This morning, we finally had our Fredricksen Christmas celebration. It was so nice and relaxing, I think we may have it on a different day next year too. There was no rushing and running around at all. We started with opening presents. Here are just some highlights:
Santa put some fun things in our stockings this year. Tony stole a few of these and had some fun!
Santa thought Mom needed a manual on how to be the perfect Grandma. Ha, it has some pretty funny stuff in there.
Tony spent a lot of time playing with the silly Santa stocking gifts...
Ever since Will could walk, it's been his job to hand out presents. There are no exceptions this year.
Will invested in a new guitar this year, so Mom and Dad got him an amp to practice with.
Dad got a new rifle lighter from Mom.
Will and Amanda had several joint gifts to open.
Since Dad's been working out so religiously, Mom, Tony and I got him some stylish clothes so he can workout in style.
Mom gave a very neat present to Baby K. She had 4 different afghans that she wrapped up. Each one has a typed out story of how the blanket came to be. The first were blankets my Grandma Barb used for my dad when he was a baby. The 2nd was the baby afghan my Great Grandma Lucy made for me. The 3rd was the baby afghan my Grandma Jeannette made for me, and the 4th was the baby afghan my mom crocheted for me. The little stories are so heartfelt, I will be saving them in the baby book for sure!
Amanda and I got matching DU sweatshirts! I'm a true townie now!
Mom recreated Christmas morning for me with sticky buns and egg bake! I loved every bite! I ate so much, I had to take a nap immediately following.
Tony and I posed in front of Mom and Dad's tree.
I thought Mom and Dad should pose too. Will and Amanda had already left, so maybe I can capture of picture of them later.
Christmas is still Christmas even if it's not celebrated on December 25. We had a great time as a family today: eating, opening presents and playing games. We are so blessed!
Usually I'm the big bird fanatic at our house, but when we arrived to Willow Hill Tony started shooting away. The cardinals were an active bunch for our Christmas Eve celebration. Here are a few of the pics he captured.
If you know my father-in-law, you know he enjoys making Christmas cookies! This year I managed to take some pictures of the cookie madness that happens at Willow Hill. I have to say that Cher made a lot of the cookies this year as well.
When it's time to make the cookie trays, it is a big ordeal. Alan and the boys usually haul in all the cookies from the mudroom. Here are just a few of the containers filled to the brim.
Some more of the cookies.
Alan is preparing the Linzer (sp?) Tortes.
Everyone helps out to make the tray building quicker and more efficient.
Brian and Tony hard at work organizing them all.
I don't think I would ever take the time to make that many cookies, but I sure am glad Alan does! We have a nice sized container filled at our house to munch on whenever we please!
I just heard some great news from the docs here: I can go home!
They figure by lunch time I will be all set to get out of here. My parents so wonderfully offered to be my chauffeur so Tony can stay at work. I have very minimal restrictions; I just need to pay attention to my body and to baby and alert the docs/midwives if anything changes.
I had my 30 week appointment scheduled for today, so we cancelled that and will be coming back in on January 7 for our next appointment. Some more good news, I can stay on the midwife's care. The doctors feel that the midwives are just as good as them, and if they need an MD they are always within an arm's reach!
So for now, we'll just keep praying that Baby K will stay put for at least 8 more weeks! We have been so very blessed by our wonderful family, friends and the excellent care here at Methodist.
One thing I absentmindedly did not post about yesterday: I had a VERY special guest: Maddison! Maddie is one of my oldest childhood friends. She's been living in Pittsburgh, PA since 2009, so we see each other around once a year. She happened to be in town for a very short period of time to celebrate Christmas with her family. We had planned on getting together, but I never expected it to be at 7am in my hospital room! That was the only time she had available, so I welcomed my visitor. Her dad Randy even came along! I've always loved visiting with Maddie's parents, but we don't see each other often. We got to catch up for almost 2 hours, AND she brought me a Diet Coke. Boy, does she know me!
Anyways, thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers and positive words of encouragement over this past week. It has helped me more than you'll ever know!
Well nothing has really changed as the day has gone on. The scary symptoms overnight have not returned! The baby has been monitoring well, and so have I. This morning there were a few contractions, but nothing to be concerned about.
The docs are saying that when I do go home, there will be no restrictions! I'll still probably be taking it easy, but that's because my body is getting quite large and uncomfortable!
