MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Our first Christmas as a family was absolutely wonderful! We had a few busy days that were spent with wonderful family! Thursday Adi and I went to Aunt Missy's and spent the entire day there! I had to finish up some shopping so Adi hung out with Auntie while I ran to town! Then, on Friday it was off to Grama and Grapa Thompson's where Adi was given so many wonderful gifts from Grama, Grapa, Great-Grama Vollenweider, Aunt Robin & Uncle Bob & Aunt Tanya!

I must say, I think her favorite gift came from Uncle Bob...here first Dallas Cowboys toddler baseball cap!!!! Of course, this will fit much better in a couple years...but we are still excited to have it!!!!

Adi's first pair of Christmas Jammies for Christmas morning!!!

Then Christmas morning mommy, daddy and Adi all spent the morning together enjoying our first Christmas as a family and talked about how incredibly lucky we are to have each other and our precious baby girl! What more could anyone ask for?....Nothing! We have a healthy baby girl and know how blessed we are to have her in our lives! With that being said, Adi got sooo many presents from Mommy & Daddy AND of course, Santa...

Saturday we were off to Aunt Melissa & Uncle Aaron's for Christmas with Grama & Grapa Robson, Great-Grama Harwood, Aunt Melissa, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Shanna and all the cousins...there, Adi also made out well and now has waaay more clothes than her momma and daddy put together, I think!!! HAHA! :)

Adi in her Christmas dress that Grama & Grapa Robson got her!

Our first Christmas as our perfect little family!

(and oh how my husband will never hear the end of it for wearing a "Big Buck Down" t-shirt! Grrrr!)

8 Weeks

Yes...crazy as it may sound...our baby girl is 8 weeks old today! Neither of us can believe it has been that long already! Which means...bad news bears for me...returning to work on January 3rd! Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Pridham and I love my job, BUT, no more lounging around the house all day in our jammies or waking up when Miss Adi wakes...back to setting the alarm and not only getting myself ready, but Adi ready too! Wow, this will be an adjustment! I'm thinking maybe next week we take a test run! But with Nick getting up so early, I can get up when he does, get ready and then wake little princess to get her ready!

Adi's baptism was a success and although Nick's family from Michigan was unable to make it since they were down December 11th & 12th but since church was cancelled on the 12th due to the snow storm, we didn't expect for them to make the long drive back down! Not only was Adi baptized, but mommy was also baptized which was very special for me to get to do with her! Lots of family attended and we could not have been more happy!!! A good friend of Auntie Melissa's made us a GORGEOUS cake and cupcakes and let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS!

God Bless Adelyn!

Happy Baby

Adelyn has been bouncing from 3 ounces to 3 1/2 ounces to 4 ounces but wasnt drinking 4 ounces very often, only time to time. Well 2 days ago I decided enough was enough and started filling all of her bottles to 4 ounces! She is still drinking breast milk exclusively but I pump all day and night and only allow her on the breast 1-2 times per day which seems to be working great for my supply and helping with blocked ducts too! Okay...back on subject...she is now drinking 4 ounces and this morning she sucked her 4 ounces down in record time...and after she was done, let me tell you...I had the happiest baby....ENJOY!!! I know I enjoyed every smile and giggle and dimple...it was soooo cute!!!!!

And giggle, giggle, giggle! :)

Adi was so excited she started sticking out her tongue! hehehehe! :)

Okay Mommy...my cheeks are getting tired so I will still smile but can't giggle anymore!!! :)

Happy Birthday from my Husband

Yesterday was my 27th birthday and my husband made it so special for me! We actually got to go out for a very nice dinner, just the two of us which was really great! Thank you Aunt Missy for coming to watch Adi for us! But, this was still a bit rough for me! When we got to about the salads in our meal, I grabbed my phone to text Melissa to see how our little princess was doing, BUT, Nick stopped me and told me/reassured me that Melissa would call if she needed ANYTHING from me! My oh my...to run and errand here and there doesnt bother me, but for some reason for me to go out with my husband bothered me, as if I was leaving her for 3 weeks or something...it was only 3 hours! Not that being with my husband was BAD...that was very nice, but I think just leaving her for us to go have fun without her is what bothers me! Anyway...now I know the feeling I hear from moms all the time about how hard it is to leave your child.

By doing this, going out to dinner that is, raised a big huge flag in my face that I only have 2 more weeks off of work BUT am so so so so thankful that I am able to take Adi to work with me! That is until she is running around taking her clothes off and being sassy at the office! LOL :) Time will tell how well we adjust to this! But, I know so many of my co-workers are looking forward to having her there...that is a GREAT feeling!

I have also realized that I have about 100 nicknames for our child and they are kinda fun so I have to share some of them...

pretty pretty princess ~ we sing this over and over and over and she smiles EVERY single time!!!!

munchkin

stinky

gassy

punkin

punky

baby girl

sassy britches

and there are more to come...

I am a firm believer that you can't spoil a baby under 6 months of age, BUT, you can get them in a routine and unfortunately this "routine" we have at night is beginning to take its toll on Daddy! Little Miss Adi seems to ONLY want to go to sleep for Daddy at night and that is only if he is holding her in the rocking chair SNORING HIS BUTT OFF!!! I am telling you...I have no idea how she sleeps through it, or for that matter, WHY she wants to sleep through it, but it does the trick! It must be that he snores SO loud that the vibrations put her to sleep! Only she knows I guess! But hey, if it works, I'm game! Now Daddy...not so much! :) And, as I type this I wish you all could hear him sawing logs and Miss Adi is sound asleep, mouth WIDE open!!!! :)

On that note...I love my husband and baby girl so much...GOOD NIGHT! :)

1 Week Gone...very scary

Well, last week it was shots for our poor baby girl...now this week, Saturday, we found 3 little lumps on the back of Adi's head! Now, we tried to keep a positive mindset for these lumps because whenever anyone has a lump, we all know the first thing that comes to mind but I am not even going to say it! Right away Monday morning I called Dr. Murray's office to get an appointment for Adi. They are so good to us and got us in on Tuesday because Dr. Murray is not in the office on Mondays!

