Blessed

Our first 2 weeks home with Jase have been nothing short of amazing!  We have been blessed with the best baby boy we could have ever asked for.  I don't know what Kiel & I did to deserve such a good baby, but we are very thankful and VERY careful not to take it for granted.

Jase had LOTS of visitors while we were in the hospital!  We hadn't even gotten home and he was already accustomed to being held all the time...spoiled little man!

 

 

 

 

The first night we were home (Sunday, February 3rd), we watched the super bowl at our house with my sister, brother-in-law, and the kids - Jase ate during the second quarter and then pretty much slept through the rest of the game.  Can't say mommy saw any of it.

I put him to bed in the pack-in-play in our room around midnight and went to bed myself.  Around 3:30am he woke up with a dirty diaper and fell back to sleep immediately without eating.  At 6:45am I woke up to him talking to himself in bed and SURPRISE...my milk was in.  After feeding him, I went back to sleep until 10:30am.  Considering I only slept for about 4 hours total while we were in the hospital, I felt like a new person after getting all that sleep on the first night home.

The next few days and nights went pretty smoothly.  The kid LOVES to sleep! 

I was actually having to wake him up to eat, more for selfish reasons then anything (mommy needed some relief!!) even in the middle of the night.  We've gotten on a pretty good routine where he's waking up every 3 to 4 hours on his own.  Bedtime is between 10 & 11pm and he's usually up 1 to 2 times a night.  While I'm still tired from getting used to this new routine of getting up a few times (longer then just having to pee!), I'm definitely more rested then I ever expected to be with a 2 week old.  Jase makes it so easy on me by going back to sleep almost immediately after eating & a quick diaper change.  I think we have swaddle blankets to thank for that :) 

We had lots of visitors the first couple of weeks.  Everyone was so generous, bringing dinners and lunches!!!  A big thank you to my sister, mom, dad, Kiel's parents, and Aunt Nancy for keeping us fed for almost 2 whole weeks!!!  Taking into considering my lack of desire to cook...they really spoiled me.

 

Jase was born at 9lbs even, but when we left the hospital he was down to 8lbs 6 oz (totally normal).  Monday, we had our doctor's appointment and he was down another 2oz to 8lbs 4oz.  As long as they don't lose 10% of their birth weight there's no need for concern.  Our pediatrician, Dr. Proehl, was slightly concerned about his jaundice level since he was sleeping so much and definitely had a little tan/yellowish tint to his skin so we took him into have blood drawn on Monday and again on Wednesday.  Luckily his levels continued to decrease so we didn't have to take any additional steps to correct that.  He was looking better by the next day.

Daddy went back to work last Friday and it wasn't easy.  I think Monday was even harder on him, but I think it makes his time at home with him even that much more special.  I'm still pretending I'm not going back to work in 9 weeks.

On Saturday, Suzy, Nicole & Trina made another trip to Pontiac to meet baby boy & for Suzy to take his newborn pics.  He pretty much let us do anything we wanted to him for about 2 hours - she got some awesome shots!!!  I can't wait to see all of them! 

This past week has been a little calmer.  Jase & I got out of the house & ran some errands which was great for mommy!  I'm feeling really good - completely off the motrin for pain and really feeling like myself again.  Just need to get into those pre-pregnancy jeans and we'll be in good shape (baby steps!!!) 

We had our first family date night on Valentines Day :)  Couldn't have asked for two better Valentines!

Jase & I both had doctor's appointments this week.  Mine was just a follow up for postpartum with Dr Ingram.  I know I mentioned how much I loved having her as my doctor in Jase's birth story, but I'm so glad we chose her because I'm so comfortable talking to her about how I'm feeling.  Luckily, I honestly feel great, but I know if I was having any issues, I wouldn't have a problem talking to her about them.  Jase got a great report at his appointment as well.  He's up to 10lbs!!!  Dr Proehl was really happy with that progress especially since he's a breastfed baby...he's a good eater!!!  He also got a little taller and is measuring in at 21.5 inches.  This shouldn't be a surprise, but his head got a little bigger too...up to 38 cm...lots of brains in there :)

 I can't believe it's already been 2 weeks!!!  And neither can Jase!!  lol

-Nicole

A Birth Story: Jase Russell Pshak

Let me just start off by saying, this whole giving birth thing has been a whirlwind of emotions.  I feel like someone hit the fast forward button on my life and forgot to tell me how to slow it down.  Kiel just keeps saying "I can't believe how fast this day went."  Me either love, me either.

