Santa's a Hit!

I'm sure we're not the first "first-time parents" to ever wonder what their child's first encounter with Santa will be. Fortunately, Jayden's first time was at our church Christmas party where we also happened to be the live nativity family. A very kind brother in our ward made an awesome Santa, so today when we went to have his picture professionally done, we had hopes of getting at least a stare out of him rather than tears. Lately Jayden has only wanted either mom or dad...while endearing, a habit we're trying to break. Fortuately, today he was totally unaware that some stranger was holding him. Who knows? Maybe Santa resembles someone he may have known from the life before. Whatever the case, we got a really cute picture out of him today! It was a fun day at the mall...not too crowded, got a lot of errands completed & we even had some decent Chinese fast food! Can't complain!

The Holidays are Upon Us!

It's amazing how fast this year has gone! Christmas is quicly approaching and we'll be lucky to get any sort of Christmas card or newsletter out! We have been so wrapped up in "Buggy" (that's what we call him) that we just barely put away our Halloween porch decoration last week. Because we're going to California for Christmas we hadn't planned to decorate. We're going to put out our smaller tree with all the "fun" ornaments we've collected. But we're not putting out the "pretty" tree this year with the uniform decorations.

Buggy's talking up a storm these days. Granted, we have no idea what he's saying but he's sure trying his hardest to communicate. As I type this right now he's talking to his little Pooh bear snuggly. Last night he discovered his toes. He just sat and stared at them and watched himself wiggle them. Then he started reaching for them. It was so fun to watch. Yes, we're easily entertained, but you would be too in our shoes! :)

Life is great! The business is slowly but surely growing. Still not where we'd like it, but growing nonetheless. Jayden is happy and healthy. We're happy and trying to ensure we stay healthy.

We hope that everyone is enjoying this holiday season and we look forward to seeing our friends and family in good ol' sunny Southern California!

Hard to believe

It's hard to believe that next week Jayden will already be 3 months old! Talk about the fastest 3 months EVER!!!!! We have loved every minute of it, that's for sure! Even the fussy moments are adorable. We know that will change as he gets older, but for now it's just the cutest.

Jayden's likes:

binkys

blankets

bath time

bottles

patty-cake

sling-ling (sling-type carrier)

hockey games

sleep

Jayden's dislikes:

being nakie

having his nose sucked with the bulby-thing

waiting for a bottle

large groups of people

wet diapers (but who doesn't?)

He is such a joy to have. Kelli's mom always told her that "it's different when it's yours". No words could be truer. While Kelli didn't mind babysitting and adored some of other peoples' kids, she wasn't real sure she'd love motherhood. But guess what...it's one of her most favorite things! Together we have found much "joy and rejoicing" in our little guy! He's truly addicting! We both recommend parenthood! Especially if you have little boys! :)

Parenthood is the Best

We are just loving life as parents. There are so many moments you can't catch on film, but this weekend we've had a few.

First, Jeremy's Grandpa John came to visit from Thailand. We were lucky enough to be able to get a 4 generation photo

.

We also got pictures of Jayden and his next-door-neighbor buddy on their first Halloween. We called them "Superbug" and "Poopy Bear".

But the best moments are the quiet ones as a family!

Life Settling In

So today marks 2 weeks since Jayden's birth. While we're not on any set schedule, we're getting closer. At night he's sleeping in 3-5 hour blocks...if he can stay awake during his feedings we get more to the 5 hour.

Yesterday was the day of doctors. Jayden had his 2 week well check and got high marks from the doc. He's in the 75th percentile for weight & head size. He's in the 95th percentile for length. He weighed 9lbs 12 oz and measured in at 22 1/2 inches so he's gained 10 oz and 1 inch from birth.

At Kelli's post op check the incision was looking good and she lost 30 lbs from when she went into the hospital. That puts her now 2 lbs under her pre-pregnancy weight. For a while in the hospital she would look down at her legs and not recognize them because of all the IV fluid retention and swelling from pregnancy. Now her legs are getting back to normal and her hands are almost back to where she can wear her wedding ring again. YAY! She's missed that!

