved the bath. He didn't seem really happy at first...probably just confused....but once he got in the water he was like a pig in slop.

We did have a follow-up visit to the doctor today and he weighed 7 lbs 12 oz...which is above his birth weight. Obviously that is a good thing. Dr. Jan was pleased enough with how well he is doing that she said she doesn't need to see him again until he is 2 months old. Baseball season will already be cranking by that time....and I bet it will be here quickly.

Uncle Brian and Grandma (great-grandma) Wolfgram visited today which was great. Mrs. Wolfgram's friend Mrs. Libby came too....as she is a good comforter for Mrs. Wolfgram right now. It was really good that Brian finally got to come....as he has always loved on the girls so much and is such a great uncle....he just lives on the other side of Atlanta and takes care of his mom most of the time....which has made it hard to get over here up to this point. Hopefully he (O-daddy) will get to spend a little more time with the rest of the family over Christmas.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

One more picture...

2007-12-15T22:50:00.001-05:00

We took this picture the other day and Erin loves it. She thinks it makes him look like an angel. She said I should post it...so here it is.

On another note.....Erin just called our child OG. She caught herself as she said it....but one step at a time, folks. One step at a time.

Quiet Days at Home

2007-12-15T22:22:00.000-05:00

We have a great kid. At this point, O-daddy only cries when he is being changed or when he is hungry....and even then its not that bad. Sometimes I let him cry for a few minutes just to get his pipes some work. I hope that's OK...but no one has told me otherwise yet. It seems I have a knack for helping my son relax a bit. Now I just told you all that he does not get all wound up about just anything.....so what kind of relaxing am I refering to? The

excretory kind. He has now peed on my no less than 4 times and has pooped while in my arms the last 4 times I have held him. At least I am not the only one that he has urinated on....as Erin and Leigh have both fell victim to the blast today....so at least I know its not personal.

Erin is one great mom. She loves our son very much and does so much for him that she is already sacrificing parts of herself for him. That's the part that we have to keep an eye on and make sure we pray about. She needs to get the rest she needs so that she can be all that he needs. We're learning. One day at a time...but we're learning.

Nina has been great and we really appreciate all that she has done for us. I think Sunday night will be her last night with us as she is going to Las Vegas with Rock for a conference of some sort...so we better be ready. She has handled most all of the nighttime duties to this point...so the real work is just around the corner. Big Momma has offered to fill in for a while if we still need more help...but we're gonna see what we can do without her first.

Tonight we are sitting around watching one of the "Love...." movies on the Hallmark Channel. They are kinda cheezy.....like "Little House on the Prarie".....even produced and directed by Michael Landon, Jr....so I like them just fine. If you didn't know...I'm a huge Little House fan and hope to complete my collection this Christmas of the entire series. My family used to watch the episodes together when we were growing up....and I hope to have "TV nights" for us where we watch those shows again. It would be ideal for that to happen....one of my dreams.

Its amazing to watch Little O change almost minute by minute. He looks so much like Erin to me its kinda scary. He has lips that are like mine were...and has a nice ridge across the top of his nose between his eyes like I do....but other than that....he's all Erin. I have always been a bit scared that I would have sons that are more like Erin than I (on the slim side of things) and that my poor daughters would have my body. All I can say is that will be one scary girl. Good thing about it would be that she wouldn't have many guys messing with her. There's always a plus side.

Just wanted to also say thanks for visiting this site as much as you have. This blog has also now shown up on the first page when you do a Google Search on "Orantes Grant". How cool would it be if the real OG checked us out sometime and dropped us a line. Maybe I could even have him sign Little O's forehead sometime. Sweet Action....that's what that'd be.

Great Day in L'town

2007-12-12T19:47:00.000-05:00

We actually made it through an entire day at home....HOORAY for Orantes. Erin got some good rest last night and was able to relax a bit better here at home...so O-daddy did better feeding with her as well. We are still using a bottle to help, but we should be on our way. I went to work today for the first time this week and things went fine except for one period (right, 5th period?). Exams are right around the corner so I will have a good two weeks off real soon. Nina and Ghee are being very helpful and Nina is staying with us....which is wonderful. Will and Cat are here now and are eating the little man up. Cat was in Beaufort, SC this weekend keeping her 8 nieces and nephews for her oldest brother who went out of town for a few days. She is so excited to be here and holding him...its fun to see her so excited.

