Two Week Checkup

Oct 16th-Neil had his 2-week checkup today. He weighed 8lbs 2oz and measured 20.75in long. His weight was in the 35% for his age group and his height was in the 50%. The doctor was very impressed with his growth and stated that Neil looked very healthy.

Neil has been eating, sleeping and pottying very well over the past couple of weeks. Justin and I have made some adjustments in our daily routines. :) Justin has been home with me these two weeks but will have to return to work next Monday. On Tuesday, I had my 2 week checkup and the doctor said my incision was healing nicely. I was cleared to begin driving again. I'm still not supposed to pick up anything over 10 lbs. Do you know how hard that is?

Neil eats every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night, so Justin and I are getting a good amount of sleep, relatively speaking. Neil has run many errands with mom and dad and he has been to Grandma and Grandpa's house several times. He has also been to his great-grandparents house a few times and visited the pumpkin patch. Neil even hung out with the grandparents in the mall for a few hourse while mom and dad went to a movie. He has adjusted to our busy lives quite well.

The Pumpkin Patch

October 12th-We went to one of the local pumpkin patches with Grandpa Gwinn, Grandma Sheila, Mimi Cheri, Uncle Bryan, Aunt Stacy, cousins Summer and Aaron, Uncle Corey, Aunt Emily and cousin Corban. Neil dressed as a lion and his cousin Corban was dressed as a Blue Monster. Neil slept most of the time but seemed to enjoy the outing overall. (Who wouldn't enjoy sleeping while being carried in someones arms for a couple of hours)? Neil was able to select his very first pumpkin (with a little help from Dad). Bryan, Stacy, Summer and Aaron drove down from Portland today to meet Neil. We all had a great day visiting with them.

The New Arrival

Sept 30th-Neil Douglas arrived at 5:25 am, weighing in at 6lbs 15 oz and measuring 19 in long. He was delivered by c-section after over 24 hours of labor. He was born with lots of dark hair and was very alert for the first few hours of life. Justin and I were so excited to meet him! Many family members waited all day on the 29th and into the evening, but only Granpa Gwinn, Grandma Sheila and Mimi Cheri were still at the hospital when Neil arrived. Nonetheless, he was welcomed with much enthusiasm.

D-Day

Sept 24th-Well, today is the due day (and my grandma's birthday) and still no contractions. We had an appt yesterday. Still not dilated. We set up an induction to start Sunday evening, Sept 28th. The induction is a two-part process. I will get a tablet on Sun evening to help "ripen" the cervix and then pitocin will be started through an IV on Monday morning to start contractions. Hopefully, I won't need to be induced. We are all praying that the baby decides to come on its own. But, at the very latest we should have a baby by Mon/Tues next week! In the meantime, I will continue to walk and try to stay active. They say it doesn't really help speed up labor, but I figure it can't hurt either!

39 weeks

Sept 19-39 weeks and 2 days, still no sign of impending labor. I've been resting a lot the past couple of days and have decided I really like a restful day. I can finally see my ankle/feet bones again though there is still some swelling by the end of the day. The baby's room is basically ready, minus a few decorative touches here and there. We've accomplished most of the things I wanted to get done before the arrival of the baby, so now we just sit and wait. I've attached some pics of the nursery and pics of me this week. Acckkk! Look at those feet!

Last day of work

Sept 17-Today was my last day of work!! Yea!!! Can you tell I've been waiting for this day? My sweet husband sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers with wishes for a happy birthday and a good last day of work. The day went well, but I was so glad to be done with work for a few months. My legs (from the knees down) are particularly excited about a break. I now having pitting edema from the knees down at the end of each day. Not the most attractive look. I know it would help to prop up my feet for a couple of hours each day, but have you ever tried this?! I have too much to do to prop up my feet for a couple of hours each day!

38 weeks

Sept 12-38 weeks and 2 days, still no activity. I realized I was more ready to have this baby than I thought when I grew pretty discouraged about not dilating any. Tummy is still measuring a week behind, but all is well. Baby is still quite comfortable in my tummy; still sitting quite high. Oh well. I'll just have to be more patient.

We had a tour of the labor and delivery area and the mother/baby unit in the new hospital (where I now work) earlier this week. The laboring rooms are huge and very nice. Not that we will need a lot of room since Justin will be the only other person in the room with me. I guess we will have visitors earlier in the laboring process, but as the pain intensifies I might embarass myself by acting out of character, so Justin will be the only one to witness that. :) The mother/baby room is nice also, though not as big. The best part is that it is a private room. At the old hospital the rooms were semi-private. So glad I won't need to share a room!

This weekend we are going to camp in the motorhome at Justin's parents house and celebrate September birthdays. Gwinn, Emily and I all have Sept birthdays. I celebrate the big "30" this year. Agh!! At least I get a great birthday present this year!