Today Jayden's umbilical cord fell off so tonight will be his first submersed bath. We'll see how he likes it. He's not a big fan of being naked so we don't have high hopes for his enjoyment. He does however like to have his head shampooed. After giving him sponge baths Kelli would wrap him in a towel and then wash his hair. He stayed quiet and alert for that and seemed to enjoy it. Hopefully he still will!

Overall, life is great! Jayden is growing, the business is growing, and everyday our love for the new baby grows by leaps and bounds! You can often times here us saying "he's just so darn cute!" Photos don't do him justice. He's just one you have to meet!

My bad...forgot the stats!

See, still working out some of the drugs that make you loopy! After that long last post, I didn't put his stats in! My bad!

Jayden Wyatt Van Pinxteren
Born: August 21, 2009, 10:48 am
Weight: 9lbs 2 oz
Length: 21 1/2 inches

FINALLY HOME!!!!!!

WHEW! This week has been an absolute blur! On Thursday, August 20th we got up to go to our weekly business networking meeting. Nothing was out of the norm. From there we were going to Kelli's doctor appt for what we were hoping was our final pre-baby appt. While there, Kelli told the doctor that the baby hadn't been moving as frequently and with as much conviction as he had been. The doctor decided it would be a good idea for all of our peace of minds to go over to the hospital for an out-patient stress test and to schedule an induction for Tuesday, August 25th in case the baby still hadn't come by his due date on Saturday.

So we drove across the street to Summerville Medical Center, checked in and Kelli was hooked up to monitors to monitor both her and her contractions and the baby's heartrate while having contractions. Now all along, Kelli had told her doctors she may not even know she's in labor because her pain receptors are a little screwy. At llam Kelli was hooked up to the monitors. Sure enough, the monitors were saying that Kelli was already contracting...once she knew what they were, she told her other doctor (Dr. Sutton-who was on call at the hospital that day) that she'd been having those for at least a month. Well, what was supposed to be a stress test for the baby turned out to be a test that Kelli failed. Her blood pressure was all over the board and through the roof. At one point it was 169/110. So they admitted her and told her she wasn't going home and they were inducing right away. They started the Pitocin drip at 12 noon. By 7:40 that evening she had not progressed more than a 3 so they broke her water. While contractions were still frequent and building in strength, by 1am there was still only .5 cm progression so Kelli asked for an epidural hoping that it would speed up the progress. That didn't happen. It was a very long night with very slow progress. At 9am another one of Kelli's doctors, Dr. Campbell came on shift and by then Kelli was finally at 9 1/2 cm and they decided to have her push. They took her off the epidural pump and she pushed for an hour.

Unfortunately, the baby was stuck behind the little tail bones and couldn't seem to find his way around. Meanwhile Jayden's heart rate was dropping lower with each contraction and Dr. Campbell said that she didn't think he was coming out that way and that it was dangerous for him to continue the distress. So at 10:15 am they decided to have her stop pushing and wheeled her in for a C-section. Fortunately the epidural catheter was still in so they just had to push the blocker medication. Unfortunately, it didn't take everywhere. The C-section went well, even though they ended up having to cut her more because Jayden was a little stuck in the birth canal and they couldn't get him with the smaller incision. But when the were cleaning Kelli up and putting things back where they were supposed to be, part of the spinal block hadn't taken and she could feel everything! Talk about uncomfortable! So the doped her up pretty good.