The picture above is from the ride home last night. He likes to curl his legs up like a frog.....they are so long he had to keep them folded up inside Erin for so long....it must be comforting to keep them that way.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.....we went to see Dr. Jan again today and she was very complimentary of how well he is doing now. He has gained some good weight...up to 7 lbs 3 oz now....and that is just wonderful news. Dr. Jan told Erin that she has to sleep for 6 consecutive hours tonight so that she can get the rest she needs...and also so that her feeding might get a little more consistent. That means that Nina or me (I vote for Nina) gets to wake up for the night feedings tonight. She won't be here forever, so I need to take advantage while I can....right?

Anyway, Erin has a few words that she would like to share.....here she is...........

I just wanted to say one word to my sweet friends and all those praying for us. I have greatly appreciated and loved the encouragement and advice of everyone who understands my feeding issues. My emotions had hit their limit on monday and anything made me cry. Especially loved ones calling for an update on AJ and my time at home, and they had no idea that I was sitting in a small room for sick kids in an emergency.
And it was my kid in an emergency.
And it was my fault he was the way he was.(at least that was what my mind was telling me)
And it was...

I had hit my bottom on monday night with the emotions. Head wise, I was great and knew that my sweet baby was in God's hands and perfect plan. That connection to my heart was a little behind. Adam was trying to stop the flow of tears in asking that I get no more calls for a bit, but I did want you all to know that i felt your love in checking on us.

Speaking of my husband... I need say how incredible he has been since labor began. (I kinda freaked him out for a second early friday when I just happened to mention that I was having contractions and that I think they are 5 minutes apart. I had never been in labor and did not know for sure what I was feeling, so I felt no rush to be the pregnant lady that wakes her doctor in the middle of the night and makes a big deal of something that ends up being false labor. I do work in a hospital and know how nurses and doctors talk about patients. But after one minute of "oh my", he has just stepped into this new role and extended beyond the man I thought I knew.) Adam was calm and patient throughout labor. He did his job with the hehehehes, and then laughed with me as I discovered the joys of a body after baby comes out. And through every step of AJ's issues, Adam has been THE MAN. I could not and would not want to have walked through the last five days without my husband beside me. He is the warrior God has called him to be in every way for me and my family. Thank you Babe, I love you so much and thank God everyday for protecting us for eachother. You are my hero.

I love you all and will talk to you later. (And do notice that I use the name AJ.)

Home Again....

2007-12-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

We are home again!!!! Praise the good Lord above that we are not in the hospital another night. We are grateful for all the prayers that have been lifted up on our behalf and even though our boy doesn't know it yet....he appreciates them too. They came by around 7:30 to test his levels again which came back an hour or so later as being the same (even a little lower) as earlier in the day (very good thing). He got in one more good feeding around 8 and he celebrated by peeing on me. They released us around 9:30 and we got home to the two grandmothers waiting for us with the house all clean and smelling wonderful. They had cooked dinner (made me happy) for us and turned on all the Christmas lights (made Erin happy) and it is so great to be here. Little O is doing great and is eating well...even though most of it is from the bottle via a pump. We are hoping that being home in a more calm environment will help both Erin and O-daddy relax and work well for this feeding thing. Keep praying and we look forward to seeing many of you soon. We do need Erin to get some good sleep as she is definately running on fumes. We would really appreciate visitors....but ask that only family come by for the rest of the week. We love you all and thank you again for going through this with us.

Update....

2007-12-11T14:03:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to give you guys the latest update on how our boy is doing. The doctors came by an hour or so ago and told us that O-daddy is doing better and things look pretty good so far. To save you from all the medical jargon, we have turned off the "tanning bed" and waiting to see what happens to his counts for the jaundice. If his numbers continue to decrease from now until 7, they will send us home. If they go back up....we will probably be here one more (hopefully) night. Pray that things will go smoothly at this point.