Everything is FINE! Thank goodness! Dr. Murray explained to us that there are 20-30 lymph nodes on the back of her head, kind of at the base of the skull and from time to time this lymph nodes swell up...especially if there has been an infection. Well, she hasn't had any illnesses, BUT, she did begin to get a bit of cradle cap, which Dr. Murray said can cause these to swell because her body is telling her that the cradle cap is like an infection, even though it's NOT an infection! Also, with Adi getting her shots last week and getting a fever, that could have caused these lumps to swell as well! Any way we look at it...even though it is VERY normal, Nick and I feel so much better taking her to the Dr. to have this checked out! Oh how much we love her!

God is so good to us!

3 Shots

Poor Adi had to have 3 shots yesterday at her 6 week checkup! Now...I was NOT prepared to have her shots yesterday as I thought she was getting them at 8 weeks but they said it was fine to do them yesterday rather than us have to truck up to Sauk City again in 2 weeks! Me, just hearing the words shots, I started crying and continued crying pretty much until we left the clinic! All was okay as she slept for 4 hours after getting the shots...BUT, when she woke up, there was no calming her except for her to lay on mommy's chest for 2 1/2 hours! Now this meant a little nap for mommy too, so not all that bad! At about 10:00 p.m. the fever set in...now, I know this is normal, but I was still worried sick! Baby Tylenol, here we come and I have given it to her 2 times today as I want to be sure she isn't feeling icky! Daddy didn't get really any sleep as I FINALLY got to sleep at about midnight and she woke up at about 12:10 so daddy got up with her for awhile...little did I know (because I was in dream land) daddy was up with her until 2:30a.m.! I woke up at 4a.m. realizing I hadn't pumped since 9:30 p.m. so OUCH...I needed to get up! 4 hours of sleep later...I was ready for bed again...but NOPE, little princess wanted food! Since this was the time for daddy to get up for work...5 a.m., I let him get her and feed her while I cleaned up a few things!

Sorry for the ramble...guess I had to let everyone know how terrible I felt making her get so many shots!

AND...the GREAT NEWS...She has gained more weight...10 pounds 4 ounces, 22 1/2 inches long! Her dr. explained that she is long therefore her weight isnt going up quite as fast as it should, but all is okay...she is a healthy, happy (except for those darn shots) baby! :)

4 Week Sneak Peak Pictures

Okay...so, I debated and debated and DEBATED on whether or not to get Adelyn's newborn pictures taken by the same photographer who shot our wedding, but after much debate I just couldn't take it anymore and HAD to get them done! Well, today we got our "sneak peak" of 1 of the pictures Jolene took and let me tell you...the money is WELL worth it! I am soooo glad we decided to have them done...and this is only ONE picture we have gotten to see! We can't wait to see the rest of them...my oh my how will we choose!?!?...

Here is our sweet, peaceful angel...

Life is great, we truly are so blessed to have this little girl in our lives!

200 Cookies...

This weekend was great fun as my mom, sister Shanna & sister Melissa all trucked their way through the snow to my house to make Christmas cookies! 8 batches later...and 200 cookies...WAIT...more like 500 cookies later, the job was finished! All day Saturday and frosting into Sunday, we made it happen! It was a lot of fun and we had a lot of laughs but let me tell ya, we were definitely ready to be finished after 8 hours!

Tomorrow is my 6 week postpartum checkup with Dr. Schad! I CANNOT believe it is here already! I am doing really well...the first 4 weeks or so were pretty rough but I am about 90% now! If I lift something REALLY heavy, I definitely feel it at my incision site but other than that, things are getting back to normal! Today, Monday, marked the when I should return to work discussion...as fast as it may seem, I am looking forward to getting back to a normal routine! This lounging around in pajamas all day is great, but I need to be getting more productive! And, some may think I am crazy for wanting to go back to work BUT Pridham Electronics is THE best place to work and I get to take Miss Adelyn to work with me! We will set it up so she can be by me in her bouncy seat or in her sling on mommy or in the bassinet sleeping in the spare office which they are now calling the nursery! Now THAT is a great place to work! Hopefully before I go back which wont be until at least after the first of the year I will be able to do some work from home!

Also...here is an updated picture of my sweet great-nephew Bentley! He is doing so great! He is in his own crib now, no isolette anymore! He has now hit 6 pounds!!!!! So amazing this little boy is!!!!

Beautiful Snow!

The first snowfall of the year is in the books...well, almost in the books...it is still snowing and it is so beautiful outside! The white snow sure does beat the ugly brown color of everything that died for the winter!!! When Adi woke up at 2:30a.m. I didn't think we were going to get the amount of snow the weathermen were calling for as we only had about 2 inches at that time, BUT, mother nature knew we needed our 5-6 inches so she came through for us! Hopefully Nick will have enough time after work and then plowing to get the snowmobiles out for us to take a short little ride around the house! My thumb is starting to warm up to push that throttle!!!!! :)

Today is going to be a great day also as mom, Melissa & Shanna are coming to make Christmas cookies with us! I was hoping the snow wouldn't stop us and sure enough, it's not! Christmas cookie baking, here we come!!! :) Now if I can keep Grammy & aunties on the task of baking or if I will have to take Adi upstairs to hang out with momma for awhile.

Speaking of Miss Adi...she is becoming so much more alert every single day. She is smiling and cooing and just a joy! Even though the poor girl is having her belly issues, she is still such a happy baby! We truly are so blessed to have her in our lives!

New Washer & Dryer

FINALLY...after using an apartment size washer and dryer that holds approximately 2 pairs of Nick's pants and 1 sweatshirt OR 2 t-shirts, today is FINALLY the day we get our NEW FRONT LOAD, MAXIMUM CAPACITY washer and dryer installed! Yes, I sent Nick out with the crazy people last Friday morning for Black Friday to save us $1,000 on our new set!

As excited as I am, my mom is super super excited as she has been helping us with our laundry while I have been healing from my c-section! Thank goodness I am now back in working order and can do pretty much everything myself now! But, I still like for mom to come hang out with us girls...as Miss Adi sure does adore her Grammy! :)

I am also super excited as today I finally get to go visit Bentley again! I haven't been able to see him since before I delivered Adi as I was in no shape, as you can see from the pictures I posted of me pregnant, to be wandering around the huge hospital! I also get to go shopping for his baby shower today too! Even though I wont be making it to the shower, shopping is still always a joy, especially when it is for babies!! :)

1 MONTH OLD!!!!!

Time flies when you are having fun! The first couple weeks were trying, I'm not going to lie BUT, now that mommy is healing fast it is getting easier! Our schedules are not on all the time but we do try very hard to keep Adi on the same nightly routine which starts between 7:30 & 8:30 p.m. depending on her feeding schedule which seems to be working very well! The first month of her life has been the BEST month of our lives! It has been a bit difficult for daddy trying to get in his hunting time and family time but we have managed and look forward to every minute more we get with her! Before we know it we will be taking her 2 month pictures. Adi did go have her 4 week pics taken by the photographer we used for our wedding...we cannot wait to share them with you...they are absolutely PRECIOUS!

