Thursday, April 2, 2015
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Just the other day I prayed for a sign. Hard. I wanted to see something or hear something. I wanted to know that my sweet William was with me. Nothing came. And then a friend posted a rainbow emoji on my Facebook status. It immediately took me back to the day that we celebrated William's life.
It was such an emotional day. It was a day that I didn't really know I wanted or needed. He was so young and we had already had family in town the week before for his baptism. But we had a small church service that was followed by fellowship at my moms house. We decided to do a balloon release for him. When deciding how many balloons to get I realized he had been with us on Earth for 107 days. So I ordered 107 balloons. {logistically I hadn't thought of how to actually pick up 107 balloons from the store...but we did it!!}
It was a GORGEOUS day. Fluffy white clouds and the brightest blue sky. We all grabbed a couple of balloons and headed outside.
All at once we let the balloons go. It was a magical moment watching all of those balloons stick together and fly high in the sky. They could have scattered, but they didn't!
Later that afternoon after most of the family had left, we were sitting around my moms house and a storm came through. At the end of the storm, God presented me with the most beautiful gift I have ever received.
It was like He scooped me up and said "Sara, he's ok. He's home now". At that moment it hit me harder than ever : how can anyone question the power of the Holy Spirit? How can it be that just hours earlier we sent 107 colorful balloons up to the heavens and now I am witnessing the most beautiful, end to end, DOUBLE rainbow. GOD was there for me. He knew what I needed and when I needed it. My sweet boy was in the arms of the most Heavenly Father. It simply took my breath away.
Today, I may hope for a sign, but I know that I have received the most precious sign ever. A welcoming gift into the Heavens on that day...and I was able to witness it.
As I sit here wanting to celebrate my sons birthday WITH him, I know he is having a far better celebration elsewhere. No tears today because the only song that comes to mind is "this is the day that the Lord has made, let us REJOICE and be glad in it!" Happy birthday William. Not a day goes by that I don't celebrate you and love you.
{Here's a little history of my "signs". I lost my dad when I was in my first year of college. For some reason rainbows always followed me after that. And then I lost my papaw a few years later. When we moved to California I was having a really difficult time. One day out of nowhere, a rainstorm came through and produced a double rainbow. I knew it was the two of them reassuring me it would be ok. About a year later, on the day I found out I was pregnant with Jack, a double rainbow appeared out of nowhere...}
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Peace
Peace. It's one thing I've prayed daily for. I know God hears my prayers, and yours, because the peace and strength he gives my soul is amazing. I have always loved God, but until now I've never really understood the true meaning of needing Him. This passage is so truthful for my situation. It is now that I need him most and I'm able to put everything I've loved and learned about Him into practice. He has shown me mercy and given me strength when I needed it most.
Philippians 4:7-9 (NIV)
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
It's been one month since I lost my sweet boy. Since William's passing, we received test results the surgeon ran the day of his surgery. Because of his symptoms, they believed he had William's Syndrome (nothing to do with his name). This was something presented to us the day of, so we didn't have any time to look into it ahead of time. It turns out he did have William's Syndrome which is a rare, genetic disorder. It is not something that we passed down to him or something that happened to him while I was pregnant. It is a complete anomaly. I'm not a huge fan of google, but it's the best way to learn about this disorder. What is Williams Syndrome
William had it worse than most; in fact, his heart was the worst his surgeon had seen in over 20 years. He was in surgery for about 15 hours. Unfortunately, he never came off the bypass machine. The night he passed, most of you were helping us prayer for a miracle. What you may not understand is that even though he didn't make it, we are at peace with what happened that night. His suffering ended and he was finally sleeping peacefully.
There was nothing the surgeons could have done for my sweet boy. There was no solution for his heart and he would have struggled without the surgery. Had they discovered it earlier, it wouldn't have changed anything. Most WS patients aren't diagnosed until much later in infancy. We are so thankful to our pediatrician for finding it so soon. He was (and is!) in God's hands and He needed him up in heaven more than I or anyone else needed him on earth.
The morning before I lost my sweet William, my best friend sent me these encouraging words.
"Stumbled upon this and had to share with you:
In Joshua 1:9, God clearly instructs us to remember the importance of staying strong when going into battle. In fact, He commands us to be:'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.'
Mama, you are strong. Persevering. Tough. Able to bend without breaking. Willing to be humbled to the point of humiliation. Not blinded. A hunter for wisdom. A praying-through-it woman. A courageous mama."
It's been one month since I lost my sweet William and even though some days it's easier, some days it's tougher than I would wish on any enemy. I have not broken and will not break. I look at these encouraging words and know that my heart is still so full of loving people. My life continues to thrive for my little Jack Jack and my family.
I hope you continue the prayers and continue to send us love and words of encouragement. Some days I want to dig a hole and never come out. I want to cancel all plans and stay at home so I don't have to face anyone. Other days I'm ready to take on the world. Every minute of every day is a new challenge.
I am SO thankful for the 3.5 months I had with him. It may have been a short 107 days, but they were my William's 107 days. I praise God for every. single. moment.
Philippians 4:7-9 (NIV)
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
It's been one month since I lost my sweet boy. Since William's passing, we received test results the surgeon ran the day of his surgery. Because of his symptoms, they believed he had William's Syndrome (nothing to do with his name). This was something presented to us the day of, so we didn't have any time to look into it ahead of time. It turns out he did have William's Syndrome which is a rare, genetic disorder. It is not something that we passed down to him or something that happened to him while I was pregnant. It is a complete anomaly. I'm not a huge fan of google, but it's the best way to learn about this disorder. What is Williams Syndrome
William had it worse than most; in fact, his heart was the worst his surgeon had seen in over 20 years. He was in surgery for about 15 hours. Unfortunately, he never came off the bypass machine. The night he passed, most of you were helping us prayer for a miracle. What you may not understand is that even though he didn't make it, we are at peace with what happened that night. His suffering ended and he was finally sleeping peacefully.
There was nothing the surgeons could have done for my sweet boy. There was no solution for his heart and he would have struggled without the surgery. Had they discovered it earlier, it wouldn't have changed anything. Most WS patients aren't diagnosed until much later in infancy. We are so thankful to our pediatrician for finding it so soon. He was (and is!) in God's hands and He needed him up in heaven more than I or anyone else needed him on earth.
The morning before I lost my sweet William, my best friend sent me these encouraging words.