My alarm went off at 1:45 am Friday, February 1st and even though I'd only slept for a couple of hours, I jumped right up without hitting the snooze (not like me at all).  Since my bag had been packed for a few weeks, there wasn't much to do, but get showered, get Kiel up, and get to the hospital.  We got there at exactly 3am and were in our room by 3:15.

Terri was our first nurse that came in to check me (was still at a 3), explain the process of getting induced, and give me all the paperwork that needed to be filled out before we were discharged.  At this point, I still don't think I'd wrapped my head around what was about to happen.  I was hooked up to the pitocin by 4:30am and the contractions followed shortly after.  My body was responding so well to the medicine, my contractions were literally right on top of each other almost immediately and she had to turn it down.  Things were pretty boring for the next few hours - Kiel & I tried to talk normally to pass the time, watching tv & filling out paperwork. 

Dr. Ingram showed up at about 7:30 am to check me & break my water.  I'm not sure where I got the idea that this was going to hurt, but it didn't.  I just sat there in a puddle of amniotic fluid thinking....this is disgusting.  About 20 minutes later, I got my first dose of a real contraction.  They're not so bad when they start out like light cramping, but I got lucky enough to experience back labor and in Kiel's words to my sister "she looks like a turtle on it's back."  Fortunately for him, I appreciated the humor distraction so he got to live through that comment.

The contractions had reinforced my decision to get an epidural by about 1000 so we decided to notify the anesthesiologist.  Kiel's mom popped in around 8:30 just in time to see us before he got there so she got to see me in rare form, but considering she, like my mom, had 2 kids with no drugs, I don't think she really felt all that bad for me lol  Getting an epidural is a little scary just because it goes into your spine, but I had a great anesthesiologist and while it was a little uncomfortable mainly because my contractions were so intense, it didn't hurt at all.  Kiel stood in front of me and made the mistake of letting me squeeze his arms to help me keep still during the contractions...hopefully those nail marks have gone away by now!!!  My right foot started tingling almost immediately, and I only felt about 2 strong contractions after he started the test dose.  Hands down, he was my favorite person that day.  The medicine worked it's way up my right leg and while I could still wiggle my toes, I couldn't really do much else with it.  I still had full control over my left leg so that was a little weird, but my contractions were almost non-existent so I wasn't complaining.  Kiel's mom came back in and his Aunt Nancy stopped by to keep us company until about 11:30 when my mom showed up shortly followed by my sister.  I was really feeling good so it was nice to have distractions popping in & out for a little bit & I know Kiel appreciated the company even though the day was flying by.

About 12:15 my mom & sister left & the nurse came in to let me know Dr Ingram would be in at 1 to check me.  She said they needed to know if I started feeling any pressure down below or if I had any concerns.  I wasn't feeling any pressure, but my contractions had come back REALLY strong in my back on my left side.  Terri decided she should probably check me to see if there had been any change and I sat there in fear my epidural was only working on one side of my body, but to my surprise she looked at me and said, "Guess what...you're complete, we need to get Dr Ingram in here."  WHAT?  I thought induction took all day....I thought we had hours left of sitting around being bored & doing nothing??!??!?  Kiel hadn't eaten anything all day & had just asked his sister to bring him something so he went out to call her and tell her to forget it & let his mom know what was going on.  Luckily my sister & mom hadn't left the building yet so they got the news too and just ended up staying.  Kiel came back in, Shilo made it just in time to wish us good luck, and Terri rushed around opening cabinets and getting things ready.   Since Kiel never got lunch he was starting to look a little pale as things started to get more serious so the nurses brought him a little juice to give him some energy...have to take care of daddy's too :)