OUR BABY IS 1 MONTH OLD!

Poor baby girl didn't have a choice to wear this hat or not...so she stuck her tongue out at her daddy!

Pictures of our Sweet Baby Girl!!!!

Our little princess taking a little nap after her FIRST 4 ounce bottle!
And when she woke up...this is how alert she was!
Our sleepy angel!
Grammy snuggling with her granddaughter!!! :)

SOOOO BIG! :)

Deer Season

This past weekend was CRAZY busy as we had people at the house all day long both Saturday and Sunday! Thank goodness for Aunt Melissa coming to help me out for the weekend as Nick was pretty much out of commission all weekend...if that's what you call sitting in a tree stand for hours and hours and hours! :)

I was ready for a nice calm Monday as all the guys or MOST of the guys head back to work so there aren't unknown vehicles coming in and out all day and night! That can get pretty hard when you are trying to pump breast milk! Next time I will for sure be locking the door and saying "use the grass!" HAHA! I am just teasing, but, it would be funny!

Adelyn is trying to decide how much she wants to grow as we are transitioning from 3-4 ounces on an as needed basis with her! She just cant seem to decide which she wants...3...or 4, therefore, her sleep schedule has been thrown off! It seems if she only eats the 3 oz. she wants to eat in 2-3 hours, but if she eats the 4 oz. she will hold off to 3-4 hours! Time will tell! I give her a day or two to be up to 4 oz. consistently!

Back to see Dr. Murray tomorrow for a checkup with Adelyn...just to check on her weight and bowel movements! Hopefully everything goes well and this phase is just her belly trying to make it in the real world! :)

Visitors

It has been so much fun the past week as we have had lots of visitors and have enjoyed every minute of it! Yesterday Harry, JoEllen, Elly & Lorelai came down to visit which was quite the journey for them as their 1 1/2 hour drive turned out to be a 3 1/2 hour drive, but we are so glad they decided to continue on to us and not give up and go home! Thank you to them for the cutest diaper bag EVER and the 2 books I am sure I will keep close to me at all times! Cousins, friends and family have been coming by to visit also and it has been wonderful!

This weekend is opening gun season so Aunt Missy is coming to stay with myself and Adelyn as we wont be seeing much of daddy this weekend...BUT, that is okay because he needs daddy time too! :) Us girls will have fun!

Adelyn is doing great! When she is awake she is becoming more and more alert and looking around and starting to make little cooing noises but then I think hears herself and kind of wonders what the heck was that!?! HAHA! :) It is so cute!

Although, today could be interesting as Adelyn let mommy and daddy sleep for FIVE HOURS straight last night but then decided to get up at 3 a.m. and stay wide-eyed until about 4:30 at which time I put her back in her crib to only have daddy's alarm clock go off at 5 a.m. and wake her up again...so back downstairs to change her pants and feed her again! I might need to take a nap at some point in this day! Thank goodness for Aunt Shanna bringing me a cappuccino and hanging out with us girls this morning! More visitors are on their way today!

She always has to sleep with her arms up by her head...just like her momma!!! :)

3 Week Checkup

Today was Adelyn's 3 week checkup, which, she will be 3 weeks tomorrow! YIKES! How time flies! Anyway...the appointment went well except she isnt gaining weight like her pediatrician would like! She is still 9lbs. 3oz. but a week and a half ago she was 9lbs so she should be close to 10lbs by now! This is not a worry to Dr. Murray as she is still very satisfied and not crying all the time so we have another check next week! Adelyn has has very loose stools the last 5 days or so, so Dr. Murray thinks this is the reason for minimal weight gain! She is still in the 75-90% range for her weight, length and head circum. so there is still no need to worry!

We are to call back in on Thursday to follow up to be sure she is on the down hill slide of things and if not, Dr. Murray will have us go in again on Thursday to culture her stool!

I must add that I need to say a HUGE thank-you to all of our family members who have come to help us out the last 2 weeks! We dont know what we would have done without you and cant thank you enough for everything you have done for us and continue to do for us! Mom and Melissa who have come to stay overnight with us so we can get some rest has been AWESOME! Again, THANK YOU so very much for everything!

Here are some more pictures of our sweet angel...

Adi with Daddy November 2, 2010 with his buck he shot November 1, 2010!!!

Daddy & Adi at a 2 a.m. feeding November 14, 2010!!! :)

2 Weeks Old!

2 WEEKS!!!!

WOW! Last Wednesday, November 10th our little princess was 2 weeks old! My how incredibly trying those 2 weeks were but at the same time the 2 best weeks of our lives being able to watch our little girl grow! It is amazing what 1 day, let alone 2 weeks can do to a baby!

Mommy is a little camera happy with her and have already printed almost 300 pictures! You can never have enough, right!?!? Well, I guess I dont think so because I still have about 100 more to print! Adelyn is such a great baby! We are working on TRYING to get some sort of schedule down for her but this is only working for us at bedtime...but hey, bedtime is a good time to get into routine! We get her washed down face, hands, belly, legs, feet & bottom and then rub her down with some nighttime lotion which all gets started at 8 p.m.! Then, we get her night feeding in which is daddy's job because mommy pumps at the same time...again, trying to get this schedule down! This entire process has been going well and all of us are in bed and snoozing away by about 9:15-9:30! Miss Adi is liking this routine as she usually will sleep until about 1:30 a.m.! Those 4 hours are very nice because at 2 a.m. she doesnt like to go back to sleep and mommy and daddy take turns occupying her time until she snoozes again! Then, when daddy gets up to go to work between 4:30 & 6 a.m. the stinker will wake up, eat and USUALLY go back to sleep for mommy...this not the case every day and those 4:30 a.m. mornings really are kicking mommy's butt!