I had some great visitors again today. Mom and Dad brought me lunch from Culver's. My cousins: Hannah, Laura and Michelle brought up "Pitch Perfect", so we had a fun afternoon of watching the hilarious movie. Liv and Nicole, some great college friends, made the trek. Liv from LaCrosse and Nicole from the cities. They brought some ADORABLE outfits for baby, some lotion for me and a Bon Appetit mag for me to read through. My dad's cousin Penny stopped by too! She lives in the cities, but was in town for a funeral. It was so nice to see her even if it was for a short amount of time.
I also was able to chat with family over the phone for updates and check-ins.
Tonight has been pretty quiet. Tony and I enjoyed some hospital cafeteria food and are watching some tv. Believe it or not, I'm quite tired tonight. We'll probably turn in early.
Praying for an uneventful night, so we can go home tomorrow morning!
Well, I was going to wait to do a Christmas blog post until I could do the Fredricksen update as well, but I'm thinking I will get the Knutson one out there. After this weekend I can do a Fredricksen Christmas update.
Here it goes:
We tried something new this year, and I thought it was a lot of fun! We drew names back in June. We then kept it a secret until Christmas Eve. Opening started with the eldest Knutson: Alan.
I had him. He got a "gift basket for a shepherd". Everything had to do with sheep and had a little poem to go with it.
Kate had Cher. She got a very nice plant stand that Kate refinished!
Alan had Kate: She got a really nice multi-use crock pot.
Tony had Brian: He got a geocache gift basket
Cher had Mindy: She got the cute snowmen over Mindy's shoulder.
Brian had Jon: He got various items that could be used for geocaching
Jon had Tony: He got a Spi Belt and safety light for running, and he got some tracker tag thingies for geocaching.
Mindy had me: I got a picnic blanket that I REALLY wanted, a Norwex window cloth and a nice picture frame!
The kiddos brought some toys they opened at the Dahna Christmas gathering over the weekend. Harvey got a neat pirate ship! The "big" boys were also very interested in this gift!
Here's Maya playing with Natalie's new wheelchair for her American Girl doll. It was just the right size for her!
Natalie could've been satisfied with just playing in the Nintendo chair!
Maya was a meticulous gift opener. She would peel off a piece, crumple it, and throw it away. It took her quite a while to open all her gifts!
Natalie was a different story! She can rip right through those packages!
Harvey got his first pair of cross country skis!
Maya LOVED her new vacuum.
We had a really great day! I'm glad we got to join at least one of the family get togethers for Christmas!
Greetings from the Methodist Hospital! Yes, I'm still here, and it looks like I'll be staying for a while.
Yesterday was a very good day for Baby K and me. It started with a great phone call from Pastor Wahl. It's always comforting to talk with our Pastors when life is a little shaky.
Then they wheeled me off to a big ultrasound. Tony wasn't there for it since I sent him to work, but I DID NOT find out the gender. It was hard to resist, but I stayed a good wife! The ultrasound looked great: Baby still looking wonderful. After they did all the measurements, the sonographer said Baby K is actually over 4 pounds and measuring at 32 weeks! This is good news if Baby does decide to make an early appearance.
When I got back after the ultrasound, my friend Becky was there waiting. She had stayed overnight at our house. We got in some more hours of visiting until my parents came. Then Becky headed back home. Aunt Christa also came at this time. It was nice to have some visitors for a while.
I had some good rest time in before ALL the company started arriving. Jacque and Kaylee stopped by with some adorable outfits Kaylee picked up for the baby, Aunt Marybeth came, Aunts Laur and Jill, Uncle Rand, mother in law Cher, sister-in law Amanda, Tony and our new pastor, Pastor Jason. We had quite the room full! After it thinned down a bit, Laur and Jill ordered us some Hunan Chinese food. DELICIOUS! We played some rounds of Phase 10 and really enjoyed ourselves. It's nice to have time with family to take our minds off things.
Tony stayed until 11 again and we watched some Hunger Games. I was so please with my day, and Baby K was doing so well, but right after Tony left, I had a setback.
The symptom that brought us in on Christmas came back. I was immediately hooked up to monitors, and Baby's heartbeat was looking good and he/she was moving around a lot. The Docs came in with the ultrasound machine to take a look, and Baby was looking good. Dr. Standhope even showed me Baby's footprint and that Baby was sucking its thumb to try to lighten my mood. I was quite shaky and scared again. They did some more exams on me, and determined everything was looking ok. Labor had not started up again, but they needed to keep me here longer. They really don't want this to happen when we're at home.
