One Month B-day

Nate is one month old today! We had a great weekend of visiting friends. In the pix above is "Aunties" Cindy and Julie with the little guy. He has grown so much - he's chubby now! We're still getting up alot at night but he is a really good baby... he usually only fusses or cries when he's hungry or dirty. I'm really enjoying being at home with him. But I don't think we've had a day alone yet! The plans for Shannon's wedding are coming together, we're having a bridal shower for her this coming Sunday at my house... wish me luck!

Settling In

At 3 1/2 weeks - We're both doing well. I'm healing and am happy to say that I'm down below my pre-pregnancy weight... not exactly the same shape and size anymore but down in weight! Yeah me! Nate has grown so much already! His little face is filling out - he has the family double chin going on, and a pot belly on the way. He is such a joy. We're getting settled into our roles, he eats, sleeps and poops... Isaac is on a new schedule at work so he can be home with us in the evenings... and I'm getting used to being a new mom. There are certainly trying times... while he has no problems sleeping during the day, we've had a few nights when Nate doesn't want to sleep... just eat. Plus even when he does sleep at night - he is a noisy sleeper! So I'm constantly waking up thinking he needs me when really he's just grunting and groaning in his sleep. The nights wear me out a bit. He has been more awake during the days. He looks around at whats going on and takes it all in. We get smiles every now and then (probably just gas but I insist some of them are real). He is unbelievably cute! Everyone loves him. This child can never claim he isn't loved... he's got it coming from all directions!

We've been helping with the plans for my sister Shannon's upcoming wedding. We worked on the flower arrangements on Sunday, Isaac might be playing guitar & singing for the ceremony and I'm hoping to do their pictures. We're looking forward to being a part of that at the end of the month.

Also some friends of ours just got engaged! Congrats to Karyn and Isaac#2! They are such a wonderful couple and we're looking forward to seeing them grow together as they prepare to be married next April!

The photography business is good. I am doing pix for a wedding next April (besides a few potential gigs in the works). I'm not doing too many pictures right now, but I'm slowly working on doing more. I did some baby pix last week for my Aunt's new baby and I'm doing some Senior picutres this week. I hope to get my name out to the Avon seniors through this girl. This is a pix of my cousin... he's a month older than Nate... they'll be buds as they get a little older!

Two Weeks Old

Isaac has had the last two weeks off of work and has been a great help taking care of Nate and things around the house. Our church has been bringing us meals - mmmm mmmm good! We're still getting used to being parents... but so far we haven't screwed anything up too badly. There are so many things for us to learn about being parents and about Nate himself. I can't believe how much we love him already. We can just sit there and stare at him for hours sometimes. He's been such a good baby. He isn't really fussy - just when he needs to tell us to change or feed him. At night he's waking up to eat about every 3 hours or so. Not too bad. We're trying to get in the habit of napping when he does but it doesn't always happen that way. I've had a couple of check-ups and I'm healing well. We've been given a little more freedom from the docs... I'm not on house arrest anymore. But still need to take it easy so I don't hinder the healing progress. Nate weighs in at 7lbs 15oz at two weeks old. Breast feeding has obviously been going well, according to the weight gain. We're still getting the hang of it, but doing alright.

Welcome Our First Son!

Well... at 2:30am on Thurs 7-7-05 my water broke. Contractions started shortly there after. My mom and our backup doula, Paula(Julie was on vacation), came over late morning to help with the labor process. We all worked well together and things progressed. We decided to head over to the hospital around 4:30p or 5p. When the CNM checked me we were dilated to 6cm(thats good). We labor for awhile longer, trying different positions and things to be as comfortable as possible - we made it to 7cm dilation. Eventually progress stopped and it seemed that we were running out of options to stick to our birth plan. There were concerns about the baby's heart rate and the fact that labor had slowed and we hadn't dilated any more after several hours of labor. After about 24hours of labor and trying many things we felt we needed a c-section in order to keep a healthy mother and baby. The surgery went well and we have a beautiful baby boy!
Our Baby Nate was born Friday July 8th, 2005 at 3:20am. He was 7lbs 7oz and 21 1/2 inches long.
He's got a head full of dark hair and we're totally in love with him already. The hospital staff was wonderful - they took good care of all of us. Little Nate and I are still getting the hang of breastfeeding, but we're working on it together. We were released late this morning and we're all tired but glad to be home. Here are a few pix of the handsome new Penrod boy! Thanks for your continued prayers as we settle in with our new joy.

