...And Niesling Makes Three

By Special Request

2012-03-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the video that goes along with the pictures from my last post.

a- Yes, that is Ode to Joy he is singing. And he is singing the word "me" thanks to this video of Beaker from the Muppets.

b- Please excuse the cat whining in the background. She thought it was lunch time.

Play, Sing, and Pose

2012-02-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Something I've really been struggling with lately is finding activities to keep Elijah happy and occupied. I don't want to just be playing with his toys and stacking boxes everyday. It's been tough for me because a lot of the projects I want to do, Eli is a little too young for yet. So I've been checking out books at the library, searching the internet, and scouring Pinterest for ideas. I've found a couple good ones and will be sharing them over the next few blog posts.

The first one we did last week was from the book First Art: Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos. It's called "stretchy dough" although I couldn't get it to stretch. It consisted of vegetable oil, water, food coloring, and flour. I think Eli enjoyed it.

One day Eli randomly began singing part of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". I'm not quite sure where he picked it up at (it's not usually on our song list for some reason) but we got it on video! And yes, that's his classic camera smile at the end.

And now I leave you with one of the most precious pictures I've taken in a long time.

WIP

2012-02-21T15:09:00.002-07:00

Eric and I decided it was time to start finishing the basement in November. He and his dad, along with some help from Elijah, have made great progress. In just about 3 months they have everything drywalled but one ceiling and a lot of it taped. Plus the fireplace installed and the wall built around it. Here are some pictures of the work in progress.

Yes, Les is holding a chainsaw.

Eli putting up "drywall".

There are injuries on every project I'm sure.

Mom, this isn't frosting.

Construction & Destruction

2012-02-06T11:30:00.001-07:00

For a few months now I've been saving all the empty boxes, jars, toilet paper rolls, etc that we have around the house. I figured once Eli is a little older we'll make lots of fun crafts. But last week I was running low on activities so we decided to pull ALL of this stuff out of the closet and see how big of a tower we could build. I think it was pretty successful all around. (There's a video after the pictures of how a tower ends up when there's a little boy involved.)

Top 10 Reasons

2012-01-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Some days Elijah drives me crazy. I'm sure every mom has those days. Whether he has too much energy or none at all, we can't get going at the same speed. So I've decided to compile a list of reasons why I love him to look at when I get overwhelmed. Or when I just want to smile.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Being Eli's Mom

1. He has the most infectious laugh. Even when I'm in a not-so-good mood, he can make me smile with that sweet giggle.

2. His unbridled enthusiasm for all things Muppets. If I need a few minutes to myself or a shower, I can always depend on Kermit, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy to keep him happy.

3. He makes me realize that I was meant to be a mother with all its ups and downs.

4. I can pretty much always get a hug when I ask for one. Or can take it by force if I need to.

5. His immense love for his daddy and Eric's love for him.

6. I never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. He's not even close to full sentences but says the silliest stuff.

7. Cuddles.

8. Those big blue eyes. He already knows how to work them.

9. His great (inherited) love of books.

10. How much he misses me when I'm gone.

Pictures & Update

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

We're still alive here, even though a stomach flu tried hard to take each of us out in the last 10 days. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's and 2012 is going great for us. We (i.e. Eric, Les, and Eli) are working on finishing the basement while I continue on my crocheting. We hosted our first big gathering of the year, having the Christmas party for a board Eric is on last night. We are looking forward to having more of these, including our 2nd Annual Nies Super Bowl Party. 2012 looks to be an amazing year in the Nies household!

Look Who's Talking

2011-12-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

As a continuation of Elijah's most recent "issue" of not talking (although he's perfectly happy and all his needs are being met) I will be emailing the very nice woman from Birth to 3 with a list of all the words Eli is speaking and signing. I decided having them here on the blog would be a good idea as well for me to look back on and to keep everyone else informed. (These are all the words he's started signing/speaking since Nov. 18th.)

Oh and I have heard from others who have the same issue with their sons (apparently the line "boys walk first, girls talk first" is true). They feel like their boys are intelligent and can communicate just fine non-verbally. I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one in this boat!