"Stumbled upon this and had to share with you:
In Joshua 1:9, God clearly instructs us to remember the importance of staying strong when going into battle. In fact, He commands us to be:'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.'
Mama, you are strong. Persevering. Tough. Able to bend without breaking. Willing to be humbled to the point of humiliation. Not blinded. A hunter for wisdom. A praying-through-it woman. A courageous mama."
It's been one month since I lost my sweet William and even though some days it's easier, some days it's tougher than I would wish on any enemy. I have not broken and will not break. I look at these encouraging words and know that my heart is still so full of loving people. My life continues to thrive for my little Jack Jack and my family.
I hope you continue the prayers and continue to send us love and words of encouragement. Some days I want to dig a hole and never come out. I want to cancel all plans and stay at home so I don't have to face anyone. Other days I'm ready to take on the world. Every minute of every day is a new challenge.
I am SO thankful for the 3.5 months I had with him. It may have been a short 107 days, but they were my William's 107 days. I praise God for every. single. moment.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Memorial Service Information
William David Swanson
A Memorial Service for William will be held on Thursday July 24, 2014 at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (607 N Greene St, Greensboro, NC 27401). Sara and Jonathan ask that this be a celebration of William's short life with us.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been set up for a bench that they can take with them wherever the Marine Corps sends them. Click here to access the memorial fund.
The outpouring of love and prayers make them stronger every day. It's going to be a long road, but every minute of every day gets them a little closer to their new normal.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Sweet William
It's with a heavy heart that I write this blog update on Sara and Jon's behalf this morning. Last night around 9 PM, our sweet William died. His wonderful doctors, Drs Mill and McNull and everyone else who oversaw his surgeries, did everything they could to save him but by last night they found that his bleeding was too extensive. The decision was made by Jon and Sara to turn off the machine keeping him alive. He left us quickly and without any pain. Sara and Jon have deeply appreciated everyone's prayers, and need them now more than ever. No arrangements have been made to memorialize William but we will keep everyone updated through this blog.
Our family has felt so loved through this process from all of you. The outpouring of well-wishes and prayers, and Sara and Jon's own steadfast faith in God, have kept them going in this trying time. All day yesterday we knew in our hearts that things were looking bad. Our prayers for William were for him to find peace in whatever capacity God saw fit, and last night we believe that He answered our prayers by letting that sweet boy go without pain or anguish. Thank you again for all the love you've shown my sister and Jon during this time.
George
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Update
Surgery didn't go quite as planned. He had more blockage than they originally thought. The surgeon did clear all of the blockage, but when they took him off bypass his left ventricle wasn't functioning. He opened him back up and tweaked a few things and was able to get some function back. Because of this, he thought it was worth it to put him on ECMO (life support for heart and lungs). They are hoping this rests his heart enough for him to regain full function. We have a 3-5 day window and then there is nothing more they can do. We didn't get to see him until almost midnight yesterday so it was a long, long day for everyone involved. This morning they put him on dialysis to help rest his kidneys. They would not be taking these steps if they thought he couldn't recover. The doctor said it's 50/50.
Our God is bigger than this. William is His sweet little boy. We've just been blessed to call him ours on earth. Please continue praying for our family. We need strength to help him be strong on his journey.
Our God is bigger than this. William is His sweet little boy. We've just been blessed to call him ours on earth. Please continue praying for our family. We need strength to help him be strong on his journey.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Pre-op appointment
Hi everyone! Today we had the pre-op appointment for William. We met with the surgeon's nurse, anesthesiologist, had a chest X-ray, blood work and EKG done. It was a busy day!
The nurse clarified a lot about tomorrow's surgery. The doctor will open his chest (2-3 inch incision) and he will be put on bypass. The surgery will start at 8:00am and last about 6 hours which includes about an hour of anesthesia prep. We will be at the hospital at 6:30am to get him prepped. He is the first and only surgery for Dr. Mill tomorrow.
He will be fixing two areas of narrowing. One is the aortic valve and the other is at the top of the aortic curve. They will use donated tissue to fix these areas. The pulmonary artery also had blockage, but they believe he will grow out of that so there is no need to fix it. The nurse says it is not common for babies to have this much blockage, but it is something they have seen and have fixed.
One of the biggest concerns is his blood pressure. Since his heart is beating twice as hard (literally) as it should, they are worried that once they open the valve his body won't know what to do with a normal blood flow. Depending on his reaction will depend on his time in the PICU. They are thinking he will be there for about 3-4 days for any normal reaction. During this time he will be under sedation and have a feeding tube. He will have a lot of IVs and monitoring devices hooked up to him.
Today went as good as could be expected. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same! Thank you for the continued prayers. I'll keep you posted as much as I can!
"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."
-Corrie Ten Boom
The nurse clarified a lot about tomorrow's surgery. The doctor will open his chest (2-3 inch incision) and he will be put on bypass. The surgery will start at 8:00am and last about 6 hours which includes about an hour of anesthesia prep. We will be at the hospital at 6:30am to get him prepped. He is the first and only surgery for Dr. Mill tomorrow.
He will be fixing two areas of narrowing. One is the aortic valve and the other is at the top of the aortic curve. They will use donated tissue to fix these areas. The pulmonary artery also had blockage, but they believe he will grow out of that so there is no need to fix it. The nurse says it is not common for babies to have this much blockage, but it is something they have seen and have fixed.
One of the biggest concerns is his blood pressure. Since his heart is beating twice as hard (literally) as it should, they are worried that once they open the valve his body won't know what to do with a normal blood flow. Depending on his reaction will depend on his time in the PICU. They are thinking he will be there for about 3-4 days for any normal reaction. During this time he will be under sedation and have a feeding tube. He will have a lot of IVs and monitoring devices hooked up to him.
Today went as good as could be expected. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same! Thank you for the continued prayers. I'll keep you posted as much as I can!
"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."
-Corrie Ten Boom
Saturday, July 5, 2014
A woman who fears The Lord is to be praised
11 days until surgery
Until then....
We carry on with our normal lives. Just because we receive devastating news doesn't mean the world stops. We might wish it could...but it won't. We have to balance our normal lives with the huge elephant still standing in the room.
From the outside, William seems fine. His hands and feet get clammy and I panic at the mere sight of him breathing too heavy or quickly. Other than that, he's a normal little three month old! He is starting to kick his feet, smile and move his hands all around. He coo's and babbles and is very alert.
