Recent Events

Here is what we have been up to lately....

On Sunday, we went back to the hospital to have some blood work done to recheck her bilirubin level. It was 10.7 (12 is the highest normal level) at discharge on Friday, and her weight was 5 pounds and 2 ounces (she lost 8 ounces after birth). At the hospital on Sunday, her bilirubin had risen to 12.4 and her weight with clothes on was 5 pounds 9 ounces. We were told to schedule another bilirubin check with her pediatrician on Tuesday. On Tuesday, we had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon (Avery has left hip dysplasia due to being breech...can't remember if that has been shared yet) which included an ultrasound of the hips, office visit, and fitting of a new harness that she will wear for approximately 6 weeks. It looks like she is about to jump out of an airplane or something---I can't stand it. I'm glad she will have no memory of this part of her life!! After that appointment, we went to our regular pediatrician for our first visit. They checked her bilirubin there, and it had dropped to 9!! Woo hoo!! So, no more heel sticks and bilirubin checks!

Here is sweet little Avery on the way to the hospital for her first check up. It was on a Sunday, so of course I had to dress her up! She looked so sweet in her little smocked dress...handmade just for her by a sweet, sweet lady at church.

This is my little cuddle bug with her little hands all snug on her face. No swaddling for this little one---she likes to move those arms and hands too much!

Sleeping in her swing---isn't she just the cutest little one?!?!

A close up of that sweet little face. What an angel.

Waking up for a diaper change. Diaper changes always start out very drowsy and end up fully awake!

This is my sweet little baby in that awful harness. It covers her entire little body. It criss-crosses in the back, goes over her shoulders, around her chest, down each leg on the front and back, and cups at the feet. I hate it. She doesn't seem to mind.

Our First Day at Home

Here are some pictures of Avery during her first full day at home.

This one is for Matt---he has always thought that he possessed extra talent in his toes and that he was part monkey because of this "toe talent." He now thinks that this much desirable trait is genetic as Avery is able to hold onto things with her little toes. Example: here she is holding on to Matt's finger with her tiny toes:

BATH TIME! Since it was our first day at home, it was also our first time to bathe Avery (by the way...why don't they let you practice this in the hospital??). It went well. She doesn't like being stripped down for a diaper change, so we were worried about being completely naked for the bath. She was a trooper, though. Didn't much care for it, but she LOVED having her head/hair scrubbed---almost fell asleep. Here is a before-the-bath/trauma picture:

And, here is an after-the-bath/trauma picture (so adorable in her little hooded towel!):

Daddy and Avery napping together on the couch:

This is Avery watching the 2009 NFL Draft. It was a little boring as they would film the selected player before the announcement was made. Oh, and the Titans had picks number 30 and 62....interesting choices Bud Adams....

Her Daddy picked out her outfit and dressed her today. So preppy and dainty.

This is little Avery doing what she does best---sleeping and napping. She is such a great baby! I know it is too early to tell if this is how she is going to be for the long-run, but it is a great start. She only wakes up once each night for a late night feeding. The "normal" night routine (well, at least for the past 5 days...her entire little life) is a feeding around 11pm, she wakes up around 3am to feed, and then we get up between 7:30am and 8:15am for the morning feeding. Amazing. She is our wonderful little blessing!

Avery's Picture Debut

Here are some much anticipated pictures of our little Avery. Enjoy!

This is my first time to see my little girl after she was born--so sweet! (Day 1---1.5 hours old)

This is Matt with Avery (Day 1---1.5 hours old)

This is Avery posing in her Boppy (Day 2)

This is Avery getting her first Eskimo kisses from Daddy (Day 3)

This is Avery in her going home dress (Day 4)

This is Avery sleeping in her crib---she does fun things with her hands while she sleeps. (Day 5)

She is Here

This is a day late...better late than never.

Avery Noelle Knierim entered the world yesterday, April 21 at 1:30 in the afternoon.

She weighed 5 pounds 10 ounces and was 18 5/8 inches long---just a little one!

She has a good bit of dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes.

We will put up some pictures once we get home in a couple of days.

Both mom, baby, and dad are doing well---please keep us in your prayers!

Ready or Not....Here She Comes!!

