Kenzington's 3 month pics

We had Kenzington's 3 month pictures taken last weekend...along with a few family pictures too! Our disc drive isn't working on our computer, so I can't upload a bunch...just a few that I e-mailed to myself!

Our photographer is AMAZING!! She does such an awesome job of getting great shots of all of us. Love her!!

Let the giggles begin!

Jackson gets first prize for the best (and only) giggles yet!!

12 weeks are up!

And my 12 weeks with my beautiful children is coming to an end this week. And yes, I'm getting sad about this. The past 12 weeks...well, 5 months...have had our ups and downs and all arounds, but I wouldn't change any of it (except maybe the whole bedrest part!). But in all reality, it got us a beautiful, healthy daughter so I can't really be upset about that!

Our beautiful Kenzington has grown and changed so much over the past few weeks! She is so much more alert and interactive. It's awesome! Her smiles are frequent..especially in the mornings! Kenzi has found her voice and is starting to coo and talk a lot more. Yesterday, she figured out how to gurgle and make noises with her throat...it was adorable! The biggest (and probably best) thing is that she has been sleeping through the night!!! Yes, folks, you read that right!! For the past week, she has been sleeping from about 8:30-6! There was one night in there that she woke up at 4, but really, there is no complaining about that coming from this house!! If you remember, Jackson got up twice a night until he was about 13 months old...so Jon and I are THRILLED that she's sleeping so well!! It's amazing to feel rested! We're hoping this pattern keeps up! She'll start at Jen's house on Monday and I have no fears about it...sadness, yes, but fears and nerves...no. Jack is excited to have her come!

And speaking of Jack...have I mentioned how awesome of a big brother he has been?!?! He has been very attentive about getting Kenzi's pacifier when she's crying, going to talk to her if she's fussing, grabbing her blanket if she does her tired cry...he's figuring things out! I'm sure he'll be a great protector and helper at Jen's! And the biggest (and best) thing for Jack this month...he's been dry through the night!! We have been battling this for 2 years now and it seems as if it has officially happened (knock on lots of wood...we don't want to go back!). He is so proud of himself and so are we!! We told them if he stays dry for a month, then he can get a pet fish...he has to go until Nov 4th and we'll be getting a pet!

Please send out lots of prayers as I go back to work this next week. I have a feeling it may be a bit overwhelming getting two kids up and ready, trying to get Kenzi fed at the right time in the morning before we leave, getting Jack fed and all of us out the door by 7:30. Plus finding the time for our kids when we get home, all while getting supper ready, get all of the laundry done through the week, plus all of the other responsibilities that go along with kids, a house and life! I'm sure it will all be fine and will just fall into place, just as falling into a family of 4 was no big deal. But still...there are nerves. So pray that everything will work out! 

Today is one of those days...

Today is one of those days where we realize just how truly blessed our family really is.

Kenzington is a few days shy of being 2 months old and every day, we thank God that she is a part of our family!

Our mornings are full of huge smiles and strong attempts at cooing.

 Our afternoons are loaded with snuggles and play time.

 She is a girl who loves her sleep and has done a great job at night! We are blessed with at least 4-5 hours of sleep at a time, a girl who wakes up, eats and goes back to sleep (most of the time!) and the best yet...a girl who sleeps in!

Kenzi has added so much joy to our life and we can't remember what life was like without her.

 

And then there's Jackson..a beautiful 4 year old son who is energentic, loving, full of spunk (and a little attitude at times!).

A little boy who yesterday while I was sewing, crawled up on the chair to watch me, leans around, gives me a kiss on the cheek and a soft, sweet 'I love you Mommy' before hopping down to finish playing zoo animals. A boy who would rather play baseball than do anything else in the world!

A little boy who has so many new lego creations and his eyes light up whenever he finishes one of them and proudly shows us his creation.

A little boy who nervously got ready for preschool, but walked into his classroom and never looked back.

A little boy who each morning, goes to tell the fish hello at preschool.

A little boy who loves his sister...who tells her every day how pretty she is...who stops what he's doing just to give her a kiss on the forehead.

Yes, we are blessed.

 Each and every day, we are thankful for all that God has given us.

A beautiful family.

A beautiful home.

 A beautiful life. 

We now have a 4 year old!!

Yesterday was an awesome day!! Jackson's 4th birthday was a success! Jon took the day off so it was even more special. We have a tradition of waking him up with a special treat. This year, it was a baseball cupcake. We had everything planned out...had the cupcake up and ready to go and then Kenzi needed to eat. Well, all of the sudden, we could hear Jack in the bathroom. (He's been getting up, going to the bathroom, getting dressed and then coming to wake me up lately) All of the sudden, a fully dressed Jack comes into our bedroom. Jon was lighting the candles and Jack asked what he was doing. I told him we had a surprise for him so he needed to go back to bed. He immediately drops his blanket and Mickey in it's place and ran back to his room. We look in and he is laying as stiff as a board...it was cute!

So we sang happy birthday and told Jack he could eat his cupcake. His response: "Maybe I should go eat it at the table so I don't get crumbs in my bed." Nice, Jack!

We got ready and then headed out for our day. We went up to the Children's museum in Brookings and had an awesome time!! They had so many fun things to do and Jack thought it was great. His favorite activities were climbing up to the clouds and the Wii in the fit room! He also had a great time outside, although was soaking wet when he was done! Good thing someone warned us to bring a change of clothes!!