*This was obviously an abbreviated version of the story. For those who really love hearing birth stories I have the long version in a word doc if you are interested.

nearing the end...

Went to the Dr.'s today. My blood pressure was high this whole last week and again at the beginning of my appointment. However, everything else is normal and they had me chill in a recliner (on a monitor checking the baby's heartbeat) and took my BP again and it was normal. Yeah! Thank you, Lord! I was really relieved. She still wants me to take it easy this week to make sure it doesn't get higher, etc. I am not working anymore so it shouldn't be too hard to kick back a little bit, its an excuse to stay out of the heat! Anyway, we'd appreciate your continued prayers as we near the end of the pregnancy and the beginning of parenthood!

Is it time yet?

Here is a pix of me, my aunt Kath and cousin Janet - both of which have already had their babies... dang them... jk

I'm so anxious to have this baby. I can't wait a whole month longer! I've people saying they think I'm gonna go early, I'm gonna have twins, I'm gonna go late... I just want to be done! Our doula is on vacation until the 9th... and the CNM we're hoping to have at the delivery is leaving to get married on the 16th... so I'm hoping to go in that window of time somewhere. As if I can choose when this baby comes. There are things that can be tried to help things along... we're waiting a bit longer before trying anything... but give me another week and I'll be willing to try a thing or two. Please keep us in your prayers. Even with all the preperation we've done for this I am nervous about the birth. I'm sure He's got it under control but extra prayers never hurt anything!

home stretch

I had a doctor's appt today. We met the CNM who will potentially be assisting in our delivery. She was very nice (young - not much older than us) and didn't object to anything on our birth plan, in fact she was very supportive of our wishes. She seems like a "hands off" type, which is what we want - given everything is going well.
My blood pressure is a little on the high side. Our CNM doesn't really want us going to the lake this weekend. We're torn, we're waiting to see where we feel led. Jeremy, Cindy and the girls are supposed to be going up there with us. I really want to go but would really hate to be stuck having the baby up there instead of here with my support team and all. Dangit. Wish I hadn't asked and we'd have just gone up in ignorance. Oh, well.... we'll see.
This is my last week at work. I'm ready to have a little break. Plus the CNM wants me to be off my feet as much as possible, and staying in out of the heat.
I has the baby showers over the last two weekends. It was so great to have so many ladies show up to support me. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful, godly women in my life that I can look to for guidance and encouragement as I start this new task of being a mother! And the gifts were great too!
We'll keep you posted if anything new comes up.

Baby Showers

Today is my "Friends" baby shower. I'm excited to see everyone and of course a little relieved to be making a dent in the mountain of stuff needed before this baby comes! I don't know what I'll be getting at the showers so I haven't bought much of anything yet. I don't want to buy too much of the same things... you know. I like these parties, its an excuse to see people you haven't seen in ages and celebrate a new life.
Last week we had our 34 week checkup. All is well, however my belly was measuring a little on the big side (the story of my life) and they want to keep and eye on it in case the baby is getting too big. I say if its a big baby its a big baby, not much we can do about it now, right. Anyway, we've met with our doula and finalized our birth plan. I'm getting anxcious to meet this person thats kicking me in the ribs all the time. We're so excited! We'd really appreciate your prayers for a safe and healthy rest of the pregnancy and (gulp) birth!

relaxation

I'm counting down to this weekend! We're going to the lake again... this time we'll be taking a few friends with us! This summer is busy enough that it looks like we're only gonna be able to go up to Oakwood like once a month... I know we're spoiled but you'd take advantage of it too. Anyway, its so nice to just chill and relax, especially when pregnant!

