Having fun with Baby Natalie!

Natalie's cruisin' with Daddy.
Don't call DCFS, the bike didn't move! And Natalie was strapped in securely!


Grandma has purchased a hat collection for Natalie. This is just one of the many fun hats that Natalie will be wearing.

We have been doing absolutely wonderfully. She loves being held in mommy and daddy arms (really any warm body will do). She is gaining weight beautifully. When we brought her home from the hospital she was not fitting into any clothes. Newborn sizes were enormous. However, in her first week she gained 11 ounces! On Tuesday, August 10 she weighed 6lbs 5 oz. She is finally filling out the newborn size cloths. Her next visit is in September. I can't wait to see how much more she has gained at that time.

I can't believe our Natalie is already 19 days old!!!

New Photos

Welcome to the World, Natalie Marie!

Natalie Marie was born on July 30, 2010.
Weight: 5 lbs 10 oz
Length: 19 inches

Our baby girl is healthy, happy, and a complete joy. Since returning from the hospital, we have obviously been busy feeding, changing diapers, and getting adjusted to life without sleep.

We feel very blessed to have Natalie in our lives and look forward to all the milestones she will accomplish throughout her life.

Here are a few pictures.


Natalie and Mom right after her delivery.


Look at all that hair!

Epidural...The Best Advancement of Modern Times

God Bless the doctor who created and perfected the art of the epidural.

Labor has been very interesting so far. As Steven mentioned, I began my contractions late afternoon yesterday, July 29th. My water broke around 10:40 pm, followed by frequent contractions. As the intensity of those contractions began to build around 11pm, I decided to take an IV medication, Nubain, for the pain. The first dose worked wonders and I was able to rest until around 2 AM. Steven said I acted "high as a kite" for a few minutes before settling down.

Around 2 AM the Nubain started to wear off and I thought it would be interesting to feel some of these contractions. From 2 AM to 6:30 AM, I experienced some pretty intense contractions. They were typically 2 to 3 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each. I tried a second dose of Nubain but it had no affect on me. By 7:30 AM the pain was more then I had wanted to experience so I requested the life-saving epidural.

The procedure itself was fairly painless (in comparison to the contractions). And after a few minutes I was looking at the monitors and could see that I was contracting, but couldn't feel them!!!! Hallelujah!

I was able to take a nice nap after that. It's currently 9:45 AM, I'm 6 cm dilated without any pain. Next stop....baby!

Lesson Learned: Feeling contractions, over-rated. GET THE EPIDURAL!

We are in the hospital!!!

Ok ladies and gentlemen, it's about that time!!! It is 8:52pm and Jenny has been laying in a hospital bed for about 4 hours now. (by the way this is Steven)

Earlier today Jenny's blood pressure was a bit elevated and after speaking with the doctor he decided that we should not wait anymore. Jenny arrived at the hospital around 3:45pm and I arrived not to long after. After getting setup and having an exam the midwife decided that Jenny should go on a slow IV drip of Pitocin to induce the labor. The end result would be Jenny having the baby around 4 or 5pm the next day, July 30th. However, the doctor had different plans (I'm pretty sure they are along the lines of going boating this weekend) and wants the baby to be delivered as soon as possible. So the dosage of Pitocin was increased. We are now expecting the baby to be delivered sometime in the early morning or mid morning tomorrow, July 30th.

Jenny is currently strapped up with a couple of fetal monitors. Our baby's heart beat is averaging around 130 beats per minute and Jenny is experiencing mild contractions about every 2-5 minutes. Don't get too excited people, Jenny can barely feel these contractions.

Since we have been here (4pm and its 9pm now) two baby's have been born!!! Jenny and I are pretty sure that one woman did not have an epidural though... that lady was definitely in some pain! Jenny originally thought the screaming was from a baby but once she realized it was the mother that was screaming she slowly turned her head and looked at me in such a way that.... well, for all you mothers and fathers out there you know what I am talking about. As for all you future mothers and fathers, have a camera ready because the look you will see on your future mothers face is priceless!

The next post will most likely be sometime after the baby is born! Thank you all for following our lives during this exciting time! We will post pictures of our baby as soon as we can.

Thank you,

Steven

Crunch Time! Or is it Push Time?!?