After lots of fun at the kid's museum, we headed back to Sioux Falls for one of Jack's favorite activities...Mini-Golfing!! He, of course, wanted to play the water hole about 10 times and laughed every time that it came down the river and out the hole.



sorry...can't figure out how to rotate!



Probably the most exciting thing for Jackson was that he was FINALLY tall enough to ride the go-carts...with Daddy, of course! (He and Jon went mini-golfing for Father's Day and he wasn't tall enough yet!) So off they went with lots of excitement!

We ended our wonderful day with supper with the Mortensen clan at...wait for it...Pizza Ranch, of course!

We all had an awesome day and can't believe that our tiny Jackson is now 4 years old!! Jackson has blessed us with so many things, but most of all, we feel blessed to be his parents. He has brought so much happiness to our lives with his bubbly personality, sparkling blue eyes and contagious laugh! We love you, Jackson Conrad Burns, and can't wait to watch you grow up!!

One Month Old!

Kenzington is one month old today!!

I can't believe that an entire month has gone by...it seems like yesterday, yet feels like forever all at the same time!! This month has been great. She has become a lot more alert which is a lot of fun for all of us. Jackson LOVES to entertain Kenzi! He loves sitting with her and talking with her, singing to her, making faces...it's adorable!

The things we have learned about Kenzi:

She is definitely not a morning girl! She typically sleeps until 9:00. (one prediction verified!)

She HATES wet diapers...she basically cries as soon as its wet. It's the only time she really cries and gets panicky. Poopy diapers, for some reason, she doesn't mind...strange!

She's a night owl. (another positive prediction!) She'll fall asleep after supper and then wake up around 9:30 and stay up until 11:30. Hopefully that changes in a few weeks!

all of the projects that kept mommy sane!

Overall, this month has flown by and has been spectacular! We have truly been blessed with a very easy baby so far and a son who has transitioned nicely through all of these changes! Everyone always asks if the transition was difficult and our response is always the same...didn't seem to change things a whole lot. We are thankful that things have gone so well and that Kenzington is such a beautiful, easy going baby.

One happy bunch!

Picture time!!

We got our pictures back and they are AWESOME!! So excited about them!! Hard to pick what to order!!

Two weeks old!

Today marks two weeks that we've had little Miss Kenzi in our life! And what a blessing it truly has been!! She is such a sweet little girl and has fallen into our lives as if she has always been here. Jon and I both can't believe it's only been two weeks! Seems like it's been forever.

Jack and I took her into my clinic on Tuesday to visit everyone and we weighed her while we were there. She's up to 5 lbs 9 oz, so past her birth weight and thriving!! She is starting to get these cute little cheeks going on! Not sure if she's put her weight anywhere else though! I'm just excited that she's starting to gain weight and grow more. We have Kenzi's 2 week check up on Monday and I'm anxious to see where she's at then!

We had pictures taken yesterday and saw a few of them...they are awesome! Jack did a great job and had lots of good smiles. Kenzi stayed awake for a good portion of the pics and then fell asleep just when she needed to. Jon thought the red tutu that I made was a bit over the top...until he saw it on her and then he did finally admit that it was cute! Can't wait to see the rest of them and get her birth announcements ready to go!!

Kenzi is starting to make her little squeaks as if she's hungry, so best go feed her and get her to bed! So far, many of my predictions have been true. This little girl sleeps until around 9:30 and then wakes up for a few hours and she likes to stay up at night! We'll see if any other predictions are true!!

Almost a week!

Miss Kenzington is almost a week old and things at the Burns house have been fabulous!! Kenzi is (knock on wood!) an extremely easy baby! She very rarely gets riled up and she is happy and content. When she wants to eat, we get a tiny little squeak and that's about it! There's no major wails during the night, just minor squeaks. She's a great eater and has been working on gaining her weight back. Today, she was 5 lbs 2 oz and we're anxious for her to get back to her birth weight!

Jackson has done a great job at being a big brother!! He is loving it and is doing awesome. Today, we went to the doctor's office and he was super helpful and a great listener while we were there. Our favorite time of day is bedtime. Jack wants Kenzi laid next to him on the bed to read books. It's so adorable to see both of our beautiful children laying there, listening to books, reading devotions and saying prayers. Almost every night, Kenzi has been sleepy and Jack starts talking to her and her eyes open wide and she just listens to him. It's amazing!! It's my favorite time of day to just sit and watch the two of them together!

Anyway...here are a few new pictures! We're hoping our days continue as well as they have been!

All swaddled up for bedtime!

The Burns kiddos

Silly faces

Our first headband!!

All dressed up and ready to go!!

Introducing...

Kenzington Jolee Burns

Born: July 22, 2011 at 4:15 p.m.

Weight: 5 lbs 5 oz

Length: 19"

Friday was an exciting day at the Burns house...although none of us knew that starting out! I was woken up around 4:30 with some contractions but didn't really think a whole lot about it. Didn't think much of it because they weren't anything more than I had already had. I had fallen asleep for periods of time so figured it was nothing.

