Hello 2013!

Wow, I can't believe that 2013 is already upon us, and that means Eli is 3 months old today! Time sure flys when you are having fun, getting used to being a family of 4, and throw in the busy holidays and the past 3 months have flown by!

Jacob has adjusted so well to being a big brother! He truly loves Eli and is pretty protective of him around other people! I sure home that it continues as they grow.

Eli of course is growing growing growing! He is already in 6 month sleepers and 1 piece outfits and will soon be in 6 month clothes for the rest of his clothes as well. He is starting to reach out at toys and items that are placed in front of him. He is also working on cutting his first tooth! He loves to suck and chew on his hands (or anyone's else hands!)

2013 brings a lot of fun plans, and hopefully a very healthy and happy year to our family! In Late February / early March we will take our first trip as a family of 4 to Mississippi for Hans' best friends wedding! I am excited to get away for a week, and praying that the boys do well with flying and driving that we will have to do. Then in April both boys are being baptized, and Jacob turns 4!! May means it is time for me to go on a girls weekend to Boston with my moms group!!!

This year we hope to: grow my craft business, replace the carpet in our house, take 2 family trips, grow as a family, and just have an amazing year!

 

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Eli James

He is here!! After a very long and drawn out labor (I am still writing out my birth story, so that will come at a later date) we are happy to announce that Eli James Sickles was born on Monday, October 1st, 2012 at 8:06 pm weighing 8lbs 3oz and was 21 1/4 inches long! We are so in love with him, and Jacob is a great big brother!

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37 week update

Well this has been a very eventful week! I went to my doctors on Tuesday for my normal weekly checkup and everything checked out normal. My doctor checked my cervix to see if I had made anymore progress as I have been having nightly contractions up to that point and I had a minor change! I was now 2cm dilated! I left that appointment and almost immediately started feeling cramping and by the time I made it home, started having contractions. The contractions were not horrible, but enough that I noticed them. I just kind of mentally kept track of them until after supper, and then sat down and used a contraction timer to time them. They were coming nice and steady in a pattern. I timed them from a little after 7pm until maybe 10 or 10:30. At that time, Hans was wondering if I wanted to head into L&D, but I decided that I would try and take a shower to see what that did to them. The shower was nice and relaxing, but I continued to contract the entire time at the same rate as I had been all evening. I was just still hesitant to head in because not all of them were super painful, so I didn't know for sure if they were doing anything. So after my shower I decided to lay down and see if I could get some rest.

I was able to fall asleep and only wake up a couple of times. Sometimes I woke up because I needed to use the bathroom, and a couple of times I woke up because of the contractions. Shortly after I woke up for the day, I started to time the contractions once again and they were back to their normal pattern. I did have sometimes that they would back off for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, but they would start right back up and get back into a normal pattern. Around 2pm, I had finally had enough painful contractions all together that I called Hans at work and said that I thought we should head into the hospital to be checked.

We got to the hospital and checked in around 2:30pm. The nurses got me all settled in and checked me. I had progressed to 4cm! That was a nice change from just 24 hours earlier. They got me hooked up to the monitors to see how little man was doing and to monitor my contractions. They did this for 24 hours and would normally have me on the monitors for 1 hour then off for an hour. While I was not on the monitors I was up walking, sitting on a birthing ball or using the jacuzzi tub! After 24 hours, my insurance required that they either fully admit me to the hospital for delivery or send me home (I was still just in the hospital as an observation patient) Since I had only progressed another CM and my contractions were still doing the weird patterns of coming and going every hour or so they send me home and told me to come back when the contractions were strong again or my water broke.

So we have been home since Thursday afternoon, and I have been constantly contracting. It isn't fun, but I am dealing with it as best as I can. We went on a nice long walk last night around the neighborhood and then again today to see if that would help kick up the contractions. So who knows, we might end up with a baby in the next couple of days and he might just be causing me lots of problems already and not come until closer to his due date! Only time will tell!  

36 week update

What a exhausting few weeks it has been since my last update. I have officially hit the "I am ready to be done with this pregnancy business" and ready for my baby to be in my arms. :) This past week especially has been a little trying as I have landed in the hospital 2 times and on top of that Hans has been out of town for work!

Sunday morning, I headed to L&D as I had been contracting all night and thought that my water had possibly broke up high at the top of my placenta. After going back and forth on if I should head in to be checked, I finally decided to go in and get checked. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry, so I packed Jacob up and dropped him off at my moms and headed in. They checked me in, hooked me up to the monitor and collected a urine sample. They also took the swab to check for amniotic fluid. After being monitored for a few hours, the tests came back and didn't show any fluid present so they were confident that my water had not broke and decided to send me on my way.