On a side note, pray for Erin to relax while feeding. Little O isn't taking to her really well and we have seen 4 different lactation specialists in 4 days....one in each location we have visited. Although they are all sweet...they do not all provide the same info and it is putting extra stress on my wonderful wife. All she wants is for our baby to be healthy....but when different people give us different info, it stresses us out trying to figure out who to listen to. Also, we appreciate all the calls, but please do not call Erin anymore. Aside from her phone being dead (battery) from all the calls.....she is crying each time someone calls and she wants to stop crying. Hormones....can't live with them....pass the peanuts.

Who's Your Daddy?

2007-12-11T14:01:00.000-05:00

The other day at Dekalb Medical our wonderful nurse, Eartha, came in and gave us lots of little tidbits of information, one tidbit of which was our son's blood type. This of, course was very interesting to me...until they told us he was type O positive. My wife is O positive, so to the uninformed, that might seem OK. But knowing that my blood type is AB, all of my students should know that it would be impossible for this to happen. I raised the question with the nurse that they might need to check the reading again, but she did not seem very receptive to the idea. At this point there were two thoughts.....1- Either my son or I have been ID'd with the wrong blood type, or 2- this little guy was not my child. Given that #2 didn't seem very likely....impossible would be a better description.....I set out to determine whether I had been misinformed or if my son's test was incorrect. Since the folks at DMC did not seem interested in running the test again, I ordered one for myself that I would run at home at a later time. Who knew that we would need to know his blood type again so quickly? On Monday at the Dr's office, they asked his blood type, and we responded that we were told O pos...but didn't believe that to be the case. They asked why, I explained, and once again....they shrugged it off. Later at Eggleston they asked his blood type again...and once again we told the story. Dr. Ngyuen kind of giggled and said she'd look into it. A few hours later when we were getting some updates on things, she mentioned that he was actually A positive....not O as we were originally told. WHEW!!!! The doctor asked how I knew what was going on, so I explained. We all kind of giggled together and I made a big deal about it by calling Erin's dad to confirm that I was actually the father....and we laughed some more. Once again, thank the Lord the little guy didn't need any blood at DMC...as they might have given the wrong type. At least they would have given him type O...which we all know is (students in unison, please) THE UNIVERSAL DONOR. He would have lived.....but it would have been the wrong type. Kinda scary.

Tuesday Morning

2007-12-11T14:00:00.001-05:00

So here we are in the NICU at Eggleston on O's 4th day removed from the womb watching our son laying hooked up to all kids of monitors and IV's and stuff and "tanning" under a bright light while his eyes are covered with some kind of blinders. Its not exactly what we were expecting, as I thought I'd be back to work today and try to figure out what a "normal" day would look like. Even though it isn't ideal, it makes both of us very grateful that we live in a place like Atlanta with great opportunities at Children's Healthcare, in a time where they know what all is going on with all of these little hiccups with newborns. I can only imagine the helplessness that folks felt in the previous times when a lethargic baby who wouldn't feed might just slip away to be with Jesus because there weren't any doctors around....and even if there were, they might not know what was going on or how to treat it if they did. Needless to say, we are very grateful that the good Lord has placed us in this place and time.

On a side note, Insurance companies are "not nice", to use Erin lingo. My thoughts on them should not be shared in an open forum. However, I feel very comfortable saying that while the blessings mentioned above are from God....Insurance companies are from the Devil.

On to the NICU

2007-12-11T13:59:00.000-05:00

Our parents went and picked us up some Everybody's Pizza (brought back old memories of hang out time with the crew) and we were able to eat some dinner just before midnight. There were some really kind doctors here and our nurse, Michelle, was great. Nina had gone back to our house to get some things for Erin and to get my computer so that I could keep everyone up to date on what was going on. She got back up here sometime after 1 AM and brought so much stuff that she needed a huge red Radio Flyer wagon to get it all upstairs. Little did she know that the room we were in was pretty small and we are actually coexisting with another child (who has no family here or anything...kinda weird). We couldn't use everything she brought, but the change of clothes, my laptop, Erin's breast pump, etc. were all very nice. The nurses found us a couple of convertible chairs to sleep on that made the night a little better. I slept pretty well, as I can do so in any conditions at any time, but Erin only caught a few winks here and there. She is truly amazing though working on so little sleep (when she normally needs a good 9 hours) and is still "as wonderful as the day is long". I am so glad that she is my wife and the mother of our child (see "Who's your daddy article for a chuckle").