Dr Ingram showed up and we got the show on the road.  I seriously could not have asked for a better doctor.  She was motivating, encouraging, and just has her shit together.  She coached me every step of the way, ensuring me I was doing what I needed to be doing and giving me pointers when I got scared of pooping on the table and started holding back :-/  (For the record, if I did poop on the table, no one knew it, but Dr Ingram & Terri so we'll just say I didn't)  Since my epidural was so great, I couldn't feel all the painful stuff going on down below, but I could feel when a contraction would peek and when baby's head started putting pressure on me so I knew when I needed to push.  It was a good thing too because once he got so far, the external contraction monitor wasn't picking up my contractions so I was actually telling the Dr when it was time to push...I basically orchestrated the last 20 minutes of Jase's birth.  Having that much control over the situation was a pretty great feeling.  After pushing for about 25 minutes, Dr Ingram confirmed baby had a big head and I was probably going to need a little help getting him out.  I, of course, started crying when she got the episiotomy kit out, but again, she was amazing and I quickly found out there was nothing to be scared of.  Thankfully, his head was just a "little big so I didn't need a full episiotomy.  She had me go through a couple more contractions and then did her thing.  Within the next few pushes, we had a head, and just minutes later, I could hear my baby boy crying.  I thought I had an emotional moment when I heard his heartbeat for the first time, but that first cry sent me into a crying fit unlike one I've ever experienced.  Kiel cut the cord and before I knew it, I had a beautiful baby boy on my chest looking at me like...what the heck just happened?

Since Jase's weight has been a pretty big topic of conversation we were all taking guesses what it would be once we saw him.  Dr. Ingram guessed 8lb 1oz and the rest of us thought just over 9lbs.  To our surprise, the nurse put him on the scale and said 10lbs 5oz.  All of our mouths hit the floor and Dr. Ingram (scissors in hand) flung around in her chair and told the nurse to "zero out that scale and weigh that baby again!  There is no way he's 10lbs!!!"  We all got a pretty good laugh out of her reaction and not surprisingly...she was right.

We had some skin to skin time while Dr Ingram was putting me back together and Kiel went out to let everyone know everything went great and our man was finally here!  I could look at these pics all day.

Just minutes after he was born, must have been on an adrenaline high bc I have no recollection of Kiel taking this!!

Kiel deserves a special mention in this post.  He really blew me away at how involved he was during the delivery.  Just hours before I started pushing, he was adamant that he was staying up by my head and was not going to watch Jase be born, but curiosity got the best of him when Dr. Ingram announced "he has light hair!"  By the end of it he was reading the monitor that gauged how hard I was pushing and helping me to know when I needed to give more.  It was such a great feeling to hear how proud he was of me when Jase was finally here.  Kiel is not a man of many emotions, but the tears in his eyes when he saw Jase for the first time said it all.  I feel like I fell in love with him all over again that day.       

Now it seems like all the worrying about how delivering was going to go was for nothing and I still find myself watching Jase and daydreaming about how smoothly everything went.  But like I've discussed with multiple people, you can listen to stories all day about how easy labor was for others, but nothing will make you understand how amazing giving birth is until you do it yourself. 

Jase Russell Pshak

Born:  February 1, 2013

1:49pm

9lbs 0oz 

21in long

Perfect in every way....

-Nicole

So Much For A Due Date

I feel like my actual due date deserves a post of it's own so this weeks post is a little early.  Cut me a little slack on the pic...I'm exhausted. 

40 Weeks - Due Date 1/29/2013

Kind of a strange day for January - the high was 64.  I've been in a tank top and capris for 2 days now.  I got to break the flip flops back out and was actually sweating when I went to my doctor's appt this morning.  I can't even imagine being pregnant in the summer.  There's a reason we're having a winter baby. 

They don't technically consider you past due until 41 weeks so technically I shouldn't be doing any complaining until next week.  I figure, I'm the one who's 40 weeks pregnant, I can complain if I want to.  I think my whole family (including me) was really hoping today would be the big day.  As I've mentioned before, January 29th is my Grandpa Torman's (mom's dad) birthday...he would have been 75 today.  Would have been just another one of those "everything happens for a reason" things I've been experiencing so much lately, but I'm sure there's a reason he wasn't born today too.

