Our time together is closing in...

My time with this precious boy is slowly (well...more like high speed and coming to an abrupt stop) coming to an end...and yet again, my heart is heavy. 

As I sit here holding this beautiful boy, soaking in each breath he takes, each little sigh, his little hand tucked under his chin, my heart is overflowing, along with a few tears. Overflowing with gratitude for every person who helped us along the way. Dr. McNamara and his amazing nurses who all offered words of encouragement, a shoulder to cry on, a smile when needed and their excitement for us as each week past and we had a healthy, full-term baby. My co-workers who took over my job...keeping things afloat for the past 5 months while I grew this little miracle and have loved on him. For our friends who have quickly become like family...stepping in to help with the kids, providing meals, comfort and love. For our family, who have come to help out. For all of it, I'm grateful. 

There aren't even words to possibly describe the love that has come when Iken arrived. Watching Jackson & Kenzi love on him and adore him...watching the look on Jon's face when he snuggles Ike or  when Iken gives a big ol' smile for everyone! The time that I've had with Iken is irreplaceable. And I will forever cherish this...the first moments of looking at his beautiful, yet very bruised face, the kids getting to meet him for the first time, bringing him home and having neighbor kids run from all directions, the first smiles, the first coos, the afternoon naps, his baptism, the middle of the night feelings when it is just him and me...all of it, as with Jackson & Kenzington are forever on my heart. 

And with as heavy as my heart feels right now, I (think) am ready for our family to be back in a routine. I am thankful that we are able to take Iken with Kenzi to Stacey's house, for I know that he will be very loved by everyone there. I'm anxious to get back to work and see my co-workers again! To see my patients and get settled into my new position. Please pray for all of us, as it will certainly be a change and we need a lot of patience and love over the next few weeks and months. Bringing these precious children into this world may not be the easiest for us, but I am so thankful that God has entrusted them to us, to raise them and be their parents. What a huge responsibility and such a bigger blessing. 

Latest checkup

Iken was in to see Dr. Hagar last Friday and got a good report! He tipped the scale at 10 lbs 1.6 oz and was 21 3/4" long, putting him around the 20th and 10th percentile respectively! He does have some reflux going on, but it is well controlled with Zantac. Poor little guy just arches and pukes if we forget a dose! 

Iken does have some mild torticollis going on right now, nothing bad, but we do need to correct it so he doesn't get a flat head. He is going to go see my good friend, Dan, at the Castle to get stretches and see what to do! 

Wish me luck tomorrow, as Jackson, Kenzi and myself all have dentist appointments tomorrow, which Iken gets to come along for! I'm praying that the kids (all 3!) do well and we sail through it without any issues! We then have to turn around to go to PT for Iken. Phew...mama may need a drink tomorrow night...or rather some ice cream!! 

We're starting to catch a few smiles here and there! 

Iken's Birth Story

Today is Iken's first birthday. The journey was long, with bed rest and the longest, toughest delivery I've had. But the joy that this little boy gives our family is immense. A huge amount of smiles, kisses and love is worth every day I spent on our couch! 

I've debated if I've wanted to share these pictures and decided that ya know...this is his story! My amazing friend, Tanya, came and took pictures for us. I missed a lot of pictures with Kenzi so really wanted to capture Iken's delivery. I'm so thankful I did! I've blurred as much as I can so look at your discretion! 😉

Happy 1st Birthday, Iken Cadwell!! I wouldn't change our story for anything in the world!! 

                            

 
 

  

1 month old!

Our sweet Iken is one month old today! What a difference a month makes! I'm convinced I'm making up for lost time on bed rest, as we have been all over the place! Makes it seem like it couldn't possibly only be a month! When Ike was 1 week old, we traveled for a wedding in Minneapolis and this weekend, we went to see Aunt Dawn, Uncle Ryan, Dylan and Austin in Williamsburg! How many 1 month old babies can say they've been to three states already! 

I took Iken into my clinic  about a week ago and he was up to 7 lbs 12 oz! He had dropped down to 6 lbs 2 oz after he was born, so he is making up for it now! He is sleeping like a champ and getting up around 1:30-2:00 and then again around 6:00. 

He managed to roll from his front to back twice when doing tummy time! He gets his head bobbing and his little leg going and flips himself right on over! I think it scared him a bit, as each time he just cried! 