Tyson- the Man, the Myth, the Legend

2007-12-11T13:58:00.000-05:00

So we arrived at Eggleston around 3:40 and they got us back into a room pretty quickly. Nina and Erin were freaking out in the waiting room with all the other families around (if you didn't know it, they are extreme germophobes)...so it was good that they got us back there so quickly. We saw Dr. Ngyuen and she was very sweet in explaining why they were concerned and what they were going to be doing....which amounted to drawing some blood and running some tests. One of the head nurses, a guy named Tyson, came and got him and weighed him again and then got started trying to draw some blood. They were also going to put in an IV....and wanted to do all of this with one try. Unfortunately, this was not going to be the case, as O-daddy's veins were very small (he is only 3 days old) and he was dehydrated. After several attempts at several different locations, Tyson, who was absolutely wonderful (by the way) was called to a trauma case and "Downtown" Kisha Brown took over. She found a vein on her first try (which didn't come till almost 6 PM....just to give you a time frame) and we got some saline in him and started up the IV with electrolytes. We also tried to feed him a couple of times during this time in the ER but he still wasn't very cooperative. We then started having Erin pump (see the picture) and we introduced him to a bottle...which he has been taking pretty well. We were in a holding pattern until around 9 when they finally told us that his billirubin count (which leads to jaundice) was around 16 (pretty high) and they wanted us to stay overnight with Little O under a special light. After 2+ more hours of waiting, we finally headed upstairs.

First Doctor Visit

2007-12-11T13:56:00.000-05:00

We headed to Children's Medicine yesterday for our first checkup and we were in for a suprise. Dr. Jan Fitzgerald-Soapes is the doctor there and she is wonderful (see picture). Dr. Jan was my family's pediatrician (also my mom's BFF) and is the doctor for my sister's three kids as well. We saw that Cayce was there with Bennett (strep) and it was kinda sad that we couldn't hug or kiss them...but we waved and Bennett seemed to perk up a bit when he saw we three there. We had him measured again (still 21.5" even though his cone head is a bit better) and he weighed 6 lbs 13 oz...which raised some eyebrows. Apparently that is a bit more weight loss than the 10% max that is expected. He has also been very lethargic and was sleeping almost non-stop. It was very hard to wake him to feed...and especially when breastfeeding he would fall asleep almost as soon as he started. Erin was frustrated as she felt like this was her fault...but everyone has been great and told us that little boys find it harder to figure things out than do girls (no big surprise to most of you females out there). The real issue was that he wasn't peeing or pooping like he should.......which meant that he was dehydrated. He also was getting a bit more yellow, which means jaundice....which is likely due to the fact that he was not excreting the things that he was supposed to be getting out. All this to say that Dr. Jan sent us to Eggleston to get him checked out.

We're Home!!!!

2007-12-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

Here are the pics of the trip home, from Erin and baby in the wheelchair to the front door. Enjoy

Going Home

2007-12-09T11:58:00.001-05:00

We just got discharged and it is time to pack up and head for home. Hope the car seat works like its supposed to. Just got all the birth certificate stuff filled out...thank you all for voting. O-daddy will be very happy with his new name. Erin will probably take over the blog after a day or two....so let me just say thanks to all of you who have checked it out while I was responsible. Feel free to check back from time to time to see what's going on. Thanks to everyone who visited and will do so at home as well. See you then.

Miracle Woman to the Rescue

2007-12-09T10:37:00.000-05:00

Our lactation specialist, Mary Anne Lattrell, has been so sweet and wonderful to work with. We saw her at 10 AM this morning and we had the best feeding yet. She taught us several other options to try to get him to feed better...but he actually latched on very well on his own and stayed there longer than ever before. I guess it will get better from here...but we know that there will still be speed bumps along the way. Just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and let you all know that we love MA Lattrell.