 (On a side note, it was as if Jack knew something was going to happen because he was super duper sweet that morning! He was looking out the window to our backyard and said, "Mommy, come look at these pretty white flowers. They're just for you!" And lots of sweet hugs and snuggles)

I went to work and just didn't quite feel right, but couldn't really say that yes, it was labor. By 9:30, I decided maybe I should call Dr. Kemper's office to see if I should just wait for my 1:45 appt or go to triage. They said triage, so I walked on over. I was dilated to 3 cm, which was an increase but not a  lot. So they suggested walking. I felt like a single mom, walking the halls by myself, as I had told him to sit tight until we knew more. So I walked and walked and walked for a while. Jon got there and Dr. Hermanson had decided that yes, I was in labor since my cervix was continuing to change, although I didn't look or act like it. They admitted me at 1:00 and by that time, I was dilated to 6 cm. At 2:00, they broke my water and then contractions started picking up by 3:00. Around 3:50, I was ready to push, but no one else was! :) My nurse was shocked when she checked and I was 10 cm dilated and even more shocked when she felt a head! She made a very urgent phone call to get everything ready, since things were moving fast! And then to top it off, Dr. Hermanson had gotten called for an emergency C-section, so there was no doctor either!! They paged Dr. Kemper twice and were about ready to page the next doctor, when she rounded the corner. By this time it was 4:05, Dr. Kemper was telling me to slow down so she could get gowned up and by the time that happened, Kenzington made her arrival at 4:15!! Talk about fast action delivery!.! I'm not sure who was most surprised that it was a girl...myself, Jon, or Dr. Kemper! She was convinced my whole pregnancy that this was a boy...enough that when I was pushing, she kept saying, "Let's get this little guy out and see his face." She was just as shocked as we were!! That and we were all surprised by how much dark hair she has!

I really couldn't have asked for anything better. It went much better than expected...painful, yes, but not long! I'm grateful that Dr. Kemper was the doctor that was there (although, at that point in time, I wouldn't have cared who was there) since she has gotten us through so much during this pregnancy! Jon was an awesome coach and got me through the worst of it with ease. I had an awesome nurse, whom I had had on High Risk OB (she had gotten me through a few meltdowns), and was relieved to have someone I knew who had already gotten me through bedrest!

Kenzington is a wonderful baby...she is calm, content and beautiful! Our first few nights were a bit rough, but last night at home was great! She has picked up on nursing fairly well and we're waiting for her to gain some weight back. None of us know quite who she looks like though! When she's asleep, she looks like Jack, but when she opens her eyes, she doesn't quite look exactly like him. We're loving getting to know her and ohh and ahh over her!

Jackson is an awesome big brother!! He's doing a great job and is amazing with Kenzi. He talks to her and sings songs to her. It's so adorable seeing him with her. We are definitely adjusting and loving our family of four! 

Still waiting!

So I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow and we're still waiting! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would get to 38 weeks!!! Wow...God certainly has some sort of crazy plan with all of this!! Like I've told lots of people...I've never worked so hard to keep this baby inside and now he/she won't come out!! We're just taking things day by day and hoping for a wonderfully healthy baby!

I went back to work on Monday and I'm not gonna lie...it's kinda tiring! I've only been working half days, but it still wears me out. On Tuesday, I came home and took quite the nap! Thursdays, Dr. Sanders doesn't have patients, so I stayed home today to rest. It was definitely needed. I slept like a rock last night and knew I needed the extra sleep.

Jackson has been enjoying Vacation Bible School this week and comes home with all sorts of stories! He really enjoys his outside time the best. The teachers he has had have been awesome and incorporate bible stories in the coolest way! Oma just said that he gets to be the leader for singing on Sunday. I asked how he got elected for that...the response, "Shortest to tallest". Oh...I thought maybe he had been extra good or something. Nope...he's just short! :)

We're hoping that Monkey makes his/her grand entrance into this world sometime this week!!! I've tried everything I can think of to rotate this picture, but it's not working! This is from last weekend when Jon and I went out for our last date. :)

Day 59

Currently: 36 6/7 weeks

Almost 37 weeks...WOOO HOOO!!! And the plus to all of this...still feeling good! I have one litle nerve in my back hip that is kinda pestering me, but overall, I feel really good. Still don't have a whole lot of stamina for activity, but I'm getting there. Jon and I went for a walk twice last night and I wasn't completely wiped, whereas earlier this week, I was! So the plan from here is to just keep hanging out. I had an appointment with Dr. Kemper on Tuesday and things are pretty much the same...although maybe 2 cm instead of 1 cm. Still having a lot of contractions when I'm up and about, but they're not doing anything yet. Dr. Kemper is very excited that we made it this long and her goal is to have to induce...not my idea of cool!! Hopeing that things will just happen and we'll be good!

I'm going to go back to work half days next week. We'll see how it goes. If it is too much, then I'll cut back to a few days a week instead of all 5. I was worried on Monday because after being up Friday and Saturday, I really needed Sunday to just sit. I didn't feel right and it took all day to feel normal again. That worried me a bit, wondering how I was going to work 5 days/week when I could barely handle two days of being up. Today is better, so cross our fingers that I'll have enough stamina to get through the week...or we could just have a baby and not worry about it at all. I'd prefer that scenario rather than working the next few weeks, but have come to figure out that our requests aren't always granted!!

Jackson headed down to Nebraska with Oma yesterday. We signed him up for VBS at church next week and they'll come back up and Oma will take him to VBS next week. Nikki is going to be out of town this weekend, so it'll be a nice weekend for Jon and I to just spend some time together and get Monkey's room as ready as can be! I'm looking forward to having some "us" time, as it has been quite a long time since we've had time for just us!!

