Little Diddy About Brent And Lindsey

2012-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

The American Patient.....as opposed to the English Patient....okay, the Hickory Hill Hood Patient.

Since Lindsey is so busy working and taking care of our adorable and exceptional grandson, Jack, this will be a post from Mom We just want to keep you all updated on Rob, who is recovering in a hospital bed, in our guest room. (Lindsey's former bedroom - there's a wall of clouds behind him and lots of stuffed animals and some dolls)

Rob did come home from Fort Wayne via ambulance on January 30th, his 23rd birthday. That same day, I delivered a birthday cake to the good folks at Parkview ICU. It read: " Happy 23rd Birthday Rob Pillers, Thanks to God and Parkview." One of the nurses on duty in the ICU just happened to be Andrea, who was his nurse on Sunday morning, December 11th. Can you believe it? Also, thanks to the nice people at the Kendallville Dairy Queen who gave Rob a complimentary ice cream cake for his birthday.

Bob and I are trying to be good nurses. We learned how to flush his feeding tube, and how to give him his anticoagulant injections. (I hate giving him the injections, so if Bob is home, he does it) Rob still doesn't have much of an appetite, although it is improving. Milkshakes with some added protein powder are his current favorite.

He has an appointment with his orthopedic doctors on February 20th, and hopefully, keep your fingers crossed, he will go from their office to the Parkview Rehab floor that same day. Since he will have to travel to Fort Wayne in an ambulance for this appointment, it will be really swell if this all works out. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery, and that we will be able to move forward with his physical rehabilitation. Also, if you have time, he would appreciate visitors, so stop by......I'm pretty sure he's tired of our hovering.

Four Months.

2012-02-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

Mr. Jack, how are you four months old already? You are so much fun. You are spunky and such a sweetie. As you get stronger, I see glimpses of the rough and tumble guy I think you're becoming. I'm excited to see how you'll change in the next several months but don't want you to get any bigger, either! You're my favorite little guy.

Weight - I'm guessing around 13 pounds. We'll have another official weight check next Tuesday.

Length - You're getting longer all the time! Look at those long legs!

Head Circumference - TBA at your 4-month well-baby check.

Clothing Size - You're in all size 3-6 month sleepers now and I have some 9 month sizes washed and ready to go, mainly because of your length. You're starting to bust out of your size 1 diapers and we should probably move you into size 2 now. You're still wearing your BGs when we're at home (and if they're clean), and we leave 3 snaps in the middle.

Hair - You lost some of that gorgeous hair between months three and four. You've got a little bald patch on the back of your head now.

Sleeping - You are sleeping through the night pretty consistently now (::knocks on wood::). You go to bed around 8:30 - 9:00 and sleep until 5:30 or 6:00, then usually go back down again an hour later. You take two short morning naps and a longer two or three hour nap in the afternoon.

Eating - You eat 4-5 oz every two - three hours. You have about 14-15 oz of breast milk first from what I pumped the day before and then we finish the day with formula. Our goal is to get you to around 30-35 oz a day if you seem interested...and I've never seen you turn down a bottle. You are now exclusively bottle fed. We are mulling around the idea of starting cereal because you are very interested in what we're eating. We'll talk to the pediatrician about it next week and then maybe give it a try sometime this month.

Movement - You are an active guy! You're always trying to get down from our laps. I'm not sure what your game plan is, but we suspect that when you can crawl you will be constantly on the move! Dad put together your jumperoo and while you're interested, you unfortunately aren't heavy enough to touch the ground yet. Waa.waa.waa. I think once you can actually jump you'll like it more. Hopefully.

"Watch out, 5 month sticker...you'll never make it through the next photo shoot"

Milestones - You now consistently roll from belly to back whenever we do tummy time. You've gotten to your side while on your back, but no back to belly rolling yet. You're SO close and I'm hoping it happens when we're home with you so we can be the first to see it. You can support yourself with your arms while you're on your tummy for long periods of time. You started reaching for and grabbing your toys between months three and four, and you have been squealing at us quite a bit for the last week or so. You sit well with support, and you love to stand. You started laughing at us the last few weeks, too.

You met your permanent nanny this month and so far all is going very well! You seem to have good days with her and she makes up fun games for you.

I almost forgot - you've been holding your own bottle the last several days! Not every time, but you get at least one hand on it each time. So independent!

Favorite toys/activities - You like "This Little Piggy" and the game when I flip the end of the burp cloth back and forth between your hands. Hey, whatever it takes. Dad discovered a great chant that sent you into your first laughs..."Sleep Sheep! Sleep Sheep! Sleep Sheep!" You like it best when Dad and I say it in unison. You pretty much think that anything Dad says is great, but Momma has to work a little harder at it.

Your favorite books at "Moo, Baa, La-La-La" and "Barnyard Dance". I try to mix others into your repertoire from time to time, but you're not interested. It might have something to do with the great animal sounds in those books.

Dislikes - Being still, burping (which you despise even more than you did last month), an empty bottle.

What we love - We love your sweet face and your smiles. You've been talking up a storm and our conversations with you are the best we have all day.

"Mom, have you seen these before? I have feet!"

What we don't love - Fussy times, having to struggle with your very strong little body to burp you, and cold winter days when we can't get out for a walk.

What we're looking forward to - Checking on all your stats at your appointment next month, starting solids at some point, and the birth of another friend, LP Hetrick!

2011 In Review

2012-02-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

At the start of every year, I review my Life List and check off what I accomplished in the previous year. I was not surprised to find that I didn't complete many things this year, and that's because I spent every day of this year, except for the first five, working on one very important item:

~~4. Have children~~ Jack, 10/5/2011 :)

Phew, that one was pretty all encompassing. And I'm probably not going to get to too much more on this list for about 20 more years...and that's okay with me. :) Quality over quantity, right?

We did visit two more Presidential libraries this year on one of my eight trips back and forth from Indiana to Denver - Eisenhower and Truman, which are conveniently located right off I-70. Yeah, eight trips last year - and Brent had a few more than that.

84. Visit all the Presidential libraries (LBJ, Clinton, Eisenhower, Truman down, 9 more to go)

I refuse to make any proclamations or set any goals this year, other than to say I want to be a good mom and find new fun things to do with my little critter as he continues to grow and learn. I've identified a few other things I'd like to do, including reading the books on this list, Top 30 Books to Read Before You're 30.

As is tradition, here is our 2011 in review:

January found us ringing in the New Year at our house with a few friends and preparing for Brent's move to Denver later in the month. We spent the MLK holiday weekend in Denver, house-hunting, where we selected a six month apartment lease since we weren't sure when I would be moving. 12 hours after signing our short-term apartment lease and landing back in Indianapolis, we discovered that I was miraculously, finally, and wonderfully pregnant.

We started February in limbo - Brent in Denver and I still at home. I began (quickly) searching for jobs in Denver and prepping the house to go on the market. On Valentine's Day, our home became an active listing on the MLS and we also left on a relaxing vacation to Cancun with our friends Christi and Jay. Bonnie and I had weekly dates with Rachel and Charlie to help pass our evenings.

I made trip #2 of the year to Denver in March for a job interview. We were able to spend five days together which was great! At the end of March, Brent flew into Chicago where Lana, Adam and I met him to see Purdue play in the NCAA tournament at the United Center.

April brought a lot more transition to my life, as my last day at DFAS was April 7th and I said goodbye to many wonderful co-workers and good friends. We packed up two carloads of my things and spent two days driving to our new home in Mile High City - trip #3. We arrived on Saturday night and I started my new job on Monday morning, 16 weeks pregnant. We celebrated Easter in our little apartment - where we had one recliner and boxes as end tables and nightstands. (We obviously were counting on selling our house quickly and didn't want to bite the bullet and invest in new furniture. It's a time I refer to as our Camping Days.)

Thanks for the goodies, Grandma.

I spent the first week of May in Washington DC for work, and arrived at Dulles around the same time President Obama was announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden to our nation. It was a pretty memorable week to be in the nation's capital. At the end of the week I flew home to Indy, where I met Brent at the airport and we carbed up that evening with Justin and Rachel in preparation for the Festival 500 Mini Marathon. I walked with Mom and Christi, and my 20 week old Lima Bean. We returned home over Memorial Day (trip #5, second in the month) to pack up our home, which we thought we had sold. Even though the deal fell through it was nice to see our friends and family during my birthday weekend. May was busy, as we also entertained our first visitors (Lana and Justin) and took in the U2 concert at Invesco.

June found us frantically searching for houses to either rent or buy since our apartment lease was up in July, and I was already six months pregnant. We returned to our honeymoon destination, Kauai, at the beginning of the month to use our timeshare week in paradise. I placed in my age group for the first (and probably only) time ever at the Hanoi to Hanalei 5k race. Who says that lack of competition isn't a satisfying way to win a race?

We celebrated the 4th of July by watching eight simultaneous sets of fireworks all over the Denver metro area from a quiet perch atop South Table mountain, which was a short climb from our apartment door. I baked a Star-Spangled Apple Pie that I still dream about and we spent our last few weeks in the apartment before moving on the 15th. We flew home to Indianapolis (trip #6) for two wonderful baby showers.

(And a third, more informal, shower)

I started slowing down in August. We celebrated the wedding weekend of our friends Mel and Andy from afar after deciding that another flight at 34 weeks was just too much. I started tidying up work matters, since I would be full term at the beginning of September and the baby might come at any time! Oh how I chuckle at that now...

September

We finally met our little Lima Bean on October 5th at 41 weeks, 1 day. A boy! Of course, we knew it was a boy all along. We enjoyed our sweet Jack Robert the rest of the month. Both sets of grandparents met Jack.

Mel visited in November, as well as Christi and Carrie the weekend before Thanksgiving. I flew home with the girls and stayed with my family for the holiday. Jack met many relatives and friends. November was such a great month and will be getting its own post soon!

The best flying helpers ever, holding my coffee and my baby while I get situated.

We celebrated Baby Hetrick at his/her baby shower and then Jack and I made it home on December 4th - just in time to celebrate Jack's 2 month birthday the next day with his monthly photo shoot. A phone call on the morning of Sunday the 11th rocked our world...it was our Pearl Harbor. We didn't really even have time to get everything unpacked before we loaded up all our gear and boarded a flight home again. You know all about the rest. On December 25th, we experienced a true Christmas miracle. Rob, and my family, have felt like George Bailey ever since.

2011 was quite a year! It was definitely a tough year - one that will put some hair on your chest. But it was also the best in many ways. We're looking forward to a calmer 2012!

A Birthday to Remember

2012-01-29T21:51:00.000-08:00

The plans are finalized for Rob's return home on his 23rd birthday tomorrow! He should be home sometime mid-afternoon. If you happen to be out in the 'hood tomorrow evening, please swing by the house and do a drive-by honking to help him celebrate his birthday. I mean, not 23 honks, as that would get a little annoying to the neighbors perhaps, but if you get the chance to drive by I think Rob would find it pretty cool. Dad says stop on in and visit if you want, too.

Thanks for everything, dear friends.

Say What?

2012-01-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

Rob's coming home on Monday. Yes, it's true! And a little bit crazy!

He can't bear weight on his legs for another two weeks but his stay at Select Care has pretty much run its course. They'll be sending him home on Monday (such is the plan, anyway) to wait out the two weeks until his breaks are stable enough to start bearing weight. At that point, he will return to Parkview to complete physical therapy and be officially recovered.

How amazing. Thank you, Lord.

A splash of cuteness...

2012-01-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

And some videos with annoying parent babble...

Rob Update - Day 43

2012-01-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

43 days in the hospital sounds ridiculously long, but not when you think about what things were like on Day 1 compared to now. I haven't updated much this week because of that whole full time working mom thing, but now that I'm taking some time to do it I'm happy to only have good news to report.

The first week Rob was in Select Care was hard on everyone, but things have much improved since then. He moved rooms this week which helped with the noise level and makes it easier for him to rest. It sounds like he's back to an almost normal sleeping pattern of sleeping through the night again. (Hey, Jack too!)

The best news of the week was the completion of his swallow study, which he passed with flying colors. They knew he could swallow from observation, but needed to observe liquid and food moving through his esophagus with an x-ray to make sure everything was headed to the right place and not into his lungs. That day he finally got some Sprite...and has had Mountain Dew, Ensure, orange juice, etc. since then. He was so desperate to drink something in the previous days leading up to the swallow study that he even asked for a V8.

He was able to eat for the first time in over forty days on Wednesday, and continues to eat normal meals in very small portions. His feeding tube is still being filled at night, but we're hopeful those days are numbered.

We're hopeful that Rob will spend his 23rd birthday (next Monday the 30th) back at Parkview after his release from Select Care. Check back later for party details!

A Year Ago Today...

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

We discovered that we were expecting this little Lima Bean...

We had just returned from a house hunting (or apartment renting?) trip to Denver the night before, and had signed a 6 month apartment lease just 12 hours before we were surprised with this wonderful, miraculous news.

2011 was quite the year for miracles of life, wasn't it?

A Better Week - Rob Update

2012-01-17T21:24:00.000-08:00

Rob becomes a little clearer every day. Last night he seemed interested in his phone again and was texting people and confirming Facebook friends. He's still saying some pretty kooky things, so who knows what those texts said. I sent him a very short text this morning just to see what I would get back, and he replied "Love you too, learns [I think this was Linds spelled wrong and his phone auto-corrected it...I'm 99% sure he doesn't think my name is Learns]. Hopefully getting out of hospital soon." Oh no, dear brother. Not soon. But the more you cooperate the sooner that day will come. Until then, any dvd requests?

He started with some physical therapy yesterday and it wiped him out for the majority of the day. My mom said it was hard to believe how tiring a few reps of a simple movement were for him. We're anxiously awaiting a swallow study this week so he can maybe have something to drink. I know it's hard for my parents to stand his constant requests for Sprite. Yesterday he proclaimed that he was going to drink orange juice until he threw up. I really, really hope they got the swallow study done today so the poor guy can get some Sprite already.

The last thing I want to tell you in this quick update is that he's up for visitors again. I think the steady-eddies have already figured this out and went to see him today, but I feel it's only right to lift my "no visitor" proclamation from the blog and not leave you hanging. He hasn't been as restless so we think it's okay, but if he gets agitated at any point they may have to cut some visits short.

Hope you're all having a good week! Even though it's a short one, I'm beat. Until next time...

Rob's Week - The Abridged Version

2012-01-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

Today is Rob's fifth day at the new hospital and it sounds like this has been a pretty rough week of transition. Physically, his health continues to improve each day and he even had his trach plugged today. He is still running a fever and we continue to be concerned about infection and the potential for blood clots, but those are probably two aspects of long-term hospital care that we'll be worried about until he's home.

Mentally, this week has been very hard on both Rob and my parents. He is now working through the steps that need to be taken after a traumatic brain injury and is spending a lot of time talking through memories and figuring out what's going on. Between having this normal reaction from a traumatic brain injury, dealing with the effects of ICU psychosis, and weaning off of all his sedation and pain meds, I think it's been a pretty trying week for everyone. Sometimes he's right there with you and other times he's so confused. At one point yesterday, he was telling people he played basketball for Bishop Luers. From what we hear this is all very classic TBI behavior (I don't know if traumatic brain injury is given the acronym TBI in the medical world, but it works for me). It might be normal for now but it's not normal for my parents, and I know they can't wait for the return of old Rob.

Despite the rough transition, yesterday and today were much better for Rob. He was finally able to rest (CONSTANT loud noise is a problem in his new digs since he's right across from the utility closet). Not sleeping and resting has been one of the biggest problems, so anytime he can nap or sleep is good. He sat in a chair for about three hours yesterday and was finally seen by his doctor and some therapists.

I just wanted to update everyone so you know that all is still chugging along. Even though this was a hard week, it's just another step on the road to home - a road we're all very happy to be traveling. That's probably easy for me to say from here.

It's really best for him not to have visitors for now. We really appreciate your support but please know that your support from home is the best you can do for Rob right now to give him the very best chance to rest and recover quickly. I'll keep you posted when he's improved and will fully appreciate visitors. Thank you so much for understanding.

Day 31

2012-01-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

So what did you all do this evening after work? We just had the normal evening here. Ate some pot roast, washed some bottles, talked to my brother on the phone.

That's right - I had a brief conversation with Rob tonight.

Remember how I wrote yesterday that he was making some sounds and trying to figure out how to talk after getting the smaller trach? Well a few hours after my parents left the hospital, the phone rang and it was nurse Tony. Rob was able to communicate to him enough to say he wanted to call home, and they put him on the phone. "Heeeeeeyyyy" was really all they could make out last night, but by this afternoon he fairly clearly asked me, "How are you?". Ummm, I'm fine, Rob....how are YOU???

