Ultrasound Update

We had our ultrasound today. Noah is growing like a weed, weighing in at 6 pounds and 14 ounces ... almost 7 pounds! The doctor had us take another non-stress test today to monitor his heartbeat and my contractions (or lack there of ... they have dropped considerably since yesterday). Noah's heartbeat was staying pretty consistent in the 180 range which was a little high for the doctor's liking. She said that if it fluctuated that would be okay, but his heart rate was pretty much a straight line. They thought I might be running a fever or fighting an infection ... either way they wanted to monitor Noah's heartbeat longer, take a blood test for my white blood cell count and if there turned out to be an emergency they'd perform a c-section.

So Ryan and I have been at the hospital since about dinner time. Noah and I are connected to an IV and monitors to watch his heartbeat and contractions. We got our white blood cell results back and everything looks fine. We finally got to eat dinner about 9:00 tonight. Now we're getting ready to settle in for an overnight stay at the hospital. The doctor on call wants to monitor us for a longer duration just to make sure everything stays on track. If so, we'll be going home in the morning and follow up treatment would consist of two office visits a week with non-stress tests at each visit.

We'll keep you posted, but it doesn't look like Noah's birthday will be April 6.

Showered with Love

As we count the minutes between contractions and work on our thank you cards Ryan and I wanted to let you all know how blessed we are by your showering of love. We are excited for Noah's arrival and can't wait to be parents again. Later today we have another doctor appointment and an ultrasound to see how much Noah weighs as there is some concern that he may be large due to the way my body is breaking down sugar. We hope to be able to share some photos with you, but if nothing else, all the details!

ONLY 27 DAYS LEFT (until our due date)!

For those of you looking for recipes from two of the salads at the shower, here they are.

Napa Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch Napa cabbage, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 packages Ramen noodles, broken
1 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2/3 cup butter

 

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup white sugar

In skillet melt butter, mix in Ramen noodles, almonds and sesame seeds. Toast until brown -- watch carefully. Mix together with Napa cabbage and green onions.

Combine ingredients for dressing in small saucepan. Boil for one minute, whisking constantly. Cool. Put in shaker-- do NOT shake while hot! Prior to serving, head dressing for 20-30 seconds in microwave. Shake gently. Pour over cabbage. Toss and serve.

Eat up because it doesn’t save well.

Tree Salad

Ingredients:
2 bunches broccoli, trimmed and chopped
8 strips crumbled bacon
1 cup raisins
1/2-cup chopped onion
1/2-cup slivered almonds
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons sugar
Cauliflower (if desired)

Mix all ingredients and chill overnight before serving.

In Memory of William

Today marks the one year anniversary of William's death. It was quite a contrast to last year's sunshine and 70-degree weather. Today was cold, windy and ending in snowfall (approximately 4 to 6-inches are expected). Last year when Ryan and I spent the afternoon celebrating his grandmother's 86th birthday we had no idea what the next few hours and weeks would bring. While we are thankful that we have made it through an entire year, some times it feels more like three.

Spring and Easter will always be a time I associate with both Ethan and William. Ethan's memorial service was the night before Easter. Before the service my family had an Easter dinner, our last family meal with William. William was born the day before Easter and this year his anniversary falls on Palm Sunday. I remember Billy's third birthday party. We had a big piñata in the shape of a 3 and an Easter egg hunt out side. Ryan and I also had the joy of decorating Easter eggs two years in a row with William, my sisters and Mom.

Today we remembered William with a service at my parent's church followed by visiting his gravesite and a BBQ. I was glad to see so many people came to the service and BBQ to remember him with us. William had at least 10 friends and a teacher stop by the house too!

One thing that bothered me though was when the church "prayed" for my brother whom they said was in purgatory. William is NOT in purgatory (it doesn't exist) and does not need us to pray for him. Upon his death he went to be with Jesus. Our prayers can not change the fate of any person, nor can it speed up their arrival to heaven (it's instant). King David mourned (fasted and prayed) for his sick son, hoping that he would be healed and his life would be spared. When his son died, he no longer mourned for him. People asked why he mourned while his son was alive, but not when he died. David told them that he knows his son is in heaven, he cannot bring him back and that he will go to be with him again (2 Samuel 12:15-23).

While I miss Billy each day, I am reminded that he has already gone to heaven, he is with the Father and I will see him again—what joy it will be to see him again! This reunion is only possible because of the blood of Jesus. As you prepare your hearts this week for celebration of the death and resurrection of our Savior remember that we have been forgiven of all our sins (past, present and future) and receive eternal life.

