I Found my THUMB!!

Joshua has constantly tried to find his thumb and I have even attempted to help him get it in there without any luck. Today - I was again airing out the diaper rash and had him on his belly... He was a bit upset and searching for something...

Finally - he found it... his Thumb. I have never seen him so happy - wonkey eye and all! If my cousin Lisa is reading this - I have been waiting to catch his wonkey eye just for you... :)

Today was also the first time I went to "Mommy and Me" class at the hospital. It is a class that is hosted by nurses at the hospital to let mom's come with their little ones and hang out for an hour. They have speakers on various topics and then there is plenty of time for just talking between moms. It was so nice to go today. My friend Jamie was there with Ella and then there were probably 15 other moms of newborns.

We are able to weigh the babies during the class and of course I had to know how much my chunky monkey has gained. Drum roll please... 9 lbs 7 ounces! So at 3 weeks and 6 days old, he is up 2 lbs 5 ounces! He is starting to fill out in his arms and legs... I can't wait to have the "Michelin man" arms. :)

As for the rest of the "Mommy and Me" class, the discussion was primarily on breastfeeding. Which made me happy to know I am not the only one who is clueless on how long the pumped milk will last... in a freezer, on the counter, etc. Along with oodles of other questions around diapers, sleeping, and fussyness. It was nice to just talk to other moms.

We joked about how all of our husbands have been literally bombarded at night when they come home because we have not talked to anyone all day long. So this "Mom and Me" class is really going to help them too! ha ha!

Favorite Photos...

This week Joshua has been a bit more fussy than in the past. And I am 95% sure it is gas. He is burbing and passing gas a lot lately. A friend recommended Mylicon and that seems to help some. Not completely. So we have been doing a lot of holding, rocking, tummy time, and leg bicycles/crunches. They all seem to help at different times. Today for example, tummy time with his legs up like a frog is the best position...


This evening - Joshua just wanted to be held upright... so Jim held him most of the evening like this and it made him happy. I had to take a picture of this because it makes me think of all the photos I loved growing up of my siblings and I. Curled up on mom or dad. Sound asleep. I love those pictures.

One Year Down... 50 more to go...

Today is Jimbo and my 1 year anniversary. We have received oodles of cards from relatives and friends. So nice! We were pretty exhausted from the bbq on Saturday night so we didn't do a whole lot today.

I got to cuddle on the couch with Joshua and Hilo while Jim drove Catherine back down to Milwaukee. That afternoon we vegged on the couch and then decided we really ought to do something on our anniversary. So we got motivated and went to church then dinner. Josh did very well at church... and for the most part dinner. You can't blame him - the timing wasn't the greatest. He was definitely hungry during dinner. But we were able to get in a quick feeding that held him over until we got home. I might have to start carrying a bottle around when we go out, just so we can feed him at the times he wants to eat... We'll get it figured out... right??

But Jim and I agreed... the past year was quite eventful with lots of weddings including ours, my sisters, 3 of my cousins, and a few friends. Then of course having our first puppy along with having the biggest life changing event - Joshua. All good things... our first year of marriage has been full of them! So blessed!

Finally - the pictures attached are from the BBQ. First is the picture of Shannon and Steve with their Godson. Then the picture of Josh and Catherine. And finally - Shannon's idea of babysitting Joshua while mom and dad are sitting outside at the bonfire.

New Friends

At the BBQ, our friends Brian and Jamie brought over their new baby girl, Ella. She is 3 weeks older than Joshua. She is so tiny still and very cute. We swapped stories on the baby experiences we had so far and it seems like we are all doing just fine. We got some cute pictures of the 2 of them. Joshua was completely zonked out and had no idea what was going on. Miss Ella was attempting to wake him up I think... The two of them will be at the same daycare when Jamie and I go back to work. So they will become good friends we think... or we'll be getting phone calls saying our kid bit the other one... ha ha! Only time will tell!

Also - notice the Erkel pants on Joshua. The newborn pants are so ridiculously high waisted. It must be for the bulky diaper - but definitely makes them look goofy. He is getting so big!!!!

It's A Girl!

Isabelle Marie Elowsky
7lbs 11 oz
20 inches Long

Abby (Jim's sister) and Aaron have finally had a baby girl at 1:55pm today (Eastern Time). She was almost 2 whole weeks late so they were very very eager for her to finally get here. Everyone is doing well!