Jackson & Kenzington have made a full adjustment having Iken around and the only argument is over who gets to hold him first! We've been introducing bottles since Ike is now taking some Zantac for reflux and they argue over who gets to give it to him. Both do a fantastic job and are great big brother and sister! 

This feels so true right now. Every day I wake up, I see our beautiful children and their smiles and get this overwhelming sense of blessings...when I have Ike look up at me when he is nursing with those huge eyes of his, when Kenzi stops what she is doing and just turns around to say 'I love you' or when Jackson loves on his sister and brother...we are truly thankful for all that God has given us. These are the moments I cherish and treasure. I keep reminding myself everyday that life could always change in an instant and that I need to remember these moments and not take advantage of the time I get to be with Ike. The dishes can wait, that dust can wait...I need to take every snuggle that I can get, as I will never get this time with him again! I have 8 more weeks to cherish with him and will love every minute learning more about his little personality, his likes and dislikes! 

Our summer has officially started and we will be in full swing in no time! Jackson just finished soccer and has baseball as well. His first game was cancelled due to weather and he missed a game on Fri since we were traveling, so he'll have his first game tonight! He's pretty excited about it! The kids have VBS this week and will enjoy the fun that it brings...as well as having the Hennen kids for the week as well! This summer will be busy, but fun! 

Ike's baptism is in a few weeks, so will update then! 

Kenzington's New Room!

Kenzi's room has gone from a nursery to a big girl room over this past week! She inherited the basement furniture and Jon diligently sanded, painted and moved everything last week. Our amazing neighbor, Amy, came over and helped to arrange her room, as I am terrible at that kind of thing and then last night, helped to hang things up on the wall and get things arranged the right way! (And yes, there are no pictures in some of the frames...ok, any of them...but this will be done soon!) I started working on her bedspread a while ago, but now that we need a full-size one, I need to get more fabric! My mom is helping to get it done, as it is slightly time consuming! I'll post pics as soon as that is done! So the Cinderella blanket will have to do for now!

Just checking!

So I just found out that the way I was linking my blogger to Facebook no longer exists, which is why Iken's announcement post didn't go through the right way! Just using this to check and see if the new way is working! And a throwback of Jackson to check the imaging!

Intoducing Iken Cadwell!!

So this is more than a tad overdue, but better late than never!  

Iken Cadwell Burns entered this world on April 24, 2015 at 12:23 p.m. weighing 6 lbs 11 oz, 18 3/4" long! He wins the prize for the biggest baby at our house...along with the hardest and longest labor! It took him 17 hours from when I started noticing contractions to his arrival! (Jackson was about 10 hrs and Kenzi was around 6 hours!) so if I talked with anyone that day and made no sense whatsoever, I apologize! No sleep for over 36 hours really messes with a person! He also wins the prize for being the best nurser and best sleeper so far! This kid knows what he's doing! 

A lot of people have asked about his name. Jon and I both liked Ike, but we wanted a name with a nickname. So I googled 'names with the nickname Ike' and Iken came up on that search on one of the baby name site. Cadwell is the last name of Jon's golf coach, who was a very influential and inspiring person to both of us! Denny & Terryl were host couple at our wedding as well, so there is no better way to honor such a positive and faithful man in our eyes! 

Iken has settled right on into our hearts and lives. Jackson & Kenzington absolutely adore him! Neither of them can go more than a few minutes without touching him, kissing him, talking to him..both are completely smitten with him, as you can tell! 

Life has been busy since Ike arrived! Now that we know that Iken will be moving in with Jackson, we had to figure out what to do for Kenzi's room. So no better time than to get the ball rolling than Monday! Jon and I had to go to town, as Iken's bilirubin has been high so we needed that rechecked. We decided that we would get a new bedroom set for us, move our furniture to the basement and then paint the basement furniture for Kenzi! I feel like we almost moved in again we had so many things moved lol over! I'll post pictures as soon as we get everything arranged, unpacked and looking picture worthy! 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who prayed for us, supported us, loved us, fed us...all of it has meant so much to us! Iken is truly a blessing sent from above and we are so thankful to have him in our lives! 

Again, I apologize for the delay in updating! 

All in Due Time!

So here we are...a week off bed rest and no Little Bean yet! But I have gotten so many things done in just a week! I've cleaned up landscaping things, deep cleaned the living room and kitchen...packed lol of the bags, AND gone back to work! 

