Look who...

Look who is smiling!

These are some of the first photographs of her smile that I captured. She was smiling a lot for my brother Ryan on December 26th, and that was actually the first time I actually captured it in a picture. I love her smile. And I love her sooooo much!

On another note, today I have been stressed out. Words cannot even describe how stressed out and overwhelmed I am. I explained how I was feeling to my husband tonight, and he stepped up to the plate and helped me with things tonight. I have learned that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. I have been handed a lot of lemons lately. So, I have been busy making lemonade. Some crazy things unfolded on December 23, 2010 that I may back post about. I am trusting and relying on God. I know he has the ultimate plan in all of this. I also know He will make good out of a bad situation. My God is an awesome God.

To make matters worse, Zander decided he did not want to sleep much tonight. He went to bed around 9:30 p.m., and had no nap today. Then just as Sophia was falling asleep around 12 :30 a.m. early Thursday morning, Zander woke up. He fussed, cried, and eventually started screaming. Nothing seemed to console him for very long. I tried everything. Brian decided to sleep on the couch downstairs to get a few hours of sleep since he drives for his job, and he did not want to fall asleep at the wheel. I was left to be up with Zander and figure out how to get him back to sleep. We brought Zander into our bed with us, which we never do unless he is sick. Sophia is still sleeping in our room in a bassinet, and surprising she did not wake up. After I tried all my tricks to get him back to sleep, out of desperation, I decided to ask him if he wanted to watch Sesame Street. He immediately stopped fussing and nodded his head yes. Well from then on he only wanted to watch Sesame Street. I was able to doze off for short periods of time while he sat in our bed and watched episode after episode of Sesame Street. When one hour episode was over he would fuss and I would turn another one on from our DVR. I have never done this before and hope I never have to again. It was probably not a smart move, but I did not know what else to do. I am not sure why he would not sleep. I was hoping watching Sesame Street would get him tired and he would fall asleep in our bed. But instead he got all kinds of energy and in the wee hours of the morning he started to jump on me. By 4:30 a.m. when our alarm went off, he was still awake. While we were getting ready for work, we got Zander ready to go to his Grandparents house. My in laws were watching them for the day since Jill and Jaylyn were sick. After getting dressed Zander insisted on having pancakes for breakfast. We got him all set up with pancakes in his high chair and Brian and I finished getting ready for work. After a few short minutes Zander seemed awfully quiet. And this is what I found.

The nice thing was Brian did not have to start work until 7 a.m. so he took the kids to his parents house and was able to help me get them ready. This is not usually the case.

Just remember, I am busy making lemonade if I don't post often.

One Month

My baby girl is one month old today, I can hardly believe it. Time is going by so fast. Sophia, what have you been up to in your first month of life?

-You wear some newborn clothes still, but are mostly wearing 0 to 3 month clothes.
-You are in newborn size diapers, size 1 diapers are still too big.
-You weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. on November 22, 2010, 6 days before you were one month old. You only gained 1 oz. since birth.
-You lift your head up really well.
-You sleep pretty well throughout the night and sleep from 6 to 9 hours a night in a row. It is usually around 6 hours now that you are getting older.
-You have more wakeful times during the day.
-You eat every 3 to 4 hours, and sometimes I still have to wake you up to feed you during the day, which is quite a feat at times.
-Your big brother loves you very much and helps to take care of you. He gives you a pacifier when you cry. He covers you with blankets, even his, and he swings you when are in your swing. He also loves to give you kisses or pat your head. He also loves to sit next to you.
-You are not crazy about baths yet. You cry most of bath time.
-Your mommy and daddy love you very much.
-You celebrated your first Thanksgiving and we hosted it at our house this year.
-You also had your first road trip, to Fort Wayne the day after Thanksgiving, and you slept most of the way. So far you travel well in the car.
-You are a healthy baby.

We thank God for you every day. God has blessed us so much.

Thankful

I am so thankful for this little girl.

I am thankful that she is healthy. We had a little scare and thought she was having seizures. But the EEG showed no seizures. Thank you Lord for answered prayers and for a healthy baby girl.

I am also thankful for this little boy.

And I thankful for a wonderful husband. I am also thankful for great family and friends. God has blessed me so much. I am most thankful for God. He is such an awesome God.

I am also thankful that our power went back on. I woke up this morning at 6:15 a.m. The turkey went in the oven at 6:47 a.m. At around 7:05 a.m we lost power to our house. Any other year I would have been fine with the power going out, but this year we are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time for 22 people. I called my sister-in-law who lives 5 minutes away and asked her if Brian could come over with the turkey. Thankfully the power was only off for 30 minutes. Shortly after my husband dropped of the turkey, the power went back on, so Brian turned back around to get the turkey and put it back in our oven. I am sooooooo thankful the power came back on. We had a great Thanksgiving. Everything went really well, except that I burnt the stuffing that my mom made.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

This post was intended to be posted on Thursday, November 25, 2010

This...