Jim and I have Catherine (his younger sister) in town this weekend along with my sister and brother in law Shannon and Steve. Yesterday we drove to Milwaukee (Jim, Josh, and I) to go pick up Catherine who took the ferry over from MI. On the way back we stopped at Chipotle for dinner. YUM! After dinner we decided it would be best to change Joshua's diaper before heading back home. Jim was changing him in the back of the car... when we realized this was the biggest poop he has had yet... and it was everywhere. So I helped by holding his legs so dad could really get the wipe around him... Joshua screamed and screamed... and then got quiet... and I wasn't fast enough to react to the quietness and he peed over himself and onto the stroller that was propped up in the trunk. Once this stopped the screaming continued. Dad was still trying to wipe the poop off of him when he decided to let it go once again - but this time it was a full bladder and he covered himself and the blanket he was on along with the clean diaper. So 2 diapers later, a full wet wipe bath, a soaking wet outfit and blanket, we were finally back on the road! So so funny!

Joshua had a good night last night - sleeping for 4 hours between feedings. Thank goodness! And then his aunts Shannon and Catherine took over picking up the house and watching him while I got some more sleep! I officially got 8 hours of sleep last night! Not continuous - but 8 hours! So nice!

Today we took Joshua and Hilo for a walk and gave Joshua a much needed bath. At 4 pm this afternoon we have friends coming over for a cookout. We hope the weather cooperates tonight so we can have a bonfire and be outside. That is all for now!

Diaper Rash...

So while my mom was here we tried to let Joshua air out a bit each day... She would place him on his back on the couch and then try to cover for any waterfountains by holding a diaper above him. At one point I took over diaper holding responsibility and of course that is when he decided to let it go... and of course I didn't have the diaper over him to catch it all. So this week I came up with a new plan. I took one of the cloth diapers I had as a burp cloth - folded it up as much as I could and placed him on his belly - with the cloth diaper positioned appropriately underneath him. It worked! He loves to lay there on his tummy with the sun coming in and him airing out!

And if he is "extremely" tired... the best way to get him to sleep is by putting something over his eyes. It happened on accident... but he immediately stopped crying and went to sleep. So I didn't touch the blanket! I have done this now on several occasions and it never seems to fail...

CHUNKY MONKEY!!!

That is Joshua's official nickname. Today's 2 week checkup proved to me that he was eating like a champ. He officially weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz! Yes. That is right. 1.5 lbs up from his birth weight. SO GLAD he cam 2 weeks early! His pediatrician had nothing but good things to say about his health. His color, his height/weight, skin, eyes, development cues... And the newborn screening finally worked. We haven't received any word - which means that they didn't find anything at this point! YEAH! So once again we are happy to know we have a very healthy little boy!

And now onto mom. I had my doctor appointment again today... and blood pressure has gone back to normal! 126/62! YES! Since last Thursday I had been feeling much better so I was kinda expecting it to be low... but so relieved it actually was!

Nanna and Pappy Visit one last time!

My mom (Nanna is her new name) has been staying with us since Josh was born 2 weeks ago. We have really enjoyed her company and appreciated all the help. She has cleaned, cooked, taken Hilo for walks, and of course helped take care of Joshua. I have especially enjoyed the solid naps I get during the day and the company on shopping trips. It has been fun to have my mom around help me be a better mom. We both seemed to learn a lot about newborns... some things have changed since I was a baby - like how to take care of the umbilical cord and circumcision. But the basics of how to soothe an unhappy baby or how to get rid of diaper rash haven't! :)

All in all it was so nice to have her here and we are all going to miss her. Good thing she is just a phone call away! And thanks to my dad and brothers (Joe and Jack) who gave up my mom for 2 weeks. I know that it was difficult having to cook dinner every night... but you survived! ha ha!

And to my dad (Pappy) who drove out each weekend she was here. It has been nice to see you too! Can't wait to visit up at the lake!

Week 2...

Mr. Joshua has been given the a-okay with the jaundice but mom is still dealing with high blood pressure. Today's appointment was no different. 146/102! Yikes! So again they said to take it easy and not to go run a marathon or anything. This is getting frustrating! Not that I want to run a marathon or anything - but that is really high... and I am scared to do too much! So glad my mom stuck around for another week! We have been going out shopping and taking long slow walks each day - and that has really helped keep my mood upbeat. I get very down being locked up inside and laying around.

Joshua has been sleeping very well at night. He is eating every for hours at night and then about every 3 hours during the day. He is eating like a champ and I can tell he is filling out in his face and neck. Amazing how quickly they change.

This week Jim has had to work some really long hours so we are trying to keep Joshua awake when he gets home. Joshua has been cooperating for the most part. He is awake for about 1-2 hours straight in the morning and again in the evening... We have been really luck so far! Jim was responsible for the picture... Josh screams during each diaper change... and to make it worse, Jim decided to put his pants on his head... so nice of him!