Rob and I were never big chatty phone buddies, but man I've missed that guy. I'm going to be bugging him all the time from now on - one of many ways I want to change as a result of this experience.

The move went well today. Rob's really restless. He wants a drink, wants to eat, wants to move, etc. They've given him a little something to help him sleep so he can prepare for tomorrow when he will learn how to swallow again.

It's amazing how far Rob's come from 4 1/2 weeks ago!

On an unrelated note, if you've gone back to any posts before the accident, you know about those adorable twins Owen and Olivia. Well, good news - after 69 days in the NICU, Olivia is home tonight! Prayers for Owen that he is soon to follow so this very long, exhausting experience can end for our friends and they can start the next exhausting, but fun, phase of their lives - caring for twin infants at home!

A Big Day

2012-01-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

Well friends, I have big news. Rob is moving out of the ICU tomorrow afternoon and going to an acute intensive care facility inside St. Joe Hospital. This is a step-down facility that will provide the physical care he needs to heal while he's also doing the occupational therapy part of his recovery. The average stay at Select Care is 25 days, so we'll see how that plays out. After Select Care, he'll return to Parkview for intense physical therapy. There's obviously still a long road ahead. We'll miss all of his wonderful nurses in the ICU but it will be fun when Rob can walk in there and say thanks for himself.

In other news today, he had x-rays done on his neck and his surgery sites. If the neck x-ray looks good (I guess they didn't read it today) he'll have his collar removed tomorrow. Apparently it's really itchy so that will be a relief for him. He also got a smaller trach today which will make it easier for him to talk when the time comes. Dad said he was making some noises today so it seems like he's trying to figure it out again. He also had the sutures removed from his knee, ankle, and foot, and a cast was placed on his hand.

On to the next step, destination: home!

Rob Update - Day 28.

2012-01-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

Today marks the end of Rob's fourth week in the ICU. The last two days haven't been as eventful, but each day that passes gives him more time to get stronger before he's moved to his next location. I think we're still unsure if he will be moved to another floor of the hospital or if he'll go straight to the step-down rehabilitation facility when he's discharged from the ICU. To be discharged, every doctor has to sign off that he's ready. The last will be his neurologist. Rob hasn't really been cooperating with the neurologist's requests, and his nurses have been telling him that the more he cooperates the sooner he'll get out. His last two nurses have both said that he'll follow the commands they give him, but not this doctor's. Mom said that today he was trying to get out of bed and leave, so maybe he'll connect the dots soon and just give a smile or stick out his tongue on command and be done with it. :) We aren't too anxious for him to leave the ICU because the care he gets there is SO good, but we also know that the sooner he can work with therapists at the new facility the sooner he'll have his life back.

The only major thing that has happened lately was another procedure to move his PEG tube down into his intestines yesterday. The tube wasn't leaking or anything, but it sounds like they just decided that his stomach might not be ready to digest what they are putting into his feeding tube. The second procedure went well and he seems to be resting much more comfortably than the last several days.

Speaking of resting comfortably, we do ask that if you come to visit and he's sleeping, please let him sleep. He's had trouble sleeping really since the sedation wore off, and the more he rests the better off he'll be.

Mom's been telling him about the blog and how many of you check in each day. He seems pretty interested when she reads him comments and Facebook wall posts, and also when she talks about the car decals that his sweet friends designed for him. Thanks for letting him know you care.

Until the next update....happy weekend!

Three Months.

2012-01-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Baby Jack, I'm not sure how you're three months old already. You were a happy boy all day today - you must have heard, like I did, that three months is usually when colicky babies figure out that there's nothing to be so upset about. I love you more and more every day.

Hi.

Weight - I would say between 11 and 12 pounds. We'll have another official weight check at four months.

Length - I don't have a guess, but you're busting out of the feet in your 3 month sleepers.

Head Circumference - We'll see in a month!

Clothing Size - 3 month Carter's still fit well if there aren't feet; your most comfortable sleepers are 3-6 months. You still wear size 1 diapers and your BGs fit now.

Hair - You still haven't lost any and I see more blonde fuzz coming in. I love your hair!

Sleeping - You sometimes sleep through the night and sometimes you wake up after six hours. I'd say that waking up once is probably more typical. We've been all over the place with when you go to bed. In Indiana you go to bed late, and in Denver you are usually down by 9:00. This probably is because of the time difference, but it wasn't really intentional.

Eating - You eat 4-5 ounces every three hours or so. We've been giving you more 6 oz bottles and you seem to be pretty content, so we'll probably start doing that more. You primarily have breast milk but you always have one or two bottles of formula a day, too. You still nurse in the morning.

Movement - You move more and more all the time. Your big thing this month is to move yourself 180 degrees in your crib if we don't come and get you right away. You move your right leg all the time and have really been chomping on those hands. Grandma and I caught you sucking your thumb yesterday, but we'll see if that sticks since you really love your pacifier. Another new thing this month is "standing" up in your car seat or bouncy seat to try and escape. Looks like it's time to start strapping you into all your play equipment! You like to bounce up and down on our legs, which makes me really excited for you to be big enough for your jumperoo.

Milestones - Your 1st Christmas, being away from me all day while I hung out at the hospital with Uncle Rob. You took your third and fourth flights and you're getting trickier to travel with the older you get. You just want to move! Santa brought you a Bumbo for Christmas and you do pretty well sitting in it for short periods of time.

Favorite toys/activities - You love stroller rides, both around the house for entertainment and outside in the BOB. You seem interested in a little Sesame Street and Dinosaur Train, but you can watch football or basketball for almost half an hour if we're holding you. You like to play Pat-a-Cake, Peekaboo with your taggie blanket, and you think it's the best when we say "Mom-mom-mom-mom" and "Da-da-da-da-da" over and over to you. I wonder which you'll say first? Today was the first day you let me read books to you for several minutes without squawking. I hope you love to read as much as I did when I was younger!

Dislikes - Being still, burping, an empty bottle.

What we love - Talking with you, seeing more and more smiles each day, and when you burrow your face into my chest when you're sleepy.

Mom, you are mildly amusing me today.

What we don't love - Days when you don't want us to put you down. It makes it hard to clean this messy house!

What we're looking forward to - Having Jensin stay with us in January to watch you while I go back to work, putting that jumperoo together, and having more days like today!

Let's See How Shelby's Doing...

2012-01-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Shelby and The Beard - circa New Year's Eve-ish

Sorry it's taken me so long to post!

Rob sure has been throwing that right hand around a lot and has a pretty good grip when you hold his hand. Do we trust him with a razor yet? Better keep on growing that beard for now, Shelby. :)

Jack and I made it home last night. A have to say a big thank you to the Southwest pilot who not only flew us back here safely, but who also folded up my stroller and put the car seat in its travel bag while I held Jack on the jetway. I mean, he wasn't busy getting ready to fly the plane or anything.

ICU updates from today and yesterday - Rob got his PEG feeding tube and they're probably starting to feed him through it right now as I type. He's getting really thin so we're glad that this procedure was done today.

Several people came yesterday and helped him sit on the edge of the bed. He's seemed pretty blah the last couple of days, and we got a little more insight onto what he's processing and feeling from a traumatic brain injury specialist. This specialist thinks that he's having a hard time filtering everything happening around him and wanted his blinds drawn and the radio turned off. We're going to uphold the two visitor limit more strictly now but might also have to say no visitors sometimes depending how he's doing that day.

Mom received a Traumatic Brain Injury binder yesterday and I think it was a little bit depressing. We know he took a blow to the head but we also know that the CT scan was okay and that he seems pretty with us. We're going to take all the information we're given but not get hung up in what is typical. Nothing about Rob's recovery has been typical so far. Yesterday Mom and Candace wrote, "Rob, we love you" on a whiteboard and sat it in front of him, saying nothing. He nodded...because he could read it. The binder suddenly didn't seem like a very big deal. He took the marker in his hand and seemed interested in writing something but couldn't do it yet.

Today was the first time he made an effort to mouth words. He's opened his mouth before like he wanted to talk, but today he mouthed either "Help me out" or "Help me up". So...they sat him up and he seemed happier.

There is something new each day and I know that he'll continue to make huge strides. I have some thoughts that I'd like to share on this special miracle but I need a little more time to process it all and do it justice. It's on my mind a lot and I want to make sure to use this experience in a positive way, as a wake up call for my own life. Maybe it's a message for all of us? To be continued...

Quick Update

2012-01-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

I'm on my way to the airport where I'll soon be trying to wrestle way too much luggage and a 3 month old squirmy boy onto an aircraft, so I'll give just a quick update now while I have a few more minutes in the car.

Rob is still breathing on his own and the ventilator has now even been removed from his room. His dialysis line has been removed because his kidneys are functioning again and he'll be getting a different feeding tube today so those last tubes can come out of his nose. This is big because now he'll be able to have more calories each day and an SLP can begin evaluating his ability to talk and eat, starting with a swallow study.

ICU patients who are down as long as Rob was often have to relearn many basic functions and movements. Everything we do involves the movement of muscles, and when muscles are sedentary for long periods of time there will be the need for rehabilitation. We're getting closer to understanding what type of rehabilitation he will need and where we'll go from here.

I have an updated picture of Shelby and The Beard, so we'll check in with him soon.

As always, thanks for hanging in there with us.

Breathing on His Own

2012-01-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

The ventilator was turned off all day today...and Rob did just fine with it. He had a successful four hour CPAP trial yesterday and they decided to give it a go today and see how he did. The evening respiratory therapist said she's never seen anyone do so well with the changes they made for him in the last few days. He now has an aerosol generator covering the trach, and his nurse has the ability to quickly put him back on the ventilator if needed.

WOOHOOOOOO!!!!

I didn't go to the hospital today but hear that Rob was a little bit cantankerous. We think he's really frustrated. Mom asked if he knew he was in the hospital and that he was in an accident and he shook his head yes. I guess we can quit telling him every time he wakes up now - I bet that was getting annoying! He sat up in bed most of the day but I'm sure he has to be SO tired of lying there.

We haven't talked next steps yet but imagine it's coming soon. Tomorrow is Day 24 in the ICU and I would doubt there will be too many more, barring any major setbacks.

All of you fine folks reading this blog were pretty successful at praying Rob back to life, so I'm going to ask you to say another prayer for some new ICU patients today. I have no details other than that Mom and Dad were shut into Rob's room late tonight because of a "situation", and there was a lot of commotion as they brought two patients into rooms and there were potentially two more coming. I hesitated even posting this since I know so little about it, and because there are lots and lots of people who come in and out of the ICU. What I do know is that there are people hurting in that waiting room tonight and a prayer for them can't hurt anything.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

I'm finding that these posts on Rob are starting to get boring to write...which is more than okay with us!

Rob's had another two good days in the ICU since I last updated. He was pretty awake on Friday and yesterday seemed to be even more with us. He did some big winking at the girls and seemed to really like it when Mom read him all his cards.

I didn't recognize the second shift nurse last night and introduced myself to her during the 5:00 visitation. I asked her if she'd ever had Rob before and she said, "No, but I know all about him. He's quite the celebrity around here." Not that being a celebrity in the ICU is a good thing, but I guess it's better than being the patient everybody dreads having (which still might happen as we get stubborn Rob back). Mom told him about this exchange last night and he seemed quite pleased about it. He's baaaaaack!

It's great that Rob's so awake now but it is also sometimes hard to see. There are times when he will give us just the saddest look, or a look that seems to say he's tired of doing this. He wakes up startled sometimes and whoever is with him will calm him down. I'm guessing that there might be a long period of telling him over and over again what happened and where he is. He was very interested in the machines last night and kept trying to turn his head to look behind him.

The most encouraging, almost unbelievable, piece of news from yesterday is that they started his CPAP trials. The CPAP trial is essentially when they turn off the ventilator and let him breathe on his own for a bit while monitored. His trial yesterday lasted one hour and he did just fine with it. I understand these trials to be the beginning of the end of the ventilator. I don't dare make any predictions...so I'll stop there.

I guess this update wasn't boring after all.

2012 is looking up for our family and we wish all of you a year of health, family, and prosperous times!

2nd Surgery Complete!

2011-12-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

Rob had his trach procedure and another round of ortho surgery this morning and did very well. The trach was supposed to be done yesterday, yes, but faulty equipment or some other malfunction pushed it to today instead. When Dad arrived in the ICU this morning Rob was wide awake, and when Dad left he said he looks like Rob again now that the tubes are out of his mouth.

There have been some changes lately on the orthopedic repair front. Another surgeon looked at Rob's x-rays and thinks that the fracture in the hip socket can be left alone. It isn't at a load-bearing place and he doesn't want to mess with it. This morning the rods were removed from the left knee and a metal plate was inserted to hold everything in place. Another metal plate was inserted in his right hand. His surgeon said the knee is now stable and didn't make any mention of more surgery, but we will of course just take it as it comes.

I think that just might be the key to staying sane through this - proper expectation management. And by management, I mean don't have any expectations because they will change. We know that God is taking care of Rob and we have the utmost confidence in Rob's medical team. We have been so impressed by the quality of his care and feel good about the decisions they have made to get him to this point.

Catch-Up

2011-12-29T08:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting an update yesterday, friends. I was too busy living through the super contagious Stomach Flu of Christmas 2011 last night to make it down to the computer. At least it's a fast-mover!

Rob is supposed to get his trach today, and not a minute too soon judging by his swollen throat and the alertness that is causing him to try and rip out all his tubes this morning. That's right - he's WIDE awake. Dad, Aunt Dena, and Uncle Drew are down there with him now and he definitely knows them. They'll be getting the tubes out of his throat when they do the trach surgery this afternoon and hopefully they can untie his arms later today.

I honestly can't remember too much of what happened yesterday and I didn't go back to see Rob since I was starting to feel bad while I was at the hospital. I do know that they replaced his dialysis line to minimize the risk of infection and also gave him another round of dialysis. His hemoglobin was very low since they actually didn't end up giving him a transfusion the other day, so I'll check in with Dad later and see if it wasn't better with this morning's labs.

Because Rob is so aware and is getting so worked up, we're going to be limiting visitors today. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you planned to come down to the hospital this evening. We hate for anyone to make the trip in and then find out they can't see Rob. Hopefully tomorrow it will be fine again.

Dad says the neurologist sounded the most positive about Rob than ever before. Dad says it's been a good day so far. :)

Please say a prayer that the trach surgery goes well and that he continues to do well today so more ortho surgery can take place tomorrow. I imagine that the surgeons are getting pretty anxious to start on the hip and continue with his knee.

The Tuesday Evening Report

2011-12-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

Rob was very stable today and had another good day. The surgeon yesterday tried to brace us for a setback as a result of the surgery, but so far we haven't seen it yet. Vitals are good and he's still doing fine in the regular bed on his back. His hemoglobin was way down to 7.1, which is not surprising since I've heard that orthopedic surgery is pretty bloody. They talked about giving him blood again today but are going to push it until they see what tomorrow's labs are like. Platelets are good at 230,000 and he's now actually on a blood thinner like most patients who are sedentary in a bed for so long.

The main event today was a two-hour MRI to double check the spine. No fractures! :)

I stayed home all day with my own little family and my parents reported that Rob was the most aware they've seen him despite his sedation meds still being fairly high. He had lots of eye movement, eyebrow raising, and squinting/frowning. We doubt that he understands the conversation but it does seem like he's trying to take it in. Whatever he's seeing and hearing must be so strange! One of the sedation drugs also causes amnesia and the nurses tell us he won't remember any of this, but I do wonder what he sees and hears.

We haven't heard if he'll make the surgery schedule again tomorrow or not. Nothing can be scheduled even the day before because it depends on how his night was, but if he's ready for it and if they have a spot I know they would love to get him back in the OR again. The sooner these breaks are repaired the better off he'll be later, and I would imagine it will shorten his recovery time because everything's recovering at once instead of drawing it out. If he ends up having surgery tomorrow I'll let you all know.

What a blessing to be thinking about the length of recovery time.

We sat and talked about how good the week has been while we ate yummy chicken and bean enchiladas - thank you, Dana! Mom and Dad also brought a pizza home from Acme (since Brent and I are huge eaters and may have gone a little crazy eating the enchiladas by ourselves) and we loved it! Thank you, Megan and Damien!

