Well, we have no excuse, but we haven't updated the blog in a LONG time. We have been having a great summer with Olivia, and as can be imagined, she has changed SO MUCH!! I really do think she comes up with a new trick everyday, and it is so much fun to see what she will come up with next. Here is an update since our last post.
1. Trip to Saugatuck, MI
-Zach, Olivia and I vacationed in Saugatuck, MI with my mom and Zach's parents. We went for 4 days, and we had a blast. We golfed, visited the beach, ate lots of great food and ice cream, and played plenty of Pegs & Jokers. We think Olivia had a great time, and she was a great baby. She slept through all of our meals, slept very well at night (considering we packed her swing along with us!), and enjoyed all of her stroller rides. She really only got mad one time, and that was when our moms decided that they would watch Olivia while Zach & I had a night on the town. Well, about an hour after Olivia's dinner time, she wasn't too happy considering no one had fed her! Ann and Lin tried everything to calm Olivia down, and nothing would work. Good thing Papa Jack was there, and he mentioned to the moms that maybe Olivia was hungry! Ann and Lin got the bottle ready as fast as they could, and Olivia finally got her belly full.
2. Children's Museum
-Olivia took her first trip of many to the Children's Museum, and she slept through most of it. Her cousins, Jack, Parker and Charlie joined her, and they enjoyed pushing Olivia through the dinosaur exhibit, playing with her in the Rock 'n' Roll room, and even checking out the Barbie exhibit.
3. Swim Time
-Olivia has gone to the neighborhood pool a few times this summer. She enjoys sleeping and playing under the big umbrellas. This is great practice for her many trips to the beach in her future.
4. New Developments
-Olivia is now sleeping through the night in her crib. She sleeps between 10-11 hours each night, and we are enjoying all of our rest!
-Olivia rolled over for the first time last week, and of course we missed it! But since then, she has rolled over a few more times and we have been able to see it. We still haven't gotten it on video, but that is our next goal.
-Olivia is going to follow in her mom, Grandma Lin and Aunt Abi's footsteps when it comes to her vocal ability, and I am not talking about her great singing voice! Olivia has learned to "talk" and she does not have an indoor voice. Of course right now we think it is adorable, and Nana says that Olivia is going to be a talker.
We will try to update the blog more often for all of Olivia's fans out there. Notice I said "try".
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
A Lap Down Memory Lane
Congrats to my cousin Zeb and his wife, Jennifer, who had a baby girl, named Zoe, on Tuesday, May 25. Olivia was very excited for the arrival of Zoe, who will be her newest playmate at Grandma Laux's. Olivia is very lucky to have lots of new friends (aka Zach & Emily's friends having babies) - including Claire, Wilson and now Zoe). We went to visit Jennifer and Zoe in the hospital this week, which happened to be the same hospital where Olivia was born. Being back at the hospital almost 2 months after Olivia was born was a very cool experience for a couple of reasons:
1. Peggy and the Nurses - We had the best nurses while at St. Vincent Carmel. They helped Zach and I learn everything we needed to know to be as confident as new parents can be when taking home their baby. All the nurses were great, but we had a special bond with Peggy, and she was our nurse three of the days in the hospital. She taught us little tricks, such as how to brace Olivia's back when she gets the hiccups (which happens on a daily basis), how to properly secure Olivia in her car seat, and she made sure that we got our rest while in the hospital and made sure I started to heal before heading home. Peggy was not only at the hospital when Olivia and I went to visit, but she was also Jennifer's nurse! Peggy enjoyed seeing Olivia as much as I enjoyed showing Olivia off to Peggy and updating her on Olivia!
2. The Nursery - Jennifer and I took a walk through the labor and delivery area, as well as by the nursery. It was a trip down memory lane for me. Jennifer and I had similar birthing experiences, from being on bed rest for high blood pressure to having to have c-sections when our stubborn babies didn't want to enter the world naturally. Jennifer and I shared our experiences with each other, and I got to see where Olivia's life started and remember all the wonderful memories of those two days.