I'm dilated to a 3 now and had the lovely experience of having my membranes stripped today, so now I know I could go without ever having that done again :/  Hopefully that will give me the push I needed to get some real contractions going here in the next couple of days.  I've been having some contractions this afternoon, but I don't think they're "true" ones.  Seems like if I can shift around they go away and they're not progressing in pain at all - probably just practice ones.  Did some walking today and scheduled a prenatal massage for tomorrow in hopes that one of the labor inducing techniques will work for me.  Seems like Jase is a little too comfortable in there. 

On a lighter note, we got the curtains hung in the nursery tonight and I'm so happy with how everything turned out!  His walls are a little bare, but I have some plans for those that will come in the next few weeks.  My mom really outdid herself...she's quite the seamstress!  Thanks Grandma :) 

I think I jinxed myself this weekend talking about how sleep was still my friend.  That was the last thing I still had going for me and now that's pretty much out the window too.  I'm very thankful I'm off work this week and can take a little cat nap in the afternoon to make up for what I miss at night.  I know it's just practice for when he gets here, but I'd rather be losing sleep taking care of a baby then losing sleep because I'm so uncomfortable.  For now, Kiel's still working and I'll be at home cleaning & waiting impatiently!! 

Your baby's the size of a jackfruit!

In month nine, the average fetus is about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.19 inches (wow!). But you really won't know exactly how big your baby is until his birth. 

• He's continuing to grow hair and nails.
• And he's keeping up that lung development, too

We know he's a boy, we know his name, we have a pretty good idea of what he'll look like...can't wait to find out when he'll get here :)

 -Nicole 

Why Pregnancy Lasts 40 Weeks Instead of 36

Kiel's parents dropped off one of his old toys for Jase - as you can tell he was pretty excited they kept it :)

I've decided that all that crap they give you about the last 4 weeks of pregnancy being about lungs and brain development (like that's important) is just a ploy to keep you from finding out the truth.  Now, I know not everyone has had an easy pregnancy like I have, but I think that anyone that's made it to 39 weeks would agree with me, this is the most uncomfortable time in pregnancy.  Everything is a chore...tying your shoes is almost out of the question, sitting is torture, standing is impossible, nothing fits, you have acne like a high school kid, and all this waiting around for baby is like telling a 5 year old you're taking him to Disney World...in 2 weeks.  So the truth is...the last 4 weeks of pregnancy are more for you then baby.  They're to get you to the point where you're so uncomfortable you forget all about how scared you are of delivery and just want to get this show on the road!  And that my friends is where I am today.  Ready!

At my weekly doctor's appointment today, I found out I'm 2 1/2 cm dilated whhhhhaaaattttt??!??!?  Moving right along!  We scheduled an appointment for next Tuesday (actual due date 1/29) and if I'm still pregnant and not contracting, we'll schedule a date & time for induction.  Of course, going on my own is our preference, but I'm glad we're not going to wait around for him to get to 10lbs.  My last day of work is tomorrow so it's also encouraging that I won't be on maternity leave with no baby for long even if we have to induce.  I'm so glad there is an end in sight.

The car seat base has been installed in the Malibu, Kiel & I got in a mommy/daddy date night this passed weekend, and the house got a pretty thorough cleaning.  Still putting some finishing touches on the nursery...once the curtains are up, I'll do some pics of the entire room, but here are the additions.

I think I've changed his crib sheet 4 times - this combo with the name sign is my fav :)

 

Loving the runners for the dressers!  The short dresser will have the changing pad on it eventually.

Fingers crossed this is my last weekly belly pic :)  As much as I'll miss these, I'm really looking forward to meeting this kid that has made me look like this.

Your baby's the size of a watermelon!

Baby keeps growing, despite being so crowded in there. He probably weighs around 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.9 inches.

• He's probably able to flex his limbs now.
• His brain is still rapidly developing -- he's getting smarter by the week!
• His nails may extend past his fingertips.

 

Here's to hoping next time I write, it will be to introduce you to our son :)

 

-Nicole

We're Full Term People!