A Fantastic Mother's Day

This weekend was FULL of surprises. Saturday after we went to the doctors office, Jim and I returned home. I was feeling wiped and not ready to head to our friends house for the annual party. Jim was understanding and said - take your time. I was kinda surprised - but thankful. I took a bath... showered... laid down for a bit... then finally went back into the nursery and Jim was still sitting there. While Joshua nursed Jim patiently sat there - all the while I am thinking I can't believe he isn't wanting to rush off to the party. Finally he got this big grin on his face as I heard a car door slam. I heard my mom talking to whomever it was and Jim said - and here is your surprise. So I waited - naming off as many people as I could... never ever would have guessed my best friend Blair was about to walk in. She flew to MN for the weekend and then made the 4 hour drive to come visit for a day. I of course burst into tears.

So we dropped Jim off at the party and Blair, Joshua, my mom, and I took off for the mall to do some shopping. It was SO nice to get out. I ran into 2 coworkers - which was fun to show him off. We only hit up Babies R Us and Target. But that was enough. I was wiped after that.

I picked up Jim around 7pm from the party and on the way home he kept asking how I was feeling because he had one more surprise for me. I was like- I am exhausted - I really don't want to go out tonight. He didn't say anything. Just kept asking how tired I really was. We got back home and he started making dinner. My mom and Blair both went upstairs to change into comfy clothes and I stood in the kitchen talking to Jimbo. All of a sudden the garage door opened - and in walks my brothers Joe and Jack and dad! Again - crying. They made the trip also - just to visit for the night. My mom and I had no idea! Such a great Mother's Day surprise. And finally my brother's got to see Joshua!

This morning we had baby Willa's baptism, I am Willa's sponsor. It was fun to get dressed up and again show off Joshua. He peacefully slept in his carseat the entire time. Don't wake a sleeping baby! EVER!

We came home just in time to see my dad and brother's off. Such a short visit - but so nice to see them just the same. This afternoon we crashed. My mom is staying for one more week! It wasn't too hard to convince her. :)

This last picture I had to put on here cause we laughed so dang hard. We got this really cute hat and blanket from the Kenny's and the hat is definitely too big - but we wanted to try it on anyway... hope you laugh too! Poor Joshua!

A sunbather already...

Joshua had elevated billirubin levels (i.e. jaundice) when we left the hospital and we were told we needed to have him checked on Wednesday to see if it had gone up or down. Unfortunately - they also needed to repeat the WI State Newborn screening test as something went wrong with the paper from the hospital. So my mom and I took Joshua in and he was poked in the foot to get blood for the billirubin test and then his foot was squeezed repeatedly while they filled in all the circles on this piece of paper for the newborn screening test. It is a fantastic test - they screen the baby for all sorts of things like cystic fibrosis, blood/thyroid diseases, etc. But seriously - listening to Joshua scream for 15 minutes (not exaggerating) was HORRIBLE!

Later that day we got a call from the doctors saying we needed to bring Joshua in as his jaundice was too high. So off to the hospital we went. As soon as we checked in they informed us that we'd be staying overnight and likely all day Thursday. Yippee... another night in the hospital! So Joshua was stripped down to his diaper and given some pretty cool shades... and there he laid, under the lights for the next day and a half. I could only hold him when he nursed - and thankfully he did really well still so we didn't have to supplement with formula or give him fluids through an IV. He didn't seem to mind the lights though... for the most part. He screamed whenever the nurses came around -cause there were several more heel pokes to check the billirubin levels.

We were sent home late Thursday afternoon with a billibed. It is a bed that has a little gown/drape that Joshua lies in with just a diaper. The back of it is just a lightweight mesh to allow the light to go through. And then there are little arm holes and a place for his head to poke through. Again - had to keep him on it at all times except when nursing. Which you just pulled the drape of the velcro tabs and pulled him off the bed. So easy! We called him our little gloworm.

Mr. Hilo wasn't too sure about this whole thing. He was very concerned and wouldn't leave the pack ' n ' play. So we eventually put a blanket down so he could stand guard. ha ha! So protective already.

We had another doctor appointment on Friday to again check for the billirubin levels. Joshua was weighing in at 7lbs 5 oz! Already passed his birth weight and only 6 days old! Friday afternoon they called to say we could take him off the billibed and then would need to go again to the doctors Saturday morning to ensure the levels didn't go up too high. We were also told that the Newborn Screening test didn't work for the second time. I definitely raised a stink about it on the phone and made sure the nurse knew this was ridiculous. She agreed that it was a very difficult test and said that it might be best to do this one at the hospital with the people from the lab. AGGHHH!

