Steve, Steven, Josh, Mom, and Dad arrive (12/22/10-12/28/10)

The rest of the crew quickly arrived. With our small three bedroom house you would think we would hate each other instantly. But we didn't! My parents insisted on staying at a hotel (smart move). Will and I were wanting to stay at the hotel, but my parents won. Steve, intelligently, brought and used ear plugs. Steven and Josh, thankfully are hard sleepers. Wendi and I constantly texted each other during Madeline's early wake-ups.

We had grand plans of going tubing, cross country skiing, and other outdoor activities. However, the weather was bitterly cold and everything was closed. EXCEPT....dog sledding. Even though the trip was 15 minutes, it was amazing and I was in awe how quickly my eyelashes kept freezing shut.


Madeline was a huge hit and at this time Will and I were thankful that she was over 6 pounds. Yay!

Steve's first night in Alaska. He obviously wanted the bed all to himself. :)

One of the dog mushers.

Steve and Steven are the first victims to go.

Holy cow that is cold!

Before

After

I know you are cold, but say cheese.

We thought this was very appropriate because Steven loves music.

Awww!

Poppy and Madeline

Grammy and Madeline

Josh and Madeline

When in North Pole you have to visit Santa Claus!

Madeline visited him twice this Christmas.

Steve, Will, and Steven about to endure in a snow shoe adventure.

Wendi making sure I am a-ok! :)

Outside our house. I wanted someone to sit in the poof.

Not only did Steve sit on the poof, we added the prop!

Everyone brought their stockings.

Dad receiving his Sarah Palin toilet paper

Oh Christmas Tree!!!!

Will and his super fancy cookware. Maybe now he'll cook.

Pretty picture.

Josh writing Santa on Christmas Eve.

This is during a quick excursion that Steve, Wendi, and I had at the nearby golf course.

Will would have broken up with me if we received the same shirt.

**I'm sorry about the small grainy pictures. I only could locate and transfer them from Snapfish.

When everyone left it was a very sad day. I become extremely homesick and went into a three day funk. I know that I will see everyone very soon. It was a wonderful Christmas and I'm thankful everyone was able to come to visit.

Our family time hasn't ended yet....Bob and Betsy arrive the very next day! :)

Wendi's visit (12/6/10-12/28/10)

Wendi came soon after Madeline arrived. Aunt Wendi fell in love at first sight. She helped us tremendously with cleaning, laundry, more laundry, and helping me figure out this Mom thang! A few of my favorite things of Wendi's visit:

*Liquid Ice Cream visits (a scrumptious treat)

*Smart Wool fixation

*Putting makeup for the first time on Madeline "pretty as a butterfly"

*Wendi getting to know Moose. My favorite Moose moment was that she made him do a  

  double jump that would make Olympian skiers jealous!

Madeline was so tiny her tights are hanging off of her.

One of my favorites!

Oscar isn't protective whatsoever!

Moose is jealous of Madeline's blanket.

Pretty as a butterfly!

We are were very thankful that Aunt Wendi came to help us out! Soon December 22nd came when the rest of the crew came.

My story...

A run down of events…

Monday – 11/22/10: Woke up for work at 6:45 a.m., water broke, and we took showers. We started our way to the hospital only to find that it was the worst weather conditions in 5-10 years. The streets were blanketed with black ice, cars were in ditches, and cop cars were everywhere. Our normal 10-minute drive took 45 minutes-1 hour. We approached the gate at Fort Wainwright  and the guard told us that the road conditions were "black" Case leaned over to the guard who announced that she was having a baby and the guard sent us on.  At 11:00 a.m. I wasn’t progressing enough so they decided to start inducing me. Around 1:00 p.m. I wanted an epidural and it took 5 attempts (yes, 10 times being stuck) before the epidural worked. Around 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. I was 8 cm. Madeline’s heartbeat dropped and at that time the delivery room was infused with doctors and nurses who recognized the danger to Madeline and shortly thereafter she was born at 4:23 p.m.  After Will and I saw our precious baby, I was rushed to the OR for 2 hours of surgery. Madeline was face up and even though she was 5 pounds 11 ounces, she did a number along with the forceps on me.

Tuesday – 11/23/10: Enjoying life and recovering.

Wednesday – 11/24/10: Madeline’s biliruben level was high and because there is little sunlight here in Alaska this time of year the doctors wanted to ensure that Madeline wasn't too jaundiced and kept her for another night. I, on the other hand, was discharged but titled as a border patient. Madeline enjoyed light therapy for about 24 hours.

Thursday – 11/25/10: Light therapy worked, we were able to leave. Our good friends, Jessie and Brian had come over and cooked Thanksgiving dinner for all of us. It was so nice to come home to friends and I was happy that Will was able to have his Thanksgiving dinner. I was looking forward to being in my own bed. Yay!!

Friday – 11/26/10: Enjoying life and still recovering.  Well being that this was the first night home from spending three nights in the hospital, Will woke up in the middle of the night and had no idea where he was and was arguing with me about closing the bedroom door to keep "the people" out.  He was informed that he was home and Will's reaction was, "Oh that is why there is carpet under my feet."