I went back on Monday and it feels great to be back...I'm only working 4 hours a day but it feels wonderful! I'm hoping that being up and around more will help this babe decide to make his/her grand entrance into this world! We are all getting very anxious about this. Kenzi has been fairly insistent that she is going to be a big sister on Friday, so hopefully she's right! I've been trying to go for walks to try and build up some more endurance, which went out the window with this bed rest...and hoping it'll start some labor! 

I keep reminding myself to just be patient, but it does put the thought into my head that I spent all this time keeping this baby in and now he/she won't come out! I know that every day of bed rest was important and necessary but it still feels odd...and makes me wonder if that strict of bed rest and staying down for everything except my dr appt and church was really needed....oh well! It has gotten us to full-term and a (hopefully!) healthy baby! 

And I need to remember to simply have faith and know that God has the best timing yet...and I need to let go of the fact that I may miss Kenzi's dance recital and we may miss the wedding we're both hoping and praying we get to go to, but God knows the perfect time...not us! And I need to simply trust...as I have this entire pregnancy, from start to finish. 

Please pray for a fast, easy delivery and that I go on a day that Dr. McNamara is there and on call. It would feel wrong to have him put forth so much time and effort, words of encouragement, and at times, a lot of hand-holding, to keep this kiddo in to not get the prize of bringing this babe into the world! 

Until next time...and hopefully it's an update with a baby! 

ALMOST in the clear!!!

 

We are so close to being in the clear, I can smell it!! In less than 36 hours, we avoid an automatic admission to the NICU!! What a HUGE relief!!! I've always told Dr. McNamara that I am NOT taking that baby to the NICU if we don't have to...and unless something else crazy happens, not related to his/her gestational age!

 

I had another great appointment today. Little bean is weighing in at 5 lbs 13 oz *gasp* our biggest baby yet!! I'm actually surprised that this baby weighs that much already. Kenzi must really have that petite great-grandma Conrad gene in her...even from the start! I'm anxious to see how much this baby actually does weigh! Only a few more weeks to go until this baby's arrival!

When we began this journey, it began on a solid foundation of faith. Simple faith. And that is what has gotten me this far. Having pure faith is never always easy. You want to intervene with your own plan. Intervene with worry, intervene with anxiety. But I couldn't do that. I know that this baby has been fully wrapped in God's tender hand from the very beginning and before. This was a perfect quote to be reminded of...my faith tells me that NO MATTER WHAT lies ahead of me, whether that was the tears at the beginning, praying to not miscarry, tears when I got my cerclage, days turned into weeks which turned into months of sitting on our couch, days filled with prayer for a healthy baby, God is already there. And He always will be! That's what having faith is all about. It's not about showing up in church, how many bible verses you can say, it's about the faith in your heart that God is always there for you, always by your side and would do you no harm. Church and bible verses strengthen your faith, but it's not everything. You have to have the faith in the first place.

 

It has been a long 10 weeks and we are so close!! Jon is heading to Denison with the kids this weekend for our niece, Kirslyn's, baptism. It is so hard to miss it, but I know that driving 3 1/2 hours away isn't the best idea...even if I am going to be 36 weeks. I am sending all of my hugs, kisses and love with our kids and I know that they will deliver them all! They are crazy about Kirslyn and have been counting down the days, even when they just saw her last weekend!

 

And my last piece of exciting news is that I was offered a position as the Lead RN at our clinic! I had special permission to go and interview last week and am THRILLED to move into this roll! They are going to patiently wait for me, which I am very thankful for! So please pray for a smooth transition through all of the changes coming in our life! Who knows...the next update may be with our little bean safely and lovingly in our arms!!!

 

Gender Predictions

Everyone asks me what I think this baby is and I have no gut feeling one way or the other. So I thought I'd put together one of those gender predictions things together and see if it is right!

Heart Rate: It has almost ALWAYS been around 140-150. Girl

Cravings: It's been consistently sweets...mainly ice cream and candy bars! Girl

Baby Bump: Really hard to say! I'm pretty short waisted so don't really have much room for where a baby can go. They say if it is low, it's a boy. If it's high, it's a girl. I've looked at pictures from Jack's pregnancy and Kenzi's pregnancy and they all look pretty similar! Not sure

Chinese Birth Calendar: Mine says girl.

Wedding Ring test: Mine did a circle. Girl (although some of the stuff online says circle is boy, but most of them I found said a circle is girl)

 

Morning sickness: It started before I found out I was pregnant and lasted until about 26 weeks....same with Kenzi. Girl

 

Hair Growth: They say that extra hair growth on your legs is caused by elevated testosterone. I haven't had that this time around. Girl

 

Husband's family: More brothers than sisters. Old wives' tale says boy for this.