We're in the hospital RIGHT NOW!! I called the doctor earlier this morning to let her know some potential problems that I was experiencing over the weekend, and they suggested that I go to Labor and Delivery just to be checked out. When we got here, there really wasn't any change since my last appointment, but they drew lab work and put me on the monitors. While waiting for lab work to result, my blood pressure went up, I was having contractions, and her heartrate decelerated very low---like the 90s. My doctor decided that we had both kept this up long enough, and my C-Section was moved from May 1 to tomorrow afternoon---April 21. Woo hoo!! Keep all of us in your prayers!

Full Term

We are officially full term (37 weeks)!! And, we will have our little girl in less than 13 days---we can't wait!! We went to the doctor today, and everything looks good. No protein in the urine, blood pressure is great, however, she is still breech, so the C-Section is still scheduled. We go back next Tuesday for our next to last office visit. It is so strange how quickly this all has flown by, and now that we are near the end, it is seeming to creep. But, I am sure it will be here before we know it.
I still have a little bit more homework to finish up before the semester is over, but that is all on track. I have started on her Thank-You Notes, but they will not be mailed out until after she has arrived. I have started a new book, "Secrets From The Baby Whisperer." I have finished the decorations for the Women's Event at church (with the help from my loving husband). I have started planning a charity garage sale and silent auction to be held at our house when Avery is a mere two weeks old. Obviously, I have NOT been obeying the bedrest orders as closely as I probably should, but today at the office, she said, "Keep doing whatever it is that you are doing because it's working." I just smiled at Matt.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS, GIFTS, AND SUPPORT!!

Scheduled

We have officially scheduled our C-section. I am a little shocked that it is so late, but that's ok because I still have some things that I need to do. We have to be at the hospital at 5:30am on Friday May 1 for a 7:30am birth. I am going to continue going to the doctor twice each week (our next appointment is this coming Friday), and if anything changes or comes up, the C-section will be moved to that day. I am still on bedrest, and she said that I could not go back to work for these next two week...I tried.

Little side note: when we all put in "bets" about date, weight, length, Matt predicted the date to be May 1.

Last Holiday

Fun Fact #1: Easter was our last holiday to celebrate as just husband and wife....

Fun Fact #2: I am finding it virtually IMPOSSIBLE to remain on bedrest. I feel the need to get everything purchased and cleaned and put away before she gets here. I don't want anything to have to be done around the house once she is here. So, today Matt and I went to Costco. I scrubbed the oven/stove---it looks brand new! We have groomed the dogs. And, I have Matt doing things on a list that I lovingly made for him (including buying hanging plants for the porch, hanging our new house numbers, sanding the deck/porch, replacing sink faucets, etc). He is thrilled. This brings me to a list that I have made for myself:
Top Ten Ways to KNOW That You Are Nesting:
1. You vacuum out the refrigerator
2. You scrub each tiny part of a stove/oven
3. You stock each bathroom with at least 4 extra rolls of TP
4. You rearrange perfectly efficient laundry room shelves
5. You fold and refold baby blankets
6. You groom two dogs, including nail care (no paid professionals here!)
7. You stock the bathroom shelves with a years worth of toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, etc
8. You are suddenly bothered by the fact that the garage is not as organized as it could be
9. You buy multiple plants knowing that you don't have a green thumb and that they will be dead in less than a week
10. You refuse to follow doctor's orders of bedrest because you cannot comprehend how you are supposed to get everything done when there are only 24 hours in each day

Fun Fact #3: We have an appointment on Wednesday. I am thinking that we will have a concrete plan as far as a date when we go on Wednesday. She has been very clear that she does not want me going into labor, and the contractions, while not painful yet, have been waking me up at night. I think it's one thing to notice them throughout the day, but to be woken up by them throughout the night seems different to me. Who knows.

Fun Fact #4: Below are some pictures of how my belly has grown over the past months. Be prepared to be amazed!!




YIKES!!!!!!!!!!

36 Weeks

I have to admit: I wasn't quite sure that we would make it to this point. When I started my pregnancy, I had in my mind my own milestones that I hoped to accomplish, and 36 weeks completes my list of milestones.

We went to the doctor again today (second time this week) for a follow-up. I am happy to say that nothing had changed since Tuesday except that my blood pressure is lower and the swelling has gone down considerably (not completely though). Still 1cm and 50%. I have also managed to lose two pounds since Tuesday---completely water weight from my ankles, I assure you! We go back to the doctor again next Wednesday, and until then, the bedrest continues since it seems to be working so well. Thank you for all your prayers and gifts! They have meant so much to us and have surely made this time less trying for all! Below is a picture of a 36-week baby girl....goodness gracious---it is possible to get any larger???