Considering my book is saying things like, "If your baby is born this week, you may not finish reading this book" and today my Dr said, "See you next Thursday....if not before!" I'd say it's pretty obvious we're in the home stretch.  Are we ready?  

Lots of new additions to the nursery!  The pack-n-play will go in our room when he gets here, but it will be a tight fit so we're waiting as long as possible to move it in there.  I'm in love with the glider & ottoman set we purchased this past weekend and that dresser is stocked full of baby clothes!  Although, I have a feeling all those newborn outfits will just end up right back in the storage tubs.  Curtains and dresser runners are on the way!!

The diaper bag is packed for the hospital and the car set is ready to go.  Installing the base in the car is on the weekend agenda.  So it appears, yes, we're ready :)

 

And if that isn't proof enough, here's a picture I took tonight.  I've been planning on doing this towards the end of the 40 weeks since a full body shot makes such a big difference, and figured now is a good time in case he decides he's ready to make his appearance before I blog next week (probably just jinxed myself into a 41 week pregnancy).  Get ready...it's shocking.

The funniest part about the pics is that I actually thought I was "showing" at 8 weeks.  HA!  30 weeks later...I'm huge and extremely uncomfortable.  This kid is heavy.  If I make it another 2 weeks, I will undoubtedly hit the 40 lb marker.  So even though my anxiety about giving birth is still on the high end of normal, I'm ready for Jase to make his appearance.  I'm ready to sleep on my stomach and wear pants that don't have an elastic band that comes up over my belly button (I know that won't happen asap and I'll probably end up missing the stretchiness, but right now, I'm over them).  I'm ready to have a belly button again!  But most of all, I'm ready to meet this boy and use all this great stuff on him!!

Kiel, on the other hand, may have a different opinion.  This coming weekend is the last weekend of deer hunting season so I think if Jase could hold out until after then, Dad would appreciate that.  Priorities you know!

Your baby's the size of a pumpkin!

Baby is about 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. Her head is now about the same circumference as her abdomen. 

• She may have about an inch or so of hair already.
• She's slowly shedding that white goo on her skin (called vernix caseosa) but you might see some of it at birth.

And just for fun, here's some more maternity pics for those of you who don't have facebook :)  Thanks again Suzy for doing such a great job on such a crappy day!  I am beyond grateful for these memories that you captured for us!!

 
 

 

-Nicole  

 

37 weeks - 3rd Times A Charm

Our 3rd appointment in Peoria proved to be best one yet.  We finally got some good news...there's no need to deliver in Peoria so no need to induce early...hallelujah!!  His kidneys are still dilated, but they didn't get any bigger & that's what we were hoping for.  The left kidney stayed the same at a 12, but that right kidney really saved the day by going from a 10, 3 weeks ago, to just a 7 this week!  Dr Gross is confident that when Jase is born, his kidneys will appear normal size (due to dehydration that occurs during birth), which would cause all of us, including himself, to question why we induced early in the first place.  Jase will need to be seen a few weeks after birth to confirm if his kidneys are still dilated which Dr Gross is pretty sure they will be.  From there we will have follow up appointments until either his kidneys figure it out on their own or until the Dr's feel he's big enough to do corrective surgery.  Obviously, we're crossing our fingers for the former, but for now, we wait for the big guy to decide when he's ready to meet us.  Personally, I hope he was listening when Dr Gross said because of his size he would feel confident in me delivering at 39 weeks and not the part when he said he'd even feel comfortable letting me go a week past the due date.  They estimated his weight is 7lbs 6oz which is just a couple oz less then what the ultra sound in Pontiac suggested so I don't think we need to be waiting until 41 weeks...I'm not really trying to break any records here. 

As far as the ultrasound goes, he was pretty boring again.  No good face pictures...couldn't even get a profile.  Just a blurry ear.

But we did find out, our man has hair! 

The half circle you see is the view of the back of his head.  The thick white line is his skull and the thinner white line on top is his hair lol.  I get a pretty big kick out of this picture.  Can't wait to find out what color it is!