My second visit to L&D was a little longer of a visit and a little more scary. I was getting ready for bed last night. I had gone to the bathroom and when I stood up, there was lots of blood all in the toilet. It scared me right away, and I immediately called L&D to let them know I would be on my way back in (my doctors office doesn't have after-hours calls, you just have to call L&D or go in). However this time I couldn't just pack up Jacob and take him to grandma's as my mom had to also leave town for my grandpa's surgery that is today. Because my mom is out of town, my sister Sara is staying with me, so for the night I could at least leave Jacob home with her as by the time this happened he was fast asleep. I called his daycare provider and gave her a heads up that I was headed into the hospital and I might need her help come morning if they kept me overnight as Sara would need to be leaving for school by 7:30am.

So I headed into the hospital and was checked in and in my room by about 10:50 (mind you the bloody incident happened around 10:30) They needed the usual urine sample and hooked me up to the monitor to check out the baby and to make sure I wasn't contracting. After being on the monitor for maybe 45 minutes to an hour, they had my results back from the urine test and it showed that I had a bladder infection, and they were pretty confident that this is what caused my bleeding. My doctor ordered a dosage of antibiotics and for me to stay the night for observation so they could monitor my bleeding and to make sure that I didn't end up in full labor. So I settled in as much as I could for the night and tried to get some sleep. Thankfully by around 4am my bleeding had stopped, and the nurses and I were pretty confident that my doctor would release me when he came by to do rounds in the morning. Unfortunately once I woke up just after 4am, I was unable to fall back asleep, so I was running on about 4 hours of crappy sleep. Once 6am rolled around, started the worry about making sure Jacob would have someone to pick him up or come stay with him at home once Sara was gone for school. Thankfully after about 45 minutes my wonderful daycare provider was able to secure a safe ride for him to her house, and he would be picked up by 7:15am. Once I knew he was taken care of my stress level went down just a little.

Thankfully my doctor came in a little while later, checked me over and felt like it was safe enough for me to head home. I am now on a 10 day course of meds to take care of the infection. Hans will thankfully be home tomorrow, so I am also just crossing my fingers that little man stays put until after he makes it home. I have now been home for a few hours and was able to get one nap in. I plan on trying to take another before it is time to pick up Jacob later in the afternoon.

How far along are you? 36 weeks 2 days - still measuring ahead by 2 weeks... Only 26 days until my due date!
How big is baby?  Estimated weight is around 6 + lbs (I have not had a growth ultrasound since I was 30 weeks, so I am just going by the general estimates for 36 week pregnancies. Since he was already so big then, I am guessing he is still on the larger side)
Maternity Clothes? All the time...getting down to just a few things that still fit comfortably.
Weight - loss or gain? Up just a couple lbs.
Sleep: Just OK. Some nights are bad and some are good. Up multiple times a night to pee and to turn over due to the hip/pelvic pain.
Movement: All the time! He is head down, with his butt usually on my right side however he likes to move it side to side when stretching which is kind of on the painful side. He also likes to try and stretch out which is painful for me!
Food Cravings: Nothing specific, I just eat what sounds good and stay away from what doesn't.
Food Aversions: I don't really have aversions, I just can't eat that much at one time due to my stomach being so squished.
Belly Button In or Out? Neither...it is still pretty flat most of the time.

What do you miss? Energy, and being pain free. Crossing my fingers that this hip and pelvic pain goes away quickly after birth!

And here is an updated bump picture of me and little man from last week. :) 

Happy August...31 week update

I can't believe we are already 1/2 way through August!! Where in the world has the summer gone? I am enjoying the cooler weather that we are finally having around here now that summer is coming to an end. The 100+ temps were pretty miserable to deal with while being pregnant.

I celebrated my 28th birthday on the 3rd, and had a great day! We got a sitter for Jacob, and went to Mitchell for dinner, and it was so yummy! I was so full after my meal, that I had to get my cake to go! But I was then able to enjoy that slice over the next couple of days because it was so big!

The next exciting event coming up is Jacob will be starting pre-school 2 days a week! It starts September 4th, and he is excited! Since be is 3, his class only meets 2 x a week for 2.5 hours each time. I am excited to see how much more he learns and am excited for him to meet more kids.

 Jacob playing soccer outside!

 I love this up close picture I caught of him. He was under the porch steps, and I stuck my camera between 2 steps and just snapped this without being able to see what I was actually seeing.

 Jacob pushing daddy on the swing!

 Enjoying an apple directly from our apple tree!

 Daddy and Jacob ready for football! Go Saints!

 Another cute soccer picture!

 
 And now for my update: 

How far along are you? 31 weeks 1 day - but measuring 33 weeks 1 day
How big is baby?  At my growth ultrasound last week he was measuring 4 lbs 3 oz!
Maternity Clothes? All the time...I even had to sort through and pull some maternity clothes that don't fit me anymore!
Weight - loss or gain?  Back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
Sleep: Just OK. Some nights are bad and some are good. I get up at least once to use the bathroom. I am still needing the ice packs to place under my hip to help with the pain.
Movement: All the time! He is head down, with his butt on my right side, and his arms and legs on my left. So I get lots of punches / kicks on the left side and a butt sticking out on my right. :) Not always that comfortable, but I love feeling him move!
Food Cravings: Still loving the fruit... and sweets.
Food Aversions: I don't really have aversions, I just can't eat that much at one time due to my stomach being so squished.
Belly Button In or Out? Neither...it is pretty much flat all the time now.