So here are the words Elijah signs (official ASL and his own):

more
please
milk
ball
baby
all done
shoes
hat
bear
cracker
spider
banana
sorry
book
brush
airplane
cold
elephant
here
brush teeth

The words Eli says:

cheese
teeth
ball
choo choo
moo
milk
all done
please
shoe
meow
pop (toaster)
toast
banana
mama (odd how I didn't think of that first... although he only says it when he wants my attention)
EDIT: uh-oh (...over and over again. How could I forget uh-oh?)
stool
this

These are all the words I can think of right now (pretty sure there's more), and a lot of them he both signs and says but I think this is a good demonstration that Eli can communicate verbally if he wants to. I'm sure one day I'll look back and long for the times when he didn't talk so much... So I'm trying to enjoy it now!

Eli signing more during the "More More More" song on Baby Signing Time Vol. 1

Watching the "Diaper Dance" song on Baby Signing Time Vol. 1

Sci-fi, hair cuts, and birthday parties

2011-12-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple weeks at our house. We've been enjoying the Christmas tree, trying to get some snow time in when the weather permits, and celebrating Timothy's birthday.

I've been keeping myself occupied with more crocheting. A couple projects I can't talk about (Christmas coming and all that) and one that I CAN talk about. You can read the story on Eric's website, but essentially I found a crochet pattern for an obscure science fiction character Eric loves. May I present:

CTHULHU!

In other news, Elijah got his first hair cut last week. Not so much a hair cut really as an attempt to avoid the mullet. His hair was starting to grow long enough that it caught in his bib at mealtimes so we decided it was time. Eric took his trimmers to the back of Eli's head and did a nice job. I didn't think we would be having this first before his second birthday, but it came earlier than expected.

We traveled to Gregory, SD this past weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Nies to celebrate cousin Timothy's first birthday. It was a quick trip, but fun was had by all!

Timothy wasn't really sure about his first cupcake...

But Eli made sure he ate a couple on his cousin's behalf

Timothy got lots of good presents (hugging the bear from Eli)...

And both boys got in some good grandparents time!

What a Difference

2011-11-29T13:19:00.001-07:00

It's such a cliche that time flies when you're having fun but it is so true. Elijah is 19 months old and it feels like he's been with us for years. Once in a while I like to look back at pictures of him and compare how he has changed. Since I was doing that for myself today I thought I would share on the blog as well.

late November 2010

late November 2011

Decorating Fever

2011-11-28T13:16:00.001-07:00

Usually I'm a procrastinator but this year I decided to decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. Eli spent last year's decorating in his play pen watching but this year he was in the thick of it. And then he got to help Grandma Kris with her tree later that day!

I also got Eli's stocking completed! After putting it off for a week or two (there's that procrastinating tendency) I crocheted the entire thing over about four days. (I got the pattern from this website.)

Snow Day

2011-11-28T13:03:00.001-07:00

One of the greatest aspects of South Dakota living is playing in the snow. Last year, Elijah was too small to really enjoy it, so after the first snowfall of the year (almost 6 inches) I bundled him up in his snow suit and took him out. It only took a couple days for the snow to melt, so I know Eli is looking forward to the next batch.

Talking Check Up

2011-11-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

So we didn't actually meet with a speech therapist yet. We met with a very nice woman from the local Birth to 3 program to see if we qualify for speech therapy. She tested Eli's hearing and we did the Denver Developmental Screening Test. Eli is above his age group in everything except verbal. He understands a lot just doesn't communicate verbally. He doesn't even really use "mama" or "dada" although he most definitely knows who we are. Because of this lack of words, we qualify for him to see the speech therapist. However, I chose to take two months and work with him myself. We'll try sign language (he already knows the sign for cookie and we just started an hour ago) and other suggestions Karin left with us. If he doesn't speak or sign a minimum of six words by the end of January we'll for sure be seeing the therapist. (The six words don't have to be "real" words- they can be "Eli" words as long as he uses them consistently for the same object.)

As one of our friends pointed out to me, Elijah is really an observer. He watches other kids and adults for a long time before attempting it himself. For instance, he didn't climb the playground equipment at the park the first several times we went. He contented himself with playing in the rocks and watching other kids. Now he can climb like a monkey. I'm sure this is another aspect where he will talk when he's comfortable with it.

