One Week!

It's hard to believe a week has passed.  I find myself in tears at random moments throughout the day as I stop and think about how blessed I am, and I immediately stop and thank God for His gifts.  Brigham is perfect and precious in every single way.  The week has gone as well as can be expected as we adjust to our family of 4..and Boston adjusts to not being the center of our attention :)  Tuesday was a very rough day.  Boston was acting out and by the time Derek got home after a 12 hour shift I was in tears. I felt like I spent the entire day nursing or pumping, or hollering at Boston to settle down or stop messing with Brigham. Derek had a 'talk' with Boston and today was better.  Derek had the day off today so I took Boston to school so we could have some 'Boston and Mom' time, and then we ventured out to lunch as a family.  It was nice to get out of the house, and also nice to have Derek's help for the day.  I got an hour nap which was much needed!  Derek is such a good dad, and has been a huge help around the house so I am blessed in that department as well! My friend Tracy (Tracy Pollard Photography) took Brighams newborn pictures yesterday.  I've gotten a sneak peak at a few and they are so precious.  I can't wait to share them with you!!  Here are a few pictures from the past few days.



First 'Wash Cloth' Bath.. it didn't go so well!  He cried about as hard getting wiped down as he does when he gets his diaper changed!   

 Beautiful bouqet of flowers delivered yesterday from the Doctors and staff at my work!

 Boston playing with Brighams new bath toys that our neighbor Wendi brought over today!

 Brigham can really hold his head up well already!  I just love it when he looks in your eyes.. it makes me wonder what he's thinking!

 Boston and Brigham at 1 week old!

 Even though Boston is adjusting to sharing all of the attention..he still loves little Brigham.  I think he kissed Brigham about 30 times today :)

 Brigham Jigs- 1 week!  The orange aphgan was made by one of my Junebug friends!!  It came in the mail Saturday!  It matches the orange in his room perfect!  Thank you Kristy!!

Precious..  My boys!

Brigham Jigs Gerdes

It's a...

And Dad, Mom and Big Brother are so excited!!

On Wednesday, March 23rd, at 5:18 PM, Brigham Jigs Gerdes entered the world.  Words cannot express how much of a blessing this little boy is to our family! He is absolutely adorable and a very precious gift from God!  It still just seems so unreal that this little miracle is here and in our arms and our family.  That 9 months goes so slow yet so fast, if that makes any sense..  Here are some pictures of our newest addition and some information about his 'birthday'!

I checked into Avera around 11:00 for an induction.  We were scheduled for a 6 AM check in but got a call when we were 10 seconds out of our driveway that they were on baby/labor over load and we had to postpone until mid-late morning.  I was so disappointed.  I had been up since 4, had showered, eaten breakfast and was anxious to meet this baby.  Derek and I did manage to rest awhile and at 10:00 we got the call a room was waiting for us!  By the time we got registered and into a room and got things rolling with the IV it was about 12:00.  After the pitocin had started I was still only dilated to a 2, which was what I was dilated to at about 37 weeks.  At first I was thinking... "oh wow this is going to move slow!".  Even only being dilated to a 2, with the pitocin running, the contractions were quite painful and I had asked for the epidural.  Dr. Scott broke my water and within a short amount of time I was dilated to a 5!  They called the delivery team and equipment was brought into the room for when it was time to deliver the baby. The epidural was quite the experience this time around.  I ended up having to get the epidural twice because the first one was only affecting the right side of my body.  Good thing I asked for the epidural when I did because it took awhile for it to all take affect and within 30 minutes of it being in full effect I was dilated to a 10 and ready to deliver Baby Gerdes!  The nurses hadn't checked me for awhile so I asked when I would be checked again.  She said they would check me after me or the baby were showing signs of being ready.  She asked if I wanted to be checked out of curiosity and I said yes.  Good THING!!!  I was dilated to a 10 and within minutes the delivery crew and doctor came in to get the show on the road!  2 contractions later and about 2 good pushes and that little boy was in my arms!  I couldn't believe how fast it went.  Derek called my dad shortly after 5 to tell him the baby would be here within the hour.  They had Boston with them and we wanted to have Boston brought up to the hospital soon after the baby was born.  8 minutes later Derek called my dad back to tell him Brigham had arrived!   

Brigham making his entrance!  My doctor had me grab Brigham when he was 1/2 out so I actually got to deliver him the rest of the way and pull him to my chest.  It was so awesome!  

