Happy Halloween

Our Baby

Our little baby Hayden was born on Tuesday, October 12 at 6:31 pm. He weighed 4 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19" long. I went in for a Dr. appointment Monday afternoon and was sent to the hospital to be started. It was such a long 26 hours! I was put on magnesium to prevent seizures and the side effects were horrible. But through it all, Hayden was a rock! He surprised us and the nurses with his strong and steady heart rate, never dropping once. For 3 weeks early, he is healthy and strong and his lungs are fully developed. We are so blessed to have had everything go so well. We are loving having him in our family. He is definately not starving for attention! We all love holding and kissing him.

Carter's Birthday

Carter turned 10 this year, no longer in the single digits. He wanted dirt cake which we all liked since it was something other than "cake."

After he opened up all his presents, he walked Grandma Pingel out to her car and on the way back, Todd asked him if he was happy with all his presents and he said, "Yeah, but I would have liked a skateboard, too." When he walked in the door, this is what he saw....
One happy boy, about to pop out of his skin! Happy Birthday, Car! We love you!

Paige's Birthday

Paige turned 5 today! It was an eventful birthday, not ordinary by any means. She and I played a competitive game of Go Fish in the morning and she will tell you, she "smoked me, 6 to 2". I had a Dr. appointment in the afternoon and they kept me to get me started.

She loved the cake Todd got for her and for dinner, they carried on our October tradition of Square Pumpkins from Arctic Circle. Paige really wanted a Barbie scooter for her birthday. So Todd handed her this "Barbie scooter" and she said, "Dad, I didn't want a scooter for my Barbies, I wanted a Barbie scooter for me to ride." He told her to go outside and try it out and she thought he was crazy. He finally got her out there and this is what she found....

Then she came to the hospital to open the rest of her presents. I was glad to be a part of the festivities, even if it was just for a little bit.

Happy Birthday, Wiggles. We love you!

Hali's Birthday

Hali turned 8 today! She was surprised and happy with all her presents.
We sent her out of the room to get something and when she came back, she saw the bike and was so excited. As she took her test ride, she got to the end of the street and I could see her trying to stop using the pedals but they were just spinnig backwards. I thought she was going to crash, but she figured out the hand brakes in time. Phew!
Since I was on bed rest, Todd was kind enough to make her the cake she wanted, chocolate with blue frosting and math facts on top. She loved it! She picked to have nachos for dinner.

Happy Birthday, Hali Wali! We love you!

Milestones

I find it very interesting that every pregnancy can be so different. This one has definitely been a challenge and I am making some unique milestones this time. I went into the doctor's office on Sept. 20 due to a headache that kept me up the night before. My blood pressure had gone up considerably and they did an ultrasound and non-stress test to make sure the baby was ok , which he was. I was sent home with a prescription for blood pressure medication and told to "take it easy." I have been going in twice a week for check-ups (blood pressure, ultrasound, and non-stress test).
Well, I went in on Tuesday and was told I have toxemia and that my blood pressure was so high that I was at risk of having a seizure and could not go home. I was sent to the hospital for a 24-hour observation stay and was tested and monitored to see if there was anything else going on. They sent me home with more medication and put me officially on bed rest.
I went in again today and it was the same story, same tests. He has grown a little and weighs about 5 lbs. 5 oz. I left with an increased dosage of medication. The doctor is hoping I can make it through the weekend and by Sunday the baby will be 37 weeks and then I will probably be induced after that. Before 37 weeks, he would be premature. We'll see what news my Monday appt. brings!
My family has been awesome!!! The simple things they do make me smile. The kids have been out of school the past few days and have been great help. The girls take my breakfast order (which consists of cold cereal choices and milk choices) and get it ready for me. Carter makes peanut butter sandwiches for lunch (with jam dripping over the edges). They vacuum, do dishes, make each other's beds and keep things cleaned up. Then Todd comes home from work and is like "Super Husband" taking care of everything else. And at they end of the day, he gets to crawl into bed with me and listen to me snore (like a freight train, he says) all night and gets hardly any sleep. He has been so patient, kind and loving through it all. Our extended family has been great, too! Thanks for your love and concern.