Tomorrow we have Adelyn's 3 week checkup and we are interested to see how she is doing! I do have a few questions for her pediatrician but I am sure some of them are just the "new mommy" crazy questions but I dont care, I am still asking! HAHA! :) I will post new pictures soon...until then...we thank God every day for this blessing he has given us and pray that he keeps us all safe and gives us the strength to continue to grow and learn with our precious baby girl!

October 27, 2010

The greatest day of our lives...we heard the words "IT'S A.....GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" We welcomed Adelyn Jo Thompson into this world Wednesday, October 27, 2010 @ 7:55 p.m.! Here is our story for the day...

We were scheduled to be induced Wednesday morning at 7:30a.m. because I was so uncomfortable/miserable with back pains! So we arrived at the hospital to hear that I was already contracting about 5 minutes apart but I was in so much pain I didnt even know I was contracting! Dr. Schad came in to check on me at about 8:30 a.m. at which time he broke my water! WOW! That is a funny feeling! HAHA! Before giving me any medication thru my IV he wanted to see how I would do on my own for 2 hours. At 10:30 I had dialated from 2cm at 8:30a.m. to 3cm at 10:30 a.m. so the pitocin got started!

As much as I wanted to go without an epidural as long as possible (using the epi was NEVER out of the question for me...it was just a last resort) at about 4-5cm my back labor was so unbearable that Kurt, my newest love for that day came and gave me my epidural! Oh so sweet it was! Now, it wasnt an easy task as I believe I had to be poked 5 times because my back was so tense/tight that he was having a hard time placing it! But, the 5 pokes was definately worth it!

After the epi was in place, I felt a million times better for about an hour and a half...but, I went from being dialated at 5cm to 7cm to 10cm in about 45 minutes! The ever so sweet and scary words "IT'S TIME TO PUSH!" came out Dr. Schad's mouth! YEAH! We are finally going to meet our precious little one! After getting the hang of pushing I pushed and pushed and pushed, she moved a little bit, but not much! After 2 hours of solid pushing Dr. Schad realized that my back labor was so excrutiating that he decided we have 3 options....keep pushing, try the forceps or have a C-Section. Well, C-Section in my book was absolutely last resort so I kept pushing while he got the forceps ready. Very very very carefully Dr. Schad put the forceps in place and told me that he was going to try to move the baby with my pushing through the next contraction. So, I pushed 4 times to the count of 10 and when the contraction was over, Dr. Schad removed the forceps and gave us the heartbreaking news that the baby did not even budge even a little bit so he wanted me in for a C-Section immediately!

I was so upset, but thank god for my wonderful husband reassuring me that everything was going to be fine and before we know it we will meet our son or daughter! I dont know what I would have done without him there with me! I was soooooo scared!

Nick was getting his scrubs on while I was getting more meds through my epidural and Dr. Schad so kindly let Nick know that he was trying to put his hat on his feet! That got the mood a little lighter as we were all laughing! Before I knew it I was being wheeled down the hall to the operating room WITHOUT Nick! Yikes! But, as soon as I was all settled, in he came and sat right by my head holding my hand the entire time! Before I knew it Dr. Schad was slicing me open and told us in 5-7 minutes we would be meeting our baby!

Pretty soon, Dr. Schad was singing happy birthday (and he DID sing the ENTIRE song) and we heard the first cry! Oh my god, we waited and waited until the song was done and heard the greatest words in the world.... "IT'S A GIRL!!!!!" It was mine and Nick's special moment after that and I wont share that as it is our memory for us 2 to have for the rest of our lives! But, I can say that I now know what every parent says when they say there is no feeling like being a parent in the world and I totally agree! Words cannot describe it!

After Adelyn Jo Thompson was taken to be weighed and bathed and checked over by Dr. Grade, Nick went with her to announce to all of our family & friends waiting to hear the news while Dr. Schad fixed me up! After awhile Dr. Grade came back to the operating room...when he walked in he said okay...what are your guesses on her size?! All of the nurses started saying 8 lbs, 8lbs 2oz, etc. and Dr. Schad said 8lbs. 4 oz.! Dr. Grade shook his head, NOPE, 9 POUNDS 5 OUNCES and 20 1/2 inches long! I really wish I could have recorded the responses...nobody could believe she was that big!!! So...without completing a novel, here is a couple pictures of our precious angel sent to us from above...

Adi & Mommy as soon as I got back to my room from the operating room!

Dr. Schad, the greatest OB in the world with Adi (1 day old)!

Miss Adi in her first camo dress (6 days old)...

During her first bath at home (10 days old)...

Daddy feeding Adi for the first time (10 days old)

37 Week & 39 Week Pictures

I have been lacking in the picture downloading department as of lately, BUT, I have taken pictures so here ya go....

37 WEEKS (Wednesday, October 6, 2010)

39 WEEKS (Wednesday, October 20, 2010)

I look a bit more chipper and "cuter" in the 37 week picture...but I also felt better! There is no more room left in this belly of mine, so if anyone has any suggestions on how to make this baby come on Monday, I would greatly appreciate it! I cant have this baby this weekend as Dr. Schad has informed us that it is his weekend off and he is going out of town! HOW DARE HIM!!! HAHAHA :)

Checkup

Well...it is official...I have made it to 39 weeks! OB appointment with Dr. Schad went well yesterday. This is what happened...

Dr. Schad decided to check me to see if I have progressed any since last weeks appointment....NOPE! Nothing! I am the same as last week EXCEPT the babies head has moved further down into my pelvis to -1 station (you can see babies head at about +3 station he said) which explains my EXTREME discomfort when walking and explains my back pain as the baby is sitting right on my spinal cord basically!

We discussed our options and our only option this week was to have Dr. Schad strip my membranes which is NOT fun but totally worth the discomfort if it actually puts me into labor! Dr. Schad said that the stripping of the membranes will work within a couple days if my body is ready to go into labor, if my body isnt ready, it could still be weeks! Well...weeks it will NOT be as IF I havent gone into labor by next weeks appointment we will be discussing me being induced! I would much rather go into labor on my own but since that isnt happening, I will be induced if I need to be!

Babies heartbeat was random in the 130's and Dr. Schad estimated that the baby is about the mid 8 pound range! Yep...looks like we will have a monster size baby on our hands compared to our little peanut Bentley! LOL :)

Until next time...hopefully we will be posting a picture of our sweet baby boy or girl!