I'll keep everyone updated as Eli starts talking more.

He already has his own cell phone and babbles into it.

Plus he knows how to use Daddy's cell phone too.

18 Month Well Baby

2011-11-16T14:39:00.001-07:00

Today Elijah and I ventured to the doctor's office for his 18 month check up. Aside from his shots (which we are done with until kindergarten now thank goodness), it was a relatively easy appointment.

1. We got updated stats and percentages.

Height: 2 ft 7 in (12th %)
Weight: 29 lbs 2 oz (84th %)

Because his weight percentile is so much higher than his height, this skews Eli's BMI to pretty high. But like Dr. Becky said, he doesn't look fat so nothing to worry about.

2. Developmentally most toddlers have about 10 words at 18 months. Eli knows LOTS of words, but he doesn't speak them. He babbles a lot but doesn't use his words to communicate. However, the boy does know how to get his point across. Because I spend all day every day with him, I know what he is trying to say and so he's not required to tell me. Dr. Becky and I agreed that is most likely why he isn't verbalizing as much yet. If I tried to have him tell me what he wants, he merely gets frustrated and cries. I do spend most of my day talking to him, reading with him, and telling him the words of the world around him so I know he is getting the information. The doctor did recommend meeting with a speech therapist just to get some tips on how to help him verbalize more so we'll be doing that in the coming weeks. I suppose I should enjoy this quiet time now...

3. During our recent vacation, Eric and I started discussing Eli's constant congestion. I have been congested seemingly all my life, so it is no big deal to me but Eric had some concerns so I talked to Dr. Becky about it. She said as long as it's not affecting Eli (and it doesn't- he sleeps and breathes just fine) there is no reason to worry about it. On the other hand, she had no problem with us adjusting his diet (i.e. removing wheat or dairy) to see if that could be the issue. Perhaps we'll try that eventually but for now, a humidifier in his room and warm baths will do.

After the shots, Eli got a new book and some stickers which perked him up quite well. But he still avoids those nurses as much as he can.

Scarf Time!

2011-11-15T12:38:00.001-07:00

As Elijah gets bigger, and spends more time playing by himself, I'm trying to find hobbies to keep myself occupied. Before our trip my hobby was the busy book and since we've been back I've taken up crochet. Thanks to various books, YouTube videos, and websites, I've gotten chains, single crochet, and half double crochet stitches down.

So far I made a scarf for Eric and one for myself. Eric is encouraging me to crochet a Christmas stocking for Eli. I have the pattern and yarn, but haven't yet attempted to start the stocking. I'm working up my courage to get it going. And I would like to make a scarf for Elijah as well.

Below are the links I used to learn crochet and patterns for scarves I've made.

http://www.crochetspot.com/

http://www.eatingoutloud.com/2010/11/vertical-stripe-crochet-scarf-unisex.html

http://jennozkan.com/2010/uncategori zed/crochet-ribbed-scarf-its-like-knitting-only-better/

And here are pictures of the scarf I made for Eric. It even got Eli's seal of approval!

Blanket Fort

2011-11-05T14:11:00.000-06:00

With colder weather upon us, Elijah, Eric, and I have been working on our blanket fort skills. Through the end of October we have had 3 different forts and all pretty successful.

Happy 60th!

2011-11-04T13:44:00.001-06:00

Eric's grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last month and we had a family get together to celebrate. Below are a few pictures of the family enjoying Eli time.

Congratulations Grandmother and Grandad! May the rest of us be as blessed as the two of you have been for the past 60 years.

We managed to fill the frame pretty well, even without Jared, Sarah, and Timothy. We'll have to try again at Thanksgiving when they come!

Trip Pictures

2011-11-03T13:53:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pictures from our wonderful trip to Switzerland. For more landscape, less people photos, check out Eric's Picasa album:

https://picasaweb.google.com/102666553946889300606/SwitzerlandII2011

Chilling on the train

Eric at the castle in Bellinzona

Eli LOVED the cattle at Great-Grandpa & Great-Grandma's- this is one of our several daily visits

Teddy bear got a first class seat whenever we were out and about

Castle at Rapperswil

At Davos

Family at the Rheinfall in Schauffhausen

Eli loved this tractor... Maybe a future Christmas present?