When Olivia was born, there were very few other babies in the hospital. On the day I visited Jennifer, there had been almost 10 babies born in the previous two days. There had been three babies born just that morning, including one woman who delivered her baby alone at home while her husband was in Chicago and her two older children were asleep! I can't even imagine that, but it was fun to talk to the family and share experiences. I also enjoyed watching the babies being taken through the testing, cleaning and prepping to return to their parents.
It is amazing how quickly the last two months have gone. I know everyone tells you that the time will fly by, and I have been trying to enjoy every moment with Olivia, because she isn't going to stay a baby for too long (just look at the picture of Olivia and Zoe to see how big she has already gotten!!).
Some other fun changes in Olivia over the last month:
1. She now smiles and has even had a small laugh or two when reacting to us. I keep telling her she is going to laugh a lot in this family!
2. She has shown us that she can sleep through the night, which she now does a majority of nights (yeah for us!!) to being able to sleep in her crib instead of a swing (which has just started and I am sure we will still have some nights where we revert back to the swing!).
3. She is gaining control of her head, and this is no easy feet as Olivia has a very cute, but very round and big head to support! Add her chubby cheeks to the equation, and her neck has to do a lot of work. Of course her head still gets out of control from time to time, but she will be holding it up before we know it.
We look forward to all of the fun milestones ahead from rolling over to crawling to walking, but for now, we are enjoying every minute we can and cherishing what lucky parents we are :)
Enjoy the pictures!
1. Peggy and the Nurses - We had the best nurses while at St. Vincent Carmel. They helped Zach and I learn everything we needed to know to be as confident as new parents can be when taking home their baby. All the nurses were great, but we had a special bond with Peggy, and she was our nurse three of the days in the hospital. She taught us little tricks, such as how to brace Olivia's back when she gets the hiccups (which happens on a daily basis), how to properly secure Olivia in her car seat, and she made sure that we got our rest while in the hospital and made sure I started to heal before heading home. Peggy was not only at the hospital when Olivia and I went to visit, but she was also Jennifer's nurse! Peggy enjoyed seeing Olivia as much as I enjoyed showing Olivia off to Peggy and updating her on Olivia!
2. The Nursery - Jennifer and I took a walk through the labor and delivery area, as well as by the nursery. It was a trip down memory lane for me. Jennifer and I had similar birthing experiences, from being on bed rest for high blood pressure to having to have c-sections when our stubborn babies didn't want to enter the world naturally. Jennifer and I shared our experiences with each other, and I got to see where Olivia's life started and remember all the wonderful memories of those two days.
When Olivia was born, there were very few other babies in the hospital. On the day I visited Jennifer, there had been almost 10 babies born in the previous two days. There had been three babies born just that morning, including one woman who delivered her baby alone at home while her husband was in Chicago and her two older children were asleep! I can't even imagine that, but it was fun to talk to the family and share experiences. I also enjoyed watching the babies being taken through the testing, cleaning and prepping to return to their parents.
It is amazing how quickly the last two months have gone. I know everyone tells you that the time will fly by, and I have been trying to enjoy every moment with Olivia, because she isn't going to stay a baby for too long (just look at the picture of Olivia and Zoe to see how big she has already gotten!!).
Some other fun changes in Olivia over the last month:
1. She now smiles and has even had a small laugh or two when reacting to us. I keep telling her she is going to laugh a lot in this family!
2. She has shown us that she can sleep through the night, which she now does a majority of nights (yeah for us!!) to being able to sleep in her crib instead of a swing (which has just started and I am sure we will still have some nights where we revert back to the swing!).
3. She is gaining control of her head, and this is no easy feet as Olivia has a very cute, but very round and big head to support! Add her chubby cheeks to the equation, and her neck has to do a lot of work. Of course her head still gets out of control from time to time, but she will be holding it up before we know it.
