Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Nathan Gerald Dietrich is turning 1 today, and I can't believe it. I know it sounds completely cliche, but this year has gone by so fast. It might be because I was in a exhaustion-induced haze for the first 6 months...but I'd rather focus on the positives now! Nate is such a joy. His laugh makes me laugh, his smile makes me smile. The way he lays his head on my shoulder when I sing him the same 4 songs on the nights I put him to bed makes me feel incredible. He is such a wonderful child and I am so lucky to have him as my son.

Click here if you'd like to read Nathan's birth story. Come on...you know you want to. Stay tuned for my next post about Nate's 1st birthday party with lots of pictures to go along with it.

Induced or Not to be Induced...That is the Question (written one year ago today)

Big day today. I went in the doctor for my 38 week appointment and got some shocking news! My platelet count had dropped from 91 last week to 88 this week. They did a STAT blood draw to see if my platelets had dropped even more, in which case, they were going to induce me TODAY! Holy cow! Fortunately, I just received a call from the nurse and was told that my platelets were up to 103. Phew! No baby today. However, I am scheduled to be induced this coming Sunday, Oct. 12th, at 8:30am to avoid any complications from the low platelets, or what is called, thrombocytopenia. Say that 5 times fast! Although, after walking 3 miles this past Saturday in the Alzheimer's walk in memory of Joe's grandma, I started having some mild contractions. They stopped though, and I haven't really had any since. I am 2, almost 3 centimeters dialated, the baby is low, and my cervix is "favorable." Too much information? Sorry! So I think I may have this baby before Sunday anyways. Our poor parents...we keep calling them with different news every day. My parents are about to jump in the car in order to make it in time! At this point, they will come sometime later this week. So here's my plan...I'm going to take a long walk this afternoon and see if we can get things moving. I don't really want to be induced...I've heard that it's not the easiest situation. I'll keep everyone informed as I know more information. When I do go to the hospital, my friend April will update for me. (Unless she's in the hospital having HER baby!)


I took this picture shortly after returning home from that doctor's appointment, just in case it was my last chance to take a belly pic. I hadn't heard yet if I was going to be induced that day.

Question of the day and a new blog award...

After a fun-filled morning at an indoor playroom, playing with our new friends from Newcomers group, we had lunch at Culver's. Back in the van, about to pull out of our space, Ella asks,

"Mommy, why is that doggy driving?"

I just happened to have my camera in my purse and couldn't resist!

My friend April gave me a blog award!

Rules:

1. You Can Only Use One Word!

2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!

3. Alert them that you have given them this award!

4. Have Fun!

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse

2. Your hair? Red

3. Your mother? Caring

4. Your father? Loving

5. Your favorite food? Ice Cream

6. Your dream last night? Blank

7. Your favorite drink? Diet Pepsi

8. Your dream/goal? Travel

9. What room are you in? Office

10. Your hobby? Photography

11. Your fear? Bees

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here

13. Where were you last night? Dance

14. Something that you aren’t? Pregnant

15. Muffins? Lemon

16. Wish list item? Stove

17. Where did you grow up? Northville, MI

18. Last thing you did? Naps (not me)

19. What are you wearing? Jeans

20. Your TV? Off

21. Your pets? Furry

22. Friends? Wonderful

23. Your life? Full

24. Your mood? Calm (for the moment)

25. Missing someone? Yes!

26. Vehicle? Mini-van

27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes

28. Your favorite store? Kohl's

29. Your favorite color? Blue

30. When was the last time you laughed? Earlier

31. Last time you cried? Oprah

32. Your best friend? Many!

33. One place that I go to over and over? Dollar Store

34. One person who emails me regularly? Kari

35. Favorite place to eat? Noodles

Now I get to pass this award onto 6 of my favorite bloggers: (And they will love me for it!)

Christine

Katie

Audrey

Jenn

Okay...I only have 4. I would give this award to April, but she just gave it to me. I need more blog friends.

Tomorrow is our big walk for Alzheimer's. Thank you so much to all who donated. I appreciate it so much. I didn't raise as much as I set out to, but I raised more than last year. The weather is supposed to be cold and rainy...but hey, at least this year I won't be waddling along. I was 9 months pregnant this time last year!

This picture was taken the night before I was induced with Nathan, October 11th, 2008. Stay tuned for some blog reposts from a year ago. It's always fun to look back, isn't it?

I Love Babies!

I got to spend yesterday afternoon holding a sleeping baby. Doesn't get much better than that! Joe and I left the kids at home (with a babysitter of course) and drove to Madison to meet Natalia Pearl Hackel. "Talia" was born on August 25th. Our friends, Jenn and Scott, are the proud new parents. Jenn and Scott are also responsible for the meeting of Joe and I. Here's the short version of how we are all connected:

1. Jenn and Scott went to high school together and continued to date while in college at Madison.
2. Jenn and I lived in the same dorm Freshman and Sophomore year and became fast friends.
3. Scott joined the crew team.
4. Joe joined the crew team.
5. I joined the crew team (although that doesn't really come into play)
6. Joe and Scott became friends.
7. Therefore, Joe and Jenn became friends.
8. I meet Joe through Jenn and Scott.
9. The rest is history!

