I Would Like To Introduce....

Colton Joseph Stickel

Born at 1:12 PM (that's a great story)
Weight: 9 lbs. 9.5 oz (yep, you read that right)
Length: 21.5 minches

I will post his birth story in a little bit, I just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing great and he's absolutely adorable!!

agghhh!!!!!

I am 9 1/2 cm and my doctor is not here yet...stupid snow! I hope she gets here soon!

Updating...

Our nanny is going to get the kids from school at 12:15 because the storm is hitting us and we want to make sure they are here in time.

The nurse just checked me and I am 6 cm, so she has called my doctor in...we're all very worried about her getting here on time with all of the snow. The nurse has also turned down my pitocin so that I don't progress too quickly.

Everything going great!

Hubby here...

The epidural is now in and things are looking good. I will give another update shortly...

January 11, 2011...

So here I am...it's 7:50 AM on January 11, 2011 and I'm having a baby!

This morning Ryan woke up around 3:15 and I never went back to sleep (and this after going to bed at 12:15 AM!). So I got up around 3:50 and got ready. I made sure I ate breakfast before I left this time (in case I have a long day like I did with Ryan).

We left the house around 5:10 and went through Krispy Kreme (had to get the nurses some donuts!) and got to the hospital around 5:35. We checked in (super nice ladies up front), but they were really busy last night/early this morning, so we had to sit and wait for a nurse (they had a room ready for us, but no nurse).


They finally called us back at 6:20 and we got the process going. By 7:00 AM I was hooked up and medicine was flowing. The baby's heartbeat is staying around 140 which is where it's been this whole pregnancy, and I'm not really showing any signs of contractions yet. The plan is for me to get my epidural in an hour and then break my water then too. When the nurse checked me I was about 4 cm, so that's a good start!


My room set up is the same as the rooms when I had the boys, so I'm guessing boy based on that :) I am super excited to find out if our family will be evened out or if the boys will truly take over :)

Our Last Weekend As A Family of Five...

This past weekend just flew by, as I knew it would.

Saturday night we had house church, which of course was super fun as always. One of the families in our house church is moving out to LA for a few months so it was our last one with them for a while. We will miss them a ton!

Saturday we got up and took Joshie to basketball practice. I told John that it was our last Saturday morning where we could sit all the kids at the table and have them eat breakfast by themselves and go about our own thing…the next practice would involve a little one that needs to be fed and changed, and then most likely changed again right as we’re heading out the door :)

So Joshie had a fun practice. He always has so much fun out there! We signed him up late, so the only session that had room was the older one (1st and 2nd graders). He holds his own no doubt and it’s neat because there is a kid from Kylie’s class that loves to play with him, so when they’re counting off, each week he strategically places himself where he and Josh will be on the same team. I think it’s so cool that it’s the 2nd grader trying to be with the Kindergartener and not the other way around as is most often the case.

After that we had to go and get Kylie’s friend a birthday present, and then it was home for lunch and naps. I headed out to get my nails done and pedicure (some of my customary pre-baby appointments), and then my parents took the boys to the train show while we took Kylie to her gymnastics meet. I wish my parents were camera people because I would have loved to see pictures of the boys, but at least I know they had so much fun there and I can’t wait to go with them next year!

John told Kylie on the way to her meet that if she got a 9.0 on anything, she could pick any restaurant to go to afterwards. I felt bad because that’s a lot of pressure for her second meet and you never know how a judge is going to score…I would rather have something like if she didn’t fall on beam or something like that.

So we sat through warm-ups (which was so uncomfortable for me…I was having contractions the whole time), and finally, it was time to start. Kylie’s team started on floor and she did a great job! Such a great job that she got a 9.0!!! So right off the bat she knew she got to pick where we got to go and eat :) She did great on her other events too…I think she got jipped on her vault score, but she didn’t seem to mind.

We headed out afterwards and she said she wanted to go to Olive Garden. So we went to one and the wait was horrible (and this was at 8:00 at night!), so we headed to another one. On the way there she said she’d rather go to Chick-fil-a, so we went there instead. It was so nice to have a night with just John, her and I.

Sunday we got up and went to church where everyone was so kind and supportive. I got so many congratulations from people and our pastor’s sermon was on change so of course we were used as an example of changes coming! Two very sweet ladies prayed over John and I after the service which meant so very much to me. I’m so thankful to be a party of such a wonderful and loving church family.

After church we took Kylie to the birthday party. I started doing all the chores that needed to be done around the house and then went to pick her up. I had promised her that before the baby came I would take her to the Bare Escentuals store so that we could play make-up together. So when I picked her up from her party we headed straight over there. She was so surprised! The lady did a great job with her and she looked so gorgeous! I got a make-over too and then we headed out to pick up some last-minute items for the baby and the house (i.e. diaper bag).

We spent Sunday night doing laundry, cleaning up and getting organized. I was so exhausted! But after the kids went to bed John and I were able to sit and watch some TV. He had put together the new bouncy seat and brought the swing up, so seeing them in the family room made everything so real. We can’t figure out why, but this time has been harder for us to accept as real. I think it’s because it went by so quickly, and now that the time is here, we’re trying to get used to the idea that there really will be a baby here in a day.