Checking in After a Big Day

2011-12-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

Rob sure worked hard today. He was moved off of his new rotation bed onto a regular hospital bed, had his CT scan, and underwent three hours of orthopedic surgery this afternoon before entertaining visitors this evening. By entertained, I mean he just laid there while we all hovered around him. His mouth moved once when I was talking to him, but he was pretty sedated tonight.  By the ouchie look of the rods sticking out of his left leg, I'd say that's probably a good thing.

His surgeon worked on the left knee and finished the left ankle and right foot today. He wasn't able to do the right hand, but we think it was more because he ran out of time and not because Rob wasn't doing well. The bottom line is that from an orthopedic standpoint, Rob's surgery was more complicated than it needed to be because of the length of time that has passed since the accident. The trauma ortho team prefers to do these repair surgeries within a day or two, not two weeks. They've been hovering and waiting for him to be stable enough to endure the procedure. (We know that hovering and waiting feeling well!) Because of this, the surgeon explained that the left ankle isn't going to be perfect and the left knee is now very difficult to fix. On a scale of 1 to 6, the damage to his knee is a 5. He'll have at least one more surgery on the knee, but probably more, to stabilize it.

I'm sad for Rob that his knee probably won't ever be quite the same but also thankful that so far it's the only thing I suspect will not completely return to normal. We'll definitely take a less than 100% knee - and I'm sure at some point, he will too.

We learned today that his collarbone and scapula breaks will more than likely not need surgical repair. Other than getting his lungs back up to speed, he will still need repair work done on the right hand, left hip socket fracture, and the left knee.  I believe the fracture in his pelvis will also heal without surgery, but I might have that wrong.

All in all, I feel like this is so much better than what we originally braced ourselves to face.

Rob could have surgery again at any time starting on Wednesday if he'll tolerate it. They're giving him a day to rest, but the sooner they can continue the better.  I have a feeling this will be the main activity over the next few weeks now that we know his brain is okay. After the surgeries, I think they'll start on breathing trials without the vent.

It feels good to have some idea of where we're headed now, even though it will all probably change by the weekend.

Thank you for continuing to support us and for your prayers. :)

And a big thank you to Ashley and Andrew for watching Jack again tonight. Brent and I did a little hospital visiting and then went out to dinner alone for the first time in three months.  We really needed it! Thanks so much, friends!

Hot Off the Press

2011-12-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Breaking news this morning - they finally got the CT scan done and all looks good!!! There's a little bit of blood in the brain, but the neurologist isn't concerned. He wasn't able to get Rob to respond this morning to commands, but he said that's pretty common for someone who's been sedated for so long.

More breaking news - Rob will still be having surgery today. I hope no one remembers my bet of $1,000 that it wouldn't really happen. Everyone's wrong sometimes.

They'll be taking him back at noon and starting on the left knee, moving down to the left ankle, then the right, and finishing up with the right hand if it goes well and he's doing okay.

Ya'll know what to do.

Seeing the Light

2011-12-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

When Dad arrived this morning he found Rob in a new bed. Someone worse off needed the RotoProne and he's done well on his back for several days. Two weeks ago, I'm pretty sure there was no one in this hospital doing worse than Rob. And now here he is, on Christmas Day, ready to give up the RotoProne for good (we hope).

On Sunday, December 11th, as I rocked back and forth on the floor of my living room, begging God to save my only brother, I decided this would be the best Christmas we've ever had if Rob was still here for it.

Today we experienced Christmas in a way we've never felt it before.

It wasn't filled with wrapped presents or well-coordinated Christmas outfits (although, Jack did look pretty darn cute in his reindeer sweater). But tonight, we were given a sign that Rob is with us. And I just know that everything is going to be okay.

Rob's sedation was turned down today, and his eyes have been open quite a lot this evening. He has been frowning from time to time. He seems to know us.  But you know how we KNOW he's with us? Mom told him that he ended up making money on his truck after all was said and done....and he raised his eyebrows. His eyes have been wide open ever since.

Leave it to Rob to come out of this making money on that truck.

This Christmas season has been numerous things for us: surreal, terrible, unsettling, uncertain. But among all those emotions, the most powerful feeling has risen above them all - hope. I've felt a peace within that can only come from the One bigger than all of this. Our God is bigger than this. He's using this experience, no matter what the outcome, to touch us all and to help us remember to just have a little more faith.  More than anything, I have been reminded this Christmas season that people are good.

So while Christmas just wasn't the same this year without Rob at home, and without our usual traditions, perhaps this was maybe the closest to the real Christmas that we'll ever get.

Last year my Christmas post ended with this message, taken from our Christmas Eve service at North Church in Indy:

Jesus came to us to be a light in the darkness. The light does not make the darkness disappear, but the darkness cannot extinguish the light by itself. Go into the world and shine your light.

This has undoubtedly been my family's darkest time, but the light is shining so brightly in our darkness. It's shining because all of you are caring for us, praying for us, and reminding us that we just need to have a little more faith.

Quick Christmas Eve Update

2011-12-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

This will be a brief post, but I wanted to let you know that all is well in the VIP suite of the ICU today. Today was much the same as yesterday and the day before, with good stats and lots of stable healing going on. His blood gas readings were great today, showing a 95% oxygen saturation rate (medical peeps, am I saying that right?). The oxygen given to him through the vent is down to 35%, still on 14 breaths a minute.

The best news of the day is that his femur isn't broken.  We thought on the very first day that it was one of the broken bones mentioned, but we were relieved today to find it isn't and that must have been a communication mistake or a misunderstanding in the chaos of those first several hours. I'm not sure why that made me feel so much better, but it's one less thing to worry about I guess.

Mom, Tracy, and Patty were back with Rob tonight when his awareness monitor shot way up and he lifted his head up. Scared the bejeebers out of them!  The monitor attached to one of his sedation meds had been beeping, indicating a low bag, so he must have come out of sedation briefly.

One of us was there during every visitation today and we weren't alone one time, even on Christmas Eve when everyone is normally busy preparing for their holiday celebrations. Thank you again, everyone, from the bottom of our brusied, but not broken, hearts.

Moving and Shaking in the ICU

2011-12-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

We really seem to be making some forward progress right now! Rob is doing such a great job and has made it possible for more vent weaning to happen today and for talk of bone fixing to begin. After another good, stable night and morning, an orthopedic surgeon came by to see him and mentioned scheduling him for surgery early next week to work on the first of many, many, many broken bones. I would bet $1,000 that he doesn't actually have surgery on Monday because I think that's a little overzealous, but I LOVE that they're at least talking about it and trying to get it scheduled. I think if these doctors and nurses were looking at a man who they feel isn't going to make it, they sure wouldn't be seriously talking about fixing broken bones. I do raise my eyebrows a little about this newest development because two days ago he wasn't even stable enough for a CT scan, but his hemoglobin is much better now and we wonder if that doesn't play a major role in this decision.

Rob's vent settings are still at 14 breaths per minute and he's responded very well to that. He takes anywhere between 27 and 32 breaths per minute, so about half of those are initiated on his own. The ventilator still helps him finish each breath, but he's doing way more on his own now than before. The PEEP was turned back up a little today to help him out and not change too much, too soon. At one point his oxygen was turned down to 30% and is now back to 60% for the same reason. It feels like we're moving in the right direction.

Now I would like to introduce a little blog segment called:

"Shelby Isn't Shaving Until Rob Can"

Rob's friend Shelby has launched a shaving strike until Rob's up and at 'em again. We'll check in occasionally and see how that beard's coming along!

Speaking of facial hair, I noticed for the first time today that Rob's working on a mustache and beard himself. I told him that he might wake up as a burly mountain man. Maybe we'll mess with him a little and tell him he's been castaway at sea, Tom Hanks style.

I wouldn't really do that. That's just not nice.

In all seriousness, I thank God every day for this miracle that is being unfolded each new day. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Lord, please continue to watch over Rob and finish this through until he's home and healthy.

"He looks better than he did 12 hours ago when I left him..."

2011-12-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

Rob had another great day. He responded well to the decrease in PEEP throughout the night and they turned his ventilator settings down from 32 breaths per minute to 14 to force him to breathe more on his own. He did great with that today and still had pulse ox readings in the high 90s. Kim was his nurse again tonight and my post title is her direct quote. Well, I wasn't there, so that might be false reporting...but she said something to this effect.

He's still heavily sedated because they want his body to relax as it responds to the vent weaning. Makes sense to me - can we sedate him the entire year while they're fixing all those broken bones? I think it might be safe to say we're starting the weaning process now! I hesitate to make any proclamations like that because it's always possible he'll go the other way tomorrow. Thus is the up and down of the ICU, but we need to celebrate when we can.

I stayed home with Jack all day so I don't have any other data for you, but I'll be back in the waiting room tomorrow with my spreadsheet ready to record all his lab results, stats, etc. Just kidding. I don't really have a spreadsheet...but it's not a bad idea. :)

Feeling Encouraged

2011-12-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay, friends! I have had a lot of texts about the CT scan results today and I'm sorry to keep you all in suspense!

Rob did not have the CT scan done after all. There, how's that for anticlimactic? We're not sure exactly what transpired, but believe that the neurologist made a call last night that he was still not stable enough to risk moving him. Dr. Dozier seems to think that the CT scan of the head isn't a make or break test at this point until his lungs are in better shape. I'm almost relieved that they didn't move him around and set him back after the slow progress he's made over the last week.

We're feeling encouraged tonight because in Rob's chest x-rays today there was evidence that his air sacs are beginning to work on their own. Because of this, the PEEP on his ventilator was turned down a little bit this evening to see how he would respond. From talking to his nurse, Kim (a former high school classmate of mine - small world!) and a little Googling, I roughly understand PEEP to be the amount of air pressure exerted into his lungs during each respiration of the ventilator. When I was talking to Kim his pulse oxygen reading fell as low as 85 while he was trying to respond to the new settings. She was actually on the phone with the doctor when Rob coughed and the reading came right back up into the 90s. They like his pulse ox to read 89 or higher, and a buzzer sounds when he gets to 85. When Mom and Dad left after the final visitation tonight he was back in the high 90s.

Sidebar: This medical stuff and what they can do for people is all just fascinating to me. If I had enough productive years left in me to pay off my student loans after 10 more years of school, I would maybe consider going back to be a doctor. That, and if I wasn't terrible at science. The only way I got through Physics in high school was by being annoying asking questions after school, and maybe throwing in a look of pathetic bewilderment and the occasional teary eyes. I seriously just didn't get it. And I'll forever be indebted to my lab partner Ashley Ream for carrying me through CP Chemistry.

ANYWAY...

Rob had another round of dialysis today and also received more blood. His hemoglobin wasn't rising and I think they finally just decided to do the transfusion since they've been on the fence about it for several days. He hasn't gotten any blood since Friday, so that's really pretty good.

It was a good day overall, even without a CT scan. I'm taking the morning shift tomorrow and I hope to find Rob just how we left him, with good oxygen saturation and the same decreased PEEP setting. This is how they wean people off the ventilator, so I hope we can continue trending that way.

Thank you again for all your great comments, prayers, snack baskets, cards, gift cards, meals, etc, etc, etc. We can never begin to adequately express our appreciation for your kindness. And a big THANK YOU to the lovely Erika for watching Jack for me today. :)

Still Steady

2011-12-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

Otherwise known as "The One Where I Ran Out of Better Post Titles".

Dad and I met with Dr. Zehr this afternoon while Mom volunteered to stay home with Jack. I've yet to have him in the hospital with us because I'm worried about the germs in the ICU waiting room - even though I'm sure an airplane, or even Target, is probably worse. Better safe than sorry. If he got sick I would feel terrible. I appreciate everyone who's already taken a turn watching Jack and don't want to wear out my welcome, especially during a busy week like this!

Oh yes, back to Rob. I'm looking forward to the day when this turns back into a Mommy Blog again, trust me. But for now we will focus on Rob.

He was on his back this evening and still tolerating it well. His fever had spiked above 103 again so he was back under the cooling blanket. His second dialysis went well, pulling another 6 pounds of fluid out of his body. In total, having 21 pounds of fluid removed in the last 24 hours has been a huge contributor to his improved lung function. It is likely he will have dialysis done on a regular basis for awhile.

They also stopped given him the paralytic and he wasn't fighting the ventilator, at least when we were there. He was taking some breaths over the ventilator, but not many. They also reduced his sedation considerably but he didn't show any signs that he heard us when Dad and I talked to him. I was thinking about him waking up during the night and was feeling bad that we can't be there if he does, but his nurse Jill tonight is very sweet and I know she'll talk to him.

Random thing I learned today - he gets his teeth brushed every 4 hours. I had no idea.

Since he's been pretty stable they would like to try the CT scan of his head again tomorrow. The brain is our main wild card right now. We know that his lungs are improving - his oxygen has been turned down to 50% and his daily chest x-rays show improvement each time, albeit slight. Now we need to know what the brain is doing. When his sedation was removed last week he started struggling when he realized that he had tubes down his throat, and then unclenched his fist when Dad told him to. We know he's with us, but will feel a lot better if we find out that his head is 100% okay. Or even 90% okay. We'll take whatever good news we can get.

Please pray for the CT scan tomorrow - that the medical team has an easy time moving him off the RotoProne, that he continues to breathe easily during the transfer, and that the scan is clear.

Steady

2011-12-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Rob did well with dialysis yesterday and will more than likely get another round today. They took 15 pounds of fluid from his body. Removing that, along with all the toxins that his kidney wasn't processing, will surely help him. Dad stopped in this morning and said that he's on his back again and doing well with it. His blood ox level is consistently 97-98. Dad said that nurse Adrienne is back today. She was there last Sunday when they brought him in, so we're maybe finally through the rotation of new nurses. Compared to where he was last Sunday, Adrienne thinks he's doing well.

I haven't gone to the hospital yet to ask my usual annoying questions, so I have no platelet count for you and don't know what his oxygen is turned down to. There's talk of giving him blood tomorrow, so that tells me his hemoglobin is probably about the same.

There's a meeting scheduled with the head doctor in the ICU this evening, so I'll have a better update after that takes place.

Please continue praying with us.

Mr. Tough Guy

2011-12-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

March of Dimes Poster Child

Rob - 1990

Rob's doing great on dialysis and was holding his stats well this morning. They've decided to switch him from the special, 2-day dialysis method to the traditional 2-3 hour method and will be doing that this afternoon. It's supposedly more effective and will be better for him since they think he can tolerate it. Another big win today - his platelets are up to 135,000! His hemoglobin is still low but they're holding off with a transfusion and waiting for him to start replenishing his blood himself.

He's been paralyzed most of the weekend because he was having a rough time breathing over the ventilator, but they're going to be letting off the paralytic today because they would like more of his bodily functions to resume. From only the few days I've been here I already feel like there's a lot of back and forth - turn off the paralytic, turn it on...move him to a different bed, move him back...turn his oxygen down then turn it back up...etc. We know they just want to see what his body can do to facilitate the speediest recovery possible.

I'm hoping to give you another good report this evening from my baby brother, the tough guy. :)

**Editor's Note - I incorrectly said that UPS Brandon visited with Chris and brought the Hall's gift card, not UPS Braden. I'm sorry to get your name wrong, Braden! I was obviously confused and I'm sure you'll cut me some slack. ;)

Check off Sunday, Bring on Monday

2011-12-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight's report from the ICU is still a positive one. Rob made it through the day with much improved breathing and stable stats. It seemed like each time we went back today they were either getting ready to start dialysis or were waiting on the machine. By the last visitation they finally had it up and running. It's a different type of dialysis that will last for two days.  When Dad left tonight around 9:00 his blood ox was at 98 (a rarity!), the oxygen he was being given was still at the lowered rate of 60%, and his fever had broken.

Rob seems to have a fever every other day of 102 or higher. I personally haven't been too concerned about it, but I think it's because there are SO MANY things to be concerned about that it's one thing I've brushed out of my mind. A survival tactic that I've developed is to find at least one positive thing from the nurse's report each time I go back to his room.  I then focus my energy on being happy that he has that going for him, even if it's only one tiny positive thing. The nurses help me find the positive and sometimes the only thing we find is that he's a young, strong, healthy kid and if anyone can bounce back from his accident, he's got the best chance. I'm glad that today we had many more victories to celebrate than just that.

Another major positive today was a steady platelet count. He hasn't received any platelets since Friday afternoon, but his count is now at 101,000. Remember that 100,000 is our magic number for the pressure monitor surgery. This means that not only is he retaining the platelets he's been given, but that he is more than likely manufacturing his own again.  I'm anxious to hear what his regular doctors say tomorrow morning after checking his labs.

One Week

2011-12-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

It's been one week since our family started on this scary journey and we just keep telling ourselves how lucky we are to still be sitting here in the waiting room. Every day further from December 11th is a good day.