Life Is Great...

Well, the last few days have been interesting...

Friday night Nick & I went to the hospital to see Kari & Derrik's new little bundle, Brayden Michael! He weighed in at a whopping 7lbs. 2oz. and was 19 inches long! The very first thing Nick said when he held him was WOW he is huge compared to Clifton, who was 5 lbs. something! And, might I add this is before he got to meet Mr. Bentley Duane who was born at 1lb. 12oz.!

Saturday I got to go see Kodie play in his football game that he lost...BUMMER...but, he still did an awesome job! They just werent in sync that day! :( But then got to watch the Badger football game Saturday night and that was AWESOME! :) So not too much going on that day! I was pretty whooped after the game and going out to eat with Melissa AND doing a little shopping also!

Sunday was our big day...Uncle Nick got to meet Bentley for the first time! He was AMAZED at how little he is and told me he will feel much better when he can hold him!!!! But even bigger news, Aunt Sammy got to stick her hand in this little house and let him hold onto my finger...let me tell you...for a little fella, just under 3lbs now (AMAZING!!!!) he sure does have a grip on him! When he grabbed ahold I actually jumped because I wasnt expecting that! He opened his eyes right up and looked right at me! That is a moment I will cherish forever as that little boy is such a fighter and amazes me more and more every single day! He truly is a miracle baby and proves it to all of us every day!

We are so excited for Bentley to keep gaining and gaining and gaining the weight and before we know it he will probably be kicking our little ones butt!!! HAHAHA! :)

I am not doing the best...so very uncomfortable every minute of every day, but, tomorrow is our 39 week checkup so I will keep everyone posted!

Very soon it will be over...

My goodness I have been so lucky up until about 2 weeks ago with this pregnancy...all has gone well other than some swelling issues but, let the uncomfortable pain begin! Life as I know it consists of pain, pain and more pain these days! I know it is all worth it and I really try my hardest to keep a positive attitude but this little bugger is causing major chaos on his or her momma's pelvis! Tuesday was our OB appointment with Dr. Schad and he checked me to tell me that I was almost 100% effaced, 1-2 cm dialated (STILL) and the babies head is down and engaged! No wonder I feel like I have been riding a horse for a weeks straight! All of these things are good signs but really mean nothing other than my body is preparing for labor but no idea when! Could be today, could be tomorrow, could be next week, I could even go over my due date! Hopefully that doesnt happen as I know this will be the most painful thing I have ever endured in my life, but I also know that it is so worth it to have that little price or princess in our arms to love more than anything in this world!

Oh...AND...babies heartbeat was 155bpm! No wives tale for this little one! :)

Hopefully I wont be writing for a few days as I am praying labor begins soon!

Almost 38 Weeks

Will it ever end!? This is the thought that keep rolling through my mind every day as it is more challenging even getting myself out of bed in the morning! Well, Dr. Schad gave me some promising news today at my 38 week appointment...I am still only dialated to 1 cm(actually 1-2cm but the books read 1, so that's what Im going with), almost 100% effaced and the babies head is down and engaged in the pelvis! What does this mean!? This means ANY day we are going to get to meet our little one! IT IS ABOUT TIME! Daddy thinks it's too soon yet as he has some hunting to be done before he or she arrives so he is trudging out in this heat to sit in his stand to get eaten alive by bugs!

Dr. Schad took a guess as to the size of the baby and he guessed him or her to be upper 7's (pounds), lower 8's (pounds)! His words...you are going to have a big healthy baby! I love the healthy baby part but the "big" doesnt enthuse me to much! :)

I will get pictures up of my 37wk and 38wk belly very soon...OR, maybe a picture of this baby! :) Lets keep our fingers crossed that this happens SOON!

37 WEEKS!!!!!!

Today we are 37 weeks! WOW! I really cant believe that our lives will forever change in a matter of days or weeks! We are so happy, anxious and excited words cannot even describe what we are truly feeling!

We had our 37 week appointment with our OB, Dr. Schad today and all is great! He gave us the option of being "checked" to see if we have dialated more than the 1-2 we were last week but we opted against it! When it is supposed to happen, it will happen! We measured right on 37 weeks and babies heartbeat was 145-148 beats per minute!

We are looking ahead at the calendar and think it would be awesome for our baby to have a birthdate of 10-10-10 but only God knows what he has in store for us! What he has planned for us is unknown and we know he a wonderful plan for us!

Til next time...

Our ALMOST new Bathroom!!!

I have been meaning to get some before and after pictures up of the AWESOME new bathroom but before pictures are going to have to do for now as it is not COMPLETELY finished due to waiting for us to get our new washer and dryer and not wanting to botch up the trim while trying to place them in their spot!

The finished product to be unveiled soon!!!! :)

36Weeks

Well yesterday we hit the big milestone of 36 weeks! We have had a wonderful pregnancy and can't complain so I guess we expected a bump in the road at some point! Monday night I started feeling faint, nauseous, dizzy, shaky, crampy, etc.! So I layed down and went to bed, well the night didnt help and I still felt all of these things on Tuesday so by Tuesday afternoon I decided it was time to call my OB, Dr. Schad, and he wanted to see me right away! Well, I couldnt see him so I got to see the other OB on call, Dr. Welsh, which was kind of nice because she will be the one delivering if Dr. Schad is not available (but I have threatened him that he is not allowed to take ANY vacations through October, so Im hoping he will make it in time for us :)!


Anyway...Dr. Welsh's best guess was that we are getting ready for birth which could mean 1 day or could mean 4 weeks, it all depends! Well, she wanted to check me to see if the babies head was down in position and also to see if we had any progress...I was 1-2cm dialated & 70% effaced! Well, this is exciting news, but really doesnt mean anything...now if I continue to dialate, obviously I would be in labor! Dr. Welsh told me to go home and get some rest and if I was still feeling icky on Wednesday to come back to see Dr. Schad...so, I did just that! Dr. Schad saw me and said no offense Sam but you look terrible and put me on "prescribed rest" for the rest of the week and thinks I may have a virus and this is why I have all of these icky symptoms. No work until Monday and we will go back and see him next Wednesday when he will check me again and at which time I will be 37 weeks and FULL-TERM!!!!! WOW!


