My First Christmas

Baby's 1st Christmas

My personalized stocking on Christmas morning

Christmas Eve at Great-Grandma Ackerman's

Cale and Gabby having tummy time:)


As you can imagine we had one spoiled little boy over Christmas! We are so glad we were able to enjoy it instead of him being born the week of as planned. His beingearly arrival definitely worked out well:) We spend Christmas Eve at Aaron's grandma Ackerman's house and then spent the night at Kalee's parents. The weather was nasty so we didn't want to take Cale too far. And we knew Santa would find his way there for our little guy:) We spent Christmas morning with Kalee's family and she made her once yearly Christmas cinnamon rolls. They are so good i'm not sure why we don't make them more often! After we opened gifts we went to the Treat's Christmas were he once again was spoiled galore! The usual tradition is to go to a movie that night and Great-grandma Sharon was more than willing to babysit but we were exhausted and were ready to go home! The Rotzoll's were in town so wen spent Sunday afternoon visiting with them..well basically Aunt Tammy just cuddled with Cale but we know we are still slightly important:) He had a great first Christmas and also welcomed two new friends into the world!
Avery Walter Suits (Dave and Melissa Suits) was born Thursday 12/23 and Jasper William Snyder (Jason and Stephanie Snyder) was born on 12/26. We are so excited he will have two buddies he can grow up with!

Time is Flying

Wow...time sure has flown. I was originally due yesterday instead I got to hold my one month old baby:)...and spend it shopping with our "Virginia family"!

Cale's one month appointment was on Tuesday the 21st and he is growing like a week. The doctor said he'd soon be "eating us out of our house!" He's weighing in at 7lbs 11oz and is 20inches long. For the past 2 weeks he's been really trying to lift his head (of course it doesn't stay up) but this week he's started to keep it up for a few seconds before he face plants back down. He is also starting to look when he hears voices or noise.

This past month has been quite the learning lesson for mommy and daddy! We are loving every minute of it but we have learned 1) you won't always be on time-when he's hungry, crying, or wet you stop and do what you need to do and being on time doesnt matter 2) everything is trial and error 3) it doesn't matter if the dishes are done or the house is clean...cuddle with them while you can cause they are only this small once! Luckily Grammy (Barb) had some vacation time to burn so she spent a few days watching him so Mommy could get some this done and get out of the house a little bit. She was starting to lose her sanity being cooped up inside all day!

My work threw us a baby shower on the 21st also so we had a busy day. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends, family, and co-workers who are so giving and thoughtful. Cale is one spoiled little boy!

This weekend will be his 1st Christmas! We are SOOO glad that he is here with us and we are settled and can enjoy the holiday!

He is also excited his new buddy Avery Suits (Dave and Melissa Suits) arrived today (one month early as well)! We are so happy everyone is healthy and doing great!

First Appointment/ Jaundice

We took Cale in for his first appointment on Wednesday, Nov 24th. He weight 5lbs 4oz so he had lost a bit from birth weight which is common. He also grew 1/2" and was 18inches. His bilirubin levels were slighlty high at a 14.6 so they requested we come back the next day (Thanksgiving Day) to be checked again. Otherwise he looked great.

Thanksgiving Day we went in and his levels had gone up to a 15.3 which is cause for concern. We were sent immediately to the hospital for him to begin phototherapy. Talk about scary for us new parents....However we knew he was in good hands and it was best for him. We spent our first Thanksgiving as a family in the hospital. Our families both came and brought us a real Thanksgiving meal which helped pass the time. The next day he was checked again and he was back down to a 10 which he needed to be under 13 to go home. We finally got to come back home on Friday around 10:30 and get back into our "routine".

He was very lethargic before so and since he got the treatment he has been much easier to wake up to feed and spends a little more time with his eyes open now:) He still sleeps like a newborn does which we should be taking advantage of (we're trying to!) but we just love to hold him.

We've been so blessed with such great friends and all the visitors, phone calls, and texts we've received. Everyone has been so caring and wonderful we couldn't ask for better friends and family!!

Thanksgiving Arrival

Well...our little man decided he did not want to be a Christmas baby but a Thanksgiving baby. Cale Lee Ackerman arrived on Saturday, November 20th at 8:47p.m. He was 5lbs 10oz and 17.5inches.