Kiel's mom came to my weekly appointment with Dr Ingram this week & got to hear her grandson's heart beat :)  He really must be running out of room in there and taking this time to relax because it was very slow at 120ish bpm (was the same on Wednesday in Peoria) so not as loud as usual.  Dr Ingram seemed pleased that there's no need to deliver in Peoria - here's to hoping she's working or on call when he decides it's time. 

Still getting more & more uncomfortable everyday, but very thankful sleep has been pretty peaceful this past week.  I managed to get Jase's hospital bag packed this weekend (not that I need much for him) and aside from the items I use everyday, my bag is ready to go too.  Since we'll be delivering in Pontiac, I'm not too concerned about getting a bag ready for Kiel, but I might still throw something together for him in the next week or so.  I've gotten a lot of good advice from my sister & girlfriends who have recently delivered so I feel pretty good about what I'll be taking with me even though I'm sure I'll over pack. 

Will be finishing up my baby laundry this weekend with the newborn clothes I've borrowed from the Henkels (wishful thinking, I know) and the covers for the car seat & pack-n-play.  A few more steps closer to being ready!

Your baby's the size of a winter melon!

Yay! Baby has reached full term. He likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.

• He's practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.
• He's getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready for his first diaper.

  
-Nicole

36 weeks- Welcoming 2013 - The Year of Jase

2012 ended on a tough note for Kiel & his family.  On December 28th, Kiel's 19 year old cousin Dexton, was tragically killed in an ATV accident.  I never had the privileged of meeting Dex, but it was clear to me just from the pictures I saw at the wake and the stories Kiel has told me, that he was a happy, normal 19 year old boy.  We have seen a lot of unfortunate death in the last year and I can only hope that in order to honor their memories we can all learn to appreciate how short and fragile life can be.  Dexton is a prime example of what can be lost in the blink of an eye and I think life gets in the way of remembering that.  I hope the new year can bring the time to help heal the hurt in Dexton's family's hearts and many ways to ensure his memory lives within them all.
 

 Rest In Peace Dexton Trevor North 

June 24, 1993 - December 28, 2012

And just like that, we closed the books on 2012...

2013 has some big changes in store for Kiel & me.  It's hard to believe it's been 7 months since I saw that stick (sticks!) turn pink!  We are in the final weeks of being just a twosome and each day goes faster then the last.  It's sincerely unfathomable to me that we're going to be parents by the end of the month.  My anxiety about labor increases by the day and I know it's just because no matter how much I prepare, I have no idea what's going to happen until it actually happens.  Trying to embrace the unknown is harder then I could have imagined.  Luckily, I have lots of friends and family that have been through labor and survived, ending up with beautiful children for their efforts :-)  Weekend goals:  pack hospital bag

We had a very laid back NYE, spending it at the Henkel's eating good food and playing with the boys.  I really slacked on pictures this week.

On Wednesday, I had my 36 week ultra sound and bi-weekly Dr's appointment.  The ultra sound indicated Jase is an overachiever.  While everything I read says baby should gain a half a pound a week from here on out, our guy almost doubled that :-/  Our appointment in Peoria 2 weeks ago suggested he was around 5lbs 13 oz and this ultra sound measured him at 7lbs 8oz.  I don't know what this kid is trying to prove, but he's doing a great job of freaking his mom out!  I was also informed, I'm 1 cm dilated.  While I want to be excited that it appears my body seems to know what it needs to be doing, I'm well aware I have a long ways to go to get to 10 cm and there's no promises on how fast I'll progress from here.  My Dr appointments are now weekly so I guess we'll find out next Thursday how it's going in there.  I'm very anxious for our next appointment in Peoria on the 9th and very excited that Kiel is going to be able to go with me this time.  Since there are now decisions to be made it's important he's there so we can ask questions and come up with what's best for Jase together.      

Your baby's the size of a honeydew!

She's still in the 17.2- to 18.7-inch and 4.2- to 5.8-pound range and continues to beef up. 

• She's getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on her own.
• Her skin is getting smooth and soft and her gums are rigid.
• Her liver and kidneys are in working order.
• Circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too.

Happy New Year!

NYE 2009

 -Nicole