Baby Shower

Sept 4th-Justin's sister, Emily, hosted a baby shower for me and baby at Justin's parents house. Justin's grandmother, mom, cousins, and aunts and my mom and cousin attended. The guests were supposed to wear clothing according to what they believed the gender of the baby would be. Seven women wore blue (boy), six women wore pink (girl), my mom wore green (undecided), and I was the party pooper wearing brown. I wanted to look cute and only had one option. :) Can't wait to see which women were right!

I had some surprise gifts from family in TX and CA. We received many items that we needed and almost no duplicates. I felt much better prepared for the arrival of our baby after this shower.

36 Weeks

August 29th-We had our 36 week appointment today. My belly measured small, so we got to have another ultrasound. There was some temptation to discover the sex of the baby, but we held strong and resisted. The baby was fine and there was plenty of amniotic fluid. I guess I'm just lucky to have a smaller tummy. (That does not mean that I have not grown in other areas). :) We found it a little amusing, though not surprising, that the baby's head measured 37 weeks and the femur measured 34 weeks. There will be no denying that this baby belongs to us. :) I still haven't had any real contractions and there is no sign of the cervix thinning or dilating. This is a good thing though because there is still much to do in preparation for the arrival of this little one.

Visit with Rachel E

July 11-Oops! Forgot this one, but don't discount the importance of this visit. Rachel E. and I have been friends since 2nd grade. Rachel now lives in Kentucky with her husband, Greg, and her daughter, Haley. Rachel and Haley came to visit Rachel's parents, who now live in Vancouver, WA (just a 2.5 hour drive from me), so I got to drive up for a visit on this day. We got to chat for a few hours and then went to lunch. We had Mexican food, just like old times in TX. :) We had fun reminiscing about those 'growing up' years.

The Wedding Day

Aug 23-Today, Andy and Kelsey got hitched! The wedding was just the right amount of tradition, silliness, fun and sweet to reflect these two. They were married in the gym of the grade school where they met (which is just down the street from Gwinn and Sheila's house). Gwinn (Justin and Andy's dad) officiated the ceremony and did a great job. The ceremony was very personal with stories of Andy and Kelsey growing up and with the vows they wrote. Popcorn and Capri Sun drinks were served to guests before the wedding started. Corban (Justin's nephew) was the ring bearer, at age 8months, and was pulled down the aisle in a red wagon by his mom and dad. Oscar, Andy and Kelsey's 4-mo. old bulldog, clad with a black bowtie, also served as a ring bearer. When the ceremony was over, Andy and Kelsey hopped aboard their blue tandem bicycle and rode to Gwinn and Sheila's house, where the reception was held. The reception was fun, at least the part that I participated in. I was the party-pooper and went home early since I had to work the next day. All in all, a great day!

Swimming

Aug 18th-I was visiting with my friend Genny (who is also pregnant) at church yesterday, and she was telling me about going swimming the other day with her husband. She was telling me about the wonders of being bouyant for a period of time. I found myself wondering why I had not yet been to the pool this summer. So, after work today, Justin and I went to the local pool. Wow! I wouldn't have said that I was uncomfortable with my pregnany, but after being in the pool for half an hour I felt great! Justin and I stayed in the lap pool and walked, used the kick board and swam during that half hour. When we got out (after nearly collapsing under my weight, which was no longer supported by the water) I felt so refreshed. We will definitely be doing that again!

New Hospital Receiving Patients

Aug 10- We moved patients to the new hospital today. It is neat to be a part of a landmark event. Today, Sacred Heart Medical Center opened its second campus in Springfield and began receiving patients. The ED started treating patients this morning. I rode over in the ambulance with my patient around noon. The trip went smooth and was uneventful. I had to 'admit' my patient to the new hospital, which meant entering and reviewing all doctor's orders and performing an admission assessment (basically a lot of computer work). There was a sense of excitement all day and although things were stressful at times (trying to find supplies, locating equipment, etc.) the overall move went very well.

Prenatal classes

August 4th-Wow! We can't believe it is already time to begin prenatal classes. Where has the time gone? We are just taking a basic prenatal class offered through our doctor's office. This consists of two, 2-hour classes one week apart. The first class was tonight. There were 9 couples, all having their first babies. I think Justin and I were the oldest ones there. :) Five of the couples are having boys, 2 couples are having girls and 2 couples (us included) are waiting for the surprise. The class was informative and good review for me. My doctor's nurse, Tracy, is teaching the class and she is a hoot. She is full of energy and obviously very passionate about her job.