 My first words were "he is so cute and sooo tiny" and I remember commenting that I thought he looked just like Boston! 

Brigham weighed a few ounces less than Boston but their "recorded birth weights" 6 pounds, 11 oz. is the same!  We have a picture of Boston almost identical to this, and it's very hard to tell the 2 babies apart!

My dad, Boston and Grandma Lisa arrived shortly after Brigham was born.  Boston wasn't quite sure what to think but he was excited!  He did ask me though how come the baby wasn't a girl named Cherry!  The hospital stay went so well.  I absolutely love Dr. Scott and the staff at Avera is always so sweet. I was a bit sore for a few days but am feeling 100% better now.  Brigham is nursing well and I finally feel like i'm getting the hang of the breast feeding stuff!  (and just as I type this i'm doubting myself again)..  Boston would never 'latch on' so I pumped and bottle fed him.  I know Brigham is getting plenty to eat because he poops about every 2 hours :) We had lots of family and friends visit in the hospital and have been spoiled with such nice gifts, even for Boston!  Today was Derek's first day back to work and the day went well.  I'm sure after a few more days we'll be into a new grove although i'll probably be sleep deprived here and there.  That's all for now blogger friends.  I will give updates as time allows! Here are some pictures.. ENJOY!

I can't put into words how special this picture is.  Who would have thought..after the road Derek and I have been on..that we would be happily re-married and welcoming another precious baby into our family.  I am Blessed more than I ever imagined. 

 Proud Big Brother giving Brigham more kisses!

 Such a precious little peanut!  We had his check up today with his pediatrician.  He weighs 6 pounds, 9 ounces, so on his way back up to his birth weight! 

And finally, a peak at the nursery!  The middle frame will have a newborn picture of Brigham in it.  My friend Tracy is taking them tomorrow!!

 'Before I formed in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart' 
Jeremiah 1:5  We still need to add some more decor to this wall!

Big Brother Interview!

Today while we were eating lunch Boston got to talking about the baby coming.  This kid says the craziest, and funniest things, you would think we were making half of it up but we aren't!  Earlier in the week Boston finally learned that babies don't come out your belly button..  He now thinks they come out of a moms butt, and instead of explaining the girl parts to him we'll just go with the "butt" term for now!  So today while we were eating he said to me "When you were in the hospital having me you said "owwww" when I was coming out of your butt".  Derek and I just looked at each other and laughed.    This crazy comment got me to thinking about doing an "interview" with Boston prior to his world changing with a sibling in the family in just a few days.  I hope you enjoy his answers :)

Are you excited about having a baby brother or sister?  Yes

What are you most excited about?  Going to Grandpa Ron's house. 

Do you want a baby sister or a baby brother?  Brother

What do you want your brothers name to be?  Tarzan

What if it's a baby sister?  I'll name it Cherry.

But Cherry doesn't start with a B?  Ok lets just call her Barry.  (he's learning to rhyme in school!)

How are you going to help mommy when the baby comes?  Nothing

Really, nothing?  You mean you aren't going to be a good big brother?  Ok, i'm going to feed the baby a bottle and baby food.  That's all.

What kind of noises do you think the baby will make?  Cry, whine and cry.

Do you think the baby will be cute?  Yes

Cute like who?  Me (meaning himself!)

What kinds of things do we have to do carefully around the baby?  Don't mess with the baby.  Can't climb on the baby or the baby's chair. 

Do you think the baby will have any hair?  No

Are you going to be sad that you aren't the only kid in the house?  Yes, and then who are you going to love best mom?

My answer:  Boston, I'm going to love you and the baby same.  You will both be extra special to me. 

A new camera!

I have been wanting a new camera for months but have been so busy with other things I'd kind of forgotten about it or at least had put it on the back burner for awhile.  A friend of mine commented on facebook earlier this week how she had gottten a new camera and that she was loving it! (It was one of the cameras I had been considering)  Ever since then i've had a new camera on my brain 24/7 so finally decided today I would take the plunge!  Thank you to my dear husband for making this purchase possible!  He works so hard for us!  So thank you honey!  I love you! And I love the new camera!! 

I was so worried that it would be absolutely impossible to figure out to run it, but after playing around with it for an hour I have the basics down. A few more days of practice and changing up the settings and the newborn baby pictures will look professional :) 

Here are a few pictures from today with my new Canon T2i!

Grandpa Ron bought a new toy so he had to bring it over and show it off to Boston!