The picture is nothing new from today...but just one to get some pics on the site today. Enjoy

Planet Eartha!!!

2007-12-09T07:46:00.000-05:00

Our RN from yesterday, Eartha, is back. She is much sweeter than our RN from last night and asked Erin to try to feed for her. She checked the baby first and we had a wet diaper (first one that we know of....a good sign) and as she was changing him he went again (another good sign that he is getting something). Erin tried to feed again but to no avail....and Eartha said she would send the lactation specialist right in when she got here. Keep praying that we will figure this thing out.

The Nigerian Nightmare

2007-12-09T07:04:00.000-05:00

Erin asked if I had blogged about our nurse from last night yet.....and I told her, "No, not yet....I don't want her to see something and get mad." But Erin reminded me that her shift ended at 7AM, and its doubtful that she has any clue about this anyway. Now that she is off-duty, I suppose I can tell y'all that she was "not nice" (Erin lingo) and did not make us feel very worthy to be parents. From the get-go last night she was telling us how concerned she was that we were not doing things right with feeding the baby. She never even introduced herself (or wrote her name on the little white board) until around 10 PM when I finally asked her what her name was. Litterally, the first conversation was asking Erin why the baby wasn't eating really well, etc and what we were doing about it. Well, given that we are not health care professionals and this is our first baby, we don't know why the boy's not eating....and as for what we are doing about it- We are doing everything that we have been told to do to the best of our ability. He ate a little bit sometime before 10 and then again a little around 12:30. He woke up a little past 1:30 crying so we tried to feed him then too...and he did OK till about 2. We tried to wake him up around 4 but everytime we put him next to Erin he was zonked again....so we let him sleep. The Nigerian Nightmare returned a little before 6 (we were going to try again at 6:30) and started getting onto Erin about the baby not eating, etc. I'm sure the nurse felt like she was being calm and polite, but she was pretty terse and unencouraging (I know this, because I come across this way daily). Regardless, Erin is trying her best and I am doing all I know to do to encourage her and help her....but this lady was the pits. Here's hoping our nurse for this rotation is as good as our first couple. We'll soon see.

Early Bird....

2007-12-09T06:55:00.000-05:00

If the early bird gets the worm....my boy's gonna be a night owl. Once he gets rolling on the sleeping thing he does not want to try to wake up to eat. He was unable to do basically anything at 4:30 and then at 6:30 he gave a couple of minutes of good feeding....but once he gets latched on...he gets comfortable and goes back to sleep. The lactation specialist should be here in about an hour....so hopefully that will help. Pray that we get some good news on this stuff, as I know Erin is frustrated....even though she is trying very hard not to show any and to stay positive.

Cute Picture

2007-12-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

We are still having a bit of trouble with the little guy latching on for feeding, so the lactation specialist suggested that we try to use a syringe to get some formula in him to get his blood sugar up. This photo is from over Erin's shoulder looking at him feeding. Tell me this kid isn't an Orantes. C'mon people...I need your votes!!!!

Family Pics

2007-12-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd give you guys some pictures to look at of many of the family members holding the baby. We got a little Willie, some Big Mamma (Ghee), Leigh Bee, The Rock, and Nina. I also threw in a pic of Erin and her two sisters from last night in honor of the round trip that Becca took from Lynchburg to be down here. Enjoy!

Give Pops some props!

2007-12-08T17:02:00.000-05:00

Just thought everyone should know that I just changed the dressing on the circumcision. O-daddy didn't like it much....but he calmed down pretty quickly. I am pretty impressed with myself.....and I need some more votes for "Orantes" to show how impressed the rest of you are with me. Thanks in advance for all the votes.

One more night.....

2007-12-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

We are not going home tonight. The hospital pediatrician and our nurse both recommended that we stay here for a bit longer due to some feeding difficulties at this point. He is feeding right now and trying a lot harder than before (he has been sleeping almost non-stop to this point) but we are still not doing great. The lactation specialist will be here in the morning again, so staying one more night will give us a chance to meet with her again. From everything we have heard...this is not uncommon....but please pray that this little boy will start eating like his dad rather than constantly sleeping like him.

Just to clear things up.....

