March Madness

Baby Frankie's early arrival has definitely created its own kind of March Madness in the Martin household.  And although he was exactly two weeks early, his timing was impeccable.  Mommy's goal all along was to work until delivery.  That's what she did with TJ, and that's what she did with Frankie.

Mommy went to work on Thursday after learning she was already dilated at her appointment the day before.  Grandma was flying in from Denver that night, and the contractions started coming during lunch that day -- nothing regular, about 15 minutes apart for a little while before dying down.  Grandma was supposed to land at SFO at 10:20 p.m., but the pilot failed to show up in Denver, delaying her arrival til 1:30 a.m.  Mommy was getting a little nervous since the contractions were coming off and on throughout the evening, but Frankie managed to stay in through the night. 

Mommy had Friday off since the NCAA tourney canceled her newscast that day.  So, we all headed to Toys R Us, and Grandma delivered on her promise to get TJ a Lightning McQueen bike for his Big Brother Gift.  He absolutely loves the bike, and he rides it really well.  While he took Grandma & Daddy on bike rides around the block, Mommy's contractions picked up again, but by bedtime, they had calmed down again.

Then, came Saturday.  Mommy & Grandma took TJ to gymnastics, then stopped by In-N-Out for chocolate milkshakes on the way home.  TJ, Grandma & Daddy went to the park to ride bikes and play while Mommy's Colorado girlfriends threw her a Skype Baby Shower.  It was so fun to get to see the girls, and they were so generous with their gifts for Mommy & Baby Frankie.

After the shower, we went for a walk, then headed to the nearby shopping center to wander around in hopes of "getting things going."  That worked.  Mommy ended up going to the hospital to get checked out Saturday night, and while talking with the nurse, the water broke!  We were admitted to the hospital, then we waited and waited and waited.  Labor was 17 hours, but it wasn't a grueling 17 hours.  The doctors and nurses kept everything moving slowly as to not stress Mommy's heart because of her SVT.  The delivery was easy -- Mommy only had to push 20 minutes, and we were all joking and laughing with the doctor (Lesley Meister) and amazing nurse (Tina) in between pushes.

Then, at 5:01 pm, Robert Frank Martin II was born!  He was 6.14 lbs 19 3/4 inches long, and practically perfect in every way! 

A few hours after he was born, TJ & Grandma showed up to meet him.  TJ was so happy his baby brother was finally here, and every day it has been a joy to watch him with his little brother.  Nana flew in the next day for a quick trip to meet Baby Frankie, and after two nights in the hospital, it was time to come home and be a family of four.

So far, things haven't been too overwhelming, but that's mainly because Grandma has been here helping us out, cooking, cleaning, and keeping us all sane.  Daddy points out, the first few nights were quite a shock because we were "out of shape."  But, it's like riding a bike, and we're getting the hang of things again!

Baby Frankie is a good little guy.  He's a hearty eater... by 9 days old, he hadn't just reached his birthweight, he was 7 and a half pounds!  He's an easygoing baby who doesn't fuss much (only really when he's getting his diaper changed.)  Even when he's hungry, he doesn't do much fussing... just a lot of grunting!  He grunts, squeals and whimpers while he's eating and sleeping -- it's so funny!  He's a very sweet boy who picks up his head and moves it around, and he loves to follow his brother's voice.

And that big brother, TJ couldn't be a better big brother.  He is always helping with diaper changing, feedings or anything Baby Frankie needs.  If he sees his blanket has fallen off, he runs over and gently puts it back on Baby Frankie.  TJ is sweet and loving, and he says things out of the blue like, "I love my baby brother."  "He's so cute and so tiny."  We haven't seen any jealousy.  Instead, TJ gets upset when Mommy puts Frankie down in his playpen or bassinet.  TJ wants him to be next to him always, and he loves to put Frankie in the "baby chair" (our bouncer) so he can sit by TJ and watch him play.  It just melts our hearts watching the two together.  We can't wait to watch the two grow together.