We look forward to all of the fun milestones ahead from rolling over to crawling to walking, but for now, we are enjoying every minute we can and cherishing what lucky parents we are :)
Enjoy the pictures!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Baptism
This past Sunday, our beautiful daughter was Baptized into the Catholic church at St. Matthew’s in Indianapolis. It’s amazing how much different it is when your child is the one getting baptized. In the past when I went to church and Father said there was going to be a baptism, I would immediately think “Great, add another 30 minutes to mass!” But standing in front of the entire congregation with Emily, Olivia, Thad and Paige (her Godparents) I thought, these people are so supportive of this occasion. But then I was brought back to reality. After mass I saw a friend of mine from Sagamore, and he said that he normally goes to the 7:30am mass, but because he went to the Kentucky Derby the day before, he came to the 9:00 mass. He said when Father mentioned that there was going to be a Baptism, he immediately thought “This is why I go to 7:30am mass!” But to his credit, he was happy that he was there because he knew me and was happy to share in the moment.
Okay, to the good stuff. Olivia was great. She looked cute as a button. She was actually wearing the same gown that Emily was Baptized in when she was a baby. It was great to get everyone together and as always, we are reminded just how much we enjoy St. Matt’s. Father Paul was amazed that Olivia slept through the entire Baptism. She moved around a bit when we were up front. Roughly 3 times Father asked “Is she still asleep?”; little did he know that our beautiful little child was tooting non-stop in her gown. But as we have found with Olivia, she is sooo good when other people are around. She was precious throughout the entire baptism. When Father poured three pictures of holy water over her head, she just smiled. Paige held her while Father baptized her and we have the best picture of Paige with a smile from ear to ear. That picture is really what it’s all about. This little girl is just starting with the first steps of her life and her family and community are excited for her. It’s great to see just how supportive both of our families are for Olivia. The sheer excitement of new life and new experiences is a feeling that cannot be described. If there is one thing that is true from the Baptism, Olivia is surrounded with a family and a community that love her very much.
Oh and the perfect little girl that slept through the baptism, afterward spit up on her gown!
Okay, to the good stuff. Olivia was great. She looked cute as a button. She was actually wearing the same gown that Emily was Baptized in when she was a baby. It was great to get everyone together and as always, we are reminded just how much we enjoy St. Matt’s. Father Paul was amazed that Olivia slept through the entire Baptism. She moved around a bit when we were up front. Roughly 3 times Father asked “Is she still asleep?”; little did he know that our beautiful little child was tooting non-stop in her gown. But as we have found with Olivia, she is sooo good when other people are around. She was precious throughout the entire baptism. When Father poured three pictures of holy water over her head, she just smiled. Paige held her while Father baptized her and we have the best picture of Paige with a smile from ear to ear. That picture is really what it’s all about. This little girl is just starting with the first steps of her life and her family and community are excited for her. It’s great to see just how supportive both of our families are for Olivia. The sheer excitement of new life and new experiences is a feeling that cannot be described. If there is one thing that is true from the Baptism, Olivia is surrounded with a family and a community that love her very much.
Oh and the perfect little girl that slept through the baptism, afterward spit up on her gown!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
2 Weeks Old
It is hard to believe that Olivia is going to be 2 weeks old tomorrow, and that we have been home from the hospital for over a week. We have learned a lot from Olivia, including that she is a NIGHT OWL!!! She eats, plays and sleeps like a good little girl during the day and while visitors are here; but she likes to party at night!! The first two nights we took two hour shifts trying to relax Olivia and get her back to sleep! Olivia would fall asleep while being rocked and held, but anytime we laid her down, she woke back up and we were right back to where we started. By Saturday, we were completely exhausted and Zach went to Babies 'R' Us to buy a swing, which we have used to sooth Olivia and keep her asleep. It has been a lifesaver for us, and even though we have still have some restless nights, we are starting to at least get a few hours of sleep between feedings. Thank you Fisher Price!!
Olivia is enjoying meeting lots of new people - both family and friends. Tomorrow she meets her cousins, Jack, Parker and Charlie, which she is very excited about. She has also gotten lots of great gifts, including lots of cute/girlie clothes, some great toys and books, which we have enjoyed reading and playing with, and even her first hair bow. Luckily Olivia has a LOT of hair, and so far she has not lost any of it.
Tonight we gave Olivia her first official bath, as her umbilical cord finally came off a few days ago. She seemed to enjoy her bath, minus one or two screams. The bath did end with Olivia peeing on Zach, which both Olivia and Emily thought was pretty funny!
