Just a little update.

The last ten weeks have been life-changing, exciting, overwhelming, busy, exhausting, fun, challenging...all-in-all...it's been a blur.

Life since Lewis was born has been better than I had ever hoped. And starting on Monday, my maternity leave will officially be over and I'll head back to work. We are so thankful that we have wonderful daycare lined up, but nonetheless, it'll still be hard to leave Lewis with someone other than me or Kyle.

Here are a few snapshots of who he is now. :)

 Such a joyful baby

Lewis loves to talk

We love shopping at Target...especially while asleep

 

One month on the left, two months on the right

We love each other

 

 

 

Two Months: Lewis

Lewis is 2 months old! Time has flown by.

At his 2 month appointment (3 weeks after his 1 month appointment), Lewis was up to 9lbs 10oz and almost 23in long! What the what?!

He's becoming more and more expressive and he loves to visit with anyone who will take the time to talk to him. 

 

He knows his momma and daddy's voices. We're frequently greeted with a large, gummy grin. 

 

He's officially in 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. Unfortunately, his 0-3 month jammies are quickly becoming too short. I have a feeling we'll be buying some 3-6 month jammies soon...

 

And clearly, he's even expressive in his sleep. 

He loves looking at himself. Especially when it involves snapchat filters! The bunny videos are his favorite.

 He's alert a lot more during the day and he's taking longer, less frequent naps. For a long while he didn't like being put down to nap. And then this happened.

Lewis is so loved and we are loving watching him grow.

In cased you missed it, here's: Month One.

A Birth Story: Lewis Part II

We ended on Wednesday with me having a contraction monitor placed without an epidural...here's the second half.

My plan was to try to labor and deliver without pain medication, but being confined to the bed and with how intense everything had gotten, I told my nurse that I'd like to try the IV drugs. So at 8:00(ish) I was given a dose of fentanyl and was told that it took about 15 min to kick in. It. Did. Nothing.

Kyle asked me if I wanted him to start our diffuser with lavender. My response was, "None of that hippie stuff. I want the epidural." He thought that was hilarious, so a message was sent to the anesthetist and he was on his way up. I'm all for essential oils and I love them. At that point, I was just too focused on my pain.

Dave, the anesthetist, came and finished placing my epidural around 9:45 pm and it was magic. When he came back 30 min later to make sure it worked, I told him that he was magic. I was able to get some sleep after that. But, at 12:40 am (Tuesday), baby's heart rate dropped and I woke up to a nurse putting an oxygen mask on me and they turned the pitocin off. It was freaky to wake up and not know what was happening. The nurses had to monitor baby's heart rate for a while. They turned the pitocin back on at 1:30am and I got back to sleep.

At 4:54am, the same thing happened. Pitocin went off and the oxygen mask went on. I slept more.

Around 9 am, I realized that my epidural started wearing off. I asked for more juice from my epidural and Tuesday's anesthetist, Jamie, showed up. He gave me a little boost and said things would get moving quickly. I was at 6cm by this point.

I was still feeling a lot of pain during contractions. The nurses and Kyle kept rolling me from side to side to get the epidural to my right side.

Around 11, Jamie came back to check on my pain levels and the dr checked again. I was at an 8!! And then time seemed to stand still.

Around 1:30pm or 2, the boost Jamie had given me had worn off. My body felt like it was on fire. I remember looking down at my belly and thinking that baby had appeared to have moved down. 

Remember this for later...

Dr checked me and I was almost at a 10. So we did some practice pushes to see if she could stretch me. No luck. She said she'd be back at 4.

By 2:45/3pm I had some intense back labor and even Kyle's counter pressure didn't help. I told my nurse that I felt like I needed to push because otherwise my body would on its own.

The dr was back at 3/3:05 and she wanted to have me push anyway. After three contractions, baby's heart rate continued to drop. She said that while I was pushing well, we didn't have the time to keep pushing. So our best option was an emergency c-section. 

By 3:30/:40, I was on the operating table and they were starting. Baby Lewis was born at 3:53pm after lots of pulling and tugging. He was having some issues breathing and they put him on an oxygen mask and started treating him for an infection. So he stayed in the NICU for a week.

It was traumatic, but he's here and he's totally worth it!

Newborn pics by Erin Johnson Photography

Happy Friday!

 

A Birth Story: Lewis Part I

I suppose Lewis' birth story is better late than never. He's officially seven weeks old and I don't want to forget it. So...here it is...at least part of it.