Dad even trusted me with the controls!

Boston thought it was more fun to run after the sprint car so he got Grandma Lisa to run with him because there was no way on earth I was going to!

Boston playing the game Angry Birds on my iphone!

38 Week Appointment

Today I had my 38 week appointment (38 weeks,2 days to be exact!).  I haven't gained any weight in a few weeks, and i'm still measuring at 35 weeks.  She said me not growing could be a number of things 1) just a small baby (Boston was only 6 pounds, 11 oz at almost 40 weeks)  2) sometimes when the baby is real low they sort of get into their "comfy place" and there isn't a lot of growth in the last few weeks 3) I haven't felt all that well in a week.  I am queezy on and off, have had headaches and haven't slept well.  I could be fighting off a bug/cold.  Basically, the baby is checking out fine so unless I get other symptoms that are alarming, or I notice less movements with the baby, we are good to go until next week. 

The baby's heart rate was quite high (in the 180's) so I was hooked up to the monitor for 20 minutes to monitor the baby.  Everything ended up checking out ok.  I was having some contrations during the monitoring and that caused the baby's heart rate to increase but that is normal.  When I wasn't having a contraction and the baby wasn't moving around, the heart rate was normal. 

Because I haven't felt all that well I really haven't had much of an appetite some days.  This has my blood sugars all messed up but because I am so close to the end of the pregnancy they aren't going to adjust anything.  So all of the above.. and the fact that the baby's head is about falling out of me..(imagine a bowling ball between your legs!)  Dr. Scott went ahead and stripped my membranes today.  Some times this will help bring on labor (if the body/baby are ready) and other times it can do nothing.  I'm really hoping it jump starts things and that I can go into labor on my own.  If the baby hasn't made it's arrival by next week, I check into Avera on the 23rd at 6 AM to be induced. One plus to being induced is that I would be at the hospital if labor progresses as quickly as the doctor is expecting, due to the baby's position already.   She said a few pushes is all it could take!  With my luck it would go that fast and I would end up delivering in the elevator at the hospital or get to the hospital too late and would miss out on the fun drugs! 

Having my membranes stripped was a breeze.  My exams have been quite painful anway because the baby's head is literally...right there.. so I didn't even know that she was doing anything different.  All of the normal things after having this done (contractions, spotting, ect) have happened today, but still no regular or painful contractions, so still waiting!  I know people who have gone into labor that same day or the next day, and others who had their membranes stripped twice and still nothing! 

So anyway that is my pregnancy update!  Either way, we will be a family of 4 in a week!  And since we are so close to the end... here's a baby hint..the name will start with a...





The week is flying by!

The days and weeks just fly by around here! Only 2 1/2 more weeks until Baby Gerdes is due to arrive!  I'm overly anxious and so ready to not be pregnant anymore, but know that the next few weeks will fly by if the baby does decide to wait until the end of March to meet us! 

I've been cleaning like a fool, running all of my errands, and stocking up on groceries and neccessities for the house.  Yesterday I had a doctor appointment and everything continues to look good!  I hadn't gained any weight and was measuring at 35 weeks rather than 37 but the doctor wasn't concerned at all.  The baby has a strong heartbeat and continues to bee-bop around quite a bit so I think it's enjoying itself :)

I also got my hair cut yesterday, grocery shopped and we took Boston to the dentist for his 6 month check up!  On the way home from the dentist Boston said he was warm so Derek rolled down the window for him.  He says he's hot in the car quite a bit so I didn't think much of it.  When we got home he said he was hot again, and even layed on the kitchen floor to cool off.  I took his temp and it was fine, so again didn't think much of it.  He perked up a bit and asked for a snack so I got him an orange and he headed downstairs to watch cartoons.  About 10 minutes later he came up the steps puking.  We got him and the carpet cleaned up and had him lay down to rest.  That lasted about a half hour and he was asking to go play toys and eat more for snack!  I'm not sure what caused the puking, but it was the quickest little 'bug' we've ever had around here!  He's been his normal wild-crazy self ever since :)

I am off work now until next week Wed. morning!  I am not enjoying the full days when I do work, but having a week off at a time is wonderful.  I hadn't slept well in several nights so last night I took some Tylenol PM and slept for 9 hours. (minus getting up to pee about 7 times!)  It was great waking up feeling refreshed for another day!  We are heading up to Sanford later today to visit our new neice Izzy who was born last night.  (Derek's brother Jeff and his girlfriend G's baby)  Boston is exited to see his new cousin!  We will also stop by and visit Derek's aunt Mary who has been in and out of the hospital quite a bit lately.  She has battled MS for a long time and has really went down hill these last 6 months.  Please keep her in your prayers. 