Speaking of good days, Rob is having one! His breathing has stabilized enough for him to tolerate rotating on his back again, and they were able to place his line for dialysis. His creatinine levels fell even lower last night, but today were up to 8.5. A little online research (which makes me an expert, of course) tells me that a creatinine reading of 10 signals the need for dialysis. Since they now have the ability to do dialysis they feel it's best to go ahead and flush the kidneys now. We haven't been able to go back in a few hours to check on the progress, but hopefully we'll get an update soon when visitation starts at 5.

The Memphis Two Fister

2011-12-17T21:30:00.000-08:00

Not much to report tonight, friends. Rob rested comfortably all day and his blood gas was much improved this afternoon from the morning reading. They seemed to find the right protocol to keep him well-oxygenated, at least for now. He had another echo done this morning that shows his heart is still perfect. Yay - something that's perfect! His creatinine (the indicator of kidney function) level dropped throughout the day, which is also positive for him. This drop confirmed that he would not be having dialysis today and risk disrupting his breathing.

On a somewhat related note, there's a Hall's restaurant across the street from the hospital and every day we arrive we see this sign:

And every day I've thought, "Oh my...surely that's a sandwich."

Today we had two sweet UPS guys visit us, Chris and Brandon, and bring us a gift card from the night crew for none other than Hall's restaurants. So after getting a good Rob report, Mom, Dad, Stormy and I slipped away for a late lunch.

Here's the old Two Fister in all its glory...

...and Dad enjoyed every bite.

Then we got one to go for Brent, who was at home again watching Jack today. He gave it two ~~fists~~ thumbs up. Thank you, UPS guys! It was nice to get away for a bit.

We can't say thank you enough for all the support and prayers. We so appreciate friends who've kept us company in the waiting room the last few days even though we unfortunately can't visit with Rob right now. Please hang in there with us as he will rely heavily on all of you once he's awake and beginning the rehabilitation process. I can't wait for him to see all of his messages and realize how loved he is.

Day 6

2011-12-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

Another resting day here in the ICU. We found Rob exactly as we left him last night, with good vitals but still not tolerating being in the Roto-Prone (rotation bed) on his back. He's better if he's hanging face down so that's exactly where they're going to leave him for now. His platelets have risen to 91,000 (100,000 is where they would like them to be), but they definitely don't have plans to start monitoring his brain until they can stabilize his lungs. Nurse Jamie said he's still fighting the ventilator and his lungs are very tight, which explains some poor blood gas readings over the night and this morning. He's taking his own breaths but because the lungs are so tight they would rather let the ventilator do all the work right now. I'll be slipping back later this afternoon to check on his last blood gas and hope it's going in the right direction after the tweaks they made to his vent.

The kidneys continue to be a concern, but no dialysis is scheduled for the moment. We're taking it hour by hour until they find the right rhythm to oxygenate him.

They're being very protective of him again today, so we won't be touching or speaking to him, only talking with his nurses if we do go back. This is our third "rest" day now and we will sure feel better when the breathing is more stable.

Love,
The-Not-So-Patiently-Waiting-Sister

Friday Update...It's Friday, Right?

2011-12-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

Today's another rest day for Rob. After fighting with the ventilator and dropping his stats, they put him back on the rotation bed last night around midnight. He immediately improved. The transfer to his rotation bed on Sunday after the accident caused him to code, but last night he did great and tolerated the move well. I am personally glad that we weren't here when they did it and just told us about it after all was well. Moving him around obviously causes us some anxiety. While it seems like a small step back, we know it's the best for him right now. Whatever they need to do to keep him stable, calm, and fighting the good fight is alright with us.

Rob's fever is way down today, so thank you for praying for that. He was going to have dialysis done this afternoon to flush out his kidneys but he's not ready for it today. The dialysis will require him to lie flat for two to three hours, and right now he's much better off rotating.

Friends Kory and Courtney are doing a puzzle with Mom and Dad right now, but it's really a pretty quiet day here. We are restricting visitors today because we need to let him rest. We've gone back a few times to speak with his nurses today, but we're not talking to him or touching him.

Nurse Cathy explained to me that when the body goes into shock, the digestive system shuts down first, then the lungs, kidneys, liver, etc. By keeping him stable and comfortable, the caregivers in the ICU are allowing his body time to wake up from the shock and begin to reverse itself. The trauma/shock happens quickly, but the reversal can take weeks. I've never had a reason to know this before, but it makes sense now.

For now we continue to wait on Rob's body to flip into reversal mode. We are being realistic and realize we might be sitting here in the waiting room for a long, long time. As Mom said yesterday, we don't mind sitting here all year as long as we get to take him home.

The Evening Update

2011-12-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

Several of us here in the waiting room have expressed the same sentiment today - that we're depressed because Rob didn't make any forward progress today. Mom, Dad and I just got back from talking with his nurses and we've been told that he's really fighting the ventilator. He also has a high fever from an infection, probably in his lungs. His stats aren't the best (but better than Sunday!) and they're giving him the paralytic now to keep him still.

So that's the bad news...but the good news is that the nurses assure us that they see this type of up and down all.the.time in the ICU. Since today was down, we're hoping for an up day tomorrow.

I can't explain it, but I feel such peace that all will be well again (well, at this moment anyway). I know that peace is coming from the HUNDREDS of you praying for us.

When you say your prayers tonight, please sneak in another one for our dear Rob. Pray that the antibiotics take care of his infection and that we see more progress tomorrow.

Thank you again for hanging in there with us. There have been so many sweet people loving on my family this week. Friends have been with us for hours in the waiting room today, there's always a new meal in my parents' fridge or on their doorstep when they arrive home at night, friends have been taking care of my Jack so I can be here at the hospital, etc. I couldn't begin to capture all of your kind deeds. We are so extremely grateful, and so thankful that it's Thursday and we still have Rob.

The No Update Update

2011-12-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

After a very active day yesterday, Rob is resting more today. He had a stable night and continues to keep on fighting.

Rob was scheduled to have a CT scan early this morning, but moving him posed too much of a risk to his breathing so it's been postponed. The wonderful staff continues to work on thickening his blood with platelets so the neurosurgeon can insert the pressure monitor. Until his blood is thick enough for this surgery, the CT scan is pretty irrelevant.

We're in the waiting room now and will see him again during the next round of visitation. If there are any major happenings this evening I'll be sure to keep you informed.

Wednesday's Update

2011-12-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

Rob has had a wonderful day! Today he did what we all have been anxious for him to do - he opened his eyes! I'm told he's done it several times throughout the day. At one point he was very tense and his fists were clenched. My dad held his hand and told him to unclench his fist - and he did. He was also told to wiggle his toes and could do it. We are elated!!

He was also moved out of the rotation bed today because his lungs have improved that much. He's been trying to breathe in between the ventilator's "breaths" (sorry, can you tell I don't have my medical terminology down yet?), so they were talking about turning the oxygen down some tonight to see how he does.

Thanks again for all you've done for my family.

The Evening Update

2011-12-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

Word from the ICU this evening is that Rob continued to move more and more throughout the afternoon and early evening. He seemed to be trying hard to open his eyes but can't quite do it yet. Other great signs are that he started coughing and once raised his head up off the bed. I was so happy to hear this report tonight. It shows that there is brain activity and that he's still fighting hard. He was acting agitated, and they don't want him to move too much, so he is now sedated again.

Aunt Lori told me there were so many visitors pouring in all evening, mostly his sweet friends. They were holding his hand, stroking his face, telling stories, and really loving on him. She said that the general sentiment is just so positive and that his friends are just sure he's going to make it...and I am too.

Any Modern Family watchers out there? Of course there are. Remember the Thanksgiving episode? There are dreamers and there are Pritchetts. I tend to be more of a Pritchett - or a realist, as I would say. But this morning I had to pull myself together and not let myself go to the dark side. Yes, his accident was extremely traumatic. Yes, he has a long way to go. But gosh darn it, he's gonna make it.

Afternoon Update

2011-12-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

I will be updating as much as I can here on the blog so that those of you who are pulling for Rob know how it's going. Hopefully most of this is right....I'll have a much more accurate account starting tomorrow evening when I'm sitting there with my parents and can hear it all firsthand.

Today has been a very up-and-down type of day in the ICU. Early this morning, they shut off the nitric oxide going to Rob's lungs and started reducing the oxygen to see how he would do. Late last night Rob had 60% lung function, which is great considering he wasn't breathing on his own Sunday. After reducing the oxygen flow his blood-ox level started to fall again, so they put him back on. The optimist in me just thinks it's too soon to do it considering the trauma he experienced. The good news is that his lungs are getting better.

They also took him out of sedation this morning and hoped to see him be responsive soon after. He's been moving his arms and legs some and his eyebrows will go up when someone talks to him. However, his reaction has been slower than they'd hoped, and this might indicate trouble with his brain.

My very limited experience with how this works tells me that we have to think in terms of action items so we can stay positive and not go crazy. Here are the action items they're working on now:

1.) Continue working on getting the blood to clot better so a pressure monitor can be inserted and his head injury can be better assessed.

2.) Continue to wait for him to move around more and come to life. I'm told his eyebrows moved a LOT when some girls were in there talking to him. So...

Action Item 2a.) Here's a callout to all the cute girls he knows - please go visit. (I'm kinda kidding.)

Please continue to pray with us.

Thinking of Uncle Rob

2011-12-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

Blog friends, I have a request for you. If you aren't already praying for my brother Rob, please take a minute to send your positive, healing thoughts his way.

Rob rolled his truck early yesterday morning and was thrown from the vehicle. He's in critical condition today and is in a medically-induced coma. While he's pretty banged up everywhere, our major concerns at this point are collapsed lungs and some bleeding on the brain. While we don't know the full extent of his injuries, we do know that his main doctor was VERY pleased with his progress and the results of some testing done this afternoon.

We are so overwhelmed by all the kindness that is pouring in to my parents from all of our wonderful friends and family. I will continue to update on his progress, but until then, please PRAY for his recovery. He has a long way to go.

Two Months.

2011-12-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

Happy two month birthday, Jack! You're getting to be such a big boy! You've really come alive in the last couple of weeks while we were home in Indiana. Moist air and lower elevation seem to suit you. :) I love having conversations with you and seeing you smile at us. I love your huge blue eyes and your fuzzy reddish hair. You are the absolute best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you, Baby Jack!

Weight - 9lb 10oz - 10th percentile. His weight was in the 25th percentile at his two-week appointment, but our pediatrician doesn't seem concerned. His reasoning is that he's healthy, he's gaining weight, and that only a few ounces differentiate the percentiles when babies are still this little. As he said, we've got a wiry little guy on our hands! I just watched Jack's father eat a large Casa salad and a whole pizza this weekend and not be full, so it's not a huge surprise to me that I'm maybe fighting against a high metabolism. I usually give him a couple ounces of formula at night to top him off, but this slip into the 10th percentile has convinced me that I need to supplement more. I just can't produce 100% of what he needs, and I think I've finally made my peace with that (with the help of a wise woman who's been there before).

Length - 22 3/4 inches - 45th percentile.

Head Circumference - 15 1/4 inches - 22nd percentile

Clothing size - 0-3 months and 3 months in Carter's. He wears size 1 diapers and my fingers are crossed that his BumGenius cloth diapers will fit soon so I can stop cranking through the 'sposies so quickly. I did the newborn cloth trial program through Jillian's Drawers, and have decided that I'm probably not a candidate to be 100% cloth. I hated messing with the prefolds and covers but thought that the all-in-ones, like BG's, were easy to use. I'm going to go with those on days we're home, but will still use disposables when more convenient. I'm all for limiting the number of diapers going into a landfill, but I have to consider my own sanity too.

This is maybe becoming more of a confessional than a two month update.

Hair - lots of it! He hasn't lost any yet that I can tell, and it seems to be getting thicker. There's a little blonde fuzz coming in on the top.

Sleeping - Jack slept through the night four times the last week I was home in Indiana. Then last night, he seemed to be begging me to go to sleep around 7:30 when we got home from the airport. This is much earlier than I normally lay him down, but I've been thinking that I need some "me" time in the evenings for awhile now and have known that I need to move that bedtime up at some point. I thought I would regret it but put him down anyway. I also put him in his crib for the first time, because we'd been gone so long that I knew sleeping anywhere would seem like a transition...might as well get the crib transition over with as well! I was so pleased that he slept 9 hours and didn't wake us up until 4:30. Go Jack!!

Eating - He's probably eating more like 7 times a day now, usually around 3-4 ounces each time. He will be getting some formula snacks from now on if I'm out of fresh milk. I started pumping a lot more over the holidays and that's going pretty well. At this point, he's probably nursing three-four times a day and getting a bottle of pumped milk the rest of the time. Pumping is so much faster and the pump never gets tired and cranky and flails its arms at me.

Movement - He loves to kick his legs and move his arms when he's on his back. He's holding his head up pretty well and holds it steady when held from under the arms. He's getting really hard to burp because he wants his head up all the time (but still loses control occasionally and face plants into your collarbone...eek!), During tummy time he can roll from his tummy to his back. He is so strong - it's nearly impossible to pry his fingers open when it's time to file down his nails and since he doesn't like his right armpit washed, sometimes it just has to be that way.

Milestones - So many this month! Jack smiled a few days after he hit six weeks. My friend Christi was booping him on the nose and he thought that was pretty cool. A few days later, he had big smiles for Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Conni the Baby Whisperer. Finally, he had smiles for me on Thanksgiving weekend and he never looked back. My mom and dad swear that he laughed at them this weekend while Brent and I were out to dinner. Jack embarked on air travel for the first time of probably many (which makes me tired just typing that) and did very well. He met so many family and friends for the first time over the last two weeks - Thanksgiving posts to come soon. He also found his hands while we were in Indiana and likes to put them in his mouth all the time and slobber. I think it's super cute.

Favorite toys/activities - He loves his Jitter Pal froggy and monkey. We wind them up and put them on his belly, which gets a smile for the first five times at least. He now notices the TV and is in a trance when he's in the same room with one. He still loves a bath. He loves to "Chirpa Chee" with Grandma. It's really hard to explain really, but it involves a lame song from the 70s and a simple dance routine around the kitchen. I Chirpa Chee'd him around our kitchen this afternoon to make him feel better after his shots.

Dislikes - Sitting still, the train at the Denver airport, and when we take his bottle away to burp him or slow him down. His squawking sounds exactly like he's yelling "MORE, MORE!".

What we love - His adorable smiles, surprised faces, how he flails his arms in the bath tub or on the changing table.

What we don't love - Having to create constant motion to keep him content, and all of his sassy squawking sometimes. He's the only person who has bossed me around and not gotten any sass back. :)

What we're looking forward to next month - Learning more about Jack and how to make him happy, seeing more of those sweet smiles, and sharing our baby's first Christmas.

My Treasure

2011-11-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

The sermon today during Jack's first church service was part of a series about being generous, based around the scripture found in Luke:

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34

As I held my little sleeping baby through church today, I couldn't help but be bursting with thankfulness for the best treasure God has ever given me. Being Jack's mom is the greatest pleasure of my life.

My treasure wears moose overalls...

...and has the best surprised faces.

Thank you, Lord, for this little boy.

Scenes from our house...

2011-11-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have flown by, and I really can't say I have too much to show for it other than gratuitous pictures of my favorite little boy and all his cuteness. I've been to the doctor more times than I can count in the last week and a half, ranging from a middle of the night ER visit in a snowstorm for a kidney infection to calls to the pedi about thrush. I don't think we actually have thrush but I'm watching the two little white spots in Jack's mouth pretty closely. Not because it's life threatening by any means, but because the thought of sterilizing everything and killing said fungus makes me want to puke.

I've been feeling better for two or three days now and have actually gotten out of the house for something that wasn't related to a doctor's visit. Things are definitely looking up! Here are some of the things we've been doing around here lately when not obsessing about sickness:

MEL VISITS!

Mel's brother and sister-in-law live in Denver and have a baby just a week older than Jack. She came out to visit them this weekend and we got to see her on Monday night. It was such a great evening and I wish she could have stayed longer!

BONNIE BEGS FOR ATTENTION!

Is there room in this recliner for one more?

BRENT'S WEDDING RING FOUND!

Brent lost his wedding ring in the leaves right before the first snowstorm of the year. When the snow melted, we rented a metal detector. We were just about to give up after a couple hours of scanning the leaves when Brent found it! That was $28 well spent.

MOM DOES LAUNDRY!

...and Jack didn't mind hanging out in the laundry basket for about ten minutes while I folded clothes.