On August 28, we had our 40 week appointment with my dr and we had an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay with baby. The best score you can get is an 8...well, we scored 8. So there was no way baby was coming that day. We went to see my dr and she did a membrane sweep and asked if I wanted to schedule an induction. I adamantly said, "YES!". So it was scheduled for Monday morning, space permitting. On Thursday I was at 3cm dilated.

I was officially 8 days late on Monday, August 1. After very little sleep Sunday night, we woke up at 5:45 am and called the hospital to see if they had room for our induction. They told us to come in at 7. They had room and we showered, had breakfast, and went in to the hospital. Unfortunately my dr was out of town for the day, so we had the dr on call.

Our good friend, was our nurse for the day and she got all of our admission stuff finished and started pitocin by 8:15am. Things were moving pretty slowly, so Kyle's sister stopped by to spend some time with us around 9:30/10am. Not much was happening. I was still at 3 cm and not in much pain yet. I finally was starting to feel the contractions around 10:30am. I had to start focusing through the contractions around 11 and the resident on call tried to break my water around 11:30. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed after 3 tries. So we needed to wait until the on call dr came back around noon.

Kyle's sister left around noon when the on call dr came in to check on progress. I was still at a 3 and she broke my water right away. Her comment to that was, "That's the difference between breaking 100 waters and 10,000 waters." My fluid was clear, so everything was okay with baby. We were hoping that things would pick up from there. We were too optimistic, apparently.

Throughout the afternoon my contractions continued to grow in intensity. At some point I was 4 cm and stayed there for hours. I spent some time on the birthing ball and about an hour in a warm bath. While in the bath, I was able to relax and take a short nap.

At the end of my bath, our nurse came in to tell us that the heart rate monitor wasn't tracking baby's heart rate very well. So they needed to start using a scalp monitor. Unfortunately, that meant I was confined to the bed or very close to it.

Around 8:00pm, the resident came back to let us know that they didn't think that my contractions were helping my body progress they way they should've. As a result, I needed to be hooked up to an internal contraction monitor. The resident took three tries to get it in place and it was worse pain than any of my contractions up to that point. My husband thought I was going to pass out. And afterward the resident says, "You did great for not having an epidural." Thanks for that, dude.

And you'll have to wait until Friday to hear the rest of Lewis' story.

Happy Wednesday!

One Month: Lewis

I feel like it's appropriate that I give you a one month update about Lewis. Especially since he's now six weeks old and it's been radio silence on this blog for weeks. Yikes!

Lewis loves to talk to everyone and is very liberal with his smiles. 

He's LONG and quickly outgrowing his newborn clothing and diapers. 

He eats like a champ, doesn't like being cold, and sleeps hard...like his parents. 

At his one month appointment, Lewis clocked in at 8lbs 8.6oz and 21.5 inches long! He's up more than a pound and 2.5 inches since birth. I guess all of that eating is doing him well!

I'll post his birth story soon. I'm still working on getting it written down. 

But for now,

Happy Saturday!

Week 40

This week's pregnancy journal update is coming to you at 40 weeks and 3 days. D-day has come and gone and still no signs of baby's impending arrival. In case you missed it, I wrote a letter to Baby Entzel on Sunday, our official due date. You can find it here.

But now for this week's update.

How far along: 40 weeks (and 3 days)

Size of baby: the size of a watermelon or a beach ball

Gender: Unknown--take the poll on the right. Also, take the survey about baby here. Really...take the survey...someone will win a prize! Seriously...not many people have taken the survey and it's going to be easy for one of you to win!
**Hopefully this is the LAST chance for you to get your guesses in!!**

Nursery: The bathroom is almost done...so we will get a nursery update going soon.
  
Movement: #babyentzel has his/her own timetable...for being active, for arriving, for everything...

Symptoms: Heartburn has been gone for a while and now the biggest symptom is sore hips...boo.

Sleep: Still interrupted with bathroom breaks...but definitely restful and I've been napping like I'm back in my first trimester.

Cravings: Not much for cravings, but my stomach is continually getting squished.
 
Missing: Motivation. Still.

Best moment of the week: Being home with Kyle and celebrating a new little baby for my friend Courtney.
 
Looking forward to: Meeting Baby Entzel. Still. We have an appointment tomorrow and will hopefully know when we will meet baby if s/he hasn't arrived by then.

Happy Wednesday!

 

Happy Due Date, Baby!

Dear baby,

Today is your due date. And I've been warned. Warned that a due date isn't very accurate, nor is it something to focus on. It's really just a guess date of when you could be ready to join us.