July 27th...Our original due date but still no baby!

Last week, Tuesday, July 20th, at the doctor's visit, I was 0.5cm dilated. The baby's heart rate was around 135 beats per minute. All signs pointed to a healthy baby and a timely due date. I had a slightly elevated blood pressure reading but all the blood work came out normally.

Today's visit, July 27th, I was between 1.5-2.0 cm dilated. The baby's heart rate was around 130 beats per minute. The doctor was happy with my progress but because my blood pressure is still slightly elevated he thinks the baby should be delivered sooner than later. (No emergency, though)

We are scheduled to induce labor on Sunday night, August 1st. The doctor, however, thinks that I may go into labor naturally before then! He asked one favor of me....not to eat any bean burritos before my labor. I can't imagine what kind of unpleasant experience he must have had in previous deliveries for him to have that request. That's okay though, I won't eat any bean burritos but Portillo's jumbo hot dogs are not off the menu!!!

I am so excited I don't know what to do with myself! At the moment I am washing the baby's towels and washcloths. It's full-on nesting and preparation for our Peanut from now until Sunday.

Here are some recent pictures:


The pool is really relaxing and has helped relieve some of my backpain.


Look at that white belly!

Weddings by the dozen

We have been celebrating so many weddings in the past few months. Typically, I would be the first on the dance floor but with my swollen feet and legs I have taken it quite slow recently. Steven, Peanut, and I only dance to the slow songs, where we can waddle or sway gently back and forth.

The best part about all the wedding is getting dressed up. It has been difficult to feel remotely attractive when your 40 lbs heavier than you'd like to be. Dressing up at least made me feel pretty for the night.

Moving Plans

As I had mentioned, we will be closing on the sale of our condo by August 9th. Since our baby is expected to arrive before then we have to set up our baby's room in our temporary home. My loving in-laws are allowing us to invade their home for a few months while we search for a new home. Steven and I can not handle the pressure of finding a new home in such a short time frame so we figured we would mooch off our parents for the time and make the best and non-rushed decision about our new home. It's exciting to think that we will be able to find a house with a backyard!!! Our Peanut is going to love it.

Steven's parents are having new carpet installed in the bedrooms which use to be Steven's and his sisters'. After that, the baby's furniture will be delivered. I will post pictures as soon as we have it all set up. The baby's room should be ready by next week!

All at once or nothing at all....

I have on multiple occasions described my life and personality as "addicted to complication." Well that description fits in perfectly to this time period of my life....COMPLICATED! Steven and I have so many things going on it is becoming hard to juggle it all. One ball to juggle is the arrival of our dear Peanut in the next few weeks (which could happen at any point from here on out), then Steven's car has taken a turn for the worse and we need to buy a new car, and on top of all this, after a year on the market, we just accepted an offer on our condo. The closing date is in a month from now. So we are to juggle having a baby, moving, and buying a new car all at the same time!


We will either become master jugglers or will have all our balls on the floor! As long as we don't drop the baby I will be happy!

Doctor's Visits- 8 Months!!!!!

We are now seeing our doctor every 2 weeks. It's the home stretch now. We had the 3D ultrasound on May 20th. As I predicted, Peanut wanted nothing to do with the ultrasound and would not cooperate with us. Mostly we were able to see the baby's hands and the super long fingers. Mom S. is super excited that these long fingers may be perfect for piano playing!

We were not able to get a good view of the face. The baby weighs about 3 lbs right now and should be gaining half a pound each week hereafter. That means my scale is going to be off the charts pretty soon! (No thanks to my growing baby and Portillo's jumbo beef hotdogs)

Here are some photos from the Ultrasound:
(To be downloaded shortly....we are having scanner issues!)


We had another follow up on June 1. The baby's heart rate was between 140-147 beats per minute. All seems to be progressing very well.

Baby Shower!

We really enjoyed spending time with our family and friends at this past weekends' shower. Thank you all for your generosity, love and support. The gifts for baby Peanut are greatly appreciated!

Here are some more photos:

Baby Shower!

This weekend we celebrated our little Peanut's upcoming arrival with a baby shower for my family's side. The shower was a great success. Thank you to all those who showed your love and support for us.