Anyway...sorry about the TERRIBLE look...I am feeling just terrible, but I still had to have my 36 weeks picture to show everyone the exploding belly!

What a Weekend!

Well this weekend brought me lots of pain but lots of fun! WHEW! Friday night I took it easy and stayed home and rested knowing very well Saturday was going to be a LOOOONG day for me, while Nick went to our friend Jeff D.'s birthday party!

Saturday was off to the Badger Football game with Nick, Lori L. and Luke! We also got to give 2 tickets to Lil Duane & Duane so we got to meet up with them for a bit before the game as well! We were lucky ducks and Lori won tailgate passes with all you can eat & drink priviledges so 9 a.m. we were there ready to roll! Not many Badger fans understand the words "Virgin Mary" as Lori had to stick up for me for NOT drinking the Vodka! HAHA! :) But, Lori & Nick drank plenty of that for Luke and I! Around game time I was having some contractions and decided it is time to head into the game to maybe relax alittle! Badgers gave a good butt whoopin to Austin Peay 70-3!!! Off to Lori's house we went for some snacks & drinks after the game! It was a GREAT day! But, I came to the conclusion that my year of football games is over...too much for this momma to handle being 9 months pregnant!

Sunday was a day of some cleaning, shopping and visiting with Auntie Melissa! She spoils our little one so much! We cant thank her enough for everything!

Bentley

I have to share some precious pictures of our sweet great-nephew Bentley and his amazing momma we are so very proud of!

Bentley with BOTH of his eyes open!!!

Proud Momma getting to hold Bentley while the nurses clean his "home" or isollette!

Momma getting to kiss her baby boy before he goes back "home"!!!!

Please keep saying prayers for this amazing little boy! He is such a little fighter and we are all so very proud and cannot wait until the day comes (months down the road) home!!! :)

Hugs & Kisses Hannah & Bentley!

Love,

Great-Uncle Nick, Great-Auntie Sammy & Baby T

35 Weeks

WOW! Only 5 weeks to go! I say 4 because I picked the date of October 20th, but time will tell! No Dr. Schad appointment this week but last weeks appointment went well...babies heart rate was low again...about 130 bpm! Next week begins the weekly treks to see Dr. Schad! I have been having some pretty extreme lower back pains but I had lower back pains BEFORE I got pregnant so it was to be expected! This baby is riding high as sometimes my lower belly gets jiggly because ALL of the baby is curled up right under mommies chest! Nick tries his hardest to get the baby to move for me by having "daddy talks" with him or her, but that most of the time only makes it worse as then the baby kicks my ribs like he or she is almost saying..."na na na boo boo, you cant get me in here!" HAHA! :) It is all wonderful! Through the pain he or she still brings a smile to momma's face!

As you all know, Bentley is still doing well and opened BOTH of his eyes last night!! He is truly an amazing, miracle baby boy and I am such a proud aunt & great-aunt! We love you Hannah & Bentley, God Bless you both! Our prayers are with you EVERY single day! :)

Baby Guessing Game!

Read below to learn how it all got started...

"Well...I have stolen yet ANOTHER great idea from our great friends Harry & JoEllen whom are expecting their 3rd baby in January...thank goodness for all of her great ideas for her babies because now we are getting to use them for ours...I dont think she minds though...

Anywho...now that pretty much everyone has seen me and I am 31 weeks along tomorrow, I will be delivering in the next couple months and REALLY want everyone's guesses as to whether this baby is going to be a boy or girl and why you think that...

So...put on your thinking caps and reply to me with all of your fun guesses! I cant wait to read them!"

So...here are the guesses I have received to date...you still have time everyone so if you arent on this list, email me your guesses...

GIRL~

Tonia - "I think that it is going to be a girl... Just because I want to be able to hand down all of aliah's cute outfits... I even have some camo ones!"

Pam - "Well I think you are having a little girl and also think you will deliver before your due date. No reason, just what I’m thinking!"

Soon-to-be Auntie Tanya - "Ok, Well here goes.....my guess is a girl. The reason I'm guessing a girl is not because of heartbeat or the way you're carrying this little one. It's because I can see a "Daddy's Little Girl" and she'll have Nick wrapped around her finger the second he holds her. I can just picture this little girl getting everything she wants including all of Dad's attention!!!!"

JoEllen - "girl; just b/c of the way you are carrying"

Soon-to-be- Auntie Shanna - "Girl – because we need another girl in the family & how you are carrying!"

Lori Lopez - "As you know it is a girl and has been since you told me you were expecting...It has been a gut feeling since day one...:)"

Ali - "Auntie Melissa put 50 bucks on it right now cuz your little sister is having a girl!"

Carrie Dahm - "You are having a girl! You are carrying like me and I'm having a girl!"

John J. - "I havent seen you for awhile but now that I have, you are having a girl!"

Angie - "I think the baby is going to be a girl! I have thought that since the day you told me you were pregnant! When I talk about you and the baby I always want to say "she"!"

Soon-to-be Auntie Lisa - " I'm going to say a girl because of the way you are carrying and that huge bubble butt, sorry Sam!!! I want you to have a girl. Make Auntie Lisa right and proud Baby T!!!"

Candi - " I think it NEEDS to be a boy so Clifton has a buddy to hang with. BUT, it NEEDS to be a girl because I need one to spoil since all I have is boys! Gut feeling says it's a GIRL!!!"

Chris Crawley - "I am a little to partial to Chris…but since it will be a girl Christine seems like a winner!"

Elly - "Elly has changed her mind and she thinks girl now!" (See her first guess below under boy!)

Barb - "After reading Matt’s reply to you I felt compelled to answer…Reasons it has to be a girl: 1)Balance of power in the office. Matt, Dustin, Jerry, Chris and Craig VS You, Lori, Cori, Lisa and me…so everything is balanced in OUR favor when your daughter arrives. 2)Because Matt needs supervision at all times and two female supervisors are better than one…besides which Matt is already over the edge. 3)Because even though Matt can teach the boy how to write his name in the snow…your daughter can teach Matt how to spell because we all know Matt can’t spell worth a darn. 4)Because two girls CAN get kicked out of Lambeau Field and your daughter will be the second one in your family to get the boot. It’s a terrible waste of good football tickets!"

BOY~

Aunt Iva - "I am going to guess it will be a boy!!"