But here's the thing. It's so hard to not focus on that date. July 24th. 40 weeks. Sunday. Leading up to your birth, everyone always asks, "So, when are you due??" And our reply is July 24. It's a day that your dad and I have looked forward to since November 19 when we first found out about you. We've longed for the day that we would get to hold you in our arms.

Selfishly, we even prayed and hoped that we would get to meet you prior to this day. But, God knows best.

Even typing this, I feel convicted that I'm disappointed that you're not here yet. I know I shouldn't wish away this time. I shouldn't long for days down the road. The reality is, life is easier when you're still inside. We have less planning to do in order to leave the house. We have fewer things to bring with us. I don't have to worry about making sure you're fed before we go anywhere or have anyone over, just in case. We can just pick up and go do something any time we want.

But.

Even though our lives are about to change, we are excited for it.

You, little one, have been prayed for and cried over for many months. We prayed that you would join our family years before you were even created.

Your dad and I have looked at each other with anticipation every day since we knew about your existence. And while those days were filled with the "what ifs", they were also filled with the joy that we get to be your parents.

Now that today, July 24, has arrived--we eagerly await your day and time. The day and the time that God has set apart for you. Until you are born and until we are no longer here, your dad and I will pray for you and love you, no matter the situation.

With love,

Mom

Week 39

Five days to go until D-day. Tonight's a full moon...whoooo knows what will happen...

How far along: 39 weeks

Size of baby: Size of a pumpkin

Gender: Unknown--take the poll on the right. Also, take the survey about baby here. Really...take the survey...someone will win a prize! Seriously...not many people have taken the survey and it's going to be easy for one of you to win!

Nursery: It's full of bathroom things since Kyle's in the middle of remodeling our upstairs bathroom. :) One of these days we'll have an update.
 
Movement: Last night #babyentzel was movin and groovin until close to 2 am. Silly baby.

Symptoms: My Dr. told me to use Zantac for my heartburn and since Thursday, I've not had any heartburn! Woohoo!

Sleep: I've started only getting up once or twice a night...that's progress from the three times a week last week!

Cravings: Not much this week...I still don't eat much at a time...you know, since there's a pumpkin in my stomach.
 
Missing: Motivation. But I did weed 3/4 of the garden yesterday!

Best moment of the week: Being home and drinking coffee and just putzing around so that I feel like I'm getting something done.
 
Looking forward to: Meeting Baby Entzel. Kyle thinks it might happen today since tonight is a full moon. Stay tuned...you might be hearing from me next week with my 40 week update...and no baby yet. Who knows.

Happy Tuesday!

 

Week 38

We've got 10 days to go until D-day. How is that even possible?? Some days seem longer than others, but somehow we've made it this far without it seeming like forever.

I've got my 38 week appointment this morning and my fingers are crossed for some progress on the baby front. Keep yours crossed too? Kay, thanks.

How far along: 38 weeks (and 4 days)

Size of baby: The size of a leek or a ukulele

Gender: Unknown--take the poll on the right. Also, take the survey about baby here. Really...take the survey...someone will win a prize! Seriously...not many people have taken the survey and it's going to be easy for one of you to win!

Nursery: We just have a few more things to put away and a few things to hang on the walls...then we're done! But...it's full of bathroom things since Kyle's in the middle of remodeling our upstairs bathroom. :)
 
Movement: So many movements. Some people have told me that baby sleeps around 20 hours a day right now...I don't think that this is the case with #babyentzel because he/she moves. all. the. time.

Symptoms: Heartburn. All. Day. And it seems to be getting worse...apparently heartburn can get worse around weeks 38/39. It could be at least 10 more days of this...

Sleep: I'm up at least three times a night...when I'm sleeping, it's pretty restful. At least I think it is.
  
Cravings: Not much this week...I've not been able to eat much at a time...some friends came over for supper last night. They brought a smoked ham. It was delightful.
 
Missing: Mostly my motivation and not having heartburn.

Best moment of the week: I'm loving being home this summer. It was wonderful to celebrate our third anniversary last week and to look forward to our growing family.
 
Looking forward to: Our dr appointment today! Again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's progress and news to report.

Happy Thursday!

 

Week 37

Well, here we are. Week 37 and only three left to go...assuming baby doesn't decide that s/he is really comfy in there. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

How far along: 37 weeks

Size of baby: The size of a head of romaine lettuce, a striped skunk, or a tackle box.

Gender: Unknown--take the poll on the right. Also, take the survey about baby here. Really...take the survey...someone will win a prize!

Nursery: It's almost done. One of these days I'll have to actually take some photos and show you what's up!
 