First Full Day of Bedrest

Well, I have officially been on bedrest for more than 24 hours now. IT IS AWFUL! I am sure there are some of you out there who would LOVE to be on bedrest, and I will gladly swap places with you. I have been blog stalking and facebook stalking all day, and I am a little disappointed. Why aren't you all doing neat things and posting those neat things?? :)

Big exciting news of the day: the bedskirt has arrived! Her bed is officially complete. Of course I have posted a picture of it below. I have decided to take the bumper off of her bed for right now. Her bed looks a little incomplete especially because the bumper was the brown part of her pink, green, and brown room. It is coming off partly because the bed is at such a high position that there really is no need for it and partly because of being a nurse and being paranoid about SIDS. If you can't tell, there is a wedge underneath her mattress making her mattress slant a little to ease my mind. Once we have a few nights at home and in her crib, I am sure this paranoia will ease off a bit.

And the Insanity Begins....

Ok, where to start....

First, last weekend was great! We had our first baby shower, and we received so many thoughtful and kind gifts! We truly are blessed beyond all measure! My family was able to come down and enjoy this experience with me which made it so much more special. I also got my hair cut and got a pedicure---such luxury!

I went to work on Monday as usual. My feet and ankles were so swollen--more than the norm these days. I followed the doctor's orders and was taking my blood pressure three times each day. The morning reading was a little high for me but still within normal limits, so I did not report it. The lunch time reading was definitely high, so I called the doctor's office. I spoke with a nurse that is not familiar with me or my doctor (my doctor was in surgery all day that day), so she said it was probably ok and that she would leave a note for my doctor. At about 4pm, I received a phone call at work from my doctor's office. It was the same nurse, and she said, "The doctor would like you to go to Labor and Delivery right away for evaluation." Holy cow. Five hundred million things went through my mind all at once. I called Matt, told everyone at work, and reported off on my patients and headed over to L/D. When I got there, they put me in a real room in case I was going to spend the night. I had all the usual lab work done and was hooked up to monitors. I received an ultrasound (she has the chubbiest little cheeks!! and, she already weighs over 6 pounds!). She is very much breech---in sitting position, actually. All of my lab work came back within normal limits, and my blood pressures were very erratic. Because I had a doctor's appointment the next morning in the office, they decided it would be ok for me to go home for the night, but not without a souvenir---another orange jug to perform an "at home" test for 24 hours.

So, Tuesday morning Matt and I went to the doctor. My blood pressure was still high, the swelling was still there (although not as bad as on Monday), and I had gained 2 pounds in one week. My doctor felt confident with the diagnosis of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. She also said that she expects it to develop into Preeclampsia but the question now is "when?" I had my first official "check," and she said, "oh my--you are already dilated." This is strange to me because, like I said above, she is in sitting position. There is no head pressing on anything. But, nonetheless, I am 1cm and 50%. She then told us that she does NOT want me going into labor. So, with all of this, I am now going to the doctor twice per week. I go again on Friday for a recheck of today's findings. We'll see what happens then---maybe a baby??

Oh---about the title of this blog entry....because of all of this fun stuff going on, I was put on bedrest. Well, actually, modified bedrest. She said that I could get up to make a sandwich. Haha---really??? This is going to KILL me! I have been working ever since I turned the legal age, and I have always held more than one job. While I enjoy a day off here and there, sitting still and not being able to do what I want is not my cup of tea. I guess the upside to this is that I might actually get some school work done! Poor Matt---please say a little prayer for him!

Below are some pictures of some of the sweet gifts that we received at our shower. We are ready for Avery to make her appearance!

This is her wreath that I started working on. I guess I'll be able to finish it now :)

Her Christening Gown (or dedication gown for us Protestants)

Her crib. The only thing missing is the bedskirt, and it is on its way. The doll in the left corner was made by the Joyful Stitchers at church---so sweet!

This is her storage ottoman and hamper. I am still deciding on a chair for her room. We might not have much time left or even time to get one, so I stuck the desk chair in there for now.

And this is her bouncy seat, carseat and base, and stroller. They make lovely display pieces in the dining room!