Poor Baby #2

Poor Henry...I'm sorry I haven't kept up with this blog with updates about you. Between taking care of you and keeping your big brother entertained, seems as if time to just sit down to type is few and far between. I'll try harder, promise. So what can I say about you sweet Henry... well first of all, you have been the BEST baby I have ever known. From the first night we spent together in the hospital, you are the easiest baby to take care of. You have always slept well through the night, only waking for feedings, and then going right back to sleep in my arms. We spent the first 6 weeks (probably more) on the couch in the living room at night. That sounds a lot worse than it is. It's a really comfortable couch :) Daddy was still working while I was home on maternity leave, so I stayed out there with you so he could sleep through the night. At first you slept on a little baby lounger pillow right next to me, this was when you wouldn't hardly move at all. Then you started sleeping on my chest or right next to me on the couch. I know they say this is not the best idea and you should sleep in your own bed. But we were fine and when you're that little and cozy it's hard to watch you be all alone in a crib. You were a little congested when you were really little, so from there you went to sleeping in your swing. It propped you up a bit, so it was easier for you to sleep through the night. I think it was around 4-5 months, maybe sooner, that you started sleeping completely through the night. You now sleep in your crib, which is in our bedroom. Joel has taken to sleeping in our bed, so while it doesn't make for the most comfortable sleeping conditions- I kind of love that we're all there in the same room while we sleep. Right now you're a little over 8 months old. You love to go, go, go when you are awake. The only time you really settle down and let me hold you is when you're having a bottle. Otherwise, you want to crawl, pull up, explore... Everything goes into your mouth. EVERYTHING. The hardest thing has been keeping Joel's little toys off the ground so that you don't choke on them. Because you really only like to play with his toys, not the baby toys we have for you. And so it begins... :) The only time you cry is when you are hungry and I am not fast enough with your food. When you get tired you'll rub your eyes and whimper a little. I'll put you in your swing for a nap and down you go. See what I mean? Easiest baby. You have never had a long, drawn out bout of crying like most little babies do. There has never been a time I felt helpless like I didn't know how to make you feel better. I'm telling you, best baby ever. You seem to look like Joel, but you two don't have the same eyes. I think your eyes will end up looking more like mine. You are a chunker. Big boy all around. You're head is especially big, but not in a looks-weird kind of way. It's just something us Del Castillos have- big heads :) You're starting at a new daycare school in a couple weeks. I am so anxious about it because I want whoever you spend your days with to love you like I do. I love my job as a teacher, but it is hard knowing I spend so many hours away from you and your brother each week. Luckily we have so much time together during the summer and over holidays- I feel like I get to know you boys all over again during those vacations. Speaking of vacation- we went on our first (with you) real vacation, although it was short, this summer. We spend a few days in Galveston. You did really well at the beach. I sat with you in the shallowest part of the water, and of course, you just tried to shovel muddy sand into your mouth. We brought the playpen and set that up so you could have a sand-free place to hang out. You really loved the pool at the hotel the best. You even made some friends- little kids in the pool came over and wanted to talk and play with you because you were being so cute splashing and squealing. So it looks like you'll be walking by your first birthday- you already love to pull up and try to stand on your own as much as you can. I'll make sure to stay up to date on your new milestones as you hit them. I love you sweet baby!

Four Year Old Joel's favorites (better late than never)

Show: Team Umizoomi Color: blue Food: Spaghetti Toy: cars Store: HEB Friend: Jiovanni Drink: water Movie: Walking with Dinosaurs Holiday: Halloween Place: Dinosaur Museum (Witte) Animal: Dinosaurs When you grow up? Paleontologist I forgot to ask Joel these questions on his 4th birthday, but this will do :)

Henry's birth announcement!

Stationery Card

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Henry's birth

Thursday, November 21, 2013

6:00am- We arrived at Methodist Stone Oak for our scheduled induction on Henry's due date.

Between 6:30am-7:30am- The nurse tried to start my IV and my vein apparently "popped" twice. She kept saying, "It popped. Oh no. This is not good. It popped..." and I could feel blood spurting out of my hand, even though my head was turned and I couldn't see anything. This caused me to start feeling very nauseous and lightheaded, just like I had previously experienced at work a couple weeks back. The doctor called this a Vagel response/episode. Basically, the stress of the situation causes my blood pressure and heart rate to drop quickly and drastically. Which also affected the baby and his heart rate. The nurse called another nurse in to try the IV in my other arm. She did so with no problems. I looked up to see 4-5 nurses in the room looking at the baby monitor. My doctor was called in and he said he wasn't sure this baby was going to tolerate labor- not a good thing to hear. So Dr. Feinstein told me he wanted to let the baby and I relax for a while before we started any induction techniques.

9:00am- Dr. Feinstein came in and broke my water and started pitocin. I had been having contractions on my own, so the nurses were thinking this was going to go quickly.

10:20-ish- I sent Kristin a text that contractions were starting to hurt.

11:07am- Texted, "I'm about to say screw this and get an epidural." Then they upped the pitocin, so it was ago on the epidural.