Probably Eli's favorite part of the trip: homegrown grapes

Rocking horse ride with cousin Anna Laura

Eric in the armory at Kyburg Castle

Travel with Baby

2011-10-13T15:40:00.000-06:00

We made it home safe and sound! I'll post more on the trip later, but I wanted to record what worked and didn't for us during the travel portion of our vacation.

Elijah was great on the plane. He didn't sleep very well on the way to Switzerland, even though we gave him a small dose of Benadryl. Despite the lack of sleep, he was happy and relatively laid back. On the trip home he slept about an hour on each of the three legs. He sat on our laps, looked out the window, and played with his toys. We never did pull out the laptop for him which made me very happy. Having new little toys wrapped up to pull out whenever he started getting bored worked great for us.

Unfortunately the busy book didn't get much usage. Eli likes it but the book is much too large for airplane trips. I think it will be great for church and car trips. Luckily my parents only had one carry on bag between them, so my dad ended up carrying the book for me. My next project, or one down the line, will be another busy book for airplane trips - just smaller to fit into luggage better.

The other passengers were great. They were all willing to switch seats so Eric and I could sit together with Elijah (although that could be because they didn't want to sit next to a possibly screaming toddler). On the long ride from Zurich to DC (8 hours) a woman was willing to switch so we had three seats together. Letting Eli have his own seat was great. It allowed us to relax more than if he had always had to be on someone's lap. The flight attendants were also wonderful. I know it's their job, but they were all very friendly and helpful. Eli, of course, charmed them all and one stewardess even took a picture with him.

Having snacks along went well too. Airplane food is better than I remember (even though you only get it on long trips) but Elijah didn't want to eat it so having the crackers and such along kept him from starving. It even lasted through the trip for on the trains and buses.

Also, an umbrella stroller was a godsend. Eli was comfortable in it and it was so easy to collapse when he didn't ride in it. It was easy to tuck away on trains and buses and gate checking went as smoothly as I hoped.

Overall it was a wonderful trip and I am so glad my family go to spend time with Elijah. And of course that Eric's parents got to see Switzerland.

I don't have pictures from the trip yet, but here is the requisite Eli photo.

Trip Prep

2011-09-27T12:34:00.002-06:00

As we are leaving the day after tomorrow, I really should be packing. But instead I'm procrastinating and trying to keep the blog updated.

In preparation for this two week trip to Switzerland, not only did I spend two months making Eli's busy book, but I scoured the internet looking for ideas to keep him occupied on the plane ride (which is the only part I'm really nervous about). Here are some that we will be utilizing:

1. DVD player - This was one of the most recommended activities, but I think it's going to be my last resort. We'll have our laptop and some old school headphones for Eli but I am hoping to use other methods first.

2. New toys - Thanks to my garage-sale-loving mother-in-law, we got a bunch of new little toys to bring out every so often. I plan to wrap at least some of them up for him to unwrap. Included are cars, balls, slinkies, magnets in a cute little lunch box, Rubix cubes, and others that won't be a loss if they are left behind on the plane or train. I also am going to pack a cheap calculator so he can press buttons and pretend to have a phone without any noises that could bother other passengers.

3. Snacks - I'm assuming that Elijah will dislike airplane food as much as the rest of us, so I will be packing plenty of snacks. I got some great suggestions from friends on Facebook, even though I'm not using them all. What I will have is animal crackers, cheese sticks, teddy grahams, dried cranberries, fruit snacks, peanut butter crackers, goldfish, and dark chocolate covered raisins. Whatever he doesn't eat, I'm sure Eric or I will. I also noticed that they make squeezable applesauce now which I would have bought but I'm sure it would turn out to be a big mess with a 17 month old. But the packets are only 3.2 oz each so you could throw them in your quart fluid bag (the limit is 3.4 oz or 100 mL).