But ALL of it was worth it and from the moment they brought Jayden around the curtain so Kelli could kiss him she was HOOKED! There really are not words to describe it. Jeremy left the room with the baby to go to the nursery and watch his first bath. The anesthesiologist P.A. was talking to Kelli and told her that Jeremy was crying like a baby. He said it was really sweet to see dads like that get emotional with their babies. Makes me cry just thinking about it...wait, maybe that's the post-partum sneaking in! :)

Jayden was allowed to stay with us in our room that day but we decided to send him to the nursery late that night since Kelli hadn't gotten any sleep for almost 2 days by that point. The next morning Dr. Lowe came in (the pediatrician on call) and said that because Kelli had spiked fevers while in labor they were concerned that her uterus was infected and may have passed that infection on to Jayden before birth. He was going to have to stay in the nursery and they had sent the placenta out for testing but the results would take three days. Meanwhile, they had to put an IV in and started him on antibiotics. If the results came back negative, they would take him off the IV and he could go home. If the results came back positive they would have to do a spinal tap and depending on how far the infection had spread would have to keep him in the nursery for 7-10 days for IV antibiotics. Plus, they were monitoring his heart rate since he'd been in fetal tachicardia while during labor. That was bad enough. Then they said his jaundice had jumped quite high and had to put him under the lights. So not only could we not have him in our room, we now could not hold him.

As a new mother, still doped up on meds and having had the delivery experience that she told her doctors was her worst fear going into it all, you can imagine how Kelli's mental state was! She felt like she had rolled with everything quite well to that point but just couldn't take one more thing. Fortunately, a good friend from church said that she would have it announced that we couldn't have visitors or phone calls for a little while. We hated to be anti-social, but both of us were so exhausted and Kelli was doing all she could not to lose it and telling the story out loud was a straw she didn't want to take on.

By Sunday night, Kelli was thinking a little more clearly and insisted that Jayden receive a Priesthood blessing right then. It was time to call in the big guns from up above for some help. Since only 2 visitors could go in the nursery at a time, just Jeremy & Kelli's dad went in. Jeremy said that in the blessing Heavenly Father was aware of Jayden's situation and even though he was no longer with him in the spirit world, he was still by Jayden's side. He said he felt prompted to command Jayden's body to heal in the name of Christ, a prompting he doesn't get very often while giving blessings. That was enough for Kelli to relax.

Monday rolled around and Kelli was released. The placenta had tested negative, but Jayden's jaundice had improved significantly but was still a little high and they wanted to keep him one more night. So we went home empty handed, but with hearts full of gratitude that he was going to be okay. Tuesday was the longest day ever while we waited for the doctor to do the circumcision, get the final test results and give him release papers. Then when we got to the hospital Tuesday night the nursery was closed for shift change and they of course ran late. We felt like we were never going to get him home! Kelli half expected someone to chase them down in the parking lot and take him back!

He got a clean bill of health on Wednesday from the doctors. He is a little spell-caster. He is absolutely addicting and hooks anyone who comes in contact with him. We couldn't be more in love with him if we tried!

It was a rough start and one of the longest weeks EVER, but he is home. He is PERFECT. And his is all ours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One week, but it seems to be the longest!

So we've been patiently awaiting arriving at 39 weeks. The doctors had said that if Jayden was measuring big at the 36 week ultrasound they would induce or discuss C-section options at 39 weeks. Well, he was measuring big, with the potential to be anywhere from 10-12 lbs at birth. Now the doctors have taken a "wait and see" stance. So here we are, 39 weeks tomorrow and no closer to having an arrival date. Still waiting and seeing. And, after months of not gaining a pound, she has actually gained 2 more lbs since her last appt. Since all her clothes are still fitting the same everywhere but her belly, guess who's really gaining the weight...can we say Tonka Truck!

Kelli is waiting for that "I told you so" moment when he won't fit out the normal way and she has to have a C-section anyway. The picture was taken at 38 weeks. Same Sunday dress, little bit bigger on the tummy than a few weeks before.

We're just anxious to get him here to be done with the worry of whether or not he'll get stuck. Sooner would be better than later so he doesn't have as much opportunity to gain more weight but right now, healthy is what's most important. Hopefully we won't make it to our next appointment next week. Any prayers offered up to that affect would be great! :)

Quite the weekend!