33 Weeks

From what I can tell, this is when things start to get uncomfortable. At least that’s what it sounds like. For the most part, Monica’s feeling good aside from a few contractions here and there and perhaps a charlie-horse in the middle of the night (boy, nothing will startle you from a hard sleep quite like a charlie-horse). Noah is discovering that his house is shrinking so he stretches and pushes trying to get comfortable, which makes mommy a little uncomfortable. We can see little elbows or knees or feet sticking out here and there throughout the day—especially during car rides. I hope that doesn’t mean he’ll never sleep in the car!

We’ll be starting weekly Dr. visits next week as we head into the home stretch. I can’t believe Noah could be here in as little as four weeks. Things are getting exciting around here as we prepare. Our church threw a shower for Monica this past weekend so our house is starting to transform—there’s baby stuff all around. And I love it. I can’t wait for our son to arrive. We’ll keep you posted on progress!

Has it Really Been a Year?

Last year at this time Monica and I were at Good Shepherd hospital. Monica was in labor and I was feeling helpless. Then, at 12:51 a.m., Ethan was born--both pounds of him (2.2 lbs. to be exact). In the three days we spent at Good Shepherd Monica and I cried more tears than I thought we were capable of and faced two of the most difficult nights of our lives. And when it was over we left the hospital empty handed. We were parents, but we didn’t have a baby to prove it. Life went on, slow motion at first, depressing and sorrow-filled, but it went on. Little did we know what was on the horizon three weeks later.

But through all of it God has been faithful and has led us through the lowest of the lows. Here we are one full year later and he has blessed us with another son whose birthday is only a matter of weeks away. We miss Ethan, but we’re so very excited to meet his little brother, Noah. He’s moving, kicking and hiccupping constantly, and Monica looks like she’s swallowed a basketball (love you honey!). We’ve just finished painting Noah’s room and are getting things ready for his arrival. Two weeks ago we attended a birthing class and new parents class where we learned how to bathe, swaddle and change babies. Parenting is going to be a piece of cake if Noah is anything like the dolls we changed.

Thank you all for your prayers over the past year for our family. We look forward to sharing photos and the joys of Noah’s arrival in the coming weeks.

Love Ryan and Monica

What week is it?

According to our first ultrasound (at Week 9) our due date was set for May 3 which puts us at Week 29. We had another ultrasound this past Thursday and discovered that Noah is growing right on track, in fact he’s a little further along than the first ultrasound indicated. That would put us at Week 30 and a possible due date of April 24. Ryan and I can’t wait to hold him as I’m sure many of you are excited was well.

We were so excited to be able to see our little soccer star this past week. We got to see him yawn and his cute little baby face. In one shot he was stretching his legs, the next he had a foot behind his ear. It’s no joke that he is constantly on the move and that has us a little concerned as to how much he’ll be moving once he’s born. Not to mention if we’ll have to limit his sugar intake! This last Thursday Noah weighed a healthy 3.3 lbs. At that rate, the doctor said, he will be more than 8 lbs if we go to our May due date.

As promised, here are a couple 3D shots from our ultrasound.

Baby Registry Completed

Ryan and I had the privilege of taking six-month portraits of our friends' son this past weekend. Ryan did most of the work. Well, all of it in fact. I just got to enjoy the company and the joy of being around a happy baby. I am sure that little Noah will have no shortage of photos for his scrapbook!

We have finally completed our baby registry, thankfully. The internet is a wonderful tool! It took two Saturday's at the store to start and complete the process. On the first trip I went with my sister Lauren and her two-year-old son, Hayden. He was amazingly good considering how long we were hanging out at Babies R Us (about three hours). Hayden was in control of the scanner and helped me scan items we thought his new cousin might like. Afterwards we celebrated with some ice cream where Hayden proceeded to make a friends with the girl next to us. He's only two and already he knows where to go to find a girlfriend!

Ryan joined me for the second trip which was about another four hours between Target and Babies R Us. That was a long time for both of us to be on our feet, keep in mind Ryan just had knee surgery a little over a month ago. I was glad to have his input on strollers, car seats and furniture. It was a little overwhelming to have four aisles of car sets to choose from. Why do we need so many choices?

We'd like to thank everyone who left a comment on our blog or emailed us with their suggestions. It was really helpful to have that information before we started registering. Here are links to the stores we registered at:

Target Registry
Babies R Us Registry
JcPenny Registry (furniture and comforter set)

This Thursday we will celebrate week 29 of our pregnancy with a follow up Level 2 ultrasound. We can't wait to see Noah. He has certainly been a busy body!