4. Books - This is a given in our family. Elijah has a few favorites that he can look at over and over again so they'll be a staple.

5. Crayons - He's not much into coloring yet, but Eli loves to take crayons out and put them back. I'll probably put a few in a plastic baggie (which he also loves) and take a small notepad in case he gets creative.

6. Sleeping - Eric can't sleep on a plane at all, while I can usually catch at least a few z's. We're both hoping Eli leans towards my tendency here, but just in case we'll be bringing most of his crib contents with us (only half kidding). We'll have either his teddy or his stuffed tiger (with the other being checked through in our luggage), his nuks (the only time he uses them is sleeping but then he needs one in his mouth and at least one in his hands), and his blanket. I'm prepared to hold him as long as he'll stay asleep, so I'll have my trusty iPod loaded with audiobooks just in case I can't sleep.

7. Benadryl - This is a pretty controversial option, but one I'm going to keep in my back pocket. Our doctor said it wouldn't be horrible and we did a test run to make sure it doesn't make him hyper. It calms him down quite well and helps him sleep. I'm not going to dose him every 4 hours, but I think it's a good idea to take it along. (Plus he's still getting over a cold so it will probably help the runny nose and coughing.)

8. Charming the crowd - This isn't so much a time-occupier as a sanity-saver. Several people suggested having your child walk around the waiting area and being cute so if they get whiny on the plane, the other passengers are more apt to sympathize instead of being annoyed. As Elijah is naturally charming, I doubt this will be a problem.

And, of course, here are the requisite cute pictures:

He is always carrying around his footballs now

Go Pack Go!

Helping Dad sweep out the garage

Just being cute

Busy Book

2011-09-25T14:53:00.001-06:00

In anticipation of our trip next week to Switzerland (to visit my mom's family) I have been working on a quiet book for Elijah (also known as a busy book). I still have one page I'm working on, but I finally got some pictures taken to put here.

I took a lot of inspiration from other blogs and have links listed below if anyone is interested. I also inspired my sister-in-law Sarah to make a book for Timothy. (But then I stole some of her page ideas so I think it's an even exchange.)

This is my first major (or minor) sewing project, so while it's not perfect I'm actually really happy with how it turned out. I hand-stitched most of the pages because I'm not great with a sewing machine, but it kept me occupied while Eli was busy playing by himself and didn't want Mommy's interference. It did turn out to be bigger than I meant (approximately 13x13) but at least this way we're less likely to lose it!

Fleece cover that doubles as a pillow

Our contact info and tie your shoe

Button balloons and velcro shapes

Book pocket and snap on apples

Button search and counting beads

Zipper ark with finger puppets and mailbox with notes inside

Matching memory game with flaps and back cover

Velcro name and pants with belt and button shirt

Turned out a bit thicker than I planned

Links to inspiration:

http://quietbook.blogspot.com/

http://simply-sew-per.blogspot.com/2011/03/tutorial-quiet-busy-book-part-1.html

http://seanandjennyricks.blogspot.com/2010/09/ricks-family-quiet-book.html

http://leafytreetopspot.blogspot.com/2010/10/shoe-lacing-quiet-book-page-template.html

http://hipposanddinosaurs.blogspot.com/2010/01/our-quiet-book.html

Short and Sweet

2011-09-08T14:29:00.001-06:00

We've been having an awesome summer; so great in fact I haven't updated the blog in a couple months. I'm going to get back in the habit. There is a lot to show and tell. But for now, I'll leave you with pictures of Elijah and some summer fun.

Summertime Fun

2011-07-05T15:09:00.000-06:00

The Nies' are having a great summer so far. We're hanging out outside, at the pool, at the lake, and just enjoying the nice weather. Elijah loves playing outside and I'm already dreading wintertime cabin fever.

Harley boy all the way

Daddy, let me help move rocks!

Cousin Cole teaching Elijah the proper technique.

Great-Grandad sure is a soft touch.

Visiting Cousin Timothy (and his parents) in Gregory.

Pool time!

Eli's Signature Move

2011-06-29T15:08:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday - Most Perfect Picture Ever.