We've gotten a lot of the logistics figured out and I am SO thankful for family that has offered to help. Our support system is amazing and we couldn't do it with them. A lot of details are still up in the air so we are having to be very flexible and patient right now.
Emotionally, I keep reminding myself that I am strong and will remain strong for my boys. I keep going back to Proverbs 31 and trying to match up to what a wife of noble character is.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
I've always been drawn to that passage, but now it impacts me more than it ever has.
Thank you all again for the continued thoughts, prayers, cards and everything else. We are blessed to have so many prayer chains going across the country!!
Until then....
We carry on with our normal lives. Just because we receive devastating news doesn't mean the world stops. We might wish it could...but it won't. We have to balance our normal lives with the huge elephant still standing in the room.
From the outside, William seems fine. His hands and feet get clammy and I panic at the mere sight of him breathing too heavy or quickly. Other than that, he's a normal little three month old! He is starting to kick his feet, smile and move his hands all around. He coo's and babbles and is very alert.
We've gotten a lot of the logistics figured out and I am SO thankful for family that has offered to help. Our support system is amazing and we couldn't do it with them. A lot of details are still up in the air so we are having to be very flexible and patient right now.
Emotionally, I keep reminding myself that I am strong and will remain strong for my boys. I keep going back to Proverbs 31 and trying to match up to what a wife of noble character is.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
I've always been drawn to that passage, but now it impacts me more than it ever has.
Thank you all again for the continued thoughts, prayers, cards and everything else. We are blessed to have so many prayer chains going across the country!!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
July 16, 2014
July 16, 2014
We have a date! His heart surgery will be on July 16 8:00am at UNC Children's Hospital. We will have preop appointments and meet the surgeon earlier that week. Not much more information has been provided, but we know that he will be in ICU for a little while and we still expect a hospital stay of 2 weeks to a month for recovery.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
We have a date! His heart surgery will be on July 16 8:00am at UNC Children's Hospital. We will have preop appointments and meet the surgeon earlier that week. Not much more information has been provided, but we know that he will be in ICU for a little while and we still expect a hospital stay of 2 weeks to a month for recovery.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Hurry up and wait!
Hi everyone! I wish I was coming to you with a surgery update...but no such luck! However, today we had a follow up appointment with Williams normal pediatrician. He has been with us since William was born and Jacks pediatrician before that. Can I just say that he is amazing? He is a very down to earth guy and knows when to put on his 'parent hat' to keep me from panicking. He said it could take a little while for the cardiologists to determine an approach since it's such a big hospital. If we don't hear by Friday he said he will put in a call for us.
And now we hurry up and wait!
Until then...he has put William on an iron supplement to strengthen his blood supply for surgery. We were told he will need a blood transfusion so that's a little scary!! {par for the course during this type of surgery} He is also having me add a formula powder to his breast milk to help plump him up before surgery. Anything we can do to make him stronger we will do! His incision sights from the cath are healing great and he said overall he looks good.
Emotionally, I haven't cracked yet. I'm pretty proud of that, but I know at some point I will lose it. Logistically, we have a lot to figure out. Jack is only 20 months old and to leave him for any amount of time breaks my heart. For him, I try to stay strong to keep his little life as normal as possible. I'm so lucky and blessed to have family close by that can help us through this journey.
William has an amazing group of doctors behind him...and we have a lot of positive thoughts and prayers pushing him along thanks to all of you! It truly means the world to us!
And now we hurry up and wait!
Until then...he has put William on an iron supplement to strengthen his blood supply for surgery. We were told he will need a blood transfusion so that's a little scary!! {par for the course during this type of surgery} He is also having me add a formula powder to his breast milk to help plump him up before surgery. Anything we can do to make him stronger we will do! His incision sights from the cath are healing great and he said overall he looks good.
Emotionally, I haven't cracked yet. I'm pretty proud of that, but I know at some point I will lose it. Logistically, we have a lot to figure out. Jack is only 20 months old and to leave him for any amount of time breaks my heart. For him, I try to stay strong to keep his little life as normal as possible. I'm so lucky and blessed to have family close by that can help us through this journey.
William has an amazing group of doctors behind him...and we have a lot of positive thoughts and prayers pushing him along thanks to all of you! It truly means the world to us!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
A small elephant is still an elephant
{A quote that my parents keep saying is "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time..." We are so frightened by the elephant in the room and we don't even know how big or small it is. Either way, it's still an elephant and it's still huge compared to anything else}
Since this whole ordeal began, we have had so many people reaching out to us. Thank you for that. We appreciate the thoughts and prayers more than you will ever know!! I want to keep you all informed as best as I can so I decided to start up this blog again. I firmly believe that God blessed us with this little boy and we are determined to be the best parents that we can be for him.
Let's start from the beginning. William went in for his two month checkup and the pediatrician detected a heart murmur. Because of his age, he referred us to a pediatric cardiologist to rule out any major issues. At the appointment with the cardiologist, they performed an echocardiogram to determine where the murmur was coming from. Originally it was thought that he had 'VSD'.
Needless to say, his appointment didn't go as we had originally thought. The echo showed signs of valve narrowing, diagnosed as aortic stenosis. We were told that these tests can be inconclusive and sometimes exaggerate blockage, so the cardiologist referred us to UNC Children's Hospital at Chapel Hill (an hour away from us).
One week later we had a cardiac catheterization performed. We arrived at the hospital at 9:00am unsure of what exactly would happen. We had doctors come speak with us and signed a number of consent forms. At 12:30pm the anesthesiologist came in to get William. He wasn't allowed to eat after 5am because it was supposed to start at 9:00am...you can imagine my patience at that point. At 3:30pm the testing was complete. Because he was so little they had some concern that he may need to stay overnight. His vitals were stable until 6:00pm so they were getting discharge paperwork ready for us. And then his heart rate jumped and oxygen levels dropped. That's when they decided to keep us overnight on the pediatric cardiology floor to monitor him (aka the CICC). Luckily, we had an uneventful night (other than not sleeping a wink) and were discharged the next morning.