...was how Sophia and I spent our day while Zander was at his grandparent's house!

We slept, relaxed, snuggled, blogged, and watched TV.  We stayed in our pajamas all day and pretty much stayed in bed all day too.  I even had pizza hut pasta ordered in for lunch.  Thank you to Brian's parents for watching Zander so I could have a relaxing day with Sophia. 

Lunch with in laws

This post is for Sunday, November 14, 2010. I initially had it posted for then, but I messed up.



The day started with baths for both kids. Brian gave Zander a bath, and I gave Sophia a bath. It was Sophia's first bath, before this she just had sponge baths because the umbilical cord had not fallen off yet.

Then we got ready for church. After church, Brian headed to his parent's house with both kids while I headed to Brian's brother's house. I had promised them that I would take family pictures for their Christmas cards. It was fun to take pictures for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and their 2 adorable girls. I would show you what I took, but it is for their Christmas cards, so I will have to post them later. It wasn't any fancy pictures, but they wanted to keep it simple. After I took their pictures, I headed to my in-laws house to join the rest of my family for lunch. We had a very nice visit and lunch with my in-laws. While we were there my father-in-law suggested that Zander sleep over and spend the day tomorrow with him. They wanted to give me a break, and they love spending time with their grandson. I thought about it, and even though I would miss Zander, it would be nice to just have Sophia for the day. So around 4 p.m., we headed home and Zander stayed with his Grandma and Grandpa.

We took these pictures of our sweet girl tonight while all 3 of us were cuddling in bed before bedtime.

I love relaxing days with the family. I sooooo needed a day like today. And I am looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow. A whole day to spend with my little girl!

Lincoln Park Zoo

This morning my sister-in-law Jill had a Shutterfly Party at her house. Now I will get a free Shutterfly photo book. I can't wait to make the book. Now to find the time to make the book. The party was at 9:30 a.m. and she had yummy brunch for us.

After the party, I headed to my friend Racheal's house, and we all caravaned to Lincoln Park Zoo. Racheal and Jason took their minivan and drove 2 of Racheal's girls, Serenity and Harmony, as well as 4 of Jen's kids, Mallory, Katie, Sam, and Zac. Then I took my car and drove my kids, Zander and Sophia, as well as Jen and Jen's son Anthony. We had so much fun at the zoo. It was such a beautiful day. I think this is the last warm weather day for a while. I am glad we enjoyed it outside.

Zander and Anthony watching the Beavers swimming

Zander playing with Racheal



Zac and Serenity

4 of the 5 Wagner kids, Katie, Mallory, Sam, and Anthony

Racheal, Jason, and Serenity

Zac and Serenity on the Carousel

Harmony on the Carousel

While at the zoo, I had a photo shoot with the Wagner kids and Jen (Jen's husband had to stay at home in Pennsylvania) Here is a sneak peak at the pictures.

When Jen joined the kids Zac decided he didn't want to smile at all.

So the family decided to make the "Zac face"

Zander decided he wanted in on some of the action

After the zoo we all went back to Jason and Racheal's house where Brian met us there, and we had dinner. What a fun day!

2 weeks old

I can't believe it, Sophia is 2 weeks old today. These last 2 weeks have gone by so fast. It didn't help that we have been back in the hospital 2 other times since she has been born. I am happy to say Sophia is happy and healthy. The EEG has shown no seizure activity. We are so thankful for that. God has truly blessed us. He has given us a healthy baby girl. But we know she is only on loan. She is truly God's and He is just letting us borrow her. We are so thankful for that. We love you Sophia Gwendolyn.

SO, I realize Sophia that you are only 2 weeks old, but what has happened in the last 2 weeks? What have you been up to?