Today my job is to move around, rest some and keep Baby K happy! We REALLY appreciate all the prayers that you are all sending our way. It's comforting to know so many people are out there loving and thinking about our little family.
We know God is in control, and he won't give us more than we can handle!
Here is a shot from my ultrasound yesterday morning. It's Baby K looking right at us. Look at those chubby cheeks and round little chin. Just beautiful!
I believe all of our immediate families are now aware of the interesting Christmas Day Tony and I spent together, so I will update my friends and families on our situation.
On Christmas Eve, we were out to Willow Hill (Tony's parents). About halfway through the afternoon, I started feeling a little funny. Tony and I did some Google searches, and thought that we would be ok. I decided if things got worse I would call into the OB Triage Nurse Line. Candlelight church was difficult to sit through, but I did get a good night sleep.
I woke up early on Christmas morning and starting baking mini muffins to bring to Smidt Christmas Brunch. Things were not back to normal. Something was definitely not okay. I let Tony sleep in, I got all of our Christmas things ready and then decided to give a call in. When I gave all my symptoms, they said I needed to come in and be seen.
We dropped off presents at my parent's house, told them why we couldn't stay and took off for Methodist Hospital. The nurses and midwife were monitoring baby and monitoring me; other than my excessive amount of crying (it was very emotional for me), we were both very healthy. The monitor was picking up mild contractions, but they weren't painful so it was probably Braxton Hicks. Baby K was very active and hiccuping away. Unfortunately, they discovered I was already starting to dilate, I was at 2cm.
Here's a video of it. Don't mind the belly you're seeing. I'm not shy anymore after yesterday, that's for sure!
Around 11am, they admitted me to the hospital in Labor and Delivery. It was quite scary to get wheeled into a room with all of the baby items around. I'm only about 30 weeks, so I was not emotionally ready for this. We finally ordered some food around 11:30! Here's my Christmas feast.
The neo-natal specialist came in right after I took my first bite. So....it was cold when I could finally eat. I was very grateful for that specialist however. She told us EXACTLY what to expect in case we delivered within the next couple of days. She answered all of our questions, and calmed all of our fears. She said that baby would be just fine, he/she is developed enough to survive, but we would be at St. Mary's for 6-8 weeks. They started giving me steroid injections to strengthen Baby K's lungs, brain and bowels in case this would happen. A lot of premi's don't get that opportunity, so we were lucky there too.
The rest of the afternoon was spent under close observation. Baby and I were being monitored closely, and several tests were done and redone. It looked like labor was not progressing quickly or at all. Every once in a while, I would have a contraction, but they went away. I was keeping my family and close friends updated on my situation via text message.
Mom, Dad and Will stopped up with a few presents and some yummy Christmas treats. The Smidt cousins have started an ugly sweater competition, so this was Mom's creation. It's not an ugly vest (my grandma Barb made it), but she dressed it up with her pins. Those 3 made it feel a lot more like Christmas for us!
My favorite part of Christmas morning is the sticky buns my mom makes. She brought me up some leftovers! Delicious!
As I was visiting with my family, the door knocked and in walked a Santa Hat wearing Becky! My best friend from college! She drove the 3 hours down to see me!!!! I would have to say, that was the best surprise of my Christmas Day! She said either she could sit at home and worry about me all day, or come down and spend time with me. I'm glad she chose the latter. She brought some room decorations and games along as well. I have a cute Christmas bear and a stuffed flower for my room.
Aunt Amy was my next visitor. She brought me a delicious deli sandwich selection and snack foods packed by Aunt Kathy and Cousin Jen. Boy did I appreciate the food! While Amy was there, Mindy and Kate made a visit. I'd have to say I'm very lucky to have the sisters-in laws that I have. They have a way of making situations so much better.
Pretty soon, the visitors started disappearing. Tony went home to stock up on my necessities. Amanda came up on her break (another great sister in law). It was nice to chat with her for a while too!
Tony and Becky stayed with me until they got me settled into my new room in a different unit around 11pm last night. They moved me since my labor had not progressed and we were doing well. Now I just get monitored a few times a day unless something feels strange. I can get up and move around, and I feel like a person again.
I was asked to participate in a Mayo Clinic study researching bacteria found in women who begin labor prematurely. I was all for helping out. After all, if my situation can help another woman's, what better could come from this. So I was up a little late finishing a few parts of the study. They did an exam and a blood draw. Today I'll fill out a questionnaire, and when Baby K really decides to come, more tests will be completed.
