On the Move!

Like Father, Like Son - Part 2

Like Father, Like Son?

Who needs pants?


Taken August 21 while getting ready to go to a wedding!

Esteban and the Swing

For his 3 month birthday, we thought it would be nice to take Esteban to the park and try him out on the "big kid" swing!







We think he likes it!!

Esteban and the Jolly Jumper - Take 2

At 2 1/2 months he's gotten a lot better!!!

Big Kicks!!

This looks painful but, judging by the smiles, it probably isn't!

I'm Getting So Strong!!

"I freak my parents out with this new trick"

"I can hold my head up!!!!"

Esteban's First Play Date

"Mama took me to my first play date so that I could make new friends. We went on the subway and Mama had to carry me in my stroller up some stairs since there was no elevator and my stroller was too big for the escalator. Yikes!! She's pretty strong though so she made it up safely. Then we met Rubi and my new buddy Chris, Christella and her son Cash, Julie and Raphaelle and Janet and Amelia. Rubi used to work with Mama so it was nice for them to get together. We went to a park on the Danforth and the moms had a picnic. All the other babies ate but I was happy to sit in my stroller and look at the trees. After the moms ate, I invited everyone to play with me on my blanket. I had fun and I didn't cry once! Then, on the way home, we stopped in at Papa's office to give him a hug and meet his work people. I got mad at them and yelled. Finally, Mama & I walked home and I had a nice nap!"
Chris is telling me a story... I'm not sure I believe him

My due date was May 17 but I was late, Chris was born in March but his due date was supposed to be May 18! Next to Chris is Amelia who was born on May 22 then Cash who was born on May 26. Finally, the little girl beside me is Raphaelle and she was born on June 16 (I think...). She didn't mind me bonking her on the head so I like her.

Waiting for the subway - it stunk.

On the way to Papa's office! I can't wait!!

Esteban and the Colourful Beads

Just like his father, Esteban is attracted to all things colourful and fashionable!

The Newest Soccer Star...

...or not.

Swimming With Papa

Armed with some stylish shorts from his baby cousin, Mailyn, Esteban & Papa take to the pool at the Hyatt Regency.

Esteban and the Jolly Jumper

Okay, we're pushing it a little too much with the Jolly Jumper but it's pretty cute!

"Esteban's Taking a Bath...'Cause He Peed All Over the Place"

Esteban and the Tummy Time Flyer - Take 3

So far...not much.

What Esteban Did Today

Here is Esteban's first hand account of what he and his Mama got up to today. Listen carefully - you won't want to miss a thing!

Esteban and the Tummy Time Flyer - Take 2

Esteban and the Tummy Time Flyer - Take 1

Bath Time!

Esteban received this awesome Spa Baby tub from his Auntie Mysh and he just loves to sit in it. It makes him so happy that if we could guarantee that he wouldn't have any "accidents" we'd leave him in it for longer than 5 minutes.

The Poo Series - The Title Says it All

Whoever said that a picture tells a thousand words was right.

Whew!

It's been a pretty busy 6 weeks since Esteban came into our lives. There's certainly a lot more multitasking involved in our days! The little man has grown SO quickly and he's already developed his own little "look" - no more generic baby face for this boy. You can really start to see the mischief in him. It's pretty tough to say if that mischief comes from Mom or Dad... You decide!

At this point, Esteban's lungs are certainly more developed and he's got more "words" in his vocabulary. He says "Ah goo" a lot and his cries are pretty distinct - you can tell the hungry cry from the wet cry from the "I'm just grumpy" cry. Speaking of development, at 6 weeks, he's already 13lbs and 24" long - he's gained a bit over 4lbs and grown 3"!! He's a newborn trapped in a 3 month old body!!

Tough Little Man

As the days rolled on during our hospital stay, the wonderful staff at Mt Sinai noticed one wee imperfection in our Little Man. He was breathing far too rapidly for his little body. By Thursday of our stay, he was breathing at a 100 breaths per minute!! Normal for a newborn is between 40-60! Esro was healthy otherwise - blood pressure, bowel movements, he was gaining weight... but no one knew what was up with his breathing!!

I tell ya, it's a pretty heartbreaking sight seeing your kid poked and prodded while he wails. They eventually decided that he would be put on some antibiotics in case he DID get an infection from the meconium. In order to do this, Esro had to have a constant companion for 48 hours - an IV. Heartbreak.

He pulled through. Super healthy. No infection. PLUS, despite all the stress, he managed to be discharged from the hospital having regained all of the weight he lost and then some!!

Weight at birth - 8lbs 13oz
Weight at discharge - 9lbs 1oz

Brave Little Guy

So peaceful...

Getting my meds

HOME TIME

Ohhh...May Long... So Very Long...

At this point, our little bean is officially a week post-date with an induction scheduled for the 27th. We had an ultrasound on the 21st that told us that Ezzie was in good shape but weighing 8.8lbs!!! Throughout this pregnancy, I've been pretty adamant about not wanting an epidural but that number was the deciding factor. Ouch.

I spent May 24 in a lot of discomfort. The plan was to walk, walk, walk to get the baby out. So walk, walk, walk we did... 6 hours of walking. I was having some pretty good contractions but nothing that felt newsworthy. Finally, at 9pm we went to the Labour Triage because we finally got some good movement going!!

Once we arrived at triage, they did an exam to see that in fact I was dilated but just a wee 3cm. The solution? Go for a 2 hour walk!! AAAAAARGH!! I guess it was a neat way to spend May 2-4... a stroll through Dundas Square to watch some breakdancers. Upon returning to triage, another exam yielded only an additional cm of dilation BUT the Dr also found some meconium!! Ezzie was so stressed out in his little home that he pooped :(

It was decided then, around midnight, that I would be admitted to see if labour could be spead along. 6 hours of Oxytocin later only yielded an additional cm of dilation. It was pretty much determined that Esro was too big and in too much distress that he was not going to come out the natural way. The meconium situation was scary because it could lead to respiratory issues (more on that later) and infections and other non-fun things. So, after about 16 hours of labour and drugs and consults the decision to perform a c-section was made.

At 1:52pm on May 25, 2010...

...Esteban Rogelio Brown was born to the beat of "Hey Mama" by the Black Eyed Peas. He came out at 8lbs 13oz, 21", covered in poop and received in love. Welcome to the world, Baby Boy Brown!!


The last photo without Esro


Listening to some music during the procedure



Here he is!!


"Here I am!!!"


Papa snipping me free!


First Family Portrait!!!