Rewind a little bit...once William came out of anesthesia, the cardiologist showed us the results. The blockage was far worse than the echocardiogram showed. Remember how I said the echo usually exaggerates blockage? Well Williams was worse than they expected. Not only does he have narrowing, he has multiple areas of narrowing above and below his heart. Finding one spot is normal for this diagnosis and can be fixed pretty routinely. In his case, it is far more complicated due to the multiple areas and his age/weight. Imagine an hour glass. The part that is squeezed in the middle is like Williams valve...only it's supposed to be the same width from top to bottom. Yes, I know what you're thinking...and that is why the cardiologists are calling this 'moderate to severe' blockage. This is causing his heart to work twice as hard as normal. The blood is having to pump extra hard and fast to keep up. It is not something that can fix itself, nor is it something that can be completely fixed with surgery.
He has a team of pediatric cardiologists as well as two pediatric heart surgeons working on his case. On Monday, they will all meet and discuss what approach they will take to repair his little heart. It isn't just one opinion...it's an entire team working together. We couldn't ask for anything else to help solve this problem. We've been told to expect open heart surgery in which his heart will be put on bypass. We've also been told to expect and prepare for an extended stay of one month in the hospital. This will include time in the pediatric ICU (PICU) as well as on the pediatric cardiac floor (CICC).
And now...we wait. As much as I don't want it to be an elephant, it is. And even a small elephant is still an elephant.
Since this whole ordeal began, we have had so many people reaching out to us. Thank you for that. We appreciate the thoughts and prayers more than you will ever know!! I want to keep you all informed as best as I can so I decided to start up this blog again. I firmly believe that God blessed us with this little boy and we are determined to be the best parents that we can be for him.
Let's start from the beginning. William went in for his two month checkup and the pediatrician detected a heart murmur. Because of his age, he referred us to a pediatric cardiologist to rule out any major issues. At the appointment with the cardiologist, they performed an echocardiogram to determine where the murmur was coming from. Originally it was thought that he had 'VSD'.
Needless to say, his appointment didn't go as we had originally thought. The echo showed signs of valve narrowing, diagnosed as aortic stenosis. We were told that these tests can be inconclusive and sometimes exaggerate blockage, so the cardiologist referred us to UNC Children's Hospital at Chapel Hill (an hour away from us).
One week later we had a cardiac catheterization performed. We arrived at the hospital at 9:00am unsure of what exactly would happen. We had doctors come speak with us and signed a number of consent forms. At 12:30pm the anesthesiologist came in to get William. He wasn't allowed to eat after 5am because it was supposed to start at 9:00am...you can imagine my patience at that point. At 3:30pm the testing was complete. Because he was so little they had some concern that he may need to stay overnight. His vitals were stable until 6:00pm so they were getting discharge paperwork ready for us. And then his heart rate jumped and oxygen levels dropped. That's when they decided to keep us overnight on the pediatric cardiology floor to monitor him (aka the CICC). Luckily, we had an uneventful night (other than not sleeping a wink) and were discharged the next morning.
Rewind a little bit...once William came out of anesthesia, the cardiologist showed us the results. The blockage was far worse than the echocardiogram showed. Remember how I said the echo usually exaggerates blockage? Well Williams was worse than they expected. Not only does he have narrowing, he has multiple areas of narrowing above and below his heart. Finding one spot is normal for this diagnosis and can be fixed pretty routinely. In his case, it is far more complicated due to the multiple areas and his age/weight. Imagine an hour glass. The part that is squeezed in the middle is like Williams valve...only it's supposed to be the same width from top to bottom. Yes, I know what you're thinking...and that is why the cardiologists are calling this 'moderate to severe' blockage. This is causing his heart to work twice as hard as normal. The blood is having to pump extra hard and fast to keep up. It is not something that can fix itself, nor is it something that can be completely fixed with surgery.
He has a team of pediatric cardiologists as well as two pediatric heart surgeons working on his case. On Monday, they will all meet and discuss what approach they will take to repair his little heart. It isn't just one opinion...it's an entire team working together. We couldn't ask for anything else to help solve this problem. We've been told to expect open heart surgery in which his heart will be put on bypass. We've also been told to expect and prepare for an extended stay of one month in the hospital. This will include time in the pediatric ICU (PICU) as well as on the pediatric cardiac floor (CICC).
And now...we wait. As much as I don't want it to be an elephant, it is. And even a small elephant is still an elephant.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
D-Day (delivery day)
Friday 8am
Today I had my routine 38 week check up. The doctor checked to see if I was dilated and I was! 3 cm. He asked if I wanted him to strip my membrane, so of course I said yes...I wanted this baby out of me! I hoped it would jump start labor. The doctor did say I was measuring small so he wanted me to get an ultrasound...of course, the next appt wasn't until 1:40pm. So I headed out to run errands.
1:40pm
Back to the hospital we went. The ultrasound took about an hour. The technician measured everything possible to make sure baby was okay. Unfortunately, since it was Friday and so late in the day my doctor had already left so we didn't get any results. We hoped for the best and assumed nothing too bad was going on since they let us go.
4:00pm
I had already made plans to go to San Marcos for dinner with 2 of my best friends. Even though I was 3 cm dilated, the doctor said it could take another week for anything to really progress. So...off to San Marcos I went! Jen and I rode together down there and when we got to Nicole's we went to paint pottery. I had never painted pottery before so I was super excited! I ended up painting a small plate with surf boards on it to put in Jack's room. While painting, I had a few contractions but nothing out of the ordinary. We joked that we had to finish our painting because I could have the baby at any point!
7:00pm
We shut down the pottery place...we were just having too much fun :) We headed back to Nicole's for dinner. She made a delicious taco soup! I must say, in hindsight it was a fabulous last meal!! The three of us (well mine was just juice...) sipped on our skinny girl drinks and chatted the night away. Around 8:30pm I noticed my contractions were getting to be about 15 minutes apart. The doctor said if I have more than 6 contractions in an hour to call...but I was only having 4 an hour so we kept on chatting! At 9:45pm Jen and Nicole figured it was time for me to get home just in case it was more than we thought. We joked about me having the baby...ha...but who really thought!! I drove so of course I was going to drive home. We didn't even make it out of the neighborhood when I looked at Jen and told her I was having another contraction. About 5 minutes later...another one. We both freaked out when we realized how frequent they were coming! Since we had to drive back by the hospital on the way home, Jen and I thought I should call the hospital to see if they thought I should come in. Wouldn't THAT have been an adventure!! When I called and let them know what was going on they told me I have to have contractions every 3-4 minutes for 2 hours. Ok...no big deal. But boy were these contractions getting closer and stronger! (I knew I needed one last girls night...haha I guess Jack wanted to crash the party!)