12:00pm- I got an epidural. BUT it didn't work, not completely. My right side of my abdomen was numb, but the left side didn't take for some reason. The pain from the contractions went from being in the low center of my stomach to all of the left side of my torso. It hurt so bad I couldn't talk through them- all I could do was lay on my side and try to breathe through them. At one point I did start crying too. I remember the anthesialogist kept coming in and trying to give me more medicine, or adjusting the line in my back, but nothing was helping.

2:15pm- Dr. Feinstein came into the room dressed in his scrubs and ready to go! The nurse had been getting a little frantic beforehand and was moving around quickly. I'm not sure if I was a little out of it because I was still in a lot of pain, or if she just didn't say much, but the time before this all happened very quickly. A few minutes before Dr. Feinstein came in, Dr. Dubois came in again and gave me a double dose of medicine in the line in my back. So right before I started pushing, I FINALLY was numb on both sides. I remember pushing when the nurse told me I was having a contraction. We would do sets of three pushes. I could feel in my face I was pushing as hard as I could, but I couldn't feel my bottom area at all- so it was hard to tell if I was doing it right. All I could go off of was the nurses and Dr. telling me good job and that I was moving the baby down.

2:27pm- Henry is here! I was shocked when I opened my eyes to see him coming out- it happened so fast! They laid him on my stomach and he immediately started to pee, mostly on me :) The Dr. asked Benny if he wanted to cut the cord, but he didn't since he "doesn't feel qualified for that", so then the Dr. asked if I wanted to- so I did :)
7 lb. 5 oz. 20.5 inches long with beautiful dark hard and a healthy set of lungs. Love at first sight <3

Welcome Henry

Henry,
Welcome to the world baby boy. Today you are a week old and it just happens to be Thanksgiving Day. How fitting :) This year we have so much to be thankful for, and you definitely top our lists. I have adored you since the moment they laid you on my chest second after your birth. Your daddy loves you so much and is always so gentle with you. Your big brother Joel is smitten with you as well, and says the sweetest things like, "I could just hold him all day mommy." (Even though his holding you sessions as usually about a minute long and then he's ready to get up and go again).
At one week old you sleep. You wake up to eat every 3 hours. And you sleep. And sleep. I know this phase won't last forever, so I am soaking up all the snuggling time I get with you. You sleep best at night in our bed lying right next to me, and I definitely sleep better that way. Thank you :)
We had a lot of time together in the hospital since you roomed in with me, rather than going to the nursery. Your daddy went home at night since there was just a chair for him to sleep in, so I was able to take care of you by myself- which I didn't mind and actually enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know you!
Everyone says how sweet and easy of a baby you are. I agree of course. I always wondered how it would be to have two children and if I would be able to love another baby as I do your brother. But you have come into our family seamlessly. I already can't imagine life without you. I have been overcome with emotions a few times since you've been born. Not stemming from frustration or exhaustion, but of an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love. I know I am blessed beyond what I probably deserve with you boys. I am so thankful you are healthy and thriving. And I am thankful to have the opportunity to be your mother. I won't let you down- promise.
So welcome to the world sweet Henry David. I hope you see the best of it.
Love,
Mommy

"It's probably a brother,"- Joel, Age 3

Well Joel was right! Baby brother is due this Thanksgiving and we couldn't be happier. Benny says he knew all along that it was a boy, and he really didn't ever mention much about it possibly being a girl. I honestly didn't have much of a hunch this time around. With Joel, I did really feel like it was a boy. This time, I think I was maybe preparing myself for it being a girl since we already have a boy- but I went back and forth as to what "feeling" I had. But on Thursday, June 27th we solved the mystery.
We went as a family to the sonogram to find out if Joel was having a brother or a sister. Everything looked good on the baby, weighing about 9 oz and all healthy organs. At the very end of the appointment we finally got to see the goods :) Henry David Del Castillo was clearly a BOY!
Joel isn't sold on the name. I think because he has a little boy at his daycare named Henry, so when we say the baby is Henry, he thinks we're saying it's that Henry. Before we found out the sex, Joel wanted to name the baby Pancake if it was a boy, and Cupcake if it was a girl. Now he says we'll just call him Baby Boy.
We came up with Henry David before we even got pregnant this time, so we haven't had to do any name searching or going back and forth. I loved the name Henry when we were pregnant with Joel, but Benny didn't like it. After Joel was born, we were talking about the possibility of baby #2 and Benny all the sudden loved the name. I think the idea of maybe calling him Hank sold him on the idea. His name is Henry, not Hank, just to be clear. David is my Dad's name and since Joel's middle name is Benjamin after Benny's dad, we thought that would work nicely.
I am so happy to be a mommy to two boys. I can't wait to see them play together and pick on each other likes brothers do. I hope they grow up to be close, best friends and always watch out for each other.
This will probably, 99% sure, be our last addition to our family- which of course is bittersweet. It's nice to know this is our family and we are set, but of course a little part of me will miss the possibility of having another baby. We were going to name the baby Mabel if it was a girl, so maybe we'll have to save that name for an addition of the four legged kind :)

Father's Day 2013