Julia: The Movie

Here is a video taken of Julia on Valentine's Day. She is so sweet!

Update

Well, I must apologize for both myself and Wendy. We have been so busy that we've not been keeping everyone updated with the goings on. Of course, we're home now.

In my last post, I talked about being stuck in the hospital and the need to give Wendy two units of blood. All went well, and we were able to come home the next day, Sunday. Since then, it's been diapers, sleepless nights, and lots and lots of cuddling. I have loved every moment of it!

Julia was born "tongue-tied," which is a real condition, not just what happens when you do not know what to say. The medical term for the condition is "ankyloglossia." It results when the frenulum (the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is too short and tight, causing the movement of the tongue to be restricted. To avoid breastfeeding issues and the potential for a speech impediment, the frenulum had to be cut. We had it done when Julia was just 5 days old. She was a trooper.

Other than that, our little girl is perfect!

Wendy is doing well, too. Her blood count is on the rise. Despite wearing out easily (which i am sure all new mothers do), she has been great.

I'm sure we'll have more for you soon. Until then, we just wanted to let you know that we're doing great! Grace and Peace!

Say Hello To Julia Katherine Smiseck

Sadderday

I'm writing this from Wendy's hospital room at camp Riverside. It is about 9:00pm on Saturday, Jan 31, and we are still here. We were supposed to have gone home yesterday, but Wendy's blood count was still dropping. So, we were given one extra day. We thought we would be home for sure today. However, a 7:00am visit from our OB changed all that. Wendy's bloodcount took another drop. The doctor told us we'd be here for another day. She also ordered an ultrasound to see what, if anything, was happening. Plus, the doctor went ahead and ordered a blood transfusion, as the count was so low. The ultrasound informed us only that there were no "significant issues," which is good - no surgery needed; Wendy is just healing slowly. The transfusion took about four hours, and Wendy now looks and feels better. They took a blood count this evening, will compare it to one they will take tomorrow, and, if things Look stable, we will finally go home. But, as of now, it is an unhappy Saturday for my girls.

As to baby Julia, she is getting prettier everyday, and has become quite the cuddlebug. I do love her so.

Those who keep asking for photos, please be patient. As soon as I get to a real computer, I will upload a few. Until then... Grace & Peace to you all.

Baby - Day 2

Our little angel is now almost two days old. The universe appears to have smiled on us. Not only is she beautiful but she is also very well behaved. A real angel sent for us to love.

Some of you may have noticed that we've not given you a name yet. Truth is, we've been all over about what name we think is best. After lots of discussion, we finally came up with a name we think fits, so say howdie to ...

Julia Katherine Smiseck

As for mom, she is doing fine. There is a slight concern with her hemoglobin level, which may keep her here to Saturday, but we have yet to hear. As of now, I still hope to take my two girls home sometime late today.

She's Here!

Wonderful news, everyone! Wendy and I welcomed out beautiful baby girl into the world at 11:28am on January 28. She was six pounds- six ounces, & 18 inches long. The delivery was a little too eventful for this dad. They had to use the wicked vacuum device to get the baby out, as they were a bit worried when they had trouble tracking her heartbeat. This procedure resulted in her having trouble getting her breathing started, and I think I aged ten years in the few moments it took to get her off and running. But, the baby is a trooper and is doing great. She even reached out and grabbed her daddy's hand. Talk about wrapping me around her little finger! Took less than five minutes of life for her to steal my heart.

Things were not so pleasant for mom. Wendy's placenta grew into the muscle wall of her uterus. The condition is called placenta accretia. No need to go into details here. What is important is that Wendy had to endure 2.5 hours of her OB basically scrapping the placenta off the uteral wall. This was neccessary because leaving the placenta intact could cause hemeraging. Wendy held up well, even having the OB and a whole coven of nurses laughing despite the discomfort. Some drugs are good.

All Is now well. They're watching Wendy close to make sure she does not bleed, and they are also going to keep us in the hospital a day or two extra to make sure Momma is healing up well.

We do have photos to share and more info, but I have no computer access to post everything yet ( I'm doing this on my I-touch, which takes forever.)

Now, if the hospital staff will just stop coming in every ten minutes so we can rest ...