You went to Ingalls ER on the Monday (November 1, 2010) after you were born. We were at Rick Nye's wake and 2 newborn nurses who held you were very concerned that you might be having seizures. You also went to Children's Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 (your due date) and were admitted because we still thought you might be having seizures, and Ingalls did not do anything for you. You have had a CT scan of the head and neck. You had an MRI of the ventricles, and you were hooked up to an EEG monitor with video for about 18 hours. You were stuck numerous times for labs, because your blood kept hemolyzing. They wanted to make sure your potassium was not high. The blood sample that was hemolyzed showed a very high potassium level, but that was not accurate. Thankfully after about the fourth or fifth attempt (your mom lost count) they finally got a good blood sample and it showed your potassium level was normal. You had an EKG done, and you had 2 IVs put in while at Children's Memorial Hospital. You still wear size newborn diapers; size one diapers are huge on you. You were mostly newborn clothes, but wear some 0 to 3 month clothes, but they are big on you. You are sleeping really well at night and during the day. You sleep anywhere between 5 to 9 hours a night without waking up. There has only been a few nights where you have slept 5 hours, mostly it is between 7 to 9 hours of sleep. You sleep a lot during the day, but you are starting to wake up more during the day. I would often have to wake you up to feed you, but you are waking up on your own now. You have lost weight since you were born. Yesterday you had a doctor's appointment with your pediatrician and you weighed 7 lbs. and 8 oz. We have to go back in 2 weeks to see if you gained weight. Your big brother Zander loves you very much. He gives you lots of kisses. He pats your head, and even kisses your toes sometimes. Every morning after he wakes up, he goes in mommy and daddy's room to check on you. Zander does not like when we go downstairs and leave you upstairs in your bassinet, even if it is just for a minute. Your mommy and daddy love you very much. And we are so thankful that you are healthy. God has blessed us. We love being a family of 4. You are sleeping in a bassinet next to mommy and daddy's bed. We are starting to work on your nursery. Your brother is still sleeping in the crib that will be yours, but he will be getting a race car bed soon. You have had many visitors. Many people have been praying for you and your health, and so many people love you.

As you can see from the photos above, my friend Racheal and I had a mini phoot shoot with Sophia today, and we had so much fun.

Zander joined in on the fun too! But he wasn't very amused!

Today is the Day-Meet...

...Sophia Gwendolyn

Born on October 28, 2010 at 7:43 p.m.

Weighing 8 pounds

And 19. 5 inches long

Story to come soon. But such a sweet girl! We are enjoying her!!!

And her big brother Zander loves her.

Update

I thought I would update my blog because it has been a while since I actually finished a blog post.  (I always start them and save them, but never seem to finish them.)  Here goes.  I am 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant.  I was put on bed rest almost 2 weeks ago and forced to stop working because of preeclampsia.  I was not happy about the bed rest but understood that it was needed.  I am starting to miss work, which is kind of crazy, and I definitely do not like bed rest.  I am so bored on bed rest.  You think I would be able to catch up with my blog while on bed rest, but I have had a lot of appointments and they are all about 1 hour away, and I haven't always been feeling the best.  Plus my 18 month old is keeping me busy too.  I am not supposed to drive, so my mom comes and picks me up.  My poor mom, she has been driving like crazy this past week.  I have had 3 appointments this past week on 3 different days.  On Tuesday we learned that the baby is breech.  So if the baby does not turn around, I am scheduled for a cesarean section on Friday, October 29th.  I am hoping and praying I do not have to have a c-section.  I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday, and on Tuesday I have another ultrasound/biophysical profile to determine if the baby is still breech.  Please pray that the baby turns around.  I don't think I have mentioned this on my blog yet, but at the beginning of September they found an abnormality on the ultrasound.  I really haven't mentioned it on here because the doctors do think that the baby will be born healthy.  The cisterna magna is enlarged.  The cisterna magna is part of the fetuses' brain between the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata.  When a fetus has an elnlarged cisterna magna it could mean that the baby will be born with Down Syndrome or Trisomy.  The doctors think that our baby will not be born with either of these because they see no other abnormalities on the ultrasound.  Of course they are not 100% sure about this, so there is a chance our baby could be born with Down Syndrome or Trisomy.  We are trusting in God for all of this.  We know God is an awesome and mighty God, and no matter what happens we will praise Him.  We were sent to University of Chicago to get a level 2 ultrasound.  This ultrasound was more detailed and higher tech.  It was amazing what you could see with this ultrasound, and they had a big screen TV for you to view the ultrasound on.  This ultrasound confirmed that yes, the cisterna magna is still enlarged, but no other abnormalities were seen on this ultrasound.  Please be in prayer for our baby.  We are praying that the baby does not have Down Syndrome or Trisomy.  But no matter what we will love this baby and take care of this baby.   And no matter what happens, we will praise God. 
     I have had help from family and friends.  As I said, my mom pretty much drives me everywhere I need to go, and she lives about 45 minutes from my house.  My friend Racheal came over to help organize and clean my house, and she did an amazing job.  The ladies from our church have been providing my family with meals this week, and that has been such a blessing.  And some of the ladies from my MOPS group are going to provide meals for my family after the baby is born.  I would like to thank everyone for all the prayers, support, and help in this time.  It is very much appreciated.  We are so blessed, and we know that God is taking care of this little one that is still growing inside of me.  We can't wait to meet him or her.

I can't believe this little boy is going to be a big brother in a week or less!

 

I think he will make a great Big Brother!

He is pretty excited to be a Big Brother!

Okay, so he doesn't really understand that he is going to be a Big Brother really soon.  But he sure is a happy boy in this picture.  And he loves to kiss the baby in mommies' belly.  I just love this little boy.  And I thank God everyday that He blessed us with him.