10:30 pm
I finally made it home and the contractions hadn't subsided. I took a shower, drank water, laid down...did everything I was supposed to in order to ensure it wasn't false labor. It had only been an hour at this point but I was hurting! I had Jon call L&D and let them know my contractions were coming about every 2-3 minutes. She told him to make sure I ate something and head to the hospital...which is 45 minutes from the house! Not to mention the fact that this would be our 3rd time there in one day!! I was in so much pain that I couldn't focus enough to eat so we got in the car and left. I called my mom to let her know that she needed to be prepared...they were going to plan to be on the first flight out if it was real labor.
12:30am
When we arrived to the hospital I couldn't hardly walk inside. The contractions were coming faster and stronger and I would have been double over in pain...but that even hurt too bad! When we got up to L&D they had the doctor check me. He chatted with me for what seemed to be forever and waited to check me in between contractions. I'll never forget the way he told the nurse the next part..."She is 8cm dilated...can you check behind me please?". The nurse obliged and was shocked at how far along I was. The first thing out of my mouth was "Does this mean I can't get an epidural?!". They immediately put me into a delivery room. They put in an IV (which served no purpose other than to give me fluids...it would take an hour for my labs to come back to see what meds I could get). The baby's heart rate was a little low during contractions so they told me they needed to break my water. The next thing I know there are 2 nurses, a baby nurse, a resident OB and a supervising OB in the room. It was probably around 1:00am. They gave me oxygen due to the baby's lowering heart rate. Other than that...I had nothing...nada...no epidural that I had planned for...no tylenol...no motrin...just oxygen and an uncomfortable IV. I had the urge to push and so it began. The light came down from the ceiling and I knew I was in for it. I will spare you the details, but let me tell you...it was the hardest hour of my life! At 2:19am baby Jack Cooper Swanson was pushed out into this world; weighing 7lbs 4oz and 18 inches long. It only took an hour of pushing. When he came out he wasn't breathing/crying so they took him to the warmer to get the life knocked into him! They called in a pediatrician in to help get things going and about 2 minutes later he turned pink and cried. It was the sweetest sound I could have heard. It was the scariest few hours of my life, but we survived them and he is the most precious baby boy.
Unfortunately the hospital was busier than ever these last 4 days...not sure what sparked the baby boom! They didn't have a recovery room for me to move into so we had to make my delivery room comfortable for what turned out to be the next 14 hours! All I wanted was a new room...new scenery...and to get away from the place I just delivered naturally...YIKES! I still can't believe I had a baby naturally!
11:00am
My parents finally arrived to the hospital. It was nice to have the break in the day where I could just sleep. Up to that point we hadn't slept at all, so we had been up for over 24 hours. What a crazy, crazy day. We had so many people calling and texting...it was so nice to share this with everyone!
4:00pm
We finally got the word that we would be moved into our own room! Yippee!! After getting settled in, a few friends stopped by to see us. Baby Jack is so lucky to have so many people love on him. We wrapped up the day...Jon went home to get some sleep and my mom stayed at the hospital with me. I am still running on zero sleep, but just this morning the Corpsman told me I was the happiest mom on the floor with the lowest blood pressure! I figured that was a good sign :)
What a day we had! But we all survived and the love we have is amazing for each other. I am surrounded by my sweet, precious baby boy, my amazing husband who held my hand the entire way, my parents, and amazing friends. Baby Jack makes this all complete and I wouldn't have it any other way!!
*I am still at the hospital, so I will upload pictures to this once I get home!!*
Today I had my routine 38 week check up. The doctor checked to see if I was dilated and I was! 3 cm. He asked if I wanted him to strip my membrane, so of course I said yes...I wanted this baby out of me! I hoped it would jump start labor. The doctor did say I was measuring small so he wanted me to get an ultrasound...of course, the next appt wasn't until 1:40pm. So I headed out to run errands.
1:40pm
Back to the hospital we went. The ultrasound took about an hour. The technician measured everything possible to make sure baby was okay. Unfortunately, since it was Friday and so late in the day my doctor had already left so we didn't get any results. We hoped for the best and assumed nothing too bad was going on since they let us go.
4:00pm
I had already made plans to go to San Marcos for dinner with 2 of my best friends. Even though I was 3 cm dilated, the doctor said it could take another week for anything to really progress. So...off to San Marcos I went! Jen and I rode together down there and when we got to Nicole's we went to paint pottery. I had never painted pottery before so I was super excited! I ended up painting a small plate with surf boards on it to put in Jack's room. While painting, I had a few contractions but nothing out of the ordinary. We joked that we had to finish our painting because I could have the baby at any point!
7:00pm
We shut down the pottery place...we were just having too much fun :) We headed back to Nicole's for dinner. She made a delicious taco soup! I must say, in hindsight it was a fabulous last meal!! The three of us (well mine was just juice...) sipped on our skinny girl drinks and chatted the night away. Around 8:30pm I noticed my contractions were getting to be about 15 minutes apart. The doctor said if I have more than 6 contractions in an hour to call...but I was only having 4 an hour so we kept on chatting! At 9:45pm Jen and Nicole figured it was time for me to get home just in case it was more than we thought. We joked about me having the baby...ha...but who really thought!! I drove so of course I was going to drive home. We didn't even make it out of the neighborhood when I looked at Jen and told her I was having another contraction. About 5 minutes later...another one. We both freaked out when we realized how frequent they were coming! Since we had to drive back by the hospital on the way home, Jen and I thought I should call the hospital to see if they thought I should come in. Wouldn't THAT have been an adventure!! When I called and let them know what was going on they told me I have to have contractions every 3-4 minutes for 2 hours. Ok...no big deal. But boy were these contractions getting closer and stronger! (I knew I needed one last girls night...haha I guess Jack wanted to crash the party!)
10:30 pm
I finally made it home and the contractions hadn't subsided. I took a shower, drank water, laid down...did everything I was supposed to in order to ensure it wasn't false labor. It had only been an hour at this point but I was hurting! I had Jon call L&D and let them know my contractions were coming about every 2-3 minutes. She told him to make sure I ate something and head to the hospital...which is 45 minutes from the house! Not to mention the fact that this would be our 3rd time there in one day!! I was in so much pain that I couldn't focus enough to eat so we got in the car and left. I called my mom to let her know that she needed to be prepared...they were going to plan to be on the first flight out if it was real labor.
