The first Doctor's Appointment

We went to the pediatrician for the first time today for a weight check for Derek. He was born at 6-7 but lost weight down to 5-12. We left the hospital at 5-14. It was an adventure. To weigh him they made us strip him down to his diaper. Once he is on the scale, we had to remove the diaper. So the riot began... While trying to get a reading, he tinkled. He sprayed Mike, the nurse, and myself. He also managed to soak the scale even after being covered by a paper towel. We were all laughing pretty hard. In the end though we had great news. Our little guy now weighs 6-6. Yeah!! His feeding frenzies of the last few days have paid off. The doctor was quite impressed with how quickly he had gained weight. We really like our pediatrician and were able to ask a ton of questions. We go back in a week for the normal 2 week appointment. It was a fun morning.

While we were out, we decided to run by a baby store to pick up a few things. Derek did great on our outing. He slept the entire time while we were at the store and on the way home (about 2.5 hours total). We got many "oohs" and "ahhs" about our little guy.

After our exciting day we decided to stay home and rest for the rest of the day. I will post more pictures in the coming days.

Have a great New Year's Eve. Here is to a great, joy-filled 2008!

Fun times at home

We have had a great weekend. We are trying to figure out if there is any schedule so far. Derek has been quite the eater which is good. He had already lost 10% of his weight by the time we left the hospital and seemed to be losing more. He has been eating every 1.5 hours in the past day. Last night he even had a feeding frenzy that lasted nearly 3 hours. Needless to say, because we slept so little last night we slept in to try to catch up a little.

This is what Derek says : Daddy has stories from today too. I peed on him two times today and even managed to get some poopies on him today. Now Daddy and Mommy make sure to use the washcloth to prevent such problems. Have I got the aim!! I have gone through 5 outfits already today. I am a fashion yes!

Tomorrow we go to the pediatrician to see if he has gained back any weight. It should be another adenture.

Reflections on the last few days

We are home! Yipee. We came home on Friday morning. We celebrated Christmas as an extended family for the day. Go to Al's blog to see other pics from our Christmas. Here are just a few random observations from the last few days and some fun pics of our gorgeous baby. Baby boot camp is crazy but we are loving it. So if something doesn't make sense please remember I am sleeping quite less these days (and so grateful to be).

We were in the hospital for 4 nights. This is because we had an unplanned c-section to meet our Derek. I went into labor on my own right as Christmas Eve came. We spent about 12 hours in the hospital before he came. It looked like it would be a routine birth. I came in dilated to 4 cm and moving right along. Then my labor got stuck so I got the dreaded pitocin after all- which was fine because I already had an epidural for really painful back labor. This was the first indication of trouble. He was facing up not down. I ended up having a c-section after he couldn't turn completely, he was a bit in distress, and they thought he was too big for my pelvis. How is a little 6 pound baby end up being too big? My initial disappointment was quickly gone when I found out he was in distress. I just wanted him safe. I thought I would continue to be sad but when I heard him cry it all ended. He was ok. He was healthy. The rest just didn't matter.

The nurses are your best ally. We had an amazing staff help us. The healing curve is really steep for a c-section. I thought on Christmas that I would never make it home without a miracle. How God created our bodies to heal is really spectacular. I am feeling really good- aided with drugs. I am learning how to slow down and let my body heal.

My husband is a gift from God. I love MIke- I knew this- but watching him care for our son is amazing. Yes I am crying as I write this. Because of being so out of it, MIke took over. He is amazingly nurturing. He bonded with Derek even more quickly because of how sick I was. I didn't change a diaper for days. (I still have only done one by myself). The selfless ways he loves our son is amazing. The nurses kept asking me to clone him. I can't wait to watch him be a daddy. He takes great care of Derek and of me. I had to ask him to hold Derek because he was a baby hog! He is awesome.

My family is selfless. We had a few wonderful days to spend with each other and then Derek came. We still had a great time together but it all changed. They took care of our doggies, they brought MIke and me meals, they loved on Derek, they cleaned our house, and they kept us sane plus so so much more. They left today and I cried as I watched them leave. My parents and Al are example to me of servanthood. The nurses would laugh as they would come into the hospital room to us playing Settlers and laughing. We actually had a ton of fun in the hospital. Watching them love Derek was fun.