On Friday, November 19th my water broke while at work. I had ordered lunch and went to the restroom while waiting on it....it was then I knew something wasn't right! By the time I had gotten back it was apparent what had happened. I called the Dr. and they sent me to the office. Luckily I have great co-workers who took care of me and one drove me to the hospital. On the way there a nurse called to tell me to go straight to Labor and Delivery. When I got there they hooked me up to an IV and anitbiotics and told me I wouldn't be leaving that hospital without a baby! It was quite the whirlwind. Aaron was an hour and a half away and my mom was four hours away on a shopping trip. My dad immediately left work and met me at the hospital. He was in the waiting room and saw a flash go by the door...sure enough it was Aaron who made it (luckily safely) to the hospital in 38 minutes! I was then moved to a delivery room. Contractions were few and far between and I was mostly in pain due to sitting in that hospital bed. By 8:00 I had still made no progress so they unhooked me and let me have dinner. Along with Aaron, my mom, dad, brother, and Aaron's mom were there to entertain us (as you can see from the picture of Chris below) which definitely helped keep my mind off things.

On Saturday I woke up, took a shower and put my make-up on and they hooked me up to the monitors and began pitocin. By 10:20 my contractions were beginning but were not quite "painful" just a lot of pressure. The nurse described it as "He's not understanding the pool has been drained and the eviction noticed has been served."! At 2:40 I was dialeted to a 4 and the rest of my water was broken. He was not cooperating staying on the external monitor so they had to do an internal which was not convenient as there were only so many ways you could move but whatever I needed to do we did. At 6:45 I couldn't take the pain anymore and I requested an epidural. I was dialated to a 9 by that point so I'm glad I requested it when I did. By 7:05 the epidural was complete and I had a new friend, Neil. I expressed to him how amazing he was:) That took all the pain away and just made for pressure so I would know when to push. By 8:00 I was pushing and the nurse acted as if the Dr. wasn't going to make it I was progressing so quickly. Finally the dr arrived, and 5 pushes later he was here!!!

Due to him being 5 weeks early NICU had to be present for the delivery and they checked him over as soon as he arrived. Everything looked great they said! My family was then able to come in and meet our precious little boy! It was then we could tell him the name as well. Cale was a name on our list of a few we had liked and when we went through the baby book it said it meant Charles (which is my dad's name) and we were sold! Aaron's dad's name is Dale also so it rhymes. Lee is a very common middle name in both of our families as well (including Aaron).

We were then moved to postpartum and were able to watch him get his first bath. Then began our first night as parents:)

35 Weeks

Wow...only 36 days left! We had our 35 week appointment today...baby is still head down which is great news and everything looks good. Weekly appointments begin next week!

Here is a 34 week picture (a little behind i know...)

My dad built his grandson a beautiful dresser and gave it to us this weekend for the nursery. Thanks to my mom's help we now have an organized nursery (for now anyways!). We spent this Saturday washing clothes, etc. and getting things put away. I am starting to feel semi-prepared now. I know I'll never be fully prepared but at least I feel like I've made some progress:) Enjoy the pictures below....

His name will be going over the crib after his arrival:)

Last Friday night we had a couple's shower and had a great time! Best part was the diaper changing contest between Aaron and I. He was lucky to find a surprise in his diaper and he still won! Guess he's so good at it he gets the privilege of doing most of the diaper changing! I'll post pictures next post once I get them:) Thanks to everyone who was able to make it!!

Baby Shower Barcrawl

Well..we're approaching 34 weeks. As I write this blog we have 44 official days left. We really can't believe how fast time is flying! Everyone has been on me to get my bags packed so we're slowly getting there. A few things left to purchase, clothes to wash, and we should be ready! I've been feeling great...getting more and more tired daily but I can't complain. It's only caused one mini-meltdown. Poor Aaron just let's me cry it out then makes sure I'm in bed early:) The nursery is getting there...still a lot of organizing to do. I keep thinking i'll hit that "nesting" phase and get a burst of energy to get it all done!

Grandma Barb went to the 32 week ultrasound. We have a bashful, stubborn little boy. He kept his hands in front of his face the entire time so we couldn't get any good pictures:( We know he gets the bashfulness from his dad but we still can't figure out where that stubborn side comes from:) Everything looks good and on track though. He was estimated to be weighing in at 5.5lbs which is in the 55th percentile. Therefore I'm estimating an earlier rather than later arrival (or hoping for at least) but I'm not going to psych myself up for it to be let down by being overdue. Our bi-weekly appointments begin this month so we'll go in 3 times this month and begin weekly appointments in December. I've been taking a prenatal swimming class which is amazing on these aching, growing joints. It is kind of mental therapy as well being in a class of 7 pregnant women and discussing the ups and downs we go through together! It's always fun to see them come back and hear their birthing experiences as well!