Quiz

I did this quiz online to find out which Star Wars character I am here are the results:

I am Padme. You're considered very attractive by many, but don't allow it to go to your head. On the contrary, you're very humble, and though you sometimes dress to accent your beauty, you think little of materialistic possessions and value the humanity in people. Your intelligence propels you in the world. Your tolerance and patience are virtues and you stick by your loved ones no matter what.

Class of 2005

We had a bunch of graduation open houses this last weekend. Lots of good food and friends.

Congrats to Hannah, Nichole, Anna, Kearstin, Zach, Eric and my sister Lauren and the rest of the class of 2005!

Child Birth Classes

We just completed our last childbirth class at the hospital last night. We covered alot of ground over four weeks, the birth process, options for pain management, prenatal and postpardom care, etc. I wasn't sure how open they would be to some of the things that we want to happen: I want to hold the baby right away, Isaac to cut the cord, natural(unmedicated) birth, etc. The woman leading the class seemed very open and touched on alot of different topics that helped to put my mind at ease. She emphasised the importance of the mother and father bonding with the baby right away. We talked to her one on one briefly at the end of class and told her we were having a doula present for our birth and she was very supportive of that - she says doulas are a great help both to the laboring mother but also to the staff. We have alot left to do to get prepared - we'll be meeting w/ Julie (our doula) throughout June and July - but we feel pretty good about the hospital and staff now that we've seen the facility and gotten a better idea of how things work there. Alot to think about! We're both getting anxious to see the baby - we feel so close to this little one already... its just not enough to feel it kick and talk to it through my belly... we want to hold and kiss it! I'm sure it'll be here before we know it!



These are pix of Isaac and I when we were babies... if you look closely you'll see they even have the same backdrop! Isn't that cute?!?

30 Week Checkup

Praise the Lord! My sugars are normal! Yeah! I'm still gonna watch what I eat but I am well below the danger zone now. I'm starting to feel weighed down... and looking it too. At 30 weeks along we could have a baby here in as soon as two months (8weeks)! But ya never know, this kid could decide to be late, we'll have to wait and see. Isaac and I are both cracking down on reading books on childbirth and whatnot. At times all this information can be a bit overwhelming. But I really think I'll have a good support system, between Isaac and our doula. It'll be hard but well worth it when we get to hold our beautiful baby in our arms!

We got to enjoy a nice weekend at the lake. The weather was nice enough for us to have a picnic on the boat Friday afternoon but was chilly and rainy the rest of the weekend, so we just relaxed and beat Mom and Dad in cards... alot. Its nice to be able to get away from everything for awhile and just chill. We got back into town just in time for our doctor's appointment today, we couldn't bring ourselves to leave yesterday.

More Senior Pix

Feeling the baby move alot! This little guy/girl is getting pretty strong, its getting to where I can actually see some of the kicks. Its so amazing, I can't get over the fact that a person is growing inside of me! We've started our childbirth classes. But we've been reading up on the subject for awhile now so there hasn't been alot of info that we hadn't already heard, but its still good to become more familiar w/ the terms and whatnot. I keep reminding myself that we are approaching a huge milestone in our lives... we, our life, its all going to change forever. Wow. The things we do for the ones we love, even ones we haven't met yet!

This past weekend I had a photo shoot with Trisha, my cousin's girlfriend. We took her senior pictures. It was a beautiful day, a little too sunny at times, but we beat the rain that came later in the afternoon so I can't complain. The pix turned out great! It was nice to spend a little time getting to know her better too. She is going into Special Education which is really cool. Here are a few samples of her pic.

28 weeks down - 12 to go!