2011-06-08T15:12:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday - First Baseball Game Edition

2011-05-25T13:13:00.001-06:00

St Louis Cardinals at Kansas City Royals

Wordless Wednesday: Big Boy Seat Edition

2011-05-11T13:25:00.000-06:00

(That remote doesn't work anything. Elijah can learn to amuse himself in the car.)

Big Head News

2011-05-06T10:30:00.000-06:00

Last week Elijah had his 12 month doctor appointment. Everything went well except Dr Becky wanted a specialist to check his head because of the size. So Tuesday the Children's Rehabilitation and Medical Supplies in Rapid City called and we set up an appointment for that afternoon.

The specialist Darin was a very nice gentleman. He did measurements and did a little looking at Eli's head and ruled him perfectly fine. He just has a big head for all his brains. When measured diagonally (from left to right and right to left) there is a 3 mm difference from one side to the other, but Darin said they don't even consider worrying about it until there is a 20 mm difference. Even though he just told us what we thought all along, it was nice to have confirmation from a specialist. And it's one less thing I have to worry about now, which can only be a good thing.

12 Month Checkup & Cupcake Love

2011-04-29T11:55:00.001-06:00

Today was Elijah's 12 month well baby check up with Dr. B. It went fairly well. He is still on track for height and weight and the nurses and CNP we saw had nothing but good things to say about him. He got blood drawn for anemia and lead testing as well as his vaccines shots (hep A, MMR, and chicken pox). He cried quite a bit after the shots, but it had already been a long morning for him and he is now zonked out in his crib for what will hopefully be a long nap.

They also told me that the doctor still wants us to see the Facial/Cranial specialists in Rapid City because his head is large for his age. I don't know if it is necessary but the doctor wants us to do it. I plan to go along with it unless they decide he needs a CAT scan. I'm going to need some pretty darn good reasoning to allow that. For now it sounds like they will merely be doing measurements and looking at his head shape from the outside. If I don't hear from them next week I am supposed to call in, so it sounds like it will really happen this time.

In happier news, Elijah is one year old! His actual birthday was spent at home since the weather was rainy and cold but he did get to see both sets of grandparents which always makes him happy. I posted a video of him enjoying his first taste of cake, but below are the photos that show his initial disdain for the cupcake to his complete joy.

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday Edition

2011-04-27T08:47:00.000-06:00

The Biggest Milestone Yet

2011-04-22T11:24:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we had a party to celebrate Elijah's first birthday (which isn't until the 27th but we had the party a little early). During this fun time Eli had his most important milestone: first cake. He was not into it at all in the beginning, but after tasting a little frosting off my finger, he LOVED it. There is no question now, he truly is our son.

Who needs football anyway?

2011-04-21T13:23:00.000-06:00

Introducing the craze that will soon sweep the nation...

With color commentary from Dad and crowd comments by Mom and Grandpa George.

Wordless Wednesday - Odds and Ends Edition

2011-04-20T14:29:00.001-06:00

Walking & Talking

2011-04-12T21:29:00.000-06:00

And He's Off!

2011-04-07T14:54:00.000-06:00

So, as has been mentioned before, Elijah can get himself from Point A to Point B quite well through his adorable crab-crawling. He has also been cruising around using his cart for some time now as well. He can also crawl up the stairs on his own too! (Sadly, no pictures of that. Yet.) Starting a couple weeks ago Eli began to walk around without holding on to furniture or fingers. His confidence has grown and he moves around all on his own. I'll turn around to find him right behind me! The good news is he also recognizes that the wood and tile floor are slicker than the carpet because he stops, gets down on his knees and crawls then. Thanks to the advice from some friends, we also got him some great socks/shoes called Skidders that fit wonderfully and keep him from sliding around. I still have a couple months before he's running, but I have already started to prepare myself for it.

And now... On to the pictures!

Wordless Wednesday - Testing Out My Teeth Edition

2011-04-06T14:59:00.000-06:00

More Like Daddy or Mommy?

2011-04-01T11:26:00.000-06:00

Most people do this before their baby is born, but I've just recently started thinking about what attributes I want Elijah to inherit from Eric and I. So here's a few I wanted to share.