Saturday, Kelli had a baby shower thrown for her and Jayden by their friend Patty Daniel. Kirk, Patty's husband, went golfing for the day. Even helped Jeremy improve his game!

The shower was great! When Patty does something, she does it up BEAUTIFUL! From the salads to the desserts, everything was wonderful! There was a great turnout and Jayden is one lucky little guy. He's going to be very well dressed!

After the shower, Jeremy and Kelli were going to to see Harry Potter for "date night". The car started acting up on the way there so they decided to turn around and go back home. Kelli was able to wash all the new clothes for Jayden and write out all the thank you cards from the shower. Jeremy cleaned a area rug for a client. Not a very romantic evening, but productive so that was good!

Sunday was great. Both Kelli & Jeremy slept in. Before they could get 2 feet in the chapel doors at church, there were 4 more people who brought gifts up to them. Jeremy ran them back out to the car before church started. Good thing, because during testimony meeting a thunderstorm broke out and the storm knocked the power out for a few seconds 3 separate times. It was kind of fun actually! The power was restored and the rest of the church day was business as usual.

After church it was off to take the Sacrament to a sister in the ward that can't leave home then home to change and off to the Van Pinxteren's (Grandma & Grandpa To Be) for family dinner. By the time we got home, Kelli was pooped! Even Jeremy was tired which is unusual since he seems to be like the energizer bunny...just keeps going and going.

What a great weekend though! And we're one step closer to being ready for Jayden's arrival!

This Week's Doctor Appointments

This week we got to meet with Dr. Campbell...Kelli's primary OB/GYN. We both really like her and were excited to FINALLY get to see her. Through the whole pregnancy we haven't been on her schedule but once, and she got called in that day so we had to meet with someone else.

She said that Kelli hasn't dialated any further and it looks like Jayden may just be comfortable where he is because he's showing no signs of dropping down into the pelvic area. His head is still sitting above the pelvic bone. She said it may be that he's already to big to fit.

Then Friday morning we went in for the last ultrasound. He's DEFINITELY still a boy...no disputing that. But in that ultrasound he's weighing in at 7lbs. 12 oz. already! And still has 3 weeks to go where he can gain up to a pound a week. Kelli told the tech she's always loved baby chub and she responded, "Well, you're going to have plenty of it!" The ultrasound can be off by a pound either way so he could either be 6lbs 12oz or a whopping 8 lbs 12 oz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's potential to be an 11 lb 12oz baby if Kelli goes to her due date. Meanwhile, Kelli is still losing weight. It's just crazy! The ultrasound tech said, "They may be cutting you on this one." Our next appointment is Thursday so we'll see what Dr. Sutton says our options are at this point!

This week's image is a little harder to see his face because of the angle he's laying at. But here it is for those that are able to see images in the ultrasounds.

Another week...another doctor appointment

Well, today was another doctor appointment. This time with Dr. Pearce. There are 4 women docs at the office I go to: Dr. Lori Campbell, Dr. Beth Cook, Dr. Kiersten Sutton & Dr. Pearce. I have met the first 3 but today was the introduction to Dr. Pearce. She looks very young but I know Dr. Campbell would not keep anyone around who was not competent.

She said yes, he's a really big baby. I'm dialated 1 cm which is typical for this stage in the game. We have another ultrasound scheduled for Friday the 31st. That will help determine if we're going to have a scheduled C-section or try to do things the old fashioned way...with the help of an epidural of course!

Saturday will mark only 4 weeks until my due date. So in no longer than 4 weeks we will get to meet Jayden! Still, not feeling the reality of this. Sure, feel all the aches and pains and movement and such. Just still in that surreal state of mind! ;)

Doctor appt.