Can't believe that we can finally see the right end in sight! As much as I'm ready for Monkey to arrive, I know that I'll miss all of these kicks and movements. I'll miss watching my belly dance around. But at the same time, I can't WAIT to see if Monkey is a boy or a girl!! Hopefully I won't be typing about an induction and this babe will be here in the next 15 days on his/her own time!

Day 54

FREEDOM DAY!!!

Currently: 36 weeks

We have officially made it!!!! Today marks 36 weeks...a true blessing for us! We no longer HAVE to go to the NICU (although, I'm not gonna lie...at 36 weeks, babies still end up there because they kind of cop-out on feedings and then blood sugars drop...but some do fine!) My dream of watching Jack round the corner in his big brother t-shirt may actually come true!! I know I've said it a million times, but who would have ever thought we'd get this far?!? I certainly did not!! And I am so thankful, grateful, ecstatic, thrilled, pleased and feeling very accomplished that it did happen. Now we're down to what regular pregnancies deal with...the waiting game! Wondering if that one contraction is the start or if it was just another braxton-hicks tease. I finally get to experience what other women feel and have a "normal" end to my pregnancy.

Now that I'm officially off bedrest, I have one more week until I can go back to work. Dr. Kemper wanted me up and around (and make sure that doesn't put me into labor) for at least a week before heading back. And boy do I have plans for this week! My mom is still here so we are going to paint Jack's room. Something I've wanted done before the baby arrived, so here we go!! We're heading to Menard's today to get paint and get things started. Let the nesting begin! (Even if it is Jack's room and not the baby's! That'll come after!).

Thank you for all of the prayers and support and everything else that went with these last 54 days! Hopefully there won't be too many more posts before Monkey arrives!!



Day 51

3 more days until 36 weeks

  

Currently: 35 4/7 weeks

Here we are...almost 36 weeks!! I never thought in my right mind that I would get this far. And now...who knows how long it will be!! Last Wednesday, we went in because I was having contractions every 6-7 minutes apart, majorly uncomfortable...similar to Jack's start. Yeah...nothing...contractions weren't doing anything. So continue on the Procardia and keep plugging away! Fast forward to today and I'm off the Procardia. I wasn't having contractions at all by Friday so took myself off on Saturday (yeah, yeah...bad patient, I know!). Haven't had anything since then either. Sigh...this baby definitely has his/her own ideas about his/her arrival!! I'm completely ecstatic about making it to 36 weeks because now Jack is even closer to getting to meet his brother/sister rather than waiting for him/her to get out of the NICU. But all at the same time, it's been a really long 7 weeks staying in bed with nothing. I assumed that I'd go off the Procardia and boom, things would happen...nope! I've been getting up a bit more, just to get my stamina back up. I can't wait to get to Friday so I can be up more! As of 36 weeks, I will be off bedrest!! Dr. Kemper wants me up and about for 1 week and then if I'm still pregnant, at 37 weeks, I get to go back to work. Dr. Sanders (the doc I work for) will be VERY excited about that...even if it's only for a few days/weeks.

I had an appointment with Dr. McNamara (perionatologist) today and everything looks good. We had an ultrasound to check Monkey's growth and it looked good. They measured baby's head a tad bit on the small side, but the head was hard to measure because Monkey is head down and down fairly far. (My mom feels like I've dropped a bit...as do I...it doesn't take as much effort to get out of bed like it did before!). They measured him/her at around 4 lbs 11 oz, which is surprisingly smaller than Jack! Although, I always measured a few weeks ahead with Jack and this baby measures a bit behind. My next appointment with Dr. Kemper is next Tuesday. There's a lot that can happen...and a lot that may not happen in the next week! We'll see!! As long as I make it to 36 weeks, I'd be A-OK for this babe to make his/her grand entrance into the world at any time! All of the docs keep joking that I'll have to be induced...not my idea of a funny joke! Although, my cervix is already thinned out, so it may not take much to go into labor. Who knows...God certainly has a plan for this babe and isn't giving us any sort of clue what that is! Here's to making it 3 more days and no NICU!!!

Day 43

10 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 34 4/7

This journey has made me have many realizations and new appreciations. Not that I haven't known or appreciated my mother before, but this is different. I know that I would have other realizations and appreciations if other people had helped us out, but I know that God does everything for a reason and has a purpose for all things. And I want all of you to know how incredible my mom has been. She has become me. She has put her life on hold and been here for almost a month in the selfless act of helping us. And it hasn't been easy. She doesn't get to be the grandma she wants to be to Jackson this summer. She's had to discipline him, listen to his angry tears or his frustrated tears, hear his harsh words he doesn't truly mean. And she hasn't complained about it. (It's not that Jack has been awful, because he hasn't...he has handled this so well, but really, how well would you do if your mom was in the hospital for 4 weeks and has been in her bed since coming home, but he certainly has had his moments.) It's not the summer she wanted. She wanted fun times with Jack...going to the park, scavenger hunts, fun activities. And we're working on that because they both deserve that. She didn't plan on a summer with an emotional daughter who is scared, worried, frustrated and bored. But she's done it...she has been here every day to help me. She has sat and listened to me when I'm all of those things. She has listened and offered much needed advice. She has spoiled me rotten with just about every comfort food that she can think of! (I mean, what mom would make brownie dough, pinwheel cookies, mashed potatoes and gravy, oatsies, homemade ice cream and crispies all summer long for their daughter!) She didn't plan on a summer of being a maid and helping clean our house. She didn't plan on a summer where she'd have to cook for 4 other people rather than just my dad. But she has done it and she is amazing! Today she is outside, staining Jack's swingset because she knows it's a project that Jon wants done, but doesn't have the time. She didn't plan on a summer away from her husband, but she is doing this for us and I will be forever grateful for that. I know that other people are willing and able to help us, but at a time like this, no one can replace your mother. And as I looked outside today, watching her stain our swingset and I have a new cardboard roadmap at the foot of my bed for Jack to decorate and play with, I realize just how lucky I am to have such an amazing mom. Thank you mom, from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for us! Without you, I wouldn't be the woman that I am today and I certainly don't tell you often enough! We love you and thank you for giving up your summer for us!! It will all be worth it in the end!