I will of course be blogging from the hospital like I did with Ryan. I just went back and read those posts and it was so neat to see my progression and relive that time. I can’t wait to be done being pregnant, but I’m also feeling nervous for some reason. My stomach has been in knots the past couple of days and I haven’t been sleeping that great. It doesn’t help that they are calling for a pretty big snow storm to hit us tomorrow. The day when family members will be traveling to see us and we have to bring the kids over and just the right time, etc. I just pray that everything goes smoothly and that I have a quick and easy labor and delivery!

38 Week Appointment...

Weight: 166 lbs. (I was at a different office and have concluded the scales are slightly different)
Total weight gain of 48 lbs. Yikes!
BP: 122/80
HB: 140
Dilated: Still "a good 3 cm"

This was my last pregnancy appointment...EVER! I have to admit it was kind of sad. While I will never miss being huge and not being able to get around (and all the other "joys" of pregnancy), it is still so sad when a chapter in your life is ending, and for us, the chapter of child-bearing is definitely ending.

Everything is all set for next Tuesday morning. My doctor gave me a copy of my orders, as well as my customary copy of my chart to keep in the baby's box. I'm excited because starting tomorrow, our days are going to be filled (house church tomorrow night, basketball practice and Kylie's meet on Saturday, a birthday party for one of Kylie's good friends on Sunday) and they will go by so quickly! The only thing bothering me is that we still haven't decided on a girl name! We have it narrowed down, but we really have to make the final decision!

While I'm obviously done being pregnant (I'm so freaking miserable!), I'm trying to enjoy my last couple of days without a little one attached to me. When I get up in the middle of the night to pee I can go right back to sleep - I don't have to feed someone and hope they go back to sleep. My schedule does not revolve around a little person right now and I'm really trying to enjoy that. But I will be so glad to get my energy back. I hate that I can hardly carry Ryan upstairs anymore - it just takes too much out of me! I hate feeling like such a lazy person...I can't wait to get back to normal!

A Very Heavy Heart for an Old Friend...

I had a really good friend in junior high (at church, not at school). Actually, there was a group of us that did so much together...we practically lived at church. We saw each other three times per week, went on missions trips together and of course tried to hang out outside of church as much as we could (it was hard because our church was huge and I lived 1/2 hour away from it, and most of my friends lived in the opposite direction).

Anyway, a few months ago I reconnected with this one friend on Facebook. I had read that she had moved out to Denver and had gotten married and had two adorable little boys. She posts quite frequently on FB and has a blog, so I always felt like I knew what was going on in her life. Her husband looked a lot like her, so their kids looked very much like both of them. Their family pictures were gorgeous - all with roughly the same hair color and such similar faces!

A couple of days before Christmas she had posted that her husband was sick and that Christmas was not going to be quite the same this year and she was bummed about it. I felt bad because I know how hard I tried to keep our family healthy over the holidays this year because being sick over Christmas sucks! And then on 12/23 I saw this FB post from her "my husband died in my arms this morning. I have no words."

I had to re-read that so many times because at first, my mind left out the "died" part, so I thought this was a post about how he was better and she could be with him (he had been quarantined). But then when I re-read it and computed what she was saying, I was hit hard. John just happened to come upstairs by the computer at this time and I told him...my heart was so heavy. This is something that happens to other people, not people I know. This is something that happens to older people, not a girl that is just a few days older than me and to a couple that has been married about the same amount of time as John and I. How could this happen?

I read her blog post this morning about that horrible morning for her, and I cried. Right here at my desk at work, I cried. I started to think about how I would react in that situation...if John collapsed on me. He is my rock...he is the strong one of the family...I can't even imagine what I would do if the person that was the one who held us up and took care of us suddently needed to be saved.

So hug your husbands/wives a little tighter today, and tomorrow, and the day after, because you really never know when it might be your last hug. And please pray for my friend Tricia...I'm sure she needs so many prayers right now.

Christmas 2010...

Our church had Christmas Eve service this year, which was new. In the past, there has been no service, and while the first year was difficult for me to get used to, I had begun to cherish the calm Christmas Eve we had grown accustomed to with nowhere that we had to rush off to. So this year was a little difficult as we had to plan our day around the 4:30 service.

But once I was there, I remember why it was hard to get used to not having a service. Seeing everyone dressed up (our church is normally fairly casual) and wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas” was enough to put anyone in the Christmas spirit. I had some great hot chocolate and the kids sang “Silent Night” while signing it, and Kyle was part of a reading. I was so content.

And then our pastor started preaching, and my mind began to wander back to that night over two thousand years ago. I’m pregnant. Very pregnant. And for the first time, I’m very pregnant over Christmas. I thought about what it was like for Mary to make that long journey on a donkey while very pregnant. I thought about Mary having to give birth in a setting other than a controlled environment (like a hospital!) – I say this because John has adamantly reminded me over and over again that we’re not sure where she actually gave birth, only that they had to spend the end of the night in the stable. I thought about how she laid him in a manger, and I wouldn’t dream of having anything rougher than the carpet touch my newborn, and yet there was probably hay all around baby Jesus. There were animals around Him…imagine that today…wild animals around a newborn??? And yet that’s how Jesus came into this world, and He was here to save us. While the service was very light-hearted and wonderful, the magnitude of the thoughts that went through my head were very heavy. Thankfully the event ended with some great news about a friend and the overall cheeriness that comes with Christmas.