Olivia has already had a couple of photo shoots - both in the hospital and at home with Grandma Lin and Emily. She seems to know that she needs to be good for her picture, and that she better get used to it because she has lots of pictures and photo shoots in her future! We hope you enjoy the pictures.
Olivia is enjoying meeting lots of new people - both family and friends. Tomorrow she meets her cousins, Jack, Parker and Charlie, which she is very excited about. She has also gotten lots of great gifts, including lots of cute/girlie clothes, some great toys and books, which we have enjoyed reading and playing with, and even her first hair bow. Luckily Olivia has a LOT of hair, and so far she has not lost any of it.
Tonight we gave Olivia her first official bath, as her umbilical cord finally came off a few days ago. She seemed to enjoy her bath, minus one or two screams. The bath did end with Olivia peeing on Zach, which both Olivia and Emily thought was pretty funny!
Olivia has already had a couple of photo shoots - both in the hospital and at home with Grandma Lin and Emily. She seems to know that she needs to be good for her picture, and that she better get used to it because she has lots of pictures and photo shoots in her future! We hope you enjoy the pictures.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
It's a Girl!!!
On Sunday, April 4 at 9:04pm, Olivia Marie Miller was born via C-section weighing 7 lbs 11 oz and was 19 inches long. We spent most of the week in the hospital for mom to recover, and we were very excited to know that Olivia is a happy, healthy and very content baby. We had wonderful nurses who helped us learn everything we could during the three-day stay, and Olivia got all kinds of attention by everyone - nurses, doctors and other visitors of the hospital. We were released from the hospital this morning (Thursday) and have spent our first day at home with Olivia. She has spent most of the day sleeping, allowing Zach to get a lot of items checked off our list - laundry, unpacking, and taking care of Emily, who has been able to rest some more and recover from her surgery. What a good little girl Olivia is!!!
We want to thank all of visitors at the hospital, as well as everyone who sent us well wishes. Olivia ended up being delivered via c-section, after a very long day of labor, due to several factors, including her head not pointing in the right direction to be delivered. Proof of this is now seen on her head, where she has a giant bump which the pediatrician said will heal in a few weeks. The good news is that Olivia does not seem to be bothered by this bump at all. She received an echo on her heart, which showed that her heart is healthy and beating at a normal beat, and that she will not need to be on the medicine that Emily was taking during the pregnancy. She will continue to be monitored at her pediatrician appointments to make sure her heart continues to grow and develop normally.
We are soon approaching our first night with Olivia, which will be an adventure in itself!! We will keep you posted, and in the meantime, enjoy the pictures from the hospital.
We want to thank all of visitors at the hospital, as well as everyone who sent us well wishes. Olivia ended up being delivered via c-section, after a very long day of labor, due to several factors, including her head not pointing in the right direction to be delivered. Proof of this is now seen on her head, where she has a giant bump which the pediatrician said will heal in a few weeks. The good news is that Olivia does not seem to be bothered by this bump at all. She received an echo on her heart, which showed that her heart is healthy and beating at a normal beat, and that she will not need to be on the medicine that Emily was taking during the pregnancy. She will continue to be monitored at her pediatrician appointments to make sure her heart continues to grow and develop normally.
We are soon approaching our first night with Olivia, which will be an adventure in itself!! We will keep you posted, and in the meantime, enjoy the pictures from the hospital.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Next Step...Bed Rest
Zach and I have been going to the doctor twice a week since being released from the hospital in order to monitor Carlos and the heartbeat. The good news is that Carlos' heart and heartbeat have done a great job responding to the medicine, and he is growing and being active (at 36 1/2 weeks, Carlos was up to 6 lbs 13 oz!!). The only problem over the last couple weeks is that my blood pressure has been on the rise, and last week I made a third visit to the doctor because I saw spots while at work, not a good sign!
So, we weren't really surprised yesterday when my blood pressure spiked, which in turn sent me to the hospital for additional tests. The good news is that I don't have preeclampsia and will not have to be induced at this time. However, some of the test results did come back elevated, and I am now on bed rest and will be trying my hand at working from home. I am not sure the no work part has hit me, but I am enjoying relaxing, and my ankles have thanked me - it is the first day in about a month in which I can actually tell I still have ankles!! I guess elevating your feet and bed rest really do work, and the hope is that this will allow Carlos to come when he is ready instead of inducing the labor. It is also good news that we are only about 12 days from out due date, so whenever Carlos decides to make his entrance into this world, he is strong enough.