After they left, I felt very wired still! This is the picture I sent to Jake late last night! My nurse picked up on this wiriness, and gave me a sleeping pill. I slept right through the night! Whew!
Now I'm up. Baby K has been active, so he/she is still doing just fine. We are so lucky and blessed that this seems to be working out way better than we expected on our frantic drive early yesterday morning. I'm sad that I missed Christmas, but I am so happy that we didn't end up having a Christmas baby. Baby K needs to stay put as long as possible. I'm sure they will be discussing different things I can do when I get discharged. Bed rest may be the option, not desirable, but if it will help Baby K, I'm ALL for it!
Needless to say, after all this, we are now on the OB Doctors rotation instead of midwifes. Not a change I was wanting, but if it will keep everyone safe, I will do whatever it takes! I'm hoping to get more visitors today, since I'm making Tony go to work. I figured that he works at Mayo and can get here quickly if he needs to be!
Let's hope the news just continues to get better! If you will, send your prayers our way please! God sure has taken control in our hearts and helped us immensely throughout our whole process yesterday!
If you're in the area and want to visit, feel free (unless you're sick). I'll for sure be here until Thursday mid-afternoon.
I hope you all had a less eventful Christmas, but I do hope you experienced God's presence in some way like we did! Merry Christmas!
I have heard this is a common problem, especially in the 3rd trimester, but I'm ready for it to be over! I CANNOT sleep through the night whatsoever. I fall asleep great when I hit the pillow, but not even an hour later, I'm awake and having to shift. This continues throughout the night. Lately, I've decided to quit fighting it, and I get up and start getting productive. It's only 7:15 now, but I've been up and working for hours....
Here's another snapshot of my week according to my iPhone.
When Stewartville had a snow day on Thursday, I had the Myhrvold children for the morning. We thought it was a perfect morning to have a fire. Since Connor is so concerned about Baby K, he thought he should help me with the fire. He really enjoyed working the bellows.
Luna finds the strangest spots to rest. The other evening, she chose T's shins.
I got a very nicely colored invitation to a Christmas Open House at Natalie's new daycare. It was so great to see the place she spends her mornings and meet her daycare teachers. When we first got there, one of the staff took a picture of us together. When I left, they gave Natalie this ornament to give to me. I absolutely LOVE it! It went right on the tree!
Yesterday would've been my Grandma Barb's 88th birthday. This is her 13th birthday where we've had to celebrate without her.
I was searching and searching for pictures of her on her birthday, and this is the only one I could find. If you're from my Fredricksen family, you know why I couldn't find many pictures. Grandma Barb was also known as Grandma Camera. She was the woman behind the lens. I found this picture in one of my scrapbooks, so I had to share. Grandma frequently talked about how she wanted her birthday presents wrapped in birthday wrapping paper, but it was challenging to find during the Christmas season. If you look closely, this present is wrapped in baby wrapping paper...
My father-in-law Alan called yesterday and said it would've been Tony's Grandma Amy's birthday as well! What a coincidence! Both our paternal grandmothers sharing a birthday. Happy birthday Grandma Barb and Grandma Amy!
Yesterday, Brian, Kate and Maya joined us for church. We then met them for lunch at the mall. While her parents were getting their food, I entertained Maya with my phone. It was the only way I could get her to stop crying. She's at the "don't leave me Mom and Dad" stage. Soon she'll be on to the next stage!
Last night, Tony and I decided to have our own little Christmas celebration. We had a day filled with baking while singing along to our favorite Christmas songs, and then after we took a nice brisk walk, we opened our presents.
Luna really enjoyed all the wrapping paper! She liked it even more that I let her play with it. It's been a long Christmas season of ripping up wrapping paper while I'm trying to wrap gifts...
Sol liked the new box we got her. It fits her just right!
One of the things I love most about Tony is his love/passion for music. I like to encourage it just a little bit, so this year I bought him a Ukelele! It's one instrument he has no idea how to play. Of course, within 10 minutes it was tuned and he was working on his first masterpiece.
Tony got me some Yaktrax and Burts Bees. I've been so leery to walk outside by myself, so I'm very excited to use my new Yaktrax! They should keep me safe from the dangerous icy. Tony knows me so well on the Burts Bees...I am ALWAYS in need of more!
Today we head out to Willow Hill to celebrate with the Knutsons! We'll also spend some time with Grandma Jayne, Grandpa Bob and hopefully Laur, Jill and Rand!