PUMPKIN HEAD WEARS PUMPKIN JAMMIES!

Pumpkin in motion.

If you've made it this far and can stomach some annoying Mommy Babble, check out Jack in action:

More Owen and Olivia

2011-11-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

I got a few more pictures of the twins from Rachel today. She may get her own Mommy Blog up and running soon, but for now I will showcase her children on the internet on her behalf. I talked with her today and it sounds like the twins had another good day. Please keep them in your prayers that they continue to improve each day and get to come home earlier than anticipated!

Miss Olivia - look at all her hair!

Owen takes a snooze.

Mom and Dad do kangaroo care - Rachel has Owen and Justin has Olivia.

One Month.

2011-11-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Our little pumpkin head is one month old today. Sniff, sniff. Okay, to be honest I'm not so super sad that the first month is over. There are so many things I love about a cuddly newborn, but I'm not going to lie and say it was an easy month. Breastfeeding and being a new mom is hard, yo. It's the absolute best thing I've ever done and the hardest. I don't think there's any coincidence in that.

But enough of my own reflections, let's talk about my favorite subject - Jack!

This was the best we could do. We also need a name for his owl and are taking suggestions.

Weight - We're estimating about 8.5 pounds (I hope). I'll know for sure if I can get him to the breastfeeding support group this week to have him weighed.

Length - He was 20.5 inches at birth, and based on his clothes I'd say he's longer. We'll get an official measurement at his two month appointment.

Clothing size - 0-3 months. His newborn clothes became too short last week.

Hair - lots of it! His hair is brown with a reddish tint that's especially easy to see around his sweet face. The back is thicker, seems to have some curl (especially when he's sweaty), and is dark brown. I never imagined I'd have a baby with so much hair!

Sleeping - His sleep patterns at night are great. Starting at about a week old, Jack started sleeping for five hour+ stretches at night. On Thursday night, he slept from 10:30 - 5:30, which we call sleeping through the night at our house since Brent wakes up at 5:30 for work. Whenever he does wake, I feed him and he'll sleep another couple hours. Then when he wakes the next time, he eats and then he and I get in bed and snooze our morning away. No complaints from me - other than this is a huge contributing factor to me not getting a single thing done during the day. He also doesn't nap much during the day, which is also why I get nothing done.

Eating - He eats about 8-9 times a day. We're supposed to hit 10x per our lactation consultant, but I never can seem to get it in. I think it's because he sleeps so long during the night (and I am NOT about to wake a sleeping baby), and he spends about 45 minutes eating each session. During the day he eats every two hours. Based on what I can pump, I am guessing he eats about 2 ounces each session.

Movement - Jack loves to move those arms. We try to use them for good by having them hold his pacifier in his mouth, but more often than not they just get in the way while he eats. He loves to make big arm movements and squirm his legs around after getting his diaper changed, and he flails his arms and legs in surprise when I pour water on him in the bath tub. Over the last week or so he's really been locking his eyes on us while he eats or Brent's holding him. He seems to be getting better at noticing movement around him and following it with his eyes.

Milestones - His cord came off at two weeks, he met my coworkers last week, and he's already dined at the Olive Garden, Hacienda, Champps, and Chad's in Lakewood. He's a pro at it - he pretty much stays asleep the entire time, and at Champps was awake but quiet because he was listening to all the noise. He's met both sets of grandparents, a friend of Brent's, and my friend from work.

Favorite toys/activities - We read books every day, and he seems to like it if I start while he's calm. If he's already crying when I start to read, forget about it. He loves Grandma's singing and Mom's too. He's heard a lot of Coldplay, Elton John, and American folk music (that would be Grandma). He loves to take a bath.

Dislikes - Well I'm afraid to say we might have a colicky baby on our hands - so dislikes would be anything that isn't included in the list above, eating, and sleeping. He's pretty much crying the rest of the time. I've given up dairy and caffeine now to see if it helps, but so far I don't see much of a difference. I'm beginning to wonder if he really is just hungry and not getting enough from me, so I'm considering doing a little experiment this week by feeding him every two hours and giving him some thawed breast milk every time he roots or cries (other than diaper cry). I'm hesitant to do this because he does seem to spit up quite a bit if he has a bottle, but it's worth a shot.

What we love - His peaceful sleeping face, how funny it is when he gets mad at us and shakes his head back and forth to fling out his binkie, and the way he arches his back and curls up his legs when I pick him up while he's sleeping.

What we don't love - The crying. Ohhh the crying. Also, hearing him grunting at us from the Pack 'n Play at 2 or 3 a.m. instead of 5.

What we're looking forward to next month - Mom being totally healthy again, Jack smiling at us, visits from friends, and going home for Thanksgiving!

Photos from our shoot that don't make the cut:

Just let me cross my arms over my onesie sticker and we'll all be okay.

Meltdown.

Welcome, Owen and Olivia!

2011-11-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends, Rachel and Justin, welcomed their twins into the world this Wednesday, 11/2/11 at 30.5 weeks. Owen Stearley and Olivia Audrey are small but tough! We can't wait to meet you, sweet babies!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Jack and I had a busy day here. I went to a doctor's appointment and on the way we stopped at my work so I could show him off. Both outings took way longer than expected, and we got home just in time for trick or treat. We had about 50 trick or treaters, which is more than we've ever had but still doesn't compare to my childhood days on Diamond Street when my mom would pass out candy to hundreds of kids.

Our little hot dog loves his Halloween costume!

What October 26 Looks Like This Year...

2011-10-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

The first winter storm of the year has hit the Front Range of CO, and I'm told it's actually pretty late this year. The forecast called for a foot, but we escaped with around eight inches today. Only. The good news is that it should be gone in a few days and temperatures will be back to almost 70 this weekend. The weather here is just ridiculous.

I know, Jack. I'm shocked, too!

The terrier loves it.

In other news, Jack is three weeks old today! We celebrated by getting his blood drawn, again, for the 2nd newborn genetic screening done by the state. I hate when people are poking around on my little buddy! I promise we'll do something more fun for your one month "birthday", like eat an entire DQ Blizzard cake.

Jack's First Bath

2011-10-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Jack's cord fell off early this week, so he had his first real bath on Thursday night. It was about time, because I noticed some armpit crust that indicated we weren't doing the best job with sponge baths.

Such a skinny little peanut!

He's a fan of the bath. He had another one today and it was one of the few moments of the day when he wasn't screaming his head off.

For the record, I am aware that this has become a total Mommy Blog right now. I apologize, dear readers. I promise that in the future I will not write 100% of my posts about my child, but for right now he's pretty much rocking our world. : )

Grandma and Grandpa are here...

2011-10-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

...so I have time to blog tonight!

My parents have been here since Friday night, which has been beyond wonderful. I've been looking forward to their visit for months. We've just been hanging around the house, and that's just fine with us. Brent's best friend, Jonathan, got married in West Lafayette yesterday, and it worked out that he could fly home for the wedding since my parents are here with us. It was a quick trip and he's home already, but I'm sure he appreciated a day away and a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

Chicky head on his first BOB ride.

Speaking of sleep, I can't complain at all. Jack is an excellent night sleeper so far with the exception of a few bad nights last week. This will probably change, but for now I'm enjoying it.

His arms and legs are constantly crossed like a mummy, or yoga pose gone awry.

Breastfeeding is going fairly well but we're working on increasing my supply. It's a supply meets demand issue, and I'm pretty sure Jack would eat all day long if I could stand it. One breastfeeding blog recommends doing a "nursing vacation" where you stay in bed for two to three days and just nurse the baby pretty much all day and night. OMG - I don't know how the term "vacation" is applicable at all in that scenario. All in all, we're doing well with feedings and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a big weight gain on Tuesday.

My first package! It was an adorable octopus named Mr. Sock-t-pus from our friends Drew and Hugh

Is there room on your lap for me too, Mom??

I just can't believe he's mine.

Jack's Birth Story

2011-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

You know how I was going to let the baby decide when it wanted to be born? Well, in my first real act as his mother, I decided that "Lima Bean" had had enough time and scheduled an induction for Tuesday night, 10/4/11, at 41 weeks. It was really hard for me to make the decision, but what tipped the scale for me is when my favorite doctor offered to come over to the hospital and do a special delivery for me on Wednesday, even though he wasn't on call. Fair enough, 10/5/11 it is! We also found out after he was born that 10/5 is the most popular birthday, statistically speaking. Eh, I've lived 28 years without knowing that, but it was totally not intentional.

41 weeks, headed for the hospital

We went in to the hospital at 8 on Tuesday night, I had my first dose of Cytotek at 9, the next at 1, and at 4 a.m. I woke up with pretty frequent contractions. When I was checked at 5:15, I was at 5 cm. The contractions were coming every minute and lasting a minute long, and it was just ridiculously intense. I tried out the tub for all of four contractions and then called uncle and asked for the epidural. I'm really glad and I don't regret it for a minute because it gave me some time to rest. I was able to get it right away, and at 8:00 I was at 9 cm. My water was broken at that point and we pretty much just waited another couple hours for the head to keep coming down before I pushed. The day nurse who helped me push was so awesome and encouraging. I asked for my epidural to be turned down so I could feel the contractions, and that helped a ton. She called over my favorite doctor from the office when the head crowned, and about three minutes after he arrived Jack was born at 11:53 a.m. I pushed for just a little over an hour and Brent didn't pass out. It was really a perfect birth experience and went SO MUCH BETTER than I had ever imagined. The whole thing could not have been a more positive experience, and seeing our little boy come into the world was just amazing. Amazing.

Jack isn't a family name, but I've always loved it. My Jack Robert comes from a long line of Roberts - my grandpa, dad, and brother all share it as a first name.

His first pictures:

"You're sending me home with these people?! They don't know what they're doing!"

Welcome home, Jack!

Meeting his sister. She is just beside herself.

A Long Overdue Introduction

2011-10-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Blog friends, there's someone I have been dying for you to meet:

Jack Robert Stevenson

Born on10/5/2011 at 11:53 a.m.
7 lb 13 oz
20.5 inches long
Perfect, and ours.

Ding!

2011-09-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

I think we can all hear the oven timer going off except for the baby. Or in reality, the baby may be choosing to ignore it. Brent and I could probably use a laid-back little pumpkin in our lives. :)

Another belly picture, eh? I'm not even going to jinx myself by suggesting this could be the last one.

I'll spare you all the canned update categories, because frankly I'm boring even myself with those. Here's what's happening:

1.) I'm still working. Tomorrow was going to be my last day but now I'm a little up in the air because of some new stuff that came up with year-end close. At any rate, I won't be back next week regardless of whether the baby's here or not. You can only hear "You're still here?!" so many times a day for so many days before you know it's time to throw in the towel. Today was pretty fun though. While I ride up and down the elevator over the course of a day, I'm usually asked at least three or four times when I'm due. Today, it was awesome to say "Today!" and really get some wide-eyed looks. One man guessed my due date to be Halloween - God bless him.

2.) I've gained 31 pounds now, so it's time to stop keeping track.

3.) There wasn't much change at my appointment today - the baby is still very low and there hasn't been any change in dilation past the 2.5cm and 80% effaced. I had my membranes stripped in hopes of stirring things up. Maybe my maternity workout capris are just too tight, but I have had different twinges and pains tonight, making me hopefully that something could be in the works. I'm not holding my breath though.

4.) I have a 41 week appointment scheduled for next Tuesday and will be thinking about a possible induction date. I'm not ready to give it up yet, but know that it's something to start thinking about. It seems like a lot of pressure to schedule your child's birthday! The very latest I'll be pregnant is 42 weeks - or October 11th. That's what we DO know with some certainty. Oh my....sounds like a long time from now. :)

Depressurizing the Cabin

2011-09-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend went way too fast for my liking. Brent and I both worked yesterday and then were pretty tired when we got home, so it was kind of a wasted day. We did have breakfast together at Le Peep before parting ways to our separate offices, and that was nice.

Today we woke up with an agenda. We talked about the things we had to do and the things we wanted to do and then sprung into action. After a quick stop at Starbucks for my 14th (give or take) Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season, we headed up the mountains to Bailey where we planned to get on the Colorado Trail for a hike. Our main objective was to find a bumpy dirt road around 9 - 10,000 feet and try a tactic that I have named "depressurizing the cabin", if you will. Brent works with a woman who swears that going up to high altitude sends women into labor every time. As of 8:20 p.m., it appears the only thing this accomplished was tearing up our front bumper when we got our car stuck in a ditch, and adding to the number of times I've had to pee in the woods. I'm up to two now, and that's two too many in my book. You've never had fun until you've squatted behind a pine tree at 40 weeks pregnant, I'll tell ya.

Bonnie sure had a good time though. She loved the Colorado Trail! We didn't hike very far because I am a weenie, but soon enough I will be like a real person again.

We've been really productive the rest of the day - hanging pictures, clearing out the boxes in the guest bedroom to prepare for a growing schedule of fall visitors, getting groceries, etc. Now we're settled in our basement watching the Colts game and eating Chicken Tortilla soup. Mmmmmmm. Go Colts!

Bring on another week!

"Yes, I'm Still Here!"

2011-09-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

I find myself saying this a lot lately. And, "Nope, no baby yet!"

The last belly picture? Maybe?

I really don't feel this big and am always surprised when I see the picture.

How far along: 39 weeks

Total weight gain: 28 pounds

Maternity clothes: Of course.

Feeling: It's Week 39 - so I'm not above a little whining now. I'm dragging, I'll admit it. I'm only able to coax myself into the car each morning with the promise of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. The girls at Starbucks know me well. It's year end at work and Brent and I have both been working a lot. Should the baby want to come before I have to work this weekend, I won't be overly disappointed.

Sleep: I'm up a couple of times a night, but as long as I can keep my hands from falling asleep, it's pretty good.

Food cravings or aversions: Nothing in particular, just everything in large quantities. Everything I see looks good!

Appointment Update:
I had my first check last week at the 38 week appointment. Brent came with me since he hadn't been since our ultrasound. We were surprised that I was 2.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced, and apparently so was the doctor. She said, "I'll be shocked if you're still pregnant past next Tuesday!" Well, it's next Tuesday. My expectations were set so well before, so don't mess with my mind! I go back again tomorrow and based on the isolated contractions I have each day and consistent cramping, I'm expecting more progress. Which, of course, means nothing. :)

Movement: Consistently feeling the baby each day, but it's slowing down.

Gender: Getting very close to knowing!

Labor Signs: Lots of them.

What I miss: My wedding ring. Having feeling in all my fingers.

What I'm nervous about: Nothing at the moment.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting the baby!

Milestones and new this week: The baby weighs over 7 pounds now and is almost ready to be born!

38 Weeks - Home Stretch!

2011-09-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

How far along: 38 weeks

Total weight gain: 26 pounds and getting dangerously close to not posting my weight gained on the internet anymore.

Maternity clothes: Yes. Definitely.

Feeling: Pretty good, in general. I'm trying to hang in there just in case the baby picks two weeks past its due date as a birthday - because if that is going to happen, it's way too early to start whining now.

Sleep: Not great, but way better than last week. I think I've found the winning combination of pillow prop-age to keep my hands from falling asleep and/or throbbing.

Food cravings or aversions: I've been pretty bad recently. Chick-fil-a, Blizzards, you name it. I figure my days are limited, so I've thrown caution to the wind. I need someone to reign me in.

Appointment Update:
The 36 and 37 week appointments were both good and much the same as the 32 and 34 weeks. Blood pressure is good (and actually lower at my appointment last week than it has ever been), baby's head is down, and I have gotten the standard "You make this look easy!" comment from the doctor the last three appointments. I really love the doctor I've been seeing the last several times and am hoping he's on call when I deliver. Not likely, but one can hope! I go again tomorrow and will get the first internal check. I'm hoping it's somewhere in the middle of 0 cm and "whoa, the baby's about to fall out".

Movement: Consistent every day, and today was perhaps the most active the baby's ever been.

Gender: Getting very close to knowing!

Labor Signs: I feel crampy all the time and feel like things are happening. I think the baby's dropped and my hip joints are so loose. Or is that in my head?

What I miss: My wedding ring. I had to ditch it soon after the last update for fear that it would need to be cut off.

What I'm nervous about: I'm nervous about what labor will actually be like and hoping I can handle it.

What I'm looking forward to: Not a whole lot this week other than the weekend. :)

Milestones and new this week: The baby weighs about 6.5 pounds and is fully baked. I want it to have some more time, but that's for the baby to decide, not me! I think it's so cool that the baby actually sends a message to your brain to make you release the hormone that starts labor. If you still don't believe in God after having a baby, I'm not sure what will ever make you believe!