This last weekend my Blackburn friends held a Baby Shower in Carlinville for me. What a blast we had! We ended up titling it the Baby Shower Bar Crawl. "Best baby shower we've ever been too" seemed to be the comment of the night! Needless to say I thought I could stay up and party as late as I used to and boy was a wrong! Sunday was painful (I almost felt hungover! haha). But...needless to say we had a great time and it's always fun to see them. And....we got our stroller/carseat combo and a bunch of other baby goodies:) They are all anxiously awaiting his arrival and have a phone tree so everyone is notified when he makes his entrance! Oh and we can't forget Carlos...our mascot for the night! He was on the cake and we all thought he was just adorable so we made sure he was in most of the pictures!

1st Baby Shower

We had our first baby shower/diaper party this past weekend. We are so blessed to have such great friends! The Frerich's fam hosted along with the help of Laura, Ashley and Carrie. We got lots of goodies and had a blast! We definitely have a REALLY good start on diapers too which is a HUGE help!

Here are a few pictures...

Things have been going great...since the last post I've had my 28 week appointment and he was measuring just right and I am doing good. Gestational diabetes test was passed...woohoo!! He's started curling up in my ribs when I sleep which is not enjoyable...normally half way through the night I have to prop myself up so he doesn't settle up there :)

The nursery is coming right along. The bedding is done and looks fantastic. We have a few finishing touches (including the dresser my dad is making for him) to complete and we'll be set. People keep telling me I need to start packing my bags and that scares me! I will get to it soon I am sure:)

Last night we could feel his toes (or what we think were toes)...Aaron would press against them and he'd push back. We can't wait to see what they really look like!

Welcome Third Trimester

We've made it to the 3rd trimester! Only 12 weeks left now. People keep talking about buying Christmas gifts and we are realizing we will have a baby around that time...hopefully, as long as he's not late :)

I've been feeling good...it's been an adjustment to learn how to tie my shoes, not be able to paint my toenails on my own, and just breath in general but I can't complain:) I keep reminding myself I am growing a human being and if I don't feel "great" it's because there's a lot of action going on in there!!

We attended our 2nd prental class...Infant CPR. We thought it might be a waste because you watched a DVD that they ended up giving you but it was informative and was definitely information we did not know.

The crib is up! Aaron and my dad spent the evening putting it together a few weekends ago. I absolutely love it! it went much smoother than had Aaron and I done it ourselves! We just got the mattress in last night. This weekend I am devoting some time to baby room projects too :)

Next week I go for my gestational diabetes test and 28 week appointment. Next appointment is the 32 week sonogram then we start going bi-weekly, then weekly. It's so real now knowing that all of our appointments are scheduled! He's definitely a lot more active and Aaron has been able to feel him quite a bit. You can definitely feel body parts but we're still not sure what is what! I'm sure before long it will be distinguishable.....

Here's a 28 week picture...I didn't realize how big I had gotten until I went back to compare. No wonder it's hard to tie my shoes these days:) It will all be worth it though!

Nursery

Well the nursery is finally coming along! Thanks to the help of my wonderful parents we now have paint on the walls:) It was quite the tedious task but I love how it turned out. These pictures are just with the first coat of paint on them so they look much better now after just a few coats!

We picked up the crib also! It will be put together this week...hopefully:) Still need to do a lot of cleaning and some other decorative things but we are getting there. Only 14 weeks until he'll be here. I feel like it was just last week I was only 14 weeks!

Time is flying by!!!

Wow time sure is flying by...24 weeks already...into the 6th month! He's finally getting a little more active and Aaron has been able to feel some movement. It's mostly in the evening when i'm "relaxing" (if that's what you call it!) but it sure is fun! The room is slowly getting there. The windows are done and now all we need is the paint job and lots of cleaning and we'll be ready to start moving things in.


Aaron went to his "Dad's Only Class" last week. He was a little apprehensive when we signed him up but he really learned a lot. Actually I think he'll be teaching me things. They were taught about everything from feeding, diaper changing, bath time, and his favorite was how to make a baby "pass gas"! I definitely think he learned more than he thought he would.


My mom and I attended the One Week Boutique "first time mom's" sale the same night Aaron was at class. What a madhouse that was! You had to get a number to get into the building then you were let in by groups. After we shopped we had to wait in line for 1 1/2 hours to check out. Fortunately some good friends were kind enough to let us cut in line with them otherwise we would have been there all night! I'm still not sure why they host a first time mom's sale at 8p.m. though...we didn't get home until midnight! We did get some good purchases though...clothes, a rocking/talking horse, an umbrella stroller's for Grandma Barb's house, etc....