So Saturday morning Jim and I took Joshua back in to the doctors office. This time - during the weigh in... he peed all over the nurse! Ha ha! :) Way to go little man! The doctor gave us a prescription to go to the hospital to get the blood work done. So off we went. Again, he screamed... but the nurse felt so bad for him he got a stuffed animal out of the ordeal... Please pray that this one works. We'll find out Monday I think.

Also attached a picture of baby Willa and Joshua. Mandy came up this week and we laid them out on the floor... Willa is only 2 months old and so so big! Hard to believe she was smaller than Joshua!

The Delivery... and Coming Home!

The hospital stay was finally over and we able to head home. We had plenty of visitors in the hospital. The Jelenc Family, the Spindlers, Mandy and Willa, Karianne from work, and of course both sets of Grandparents and Aunt Shannon. The stay was very nice and allowed for Jim and I to get some rest at night... Very much needed after being up all day and night...

Delivery was good. I actually was induced because of high blood pressure late Friday evening (9pm). I was given pitocin and antibiotics. After 2 doses of antibiotics the plan was to have the doc break my water and get the show on the road. Well at 12 am, a couple other "moms to be" came in and were much closer to delivery than I was, so the nurses held off on me until they could get those babies delivered. So Jim and I tried to get sleep... yeah right. No way to relax when you are about to have a baby!

Finally at 5 am the nurses came back and said they were calling the doctor in. He broke my water at 6:30 am. And then everyone stood by and watched while I had 15 minutes of the most pain I had experienced ever (at this point anyway)... And the doc looked at me and said - yeah I am going to check you again. As he suspected I dialated from 3 cm to 7 cm in 15 minutes. Baby was on his way! At this point I remember mumbling to Jim - drugs - get me drugs. So the nurses hooked me up with some Nubain. FANTASTIC! Didn't take the pain away... but definitely took the edge off and between contractions I felt like I was sitting at a bar - well sorta!

By 9am it was about time for pushing... and I can't disclose how long it took as some of my relatives have given me threats... but it went fast. The memories that are forever in my head will be seeing him for the first time - and noticing immediately it was a boy! And then him on my chest.

After all this excitement - I was exhausted. Jim gave Joshua his first bath and everyone took turns holding him. By noon - everyone took off to give Jim and I time to sleep... very very much appreciated.

The rest of the hospital stay was just fine... He is feeding very very well and I am getting better too. Blood pressure was still ridiculously high the entire stay... but the doctor and nurses were good about letting us get rest and say that it should come down on its own within a couple weeks.

Now - coming home. I was a basket case. Cried I think the entire day. Granted I have been told repeatedly this is completely normal... but man alive! I just keep crying! We left the hospital around 11 am on Monday. He likes the carseat so far... the rest of the day was low key. Lots of rest for all of us. That night - he slept for 3 solid hours between feedings... and he nurses for about 30-45 minutes each time. So so thankful for my mother's day/b-day/first anniversary gift from Jim - the super plush recliner. So nice to be able to get some sleep while nursing!

Joshua Michael Kirkwood

SO this is Jim and I am posting this as Dee sleeps after giving birth to our beautiful Baby Boy Joshua..I am short on words because I cannot put words to what I just witnessed and was a part of. It was amazing, Dee was amazing and we have a precious little guy because of it.. I'll post again later with a better story, still a little in awe.

Joshua Michael Kirkwood

7lbs 2oz.

21 Inches

Born at 9:41 am CST

May 5th 2007



Other Picture Links

http://www.myspace.com/jimkirkwood

Still waiting....

Today I am 27! Yippee... I was originally thinking man it wouldn't be fun to be in labor on your b-day... but I am now thinking why not! There are plenty of mom's who share a b-day with their child! I just hope my kid likes DQ Ice Cream Cake... cause in my opinion there is no other cake better than that on your b-day. And now they have blizzard cakes - yeah definitely a fan of the oreo...

No contractions to worry about for now... so we are still waiting... :)

3 cm!

Today's appointment was not nearly as eventful as last week, however progress was made yet again... Baby was further down again this week and definitely ready!

I am just about 3 cm... and 50-60% effaced. The doc asked if Jim was ready and he eagerly replied - yes! Then she asked me and I said oh yeah. So she said she could help things along if we wanted and we both said "Go for it". So she stripped my membrane... now we are hoping it helps speed things up.

She told us to keep walking... so after the appointment we took Hilo for a very long walk. I was pretty exhausted as I had been at the plant on my feet for work from 5:30am-12 pm that day... and then in the office until our appointment... So after the walk with Hilo I laid down for 45 minutes... then we were off to the $1 hotdog and beer night at the Timber Rattler's b-ball game. It was fun to be outside with friends again.