Day 42

11 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 34 3/7 weeks

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything is looking good. I had a lot of contractions yesterday that were close together, so I called triage and they said to just go back on the Procardia, so that's what we've done. After yesterday, I half expected this to be the start, but nope, not yet. Monkey's heart rate was spectacular in the 160s, so very VERY active today!! He/she has been moving all over the place today. I've still had quite a few contractions today, but no cervical changes so far. A tad bit more effaced (thinned out) but still only 1 cm dilated. But like Dr. Kemper said, it may be tonight, it may be another 5 weeks...no idea! That's the hard part!! It hasn't been easy because I'm not confident to know when I'll actually be in labor. Everyone keeps saying, "Oh, you'll know" but not this woman! I have a feeling that I'll be the one who either goes in way too many times and it won't be the real thing and be sent home over and over and then boom, I'll convince myself that's not what it is, Jon will finally convince me to go in and I'll be 5 cm dilated and ready to go. This is the most frustrating aspect of all this!! So we're just continuing with the waiting game...only 11 more days I have to lay in this bed!! Pray we make it that far!!

Day 39

14 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 34 weeks

We made it!!! Today is 34 weeks!!!! We beat Jackson's record...now we'll see how many days we'll beat him by! I took my last dose of Procardia at 10:00 this morning. We'll see what happens from here. I was searching online last night to see how long it takes for labor to progress after stopping the meds. I found stories anywhere from 24 hours to having to be induced! So far, I haven't noticed any more contractions, as I would have taken a dose at 4:00 and it's now 5:30. Who knows if that will stay this way or not. Many of the stories I've read talked about the meds taking about 24 hours to get out of your system and then things happen...so we'll see! I know I won't be a happy camper if I end up with an induction though!! I haven't sat in a bed for this long to go through all of that!! We'll take whatever time God gives us, I'd just prefer to have all of this happen on my own rather than be drug induced. So we have the potential to be meeting Monkey anytime between tonight and August 5th!! Earlier this week, it all hit me that it could be anytime, so after a bit of a meltdown about not being able to go to Target and get all of the needed supplies, I started getting things together and officially have my bag packed, so we're good to go when the time comes! I have another doctor's appointment on Monday, so our first goal is to get to that appointment!!

I'm hoping it's not for a while because I have a few projects that need to get finished before this little Monkey arrives! I've got Jon and Jackson's Christmas stockings done, now need to work on mine and then I'll make Monkey's after we know what wonderful gender this child is! Here are a few pictures of what has kept me busy!

Jon and Jack's stockings

Brandon Valley hats for Jack's daycare buddies

Hawkeye's hat for Jon



Trying to get the pantry organized!

Pray for at least two more weeks of baby baking!!!

Day 35

4 days until 34 weeks

18 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 33 3/7

Here we are...at 33 weeks!!! Obviously, I've mentioned before that I'm shocked we made it this far!! Shocked and thrilled all at the same time...only 4 more days to beat Jack's record!

Last Friday, I ended up going into Triage because my extra dose of Procardia wasn't keeping contractions away. I haven't had to take too many extra doses, but had taken it two days in a row, a few times and since it was Friday, I figured I better call. I wasn't concerned that this was labor and things were happening, but much better to be safe than sorry. Thankfully, no changes and after my 4:00 dose, things slowed down. The weekend was fairly quiet for the most part. Hopefully they continue this way.