Thanks for praying for us. We feel it. We are doing great and learning so much!

Jen & Baby

Jen is still somewhat wiped out from yesterday, so I get to do the blog again. Thanks to Alli for putting up the pictures for us last night while our hands were full. Everyone is doing fine after the big day yesterday. The wee one has produced 3 pretty nasty diapers that daddy got to change. We got a few hours of sleep which apparently is all that baby's think parents need. Our nurse was nice and watched him for a couple of hours so we could sleep. The hospital is pretty quiet, I think that they wanted something to do. I just shot some video this morning and am hoping that it will post, I guess I will see soon enough......Here goes...

We have a baby

We have a new baby!

Michael Derek.

Mom, dad and baby are doing well.

His stats:
19 1/2 inches;
6 lbs 7 oz.;
2:37 P.M.

Baby coming

Jen is in labor right now, so I get to write the blog since she is in bed. It started about 12:30 this morning. She is pretty happy right now because her epidural is working good. She is pretty far along right now, we are not doing too bad after only 4 hours. More to come later...

Still preggers... but with hope

I am still pregnant. I am officially due on Tuesday- Christmas Day. My little guy is enjoying his time inside and doesn't want to come out quite yet. I have tried all the tried and true ways to induce labor but he just isn't ready. The doctor thinks the baby is around 7-7.5 pounds about now (a pound bigger than both MIke and I were). I saw the doctor yesterday and there is an end in sight. I will be induced on December 27 (next Thursday) unless he comes sooner. Yeah!! I am very excited that my family will get to meet him before they go back to WI.

My parents and Al come tonight!! I am so excited. The house has been cleaned (daily for about a week) and I am just giddy with excitement. They are leaving a white WI for a rainy Portland. For us Christmas is not about gifts but about enjoying time with the ones you love. Mike is excited for reinforcements- although I am a lot less crabby the last few days. He is REALLY excited about more people so we can play Settlers of Cattan together. We played with friends this weekend and he is ready to go and conquer- I mean play.

Have a wonderful Merry Christmas. Enjoy family and friends. Enjoy the gift of remembering Christ and his birth. My own little Christmas miracle will be here soon. Wait for the pictures! God is so kind to us!

Where can I go for Christmas?

Lucky was enjoying her time in the box. She wants to go somewhere for Christmas and be a part of all the boxes coming and going around here. What she doesn't know is that her most favorite person in the world is coming in a few days- Auntie Alli. Grandma and Grandpa are pretty cool too and will be a fun surprise. I can't wait to see them!

Actually the box was for the "box of shame." Mike has a thing for shame objects lately! She has been naughty lately and jumping into bed with us during the night. Mike thought a few minutes in the box would cure her. I am sure the very thought of it worked as she has been better the last few days. Hehe.

I am still preggers. My doctor has put me on "lay low" status- a type of modified bed rest. I am to have my feet elevated and resting as much as possible. Do you know how hard this is? At first hanging out on the couch and reading was fun. Now I am going crazy. I know I should be appreciative of this time of rest but if I am going to be sitting down doing nothing, I would much rather be exhausted, sore, and caring for the baby. The real person to feel bad for is Mike. I have been a "bit" crabby which is probably a HUGE understatement. Please pray for patience for me and a better attitude, endurance for Mike, and for this little guy to come soon!!

Our bathroom is done!

We have our bathroom back! Yeah. Unfortunately I don't have a true "before" shot. The walls were white with gold suns and moons. The old vanity was huge. As you can see the shower had seen better days. That is mold that was found under the floor. Gross! We love our new bathroom. Our contractor did a beautiful job. The dogs are sad that he isn't here everyday to give them affection.

Still no baby!

Need a laugh?

It is official, I am huge. I am due in 3 weeks. My doctor thinks the little guy may stay in the whole time. Whoever said a woman is beautiful at 9 months is on crack.

At least it is red so it is festive...

Alex is now wearing the cone of shame. We have caught her several times licking her stitches. Tonight we realized she was also biting them and has now removed one. Hopefully the lampshade will help. I find the whole ordeal hysterical- of course it is at her expense. Laugh with us!