12:30am
When we arrived to the hospital I couldn't hardly walk inside. The contractions were coming faster and stronger and I would have been double over in pain...but that even hurt too bad! When we got up to L&D they had the doctor check me. He chatted with me for what seemed to be forever and waited to check me in between contractions. I'll never forget the way he told the nurse the next part..."She is 8cm dilated...can you check behind me please?". The nurse obliged and was shocked at how far along I was. The first thing out of my mouth was "Does this mean I can't get an epidural?!". They immediately put me into a delivery room. They put in an IV (which served no purpose other than to give me fluids...it would take an hour for my labs to come back to see what meds I could get). The baby's heart rate was a little low during contractions so they told me they needed to break my water. The next thing I know there are 2 nurses, a baby nurse, a resident OB and a supervising OB in the room. It was probably around 1:00am. They gave me oxygen due to the baby's lowering heart rate. Other than that...I had nothing...nada...no epidural that I had planned for...no tylenol...no motrin...just oxygen and an uncomfortable IV. I had the urge to push and so it began. The light came down from the ceiling and I knew I was in for it. I will spare you the details, but let me tell you...it was the hardest hour of my life! At 2:19am baby Jack Cooper Swanson was pushed out into this world; weighing 7lbs 4oz and 18 inches long. It only took an hour of pushing. When he came out he wasn't breathing/crying so they took him to the warmer to get the life knocked into him! They called in a pediatrician in to help get things going and about 2 minutes later he turned pink and cried. It was the sweetest sound I could have heard. It was the scariest few hours of my life, but we survived them and he is the most precious baby boy.
Unfortunately the hospital was busier than ever these last 4 days...not sure what sparked the baby boom! They didn't have a recovery room for me to move into so we had to make my delivery room comfortable for what turned out to be the next 14 hours! All I wanted was a new room...new scenery...and to get away from the place I just delivered naturally...YIKES! I still can't believe I had a baby naturally!
11:00am
My parents finally arrived to the hospital. It was nice to have the break in the day where I could just sleep. Up to that point we hadn't slept at all, so we had been up for over 24 hours. What a crazy, crazy day. We had so many people calling and texting...it was so nice to share this with everyone!
4:00pm
We finally got the word that we would be moved into our own room! Yippee!! After getting settled in, a few friends stopped by to see us. Baby Jack is so lucky to have so many people love on him. We wrapped up the day...Jon went home to get some sleep and my mom stayed at the hospital with me. I am still running on zero sleep, but just this morning the Corpsman told me I was the happiest mom on the floor with the lowest blood pressure! I figured that was a good sign :)
What a day we had! But we all survived and the love we have is amazing for each other. I am surrounded by my sweet, precious baby boy, my amazing husband who held my hand the entire way, my parents, and amazing friends. Baby Jack makes this all complete and I wouldn't have it any other way!!
*I am still at the hospital, so I will upload pictures to this once I get home!!*
Saturday, October 6, 2012
It's Raining! Oh wait...it's just a baby shower :)
The other week (yes I know, I am SO late on posting!!) Stacey hosted a shower for me with my best girlfriends out here in Cali! It was so nice to have all of us together for an evening of fun, games, and food! They all spoiled Baby Jack...I know how loved he already is!! One thing we are realizing is that we are TERRIBLE about group photos!! However, here are a few snap shots of the evening :)
In other news
I have had a week off of work now and I still haven't stopped! Although I am really not surprised. I always wondered what it would be like to not work. So far, I am going stir crazy. I am starting to relax though and enjoy this peaceful time while I can. This week was full of fun and friends. I was able to have lunch with my best girl friends (minus Jen G :( ) over the course of the week and even have a bonfire to close it out right. It is so nice to have friends I consider family to lean on. The one thing the Marine Corps lifestyle has taught me is to embrace friends as family because you never know how far away your real family will be when you really need them...and riding the roller coaster of pregnancy is when you really need them!! Starting a family away from family is the most difficult thing a new mom can face. It was easy to move away when we first got married because we settled into our own routines. With a new baby it is difficult. You want them to be cuddled by your family instantly. That opportunity is taken away when you move so far from family. But what we do have are wonderful friends that we have made and grown relationships with. I am blessed to have them all in my life and Jack will be just as blessed! (He may even get a few puppy kisses and snuggles from all of the kiddos!). However...lucky for Jack, his Tutu and Papa will be on a flight as soon as labor starts! Oh and for the curious minded, we decided to call my mom Tutu because of her Hawaiian roots...LOL! She was born on the Marine Corps Base in Honolulu so she swears she's Hawaiian...plus it's a catchy name.
Best. Gift. Ever.
And last but definitely not least...the most thoughtful and beautiful gift Jack has received thus far! My cousin, Matt, is an absolute mastermind when it comes to building things. For my 16th birthday he made the hope chest that was filled with lots of love and gifts to get me on my way in life (it's a southern thang, y'all!). For Jack, he made him a music box that was a replica of the hope chest he made me. All of the detailing is gorgeous. His wife chose the song, Claire de Lune, and my Aunt helped sew the fabric inside of it. Gorgeous is an understatement for this wonderful gift!!
*The original hope chest was delivered by Matt in the back of his truck. It was in a HUGE box with "snow weight" written on the top...he had me believing it was to keep his truck from flipping in the snow...haha and I believed him!*
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| Best idea....a book for Jack signed by all of my girlfriends! |
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| Cute deccorations!! |
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| Edible Arrangement my mom sent :) |
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| Diaper Cake that Stacey made! |
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| What? You are shocked I was happy about cake? lol |
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| Gifts from the ladies. Spoiled. Rotten. |
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| Delicious "virgin" punch...but there was booze to add to it :) ! |
In other news
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| Spent the day on the beach...my happy place! |
Best. Gift. Ever.
And last but definitely not least...the most thoughtful and beautiful gift Jack has received thus far! My cousin, Matt, is an absolute mastermind when it comes to building things. For my 16th birthday he made the hope chest that was filled with lots of love and gifts to get me on my way in life (it's a southern thang, y'all!). For Jack, he made him a music box that was a replica of the hope chest he made me. All of the detailing is gorgeous. His wife chose the song, Claire de Lune, and my Aunt helped sew the fabric inside of it. Gorgeous is an understatement for this wonderful gift!!
*The original hope chest was delivered by Matt in the back of his truck. It was in a HUGE box with "snow weight" written on the top...he had me believing it was to keep his truck from flipping in the snow...haha and I believed him!*
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Pregnancy Brain...and only 4 weeks to go!
