spring has sprung!

I know I know, I'm a terrible blog updater!  It has been a busy last few weeks.  Some general updates:  Gabriel had his 2nd set of shots last week and is up to 11 and a half pounds!  He even has fat rolls on his neck, arms, and thighs! I love it.  Gabe has gone through several growth spurts and is eating so much more now (about 5 and 1/2 ounces every 3 hours or so).  He is also still sleeping through the night which is awesome for mommy and daddy.  Sweet baby is doing great at daycare and is such an attention hog :).  My little man has started smiling in the last month (first smile was March 8), and now we can't get him to stop! He is such a happy baby.

Our little family went to the St. Patrick's Day parade last Saturday.  It was a small celebration, but it was fun to get Gabe out for a while - even though he slept the whole time! I don't know what it is about parades, but he loves to use them as naptime.

Also in the excitement for springtime, we took some of our first family photos at the Norton Art Gallery while the azaleas were in bloom.   Gabe got to wear one of his 3 Easter outfits courtesy of BeBe :)

AND I wanted to add one more thing!  The March of Dimes walk in Shreveport will be April 28, 2012 at 10:00.  Michael has created a team for Gabe, and so far we are the only two members.  We would love for any of our family/friends to donate to the cause and/or walk with us to raise money!  This is a great organization and one that means so so much to us now.  Let's help babies born too early have a fighting chance just like sweet Gabe.

Here is a link to our team page: http:m.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1838205

much love.

time for an update!

Gabe has been home for almost 6 weeks now, and time is flying.  He is getting baptized on February 19 and starts daycare on February 27!  He is doing wonderfully - eating 3.5 to 4 oz every 3 to 4 hours and is no longer on his caffeine (to prevent apnea) or any medications.  We have been working on holding our head up and are doing great (only a little wobbling haha).  People who see us out always say, "oh he's so little" and I always make sure to explain where we started and how far we have come!  It's funny that Gabe was supposed to be born only 1 week ago, but instead we have a thriving 2 and a half month old!  We are so proud of our sweet baby and his many accomplishments.

Motherhood is...well...tough!  But so very rewarding.  I have always been in control of everything in my life - I made straight A's my whole life, graduated from college, got into PT school, married the man of my dreams...the list goes on.  Having a baby around has changed this for me in the best way.  Sometimes, our "schedule" just has to change - even from the very beginning when labor started early to the premature rupture of membranes to Gabe's premature delivery.  Now fast forward to the waking up at wee hours of the morning for diaper changes/bottles and putting my clinicals on the back burner for the time being and not knowing when or if I will ever be able to study for my boards (AHHHH!!!).  Despite all these changes and challenges, I am so GRATEFUL FOR and IN LOVE WITH this little boy!  I always knew I wanted to be a mother, but only God knew when he would come and who he would be well before I saw that plus sign last year.  God has a BIG PLAN for Gabriel, and I am so glad I have a front row seat (next to my wonderful husband and support system) to witness it.

Of course, I'll end on some pictures of my sweet little "big" boy.

My little valentine.

mardi gras baby

practicing in the bumbo haha

my goodness could he get cuter?

welcome home, gabe!

Our 36 days in the NICU has come to an end (thank you GOD), and it almost seems like a distant memory already.  Gabe has been home for a week and half now, and I am loving it!  He is so incredibly amazing.  We have him on a feeding schedule (2 oz every 3 hours), so sleep is hard to come by these days.  We definitely don't mind; I love waking up to that precious boy!  I will be home for the next 6 weeks with him until he can safely start daycare, and then I will return to my last long term rotation at LSU in order to graduate with my class in May.

Gabe has been  more and more alert in the last week, and it is so amazing to see him grow!  I really cannot believe I am a mommy - it is the most wonderful, AWESOME experience of my life.  Thank you to everyone who prayed for Gabriel and our family...the prayers worked, and we have our healthy baby home where he belongs. 

I can't stop taking pictures of the cutie...so bear with me! haha

Love you all!

3 weeks old today :)

It's crazy, but Gabe has already been in the hospital for 3 weeks!  I went back to work two weeks ago to finish up my rotation while he was still in the hospital, and thankfully time has been passing pretty fast.  I go every day at lunch, after work, then Michael and I go after dinner every day to visit the cutie pie.  He is doing great so far!  He has been off the oxygen since a couple days after birth, and he got off his IV at the 1 week mark.  We have also moved from the isolette bed to a regular crib!  He was under the UV light for a little while, but has gotten off of that too, so he is technically just a "feeder/grower" now!  At the last weigh-in we were there for, Gabe weighed 4 lbs 7 oz, but he has probably gained more since then.  We have also been taking bottles for the past 4 days, and they are increasing those as well.  Hopefully he will come home not too long after the new year so 2012 can start off great :) I am so ready to have him home!

We appreciate all the prayers so so much.  Please continue to pray for Gabriel's continued progress with eating and his time in NICU without any setbacks.  Much love.

