gus

On Sunday Oct. 24, 2010 at 6:10 in the morning, our second son, Augustine William Weisse was born. To us he is just Gus (or Gus Gus or Guster or a variety of different nicknames).  He was a week late and Mom was more than ready for his arrival.  If he held out much longer I was ready to induce despite the fact that I didn't actually want to have to do that.  I probably would have been more patient if Halloween and Jimmy's Birthday weren't slowly sneaking up.  I had already avoided a Halloween baby once and I was getting worried this one might just ruin my prior good luck.  I also didn't want my kids to have to share a birthday.  However, Gus decided to be a good little boy and give me a week between birthdays.   This will be helpful to me in the future, but they may admittedly end up having a few joint birthday parties that may also be Halloween parties.  The end of October will be a busy time for me for the rest of my life.  Gus was also a little bit more helpful to me on the labor end than his brother was.  Jimmy gave me almost 48 hours of labor and little Gus gave me 4!  I started feeling contractions at 2:00 am on Sunday.  They weren't very intense but they were already about 5 minutes apart which is when they tell you you can go ahead to the hospital (some theories say 3-4 minutes though).  I woke Zach to tell him that it was starting, but that they surely had a lot of time since we live 2 minutes from the hospital.  I wanted to spend as much time at home as possible since I spent way too much of it at the hospital last time.  When the contractions started getting a little worse we called my dad and he got to our house around 4:00.  We finished getting everything organized and packed and by 5:00 when we got in the car I could tell the contractions were pretty intense and were now suddenly coming 2 minutes apart.  I was able to walk myself up to the maternity ward (stopping frequently) and when the triage nurse checked me she said, "Are you ready for it?  You are completely dilated!"  She thought I would be shocked, but I was not surprised based on how I was feeling.  I thought the baby was going to come out right then.  Once they got me in the labor and delivery room, I kept insisting that the baby was coming and I needed to push, but everyone around me seemed busy doing other things .  A nurse finally looked at me after I begged and said, "I don't see the head yet."  My midwife still hadn't arrived so they brought in the doctor on call.  They asked me if I wanted to wait for the midwife, but I said I didn't care who delivered the baby, but that it needed to happen as soon as possible. Little Gus had a sort of traumatic entrance into the world since he came out a little sideways and sort of got stuck and had the cord around his neck and was all purple.  They quickly fixed everything and got him breathing.  He was fine after that, but he does have some burst blood vessels in his eyes to show for all of it.  What a joy when I finally got to hold him!  It is so nice to be done with labor and have this wonderful little guy to show for it.  I just knew it would be a boy.  I do think I will have all boys after all (God's little joke on me for saving all my Barbies and dolls).  I am exited for Jimmy to have a brother closest in age to him.  Gus looks so much like Jimmy to me sometimes.  He does have his own look to him, but other times it is like deja vu. 

Jimmy was super excited to finally meet his little brother.  When I told him the news over the phone he didn't really say anything, but my dad said he was smiling a lot.  Then when my dad relayed the message to him saying, "You have a little brother named Gus." Jimmy responded, "No! Oliver!"  He said it with a smile, however, so I guess me fears of him crying when he didn't get the name he wanted were quelched.  He has mentioned it again a few more times and tried to convince us that the babies name was actually Oliver, but he came around to Gus pretty fast.  He has actually had more trouble not calling the baby "Fred" but I had trouble with that at first too.  Jimmy got to spend the night and day with Baabee which he was very excited about, but I guess he did start to miss us a little when it was bedtime.  All in all he is adjusting relatively well. He loves his brother, but sometimes a little too agressively. We are working on that.  

His eyes crack me up in this one.

Our first family picture.

.... Gus still looks like a little alien, but that is okay.

Gus with "Crazy Old Maurice" as my dad likes to call himself lately.

The Burches came to visit and took turns holding him.

And, of course, Mimi dropped by.

Lucia inspects Gus.... mostly she just wanted to touch his hair.

Gus and the Kerstings.

With the Gorraiz family.

And with my Godparents, Uncle Dick and Aunt Sharon.

The end of a long, tiring, wonderful day.

On the start of Day 2, he  was looking a little less red faced, but he still resembles a little old man which only seems to make his name more fitting

Sometimes when you are the primary photographer of the family, you have to take measures into your own hands.

... I just love catching him with his eyes open.

Jimmy came back for a second visit before spending a fun filled day with Mimi and Aunt Emmy.

And he discovered that Gus has even softer cheeks than Mommy.

Then Uncle Danny got to come meet the little guy and keep us company for awhile.

Then it was time to head home.

So I am obviously a little obsessed with this little bugger.  It is so crazy how this little person grows inside you for so long and you know you are going to love him, but when he actually comes out you immediately love them more than you could have imagined.  I feel so blessed and happy with my life right now.   I am feeling good and recovery had been much easier this time.  Thank you God for this wonderful gift.