Saturday – 11/27/10: We went in for a follow-up and yup, Madeline’s jaundice spiked. Madeline and myself were readmitted into the hospital.  Will was sent home so he would have no more delusional episodes.

Sunday – 11/28/10: Light therapy worked again, we headed back to the ranch.

We have gone to another follow-up and Madeline is doing well. Last we measured, she was 5 pounds 7 ounces. She is in preemie diapers and her newborn sizes are a wee big. However, each and every day she is getting bigger and stronger. I am slowly getting better, but every bit of it was worth it. Will has been and will continue to be amazing. He is taking great care of Madeline and myself. Many of you know that I steer away from being gushy, but I really have to excuse myself this time because Will has been incredible. When it’s time to feed Madeline he is the first to jump up change her (we have to wake her some way) and pass her to me. There were times where I couldn’t really walk and Will has taken the responsibility to give Madeline the best attention and care possible.

Some interesting and some funny things that Will and I have encountered:

·      Having a text message conversation with the assistant superintendent (my boss’s boss) about whether or not Madeline has peed the “slimy stuff”

·      Having a conversation about breast feeding with our housekeeper, boss, random nurses, doctors, and yes, Will’s paralegal, Pam

·      Admiring her many colors of poo

·      Deathly afraid of trimming her nails – yes, Mom I have attempted to even chew them off. I have already trimmed them successfully once with the clippers, but those dang things grow like weeds. She has scratches all over her face.

·      I attempted to take a picture of a birth announcement today, but not wanting to stay asleep and take her stomach down, naked. Well…Madeline had a Popeye look and decided to pee on the ottoman. Maybe we’ll try again tomorrow?

·      Today her umbilical cord fell off. I think the light therapy quickened the process. We are pretty sure that she will have an outie…cute cute cute. But there needs to be a little healing first before we know for sure.

Welcome Miss Madeline! 11/22/10 @ 4:23 p.m.

First round of light therapy. I like to look at it as she's being a little Snooki-rific. The tag on her foot is for security measures. If someone tried to leave with her the alarms would sound and the hospital would be on lock down.

Second round of light therapy. At least this nurse had a sense of humor.

Jessie and Brian on Thanksgiving.

Her first bath.

She likes the warmth of the towel instead.

Moose's new abode.

Trying for the perfect birth announcement pic.

Probably in mid-pee.

In between screaming her head off in disgust.

Next up, Wendi arrives on Monday, Will's last week of paternity leave, Madeline continuing to get more and more beautiful!

September...October...

Time for catch up.  The fall came and went and winter is in full force. I included some pictures of some beautiful pictures two weekends before all the leaves fell and snow soon came after.

Will FINALLY has another TDS lawyer in his office. It's helping immensely. She will be moving to a different state at the end of December and then a new guy will replace her in January. I'm just thankful that Will's not alone anymore. Pam, Will's paralegal, Pam, is someone who I adore because she truly is a sitcom all on her own.  Will and Pam have become more fond of each other. They have been in the love part of their love/hate relationship. Currently, Will is in Korea for a week working on a case. I believe he's a little bit in a culture-shock, but is loving the uber modern amenities Korea has to offer.

My job is going well. It's nice not having nearly as many questions that I had at this time last year. I have decided to take 11-12 weeks maternity leave. I think everyone I work with knows except my boss. Yikes. I'll get to that soon. I do appreciate that my job gives me something to do and help my mind extend beyond baby. I plan on working up until she arrives and considering I've had 4 different due dates told to me (anywhere from December 1st-December 9th), it'll be interesting to see when she does decide to make her entrance to the world.

Will and I continue to impatiently wait for Madeline's arrival.  More people have decided to rub my belly (just call me Buddah), excited that it's getting closer. I'm thankful I have only had one stranger rub Buddah's belly. Everyone else I just politely smile and slowly back away. This Wednesday I'll officially be 34 weeks. After my next appointment, November 16th, I will start visiting the doctor weekly. Apparently, I'm healthy and everything is measuring perfectly. I have officially hit the uncomfortable stage. But as I tell everyone I know it'll be worth it. However, things getting more uncomfortable over the next forty-something days is hard to swallow. Madeline moves all the time and I feel like a lava lamp with blobs moving slowly and in random weird places. It is nice to know she's doing well. Oscar is very aware of my expanding body and avoids my stomach. Mattie and Moose on the other hand look at it more as a platform for them to get comfy.  Will and I attended some birthing classes. They were very entertaining to say the least. The birthing class summary can be a whole separate post.

The last picture is of Will and I going to HIPOW (HIPOW stands for "Happiness Is Paying Our Way." A 3-day auction is the largest single fund-raising event for local Catholic schools). We were invited by my dear friend Debbie as guests. This was definitely one of the events of the year. There were political figures and 600 other people. Will even won for Pam some cooking books for Christmas during one of their silent auctions. I really tried hard NOT to be in a picture, but Will wouldn't take one unless I was in it. Grr. Obviously, he won. :) For those of you who know me, you can probably tell how thrilled I am by my smile. :)

There's not too much going on here which is a very good thing. It's quiet, simple, and just perfect.

Until next time...