Here are some pictures:

The Final Vacation

As the end of freedom as we know it rapidly approaches, Steven and I decided to take a quick vacation to Scottsdale, Arizona.

Steven's sister and brother-in-law were going to Arizona for their family vacation and we jumped on the chance to join them. Steven enjoyed numerous hours on the golf course while I found a lounge chair beside the pool and soaked up some much needed vitamin D. We attempted a hike up one of the mountains, Pinnacle Peak. The trail was a little steeper than what a 7-month pregnant women should have been climbing, but Steven and I took our time and enjoyed the absolutely gorgeous views and scenery all around us.

We realize this is probably the last time we will be able to get way together without loading up the stroller, millions of diapers, and 50 different outfits for our Peanut's inevitable spit-up sessions. But why start thinking about that now...we still have 2 more months of just the two of us. And we are planning to enjoy every moment as we end this chapter in our lives.

7 month (28 weeks) Doctor's Visit

Today we went to the doctor's office to check my blood sugar levels and to see how our little Peanut is doing. The baby's heart rate was 150 beats per minute. This may be yet another heart rate check that indicates a higher heart rate and may sway us to believe it is a girl. Although, the bottle of pure sugar that I drank before the visit was giving our baby a boost of energy and may have elevated the heart rate for the test. Either way, Peanut's little ticker seems to be ticking just fine.

In two weeks we have another ultrasound. We will attempt to get some 3D photos of the baby. Hopefully, Peanut will be more cooperative this time and not hide his/her face behind his/her hands.

Furniture for Peanut's Room

We are so grateful to our parents for the beautiful gift of furniture for the baby's room.

The Kolodziejczyk parents have purchased an amazing crib and dresser. The Slotwinski parents have purchased a super comfortable glider and ottoman. THANK YOU!!!

We expect to get most of the furniture by the end of May. The baby's room is currently our office but will soon transition into a fantastic jungle themed nursery. I can't wait to get all the furniture set up and decorate the room with the pottery barn wall decals including my favorite two monkeys.

6 months - Doctor's Visit

This pregnancy is just flying by!

This week we had our 6 month doctor's visit. The baby's heart rate was at 132 beats per minute. This is a little slower than in the past, but I am almost positive my little Peanut was taking a nap which would explain a slower heart rate. Usually I get kicked every few minutes and during the doctor's visit the baby was on his/her best behavior, no kicking or punching.

The midwife did a quick ultrasound of the baby to confirm its position in my uterus. During the scan I caught a quick glance of the "private" area and thought I saw male parts. Steven thinks I am nuts and that there is no way to tell if it was in fact male parts or the umbilical cord or if I was even looking at the right spot. She did do the scan really quickly. Anyway, I am not going to assume it is a boy or a girl at this point, but I can't wait to find out if what I thought I saw is really there. I guess we'll just have to wait a few more months to find out!

Baby Shopping

In preparation for our baby, we have been visiting stores that had never been on our radar before...Babies R Us, Pottery Barn Kids, Buy Buy Baby. It really is foreign territory. There is so much baby stuff out there and at times it can be quite overwhelming.

Luckily, Steven's sister has been a big help in letting us know which of the baby products are necessary. It seems, however, that Steven is more excited about the "unnecessary" baby stuff such as a little bike, newborn shoes, and so many random toys. The first time we went to register for our baby shower, Steven had control of the register gun and every time I would look away he would scan as many toys as he could. I am not against toys but we have to be selective because our current condo does not have much room for toy storage.


And so, the preparations for the baby are beginning and soon we'll have a room all set and ready for our Peanut. And as for my future shopping trips, I say goodbye to my once beloved BCBG and hello to Buy Buy Baby. The sacrifices we make for our children!

Baby Kicks for Dad.

Steven has finally felt the baby move!

I have been feeling our little active Peanut moving inside of me for a few weeks, but the movement had been too delicate to be felt from the outside. Steven had been trying to feel for the movements during this time but was unsuccessful. Everytime he claimed he felt a movement I would have to crush him by letting him know that the "movement" was nothing more than gas in my stomach/intestines.