Maternity Pictures

2011-09-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

We had maternity photos taken by April Archer a few weekends ago. She came to our house where we did most of the shoot before moving to one of the lakes in our subdivision. We can't wait for her to come back in October and take our little pumpkin's newborn pictures!

It's been awhile...

2011-09-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

...since I had any sort of an update on life stuff other than baby. The whole baby thing starts to really take over towards the end - I'm sure those of you who have one can appreciate that.

We've spent the last several weekends settling into our new house, unpacking boxes, working on the nursery, and trying to relax from a few hellacious work weeks. We had a basement flood a few weeks ago (why not?) that set us back some, but I really feel a lot more prepared for the baby after this weekend. Finally. We're just a car seat installation away from ensuring that this baby doesn't come until October.

Here are some pictures of our other recent happenings:

We bought a gigantic bear from Costco. I have no idea why, but think it's hilarious. This bear is now the bane of Bonnie's existence.

Lucy was visiting from Houston last week! She was in town for a few days for a professional conference and I met her on Sunday night for dinner. She looks adorable and I never get to see her, which is why I'm posting this. Otherwise, I do recognize that I look like an un-make-upped marshmallow sitting next to her. She brought Lima Bean a soccer ball and burp cloths. Thanks, Lucy!!

Puppa! Have you missed her? She loves our house and is up to her old hyjinks. We're not sure which version of Bonnie we like better - the one that hid in the pantry most of the day really was the easiest to manage, but we're glad she's not terrified of the air conditioner anymore.

Yesterday we headed up to the mountains. We really had no agenda and planned it as we went.

The first stop was a town called Nederlands. We ate at the Sundance Cafe based on the recommendation of Brent's friend. Great Cobb Salad!

Then we headed to the main area of town to check out any shops and see if there was anything going on.

There wasn't much happening if this is any indication. Based on my impression of the locals, this town is the place where hippie burnouts settled circa 1971. They are currently running their own ineffective campaign to legalize marijuana and oppose any new clean air emission acts that might require them to upgrade their vehicles from said era. In summary - it was pretty wild.

We moved on down the road to Blackhawk and Central City - two neighboring towns known for their casinos. That's really all these towns have going on - gambling and $5.99 All-You-Can-Eat prime rib.

Brent sat down at a Blackjack table at the Mardi Gras casino and doubled his money in about 7 minutes. I snagged a free Pepsi and then we left.

Brent ran the Boulder Marathon this morning, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures. The course was hillier than he thought it would be and his Achilles started hurting him again, so no PR for Brent this time. 26.2 is still something to be proud of in my book. We ate a Mountain Pie at Beaujo's Pizza after the race.

Have a good week, blog readers! I'm glad it's a short one!

34 Weeks

2011-08-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

I think a belly picture in the midst of our moving chaos appropriately documents this pregnancy.

How far along: 34 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: 21 pounds

Maternity clothes: Yes. Definitely.

Feeling: Pretty good! No complaints really. Sometimes I catch myself waddling and try to straighten up and walk like a normal person again. Bending over to pick something off the floor isn't so easy anymore.

Sleep: Getting a little more difficult. It takes awhile to get comfortable, I wake up at least once a night, and often find myself flipped over on my back when I wake up, which hurts sometimes. Then I struggle a bit like a turtle to flip back over.

Food cravings or aversions: Muffins are my new thing, and my love for potatoes is still going strong.

Appointment Update:
My 32 and 34 week appointments both went well. I saw a midwife at 32 weeks just to try one out at the practice, and waited for an hour and 15 minutes to see her. She did take more time with me, but I'm going back to the doctor group. At my next appointment I was in and out in 15 minutes. Yes, I'll take efficient over chatty any day. The midwife thinks the baby is vertex, and I do too based on much stronger movement up at my ribs than down low. I'll make sure they check again at 36 weeks, but right now we're on track for a regular old delivery. Blood pressure's good, the baby's measuring right on track, etc. - uneventful, which is good!! I've been given no weight estimates and there are no more ultrasounds planned, which is fine with me.

Movement: Consistent movement every day and it seems to be slowing down a bit. Makes sense to me, since there isn't as much room in there anymore!

Gender: Final prediction - boy. The cup of crystals I peed into this week confirmed this. (It was some gender prediction kit that Lana bought me as a joke.)

Labor Signs: occasional cramping and maybe a contraction or two (not that I would know what they feel like), but nothing that needs timed. Probably just Braxton Hicks.

What I miss: Being as active as I would like. Being at home with my friends and family. The distance seems really far to me now that I am confined here for the next however many months and can't/shouldn't travel very far.

What I'm nervous about: Having enough time to prepare everything for the baby before it arrives. The crib is still in pieces in our garage, and will need some time to dry and off-gas before we put it together. I know that the crib isn't necessary at first, but I would like to get the nursery painted/put together before I have the baby. We'll get there! I keep saying, "Just give me three more weeks and then let's get this whole labor and delivery thing out of the way!". We could have a baby in two weeks or six+ weeks, so maybe I'll end up with plenty of time for everything!

I'm also nervous about what we'll do with Bonnie if I have to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. We now live pretty far from our hospital and are only able to drop her off at our usual boarding place between 7 and 7, if they have room for her. I really don't feel like I know anyone well enough here to ask them to deal with my dog, and don't want Brent to leave me at the hospital while I'm in labor to run home to take Bonnie somewhere. I'm trying to work this all out and like so many other things, it just depends on when the baby comes.

What I'm looking forward to: Maternity pictures tomorrow and getting the nursery finished.

Milestones and new this week: The baby weighs about 5.5 pounds and is working on gaining weight and getting those lungs ready.

The Luckiest

2011-08-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

I very regretfully missed my friend Mel's wedding in Ft. Wayne this past weekend because after our last hectic travel experience a few weeks ago I was concerned that I might drop this baby on the airport floor at 34 weeks (and no one wants to see that). I heard that she and Andy danced to "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds. This is a personal favorite of mine and was nearly our first dance song until I gave in to Brent's suggestion since I get my way with most everything else. He's a good man.

There's no other way to describe how I feel after my wonderful weekend of baby showers in Indianapolis other than, "I am The Luckiest". I was truly overwhelmed with the number of people who attended my showers and how nice everything was for Lima Bean. So without further ado, here are pictures - lots and lots of them:

Friday night, July 29th - ex-BKD Girls' Club Shower

The sacred cupcakes - reserved especially for our showers.

Sweet little treat bags

These ladies really outdid themselves. They went together and bought us our high chair, pack and play, and lots of books! I had such a nice time catching up with them; what a great little shower!! A big thanks to Christi and Jay for having us stay with them that night as well, since our belongings were packed into a semi that afternoon:

Saturday, July 30th - Lunch at the Propylaeum

Mom threw a wonderful shower for Lima Bean at a tea room downtown, and everything was fantastic, down to the smallest detail.

We had the whole Carriage House to ourselves. It was a perfect venue for our crowd!

College friends making Play-Doh babies. Alli was the winner, but sadly I did not get a picture of her swaddled purple baby with the fresh flower on her hat. Other games were "Come Up with a Girl Name for Lindsey" and Baby Bottle lottery tickets. As luck would have it, the lottery ticket at my seat had the baby bottle.

Emma, Cake Baker Extraordinaire and the very delicious white shower cake.

Loved the polka dot ribbon

With MBA friends Jana and Betsy

With Rachel and her twins, who are almost half baked now!! Unbelievable.

DFAS friends - Alli, Lori, Christa, and Megan

Ashley and our matching belly button sweat marks. It was hot in there for two very pregnant ladies.

College friends - Becca, Ashley, Laura, Mel, Emma, Emily, and 4 future MC babies waiting to be born

With Ashley, new mommy to Jack - not pictured, but you can almost see his carseat. Such a good baby!

The woman who made it all happen (the shower, not the baby)- my favorite Mommy, Big Lou

MaMa and Grandma Pillers

With my gorgeous cousins Baleigh and Megan

With my gorgeous aunts, too!

All our loot in Mom and Dad's living room. We are seriously so lucky.

The men-folk, celebrating the baby in their own way on Sunday - with a Rib Fest in the garage.

Thank you so much to everyone who showered our baby with so much love and so many gifts! It was beyond wonderful to see everyone and I hated to leave.

Technical Difficulties

2011-08-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Something's wrong with our computer, where all of my pictures are stored, and I can't blog about the wonderful baby showers thrown recently in Indianapolis. I know that I'm getting behind, but it's not me...it's Comcast. Right now the only piece of technology I can get to work is my iPad, as long as it's not trying to use Adobe Flash.

Just wanted to let you know I'm still here, still alive (barely), and that the baby's still baking. I hope to have connectivity again to do a 34 Week post in a few days!

Hawaii Five-0

2011-07-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

We're leaving tomorrow for what will be a really, really fun weekend in Indiana with lots of bloggable events and pictures, so it's time to throw my last catch-up post out there to the interwebz.

About two days after we got back from our last whirlwind trip home in late May, we left again for our vacation in Hawaii. We booked our timeshare week on Kauai many moons ago, back before we knew we were 1.) both changing jobs, 2.) moving to Denver, 3.) having a baby, and 4.) potentially selling a house and potentially closing on the Tuesday we were in Hawaii. So needless to say, even though our trip didn't come at the most convenient time, we're glad we got to go back to our honeymoon spot for a week. It was just the relaxation time we needed in the middle of this crazy season in our lives.

We ate at some great places:

Scotty's BBQ in Kapa'a - our very own Scotty's Brewhouse in Indiana sent them a shirt, apparently

One yummy dinner of many. Other great places we dined were The Tavern (twice), Duke's Canoe Club, and CJ's Steakhouse.

We ran a race:

He and his running buddy, which he blew by in the end. It was pretty funny...my race was over already so I got to witness the fight to the finish in all it's glory. That's my husband, folks. She is supposedly some really good runner who lives on the island, so he knew that for the sake of competition he couldn't let up and let her cross through the finisher's gate first. He beat her. I'm glad, because frankly I find her thin frame and super tiny little sports bra a bit intimidating.

This was an 8-mile race and a 5k held at Haenlai Bay on the Saturday we were there, with an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. Since Brent wanted to do the 8-mile run, and I really like pancakes, I decided to register for the 5k. As we were sitting there eating our pancakes and chatting, Brent stops all of a sudden and says, "They called your name!". HUH? I mosey up to the awards table, where they hand me a second place age division medal. I've never come remotely close to placing in my age division, but here at 24 weeks pregnant they're handing me a medal. My question to the five women I beat that day is this - what were you doing back there? Seriously, what were you doing? I was just running for pancakes and finished the 5k in 40 minutes and something. Note for the future - enter little bitty races. They're easy-pickin's for award medals, apparently.

We visited the Waimea Canyon:

I had bronchitis and stayed in the car the last time we were here, so it was nice to take in the view in 2011.

We putzed around the island visiting random things, like waterfalls, lighthouses, etc:

Love those Kauai roosters!

And we hiked the Nepali Coast:

Our plan was to make it to Hanakapi'ai, where the trail goes down to a beach.

We were almost to the beach, but ran into some wet, slick rocks while descending. Brent fell down one of them and bruised up his leg, I almost bit it a few times, and that's when I stopped and said "Lindsey, you're an idiot". Activity #345 I guess you shouldn't do while pregnant - hike down precariously slick rocks. We turned around at that point. On the way back I met a woman who looked about six months pregnant as well. I told her, "Be careful! Really, the rocks are slick, be careful!" She thought I was crazy.

We love going to Kauai and will probably go back in another five years or so. It's such a relaxing vacation. It's worth the flight over and back...even with a strange headwind that increases your already long flight time by more than an hour...really.

75%

2011-07-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked 30 weeks of pregnancy, which is also known as 7.5 months pregnant, and is also 75% of the way there. My brain works in percentages, and 75 sounds pretty darn good to me. It's a passing CPA exam score, it's almost mile 10 in a half marathon, and if you're waiting on an apple pie that takes an hour to bake - it means you only have 15 more minutes to wait.

How far along: 30 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain: 17 pounds

Maternity clothes: Primarily, but still hanging on to a few regular tops..and the dress I squeezed myself into today, as a side effect of moving this weekend and not having my clothes put away yet. Our goal everyday this week has been to just make it to work with clothes on until we can put ourselves back together this weekend. That poor dress.

Feeling: Good! I solved most of my terrible back pain problem yesterday. It's time to stop wearing heels and find a new desk chair.

Sleep: I added another pillow to my nest and my sleep has been pretty good. I have a harder time falling asleep now because I can't turn off my mind - to-do lists, visions of crowning heads (time to stop watching the natural birth videos on YouTube, I think!), etc. are filling my head - not sugarplums.

Food cravings or aversions: I very specifically requested the Minute Maid frozen lemonade from the can this weekend. And chips.

Best moment of the week: There were quite a few over the last two weeks:

1.) Had my 30 week appointment yesterday with another new doctor in the practice. Finally, on the 5th try, I found one in the practice I really liked. I've had a hard time adjusting to the concept of just being a patient of the practice and not having a doctor to call my own. Let's hope he's on call when Lima Bean makes a grand entrance.

2.) I got my glucose test results back and I am fine. Apparently eating three slices of apple pie the day before was not enough to throw off the test. I am relieved!

3.) Moving into a house. We all feel more at home here than we ever did in that apartment. Puppa is much happier and isn't diving behind the toilet anymore.

Movement: Consistent movement every day. There was either a head or a bottom trying to desperately escape through my upper torso on Monday at work.
Gender: Can't wait to be surprised in ten weeks or less!

Labor Signs: n/a

What I miss: Being as active as I would like. I feel like such a slug some days, especially before I figured out the back pain thing and would have to lie down after work instead of walking the dog or packing/unpacking.

What I'm nervous about: We're starting to question if we know how to care for an infant. Of course we don't! We need to get a book or something.
What I'm looking forward to: Coming home for a visit in about a week!

Milestones and new this week: The bebe is 3+ pounds now and fattening up.

Happy Anniversary

2011-07-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

July 7th - my favorite day of the year.

28 Weeks

2011-07-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

How far along: 28 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain: 17 pounds

Maternity clothes: Primarily, but still hanging on to a few regular tops. The people who see me everyday probably wish I would stop.

Feeling: Pretty good. I can't complain. Well, I could, but it really wouldn't be very fruitful. I'll leave the whining until weeks 37, 38, 39, and 40.

Sleep: Excellent!

Food cravings or aversions: No aversions, that's for sure. That's also apparent by my weight gain between weeks 24 and 28. My current love is that apple pie I posted about this weekend. Oh my.

Best moment of the week: Getting my adorable baby shower invite in the mail and having another good doctor's appointment yesterday. The baby's heart rate is still steady (at a high 147), my blood pressure is normal, and I got "ooohh, ankles are looking good!" twice in a row. It's the little things.
Movement: Consistent movement every day. I've been able to notice my stomach moving with it now.

Gender:
*I say boy

*My dad says boy

*Brent doesn't know so I'm swinging his vote to boy
*My masseuse last week told me that she just has an innate sense about these things and she says girl. Yeah, I guess she can just clear her mind and put her hands on someone and guess it right. If that doesn't tip me over the edge to girl, I don't know what would!

*All Chinese gender charts = girl

*The Mayans determined the sex of the baby by taking the mother’s age at conception, and the year of conception. If both are even or both are odd… it’s a girl. (27 and 2011)

*Heart rate has ranged from 160 to 147 in the later appointments, making it high...girl

*I feel like I'm carrying high, mainly because it's felt like the baby has been on my lungs for awhile now. Girl

Labor Signs: n/a

What I miss: Lifting heavy things, running, not having people at the grocery store question if the bags they're giving me are too heavy. Seriously people, the bags aren't too heavy. I'm just pregnant. And I don't need a special parking spot, either. Brother!

What I'm nervous about: I find my thoughts drifting frequently to what I think labor will be like. Heaven help me if I start watching One Born Every Minute again. I'm choosing to live in blissful ignorance for awhile longer, that maybe a band of angels will come and gingerly extract the baby without any further ravaging of my body. While playing harps. And feeding me grapes.
What I'm looking forward to: Moving to a house in 9 more days. No more living next to UpChuck.

Milestones and new this week: I start going to the doctor every two weeks now. The baby is just baking away, weighing in around 2.5 pounds and still working on those lungs.

"Purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain..."

2011-07-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

We had nothing special planned this 4th of July weekend other than several possible ideas and a potential invite to watch fireworks from a co-worker of Brent's. It was nice to not have plans but a little bit of a bummer to not have our usual slate of July 4th activities.