Grace & Peace to all

....and so it begins

Just want all to know that Wendy's water broke at 11:45 pm on Tuesday Jan 27. After a crazy drive through the ice and snow, we made it safely to Riverside hospital. It is now after 3:00 am, and we're chilling out awaiting all the fun! I'll update you as I can

Whew - Close Call

We had a bit of a scare last Friday at our checkup - things initially were looking good: baby's heartbeat going good, dilated one centimeter, looking good in general - but when we went in for the NST, they were concerned about Flipper's position. She had gotten annoyed and moved north, so they were worried that she hadn't turned. This lead to an immediate ultrasound - now pipe down; we didn't get any new pictures because she's too big to get a good shot of, but believe me, she seemed fine. Anyhoo, as they were checking (and yes, she's head down now), they noticed two things: one, that the amniotic fluid was low, and two, that the placenta was starting to age and calcify. Now with the fluids, I am known to drive my vehicle until the gas gauge is riding the "E", which makes Steven nuts; our OB does this, too, so I felt somewhat vindicated, but in this case, having low fluids is not cool, so I was ordered to drink fluids like they were going out of style AND to spend quality time lying on my left side doing nothing. I complied completely with edict one and mostly with edict two (we had some nursery work to do). Placenta aging is another issue, apparently affected by fluid levels; it gets old, just like the rest of me, and functions less and less. This happens with all placentas, but in *ahem* younger women it is seen after 40 weeks instead of earlier.
So, today's checkup was a bit of a nail-biter because if the fluids weren't up, we'd be on our way to Riverside hospital. The good news - fluids were up and that makes both Flipper and the placenta happy (yes, the placenta looked a lot happier when I saw it on the ultrasound - smilin' and everything) and we got another centimeter. Doc says we bought some time and every day Flipper spends cooking, the stronger she gets. Friday she "weighed" in at just over six pounds - they can do this with the ultrasound somehow, which is pretty cool).
On the sort-of bummed or wistful side, we were ready to go today - packed up and relatively mentally prepared for a birthday. I know when Kennedy gets home from school she will be an unhappy camper because she is really, and I mean really, excited about being an older sister. But, as the doc said, we bought some time - exactly four days; we go back in this Friday to do the NST, ultrasound, and internal check again to see what's up - Kim (OB) was not guaranteeing anything after Friday, so we may be going at the end of the week, or we may advocate to schedule for a day that we all can agree upon, at least getting us into February AND having our OB available. Of course, she had to throw in that with the snow coming, a drop in pressure could trigger the water to break - apparently they see that a lot this time of year. Now why did she have to go and harsh my mellow? I was cool with just hanging out until Friday but now I have to worry about spontaneous uncontrolled leakage? Oh, and here's the kicker: with a twinkle in her eye, Kim informed me that because of my "advanced maternal age" I was classified as "elderly". Guess I'd better start practicing chasing kids off the yard with my cane and signing up for my Golden Buckeye card - hey, where do elderly people hang out these days? Anywhere cool?

Flipper's Shower

This past weekend, we were treated to an awesome baby shower by Steven's mom and sisters - as you can see from the picture, we enjoyed ourselves (note laughter abounding to the left). And to appease those who keep asking to see what I look like, take note of picture to the right which demonstrates not only my buffalo belly, but the approximate position and activity of its contents.
It was a beautiful and cold day, but despite the frigid temperatures, we were very happy to spend time with friends and family - in fact, we were overwhelmed by the love and generosity! It was a great day - thanks to all who were a part of it!
Alas, after a great party and some additional time with family sorting through gifts and assembling stuff that requires some assembly, we retired to our customary places in the living room, in our PJs, doing what we normally do on a Saturday night (hanging from chandeliers, making prank phone calls, egg tossing . . .) when tragedy struck - the frozen water pipe issue we were trying to solve turned ugly. Yep, the pipe cracked. Behind a wall. And flooded three areas. At the time, we didn't know it was behind the wall - we thought it was under the concrete. So, quick action stopped the water flow, Sham-WOW and a shop vac caught some of the worst flooding, and the patience and help of Steven's parents kept us in comfort while we sorted through repairs and clean-up.
In the meantime, amidst the chaos of our house, we were able to take a time out to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama all the while explaining to Flipper the significance of a day she'll never remember, even though, in a way, she was there. She was pretty active the whole time, moving around and pushing (she's been advocating for room expansion for the last few weeks - I told her "no").
All in all, it was an emotional roller-coaster of a weekend/week start but I can't say that it was bad at all - we got to see people we love, spent time together as a family in both fun and adversity, and saw history unfold. It's definitely a time we'll never forget . . .

