Monday, February 19, 2007

Baby Update!

Sorry Ladies! Here is the baby update:

In Waco:
Tristan was able to cuddle w/ his mom and dad a few hours after birth, but was still having some trouble breathing. He was hooked up to special monitor but that only lasted a day. On Thursday he learning how eat from his mom and began a little fever. He ended up staying in the hospital until Saturday to watch his temp. When I spoke w/ Nic last night she said that she was LOVING being a mom and having so much fun with Tristan. He is eating well and looking cute! I snuck in two visits while they were at the hospital, but he was eating both times. I will plan to see him this week before Josh and I leave on our babymoon, so i will have more pix then.

In Colorado:
Melissa's sweet baby, Caden Gary, was born around 12:30 midnight which was technically 2/15! They braved the Colorado snow to the hospital over an hour away from their house in record time. Melissa quickly progressed and felt ready to push right after the doc did his final check to see she was at a 10. The doctor was sans gown and with only one glove on, but Caden was on his way out into the world. Once the second glove was in place, she finished her push and out he came. Cary called to share the good news and I was able to visit with Melissa for a little. It was hard to know I couldn't be up at the hospital with her to meet her newest little bundle, so I had to live vicariously through the pix Cary sent!

For now check the girls' blogs to see their sweet babies faces!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Valentine's Day--Happy Birthday Tristan!

Craziness! I can't believe the Nicki's big day finally is here! Tristan arrived after a long night at 8:37am (ish--well, that's when the text message went through on Brad's phone!) this morning. He is 7lbs 2 oz and 20 1/2 in long!

So here is my version of the story:
This morning (valentine's day) as i'm running out the door for work i see that i've missed not one, but TWO phone calls from nickster. panicked because the calls were at 11pm and 4am---ahhhh, i couldn't dial my voicemail fast enough! The first one 11pm: her water has broken and now they are on their way to hospital b/c she is strep b positive and they need to get her onto antibiotics. Phone call two 4am: she was at 10cm and felt like they were going to let her push soon.
Well, since it was 8:00, i figured the little guy had already been welcomed into the world so i tried the hospital and her phone--no answer. More than a little concerned, i call the gals at work and head over to the hospital (down the road from work). Well, my preggo brain gets a little distracted on my way there and I FORGOT to exit and ended up in like Robinson facing a McDonald's. Now, does anyone remember Nic's big post-delivery request? COFFEE! Real, non-hospital BLACK coffee (well, i did include some sugars and creme just in case!) So I swung the drive-thru and picked up my fav breakfast meal (in case they weren't hungry, the baby and I would be set!)
So I arrive on scene, coffee & breakfast in hand on my way to room 533. I bust pass the waiting room, nurses station, and knock on the door. "Come in" i hear--so I open the door slowly and see a room FULL of nurses, Nic's legs in the air, and both mom's with smiley teary faces. I catch Brent's eye and nervously smile as a nurse walks towards me and says the baby will be out in just a minute if i want to wait at the door. I shrug and say that I just was bringing her breakfast and set it on the counter, sheepishly.
I head back out to the waiting room where i see the rest of the Wilson/Fretty clan I zoomed by on my way in. I hang our with them for about 10 minutes or so before Brad receives a text message "He is born!". But then it's like 10 more minutes until Mimi (Nic's good friend and L&D nurse) stopped in to see us and said that she couldn't give the details, but that Tristan wasn't breathing very well, he was singing ( a sign of distress) instead of crying. We wait AGAIN for Brent to come in and divulge the details. He is very proud of his sweet wife but still seemed worried about his new baby. Since Nic hasn't been able to hold him yet, they are waiting for people to come back to the room. About 9:30 the mom's come back to the waiting room and let us know that they are running tests on Tristan. The are crying as they talk about it, but still have huge smiles that nothing will dim. I have to head back to work, so I give Pam my number and she promises to call with an update.

More later...

week # 20-it's a..

2 Samuel 7:14
I will be his father, and he will be my son.

...BOY!

It appears as though the boy votes came from behind and won the game! Seriously, we are just as shocked as many of you! However, we are THRILLED to be having a baby boy and we will have so much fun showing him off to you in just a few short months. Between LeVec and my mom, he will be the best dressed baby boy this side of New York!

Half-way there and our suspense is finally over, at least as far as the gender department goes! Our little man gave quite a perfomance during the ultrasound which was caught on film by our stellar sonographer. I hope to figure out how to clearly up load some of his fabulous photos, soon.