As we were driving home I realized that our big dinner that we had planned (prime rib, green beans and potatoes) would take 2 hours to make and we would not be eating until 8:30, and then by the time we did all of our other Christmas Eve rituals, we and the kids would not be getting to bed until really late. So I ran out and got KFC and we had a great, fast dinner :)

After dinner the kids opened presents from my sister and from John and I (their annual PJs), and then they quickly went to bed. John, Suzie and I went to work finishing up everything we needed to finish and then heading to bed ourselves. John and I continued with our tradition of opening each other’s presents before we went to bed. I had gotten John some clothes and other things, and he handed me my present. He has been getting me new knives each year to add to my collection. But I knew this year he didn’t feel like getting me knives (which I was OK with because I have enough to cook anything I need to cook). We had talked about getting a new camera because we had talked to a camera shop and were told that instead of putting more money into lenses for our camera, we should get a new camera because technology had improved so much in the 7 ½ years since we had gotten our camera. But I knew that was a huge expense and I told him that we should wait. So when he handed me his little present, I was relieved to see one little box. It was a flash for my camera. My biggest complain about my fabulous camera is that it doesn’t take very good pictures in low light, so I was excited to get a flash! We then got ready for bed and as the lights went off and I started to watch a little TV, John handed me another present…it was a flash card. He told me and he was reaching under the bed again “you’re going to need a new one of those for this” and he handed me two more boxes. These boxes contained a new camera and a new lens. While I was “upset” at his trickery, I was so excited and so happy. For me, while I love getting new things, even creating a Christmas wish list was hard…I don’t need anything, and I’m so content with what I have been blessed with, so while this was an incredibly wonderful present, it was also hard for me to swallow and accept. After playing with the camera for a few minutes, we finally went to sleep :)

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning (about 2 hours after going to bed) to John leaving the bedroom and telling our two little santa-watchers that they had to get off the couch and go back to bed. That’s right, Kylie and Josh had planned on sitting on the couch and just looking at their presents under the tree until we got up the next morning. Thankfully, they did go back to sleep, but only for 3 more hours :(

Christmas morning started with me putting some fruit together for breakfast, and Kylie and Josh “patiently” waiting for Ryan to wake up so they could start opening presents. Finally around 7:30 we let the kids wake Ryan up and we started opening presents. Kylie opened her big present first – an iPod touch. Even as I write this she is having so much fun playing with it with her friend that happened to get one for Christmas too. Joshie got a new bike and a basketball hoop for the basement and some little golf stuff. Ryan got a lot of Woody and Buzz toys.

After we opened presents we played with the presents :) We also cleaned up the house, getting ready for John’s family who was coming over in the evening. Then we all got ready and headed over to my sister’s house for brunch and more presents.

When we got to Cindy’s house, the girls all immediately started cooking. We made sausage, bacon, hash brown casserole, omelets and tator tots. It took us a while (we were doing omelets in boiling water and I put too many bags in at once), but it was a great lunch and it was fun eating with everyone.

After lunch we all opened presents. Again, it was so apparent how extremely blessed we are. The kids got things they wanted off their lists, and I got some great things too, ranging from cooking items to gift cards to Sephora. John got his gas card and beer, which while it was kind of a joke (he had e-mailed everyone telling us there was no need for a list, just get him a gas card and beer), he truly loved it! He also got some gift cards to his golf store so that he can get some new clubs this spring. I loved giving away all of the gifts I have been gathering for people over the past month.

After opening the presents we had to load up and head home. As soon as we got home, John’s parents arrived and we hung out with them while also getting everything ready for dinner. John’s sisters arrived shortly after and it was so nice to sit and talk and watch the kids play with their cousins. John’s parents gave the kids their presents – they got Kylie a Kindle, which they had told us a while ago so it was fun to finally see her reaction and talk about it with her! They gave Josh a tire swing and some other little things, and he and Ryan got a tiny little air hockey game and they love it! They got Ryan some books to go with the Tag system and some games for his “DS.”

After a while we ate dinner and then we did our flash mob. We had practiced this a couple of nights before and it turned out great except for the fact that John’s dad got up and started dancing with us! We did it to “We Are Family” and we had a whole “routine” planned out. But as soon as the first one started dancing, his dad joined right in. The whole thing turned out really well and we had fun!

After that it was time for the gift exchange. We had all drawn names so we exchanged those gifts and then everyone hung out some more. The majority of the people didn’t end up leaving until around 11:00.

So, even though I’m hugely pregnant and miserable 90% of the time, it was a fabulous Christmas! Now I get to enjoy this whole week home with my great kids. I’m sure there will be lots of playdates (already have two scheduled), as well as lots sitting around and relaxing :)