Well, that's about it for today's journal entry.  I'm sharing a few pictures from earlier in the week of Boston in his couch cushion fort.  He is entertained for hours in here!



Packing our bags!

The past few days i've felt 'different'.  My new work schedule started this past week so I worked 2 full days on Thursday and Friday and in the evenings I was NOT comfortable.  Friday and Saturday night I had a lot of contractions, pressure and pains.  Friday night the contractions were 6 minutes apart but not overly painful, just very uncomfortable. The contractions eventually went away when I went to bed.  The same thing happened again last night.  I know from my doctor appointment this past week that the baby's head is very low and i've made good progress with being dilated to a 2 and 80% effaced, so with all the added pressure and pains, I just have a feeling this baby will come sooner than the 27th.  I see my doctor again on Wednesday so i'll find out then if i've made anymore progress!  This afternoon Derek was asking me if I knew what kind of food they would have for him to eat at the hospital..  I think he is just as anxious as me, but for different reasons!?  Avera's Labor and Delivery unit is all brand new so it will be so different than when we were there having Boston! They now have a "dad lounge" with flat screen tv's and recliners, so i'm pretty sure Derek will be spending a lot of time there.   

This morning I started packing up my hospital bag and got started on packing Boston's as well.  He will be staying with Grandpa Ron and Grandma Lisa when it's time to head to the hospital.  Other than a few items that will have to be thrown into the bags last minute we are ready to go! 

My friend Tracy, who has her own photography business, came over yesterday and took some baby bump shots.  We were limited to what we could all do in doors, but she still got some great pictures!  I've only seen 3 pictures so far, so i'm anxiously awaiting to see the rest this week!  Here is a sneak peak from Tracy Pollard Photography!  Some of the pictures she took will have to wait to be posted until after the arrival of baby Gerdes.. ;) 

Baby Bump- 37 weeks!

 Boston kisses my belly about 5 times a day.  It's just so precious.  He will come over and kiss my tummy and say "I love you baby".  He is going to be such a great big brother!

 This is just a random shot of Boston posing for the camera!  He came up with this pose all on his own!  Could he be any more handsome?! 

A fun filled day!

Wow, it was a good day!  I started my new work hours this week so I actually haven't worked since last Thursday.. I could definetely get used to this!  Back to reality tomorrow though.  I work 8-12 tomorrow, and then all day Thursday and Friday.  Not sure how those full days will go but I guess we'll find out!   Monday I was able to drop Boston off at school, go grocery shopping in peace and run a few other errands, and then pick him up from school.  I've never been able to do that this school year as i'm always working in the mornings so he thought that was pretty cool.  And to be honest, I thought it was so cool going grocery shopping alone!  

Today I had an appointment with my OB. I measure right at 36 weeks and am dialated to a 2 already, and am 80% effaced! For those of you who have had children, you know that this is PROGRESS!!  My OB couldn't believe how low the baby's head was.  I asked if that meant the baby would come soon and she said not necessarily but that she anticipates it being a very quick labor!  More good news!!... as long as i'm able to get to the hospital quick enough for my drugs :)   After my doctors appointment I took Boston to the movie Tangled at the $3 Theater.  It was such a cute movie! 

Tomorrow we say goodbye to the Yukon.. i'm really NOT sad at all!  I have not liked it since the day we got it.  I call it my white school bus!  It's just too big for me and white is my least favorite color for a vehicle!  So, tomorrow I will be the proud driver of a black metallic Acadia!  Very excited for the change, and think this will be a much better fit for me with the new baby coming.  I wasn't quite sure how on earth I was going to get a baby carrier up and in that Yukon!  I'm 5'5" and thought for sure I was going to need a step stool to make that happen.  Ok, I am sure I could have managed and that i'm over exaggerating a bit... but to wrap this up, i'm just so excited for the change in vehicles!

Oh.. and to make this already excellent day even better... I got a fed ex delivery while we were at the movie!  A BOX of different coffee flavors for my Keurig! 

My K-cup holder, all full of the new flavors!

 And extra's for the cubboard..and for my mom and friends who also share my love for coffee.  Instead of borrowing each other's clothes, we trade K-cups!  It's the best!