I don't know how many of you have experienced the crazyiness of having to drink oodles and oodles of water, then have some mash right on your bladder for 40 minutes! It's crazy! This is especially fun if your son decides to play hide and go seek in your hipbone! In an effort to bring the shy guy into a more visable area of my body, the nurse tried everything from inverting the table i was on (those little things are quite skinny and precarious!), to rolling me over on my side and mashing on his little apartment, and finally digging deep under my pancaked bladder to get a good view of him. When he finally shifted from his indian style seating arrangement we were able to see his boy parts quite clearly, much to the nurse's apparent relief!

I think Josh and I appeared a little dazed and confused when we left the clinic with huge smiles on our faces. Since the verdict was boy, it was Josh's job to pick our date night activity and restaurant for dinner. He kinda laughed when we got in the car, saying he hadn't really thought much about it, since he was convinced we were having a girl! He decided a trip to the park with Shiloh would be appropriate, followed by dinner at RoadHouse. Our time together was fun and it was neat marveling together at the fact that we were having a boy. But, y'all know us, we couldn't keep this secret for long=:)

We gathered the Wheeler kiddo's that night for their annoucement, which especially pleased Clay with his very last minute boy vote. The next day we unvailed the surprise to our friends at work with more balloons (pink and red decoys surrounding an "It's a Boy" balloon!) Friday at work the chocolate fountain flowed blue in celebration. Over the weekend we took a trip to the metroplex to announce this crazy news to our parents and grandparents at Joe's Crab Shack. We presented a strong case (lots of good solid evidence) to lead them to the proper conclusion---we're having a BOY! We love a chance to celebrate!

Thanks to y'all for your sweet words of encouragement and love for our unborn son!

blessings,
kelly, josh, & baby boy t


Our sweet baby's world:

We've made it to the halfway mark — congratulations!
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to his bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against his torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)
A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats your baby's entire body to protect his skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. This slick coating will also ease the journey down the birth canal when the time comes.
Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing
meconium, a black, sticky substance that's made up of dead cells, digestive secretions, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first messy diaper. Aren't babies great?

week # 19-votes are in!

Proverbs 4:23
Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.

Drum roll please....

After putting it to a readers vote, it appears that as my bro Cam said--the vote leaned toward the trend in our fam of 'ladies first' ! 19 voted for a sweet baby girl and 6 voted for a bouncy baby boy! Wow that's overwhelming odds, but the matter is still undecided for now! We will be having our big ultrasound soon, but we are keeping that date a secret for now=:0)

This past weekend Josh and I took a little trip down to Salado for a marriage retreat called ReUnion . We explored different aspects of communication within the marriage relationship and we learned about how keeping our heart open will foster a deep connection. The above verse is the Message version of "Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life!" which is one of my ALL time favorite verses in scripture. It was neat to see other ways to apply this verse. When we take care of our heart then we can manage our response to our spouse when our buttons get pushed.
It was fun to hang out with many of our couple friends that we haven't seen since some of their weddings! On Saturday night Josh and I drove into Roundrock to shop a bit and eat a yummy dinner at Chuy's--an amazing tex-mex cantina. The salsa really hit the spot, and in fact we took home a fresh batch for any mexican cravings i might have this week.

blessings,
kelly, josh, & baby t

Our sweet baby's world:

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

week # 18-time to vote!

1 Samuel 1:27
I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.

This weekend we had fun with our friends at our 1st annual, post-holiday, progressive dinner---whew, it was an event as long as it's title. The final house of the evening was complete with a choco fountain and we ended up playing Loaded Questions, until the wee hours of the night. Nic and I were a little tuckered out, but we were proud to say we weren't the first to leave (however, the others did have kids to get back to!) Saturday we had a double date with our friends Seth and Mere, who are expecting their third bundle of joy 2 weeks after us!

Let's jump back to Friday where we had a wonderful doctor's visit (once we finally were able to see the doc!). The OB office was running a little behind due to an ER emergency, so we were actually seen at 11:30 instead of 9:30! Thankfully I have a very patient husband, who ran me back to my office for an appointment I had in the middle of that crazy wait and snagged me a snack.
Once Doc Micus came in to visit, she did a quick tummy check, and then we listened to the baby's heart beat---which is always fun! At a quick 140 beats per minute, I'm sure there will be predictions made about the baby's gender.