I have been getting pretty excited to have Carlos - between finding out if he will be a girl or a boy to seeing what he/she actually looks like - but now being at home and resting have really gotten me excited. Probably because I have nothing else to think about - and it is really hard to believe how quickly the last nine months have gone by!! But, in the meantime, I will enjoy relaxing, getting sleep and catching up on my reading before the big day! We can't wait to share our news when Carlos arrives!! We will keep everyone posted.
So, we weren't really surprised yesterday when my blood pressure spiked, which in turn sent me to the hospital for additional tests. The good news is that I don't have preeclampsia and will not have to be induced at this time. However, some of the test results did come back elevated, and I am now on bed rest and will be trying my hand at working from home. I am not sure the no work part has hit me, but I am enjoying relaxing, and my ankles have thanked me - it is the first day in about a month in which I can actually tell I still have ankles!! I guess elevating your feet and bed rest really do work, and the hope is that this will allow Carlos to come when he is ready instead of inducing the labor. It is also good news that we are only about 12 days from out due date, so whenever Carlos decides to make his entrance into this world, he is strong enough.
I have been getting pretty excited to have Carlos - between finding out if he will be a girl or a boy to seeing what he/she actually looks like - but now being at home and resting have really gotten me excited. Probably because I have nothing else to think about - and it is really hard to believe how quickly the last nine months have gone by!! But, in the meantime, I will enjoy relaxing, getting sleep and catching up on my reading before the big day! We can't wait to share our news when Carlos arrives!! We will keep everyone posted.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Getting ready!?!
I have not posted in awhile, mostly it's been Emily's perspective. But I figured while watching Desperate Housewives was as good a time as any! So after all these great basketball games, my first round of golf this weekend (I won $13!), a couple games of Pegs and Jokers, and a full weekend of doing everything I (or Emily) wanted to do, it's hit me....my time is about up!
It's crossed my mind that we will be on 3-hour shifts of feeding, sleeping, pooping, birping, crying, etc. I will not go into what's ahead of us, everyone knows. When looking around the house, it's going to be interesting to see how much different it will be in just a month or two. As all this goes through my mind, I've become anxious, nervous, and excited...and it's awesome! I took a lot of pride when we were at one of our multiple doctor's appointments and the nurse asked Emily where she should put the monitor to hear the baby's heart beat. It was not where the nurse thought it would be, but sure as anything we heard that heart beating! Then she looked at both of us and said "I love parents, they know their children better than anyone!". Another moment where it him me, we ARE parents! I know, Carlos is not here and there will be plenty other moments, sleepless moments, but it's exciting.
We've done a good job of 'getting ready', but it's not something you can really prepare for. All the presents we have received have been assembled, washed, put away, and ready for Carlos. We've received great gifts from EVERYONE, Emily even got a sewing machine from her mother today (motherhood is right around the corner). I must admit, our Hospital bag is still awaiting my necessities. But that will be taken care of before I go to bed tonight.
Crazy as it is, I'm not really a parent yet in the sense that I have not held my child in my arms. But I am the parent that knows our baby has a high heart beat, it's foot kicks Emily's left side every night, and it's butt is pressed up against the middle-left side of Emily's belly. It's a great feeling and I cannot wait to meet Carlos!
It's crossed my mind that we will be on 3-hour shifts of feeding, sleeping, pooping, birping, crying, etc. I will not go into what's ahead of us, everyone knows. When looking around the house, it's going to be interesting to see how much different it will be in just a month or two. As all this goes through my mind, I've become anxious, nervous, and excited...and it's awesome! I took a lot of pride when we were at one of our multiple doctor's appointments and the nurse asked Emily where she should put the monitor to hear the baby's heart beat. It was not where the nurse thought it would be, but sure as anything we heard that heart beating! Then she looked at both of us and said "I love parents, they know their children better than anyone!". Another moment where it him me, we ARE parents! I know, Carlos is not here and there will be plenty other moments, sleepless moments, but it's exciting.