 

Feet: My feet have been on fire! My whole body seems hot! They say that's a girl.

 

Snacking: If I am going for a snack, I typically go for Colby jack cheese before I head for an apple. Boy

 

Chest size: A lot bigger. It's ridiculous. That says boy.

 

So those are the few quizzes that I've found and how it pans out. That makes it look a lot more like a girl than a boy! So I guess we will see...about the only thing that makes me lean more one way than another was one of the techs getting really quiet and when I asked what she was scanning and looking at she said the leg and she was hoping I hadn't noticed, as the baby wasn't being very secretive...which makes me think boy, but I didn't pay attention, so have no idea!

 

And an update...things have been going well. I'm now 35 weeks, which is AMAZING!!! I only have two more weeks to be at 37 weeks and really feel in the clearing for no NICU! Thank you again for all of the prayers! I have another growth ultrasound and doctor's appointment on Thursday, so hopefully our last set of good pictures and some good weight gain for baby! Until then...

 

 



Cruising right along!

33 weeks and we are cruising right along with this baby! Four more days until 34 weeks, which means we will have Jack's "record" beat and I am certainly glad to let Jack keep his record on this one!

 

We were sitting at the supper table last weekend and Jack was asking about how much longer it would be until Little Bean arrives. His teacher would be proud...math 101 for Jack!

 

Mom: I'm 33 weeks and the earliest we want Little Bean to come is 37 weeks. How many weeks is that?

 

Jack: 4 weeks

 

Mom: How many days in a week?

 

Jack: 7 days

 

Mom: Okay, so what is 7+7?

 

Jack: 14

 

Mom: What is 14+7?

 

Jack: 21

 

Mom: What is 21+7?

 

Jack: 28

 

Mom: That means we have 28 more days until we hit the earliest time for Little Bean to come.

 

HUGE SMILE from Jackson with a giddy giggle to go with it!!

 

We are trying to get ready...well, by trying that means that I am making a lot of lists of what needs to get done...furniture we need to move, things we need to get washed, baby items to get out, things that need to get purchased. I'm waiting until my cerclage comes out and then planning on heading to Target to get all of that (unless I get permission from my doctor for a special trip before that time!). One of those nesting things I really need to do myself...buy the diapers, get the bottles, all of the stuff ready for the hospital....organize the baby items...get ready for this baby to arrive! Only a few more weeks to go for that!!

 

Back in January, I'm not sure anyone else thought we would really make it this far. I knew in my heart that God would not give us this baby if we couldn't get the whole way without complications and an early delivery. It is what I prayed for...for years. I prayed for a healthy baby. I prayed for no hospitalization. Now, looking back, my mind was probably thinking bedrest...BUT I haven't been hospitalized for this pregnancy. I haven't been placed on super strict bedrest. With Kenzi, I was allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and take a shower every few days...not every day. I needed someone to drive me to the doctor. I was allowed to go downstairs for supper only. This pregnancy, while on bedrest, hasn't given me those restrictions...a true blessing. And with every prayer that has been lifted up, by us and for us, has given us this blessing! Every day, every kick, every time the kids feel this baby move, watching my stomach jump around...I know that it is all in God's hand...and having gotten this far and only had one blip of getting a cerclage placed, I know that is all Him. When you place something like this all in God's hands, you WILL see His hand in everything. Yes, there are times that a diagnosis isn't good and that things will be hard, but many times, when those people look back, they do see His hand somewhere...you just have to look for it. I could sit here and mope around, feeling sorry for myself that I haven't been able to work and have inconvenienced others, but I can't. God has given us this blessing and I need to look and find all of the small blessings He has given us through this time.

And so now we are on the downhill slope of this pregnancy. We are that much closer to having a baby in our arms!! And I am ecstatic! I can't wait to bring this baby into our family and into our lives. Kenzi has promised us all sorts of promises when she becomes a big sister...she won't yell anymore, she won't wake up crying, she will be nice all of the time....haha...we'll see how that goes! Here's to the next 25-40 some days until this baby arrives safely in our arms! Please pray for a safe entrance into this world and pray for our family as we get ready for this wonderful transition from a family of 4 to a family of 5!! We are giddy with anticipation and I can't wait!!