2007-12-08T15:36:00.000-05:00

Apparently there is a lot of confusion about what the baby's name is/will be. If you are on this blog you have hopefully read the post to the right about the original Orantes Grant and the promise that I made in regards to his name being bestowed upon my son. My wife has never agreed to this and still does not...although it is what I have always said will happen. The birth certificate has not been filled out yet, but her desire is to name our child Adam Bennett Cantrell, Jr. (AJ for short). We'll see what happens when the time comes for the certificate to be completed....but until then....let us know what you think. Comment back to us and let us know your opinions on the names. Who knows...maybe it will help change my wife's mind. I have now found a way to let you all vote. Check out the poll/results to the right. Let us know what you think (c'mon Orantes!!!!).

O-Daddy in Da Hizouse!!!!

2007-12-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to Heather Heaton for the embroidered onesie with his name on it. I have been opposed to anything monogrammed...but I can't complain about this. C'mon....how sweet is this?

Call First

2007-12-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

The Doctor told us we can go home today...and Erin kinda wants to....so that might be happening tonight around 6. Please call us first if you are planning to visit the hospital. We might stay....don't know yet. Just be aware. Thanks.

BLACK OUT!!!!!

2007-12-08T10:07:00.000-05:00

Dawgs are #1!!!!!!!

A New Day has Dawned....

2007-12-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

Well we made it through the first night rather unscathed...but not well rested. We had lots of friends and family visit last night while the baby was in the nursery...and we thought they might keep him in there all night (which we requested so that Erin could sleep), but they brought him in around 10 PM. He did really well overall but kept scaring Erin with these little spit-up choking spells periodically. Erin is pretty sore overall and takes a minute or two to get up an down out of bed....but when this little man started with the gagging stuff, she was up on her knees bending over the baby in a millisecond. She is going to be a very good mom.

The baby actually slept from about 2 AM to 8 AM without hardly stirring. Erin tried to feed him at 4 and 6 (because they told us to) but sometimes a boy's just gotta rest (I think this means he will be like me). He seems to have a pretty big nose at this point, unattached earlobes, and his eyes have both brown and blue (dark hazel?) streaks.... which are all daddy characteristics for sure. His long legs, arms, feet and toes are momma's. I can't wait to see how he looks in a week or so....but I would say he is overall favoring his momma at this point. When I was born I was completely purple with tons of hair and was already "tons of fun" whereas Erin was a very pretty baby from the get-go. This baby has great coloration, not much hair, and is very long and lean.

Dr. Daus is here now and is checking on Erin. He just performed the circumcision and we are trying to figure out when we are going to leave. He says we can leave today if we want....so I guess we need to talk about that. More updates later.

FYI- Ben came by last night and told me that all the posts had a Pacific Time with them...so I corrected that this morning.

First Pics

2007-12-07T18:25:00.000-05:00

The first is of the baby...then of he and I...then of Little O with Erin. More to come. Changing rooms now.

ITS A GIRL!!!!!

2007-12-07T17:31:00.001-05:00

Not really.....but thought that might be funny. The Little Boy was born at 5:02 PM on the 14th round of pushing....21.5 inches long and 7 lbs 10 oz. APGAR score was an 8 on the first read. Erin was an absolute champ. She pushed so hard and did so good. Poor skinny thing couldn't get the big head out so we got ourselves a conehead for sure. He has darkish hair and really long feet. The eyes won't open enough to really tell what color they are...but they seem dark with a ridge of blue around the edge. He has been so calm now that Erin is able to hold him. Lots of family in the room now so I need to get. I will post pictures soon as I can.

Love you guys. Thanks so much for praying.

We're pushing....

2007-12-07T16:21:00.000-05:00

Guess this stuff takes a bit longer than I thought. She has done three rounds of pushes so far and we can see the head just a bit. Coming soon.....

Hurry up and Wait!!!!

2007-12-07T15:42:00.000-05:00

Don't remember when the last post was....but we've done a bunch of nothing since then. Erin is feeling a good deal of pressure but the Doctor hasn't even come in to check her and the nurses act as though it is no big deal. I think Big Mama went to find Dr. Daus and try to drag him over....but to no avail. I do believe this is the first time in my 32 years that my mom has attempted to get someone to do something and failed. For those of you who don't know....she can be very persuasive. I guess Dr. Daus (who delivered all three of Cayce's kids) knows her too well to let it influence him.