This week definitely marks a significant week for us. Four years ago, this was the week that Jack started causing some "issues" and made his grand arrival into this world! We're hoping not to make a repeat of this week this time around. I haven't even had the chance to talk with Dr. Kemper about my birth plan...maybe I should get on that one! :) I did at least ask for the pamphlet/brochure thing they have to fill out today. (And no, I'm not that much of a procrastinator...my birth plan is fully filled out and sitting at my desk at work...waiting for my next dr appt...oops!) I probably should have talked with her about it today, but kind of forgot. Maybe by not talking about it, it will miraculously hold this birth off for a few more weeks. All I can say is...bring it on! Lots of women talk about being scared about labor or being highly anxious about it. Now I'm not saying I'm looking forward to it, I know it's going to be painful and not much fun, but I am looking forward to proving to myself (and a not-as-confident husband) that I can do this without any help. I had minimal drugs with Jack and didn't like how they made me feel, so am planning a natural birth. I know it's not going to be easy, but with the side effects of epidurals and the minimal amount of drugs that do get into baby's system, I know that I need to give this baby his/her best opportunity to thrive, especially if he/she arrives early! Monkey will need every single opportunity possible to succeed. A lot of women get epidurals, which is fine...to each their own...but no one ever talks about the effects it has on the baby. I'm sure it is because the side effects are very minimal, but still side effects. It takes up to 2 weeks for the anesthesia to work it's way out of your system...and that includes baby's system too. So babies are sleepy and don't nurse or bottle well because they have that minimal amount of anesthetics in they're system. It lands a lot of barely term (35-37 weekers) in the NICU because they are too sleepy to eat, drop their blood sugars and buy themselves a week or two in the NICU until they "wake" up. No thanks...I'd rather suffer through a not fun labor to keep my baby nice, alert and not medicated. Women have done it for centuries, so let's keep up the tradition! Ok...I'll get off my soapbox now!! But in all seriousness, I do think that the only reason Jackson did so well in the NICU, bottled right away and only stayed in the NICU for 8 days was because I didn't have an epidural and he was more alert. So here's to giving this baby the exact same opportunity!

So the plan from here is to go off the Procardia on Friday at 34 weeks. We'll see what happens from there I asked Dr. Kemper how long she thought it would be until delivery and we, of course, got the "I have no idea and can't predict that one." So now the matter becomes if these contractions actually do something or if they are just simply contractions. Like Dr. Kemper said, "You may be making a few trips into triage before we know if it is true labor or not." Great...nothing like not really knowing and being sent home over and over! I'm hoping it's obvious and we only have to hit triage one time! I have a feeling I will second guess myself a lot since I didn't go into labor with Jack in a "normal" way. It's almost as if I'm doing this for the first time again and am going in blind! Hopefully it's obvious and we don't have to worry about it.

Best go get my bag packed for the hospital...no wait, best go tell my mom what needs to get packed and where it's at. Thank heaven for my mom...she's been a God-sent to have since I've been home!! I told Jon today that we need to work on Monkey's room...haven't even bought a pack of diapers or wipes yet! Second kid syndrome I guess.

Here's to a quiet week and beating Jack's 34 week record!! I have a few more projects to complete before this baby arrives!

Day 29

10 days until 34 weeks

24 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 32 4/7 weeks

Not much news from the Burns household! We are holding steady, still pregnant and still on bedrest! I'm going on 4 weeks, which I didn't think ever get to, but sure am thankful that I have. I had an appointment with Dr. Kemper yesterday and everything looks ok. Since I was just checked on Thursday, she wanted to wait until next week to check again. Right now, I still continue to have contractions, but things haven't been a whole lot different than when I was in the hospital. Last Friday night when I got home was a different story, so I had to take my extra dose of Procardia that night, but haven't since. I'm fairly certain that once they take me off this Procardia, things will more than likely progress quickly. I take my doses at 10:00 and 4:00 and on a very regular basis, I start having more contractions about an hour before I need my dose. They've talked about taking me off around 34 weeks, but I may ask and see if we could push it off a week or so. Not really wanting to go into labor at 34 weeks again!! We'll see what they say!

Jack has adjusted fairly well to having me home. He's been good (for the most part) about making sure I stay in bed. Our first night was a bit interesting, as Jon had left for a bachelor party, and he wasn't really wanting Aunt Nikki or Oma to help put him to bed. I'm only allowed bathroom privileges, so getting up to help wasn't much of an option. Besides that night, he's done a great job!

Yesterday, when I got up in the morning to shower and get ready to go to the doctor, Jack was all confused about why I was out of bed. So I told him I had to go see Dr. Kemper and he got very clingy, crawling in my lap and not wanting to budge! Upon further questioning, he finally said, "But I don't want you to go back in the hospital." Smart little squirt! It took a bit to explain that I wouldn't be going to the hospital, just to an appointment. Needless to say, he was glad to see me in my bed when he got home.

While all of this seems like it's been so long, it feels like it was yesterday all at the same time. Every day is another blessing and we'll take all of them that God will grant us! Jon asked me a few days ago if I had any gut instinct about when this baby would arrive...I have none! Not even an inkling...and I sure wish I did! Somewhere between now and then next 59 days...yikes that seems like a long time since we've aleady done 29 days! I guess we'll have one big huge poll about when this baby will arrive...there's a lot of days to guess on!

Thanks for checking in and sending lots of prayers!!

Jon, Libby, Jackson and Monkey

Day 25

14 days until 34 weeks

28 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 32 weeks

Well, we made it!! I am officially 32 weeks and am home! Yes, I got to come home...after my second betamethasone shot this morning, we headed out the door around 11:15. So now that we've gotten to 32 weeks, we set a new goal of 34 weeks! We are taking things week by week and figured short goals are easiest to attain, so we'll take it day by day.

Being home is wonderful, but almost bittersweet. It is difficult not being able to jump up and play with Jack and to just sit in bed. It's hard not being able to help him with this and leave absolutely every task to Jon. If Jack is misbehaving (which he does...come on, the kid's only 3 1/2), I can't get up and put him in time out. We all took a nap in our room today and he just wanted me to pick him up when he woke up and I can't. Those things are hard. But flip things around, and I'm home and am so thankful to be able to see Jack and Jon all of the time! Nikki took Jack over to the church parking lot across the street to ride bikes this afternoon. If I scoot to the end of my bed, I can see them and got to watch him ride his bike...and also could see him not have quite enough oomph to get up the little driveway and watch him roll backwards! Quite hilarious!! It's going to take a few days to get into a routine and for Jack to get used to these new restrictions and alterations to our life. But through all of this, we have learned so much about life, not taking advantage of things, not expecting anything, but thankful for the blessings we have received! One of my friends found this video on YouTube and it's pretty perfect!