What do you miss? Energy, and seeing my feet! I have not seen them in awhile. :) I also miss not being in pain all the time. :( I have been seeing my Chiropractor and massage therapist 1 x a week and a PT 2 x a week to keep me walking and to help with the pain.

And here is a comparison picture from 20 weeks vs 31 weeks! 

Goodby second trimester....hello Third trimester!

I can't believe how fast my second trimester has/is flying by! Tomorrow I will be 26 weeks...the last few days of the second trimester. Today marks 99 days until my due date! I can't believe we are already down in the double digits!

Last weekend, we went and had some maternity photos done as I won a session with a new photographer! Here are a few of my favorites from that shoot!

How far along are you? 26 weeks (as of tomorrow)
How big is baby?  Baby weighs approximately 1.5 to 2 pound and is 14ish inches long. I am however measuring 2 weeks ahead, so this baby might be a little bigger than that already! 
Maternity Clothes? All the time.
Weight - loss or gain?  Still at a loss due to my hyperemesis, but slowly gaining back what I lost.
Sleep: Pretty good for the most part. I wake up at least once a night to pee. I also have to fall asleep on a icepack to help with my low back/hip/pelvic pain that is not going away.
Movement: All the time! He likes to make my belly shake all over the place. :) Jacob loves getting to feel his baby brother. :)
Food Cravings: Still loving the fruit! I tend to buy the largest bunch of bananas that I can find at the store each week and 4 to 6 containers of strawberries! Love my morning smoothies. :)
Food Aversions: I still can't eat large portions of meat, but it is getting better. My biggest problem now is that baby boy is squishing my stomach so much that I just can't eat very much at one time.
Belly Button In or Out? It is getting pretty flat. I would have to say that it would still be considered an in, but not for much longer.

What do you miss? Energy, and seeing my feet! I have not seen them in awhile. :) 

Jacob is doing great! He is a typical 3 year old little boy! He loves to play outside all the time. He really enjoys when we pull out the sprinkler and let him run through it. He has also enjoyed going to the local pool, and starts swim lessons tonight. 

On the 4th of July, I took him downtown for the parade. He had a blast seeing all the people go by and getting a ton of candy tossed his way. Here he is sitting in the stroller waiting for the parade to start. 

It's a.....

Boy!

We had our ultrasound last week on Hans birthday (Happy Birthday Hubby!) and found out that we are expecting a baby brother for Jacob! We are very excited and now the search for the perfect name starts!

Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound. Sorry they are not the best quality - I had to take pictures of the pictures to get them on my computer.

 Face with arm, leg and the umbilical cord by his face. :)

 Baby feet!

 Another face shot, this time with his hand on his face. :)

20 Weeks!

So I have been a horrible blogger, but I have a really good excuse! As you can guess by the title of this post, we are expecting a new baby and as of tomorrow I will be 20 weeks!

In October just after returning home from our anniversary cruise, we found out we were expecting! We were so very excited and ready to give Jacob a new sibling. Sadly just a week later we lost that pregnancy to a early miscarriage. To say we were devastated is an understatement. After some healing both physically and mentally we were ready to get back to trying to add to our family.

In early February we found out we were once again expecting! We were very excited, but very cautious. Because of the loss in November, my doctor had me come in right away to have blood tests done to make sure the pregnancy hormones were increasing at rapid enough rates to carry a successful pregnancy. Thankfully they all came back normal, and we were off to a great start. We went in at right around 6 weeks for our first ultrasound and everything looked great, and yes there is only one baby. :)

Like with my pregnancy with Jacob, my morning sickness hit early and hit hard and my official diagnosis is Hyperemesis! With Jacob I was put on bed rest at 9 weeks and started infusion therapy. This time, I started IV therapy at 7 weeks on March 1. It was apparent that I was going to be just as sick, so we got right on it. I went every-other-day, for the first month and then switched to every 3 days. After the first 3 infusions, we switched to a PICC line (a semi-perm IV line that goes into your arm and goes all the way to your heart.) I had a PICC line with Jacob, so this was nothing new for me. I kept my PICC line until April 19th which was the day that I had my last IV infusion. Thankfully since then I have been feeling pretty good and have only had to take my nausea meds a couple of times at home vs the every 4 hours schedule I had been on when it was at it's worse.

How far along are you? 20 weeks! Half baked. :)
How big is baby?  Baby weighs about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5 inches - about the size of a banana.
Maternity Clothes? All the time.
Weight - loss or gain?  Still at a loss due to my hyperemesis.
Sleep: Pretty good for the most part. I wake up at least once a night to pee.
Movement: Yep - I can feel him/her everyday at this point, Hans felt the baby for the first time last night!
Food Cravings: Love fruit, and the other day I just had to have a rice krispie treat.
Food Aversions: I can't eat large portions of meat.
Belly Button In or Out? Still in!

What do you miss? Energy. I am exhausted all the time.