A weekend with nothing to do sounds like a great opportunity to get a pedicure and enjoy a coffee to me! And that's just what I did on Saturday morning. Brent came with me and shopped for some new running gear while I got the pedicure, then we took a spin through Best Buy to look at DSLR cameras. Blog friends who have a DSLR - what brand/model do you own and do you have any advice for me before we buy one? I know that it takes some work to take really good pictures and it isn't just about the camera, so I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to commit enough time and effort into learning how to use my camera to make it worth the purchase.

On Saturday afternoon we took Bonnie up to the top of Lookout Mountain for a little bit of hiking and just to have something to do. We had planned to go to Buffalo Bill's grave but decided it was a better idea to try that another day when she wasn't with us.

We weren't totally sure where we would go on Sunday, but thought it would be a good chance to see another part of the state and do something Colorado-y. We booked Bonnie for daycare at Hobnob so we could be gone the whole day and not worry about letting her out and then left for Colorado Springs right after early church.

Did you know that Katharine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" while she was visiting Colorado Springs in 1893? For real, look it up. Brent made me aware of this fact during the sermon at church and how fitting our trip was. I'm a lucky woman, folks. Not only can he tell you what happened in any sporting event from 1983 through now, he also apparently has a good grasp of American folklore.

Everyone else apparently had the idea of visiting the natural beauty that inspired the song, because it was so hoppin that we couldn't get a parking spot close to the pedestrian walkway that winds through Garden of the Gods. We didn't even attempt Pike's Peak - all the cogs were full and the road traffic would have made it a very long drive up the mountain. We ate lunch at The Mason Jar (where they actually had sweet tea!) and then drove by the Olympic training facilities on our way to the next attraction - The Broadmoor resort.

Besides being a very nice resort, spa, and golf course with lots of shops and a really pretty lake in the middle of the campus, the Broadmoor also happens to be the host of this year's US Women's Open. We saw a few golfers checking in (none we recognized) and parked in the garage among the massive fleet of Lexus vehicles there to shuttle the golfers. Practice rounds started today and we're considering driving back down next weekend to catch one day of the tournament. We'll see!

We visited the Air Force Academy on the way out of town...

I made my Star Spangled Apple Pie when we got home but ran out of time to bake the pie before fireworks started. We didn't really feel like driving to any of the firework sites and fighting through crowds of people after a long day in Colorado Springs so instead we walked right out of our apartment door and up Table Mountain with chairs and our little dog, back from a very busy day at Hobnob. We thought we'd have a pretty good view of several local firework shows which turned out to be the case. At one time, there were five sets of fireworks happening simultaneously, and it was almost a little distracting. It worked out perfectly though, because only about ten other people had the same idea we did and we got to try the Fireworks Sampler Platter for next year. The verdict was that Commerce City had the best show, followed by Lakewood, and we shouldn't waste our time going to see them at Invesco.

I found something to add to my list of "Things You Should Not Try When You're 7 Months Pregnant" - #35: Walk down the side of a mountain at night without something stronger than a cell phone light. It was tricky...and that was with Brent carrying both the chairs and all I had to manuever was the dog.

Today we enjoyed not one, but several pieces, of my inaugural attempt at pie-baking:

My affection for this pie is borderline unhealthy. I also just realized that I'm taking my glucose test tomorrow...greeeaaaat.

I wasn't as productive as I should have been (maybe because I just wanted to lie around and eat pie all day), but we did hang out at the pool a bit and managed to get enough done to muddle through another work week. Well, providing I get the load of whites in the washing machine tomorrow since Brent only has enough shirts to last through Wednesday. We like to cut it close and live on the edge, what can I say?

Happy 4th of July! Hope you all had a great weekend - we missed you!

Modern Day Baby Jessica

2011-06-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Send a rescue crew to Golden, Colorado - my West Highland Terrier is stuck underneath the recliner.

She was having a freak out about a loud noise, and somehow burrowed herself underneath the recliner. Her head is caught over a metal bar and her leg appears to be pinned as well, so we can't lift it up to free her. Hmmm. She's not struggling yet, so we're going to give her a few chances to free herself before calling the fire department. Okay, we're not really calling the fire department...but I may need suggestions depending on how long this goes on.

What a nut.

Back Home Again in Indiana

2011-06-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Brent and I made two trips home in May - one for the mini and Mother's Day, and another to pack up our house. It was great to be home!

Mini/Mother's Day Weekend

We signed up for the mini last year, long before we knew what this year would hold for us. After I started my new job in April, my hope to come home this weekend was squashed about 20 minutes into my first day of work because I was told I would instead be going to Boston on Mother's Day. I was really bummed, because 20 weeks of pregnancy and moving across the country be damned, I was going to do that race. Not very quickly, but I really couldn't stand to miss it. Then the whole thing worked itself out and we couldn't go to Boston after all, and bada-bing bada-boom, there we were in Indy. Brent took the day off and flew in that afternoon, landing just a couple hours after me (and giving me plenty of time to enjoy some Patachou cinnamon toast and pick up the rental car). Perfect timing. Brent and I carbed up with the Sinders that night at Bravo and prepared for our fifth and sixth runnings of the Festival 500 Mini Marathon, respectively.

Mom was walking it this year and I think the only reason she came down to put herself through the torture was to keep me from being an idiot and hurting myself or the baby by doing more than I should. After I got pregnant I started running only 3, and very rarely 4, miles at a time, so obviously I was in no shape to run it. Neither Mom or I were overly crazy about getting up that early and being out there for almost 4 hours in the back of the pack, so we called in for reinforcements - Christi, the super-motivator.

Our finish time, including two bathroom stops for the preggo, was 3:46, which we didn't think was all that bad. It went really fast and we had a good time, but I will always stick to my opinion that walking all 13.1 is more brutal than running it. Think how many more steps you have to take the slower you go, and how much longer you're out there? It's been nice to have a break from running and not training for anything right now, but I cant wait to get back out there in October and work on dumping my baby (er, and pre-baby) gut and whittling away at my PR. I even told Christi during the race that I may be ready for another marathon in 2012. Running.is.sickness.

Notice the corral on that bib? E. Thats right - the only year my previous time was good enough for preferred seeding. To put it in perspective, Brent the super runner always starts in B. Would I have been out of my league in E? Perhaps. We tucked our tails and went back to the W corral where we belonged, but I hope some day to reach the top middle of the pack again. All I know is it's going to take a lot of time pushing our new BOB stroller to get back into the E corral, but I'll give it my best shot. It's rumored that women are better runners after having a baby because their pain tolerance is higher. That theory makes sense to me!

After lunch at Bazbeaux's with Christi, Jay, and Peanut, we headed home to Kendallville where Dad and Grandma were just getting in from Florida that evening. We were pretty tired but we stayed up late visiting anyway- and I think Maddie was especially pleased to have our company without a little white dog accompanying us.

We continued on with our Mother's Day tradition of eating lunch at Joseph Decuis in Roanoake the next day. Another great meal and fun times with my family!

Memorial Day Weekend

Our second trip home in May was a tiring whirlwind of hard work and 34 hours of sitting in the car. We thought we were closing on our house in early June, so we had planned to fly home over Memorial Day to pack up the house and get ready for the movers to come. After a delayed inspection and other general ridiculousness, flights got too expensive and we were going to have to drive it. If there's one weekend when you shouldn't plan to fly into Indianapolis, it would be Race weekend. Duh. We realized around noon on Thursday that we would NOT be selling our house and that we would NOT need to leave in three hours as planned to drive to Indiana, but we packed up the car and terrier anyway.

Mom and Dad came on Saturday and helped us tear through the house putting things in boxes, and shared the burden of making 15 trips to Lowes and U-Haul for more packing supplies. Dad may have ended up making most of those trips. We took a break on Saturday night for a birthday grill-out. The Steinbergs stopped by to visit and the Sinders came over for dinner, so even though it was a really grueling weekend I got to see some of my favorite people on my birthday. The May Queen was satisfied.

A big thank you to Mom and Dad - we never would have gotten it all done without them!

Brent and I had to finish off nearly half of a DQ ice cream cake by ourselves on Sunday night before we left for to go back to Denver...shucks.

Bonnie loved being home and hung out in her yard the entire weekend, actin' a fool. I feel bad that she doesn't have a place to run here and is always on a leash.

Avian Stare Down

And then there was the drive home on my birthday. There's nothing like sitting in a car for 17 hours while a dog keeps trying to jump in your lap and the winds in Kansas are about to blow you off the road. It may be awhile before I'll do that again without being sedated first.

I did at least have a jug of sweet tea as some sort of consolation.

We also made time to check off the last Presidential Library on I-70 while we had the opportunity on the way home - Harry Truman's. It was much cooler this time so we were able to stay a little longer without fear of coming back to a Hot Dog in the car. Very cool library!

24 Weeks

2011-06-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

Baby bump - Hawaiian edition

How far along: 24 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: Ten pounds

Maternity clothes: Pants, and some tops.

Feeling: Pretty good. I'm a little sore and worn out from the hiking, running, and travel days associated with our Hawaii trip, but am feeling much better today than I was yesterday. I wouldn't want to do 7 hours on a plane if I was much more pregnant than I am right now, that's for sure!

Sleep: Good!
Food cravings or aversions: Potato soup. I am making it tonight because I haven't been able to get it off my mind all day.

Best moment of the week: Brent getting to feel the baby from the outside this week.

Movement: I finally felt the baby for sure at 23 weeks. I am so happy about that, even though it's faint. It may be better that way, actually. It's just little flutters but still fun.
Gender: ??

Labor Signs: n/a

What I miss: Nothing comes to mind...

What I'm nervous about: Nothing right now...

What I'm looking forward to: Finding a place to live soon.

Milestones and new this week: At 24 weeks, the baby is a foot long, weighs about a pound, and is developing branches in its lungs.

Random Colorado Fun

2011-06-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

The last couple of months have been pretty wild. I've been working on settling into my new job and Brent has been preparing for a new system conversion at his job. We've been trying to figure out our living situation - with both old and new houses - which has been sucking lots of time with few results so far. When we're not doing these things, we've been trying to schedule something Colorado-y into every weekend we're out here, since that's the whole reason we moved in the first place.

Here, in no particular chronological order (after just dogging the Eisenhower library for this, am I a hypocrite or what?), is what we've been up to the last two months when we're actually here:

Lookout Mountain Hike

Lookout Mountain is about 10 minutes from our apartment, and hikable even on a Friday after work. We didn't go all the way to the top on this trip, but will probably do it again soon.

Mountain climber dog! We couldn't believe she made it up those rocks.

It may look like I'm teetering on the edge of a cliff, but I assure you that neither my furry child nor my real child were endangered in the making of this photograph.

Rockies Game

The Cubs visited the Rockies early in the season, and we took in the Friday night game that weekend. The weather was great for mid-April!

Everyone was #42 that night in honor of Jackie Robinson

Horsetooth Half Marathon in Ft. Collins

The same weekend as the Rockies game, Brent ran a half marathon in Ft. Collins that started with almost 2 miles of straight uphill running. Fun! He said it was his best race to date and came in with a time of 1:38. Bonnie and I dropped him off at the start line and then found a local church for Palm Sunday service. Well, I went to church, and Bonnie sat in the car and barked. The finish line and post-race party was at the New Belgium Brewery, home of Fat Tire. Bonnie and I waited for him at the finish line, which was interesting with her lunging at other spectators, kids, other dogs, the racers themselves after she scooted herself underneath the metal divider and onto the course. She's an equal opportunity lunger.

Brent's finest point of every race he runs - his sprint to the finish.

Sometimes it's nice to just be one of the lazy spectators holding a coffee.

Red Rocks

We went to Red Rocks Amphitheater one Saturday to check it out. We didn't realize so many people worked out there! There's a pretty neat visitors' center at the top with a Hall of Fame of all the musicians who've played there since it was completed in 1941. We really hope to see a concert here this summer - anyone wanting to join us should come on out! Any takers?? I swear we'll have more than one bedroom by August...hopefully.

First Visitors!

Lana and Justin were out for the weekend in mid May and we spent all day Saturday with them. We took them on the Coors Brewery tour, ate at Woody's in downtown Golden, and met them near the Tech Center for a great dinner at The White Chocolate Grill.

An engagement picture for the couple that their parents can be proud to put in their hometown newspapers.

Hiking, hiking, and more hiking

Mt. Galbraith, Table Top Mountain, and Green Mountain have all been partially explored. Surprisingly, our little terrier loves a good, step climb and pulls us most of the way. Going down is her favorite part.

U2 Concert

Brent took me to see U2 at Invesco Field, where the Broncos play, the weekend before my birthday. I have always wanted to see U2 in concert, and was even sure that it was on my Life List - but apparently it never made it on there. What the heck? Consider it added.

~~#101 - See U2 in concert.~~ May 2011

Oh my. Such a good concert! The Fray opened for them, which was the cherry on the sundae. I've been to a concert to see The Fray as the headliner before, so what a nice surprise!

It was U2's 360 tour, which involved setting up a very complex spaceship-looking apparatus on the field. The concert was on 5/21, which was the day of the supposed rapture, and towards the end I started to wonder if aliens really weren't coming to get us. It was kind of bizarre in parts, really, but overall the show and special effects were super impressive. And the music - well, of course the music was awesome. They played all their hits and more. And also lit some candles for a woman freed in Burma because of Bono's work with Amnesty International...something like that. I didn't really catch the whole story. Bono is occasionally a little out there for me, but I think we need to give the man some props for using 40+ years in the spotlight to promote positive change and work for international causes in which he believes. Plus, he's still an awesome singer. Wow.

As I get all these things documented, I realize why I'm so stinking tired! That, and the second life I'm supporting with my body right now. No big deal. And this really isn't the half of it...more to come this weekend when I cross "Finish blog entries" off my to-do list.

The Move

2011-06-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

This is #2 in a series of catch-up posts...I was perhaps a little misleading in the intro of my last blog. I know you've already figured it out, but no, I am not saying farewell to blogging. I don't feel that bad about being behind. I talked about all the farewell parties in that post, but now I'll talk about the actual move.

Brent flew home on a Wednesday night in early April and worked at the house all day on Thursday getting stuff ready to go. My last day of work was that Thursday, and on Friday we woke up early, finished (or started, who's really keeping track?) packing my things in boxes and cleaning the house to get it show-ready and ready to leave for several months. It was a fun day, let me tell ya.

Dad came by that morning and was a huge help. By 3:00 we had everything in the car and rental SUV and ready to start leg #1 of the drive to Colorado. Just after Dad left and we were literally pulling out of the driveway, a neighbor flagged us down needing a car jump. Brent and I are the absolute last people you want around when it comes to needing something done mechanically to your car. We got everything set up, but realized that her battery had some pretty bad corrosion, so we aborted the mission in the name of personal safety for all involved. You aren't supposed to try and jump a battery with visible corrosion, right? Sorry to neighbor Alesia that we weren't more help. :/

We made it to Independence, MO that night and stayed in the only hotel in town with vacancy (and cool with pets) due to a Tim McGraw/Martina McBride concert - Extended Stay America. It was pretty close to the interstate and Bonnie had a freak out about the sound of the semis. There were no lights in the parking lot and we were a little paranoid about our cars packed full of stuff being broken into. All in all, it was a pretty restful night!

We made it the rest of the way on Saturday and made time to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, KS. You know what that means...another Life List update!

#84 - Visit all the Presidential Libraries

George Bush Presidential Library & Museum - College Station, TX
Jimmy Carter Library & Museum - Atlanta, GA
~~William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum - Little Rock, AR~~ March 2010
~~Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum - Abilene, KS~~ April 2011
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library - Ann Arbor, MI
Gerald R. Ford Museum - Grand Rapids, MI
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum - West Branch, IA
~~Lyndon B. Johnson Library & Museum - Austin, TX~~ August 2008
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum - Boston, MA
Nixon Presidential Library & Museum - College Park, MD
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum - Simi Valley, CA
Harry S. Truman Library & Museum - Independence, MO

It was strangely 90 degrees that day and since we had Bonnie with us we breezed on through the library pretty quickly while she stayed in the (well-ventilated, shaded) car. I will say that of the three we've visited, it was my least favorite. It wasn't laid out very well and the chronological order of events was scattered, which kinda bothered us. Imagine that. It was pretty heavy on WWII memorabilia, which I always appreciate.

Somewhere in Kansas...

Other than the library stop and a few meals at Cracker Barrel, our drive was pretty uneventful. We made it into Denver on the night of Day #2. I started my new job on Monday, so we spent Sunday unpacking and getting ready for the work week. So...that's the move...two and a half months later. :)

So Long, Farewell...