Thank you again to all of you who have prayed and supported us! Without that, we wouldn't be where we are today. The rule of thumb is that babies have to be 36 weeks to go upstairs to the newborn nursery and skip the NICU. As much as we want 34 weeks, we would be absolutely thrilled with 36 weeks or longer! Please pray your hearts out for this one!! The only way I've been able to get this far is knowing what the consequences are of not staying calm...the NICU...a place that where our baby would have the absolute best care around, but at the same time, not where we'd ideally like to be. So please keep praying! Only 2 weeks of strict bedrest and then I will have fewer restrictions...if I can sit in a hospital for 25 days, I can do anything! After all, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!!!

To every challenge life throws your way, remember that there are always blessings in disguise...no matter what the situation may be! Maybe it's people that you meet, lessons that you learn, or who knows what. But I challenge all of you, to look at every situation God puts you in and find any type of blessing you can look for, no matter how big or small it may be! I know that God blessed us with 4 more glorious weeks in this pregnancy, along with numerous nurses who listened and gave words of encouragment, reconnecting with old friends who are there to help and support us, as well as all of the friends who stopped by to show us their love and support, parents who are willing and able to help us, Nikki who has become Jack's psuedo-mom for a while...I could go on and on! Some people always think the world is out to get them and that nothing goes their way. Yes, those times are trying...Jon and I have been there and it is nothing fun! But even looking back, there were blessings, even through the worst of times.

Day 24

1 day until 32 weeks

15 days until 34 weeks

29 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 31 6/7 weeks

YAY!!! The 32 week mark is only 7 hours away!!! I honestly never thought we would get this far with this baby. I thought it would for sure be between 30-32 weeks. I can't even begin to tell you what a sigh of relief this has put on my heart. I know at 32 weeks, this baby has much more of an easier ride if he/she ends up in the NICU. It won't be easy if it is soon, so we're still at the 'every day is a blessing from above' kind of goal for Monkey's sake. But my heart is now at ease...I am 32 weeks tomorrow and things will be okay!

My cervical check this morning was the same, which is also a huge relief. So this bedrest for the past 24 days has done it's job and hopefully will continue that way. Dr. VanEerden felt it was best to give another round of steroids (betamethasone) shots so I got one today, and will get one tomorrow before going home. We won't need to do Magnesium Sulfate at this point, as baby's brain is more developed at 32 weeks than even a week ago and doesn't need the same type of protection as before...another sigh of relief! From here, I will go home on complete bedrest (basically bathroom and shower privileges only...same as here) for the next 2 weeks until 34 weeks. At 34 weeks, I will go off the Procardia, but remain on the progesterone shots until 36 weeks. At this time, bedrest will change to partial bedrest. What does this mean?? It means laying low, but I can get up and help with supper and that's about it. It doesn't mean going back to work. It doesn't mean taking care of Jack by myself. It doesn't mean I can do everything. It just means I can be up and around the house a bit more than before or go sit outside for a while. Like my nurse said tonight, "It means you get to sit around and eat bon bons in the living room as well as upstairs." She's hilarious! Now...if I happen to make it to 36 weeks, then I will stop the progesterone shots and bedrest. Now I'm not 100% sure that means going back to work or not. My guess is that at 36 weeks I can go back for half days, but not full days. Let's hope that's a problem we need to figure out!! My heart tells me that I will deliver sometime between 34-36 weeks. My hope (and faith) is that we well past 36 weeks and I can go into labor naturally and our dream of having a healthy, term baby and all of our hopes in introducing Jackson to this new sibling will happen the way our minds have always imagined. I will have weekly appointments with Dr. Kemper to make sure that everything is still good. Dr. VanEerden felt that now that cervical lengths are done and we are out of the woods on many things, that seeing Dr. Kemper will be enough and we don't need to double up appointments. We talked about doing another ultrasound for growth, but this baby has grown nicely and hasn't been an issue, we won't do another growth until 36 weeks (if we make it that far!). So I have an appointment with Dr. Kemper on Monday and hopefully everything is golden and stable!  

Our one and only hope is that this baby arrives at an appropriate time and can go straight upstairs to the regular newborn nursery, rather than the NICU, and be with us all of the time. That way Jackson can come and meet his new sibling and we can get acquainted and have some good family time! That is the one of the huge things I am so hopeful for! Yes, I'm excited to meet this baby and find out if we'll have another son or a new daughter, but I am even more excited for Jackson. I can't wait for Jack to round the corner and we can all sit on the bed as a family and just love on this baby. We can count fingers and toes. We can figure out who he/she looks like. Jack can hold this baby as long as he'd like. We can try on hats (since we have a few!). We can be a family of four. To sit for hours and just be a family is what I'm looking forward to the most! I mean, this is changing all of our lives immensely, especially Jack's..doesn't he deserve a few hours before having to share this baby with the world! :) Let's hope that is what happens, rather than the NICU setting and we can have this dream come true. After all that happened with Jack, it would be nice to have something "normal" happen with us!