So Far, We're Fine and TOMORROW is 30 Days

Ok, so a non-stress test (or NST, as they refer to it) is basically me sitting in an easy chair-like chair with heartbeat monitors hooked up to a thing that looks like a polygraph machine - you know, with the graph paper and all. The basic idea is to capture Flipper moving around to see what her heartrate is when active - if she's taking a nap, it doesn't work for them. So you sit around hoping the kiddo decides to play, read whatever magazines they have on hand (note to self: bring something in that's cool) and listen to the machine do its thing, which can be a little freaky, especially if you watch too many "Forensic Files" shows and slip into a moment when you think you're supposed to be answering quetions and yell for your lawyer. Anyhoo, we didn't get to talk with our doctor, which was a bit puzzling - the graph paper disappeared into the hall and next thing we know, we're told all is fine and "see you next week and then each week after in which you'll be doing this again." Wait, what was that? We hadn't gotten the "you'll be doing this often" memo, but I guess since I've got gestational diabetes (which the doc says is looking fine) and creeping blood pressure, they need to monitor closely. The weekely checkups start, well, I guess now. The technician working with us informed us that not only were we going to get to know her quite well, but that we were naming Flipper for her (her name is Lillian, by the way); for the record, no on the name, although I'm sure we'll get somewhat familiar with her - you tend to get to know people who put goo-covered monitor things on your exposed belly. In the near future, I'm sure I'll be great pals with the medical staff at Riverside hospital, whether I want to be or not.
In other news, we didn't get to do the ultrasound - apparently they were very busy yesterday and we hadn't been scheduled for it, even though both of us heard that Kim wanted to see what was going on - we plan to ask about that next week. So the bad news: no pictures to share this week. The good news: we must be doing ok because they sent us packing.
Last week I was griping about heartburn and insomnia; this week I will continue to gripe about insomnia but will add to it having a cold (thank you, Kennedy, for bringing that home) and doing a masterful job of pulling a lower back muscle - you know when you do it right, you can almost hear the "ping" of the muscle as it pulls. Anyhoo, that last action made life as I know it pretty interesting - it's already a task to walk, sit, stand, roll over (my God, I'm starting to sound like a trained dog), but add to that a reminder that I shouldn't have been putting dishes in the dishwasher . . .yes, I strained it doing something as simple as putting a bowl in the dishwasher. Isn't that pathetic? Of all the things . . .anyway, it's better now. Let's just hope I don't do some other benign activity and throw it out again.

Update

My last entry said something about updating you all on January 5th - we had a bit of a delay and didn't see the doc until today . . .something to do with a vehicular breakdown in Indiana and a hormonal pregnant woman meltdown, but I won't bore you with the details.
Here's the scoop:

• The 24 hour urine test (which I did study for, ad nauseum) came back as normal which is a very, very good thing. The main concern was that I might be dumping protein, but I'm not (in fact, it sounded like I was well within normal perameters). Too much protein in the whiz means naughty things are afoot, so from that standpoint, no nautiness.
• On the other hand, the blood pressure issue is a matter for caution. Although it's not off the scale, it is elevated for me, so Kim is keeping her eye on me. This means another appointment Monday with what she calls a "non stress test" (the meaning of which is a bit confusing to me, but apparently does not involve me having my feet massaged while sipping a glass of wine and watching live video of a calm beach in Belize) and - oh excitement of excitement - an ultrasound to see what Flipper is up to. Oh, and to see if the amniotic fluids have decreased and how the blood vessels and placenta are doing - you know, important stuff like that. I have never had a late stage ultrasound before and am super excited, even though the reason is to check for problems. Did I mention I was excited? We'll get to see pretty much what she will look like when she's born - that's really cool.

So, that's what's up. In related news, chronic heartburn sufferers have my complete sympathy, seeing as how it now keeps me up at night (and for which I now have a remedy - thank you Kim), insomnia comes and goes but tends to have a lot to do with my body getting sore at night and a little somebody thinking late night bathroom trips are her cue to start playing, and I have a belly that seems to resemble something akin to a watermelon (although much less green). I am sadly watching my navel go from "innie" to "turkey timer". Still, Flipper is a daily source of entertainment for Steven, Kennedy and I and will continue to be so, even when she's busy doing whatever she's doing now on the "outside" (and I'm hoping to catch some of her shenannigans while seeing ultrasound so I know just exactly what she's been doing).