2011-05-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot to catch up on, folks. I just skipped right over all the awesome farewell parties that were thrown for me in Indy, the cross-country drive that Bonnie, Brent and I took to move, and some fun things we've done in Colorado. Silly as it may sound, these blogs feel like they're hanging over my head a little bit. So I am going to do my best to publish them soon so I can finally move on with my life. Like I've said before, I have a flair for the dramatic...not drama.

In my search for a catchy title, I googled "farewell songs". Here's a Top 10 List for Goodbye Songs for friends. Some of these bring you back, eh? Like The Graduation Song? How that was 10+ years ago just blows my mind. Or the Boyz II Men jam - I think that was on the first CD I ever played in my awesome disc man...circa 1994. I'm old, yo.

1. The Graduation Song (Friends Forever) by Vitamin C
2. It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday by Boys II Men
3. Photograph by Nickelback
4. Don’t Forget To Remember Me by Carrie Underwood
5. Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
6. I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan
7. Home by Michael Buble
8. 100 Years by Five For Fighting
9. Leaving On a Jet Plane by John Denver
10. See You On the Other Side by Ozzy Osbourne

Regardless, I used nothing from these songs in the title. You can see that.

In my last few weeks in Indianapolis, I had three wonderful farewell parties thrown by co-workers and friends. I only have pictures from one, but I'll talk about the rest.

I had been with my current team at DFAS since July, and I have to say that I loved working with them all. My boss, lead, and team were all truly wonderful.  It was a team of all men and one wonderful lady, Joyce, when I joined. My lead, JW, was always especially supportive of me and for my farewell he convinced all the systems teams I supported to send a gift to my party. It was so, so sweet. We went to lunch at Scotty's Lakehouse upon my request for a burger and Ball jar full of sweet tea. Heaven.

Later that night, my girlfriends from the Ex-BKD Girls' Club threw another little party at Christi's.  We had lots of different appetizers and Christi made two Bosco sticks for me. Does anyone else remember these little gems from high school? They're breadsticks filled with cheese. So simple but so delightful.

On the Wednesday of my last week at DFAS, several dear co-workers and friends put together a Farewell Party/Baby Shower and invited co-workers from every department where I've worked. It was so great to see everyone one last time before I come back in November to shamelessly parade my sweet baby through the office. Here are all the pictures I got from Becky...instead of getting a group picture we seemed to just take individual shots, so you're going to see a lot of my green dress...

The lovely Megan. She and Christa were the first LIMs ever assigned to me when I was a brand new supervisor. They always humored me. :)

My coffee friend Cassie - who you know I love because I posted this blurry face picture anyway just so I could talk about her. Cassie INSISTED that we do this party even when I was hedging about having a fuss, and I'm so glad she did.

Rickie - the Call Center analyst who kept me sane. If I had a dollar for everytime we looked at each other in disbelief and started laughing, I wouldn't be working right now. He is one great character!

Yay Christa! Christa humored me so much that I was able to convince her to work for me again in the Call Center, and then she ended up staying on as an accountant permanently! I had so much fun with this gal over the last several years.

Dave and Kathy - my A/R parents. Kathy was my lead in the Call Center and Dave worked across the hall in another division. Kathy saved me numerous times and I don't know what I would have done without her.

The Keim ladies - Joan was the first person I ever worked for at DFAS, and her daughter Kristie was my other Analyst in the Call Center at the time I moved on. Fun ladies!!

Ms. Leah - this trooper was with me (and DFAS) all of about four days when I told her that I was moving out of Travel and that she would get a new supervisor. She must not be too ticked at me still. ;)

I didn't get individual pictures of Alli and Katie, but here they are! I'm sorry to overlook you wonderful ladies!

The old Travel crew reunited, and most likely making fun of Sean.

"What's that, Min? You are looking for a house in the Geist area? Well it's funny you should mention that...I know of a house you can buy...."

Yeah, that's really what we were talking about. Oh how I wished he had taken the bait. I even promised a year of free lawn care.

And last but not least, another party organizer and provider of the pictures - the awesome Becky. I wish I could meet her for a coffee again tomorrow!

Cassie's parents make cakes, and she told them she just needed a basic sheet cake for the party. Here is what she got. I think that it says, "Goodbye, good luck in Denver, and congrats on your ~~Peep~~ baby" perfectly. SO cool...I could not stop cracking up about their basic sheet cake. Thank you again, Cassie!

Thanks to everyone, if you're reading this, for making my last days in Indianapolis so sweet. I truly have some wonderful friends and it makes me smile to think of you all. I miss you!

20 Weeks!

2011-05-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

This is a big week, folks! It was our ultrasound week! Our appointment was yesterday afternoon and all went well. We have a perfect, healthy baby in there. It is unbelievable to think there's another full set of internal organs, a spine, a brain, etc in my body right now! Weird.

Here are some ultrasound pics. I think they're great, but I'm biased.

The arm bone's connected to the shoulder bone

Looking at us

How far along: 20 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain: Six pounds. I'm not sure if it was all the big eating I did at training last week or if the baby had a growth spurt, but I think I've caught up.

Maternity clothes: Some pants and a few tops. After wearing maternity pants for the first time I seriously wondered what took me so long.

Feeling: Okay. I had some round ligament pain spring up on Monday that seems to be a lingering annoyance, but hopefully some of the stretches we did at yoga on Wednesday will help. Think that walking 13.1 miles last weekend has anything to do with that? Duh.

Sleep: Also just okay. I've been waking up on my back a lot, which makes my back hurt. I never sleep on my back so I don't know why I keep flipping now when I'm not supposed to!
Food cravings or aversions: Salt and vinegar chips.

Best moment of the week: The ultrasound, of course.

Movement: Really nothing since I felt the baby flutter for a few days in week 16. I asked about it at my appointment and apparently the placenta is in the front and I won't feel anything for awhile longer. Interesting, I've never heard that.
Gender: Our ultrasound today revealed that....it's a.....

baby! We're still team green. Sorry for your disappointment. We do stuff like that just to annoy you.
Labor Signs: n/a

What I miss: I'm a little sorry that I didn't get to partake in ski season. And I am really just throwing that out there because I can't think of anything else. (besides beer)

What I'm nervous about: Nothing now that our ultrasound was fine.
What I'm looking forward to: Nothing really at the moment.
Milestones and new this week: Baby is the size of a cantaloupe and is swallowing.

Thoughts of a Patriot

2011-05-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

I wrote this while I was in DC for training last week and finally inserted the pictures. Beware, it's a little scattered.

Today I feel like the luckiest little American east of the Mississippi. Here I am in the nation's capital after just eating at what I dare say is the best Italian restaurant in the country, Filomena's in Georgetown. I was able to sightsee for an hour or so after work. I'm almost halfway done with a pregnancy I was doubting I'd ever have. My husband and I both have jobs. I've never had head lice or bed bugs (and based on the check I did of my current hotel mattress, I think I'll probably keep that streak alive for at least another week). It looks like we're just a few thousand dollars worth of haggling away from selling our house...fingers crossed.

And to top if all off, I saw a double rainbow perfectly framed over the Washington Monument today. Just so you don't think I'm making it all up:

What a week to be in our nation's capital! We had just arrived at our hotel in the heart of DC late Sunday night when Brent texted that I should turn on the news. Like many of you, I reLly couldn't believe it. The War on Terror has gone on for so long and has so many complicated issues and enemies that I had honestly forgotten that we were still looking for bin Laden after ten years.

While bin Laden's death provides us with what seems to be some closure to 9/11 (will that ever really have closure?), it's not time to collaborate with Toby Keith on our next guns-ablazin' song just yet. The War on Terror is an ideological battle that will never be won. Thousands of troops fight daily in a land where friends and enemies are often indistinguishable. Plots to kill and destroy what we hold dear are being planned as you read this. The distinction between the pre-9/11 and post-9/11 world will always be a line drawn in the sand, until the last generation of those alive on the clear, beautiful morning of September 11, 2001 is gone. As a high school student during the Columbine massacre, there will always be a pre-Columbine and post-Columbine world for me, too. Our challenge is to not let ourselves be boxed in by these tragedies and to live and love just as we would have before our innocence crumbled into the Twin Towers. We cant live in fear and we cant let cautiousness stop us from loving our neighbor. Easier said than done.

Today I was able to visit the World War II and Vietnam War memorials after work. Erected in 2004, the WWII memorial is new enough that I've never been and it was something that I was dying to see. Have you been to the Vietnam Wall? I don't remember much about our family trip to DC when I was 11 or 12 other than being HOT at Gettysburg, but I do remember my dad walking along that wall and finding his buddies. I remember the somberness that everyone had at that wall. That's when I knew - the veteran is someone we honor, and we hold their sacrifice as a sacred gift. Doesn't the sheer volume of names on sheet after number sheet of black granite just overwhelm you? I walked slowly looking at name after name after name for a bit, but then, since it was fixin' to storm and I had to pee (please read in your best Forrest Gump voice in honor of his visit to the White House, again, and the 15 Dr. Peppers he drank that day), I hurried my weenie Generation Y behind out of there before my BlackBerry got wet.

I took this photo at the WWII memorial, and I think it best describes how I want my America to be. I want my Granny Ruth's America, where she and farmwives all over the country dug dep and figured out how to make it during the darkest years of the Great Depression, selling a chicken a day for income to supplement what they couldn't grow and make themselves. I want Grandpa Pillers' America, where a smart, ambitious kid from Sparta, Illinois can make a name for himself, climbing the corporate ladder with only a high school education, a lot of drive, and common sense.

Maybe it's the Employee Relations class I've been taking all week where I've been learning about all the defenses an employee will use against you in court for making them just do their jobs, but I don't like the America I see today.

I have a dream, blog readers. I have a dream that all Americans will take personal responsiblity for their actions and realize that sometimes, it might JUST be their own fault.

I dream of an America where we aren't always concerned with "getting mine" and we let others with only one item go ahead of our huge cart of groceries at the store when the express lane is closed.

I dream of an America where we learn how to live within our means and can balance our own checkbooks, as well as the nation's.

I dream of an America where we extend basic common courtesies to our neighbors. Please, thank you, and bless you will never go out of style.

I dream of an America where we aren't afraid of handwork, sacrifice, and taking one for the team.

Despite our shortcomings, I know with all that's in me that Americans are tough. And as you know, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I am 100% confident that we will dig deep and pull ourselves together, when and if that's needed. We just haven't had to do it in so long. The tricky part will just be getting us off Facebook and out of the mall long enough to realize something's going on that needs our attention.

See, I told you this would be scattered.

Editor's Note: Mom asked if I took this post down because I had second thoughts about. Hell to the no. Someone needs to say it. It was Blogger acting funny, not me. Brent asked if I am running for office. The answer to that is also no - I would never win.

18 Weeks

2011-04-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

How far along: 18 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain: Half a pound. I'm strangely satisfied.

Maternity clothes: None, but some tops are getting too short and it takes a lot of self control to keep from walking around with my pants unbuttoned all day. I'm going shopping this weekend.

Feeling: Great! However, I did notice on Monday at about mile 2.5 that running may or may not be in my future for much longer. Holy uterus pain, Batman.

Sleep: Great! No complaints.

Food cravings or aversions: 2011 is the Year of the Potato.

Best moment of the week: I felt the baby move right after I posted my last update (so 16 weeks 4 days, if I'm keeping track). I've noticed the flutters at night, but today was the first time I could feel it during the day. No identifiable movements, just weird bubbly flutters that almost tickle.

Movement: See above.

Gender: Chinese gender charts say girl...which I'm sure is accurate.

Labor Signs: n/a

What I miss: I probably shouldn't say beer two updates in a row. So...sleeping on my stomach.

What I'm nervous about: Nothing really.

What I'm looking forward to: Our ultrasound in fifteen more days!

Milestones and new this week: Baby is the size of a bell pepper and is flexing its arms and legs.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, blog friends! We stayed here in Colorado for the holiday since I pretty much just got here. I was sad to not be with my family for the first time ever, but the day was still pretty nice, even with the cold, yucky rain.

The Easter Bunny still found us this week...

And Brent colored Easter eggs with me last night....

We visited a church downtown that is very similar to our church back home. It was a very nice service, complete with the Hallulejah Chorus and a great sermon. Here's our 2011 Easter picture, taken on our little patio at the apartment.

The cheesy potatoes were excellent, the key lime pie superb, and the Honeybaked Ham did not disappoint. The Melt in Your Mouth yeast rolls did not rise, again...but that's okay, because Christ did. Today I had to remind myself that even though I'm far away from my family and friends, and I can't watch TV in my own apartment this evening because the neighbor's bass is so loud it's shaking the room, all of these little annoyances are just temporary. There's a problem-free life waiting for us eventually, all because we have a Savior who gave everything for us to have it. Pretty awesome!

16 Weeks

2011-04-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm joining the bandwagon and putting up the classic pregnancy checklist so I can remember later how I was doing at 16 weeks. And I must say, I barely even know the Lima Bean's there! I love the 2nd trimester.

Okay, probably not the most accurate belly shot, but I thought it was slimming so I'm keeping it. I have the hardest time getting a good angle for these.

How far along: 16 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain: Thankfully, none. I'm still down a few pounds from pre-preg weight.

Maternity clothes: None. I have some pants ready to go when the day comes. I have graduated to buttoning my jeans using the hair elastic trick, so that's something.

Feeling: Great! I really do forget that I'm pregnant.

Sleep: Great! No changes there either. I do sometimes have trouble falling asleep, but that's more because the dog upstairs won't.stop.barking. I forgot how much I missed apartment living.

Food cravings or aversions: Still anything potato. French fries, baked potatoes, McD's hashbrowns, etc - I'll take them in any form. This week I swung through the Arby's drive-thru for a 4:00 p.m. roast beef sandwich. I saw the sign and couldn't stop the car from swerving in.

Best moment of the week: Hearing the heartbeat at our appointment on Tuesday. 150 beats per minute!

Movement: Nada. Hopefully soon.

Gender: Beats me! What do you think?

Labor Signs: n/a

What I miss: Beer. I'm headed to the Rockies/Cubs game in about 3 minutes and it will be hard to sit where the Coors flows like water.

What I'm nervous about: Not knowing where we'll be living when the baby's born and moving in August when I'm pretty pregnant.

What I am looking forward to: Ordering the baby's dresser this week (mainly because we don't have a dresser and I figure we need this anyway - might as well use it until September) and registering in the next few weeks.

Milestones and new this week: The baby and I have been busy growing his/her toenails this week and getting eyes and ears in the final position. Lima Bean is not so little anymore - he/she is the size of an avacado.

Tuesdays with Rachel

2011-04-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Since the week after Brent moved in late January, Rachel and I have been getting together once a week for dinner and weeknight tv. After a couple of weeks, the night was set for Tuesdays indefinitely so we could watch Glee. We've been alternating houses and bringing our little dog friends along. (One of the dog friends had to start wearing a doggie diaper while visiting after one horrible instance of couch peeing. Said dog friend shall remain nameless.)

Wacky highlights:

Flaming tot!

...along with a chair collapsing, lots of dog antics, etc....

The last Tuesday with Rachel is tomorrow. :( Thanks for keeping me company and giving me something fun to do each week, Rach!! I will really miss it...and you!

Happy 2nd Tri to Me!

2011-03-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today marks 13 weeks of pregnancy and the start of the 2nd trimester...which I suppose is a somewhat misleading "milestone" since you technically don't know you're pregnant for four of those weeks. I'll take it though, because I've been feeling a lot better for the last week or so. My appetite is back and I just don't feel quite so..."off".

I went to the doctor last week for my 12 week appointment and heard the heartbeat with the doppler. It took quite a long time to find it, which made me panic a bit, but all is well.

I had Brent take this picture at 8.5 weeks for a baseline belly shot so we can tell later what's just regular old tummy fat and what's actually baby:

Pardon my appearance.

Here I am at 12.5 weeks, and I do see a difference...but very slight. The bottom line is that I haven't popped yet. My pants all still button which is probably more of a direct result of the eight pounds I lost in the 1st tri from not wanting to eat and never having to cook supper for anyone (unless it was a Tuesday with Rachel - the one night of the week when I always get a good supper!). My shirts seem to be getting shorter, but I think I still have a couple more weeks before I look pregnant and not like I just ate too much pizza.

And here I am last night on the eve of 13 weeks, when I really just felt a lot bigger. Maybe it's the angle, maybe it's the shirt...who knows. One thing's for sure, when I really look pregnant, we'll all know.