Alex's surgery

Alex had her surgery today. She is now back at home. They removed a mass they were concerned about and it turned out to be a nasty fatty mass with no long-term damage. She is really tired and still in some pain. I need to try to keep her mellow for the rest of the afternoon. Lucky is concerned about Alex and keeps walking over by her. Hopefully our dog will heal quickly.

Crazy crazy week

It has been a crazy week and it is only Wednesday...

We visited the hospital maternity ward on Monday night. It is really nice. The people are great. When I walked in they thought I was there to deliver the baby. It was nice to see the rooms and to know the "secret" entrance that zips you right up to the birth center.

The contractor started ripping out our bathroom on Tuesday. The problem is not as horrible as previously thought but once gutted lots of mold was found. Gross. Thankfully the problem is not more extensive and the renovations shouldn't last more than another week or a bit more. I will be sure to post pictures.

Yesterday Alex (the big dog) had to go to the vet. I have been to the vet with the dogs at least once a month this year. This time we went- yes Lucky wanted to go too-probably to get treats- because Alex has a lump by her leg. She will have surgery on Friday to remove the lump and determine what is wrong. We are trying not to worry about our sweet doggie.

Today I had my weekly doctor's appt. On the way, we were rear-ended. The guy who hit us then took off. Thankfully neither Mike nor I was hurt. We had a wonderful officer who helped us file the hit and run report. They are trying to track down the guy from the license plate number that Mike managed to grab. It doesn't look good. We will find out tomorrow just how extensive the damage is. Ah 1000 miles on the new car and it is damaged. We did get to our appt. a half-hour late. I have 4 weeks left to go and everything looks good. Just when I think I can't get any bigger- I am. I may post a picture-- we'll see. I have decided that growing out of maternity clothes is not a self-esteem builder! Before I looked like I swallowed a basketball- now I have either swallowed a beach ball or a watermelon. Apparently the little guy is getting cramped and is trying to break out- or at least stretch. He moves a lot!

We will see what the rest of the week holds. The important thing is Mike and I are safe, healthy (we were sick last week), and doing great- the rest is the small stuff!

Our updated kitchen

We painted our kitchen this weekend. It looks great- sunny and fun. I don't know if you can tell in the first picture but we had 1980's era country wallpaper with little red hearts. I took off the wallpaper several months ago but other projects kept getting in front of painting. It is now done- I just need to hang the curtains. To be fair- Mike did the painting and I helped with the prep and the touchups. He did a wonderful job. Our house keeps looking better and better.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We have had a wonderful holiday. We have so much to be thankful for! We stayed at home because I am not allowed to travel. We had several offers from friends locally but we decided to stay home after being sick this week. We slept in a bit and then walked the doggies. We had a beautiful fall day. Then we watched my Packers win the game. We get so few games out here that to watch a game is a huge treat.

We just finished a fantastic dinner- a team effort. We had a very moist turkey (soaking in brine is the key), homemade sausage and cranberry stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, and cranberry relish (my grandma's recipe). We had sparking juice (no wine for me). We used our china- it just made the meal taste better.

The only thing left is pecan pie- sent from Mike's parents in Texas. It is is the most amazing pecan pie you will ever taste.

We plan to finish our day watching episodes of 24 season 4. Of course, we must also stay up to midnight to see what the sale at Apple will be. Hopefully we can get our imac a bit cheaper.

The nursery is done!

We finally finished the nursery this weekend! It looks so cute. We set-up the changing table and the crib. We also have a glider that was a gift from Mike's parents. It feels so nice to have this done. All the baby clothes are washed, the nursery is ready, meals are in the freezer.... bring on the baby!

We also finished one of the guest rooms and the other will be done by tomorrow. My parents and Al are coming for Christmas so we are all ready for them. We are so excited to see them in a month.

The last big thing to get started will be the gutting of the master bathroom which begins Monday. Hopefully this project will only take 2 weeks. I will be sure to show before and after pictures.