Elly - "a boy like our friend Katie who had a boy...hey what his name...Jack Sam having a boy like Katie's Jack"

Aunt Shirley - "I think you are going to have a boy!!!"

Jessica - "I think you are having a boy :) I think this because you have been feeling great. And I would say the heartbeat, but that seems to be high now! I should just say twins...A boy and A girl :)"

Emma - "It's a boy because I know it is!"

Krista - "I say boy all the way!!! I don't think Nick is going to have the genes for a girl! Way too manly"

Brooke - "I'm going to go with a boy. And the best reasoning I can come up with is because if you have a girl, then Emma won't be your "little girl" anymore (not that you can't have more than one)."

Mom Robson - "boy~its in nicks family"

Soon-to-be Auntie Missy - "It's a boy! All in the butt! LOL!"

Lisa F. - "I think it’s going to be a boy because I’d kinda like it to be a girl and I NEVER get what I want!"

Kari - "Boy...just a gut feeling!"

Maureen - "It's a boy because I want you to have a girl!"

Uncle Aaron - "I havent thought about it but if I was to guess right now it is a boy cause if it was a girl you would have had a miserable time and a boy meets your strength & stubbornness!"

Craig Reis - "Boy – because you are going to name him after me. Aren’t you??"

Matt Cefalu - "Reasons it has to be a boy; 1.) Balance of power in the office. Me, Dustin, Jerry, Chris and the boy vs You, Barb, Lori ,Cori and Lisa. Five against five. 2.) Because having you and your daughter bossing me around all day would put me over the edge. 3.) Because I can teach the boy how to write his name in the snow. Please no long first names. 4.) Because two girls cant get kicked out of Lambeau Field and green and gold are boys colors."

Soon-to-be Auntie Robin - "Boy all the way! My gut is just telling me I am going to have another nephew!"

Steph - " Are you warm all the time or feel the same temp? If you ARE warm, I'm going with boy!"

ON THE FENCE~

Lorelai - "smiles"

Like I said...those of you who havent given me your guesses yet, you still have time!!!

We are PROUD GREAT-AUNTIE & UNCLE!!!!!!

We are so happy to say that Bentley Duane Pretsch made his big debut into the world today!!! At a whopping 1lb. 12oz. he screamed his way into this world! As he is still extremely small, we are still praying for him every minute of every day but are so positive that he is going to make it through the next couple months just fine!

Before we know it our little ones will be running around causing caos together and we cant wait to see that day!

We love you Hannah & Bentley and can't wait to meet you!

Prayers for Bentley...

The last week has been quite an emotional roller coaster ride for my niece Hannah and all of our families...as she wasn't expecting her little boy to arrive until December but He has other plans for them. Most of us know what is going on and have been praying every single day for Bentley Duane Pretsch to stay in his momma's belly just for another day and another and another...and here we are, 1 week later and the little guy is still in there bakin away! It is so wonderful that she has made it to 26 weeks so lets pray that she can make it a little bit longer to give our sweet baby Bentley an even more awesome start to life!

We were hoping our little one would be older than Hannah's, but it is looking like Great-Auntie Sammy & Great-Uncle Nick are going to have our sweet Great-Nephew before our little one arrives! They will be such great buddies and we cant wait til they can meet!

Please keep Hannah and baby Bentley in your prayers!!!!!

Labor Day

As the 3-day weekend is here and gone we had an eventful weekend! Friday night we got the crib put together and put in place! It is so beautiful! We LOVE it and can't wait to see our little one in it! :) We also got the changing table and got that all set up...thanks Ben & Jess!

Saturday I worked at home all day scrubbing down the bathroom as we are ALMOST FINALLY finished and then had a housewarming party for a co-worker friend of mine!!! So Nick had his taste of city living and didnt like it one bit! HAHA!

Sunday I went to visit mom, pops and grandma Harwood...and to do laundry of course! Thanks for all your help mom! Grandma Robson volunteered to wash all the bedding, blankets and clothes for us of the babies(as we wont have our washer and dryer until we get the bathroom finished completely)!!! That is a huge help as I dont feel comfortable taking our babies clothes to the laundry mat...I have seen some of the things people put in those washers...YUCK! haha! :)

Monday was Nick & I day...we didnt do much...just had a nice breakfast at home, got some shopping done, went for dinner and watched a movie! It was a nice break from the house even though we did shopping for the house and baby too of course!!

33 weeks this week on Wednesday...let the nesting begin!!!!!

32 Weeks & More Excitement Building...

Last night was yet another big night in the Thompson house...we FINALLY got our crib! Yes, we still have time but it is one of those things that we both MUST have done sooner than later! It is beautiful and we cant wait to get it all set up for our little one to grow with!

With that being said...today was our 32 week appointment and everything is looking GREAT! Babies heartbeat is strong and momma's not doing too shabby either! Our OB is still watching my swelling very closely because of course swelling means weight gain but I have kept steady at the same weight for 2 weeks so this is a GREAT sign! We pray every day for this humidity to go away and stay away as it is not helping me one bit! Yes, I know most of you will not be happy with me saying this, BUT, we are REALLY looking forward to the beautiful, white fluffy stuff known as snow! :)

We cant even begin to explain the excitement we are feeling but, my co-worker so kindly reminded me today that NEXT MONTH I will be a mommy and Nick will be a daddy and there is nothing in this world better than that!

We are truly so very blessed!

Great Friends...ALL Pregnant!

So I am not the only one pregnant in my little circle of friends and family...my niece Hannah is expecting in December, our GREAT friends Harry & JoEllen are expecting #3 in January and 2 other great friends of ours, Carrie & John are expecting in October and Derrik & Kari in October as well! So, we had a great time taking some belly shots with each other on Saturday so I thought I would share!

Baby Shower 8-21-10

Well...I can't believe that our baby shower is here and gone already! We received so many awesome gifts so now it is go time to get everything ready for our little ones arrival! Saturday marked a special occasion other than the baby shower too...we were 30weeks, 3days on saturday...SO, here you go...here is the belly shot!

Rocker Baby T...