Dad's New Year's Manifesto

Dad Unit here. It is hard to believe that 2008 is about to slip away. Some may see it as the end of a great year; others may just be glad that the whole thing is finally over. Whatever it is, it has been a fast-paced, crazy year! As for me, I'm 20 pounds heavier, several dollars lighter, and very blessed to have shared a healthy pregnancy with my best girl (that would be Wendy, in case any of you were wondering).

With 2009 about to dawn, our thoughts here have been primarily focused on welcoming our baby girl in February. We still have much to do, but our hopes sit high and our love runs deep. As with any New Year, it's the traditional time to contemplate one's resolutions. Not surprisingly, I've been focused on those resolutions I'll need in my new role as a dad. So, I thought I'd share a few of them with you. Maybe you'll also have a few suggestions for me! Here they are, in no particular order of importance:

First, I resolve to sustain an unfailing sense of humor. This is going to be a key resolution, not only for dealing with the unexpected worries of pregnancy and delivery yet-to-come but also for dealing with the challenges of being a first-time dad. Let's be honest, diapers filled with the most unspeakable things since H.P. Lovecraft penned a tale, spit-ups just when I cannot find a towel, and inconsolable crying are my immediate future. Nothing but a wily - some would say devious - sense of humor will keep the creatures of anxiety restrained. Besides, with the exception of the gift of love, what other tool can I offer my little girl to help her deal with life's obstacles and to fill her soul with glee?

Second, I resolve to be patient with baby. Flipper will at first be able to communicate only through crying. There will be those moments where she will be incredibly frustrated with no way to tell me why. Patience will be a necessary thing to help me lovingly work through all the aggravations she and I will face together.

Third, I resolve to be patient with Wendy. I appreciate that Wendy has endured much during her pregnancy, and there will be more to go. Once the baby comes, she'll need time to recuperate physically, mentally, emotionally, and even sexually. Wendy deserves all of the understanding, caring and support I can give - and more. It helps, too, that I happen to be crazy in love with the girl.

Fourth, I resolve to be patient with myself. Those of you who know me know that I tend to lack grace towards myself. I understand that I'll be anxious, I'll be tired, and I'll want to beat myself over the head for every time I think I didn't get it quite right. I'll have to find the persistence of Sisyphus to keep myself healthy for my family. I'll also have to give myself permission to rest and recharge whenever I can; doing that without guilt will be nearly impossible for me.

Fifth, I resolve to participate in every aspect of my baby's care and life. This one should be a given, but we still live in a society where the importance of fathers is downplayed. Dad heads to the office; dad goes to lodge; dad meets with his associates - all while mom stays at home. That's not me, though. My friends and colleagues will have to get used to me not being available like I have been in the past. That is going to be hard, for I shall feel guilty about it. I shall also undoubtedly delay, or even forfeit, a few good opportunities; I may even lose a few good relationships. I'll try my best, but - and I say this selfishly - I never thought I'd be a dad. Now that it is happening, I so much want to with my family. My participation in Flipper's care and nurturing is essential to both of us - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I've yet to meet my little girl, but I already love her so very much. I want to be the guy who changes diapers, does the feeding, and, most of all, shares a wonderful life with her, her mother, and her sister.

Sixth, I resolve to make time for both my wife and my stepdaughter. A new baby means that a lot of energy will be going one place - the baby. I'll need to remind myself from time-to-time that I must also continue to nurture my life with Wendy and with Kennedy (who is as much an actual daughter to me as Flipper is).

Seventh, I resolve that my intentions and actions shall be born from a place of Love and Light. No need to say more here.

... And that is my list of "Dad" Resolutions so far. In closing, to all who have been keeping up with this blog, we wish you each a Happy, Prosperous, and Loving New Year.

Grace & Peace to all!

Belated Merry Christmas!