How cute are those cheeks?

Daddy loves holding Gabe :)

he is perfect.

All the attempts to stop early labor were unsuccessful, and Gabriel David Hochstetler was born on December 2, 2011 at 8:16 pm.  He was a small 3 lb 13 oz, but so amazingly perfect.  Because he was born at only 30 weeks and 1 day, he will require several weeks in the NICU.  I could have never imagined how difficult having a baby in the NICU could be, and I am having trouble holding it together.  It is unreal how helpless you feel knowing you can really do nothing.  Michael is truly the most amazing person in the whole world, and I don't know what I would do without him.  He has been such a great husband to me throughout the pregnancy, but seeing him now after the labor/delivery process and in this role as a dad is just incredible; I don't know what I did to deserve him. 

Everyone please pray for Gabe's time in the NICU and his return home in the upcoming weeks, as well as for mine and Michael's strength throughout this process.

My precious boys.

Gabe may have some strawberry blonde hair...uh oh

My angel holding daddy's finger

slight changes in plans...

Well, I guess Gabriel really is my baby. He pretty much is thinking he is going to do whatever he wants (in this case, try to come way too early). Starting this weekend, I was pretty uncomfortable, but just dealt with it as being 30 weeks pregnant. I thought I'd be fine until I only slept for a total of 10 mins on Sunday night and hurt until Monday - so I decided a call to the doctor would be in our best interest. They got me in early, told me I was having some contractions but not dilating. I was prescribed a muscle relaxer to try to stop them and sent home instructed to call should I need anything. Monday night was still uncomfortable, but I managed to sleep about 2 and a half hours. I went to my rotation on Tuesday and began to hurt again pretty badly. As soon as I got home, I took some of the medicine my doctor gave me and tried to sleep. After what felt like an eternity, I looked at the clock and realized it wasn't even midnight yet. I woke poor Michael up and said we should probably go to the ER.

They immediately transferred me to labor and delivery (common practice for 30 weeks pregnant) and hooked me up to 24 hour monitoring. That morning, my doctor came back to check me again (this is only a day and a half since I'd last seen her), and I quickly asked if I could be back to my rotation by Friday to finish these last 2 and a half weeks of my second long term. Little did I know, that would be the least of my worries at this point. I had already dilated a cm and they were going to start steriod injections to speed up lung development should Gabe be delievered any time soon. I then had it in my mind I would just be committed to 48 hours then I'd be on my way to finish this dang rotation.

Well, after another very painful night (contractions every 5-7 mins for the 5th day in a row), I was checked again to only be told I was now dilated to 2 cm even after all the drugs I've been given to stop the contractions, and my water had already broken. This news comes with more bad news - I will be in the hospital until we have a baby (anywhere from 1 day to 4 weeks). Here's to hoping for more time! We signed TONS of paperwork, talked to SEVERAL specialists, and have been preparing for what life with a preemie is like (my school knowledge really works against me here, and I have been crying/worrying nonstop).

One major highlight came last night when the NICU doctor came to speak to me (per orders from my clinical instructors over at WK South haha) to ease my mind with great statistics for 30 week babies - especially those with steriod shots given before birth! We are just praying for the best and hoping to be in the hospital (as AWFUL/PAINFUL/BORING/UNCOMFORTABLE as it is for me) for as much more time as we can get for Gabe to grow.

We very much appreciate all possible prayers as I go through these next few weeks (and months in the NICU once Gabe comes). Our friends will still get to meet him once he's out of NI (around the same time he was due to come anyway), but Michael and I are planning on meeting a bouncing baby boy before Christmas...

the final stretch...

It's hard to believe that we are exactly 8 weeks away from meeting Gabe! I promise posts will be much more plentiful when I have a really cute baby model of whom I will post millions of  pictures.
Some updates:
BABY SHOWER IS SUNDAY! Whoa, where did the time go?! I am so excited to see my family and friends and to shower baby Gabe with so much love.

I have been worried about every little thing since the pregnancy began, but it has been worse lately.  Being a diabetic has always had its challenges, but being a pregnant diabetic is just more difficult than I could have ever imagined. I have started weekly doctor's appointments, so at least my mind is somewhat eased when I see that perfect wiggle worm and hear that heartbeat. 

I am halfway done with my second long term clinical rotation! YAY! I am loving it (though I am exhausted, and my feet look like tree trunks by the end of each day).  One step closer to being DR. HOCHSTETLER and having an income :)

Michael is the PERFECT husband.  I am so blessed to have married such a wonderful man who takes care of me and helps out with EVERY household chore when I just want to put my feet up and relax.  I never knew I could love someone so much.  The only drawback: hunting season.  I am so dang bored on the weekends!

We appreciate the continued prayers as we finish this crazy ride, and we are so excited to have a healthy baby in January!  Oh, and I can't wait to have some (a lot of) wine haha