Not much has changed. Everything still looks good. The OB/GYN office that "we" go to has 4 Ob/Gyns and 2 Nurse Practioners. Each visit we alternate doctors/np's. This visit we saw Dr. Sutton. She said that they're going to do another ultrasound between 36-37 weeks. If he's still measuring like he's going to be a whopper, then they'll either schedule a c-section for 39 weeks. She said that hopefully he'll go on his own at 38 weeks if he's that big. That would be nice, but anyone who's had a baby knows that babies don't always cooperate with our plans. :) Good news, Kelli lost 6 lbs since her last visit 2 weeks ago. Don't worry, Jayden's definitely NOT starving. She eats every 2 hours whether she wants to or not. But as of right now, Kelli is only 3 lbs heavier than she was when she started all the hormones and fertility treatments. Less to have to work off before we have another one! Didn't think pregnancy would be a diet plan, but it's great that it's working out that way and everyone's still healthy.



We don't really care how or when he gets here as long as he's healthy. We do know that they won't let him go past his due date of the 22nd of August.



Everyone has different opinions on how Kelli's looking. Some say she looks huge...others say that for how far along she is, she's not very big. Here's a picture taken 3 weeks ago. She's carrying almost all in front.

The Nursery

Well, the nursery is finally done. All that's left to do now is wash all of Jayden's new clothes and we'll be set! It's a good feeling to be done. The rocker is one that Kelli's dad bought for her mom about 43 years ago when they were first married. Kelli was rocked in it, her brother was rocked in it, and now, thanks to a few repairs by "Can-Fix-Anything" Joe (Jeremy's dad), Jayden will be rocked in it.

The new washing machine comes next week so we're right on schedule. We got a new washer because the old one is getting nasty with all of the work stuff we have to wash in it. So now we'll have a work washer and a home washer. Here are some photos going around the room...

Jeremy still "practices" pushing the stroller all over downstairs. It's very cute to see his enthusiasm. The closer we get to the due date, the more excited we both get. The weeks are actually flying by and we're just hoping to get everything done now. So far so good, but there's still a lot of odds and ends around the house that need to get done so that Kelli can breath easier knowing it's off the to-do list.

Another doctor appointment on Friday. We'll see what they have to say!

Latest Ultrasound

Well, it looks like we may not make it to the due date. Jayden is measuring 4 lbs 10 oz already which is more than 2 weeks ahead of what he should be. (Which explains the heavy feeling).

Here's a shot of him facing the camera. Looks like he's sleeping on his side (not to mention that it looks like once again he may have his hand in front of his mouth trying to suck his thumb). And he's already looking like he'll be a chunk.

But baby chub is cute! ;)

Wish us luck!

Starting to Seem Real!

Well, we're approaching Week 27 of the pregnancy on Saturday. It's hard to believe we've made it this far. This week we started on the nursery. We put the crib together and yesterday we painted the base coats for the nursery. We still have to put up the chair rail, but painting was a major thing on the to-do list that we can cross off. We wanted to get it done early enough so that the paint smell will air out by the time baby gets here.

Speaking of baby, it looks like we've settled on a name. As of right now, his name will be Jayden Wyatt. Jayden (the original spelling is Jadon) means "grateful child" or "God has heard us". Both seem to fit the situation. Wyatt means "strength of a warrior" which also seems appropriate since he's had to fight to get here. Nothing is final until he pops out and we're sure the name still fits, but so far, it feels more and more right. If Jayden doesn't fit, we can always call him Wyatt. But again, nothing's set in stone until he gets here. :)

Oops...forgot

Forgot to mention that he's still trying to suck his thumb! Looks like we have a habit on our hands! :) It's crazy to see the skeletal images coming through! Little freaky looking, but way cool to live in a time of technology where you can start to meet the little one before it even comes out.

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

After almost 22 weeks of charts and blood work and ultrasounds, we finally found out that it's a boy! That's pretty much what we suspected. The poor ultrasound tech! He has not cooperated with this particular one, Trudy, at MUSC. Last time he was rolling all over the place so she couldn't get the measurement she needed. This time we had a morning appointment and he apparently did not want to wake up. The first 20 minutes he was curled up in a ball with his arms tucked under his legs. She tried to get the pictures of the kidneys, stomach, head & heart while in that position. But she needed other views of his heart to see the 4 chambers. After another 20 minutes of giggling the wand on Kelli's belly and making her turn back and forth on her sides, he finally loosened his grip and started to unfold...but only a little. It wasn't until the end when Trudy was trying to get a final shot of something she needed to measure that he finally "opened up" and let us know what he was. Maybe this is a good sign that he'll like to sleep in! :) One can hope, right?