I'm still blessedly not experiencing many uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms. People at work (who don't know me well) are now starting to ask if I'm pregnant. (You can hide a lot in scrubs). I had a patient the other day have to help me pick up something off the floor. I'm not bending at the waist so well any more. :) I'm starting the notice swollen ankles and feet after an 8-hr shift and I'm basically worthless when I get home from an 8-hour shift. But these are my only complaints at this point. I don't have any heartburn, nausea, excessive fatigue or back pain. I consider myself very blessed and do not take this overall good feeling for granted.

Camping

August 2-3; Our new favorite spot to camp is at Justin's parents house. They have 8 acres and the Mohawk river runs through part of it. We pull our motorhome (yes, we still consider this camping) under the trees about halfway into the property and set up camp. Justin's parents camp in their trailor close by. There is a firepit for all to gather around in the evening. Best of all, when we need it, there is indoor plumbing available 24/7 just a few feet away. :) The dogs LOVE going camping here. They do not have to be tied up. The can run and swim and generally exhaust themselves all weekend long. Best of all, they get to be around us all the time, as they sleep in the motorhome too. This is one of the rare times they get to be "inside" dogs.

Our purpose this weekend was to continue cleaning up/repairing/building for Andy and Kelsey's wedding reception just a few weeks away. We accomplished lots and had a great time visiting/resting in the evenings.

Visiting Family

July 15-21; My dad and grandparents came for a visit this week. We had a nice visit. My dad got to do some fishing in the Oregon rivers/lakes and enjoy the cooler temperatures of the northwest. Justin and his dad took my dad on a fishing/float trip down a local river, each in their own pontoon boat. This would have been a good trip, but at the end of it, my dad took an unintentional swim in the river and drowned his cell phone. Oops!

My grandparents got to spend some time with their three granddaughters (and their spouses) and their great-granddaughter (my cousin's little girl). I don't recall that we did many exciting things. I think we entertained ourselves by eating, running errands and napping. We did go pick blueberries one day. We washed and froze approx 25 lbs. of blueberries between all of us. Yumm! We will enjoy having blueberry cobblers/crisps during the winter now (that is, if I don't eat them all before). :)

On Monday, I went to work and my dad and grandparents headed back to Kennewick. My grandma vacuumed and straightened the house before leaving. I enjoyed coming home from work to a straight house. Thank you, Grandma!

Fireworks and spastic dogs

Justin and I decided we didn't want to stay out too late on July 4th, so we opted to stay at home and watch the neighbors' fireworks. The neighbors across the street and to the left of our house put on a big show every year. The guy has his pyro license and can purchase illegal fireworks at discount prices and his family goes "all-out." We planned to enjoy a few fireworks and then turn the A/C window unit on to drown out the noise when we were ready to go to bed. What we didn't count on was the response of our newest dog, Tucker. We were not home last year during the fireworks and had no idea that Tucker does not enjoy them at all. Even after a dose of benadryl, Tucker couldn't sit down and stay in one place. At one point, he tried to run through our glass door at full speed. Luckily, that glass was thick and held strong. Jake just wanted to bark at the fireworks, so he got a dose of benadryl too. After his dose, we could have lit his tail on fire and he would have just continued to happily gnaw on his bone. Since Tucker could not settle down, Justin and I decided to stay awake for the duration of the fireworks. We set up the hammock in the backyard and actually saw the best firework show I've ever seen. The first half hour was like the 'grand finale' of a community firework show. The fireworks were huge, frequent, and best of all, could be seen from the comforts of home. Around midnight the display was finally winding down and Tucker could finally relax a bit, so Justin and I called it a night and slept soundly.

June 2008

June 2008-The month of June passed without much flair. June 14th we attended Justin's work party at the Portland Zoo and then drove back to Springfield for Andy's (Justin's brother) graduation party. I went to visit my aunt,uncle, great aunt and grandparents in Kennewick, WA June 17-20. I had a nice, relaxing visit. I was able to do lots of reading and resting, the perfect vacation in my opinion. :) Work started getting busy. Lots of staff out for orientations at the new hospital, so they started providing incentive pay for other staff to pick up the "vacant" shifts. In spite of the incentive pay (and the daily phone calls), I was only inclined to pick up one extra shift every 2 weeks. :)

Bladder Spasms?

May 9-Well, it seems like as soon as my head knew the baby was 20+ weeks old the rest of my body began to change. I have graduated to maternity clothes. (Why didn't I do that a week ago)? They are much more comfortable than my normal clothes, but I'm going to need to do some major shopping in preparation for warmer weather. Also, last night as I was laying in bed, I feld the baby move for the first time. For a little while I thought I might be having bladder spasms (or what I imagined bladder spasms to feel like). But the more I felt the sensation I determined that it was indeed the baby! I had to call Justin, though I had just hung up the phone and let him go to sleep (he was in LA). He was also excited! Can't wait to see what changes occur in the next few weeks.