In the last two days, I have noticed that the baby kicks stronger and more frequently around 10 o'clock at night. As we were watching our PBS Masterpiece Classic tonight (yes, we are nerds), Steven had his hand on my belly and felt his first baby kick. This time it was definitely not gas in my stomach but instead a true baby kick!

I am just so glad that he can share in these experiences of our unborn baby.

20 Week Ultrasound

Today was our 20 week ultrasound to check the health and progress of our baby. It was amazing.

We had the Peanut fan club together to visit with our baby which included Steven, myself (obviously), my mom, and Steven's mom. The baby looked health and quite happy in my uterus. The moment the ultrasound technician placed the instrument to my belly she said, "Wow, your baby is very active." I just laughed because not only can I feel my active little Peanut, but the doctor made the same comment when we were listening to the heartbeat one month earlier. As she scanned my belly, we could see the baby pumping its fists in the "air", kicking my bladder, and doing little turns from facing us to turning to the side to doing a complete somersault. One of the coolest things was seeing the baby's mouth open and close, just like it were yawning.

We had requested a profile photograph of the baby to use in our shower invitations but the technician was having a really hard time getting a good photo. Not only was the baby moving constantly but it liked to put it's hands and arms right in front of its face to block a good photo. What a little snot! She tried for 10 minutes but no luck. We then spoke to the doctor for a few minutes regarding the results and then were brought back to the room for another attempt at a good photo. After having me change my positions several times and shaking my stomach to get the baby to move, we got several profile photos. What a feat!

Photo 1: Profile view, arm is extended above head. Cute little button nose!


Photo 2: Profile view, A perfect shot of the baby not wanting a photo taken and covering his/her face with their hand!


Photo 3: Again, arm and hand covering the face.


Most importantly, the baby is healthy; has a good heart beat, brain formation, spinal formation, and no signs of down's syndrome.

It's funny how I have the baby inside me 24-7 but these doctor's visits feel like your meeting a stranger named Peanut, that you already love, and getting to know little bits and pieces about them and their personality. Then you have to wait another whole month before you get to meet them again. What we know about our baby so far is that 1) healthy (Thank you God) 2) Very active (sorry to my bladder) 3) Not the most photogenic baby ever.

Shower invitations

Steven's best friend, Chris has been diligently working on creating the baby shower invitations. Chris is a graphic designer and has helped us in the past with our wedding save-the-dates and other wedding related print design. He sent us a first draft of the invites and I am just super excited. It looks really cute!!!

I would post a picture of it, but I don't want to ruin the surprise of having everyone see it when they receive it in the mail. I just wanted to share my excitement about these invites. I'll have to keep some of my excitement at bay because they most likely won't be sent out until the beginning of April.

I also want to send a BIG THANK YOU to Chris for his excellent work! Thank You, Chris!

Our Baby the Soccer Player

Saturday, February 20th was the first time I felt the baby move. It was pretty strange to feel that tiny thump and quick fluttering in my lower belly.

At first I wasn't sure if it was the baby, but the movement repeated 4 or 5 times in 20 minutes. Every time I started doubting myself, thinking that I had imagined a movement from inside, it would happen again. This baby stuff is pretty amazing.

Now I dream that my baby has a soccer ball with it in my belly (really uterus, but whatever) and is kicking way to score the next goal.

Baby Showers! (Updated)

My mother and Steven's mother will be hosting two separate baby showers in honor of our little Peanut. We are very excited to celebrate with our friends and family.

My mother will host a shower on Saturday, May 15, 12pm at Venuti's Banquets in Addison, IL. (Where our wedding reception was)

Steven's mother will host a shower on Sunday, May 23, the time and location are still a surprise!

Heartbeat in time for Valentine's Day

We had another doctor's visit yesterday to check on the baby's heartbeat. It was a perfect thumping at 148-150 beats per minute. That sounds awfully fast but the doctor said that at this point the baby's heart beat can range from 100 to 160 beats/minute.

The baby was moving around alot. I can't feel the movement yet but you can hear it's movement on the monitor. The doctor made a prediction that it was a girl since the movement was so frequent and strong.

In one month we will have another ultrasound where the baby's measurements and development are checked. They can determine the sex of the baby at that visit but Steven and I have decided to keep it a surprise.