Half Way There!

Tomorrow marks the 1/2 way point...20 weeks! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We rented a doppler monitor so that we can hear the heartbeat and try to get a recording every Sunday morning. So far the heartbeat remains in the 160's, right where it should be. Less than 2 weeks now for our next ultrasound where we should be able to find out gender. We're excited! So far, all is well and we couldn't be more thrilled!

Off Bedrest...YAY!

Kelli was officially taken off "bedrest" on the 3rd of March. Happy day! The doctor said she could "resume normal activities" but "not to overdue." Define "overdue"! The next day she cleaned the entire downstairs...she rested between tasks so as to not "overdue". Just grateful for the return to freedom and being able to share the load!

Four weeks and two days until we go for the next ultrasound. SPOILER REPORT...for those that don't want to know what it is...TOO BAD! Better not read the blog or talk to either Kelli or Jeremy between now and the baby's birth. Our surprise is going to come in stages. April 16th...gender. August 22ndish...hair, looks, etc. But don't expect to know the name. We most likely won't land on one until after the baby's in our arms. Gotta make sure it still fits after birth!

Finally Out of the First Trimester!

We got great news this week. Kelli underwent testing for Down Syndrome & Trisomy 18 (some of you may have seen the "99 Balloons" for Eliot featured on the Oprah Winfrey show). The test results came back very favorable so we breathed another sigh of relief. Just one more milestone crossed in this journey.

For anyone who as faced fertility issues, you know what a roller coaster things can be. 3 years, 2 surgeries, COUNTLESS hormones, fertility drugs & so many ultrasounds I've lost count, later and we're finally out of the first trimester! With each milestone reached we get further from being "cautiously optimistic" territory and closer to excited country! Priesthood blessings really work, but you have to obey the counsel! Kelli has followed her doctors' orders TO THE LETTER like several Priesthood blessings have counselled. We have both tried to be patient, again, counsel received in a blessing. And we are just thrilled to be at this point in our lives. Kelli's getting a little stir crazy with the "modified bed rest" but trying to keep outings to a minimum. Hasn't been terribly hard since outings wear her out, even short ones!

Thank you again to all our friends and family who have offered prayers on our behalf. We have been touched by the outpouring of support and are grateful for every word uttered to the "Man Upstairs" pleading our case. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Latest Photo

We had another ultrasound this past week. All was well. We could tell it's Jeremy's child because it wouldn't cooperate with the ultrasound tech in getting the right angle. We could tell it was mine because as caught in this photo, it's a thumbsucker! (I no longer suck my thumb but did as a kid!) Only 26 1/2 weeks to go!

No news as to gender yet. The tech was lucky enough to get one shot she needed so we never got to gender, though it's most likely too early to tell anyway. 6 1/2 more weeks until that ultrasound. We'll keep you posted!

Latest News

It's been a while since we updated the blog. Mostly because it's been same stuff, different day. But today we went in to the doctors and they did an ultrasound, and sure enough, baby was kicking, doing the worm, and all around wiggling. We are out of the first trimester on Saturday so we're finally confident enough to announce that yes, we are expecting. It's been a bumpy ride and Kelli has been on bedrest since about 6 weeks on. She's on a modified bedrest now, but only as a precaution.

We're excited to be this far. And are thrilled about this one finally taking. It's been 3 years, lots of medical treatments and having to patiently wait to get here. We know other couples have struggles worse than ours, but anyone who has been through it understands how relieved and excited we are.

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes on our behalf. We appreciate each and every one! We didn't get a copy of today's ultrasound, but when we get the next one, we'll surely post!