Speaking of...lets have vote:

While many of you have made predictions along the way, where do you stand now? Now this isn't complete verification that we will be finding out the gender any time soon, but we thought it would be fun! We will tally up the votes for next weeks e-mail and save any cute comments for the baby book! What's do YOU think our little firecracker will be?

blessings,
kelly, josh, & baby t

Our sweet baby's world:
Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin, and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

week # 17

Ephesians 1:17-19:
I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

Okay, this verse was written just for me this week---endless energy and boundless strength, Lord where has it gone? Will it ever return? I'm definitely feeling exhaustion more these past few days. I used to love a back-to-back schedule, now I crave my bed and my couch! I pray it will return quickly so that I can continue to do what He is calling us to do each moment.

At work things were a little crazy due to the ice storm mixing up our schedule. Stress and tension can really wear on a group, especially when coupled with the many changes that are beginning to take place in our office.

To ease the stress of the week, on Thursday Josh took me out for a "Night on the Town" with a delish steak dinner and shrimpies followed by the Waco Symphony Orchestra. It was fun to think about how differently the baby enjoyed the evening safe inside my womb. Yummy tasting food coupled with elegant music all while swimming must have been quite an adventure.

More wonderful food was involved while celebrating my brothers' birthdays this week. Clay turned the big 21 on Wednesday and our roomie Cam entered his final teen year, turning 19 on Saturday. (Are you sensing a pattern with food and fun here?) Mom and Dad came down for weekend, so we were able to visit a little face to face, which is always nice.

It was a weekend of showers and shower prep, which is fun since I love a challenge! Nicole had a sweet shower filled with helpful advice and precious pink gifts! I began to feel a tiny flutter in my belly while we were praying over Nicole and Savannah. I'm sure I was imagining it, but very soon I should be feeling this kind of 'movement' regularly.

Yesterday was a big day for the baby and I as we helped hostess Nicki and Tristan's work and church shower. SO much fun! Y'all know how much we love to party! Mom and Erin were a huge help in the success of the shower. Many of our fabulous friends pitched in where needed to make the afternoon special for Nic. Our theme was "Tristan is a Treasure", and since his bedroom is done in fly-fishing frogs, we had to work that in too. We had hand-decorated cookies that were almost too pretty to eat, a chocolate fountain flowing with green chocolate (it tasted like white chocolate, much to everyone's surprise), and yummy green punch. It was fun to watch her literally be showered with gifts, love, attention and prayer in preparation for her next job: motherhood. Tristan I can't WAIT to hold you in person!

We finished up the weekend at Life-group which is always an amazing time of fellowship and prayer. This week Steve challenged us to Simplify our lives. As a friend reminded me today, babies have a way of doing this for us as our world shifts to include them in our every decision.

blessings,
kelly, josh, & baby t

Our sweet baby's world:
Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now, rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden into bone. Some of it will remain cartilage for years after he's born. A newborn's skeleton has 300 parts (a combination of bone and cartilage). As your child grows, some of these parts harden and fuse together. By the time your baby reaches adulthood, he'll have just 206 bones.

week # 16-month 4!

Proverbs 15:
33 Fear-of- God is a school in skilled living— first you learn humility, then you experience glory.

4 months along already! Many people have mentioned how quickly the time is going by, and it's so true. 3 months ago today I took that crazy pregnacy test, that for the first time in my life showed up positive! 2 months ago we had our first doctor's visit complete with ultrasound and we began spreading the good news. 1 month ago we had just returned from our good friend Lauren's wedding--tossing me back to college days for the weekend. Now we are in 2007 starting preparations for baby t!
Last week on Friday at work, our nurse, Liz, was training a new ultrasound nurse for the Killeen center. Baby t and I were ultrasound models while Astrid practiced on our almost 16 week belly (yes, erin, i did say 'our belly' because i'm counting on baby t (and all the additional baby paraphanelia) accounting for the growing belly). Baby t acted shy and sleepy, waving a couple of times and streching out. I was surprised to see how small the baby still appeared on screen, but the development of the baby was obvious. The ribs were apparent, and the baby's head was more in proportion to it's body. When Astrid tired to wake the baby, he/she flipped over and stuck it's little bottom in the air---as if to say, "Don't bug me I'm sleeping!" I'm hoping this napping trend will continue after birth!
Coming up this week will be our work shower for Nicki and Tristan which will be SO fun if the weather shapes up! More on this next week!

blessings,
kelly, josh, & baby t

Our sweet baby's world:
At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails. Her finger - and toenails will continue to grow throughout pregnancy, so don't be surprised if she needs them trimmed soon after birth.