Movement: Movements have been mostly in the morning and then as I'm trying to go to sleep. Lately they've been muted a little since #babyentzel has gotten so big.

Symptoms: Heartburn. All. Day.

Sleep: Sleep has been a bit rough. I've not been getting as restful of sleep as I'd like. And I know it's only going to get worse from here on out.
 
Cravings: Fruit and bread w/peanut butter.

Missing: My ankles and motivation. Still.

Best moment of the week: Having time at home with Kyle. The days of it being just the two of us are numbered. But we wouldn't have it any other way.
 
Looking forward to: Wednesday! It's our anniversary and we've got a dr. appointment that day too. Stay tuned!

Happy Monday!

And Happy Independence Day!

Week 36

We're in the home stretch, everybody! We made it home from family vacation and slept hard. I was exhausted from the trip and I'm thankful to be sticking close to home for the next month-ish.

So, here's where we're at.

How far along: 36 weeks

Size of baby: The size of a honeydew melon, romaine lettuce, or a cabbage patch doll.

Gender: Unknown--take the poll on the right. Also, take the survey about baby here. Really...take the survey...someone will win a prize!

Nursery: So close to being done! We've got a few projects to finish and a few things to hang on the wall...otherwise, we're getting there. I put a few sneak peeks on yesterday's post...you can find that here.

Movement: Baby is still moving quite a bit. His/her most active times of day are morning 9-11ish and evening 9-midnight.

Symptoms: Heartburn. Exhaustion (I've taken so many naps already...).

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty well. It's tough to get out of bed for the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I figure it out.
 
Cravings: Pineapple salsa from my baby shower a few weeks ago...

Missing: My ankles and motivation.

Best moment of the week: Our appointment on Monday...baby's heartrate was strong and things are progressing!
 
Looking forward to: Seeing if any progress has been made by next Wednesday's appointment and hopefully meeting our nugget soon!

Happy Thursday!

Week 35

Wowza. Sorry this post is a little late. It's already Friday and I've not posted anything! We've been having a great week with family in Duluth and we've not had much down time. But, here goes...

How far along: 35 weeks (and 5 days)

Size of baby: The size of a spaghetti squash, a child's backpack, or a honeydew melon.

Gender: Unknown--take the poll on the right. Also, take the survey about baby here. Really...take the survey...someone will win a prize!

Nursery: We're almost done!! *Fingers crossed* We got our new rug in the mail on Monday, so when we get back this weekend, we will be putting it down then. Stay tuned for pics!

Movement: LOTS of movement. S/he is moving, but it's mostly the big moves. Throwing hips from side-to-side and general shifting seem to be his/her MO.

Symptoms: Heartburn. Swollen ankles (especially this week...hiking & the heat have done me in). Exhaustion.

Sleep: Still sleeping hard, when I sleep. I'm waking up around 2 and 4 every morning to use the bathroom...but I've been able to fall back asleep. Thank goodness!
 
Cravings: Not terribly much this week. Fruit still sounds good. :)

Missing: My ankles. :(

Best moment of the week: Our baby shower last Saturday and spending time with family this week!
 
Looking forward to: Sleeping in my bed again and we are transitioning into our weekly appointments...so we get to hear baby's heartbeat again!

Happy Friday!!

 

Week 34

I had hoped, hoped, HOPED to get a post up yesterday with a few updates, but alas that was not to be. But, I do have your very exciting weekly update with only 5.5 (hopefully) weeks to go.

How far along: 34 weeks (!)

Size of baby: The size of a butternut squash, an average (what is average anyway??) cantaloupe, a muskmelon, or a cabbage

Gender: Unknown--take the poll on the right. Also, take the survey about baby here. Really...take the survey...someone will win a prize!

Nursery: Door trim is finished and baseboards are close! Kyle says we're a day (-ish) away from being ready to set it up!

Movement: Baby is still wiggling constantly and I'm so grateful for that. S/he seems so comfy in there...

Symptoms: We finally turned our A/C on and it feels so much better. I'm still dealing with some pretty rough heartburn and I'm starting to waddle.

Sleep: I'm still struggling with rolling over, but I'm sleeping like a rock. It's been so nice (as long as the A/C is working).

Cravings: This week has been chicken pasta salad...so I made a huge bowl of it on Sunday so I could eat it throughout the week.

Missing: I'm missing being capable of cooling down my own body...I don't like the heat of the summer to begin with, but this being pregnant business...so much harder.

Best moment of the week: We took a Childbirth Prep class this week and it was so helpful!

Looking forward to: My first baby shower is this weekend!

Happy Wednesday!