Doctor's Visits

During the first two trimesters of pregnancy we have been seeing our doctor monthly. So far each visit has been more exciting than the last.

My first visit was the "confirmation" visit, December 8, 2009. The Dr. told me what I already knew...that I was pregnant...however, I was astonished by the visit non-the-less. I expected another pee test but instead was surprised by the my first ultrasound which gave me my first glimpse at the baby. At this point, the baby looked more like a peanut (thus the nickname). Not only was I amazed at how small the baby was, 3.5 mm (YES, millimeters), but that inside that tiny little peanut I could see a heart beating!

Photo: Week 6 Baby Ultrasound

Our next visit, was January 5, 2010. At this visit a second ultrasound was performed and again Steven and I couldn't believe what we saw. I think Steven's exact words at the sight of our baby were "Holy crap! That's a baby!" In one month our peanut turned into a baby. I mean, it looked like a baby! The details on the monitor were awesome. Our little peanut even waved to us...I kid-you-not, one little arm waved back and forth as if to say "What's up" to mom and dad.

Photo: Week 10, Baby on its side, head to the right


Photo: Week 10, Baby on its side, Head to the left

Telling our Family...

Photo of Steven's Babcia after hearing the news!

Waiting to telling our families was one of the most difficult waiting periods. We had this exciting news, but couldn't tell anyone but ourselves.

Since it was so close to Christmas we decided to wait to Christmas eve to tell the family. We debated a million different ways of telling them...Making an ornament with the sonogram photo on it, writing a christmas-y poem, having our 3 year-old niece make the annoucement, etc.

By the time Christmas came, Steven and I hadn't decided on a concrete plan. So at the last minute I wrapped our sonogram photo and Steven found some stickers (an important bribe for later).

First, we stopped by Monica's house to tell them the news. We arranged the family on the sofa while Steven took our niece into another room to bribe her to tell everyone our secret in return for a lovely collection of stickers. Apparently, the bribe worked like a charm because she ran into the room, and said "Uncle Stevie is having a baby!" After a moment of confusion and interpretation of the 3 year-old's words, everyone was elated. And I was just thrilled to finally tell someone!

Later that night, at my aunt's house, we had finished the 6th or 7th course (I wasn't counting anymore) and decided to take a short break to open presents...the perfect time for our Present. We gave my grandmother the present with the sonogram photograph. You could see her complete bewilderment by the photograph in the frame. She looked at the black and white photo of our baby and asked if it was a picture of my dog!!!!! I knew she had never seen a sonogram picture before. I explained that it was a picture of my baby and asked if she was ready to be a great-grandmother. That's when it clicked...and the whole family errupted in joyful celebration.

Steven and I could have debated for many more months on the best way to tell our families, but somehow I think everything worked out wonderfully in the end.

Steven = Dad, Jenny = Mom

Steven and I were both happy and surprised by the news of our pregnancy. This is the story...

We had just returned from a wonderful vacation in Mexico. The date was November 21, 2009. I was eager to get home after our vacation, which is quite unusual for me, but I thought I might be pregnant and I couldn't wait another day to find out if my suspicions were true.

Even though I had been suspecting that I was in fact pregnant during our vacation, I didn't want to mention anything to Steven for a few reasons.. 1) I was not positive, there were no pregnancy tests in our hotel, 2) Our entire family and friends were there and I was afraid that if I told Steven, then everyone else would somehow find out (prematurely).

When we finally did get home, Steven got in the shower and I ran to CVS, telling Steven a lie that I had to get my contacts out of the car in order get out of the house. As soon as I got home, I snuck the test into the bathroom. Within 2 minutes, I had a reading that changed our lives..."Pregnant" (I bought the digital display that reads Pregnant vs. Non-pregnant because I was too worried that I would misinterpret the other tests that had one line vs. two or a plus sign vs. minus, this was no time to read instructions!)

I needed a moment to compose myself before I could tell Steven the news. I took the test in one hand, my camera in the other and walked into the family room where Steven was sitting watching TV. With my lip quivering and tears starting to well up in my eyes, I handed Steven the test and took this picture. I think it capture the moment beautifully...surprise and happiness. Just don't pay special attention to his hair...he had just gotten out of the shower too.