The other day I went to the grocery store. I had been running errands all day and it was my last stop. I got the groceries I needed, checked out and went on my way. When I was loading them into the car I realized I forgot the milk I paid for. I went back inside, and didn't see the milk. I asked the bagger if he had seen it, but said no. He did however hand me the bag I left with my strawberries and english muffins in ...but no milk. On my way out he told me I better look for my wallet too! (hardy har har sir). So I went to the car to double/triple check and it wasn't there either! I checked my receipt...and I did pay for it! So who knows what happened to my milk. A few days later, Jon and I decided we wanted hot dogs for dinner. On the way home from shopping for baby, I ran into the store. I only needed hot dogs and buns...I walked outside of the store with everything BUT hot dogs and buns! This time I just laughed at myself...gave Jon the other groceries and marched right back inside to get what I originally needed. Holy - preggo - brain!!
It has been a busy few weeks for me! This last week, I was promoted to Store Manager of my store, yippee!! I have been working towards this for a long, long time and my hard work has finally paid off! I am starting to get really tired at work and running around for 8 hours a day is starting to take a toll on my body. I think up to this point I have been running on adrenaline...and it is slowly disappearing! And as of yesterday, I am no longer working. It's time to start organizing this house, getting things put where they belong, and prepare for baby Jack to take over!
Jack is really sitting low right now and adding a lot of pressure when I walk! My goal is to keep him in as long as possible...but we will see what happens! My mom keeps betting on 10-11-12...I am okay with that, but I feel like everyone in the world will try to deliver that day...so I definitely wouldn't be happy to have to share a room at the hospital because of it!
Belly photo
It has been a busy few weeks for me! This last week, I was promoted to Store Manager of my store, yippee!! I have been working towards this for a long, long time and my hard work has finally paid off! I am starting to get really tired at work and running around for 8 hours a day is starting to take a toll on my body. I think up to this point I have been running on adrenaline...and it is slowly disappearing! And as of yesterday, I am no longer working. It's time to start organizing this house, getting things put where they belong, and prepare for baby Jack to take over!
Jack is really sitting low right now and adding a lot of pressure when I walk! My goal is to keep him in as long as possible...but we will see what happens! My mom keeps betting on 10-11-12...I am okay with that, but I feel like everyone in the world will try to deliver that day...so I definitely wouldn't be happy to have to share a room at the hospital because of it!
Belly photo
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| 35 weeks 2 days (that darn belly button has a mind of its own now!) |
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Less than 7 weeks to go...
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post...time is flying by and I barely have time to stop and take a breath! Over the last few weeks a lot has happened. Jonathan and I went back to NC because my grandfather passed away. While the circumstances were unfortunate, it was nice to see my extended family again. We hardly ever make it back to Greensboro anymore. My parents and siblings were able to feel Jack kick...what an amazing experience!!
After our trip to NC, we had already planned a mini vaca to San Francisco with two other families over Labor Day weekend. We all stayed together in a typical San Francisco Flat...how cool! We had 2 full days there and saw EVERYTHING on our lists!! I may have walked waaaay more than my doctor would have liked, but I survived and we had a blast. It was definitely worth doing before the baby comes.
I had my 32 week appointment right before we left for San Francisco. Everything is still on track. Working so much on my feet is definitely starting to take a larger toll than I ever could have thought though. We will see how long I make it!
We already have a nickname for the baby..."Jumping Jack". One day while quietly sitting on the couch, I felt kicks on ALL sides of my stomach. I made the comment that it felt like jumping jacks were being performed inside of me...not realizing he is literally a Jumping JACK! He likes to roll around and nudge me all the time. Lately, I have been able to feel a little foot or hand pushing up against me. It really makes me realize how tiny he is and that soon....sooner than I could ever prepare for...I will have a little baby in my life. I have prepared so long for this, and yet it still feels like it isn't real.
Well, I don't really have much else to say...just trying to soak up all of the time I have with friends and my husband before my life is thrown into a blender...turned on high...without the lid on. Sounds like a typical day in my life though :) So at least I will have a cute little boy to thank from now on!!
Belly shots
After our trip to NC, we had already planned a mini vaca to San Francisco with two other families over Labor Day weekend. We all stayed together in a typical San Francisco Flat...how cool! We had 2 full days there and saw EVERYTHING on our lists!! I may have walked waaaay more than my doctor would have liked, but I survived and we had a blast. It was definitely worth doing before the baby comes.
 |
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| We rode on public transportation...standing room only...for 30 minutes just to find out it was ZERO visibility!! So worth it though! |
I had my 32 week appointment right before we left for San Francisco. Everything is still on track. Working so much on my feet is definitely starting to take a larger toll than I ever could have thought though. We will see how long I make it!
We already have a nickname for the baby..."Jumping Jack". One day while quietly sitting on the couch, I felt kicks on ALL sides of my stomach. I made the comment that it felt like jumping jacks were being performed inside of me...not realizing he is literally a Jumping JACK! He likes to roll around and nudge me all the time. Lately, I have been able to feel a little foot or hand pushing up against me. It really makes me realize how tiny he is and that soon....sooner than I could ever prepare for...I will have a little baby in my life. I have prepared so long for this, and yet it still feels like it isn't real.
Well, I don't really have much else to say...just trying to soak up all of the time I have with friends and my husband before my life is thrown into a blender...turned on high...without the lid on. Sounds like a typical day in my life though :) So at least I will have a cute little boy to thank from now on!!
Belly shots
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| 32 weeks 5 days |
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| 30 weeks 3 days |
Friday, August 17, 2012
"You are SO cute"
That's what I hear...client after client...day after day. But today, I swear I heard it 20 times. While I am glad other people think I am "cute", I feel like a beached whale! It is funny to hear comments while at work though. At 30 weeks pregnant, you would think I would stop getting the "oh my gosh, you are pregnant?" comments...
"What are you...like 4 months pregnant?" ... try 28 weeks!
"Oh my gosh! You are pregnant?" ...noo...I just ate a HUGE breakfast. *this is an EVERY day occurrence*
Client: "I think this looks too big on me. Kind of like a maternity shirt? I definitely don't want that" ...umm ok... "Oh my gosh! I didn't realize you were pregnant! I am sorry...but once you have kids, you will not want to wear anything that looks maternity!" (this was today)
But the winning comment..."You look like you are about to pop!! How much longer do you have?" ... "11 weeks" ... "Are you sure there is just one baby in there?" haha, totally contradicts everything I hear EVERY day.