Despite my best efforts to have a couple of really cool posts prior to Christmas, nothing has gone up until today - oh well; that's just the way it goes. I forget many times just how much I can do before wearing out. Case in point, last Monday when I ran like a crazy person all day doing last minute stuff and was rewarded with an extremely sore body and a grumpy me. Of course, my other reward was a very patient and understanding spouse with a back rub. I do love that man . . .
Santa came to our house, regardless of how bad I was this year - of course, we did make him home-made sugar cookies, so that might have helped. Flipper scored some really cool stuff: a pair of slippers that look like duck feet and say "Flipper Slippers" (these are definitely going to the hospital with us), a Pooh outfit, onesie, hat and such (also going in with us), and a baby massage book (which was actually for dad, but the lucky recipient of said massage is you-know-who).
We have been bummed because we haven't been able to make the trip to northern Indiana yet - the weekend right before Christmas there was an awful ice storm up there, so we'll be headed up this weekend to visit with the rest of the family; hopefully I won't have to make too many bathroom breaks along the way!
December 24th was our most recent checkup with another on the heels on January 5th. Seems like time is going by so fast and it doesn't help when the appointments are two weeks apart (What? It's been a month already?!?!? Oh wait . . .). Anyhoo, things are looking good for Flipper - she's growing well (and how) and heartbeat is a steady 140 again. My blood pressure was just a teensy bit elevated (or at least elevated for me, seeing as how the levels were still within normal range), so I'm having to check the old ticker pipes this week to see how things are going; might be all the swell holiday food getting me all excited. Anyway, we'll let you know after the 5th what is up.
Hope everyone had a great holiday!!!!!!!

60 Days

Yep, sixty days left - at least until February 13th. According to the poll, a majority seem to think it'll be 61 days. We will see, won't we . . .
Friday's appointment went well; heartbeat at a healthy 140 and she's moving around as she sees fit; still transverse for the most part and thumping my left side when she's happy or annoyed (I can never tell for sure). Sometimes she seems to tap in an area - I noticed this the other night when I was trying to get back to sleep after a mid-evening bathroom break; I was lying on my right side, which appears to be where her head is, and she just started tapping in one place, over and over. it wasn't like the usual kick or stretch - this was definite tapping, like she was saying, "Ok, mom - make me stand on my head; I'll annoy you until you roll over." I believe it worked.
Flipper got to listen to big sister play at her band recital last week (for the record, Kennedy did exceptionally well). She either really likes or really hates trumpets because she would seem to react to trumpet sound. Drum sound, not so much, contrary to what you would think. I was doing some reacting to the reed-squeaking clarinet playing that seemed to dominate much of the proceedings, but she seemed ok with it. Maybe this means that she is not easily startled and pretty easy-going.
The diabetic thing is going ok - the doc seemed pleased with the results of the drug she prescribed and felt that my blood levels were pretty good. I expressed some irritation with holiday food and what it does to my system but she was pretty cool about it. I guess things are ok. That helps to justify making and eating brownies last night - of course, these were for a school assignment, so they had to be co-made with Kennedy as well as tested for quality control. As a result, my levels are just fine today - see, I've learned how to behave within the confines of my limits (for the most part - ask me about the Pop-Tart experiment). Now to get through the rest of the holiday season without going berserk!

Hormonal Rant Two

I think it's kind of funny how for most of your adult life, people touch other people on the shoulder, arm, hand, give hugs and whatnot but that walking up to someone and just patting or rubbing their belly unsolicited would get you at the very least yelled at, but probably smacked. Yet during pregnancy, we females (Oh, alright and one person who is legally a guy) can be walking around, minding our own business, and perfect strangers do it and think it's ok. Even acquaintances and friends do it, and while they do it they say stuff like, "Oh I know this is rude to do without asking, but I'm doing it anyway." That's kind of messed up. What makes it worse is that people seem to have this sixth sense about when I'm feeling physically uncomfortable and do it then, which is the worst time to do it - I'm a well-trained animal, but even the most domesticated beast can bite when in distress. For the most part, you'll get the eye-roll, which is the surest indicator that you have crossed a personal space line without permission, but I did bark at a student one day who came at me with both hands out and moving at full speed. Another person ran up and did it while I was in a work conversation with one of my office mates, which really, and I do mean really honked me off (this also happened to be the person who had rudely come up and asked if I was just getting fat a few months back - thank you, random person; my self-image really needed that kind of boost right about then). I do get looks from people who seem to want to touch but are respectful - and if they ask, I would be ok with it unless I just weren't feeling well. Bottom line, society expects preggos to be gracious about unsolicited touching in an area of our bodies that we feel very protective and sensitive about - but remember, society: please be respectful and ask.