I had my 28 week checkup today. Another thumbs up from my CNM. All is well, I'm on track with everything. At this stage the baby should be somewhere around 15 inches long and 3 pounds. I feel movement often now and its getting stronger by the day. Isaac is able to feel now, its been really special being able to share it together. We're both getting pretty excited. Its weird how we already feel so much love for this little person we've never seen or met, but the love is there, there is no doubt about that. We can't wait to be able to hold and hug and kiss and just look at this new life thats growing inside of me.
Side Note:
For anyone who knows my sister Shannon.... she and her longtime boyfriend Eric are officially engaged! He proposed (with a ring and everything) on May 1st and they are planning on getting married on August 27th. Yeah!

Another Good Checkup

I had my 26 week doctor's appointment today. Good report! Only 1 1/2 lbs gained since last month(for a total of 12 lbs to date), I'm measuring where I should, and everything else is looking good too. Very pleased to hear that! At this stage the baby is probably almost 2 lbs and about 13in long. It is aware of light and darkness, and can hear sounds both from inside and outside my body. The next checkup (in two weeks) they're gonna check my sugars again and run a few other routine tests/exams. My appointments will be every two weeks now instead of once a month... then the last month or so it will be every week. So far so good. I'm feeling pretty good, enjoying the warmer weather we've been having lately. The baby must like it too - I've been feeling lots of movement. We would appreciate prayers for the rest of the pregnancy and the birth to go well also. We will soon be starting childbirth classes at the hospital and working with our doula on natural childbirth techniques.

Pregnancy Info

This is a little pregnancy information you may or may not know. I chose the info that was closest to the stage I'm at now, and that would apply to the pix of baby at 5months along in the pregnancy(I got the pix from a pro-life website - it is NOT our baby, but cool none the less).

Month 5
Half the pregnancy has now passed, and the fetus is about 12 inches long.The mother has definitely begun to feel movement by now. If a soundis especially loud or startling, the fetus may jump in reaction to it.

Month 6
Oil and sweat glands are functioning. The delicate skin of the growing baby is protected from the fetal waters by a special ointment called "vernix." If the baby were born in this month and given the proper care, he would survive.

How awesome is that? I'm getting more and more excited! I hope to start working on the nursery soon.

Trip Update

Lauren and I had a blast in Florida. The drive was crazy long but the beach was beautiful and the company was great. We really enjoyed spending time with our new cousin Paige and her aunt and cousin who were visiting too. We spent alot of time on the beach, which was only a block away from Paige's house, had a dinner cruise, and of course did some shopping. I think the baby liked going to the beach, I felt alot of movement while we were there, its so cool! It was great but both Lauren and I were homesick for our men. Next time we go we'll have to take them too! Here is a pix of me, Paige and Lauren in the surf!

A+

I got a good review at the last checkup. The baby's heartbeat was good and strong(loud and clear, not soft like before), I'm on track as far as my weight goes, I've brought my sugar and ketone levels down, brought my fluid intake up and everything is looking good. Yeah! It was very encouraging and I'm feeling good. I've been feeling little flutters of movement, but not much localized "kicking" yet. But I'm enjoying the little bit that I've been given for now. I definately look pregnant now... unless I wear big baggy sweats - then I just look fat. But I've got some cute maternity stuff and a new haircut to help me stay cute and not let myself go - at least not every day. I'm excited for this trip to Florida next week. I think Isaac has gotten more used to the idea. I'll post pix when Lauren and I get back. Much Love!

Halfway!

I'm about 19weeks along now, which is about halfway through the pregnancy(give or take). I had my 18week check-up last week. My sugar levels were borderline when they tested my glucose awhile back, and diabetes runs in my family... so I'm off of sugar for the rest of the pregnancy. I've done really well so far. But its only been a week. Give me a awhile and I'll be begging for a milkshake or something, anything!
I haven't felt any definate movement inside yet but am trying to be patient, its not uncommon for first time moms to take awhile before they recognize movement.
I'm hoping to take a road trip to Florida with my sister Lauren for her senior spring break. Isaac is really nervous about me being gone for 4-5 days... but this is the last time I'll be able to do something like this for awhile and I don't want to pass it up. I'm not as fragile as he thinks I am... and my nurse said it'd be fine. It'll be fun!