We've done a good job of 'getting ready', but it's not something you can really prepare for. All the presents we have received have been assembled, washed, put away, and ready for Carlos. We've received great gifts from EVERYONE, Emily even got a sewing machine from her mother today (motherhood is right around the corner). I must admit, our Hospital bag is still awaiting my necessities. But that will be taken care of before I go to bed tonight.
Crazy as it is, I'm not really a parent yet in the sense that I have not held my child in my arms. But I am the parent that knows our baby has a high heart beat, it's foot kicks Emily's left side every night, and it's butt is pressed up against the middle-left side of Emily's belly. It's a great feeling and I cannot wait to meet Carlos!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Less Than One Month To Go!!
It is hard to believe that our due date is less than one month away! We have been getting the house ready for the new arrival. Zach has put together all the baby items, and it has made us realize moving into a bigger house before the baby is born was a great idea. The nursery is complete, and hopefully Carlos is not afraid of monkeys!!! And as you can see from the new pictures, Zach has even been practicing and using what we learned in newborn class on Paige.
We now go to the doctor twice a week for a non-stress test. During this time, I am hooked up to two monitors - one to check Carlos' heartbeat and one to check any contractions. So far everything has looked good, and Carlos heartbeat has been holding steady. During this test, not only are the doctor's checking to make sure that Carlos' heartbeat is in the normal range of 120-160, but they also like to make sure that Carlos is staying active and that his heartbeat is accelerating from time to time. In order to have accelerations, Carlos has to be active and moving around. Usually he has no problem with this, especially this week when Carlos has been punching me on a regular basis (I think he is ready to enter the real world and meet everyone!). However, last Friday, Carlos decided he would rather sleep, even through him mom and dad's poking and prodding. What he didn't realize is that he would have to be "buzzed" for 10 seconds by the nurse. This caused Carlos to jump around, and the doctor said it was the best reading they have seen thus far.
We now go to the doctor twice a week for a non-stress test. During this time, I am hooked up to two monitors - one to check Carlos' heartbeat and one to check any contractions. So far everything has looked good, and Carlos heartbeat has been holding steady. During this test, not only are the doctor's checking to make sure that Carlos' heartbeat is in the normal range of 120-160, but they also like to make sure that Carlos is staying active and that his heartbeat is accelerating from time to time. In order to have accelerations, Carlos has to be active and moving around. Usually he has no problem with this, especially this week when Carlos has been punching me on a regular basis (I think he is ready to enter the real world and meet everyone!). However, last Friday, Carlos decided he would rather sleep, even through him mom and dad's poking and prodding. What he didn't realize is that he would have to be "buzzed" for 10 seconds by the nurse. This caused Carlos to jump around, and the doctor said it was the best reading they have seen thus far.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Good News!
We received some good news this week. On Monday we were told that Carlos responded very well to the medicine, and his heartbeat had been steady for 24 hours!! After receiving an ultrasound showing no other complications, we met with the high risk doctor and were released from the hospital. Not only were we relieved that Carlos was doing well, but I was never so happy to see the outside world, no matter how cold and snowy it was.
We returned for a check up visit on Thursday. During this visit, we had another ultrasound, and everything still looks great and Carlos' heartbeat was a steady 141. I had to give blood yet again to make sure the medicine levels were not too high in my blood stream. The blood levels looked good, and lucky for me, the medicine has not made me sick, which it does for lots of people. Probably the most painful part of the entire ordeal has been having to give blood to check the levels of the medicine on a regular basis. For anyone that knows me, my body does not like to cooperate when giving blood, and in the last three years, only one nurse has been able to draw blood in my arm. So, in giving blood 5 of the past 8 days, both wrists and hands have become bruised and show signs of being poked. The good news is that I should have a week to recover and hopefully won't be giving blood again until next Friday when we return to the high-risk doctor. Going forward, we will be visiting our doctor once a week and the high risk doctor once a week. We are happy to go to the doctor twice a week to make sure that all continues to go well with Carlos.
