End of the Year

Wow, time has flown by. Ethan Kiran Abraham was born on January 27 at 2:33pm. He was 4 weeks early and 7 lbs 2 oz, 19 inches long. The cord was wrapped around his neck, so when he came out (by vacuum after two hours of pushing), he was white and not breathing. Then, he spent seven days in the NICU for four reasons: 1) he couldn't keep his oxygen saturation levels high enough, 2) they needed to give him antibiotics through an IV in his forehead, 3) he was jaundiced and put under the lights for 24 hours, and 4) he wasn't gaining enough weight fast enough. When he finally came home, we were ready for him.

I didn't like leaving him in the nursery, but I was able to catch up on sleep, finalize preparations for bringing him home (since he was early) and Mohit and I were able to get lots of advice and practice at being first-time parents. The doctor let me stay in the hospital an extra two days (I had a fourth degree tear), so for the last three days Ethan was still at the hospital I would arrive at the nursery about 8:30am and leave to go home around 10:30pm.

Man do babies sleep a lot in that first month! Even with all that sleep, we were worn out feeding him every three hours! Crazy. Mohit's family came to visit for Ethan's dedication at the end of March. They were here for almost three weeks; great times! April 13 I returned to work. I had enjoyed staying home with Ethan; I was very depressed returning to work. However, the first day back I was welcomed with a poster my students had made letting me know how much they missed me. Since I had to go back to work, I was thankful it was to a job I love. By the fourth week back, I was excited about working part time next year. (Mohit had lost his job at Teradyne and not found another one, so I was going to be the bread winner). When Mohit accepted a job on Friday, May 22, I had a decision to make - whether to continue and work part time or take a leave of absence for one year. While I love teaching, I only get to see Ethan grow up once. I hate being tired and unable to appreciate the time I have with him when I come home from a full day of work. So, I am cleaning out my room and am SO excited to have the option to stay home with my wonderful son! School ends June 22...only 13 more days of work before FREEDOM!

You can see pictures of Ethan from 0-3 months and 3-6 months.