It's been fun interacting with clients everyday, but sometimes I wish I could tattoo a few simple facts on my forehead.
My due date is Oct 25
It's a boy, and yes we have a name for him.
Yes, it's my first.
and of course I am excited! Should I respond no to that question?
Nothing too new to announce lately. No new cravings or aversions. I haven't really had too many. I do LOVE pretzel m&m's though. I have tried to stop eating as much pineapple even though I do sorta crave it. Every time I eat it I have contractions. I learned that it helps to induce labor, so maybe I will save up for October!! Every night I feel a few contractions and some during the day. I think it has a lot to do with me being on my feet for 9 hours a day. I still feel great but I do start to crash at work after about 6 hours. I am hoping that I can make it until my due date!!
Jonathan and I have been working to complete the nursery. Everything is hung up on the walls and ALL of his laundry is done and put away!!
We scheduled our maternity pictures (yay!) and decided they should be on the beach to embrace our "cali" lifestyle right now!
"What are you...like 4 months pregnant?" ... try 28 weeks!
"Oh my gosh! You are pregnant?" ...noo...I just ate a HUGE breakfast. *this is an EVERY day occurrence*
Client: "I think this looks too big on me. Kind of like a maternity shirt? I definitely don't want that" ...umm ok... "Oh my gosh! I didn't realize you were pregnant! I am sorry...but once you have kids, you will not want to wear anything that looks maternity!" (this was today)
But the winning comment..."You look like you are about to pop!! How much longer do you have?" ... "11 weeks" ... "Are you sure there is just one baby in there?" haha, totally contradicts everything I hear EVERY day.
It's been fun interacting with clients everyday, but sometimes I wish I could tattoo a few simple facts on my forehead.
My due date is Oct 25
It's a boy, and yes we have a name for him.
Yes, it's my first.
and of course I am excited! Should I respond no to that question?
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| 28 wks 5 days |
Jonathan and I have been working to complete the nursery. Everything is hung up on the walls and ALL of his laundry is done and put away!!
We scheduled our maternity pictures (yay!) and decided they should be on the beach to embrace our "cali" lifestyle right now!
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| Palm Desert Getaway |
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| Putting the pack n play together....and it was a success!! No extra parts :) |
Friday, August 3, 2012
28 down...12 to go!
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| 28 weeks |
This verse has been on my mind this week...
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Baby Kicks
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| Cutest little (teeeeeny tiny) shoes I have EVER seen! |
I am now able to see him kick and can't wait for Jonathan to see too. Not much has changed over the last few weeks, I just feel SO much bigger! I haven't experienced any swelling yet, but I do my best to keep my feet propped up and I drink a lot of water. Next week I have my 28 week appointment and do my gestational diabetes testing. Crossing my fingers that it goes okay!! Only 2 more days until I hit my third trimester! Time is FLYING by!! 27 weeks down...13 to go!
Last week was a crazy week at work. We had a huge corporate visit and I clocked over 50 hours. Oh and did I mention I had a cold? And that I couldn't take anything except for cough drops....but we NAILED the visit and I was able to catch up on sleep after it was over! I took on a much lighter load at work this week and I am catching up on R&R. Jonathan comes home Saturday and the next weekend we have a last minute, mini "babymoon" planned. Just the two of us (well 3 I guess!). I can't WAIT! I might just leave the iPhone's at home! Sorry honey...
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| Ready for our Corporate Visit! Rocking the bump...and the "bathroom portrait" |
Belly shot
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| Jon's gone so it's my best attempt at a self portrait! 26 wks 5 days |
Thursday, July 12, 2012
25 weeks...
.JPG) |
| 25 Weeks |
This week I have been battling a cold. I am trying to rest as much as possible but between being sick, the baby practicing gymnastics, and the dog I am up all night! The "uncomfortable" stage has finally set in. I am more clumsy than ever and I cannot get comfortable no matter what I do! My clumsiness has only claimed one coffee mug so far. Somehow when I dropped my entire bowl of chili the other night, the bowl was saved and thank heavens it was on the kitchen floor and not the carpet! It is also merely impossible for me to bend over and pick something up. I really thought I would be more self sufficient, but I am realizing that I have to rely on others way more than I ever have before!!
After my last doctor's appt, I realized I should start being cautious of what I am eating. I have pretty much cut out everything to drink except for water. I have challenged myself to walk the dog every night. It is so hard for me to be motivated to walk more after walking for 8.5 hours at work, but I must! Our typical routine even goes up a hill! I am pretty proud of myself for that one.
Belly photos
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| 23 wks 3 days |
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| 24 wks 3 days |
Well that's about all for now...I will try to post more often. Only 15 weeks to go!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Family Travels...
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| Wedding day!! |
I am sitting here realizing it has been 2 weeks since my last blog and I don't know where the time went! Jonathan and I had a wonderful time traveling to NC to visit my family and then GA to visit his family!
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| Baby boy @ 20 weeks |
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| My lovely in-laws at the Bridesmaid Luncheon |
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| Me and baby in Times Square (he is a well traveled little one by this point!) |
Lately, I feel like I have been growing exponentially.
This baby boy is definitely taking over! I am still anxiously
waiting to feel him kick me! I have felt bubbles, but not necessarily any
more movement. I feel great, but I am starting the "nesting"
phase! The house is getting cleaner by the day and I know I am driving
the girls I work with nuts. The nursery is pretty much all finished, I am just adding a few decorative pieces. We did the first load of laundry and that made it feel so much more real!
Belly shot
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| 21 weeks, 3 days |
Stay tuned...this belly keeps growing by the day!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Best celebration EVER
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| 5 years later... |
On our 5 year wedding anniversary, we had the pleasure of being in Greensboro NC. It just so happened this was the date of our first baby shower! My mom so graciously invited friends and family over to celebrate this joyous occasion. She made the cutest cakes for us!
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| Adorable! |
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| She mad me my own cake! YUM! |
We played games, ate lots of food, and just had a really good time!
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| I did warn them we had to take them all back to Cali! |
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| My aunt made me the sweetest quilt...it was a total surprise since she wasn't there. Can you tell by my face?? |
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| Love it <3 |
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| Drometer Family (I look SO much like my Granma and Aunt!) |
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| My family <3<3 (Minus Lucy) |
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