And, I know many people have asked, we have managed to keep the gender of the baby a secret through the entire process!
We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers over the past week. We appreciated the visits, calls and cards. We continue to think positive and are getting very excited to meet "Carlos", find out the gender of our baby and reveal the name!
We returned for a check up visit on Thursday. During this visit, we had another ultrasound, and everything still looks great and Carlos' heartbeat was a steady 141. I had to give blood yet again to make sure the medicine levels were not too high in my blood stream. The blood levels looked good, and lucky for me, the medicine has not made me sick, which it does for lots of people. Probably the most painful part of the entire ordeal has been having to give blood to check the levels of the medicine on a regular basis. For anyone that knows me, my body does not like to cooperate when giving blood, and in the last three years, only one nurse has been able to draw blood in my arm. So, in giving blood 5 of the past 8 days, both wrists and hands have become bruised and show signs of being poked. The good news is that I should have a week to recover and hopefully won't be giving blood again until next Friday when we return to the high-risk doctor. Going forward, we will be visiting our doctor once a week and the high risk doctor once a week. We are happy to go to the doctor twice a week to make sure that all continues to go well with Carlos.
And, I know many people have asked, we have managed to keep the gender of the baby a secret through the entire process!
We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers over the past week. We appreciated the visits, calls and cards. We continue to think positive and are getting very excited to meet "Carlos", find out the gender of our baby and reveal the name!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Our First Taste of Parenthood
We have had our first taste of parenthood and it’s titled “Supraventricular tachycardia” (SVT). In short, this is a condition where the baby’s heart beats at a high rate. It can be treated by medication and it not uncommon amongst high risk pregnancies. Yes, it seems as if we are now categorized as a high risk pregnancy. A normal baby’s heart rate ranges between 120 – 160 bpm. Little ‘Carlos’ will run at 250 bpm and then drop to 140 bpm and continue this cycle. The good sign is that the heart is healthy and there is no fluid around the heart. Everything else is healthy with the baby, it’s already 4 pounds 10 ounces at 33 weeks! So, if the heart rate predicts the sex of the baby, then we are having a girl and she will be as active as her Grandma Lin! I am writing this from our room in the High Risk Pregnancy unit of St. Vincent Women’s Hospital, we are here until Carlos’ heart rate comes down to a normal range. Emily is on Digoxin, and has been on it for nearly 68 hours. The doctors seem to be optimistic that it is helping with Carlos’ high heart rate.
We were admitted on Thursday late afternoon. My parents stopped by that evening on the way back from Southern Indiana. But what really hit us Thursday night was when my father said, “You never have this feeling until you have kids.” We have realized that both of us are healthy, but there is nothing we can do but put our time, plans, etc. on hold until this little guy gets better. Not that we would be out doing anything crazy, but all our thoughts and efforts are concerned strictly with this child. I guess it’s a small glimpse of parenthood.
We have managed to pass the time and keep things very light; some of our more entertaining moments have been:
Hangman w/ Po: We erased the Nurse’s dry erase board and played Hangman with Po, Emily guessed the first phrase after one letter. All that ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is paying off!
Olympics: I now know why Curling is sold out at Vancouver. It’s a suspenseful and exciting game…and I think I’d be good at it. Plus nothing says fun like Men’s Figure skating from a hospital room! But seriously, Ice Dancing is horrible.
Rummikub: Emily currently leads 3 games to 1, but I’d bet on me!
Listening: For one hour, every six hours Emily is hooked up to a machine that monitors the baby’s heart rate. During that hour, we can hear the baby. Here is some dialog from those one hour sessions...”Was that fast?”, “That’s the normal heartbeat, right?”, “Boy, he’s really going now”, “That wasn’t for very long”, “Did you hear that, that’s the baby moving”, “Was that the hiccups?”, “Easy Carlos!”
So it seems as if for the time being, we are in a waiting period. Waiting for little ‘Carlos’ to regulate his heartbeat. Thank you all for your phone calls, visits, thoughts, prayers, and time. We’ve had great support and the doctors and nurses have been great (even got to talk IU Basketball with a player’s mother).