Reflections from Halloween

Last night was a riot. I think it was the first time I have handed out candy. How can this be? I think it is that in WI most trick-or-treating is done on Sunday afternoons and I was busy with church. Although there may have been times I hid when the doorbell rang so I could just eat the candy myself...hmm... Anyyways. Here are my favorite parts/comments:

-a little girl asking me are you pregnant? (Mike's favorite)
-I like the m&ms (as they are being grabbed from my candy basket)
-The little 3 year old lion that said doggy and started going into our house to see the dog better. The dogs enjoyed it as well.
-20 or 30 something guys out dressed as a construction worker and a beer man (complete with a beer box for candy- old milwaukee no less)-- with no kids with them. I guess they just wanted candy. Hysterical.
-People with tiny babies and candy buckets-- who is eating the candy? At least they had older kids as well.
-My favorite: A woman dressed up in costume and her little child in the stroller in the driveway with the dad. At what age is it appropriate to dress up your kid so you can get the candy? If this works- I should have gone trick-or-treating this year!

Overall- I loved the adorable little kids who were just thrilled to be out, grateful for candy, and truly thankful. It was also nice to see families out together enjoying each other. I can't wait until next year!

Happy Halloween!

The doggies wanted to go trick or treating- mainly for the candy. I didn't think it was a good idea. I dressed them up anyway. I had to bribe them with dog treats to get them to sit for me! The kids will be coming soon for candy but I couldn't convince the doggies to stay dressed up. Oh well!

I know I have been a slacker with updates. I will try to be better. On another fun note, we started childbirth classes last night. Mike kept making comments and making me laugh. He thinks he is a pro and knows all of this because he saw a special on the learning channel. We will see!!

Corn Maize

We went to the corn maize on Saturday in Portland with the youth group from church. We put our new minivan to good use driving the jr. high girls to the maize. The maize was a ton of fun but was really muddy. It was so muddy I got stuck several times and nearly fell on my face. We had hot apple cider, got our pumpkins, and ate an elephant ear. It was fun to be youth leaders again.

Baby showers

Friday and Saturday were my baby showers. They were a great time of fellowship and good food with friends and family. My mom had my baby blanket (made by my Aunt Janet) rebound. I hope the baby loves my blankie as much as I did. My beautiful 86 grandma was there as well. Isn't she lovely?

It is offiical that this little guy has an insane amount of clothes. He will be the best-dressed little guy. He is already so loved by so many people!

Packer Game

Lambeau Field was the site of an amazing game against the Chargers on Sunday. We had a great time. The baby is officially a Packers fan although his daddy is still not convinced (the poor guy is a Raiders fan). It was great to be in WI: to enjoy a sunny day, to see Favre tie the record, and to enjoy each other. Go Pack!!

Hiking around Mt. Hood

We took the dogs hiking on the Salmon River Trail on Sunday. The trail was around the base of Mt. Hood. The scenery was beautiful. We all loved our time enjoying nature. The dogs had a blast. They spent the rest of the weekend sleeping.

The $250 bag of candy

It all began at IKEA. Mike didn't want to charge $2 for ice cream so he told me to get the bag of Daim bars (wonderful swedish toffee if you haven't had them). All was fine until we got home and dropped all the bags on the floor. The dogs ended up finding them and a scuffle ensued. Alex bit Lucky. Now they get into it now and then but this time Alex bit Lucky's ear and drew blood. We ended up at the emergency vet. 6 stitches and $250 later we took our drugged doggy home. The doggies are fine and getting along again. There is never a dull day with our doggies.

Rocketman gets me in trouble...again

Why do movie quotes get stuck in your mind? They happen to come out of my mouth at inconvenient times. Rocketman gets me the most... I followed procedure...the zulu uprising...and others. Thankfully Mike and Al usually appreciate my quotes but...

Happy Labor Day.. . have fun and relax!

Rose Garden

We also took Mike's mom to the Rose Garden. It was wonderful. Here is a preggers picture for all of you. There is certainly no doubt that I am pregnant.

Here are more pictures of Alex and Lucky enjoying the water. Lucky was pretty funny. She cried when Mike walked away to look for shells. He found me a whole sand dollar.. his goal of each trip!

Lucky's first day at the coast

Lucky had her first day at the coast. We went to Cannon Beach on Friday afternoon with Mike's mom. Lucky loved playing in the surf with Alex. It was really cold water. They both were very tired after our exciting day.

halfway there

We are going to have a baby. It still seems unreal, yet we are half-way there...20 weeks. Crazy. Our first ultrasound is tomorrow. Should we find out boy or girl? Will the baby cooperate? So many decisions to make. How will our lives change by the end of the year? Only time will find out!