YEAH! Today is Nick's 30th Birthday and we are 30 weeks along! I have a quick little story to share...when we got engaged December 2, 2009, Nick told me that night that he wanted to be married and have a baby by the time he was 30! Wishes really do come true...we were married before he turned 30 and although we dont have our sweetpea here to hold in our arms, it is ironic that we are 30 weeks along on his 30th birthday! So he says all his dreams have come true! Shhhh...dont tell him I told you! :)

Yesterday we had our 30 week appointment which went well...babies heartbeat was 150 and I am measuring right on! Still having the swelling issue that Dr. Schad is still concerned about so off to the dietician next week to see if we can pinpoint some foods that I am eating that are too salty! And, as much as my doctor hated to admit to this, he MAY have to cut my water intake back with me retaining so much water! Of course the downside to this would be that I then get dehydrated! So...now I am just keeping an eye on things I eat...going to add more fruits into my diet and cut out salt as much as possible!

We also had some other big news in the Thompson household...August 14, 2010, I, yes I because Nick wanted NOTHING to do with this, but, I took our baby to his/her first rock concert! HAHAHA! Band Camp 2010 was a success and got the baby completely rocking out in my belly! So much so that at one point, me and auntie shanna decided we should maybe head a bit further back in the crowd! Now, I know what some of you think...I did have this okayed with Dr. Schad and when I asked him if I could go, he laughed and said as long as you dont mind having an extremely active baby when you get home! Well, I think the baby had so much fun in my belly all day that he/she was completely wiped out and didnt move much all night long! I actually only had to go potty 1 time that night which is earth shattering compared to my normal 5, 6, 7 even 8 times! HAHA! :) Anyway...I am bound to get this baby to be a rock n roller, country crooner and pop sensations lover! Daddy doesnt think so!

29 Weeks Yesterday

My oh my what a hard, trying week...having this little bug in my belly reminds me every single day how incredibly blessed we are to be able to grow this human being and become a family!

While I lost a dear family member, my cousin Kevin on Monday, I know he was so incredibly happy for Nick & I and he will be watching over us as we finish out our pregnancy and I know he will watch over our family! While he is in a better place now, his infectious laugh and beautiful smile will forever hold a place in our hearts! To my Kevin who was so loved by all, I will never forget you, the great person you were and yet your time here with me was so short, I know you will be there waiting for me when my time comes! I love you and will forever miss you!

28 Weeks Today...

Today was our 28 weeks checkup with Dr. Schad! The appointment went well...I had to drink the orange nasty stuff for the glucose tolerance test and should be receiving my results in the next day or 2 but that is the least of my worries! I got good news at the appointment...I am measuring exactly 28 weeks and Baby T's heartbeat was a strong 150 beats per minute and NO...I don't believe the wives tales...the last appointment the heartbeat was 128!

I also got some not so good news...Dr. Schad is a bit concerned with my swelling! He said I should not be as swollen as I am at this point in my pregnancy but I thought I was doing good because there are times my feet are so swollen I cant move my toes so this morning I didnt think anything of it! Well, my next appointment is in 2 weeks so we will see how I am doing at that point! Until then, water, water, water, which I have been drinking already, but will start to pound it down even more! The last thing I want to hear is the dreaded "bed rest" words!

We are getting closer...

Oh the Great Memories

May 15, 2010~ The day we will cherish for the rest of our lives is over and in the past, BUT, we just got our photo disk back to start the IMPOSSIBLE task of choosing pictures! Here is a little peak for everyone as every picture I look at I think about how wonderful our life really is and how our little peanut is right there in my belly with us the whole time! So bitter sweet!

Time for Reality...

Nick and I did get our week vacation to Canada...with the wedding and baby on the way we were thinking we may have to skip vacation this year but ended up deciding it was important for both of us to take a breather after the craziness of the wedding and before the busy life we are about to encounter with the baby! We had a great, wonderful, amazing time and as hard as it was to come home after being so relaxed, it is also great to be back home! We caught a pile of fish and ate VERY well for a week! HAHA! :)

Baby T had a great first trip to Canada as well...riding the 4-wheeler a bit too much 1 day gave me quite a scare as the baby didnt move at all for quite awhile which is very abnormal so I had to go back to the cabin and rest up for a bit and sure enough the little bugger started kicking away! Nick of course kept calm and told me not to worry, but we all know how that goes!

Until next year...or the next...or the next...

Almost There...

Well...the babies room is painted...Aunt Missy is coming over tonight to help finish up a few touch-ups and take the tape down...we LOVE how it looks already and are VERY excited to see what the room is going to be like with the crib, dresser, rocking chair & changing table! It will either be brown & pinks or brown & blues...either way, we are so excited!

Friday we start making the trudge North bound...yes...we are headed on vacation to Canada for our yearly trip! We are very excited as after the wedding we only got a couple days away, so this is kind of our late honeymoon as in years past we have gone with other families or other couples, but NOT this year! Just us two and we are super excited! This is our honey/babymoon!!! 9 days of total relaxation and AWESOME food with my husband...cant beat that!

6 Months...and Counting...

Baby bump is swelling a little bit every day! We had our 6 month check with Dr. Schad on Wednesday and everything went well! Babies heartbeat was 148 bpm so there is no wives tale that is true for this baby! You know, the higher it is, it's a girl, the lower it is, it's a boy...well, we have been everywhere from the 150's all the way down to the 120's so there is no tale that is true for this little one! :) He/she wants to keep us guessing which is WONDERFUL! As Dr. Schad would place the doppler on my belly, sure enough, EVERY time the baby would move, kick or punch so there would be a loud "thunk"!!!! We are so excited to learn what the good Lord has had in store for us!

This weekend is a work weekend, as Auntie Melissa, Auntie Shanna & Cousin Krista are coming to help paint the nursery for us!

22 Weeks & Counting...

WOW! Life is a whirlwind right now! Baby T is growing like crazy which is making mommy show a lot more now days...but, it is nice to have this baby "bump" to start to show off! People are starting to notice my growing belly and are getting more and more excited every day! Nick has been extremely sick the past week/week & a half with massive migraines but now seems to be coming out of them so life will be getting even more hectic as we are in the beginning stages of picking colors for the nursery! We are so happy and excited and thrilled that we dont know if we are having a boy or girl yet...we would not have it any other way and can't wait until the day comes and we get to meet our gift from above! We are truly blessed!

We Decided it's Time...

May 15, 2010, the greatest day of our lives has come and gone and now on to bigger and better things in life! Starting our family! We are due October 27, 2010 and cannot wait for our bundle of joy to arrive!