We're off to Nashville for the weekend for a wedding and a pre-anniversary get away. The doctor recommended we vacation now if we'd like to before the baby so since we can't take a "real" vacation we thought we'd see the sights of Nashville while we were there anyways.



Next Tuesday we finally meet our Doctor and go for the 24 week appoitnment.



Here is a 24 week picture...don't mind how awful I look as I was just getting ready for bed!

It's been awhile....

Just realized I hadn't posted in quite some time! We've been busy as usual.....life never seems to slow down for us and i'm sure it will just get busier!

The babies room is very slowly coming together. Aaron and his dad put new windows in and he's working on finishing those up. Once those are done we can really get busy!! We began our registry this weekend at Babies R Us. Wow is that overwhelming! It's far from done but we got a good start and now I just have a lot of tweaking to do. Of course Aaron had to get a few outfits for his baby boy....

The crib has been ordered which makes it really real! Now I can't wait for it to get here. Here is a picture of what we've ordered...

6 months begins tomorrow! I've had a little movement...so far I don't have a karate kid but I'm sure that could change any day!

IT'S A BOY!!

Well...we had our 20 week sonogram and were told it was 'definitely' a little boy! We are ecstatic! I had been convincing myself it was. I think most girls wants a little girl but once I seen those cute little farmers at I & I, I was sold on a boy and convinced myself it was! Then I had a dream that we had a girl so I had no idea really. Aaron said he knew it was and as soon as we seen those boy parts he squeezed my hand and I said "you were right!"

Heart rate was 133 so definitely that "boy" heart rate they talk about!

Here are a few pictures....

20 Weeks

Here's a 20 week picture.....





Definitely getting bigger...which is an adjustment as I've never really liked "getting bigger". Aaron's been great though telling me that I have a reason!! Movement has been off and on...somedays there's a lot more than others which I enjoy the days I can feel it. I'm still waiting for that first good kick though! It has been SO hot I am just thankful I am not at my biggest and can still manage being in the heat (for a short period).

19 Weeks

One week tomorrow we find out what the baby is!!!! We are very excited and counting down the days. I have been feeling a lot of movement lately which is really neat but still doesn't feel real. Monday night (7/26) I was laying in bed on my side and felt somersaults...its been more of a fluttering until that night. I told Aaron "I can feel it moving!" because it was definitely more than just the fluttering I had been feeling. Now I feel on and off movement daily. Not sure what it is yet and I'm still excited for that first good kick!

Babies room will be worked on here soon...I am working on cleaning it out now and we ordered new windows that should be in today so we can get started!

Below is a picture of the baby's first tractor from Aaron! The shelf will be re-done and this will be the "tractor shelf" whether the baby is a boy or girl!

18 Weeks

We're almost half way there! We had our 18 week appointment yesterday and everything is looking great. Grandma Barb got to come and hear the babies heart beat...and of course her and the nurses had to talk about how wonderful life as a grandma will be! Heart rate was 152.....does this mean boy or girl is what we're wondering?! Next appointment is August 5th and we can finally know what this baby is....Aaron and I our counting down the days!!! Here's an 18 week picture....



Aaron got me my first mommy-to-be gift. Funny story though...my hormones were out of whack (or so we'll say) one night and I was crying because he wouldn't go for a walk with me, wasn't reading the baby books, and was on the computer instead of spending time with me. So finally he said "if you knew what i was doing you'd feel bad for crying" and showed me he was ordering me a gift (reason he was on the computer) and he had gotten the idea from the baby book (because he had really been reading it!).....man did i feel bad! I collect the Willow Tree angels...here is a picture of the one called Cherish that he bought me!

2011 Historic Farm Days

We spent the weekend of July 10th at the Historic Farm Days in Penfield. The baby had it's first tractor ride! And of course got some new CASE IH gear (i'm sure if it's a girl it will is tomboy bound if Daddy and grandpa have any say!)

Here we are in the tractor parade. The second picture you can see Aaron but his face is covered! Gabby (getting all the attention she can for now!) didn't get to go on the tractor ride but she did get a few rides on the cart!

We also went to the wedding of Andy and Erin Cler. It was a beautiful wedding (even as sober as i was)! Congrats to Andy and Erin!!

July 4th Weekend

Happy 4th of July!! What a fun filled weekend. We went on a mini-vaca with my parents to St. Louis to gamble and see the STL fireworks. I had my first experience with swelling hands and feet. I'm going to go with it was the heat but it was not cute:) We also went on our first "baby shopping" trip...see pictures below of Aaron testing out strollers!