Just like our parents have told us….Welcome to Parenthood!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Less Than 10 Weeks to Go!!
Well it has been my turn to update the blog, and I haven’t done a very good job. Luckily I have still been feeling well, and the doctor continues to tell us things are looking good, which is always a relief. So, here is my best recap of what has been happening the past 1 ½ months.
GENDER NEUTRAL CLOTHING
Zach and I have always had the mindset that we do not want to find out the gender of our baby, hence the name Carlos. This continues to be our stance, and we are anxious to find out the answer to this question all strangers seem to ask us whenever speaking of our pregnancy. However, when I went to register for baby items, it became apparent to me that clothing is not made with people like us in mind. I like green and yellow, but I am also a firm believer that there are other gender neutral colors, it just depends upon the shade and possibly the pattern. That is why my mom and I had to take it into our own hands, and we headed out to Once Upon A Child to see what could be found. They organize their clothing into boys and girls, so we perused both sections to find a few funny/cute onesies. These include a chocolate brown onesie with a blue/green patterned peace sign (mom bought that one for Carlos), a white onesie with an Elvis outfit (Zach’s favorite) and a cute red/blue/white onesie with monkeys. Now I can rest assured that Carlos will be well dressed in the first few weeks of his life!!
30 WEEKS AND COUNTING
We have entered the third trimester, and although it is nothing like the first trimester and morning sickness, I can definitely feel my body changing!! For example, Zach and I were flying home from Orlando the other night, and I couldn’t even bend down and pick up my purse that was below the seat in front of me! I know my belly is growing, but it is hard to convince myself that there are things that just aren’t physically possible anymore. In addition to my belly growing, so are my ankles! I can have the loosest fitting socks on, and I have a mark within an hour. I have also officially begun my pregnancy waddle – I can’t walk normal even if I try my hardest, especially after I have been sitting for long periods of time.
SHOWERS
I have had my first shower, and I have one to go. I have to say, my first was a lot of fun, thanks especially to Po and Becky, who had great games planned, and great cupcakes!!! I learned during the shower that Zach plans to change half of the diapers (yeah for me!!) and that you better be careful when ordering online items from Target (you may accidentally order two). My second shower is in a couple of weeks with my family and I am looking forward to it as well.
GENDER NEUTRAL CLOTHING
Zach and I have always had the mindset that we do not want to find out the gender of our baby, hence the name Carlos. This continues to be our stance, and we are anxious to find out the answer to this question all strangers seem to ask us whenever speaking of our pregnancy. However, when I went to register for baby items, it became apparent to me that clothing is not made with people like us in mind. I like green and yellow, but I am also a firm believer that there are other gender neutral colors, it just depends upon the shade and possibly the pattern. That is why my mom and I had to take it into our own hands, and we headed out to Once Upon A Child to see what could be found. They organize their clothing into boys and girls, so we perused both sections to find a few funny/cute onesies. These include a chocolate brown onesie with a blue/green patterned peace sign (mom bought that one for Carlos), a white onesie with an Elvis outfit (Zach’s favorite) and a cute red/blue/white onesie with monkeys. Now I can rest assured that Carlos will be well dressed in the first few weeks of his life!!
30 WEEKS AND COUNTING
We have entered the third trimester, and although it is nothing like the first trimester and morning sickness, I can definitely feel my body changing!! For example, Zach and I were flying home from Orlando the other night, and I couldn’t even bend down and pick up my purse that was below the seat in front of me! I know my belly is growing, but it is hard to convince myself that there are things that just aren’t physically possible anymore. In addition to my belly growing, so are my ankles! I can have the loosest fitting socks on, and I have a mark within an hour. I have also officially begun my pregnancy waddle – I can’t walk normal even if I try my hardest, especially after I have been sitting for long periods of time.
SHOWERS
I have had my first shower, and I have one to go. I have to say, my first was a lot of fun, thanks especially to Po and Becky, who had great games planned, and great cupcakes!!! I learned during the shower that Zach plans to change half of the diapers (yeah for me!!) and that you better be careful when ordering online items from Target (you may accidentally order two). My second shower is in a couple of weeks with my family and I am looking forward to it as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