Second Ultrasound

May 7th (19 weeks)-We had our second ultrasound today. That was so cool!! I still haven't felt the baby move, so again, it is neat to see the pregnancy confirmed. We were even able to see some 3D images! Those are amazingly detailed. All organs looked healthy. We did not want to know the gender so we had to turn our heads at some points during the ultrasound. Justin asked the US tech if she would have been able to tell us the gender today if we had wanted to know and she said "yes." We still stuck to our wishes and didn't peak. Once again, the baby measured bigger than expected. According to the size of the head and femur our baby should be 20 weeks and 4 days. So, Dr. Haugen moved our due date up to Sept 24th, which also happens to be my Grandma Fink's birthday. (She is delighted and told me I better make it happen on that day). Right now, we are hoping it arrives a little late. It would be nice to have an Oct birthday instead of another Sept birthday. I'm sure as the date draws close though, I will be begging the baby to come early.

The House is Too Full!

May 2-Well, after over two years of accumulating things in this house there is no room for a baby! We began working on a shed (12x16x10) in the backyard this weekend so I can begin cleaning out closets and rooms to make some space for the baby. Also, it should be big enough that Justin can add things from the garage and, hopefully, reclaim some of his space. Justin's parents and sister and brother-in-law have been helping with this project since most items are too awkward or heavy for me to lift. It is so nice to have family close by.

Tulip Festival

April 25-There is a Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR (just south of Portland) every year. This is our second year to attend. The sights are incredible. There are acres and acres of tulips (which just might be my favorite flower). On the weekends there are also lots of fun activities for kids. We went on a Friday this year so there were not as many activities and it was a lot easier to find a parking place. The Tulip Festival is hosted by a local farm. Each tulip is labeled and before leaving the festival you can place an order for all the tulips varieties that you liked and they will ship them to you in the fall when it is time to plant. Here are some pics of the tulip fields
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Trip to Texas

April 8-13 Justin had a one-day conference in Houston this week and I got to tag along. It just so happened that my work schedule fell so that I could go to TX without taking any vacation. Ah, the joys of working part-time. :)



We arrived in Houston on Tues afternoon and spent the night with my grandparents in Pasadena. We had a great visit with them. For Justin, it was the first time he really had a chance to visit with and get to know them better.



On Wednesday, we traveled to Bryan/College Station to visit with my dad and my other grandparents. Again, the opportunity to visit with my family was great and we were so thankful for that time. It was wonderful to visit some of my favorite restaurants while back home. You wouldn't believe how much I miss some of the flavors of the South. I think I doubled my pregnancy weight gain in just one week. Oops! Unfortunately, my mouth could not be convinced to stop enjoying those flavors. Speaking of weight gain, I do not look pregnant, much to my family's disappointment. I will just have to keep everyone posted on the blog (which I have not done well, so far).



On Friday, we drove to Temple, where my college roommate, Tammy, and her family hosted a BBQ so I could visit with friends. We had such a great time. Again, it was an opportunity for Justin to get to know my friends better and them to know him. Tammy, thanks again for making this possible.



Saturday, we drove to the Bluebonnet Festival and were able to see fields and fields of wildflowers along the way. I've included some pics for everyone to enjoy. On Sunday, it was back to the Northwest. The trip was fast but lots of fun. I wish we could do it more often.

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The Heartbeat

April 7-We had our second doctor's appt today and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. The heartbeat was 142. So, is it a boy or a girl? According to wives' tales it could be a boy, but I've had too many people tell me that their babies did not comply with this wives' tale. I guess we'll find out on Oct 3rd (or sometime around then).

First Doctor Appointment

March 12-We met our doctor for the first time today. We selected a new OB/GYN since my old one did not deliver at the hospital we want to deliver at. Dr. Haugen and her staff were great! We will definitely stick with her. We also had our first ultrasound today! Since I have had very few pregnancy "symptoms" it was fun to see the pregnancy confirmed. I was amazed that the baby could be moving around so much without me every feeling a thing. Dr. Haugen said the baby looked good so far. The baby is measuring a little bigger than expected, but at this point the due date will remain the same. I am including some pics though I'm not sure how clear they will be.

We're Having a Baby!

Well, for those of you who have not yet heard, we are having a baby! We decided this was as good a time as any to finally enter the world of blogs. We have had good intentions for the past year to create a blog so those of you not living in Springfield, OR could keep up with the goings-on in our lives. It took adding to our family to finally get it done. We hope to update this routinely and for those of you who know Stephanie well, you know this will be quite a feat. We hope you enjoy this, and we look forward to hearing from you all.



Oh, by the way, we are due Oct 3rd. I am feeling good. No nausea so far. A little tired, but manageable. I think this is when working part-time is going to be great! We have decided to wait until the baby is born to find out the sex, so we will be spending the next 8 months picking out both and boy and girl name and looking for ways to decorate in a "gender-neutral" theme.