Aren't you glad you know that now?

Updates and Such...

Ella had her 3 year old check-up the other day, and surprise surprise, she is still in the 95th percentile for height and weight. I mean, really...where does she get her height? She continues to meet all of her developmental milestones and the pediatrician had no concerns. He didn't really have any suggestions for the night terrors. He basically said they could go away tomorrow and when she's in third grade. Super. My poor kid wont be able to have sleep-overs because she'll be screaming in her sleep, freaking out all of the other kids! Let's hope she grows out of it quickly. She hasn't had one for a while now. Crap...I'm sure I just jinxed myself. But, she has been going to bed very nicely lately. I make a chart with three circles on it, and Ella puts it on her door. If she goes to bed without crying and getting out of her room, she gets a sticker the next morning. When she gets three stickers, she gets a treat. Ella likes to pick chocolate chips as her reward. Whatever. Ella is doing very well at preschool and she is learning letter recognition at Ms. Linda's. Ella also said her first swearword while in the bathtub the other night. She dropped one of her toys and yelled out, "Dammit!" I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Joe and I have tried so hard to not swear in front of the kids, and for the most part, we've done a great job. Well, if you know Ella, you know that she has a great memory. So, Joe or I probably said the word one time, and she picked up on it. She hasn't said it since though, so hopefully she wont bust it out at preschool today. Oh the embarrassment!

Nathan is doing great as well. He goes to bed like an angel, and he pretty much sleeps through the night. It's not 100% consistent yet, but we're getting close! It's about time, dammit. I mean... He's pulling himself up to stand and is starting to cruise along the furniture. He's eating "big people" food for the most part. I still give him baby veggies and fruit if what we're having is too hard for him to chew. He is also starting to stand all by himself! The other day he stood, without holding onto anything, for almost 25 seconds! I can't kiss him enough!

Joe has lost 20 pounds! It's definitely starting to show, most noticeably in his face. All of his pants are getting too loose, to the point that he can pull them off without unbuttoning or unzipping them. I have lost about 9 pounds. I can't really tell much of a difference, except for maybe my pants and shorts fitting a little looser as well. I hope to lose about 5 or 6 more pounds and then work to maintain that weight. We've been consistently working out and eating healthy, with good portion control and moderation. We haven't been to a fast-food restaurant in over a month. We are really proud of each other and of ourselves!

The kids and I meet some Newcomers folks for apple picking the other morning. Ella thought it was great and now thinks it's really cool to eat an apple whole...without mommy having to cut it up and remove the skin. We're meeting with Newcomers next week as well for an indoor playroom outing and then lunch afterwards. I'm really glad I joined this group!

I teach my first Sunday school class this Sunday. It will be me, a parent volunteer, and about 15 Kindergartners. Whoa. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Ella

Happy Birthday my sweet Ella Charlotte. I can't believe it's been 3 years already. She is my joy, my blonde beauty, my baby. She makes me smile every day. I can't even put into words how much I love her and how lucky I am to have her as my daughter. This is what I wrote on Monday, September 25th, 2006:

Ella was born on Sept. 22nd at 10:57am. I went into labor on Wednesday the 20th, went to the hospital, got sent home, spent Thursday laboring at home, which was nice, went back Thursday night, got an epidural (wonderful stuff), labored (without pain) all through Thursday night, gave birth to Ella on Friday morning! That is the short and sweet version of Ella's birth! :)

Enjoy the video slideshow I created, documenting Ella's life thus far.

Thinking Back...

Continuing with the theme, here is the entry I wrote on Thursday, September 21st, 2006:

Well, we went to the hospital last night because I was having pretty strong contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting about a minute, for over an hour. We thought, "Yea, this is it!" I got hooked up to a monitor, and sure enough, I was having contractions. The baby's head was really low and my cervix was "very favorable" but it just wouldn't dilate past 2cm. So at 2:00am, we decided to go home and get some sleep in our own bed. I was able to sleep and the contractions seemed to decrease overnight. Joe and I took a long walk this morning to get things going, and I am now having pretty strong irregular contractions. I'm obviously not working...I'm not sure how I would run groups having to deal with a contraction every few minutes! So, my maternity leave has started, minus a baby. I sure hope she decides to come in the next few days! If I continue to have bad contractions, I'll probably go back in and have my water broken, according to the nurse. Well, that's the update. Hopefully the next time will be the real thing, or at least closer to the real thing. Stay tuned...