FYI- I took a peak but can't see anything. Erin wanted me to check to make sure O-daddy's head wasn't peaking out or anything....but it wasn't.

Another FYI- for those of you who might not know how great an epidural is....Erin is actually resting through the contractions to get a little bit of rest before the rest of the action begins. Waiting for that adrenaline rush now....let's hope the medicine doesn't wear off before someone actually lets her do some pushing.

OK....

2007-12-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

Apparently this is real. They are really going to let us have a baby and probably let us take it home. Is there a test? If so, I am in trouble...although Erin is well educated and will hopefully help me cheat. Students, I didn't just say that.

They just got the table all set up and the baby bed thing and all that. Little O coming down the shoot. Gonna be soon. Swwwwweeeeeeeet Action.

Almost Time

2007-12-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

Erin is fully dilated and fully efaced (whatever that means)...which apparently means we will be pushing very soon. We are losing our Nurse, Angela, in 5 minutes...so we'll have someone new for the actual delivery. Angela was great though. We'll miss her. Probably won't blog again until all is done. We'll see.

Moving right along....

2007-12-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

Erin just received her epidural a bit ago and she did really well. We had a great Doctor who let us know exactly what he was doing and when...and what she should expect with each step of the procedure. After that was done her contractions stopped hurting so much although she can still tell when they are coming. She is still loopy from the medicine from a while ago and she is resting pretty well. Funny thing is the she keeps slipping in and out of sleep and while sleeping she will have conversations (out loud) from her dreams. Pretty hilarious actually.

She was just checked and she is now almost 8 cm dilated....which means (should mean) that we might not have much longer.

We'll see.

We're in a Room!!!!

2007-12-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much for praying. We just got moved into Room 2016 and it is big and nice. I don't have to hold this computer in my lap anymore either. She is dilated to almost 5 and is at station zero...not that I really know what that means...but the epidural is coming now. They just wheeled in a big cart to get ready for the next step....so it shouldn't be long now before the epidural is in. Her contractions have been hurting pretty good for a while now and her contractions are about every 2 min or so. Maybe after this I can get a picture in....but for now...this is all you get. Sorry.

AC

Update #1

2007-12-07T11:17:00.000-05:00

We are still not in a delivery room...just this little closet of a room that they put us in originally. They just gave Erin two different medications, neither of which I can spell....but it is helping her pain a lot and she is already going to sleep. It seems like she might be regretting taking the stuff now....as I don't think she really wants to sleep....but that is what is happening. The nurse is trying to ask her questions but Erin is so loopy now that she is having a hard time even answering the questions. She is going to try to sleep...but we'll see. Lights are pretty bright....but this closet gets pitch black when we turn them off...so she wants them on. OK...mouth is open and light snoring has begun. Check back later.

AC

Here we go....

2007-12-07T10:46:00.000-05:00

Erin started to have contractions last night about 1:30 but didn't wake me up until I got up for school. She was having them about 5 min. apart but with little pain....so we waited until after 8 to actually call the doctor. We came down to Decatur to his office and by 9:20 he said we were ready to go. She was dilated to 3 cm at that point and he sent us on over to the Women's center. Before we even left the office her water broke and the race began. We got over here only to find out that there are no rooms available which means no epidural for now. We are in a little cramped room that is some sort of holding room...and it gets crowded fast. Erin just got her IV and is doing so good. She is having contractions about every 2-3 min and is almost dilated to 4 now....so the epidural can come soon. Keep praying that we get in a room quickly so that we can get this show on the road. Who knows...it could be hours from now....but given that Erin didn't sleep but for an hour last night....let's hope it happens a little sooner rather than later....but not before the epidural and not before we get into a delivery room. Keep you posted as things happen.

By the way...I'm not going to be able to post any pictures until we get into a space with more room so I can connect all the wires for the camera, etc. to bring the pics over to the computer.
I'll post them when I can.

AC