So we would like to thank each and every one of you for the prayers that you have said for us over and over! Each one has helped us get to this point and each prayer going forward will get us through to the end of this! We truly believe in the power of prayer and know that all of these prayers will get us through whatever scenario will happen!! Our faith has been strengthened once again and will continue to grow each and every day. Because as we know, where would we be without faith and God. He is the one who gets us through all times. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 This verse has been the guide for our life and will continue that way for every day until we are called Home. We thank God for what he has given us and thank Him for the wonderful plans he has!

Day 23

2 days until 32 weeks

16 days until 34 weeks

30 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 31 5/7 weeks

Today is another day...hopefully only 2 more days!! No real news, which is good! Since Monkey and I have had quite a few weeks of just hanging out and getting to know each other...I thought I'd share a few predictions about this babe.

1. This baby will not be a morning person. Monkey doesn't typically start moving around and waking up for the day until around 8:30 or 9:00. Jack was active by the time I was in the shower at 6:30...so maybe, just maybe I'll have a child that will sleep in!

2. Monkey is either going to be very bashful or very stubborn. Whenever I've had an ultrasound and they want to do growth checks and need to look over things to make sure there aren't any problems, Monkey will NOT cooperate! They always try and get some face shots when we do the 4D pictures, but Monkey just doesn't want to be a part of it! He/she will typically put his/her arm right in front of his/her face, making it impossible to get good pictures! And if Monkey is ever moving around and Jack has the possibility of feeling him/her, as soon as Jack's little hand goes on my belly...movement stops...immediately!! So yeah...either very shy or very stubborn...I'm leaning more towards stubborn...look who he/she's coming from!

3. Monkey will probably be a night owl. It can be an hour after I go to bed and Monkey is still moving and grooving around, making it well known that he/she was not ready for bed. We'll see if that continues after arrival!

4. Monkey LOVES being around his/her big brother and daddy. This child could be as active as active can be during the day when it's just us, but as soon as Daddy and Jack show up and start talking to Monkey, it's as if he/she goes, "Ahhhh....they're here, I can relax now!" Let's hope that love continues on!

So we'll see if these predictions hold true after Monkey's arrival. We can't wait (well...yes we can!) to meet Monkey and keep reminding him/her that as much as we want to meet, we can patiently wait until the day he/she is SUPPOSED to arrive! We've (almost) made it to 32 weeks...I'm fairly certain we can get to the end!

Here's a few of the projects I've worked on! And a cute little video of our little skipper...just because our life has been turned upside down doesn't mean that our little man doesn't keep learning new things!

Day 22

3 days until 32 weeks

17 days until 34 weeks

31 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 31 4/7 weeks

Here we are at Day 22! I've had two of my nurses whom I've had a few times both come and tell me they're so glad to see me still pregnant...not sure if I take that as a good thing or not! Are they surprised that I still am because when I got here, they didn't think I'd get that far or what?? I'm just glad to also be pregnant and still cooking this little Monkey!

The last two evenings have been a bit interesting. I'm currently on 20 mg of Procardia, to help keep these contractions slowed and under control. Well, needless to say, for some reason, around 4:30 (even after a 4:00 dose of procardia!) my contractions have started up again and things stay consistent until after my 10:00 dose. Kind of confusing!! Like I mentioned a few days ago, they put me on the monitor and my contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart...a bit scary if you ask me, but thank goodness, they slowed down soon enough! Well, to have this happen two days in a row makes me a bit nervous!! I keep asking if this is alright and they keep telling me that as long as they slow down, it's alright. I keep having to remind myself that they do this every day and they know when to get excited and change things up! I talked with Dr. Boyle this morning and we decided that we would keep the Procardia at 20 mg at the 4:00 dose and if the contractions keep up, then we will do a 10 mg dose between the 4:00 and 10:00 dose. Hopefully that keeps things under control and nothing exciting happens. The plan is to do another cervical check on Thursday and if nothing has changed, then home. If my cervix is more dilated or thinner (effaced), then that may change the plan. I asked today if I was dilated to 2 cm would that be enough to stay or ok to go home...couldn't really get a straight answer so my guess is that it would be check in a couple days and if it's still the same, then home. So cross our fingers and say lots of prayers that everything is the same, things are stable and I will be home on Friday. We are now almost to 32 weeks, which puts my mind at huge ease and what happens is okay from here. It may mean delivering early, but it may mean that God will grant us 4 more weeks and things will turn out as I imagined. Time will tell!

Jon, Jack and my mom came up tonight and we had supper. Jack is slowly learning that things are different for us right now. He was playing with his friend, Blythe, today and she was going swimming. When I called at 5:30 to see where they were, he was in tears because he really wanted to go swimming too. So after some major persuading and a little improvising, my whirlpool tub quickly became a swimming pool...problem diverted (for now!). I had started yet another hat today and Jon announced that it may be his favorite. So he got curious and laid all of them out. The grand total right now is 24 hats, 2 pairs of mittens, a scarf, and a pair of shoes...and I have quite a few days to go! Wonder how many it will be in the end!! Whatever will keep this baby in, will be fine with me! Jon has requested golf covers for Jack's clubs, so I'm going to try and tackle that in the next few days!!

Please pray for stability for Thursday and that contractions stay under control. So far tonight, things have been somewhat quiet...we'll see if that trend continues!