Eric's musical taste (rather than my "like anything with a good beat" taste)
Eric's blue eyes
My hair (rather than Eric's lack of)
Our shared love of books and reading
Eric's energy and need to be active AND
My ability to sit and do nothing for hours
My strong bladder that can withstand hours in the car without stopping
Eric's driving ability (rather than my propensity to back into other cars)
Our shared love of chocolate
Our competitive streaks
My photogenic smile (rather than Eric's strained, I'd-rather-be-behind-the-camera look)

I can't wait to see what our little man is going to be like (he already has my clumsy tendencies... hopefully he'll grow out of it). No matter what, we'll love him forever.

Wordless Wednesday - Mommy and Me Edition

2011-03-30T10:29:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday - Great Grandparents Edition

2011-03-23T08:44:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday - Sleeping Edition

2011-03-16T11:43:00.000-06:00

Cat, Walking, Sick, Big Head, Blonde News

2011-03-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

It has been over 10 months now since Elijah came into our lives and changed them forever. Even the cat has had to deal with change. She is no longer the favorite (not that she ever was with Eric) and she has this little human grabbing at her constantly now. But I must say, she tolerates Eli remarkably well.

(In other cat news, we are no longer attempting to pawn her off on someone. She and Eric have made up after I went down to feed her and discovered a small leak in our basement. Had I not had a reason to go downstairs in the first place, who knows how long it would have been before we noticed the water.)

Yeah, I'm okay with him until he rolls that thing over my tail.

Elijah has been working hard to be able to get around on his own. He can already crawl quite well, and we're almost walking alone after months of walking around using Mom and Dad for support. He has taken a couple steps completely on his own but does not have the complete confidence to do more than that. Thanks to his American great-grandparents he now gets around the house pushing his cart. While we still have to turn corners and such for him, it's one step closer. It really is a matter of days until he's running (and I'm running a few steps behind him).

Zoom zoom!

Eli has been sick the last few days, but it really only slowed him down one day (Monday). It's been your standard cold: slight fever, cough, runny nose, and extra tired. He's doing better today and I'm hoping he'll be back to his continually happy self by the weekend.

Whadidyasay?

I mentioned a while ago that at Elijah's last doctor's appointment she mentioned his head is in the 99th percentile (while height and weight are both 50th). She recommended that we see a specialist to check his head to make sure everything is going well. I haven't heard from them yet so there's no news. We're not really worried about it anymore. He's a happy, healthy boy who is developing right on track. I'll bring it up at his appointment next month, but for now everything is fine.

I bet my big head can beat your big head.

He is still showing a preference for blonde women. Still not sure why, but it is very cute how he smiles and flirts and charms them. Below are pictures with two of his favorites.

Grandma love!

Smile at me some more Great Aunt Kim.

Wordless Wednesday - Pirate Edition

2011-03-09T14:08:00.002-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T13:04:00.001-07:00

I Can Do It On My Own!

2011-03-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy couple weeks for us. We've been out and about whenever the weather allows. On the days we're stuck at home, Elijah and I play all day long (except for naptimes of course). Just last week, Eli finally decided to start crawling around. His method of moving around is so cute! Rather than crawling with both knees on the floor, he keeps his left leg on the floor and tucked under him and his right foot is flat on the the floor. We call it the sidewinder crawl. I think he does this because he would rather be standing and this is how he starts to stand. Here are some pictures showing how he moves now. (We're guessing he'll be walking on his own soon too!)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

Two Months, One Week, Three Days and Counting

2011-02-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me the other day if I have a theme picked for Elijah's first birthday. At first I thought she was a little crazy, but thinking about it now, there IS only two months until the big one. It's hard to imagine it's been nearly a year already. I can't believe my baby used to be this small!

But since he isn't that small anymore, I guess I do need to pick a theme. Baseball anyone?

Life and Picture Update

2011-02-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Once again, things are going well in this House of Nies. Life just trucks along with Eric working and Elijah and I filling our days with laughter and naps. I will say that I'm looking forward to nicer weather so we can be outside again!

Eli is nearly walking by himself these days. He trucks around the house holding onto my fingers and can pull himself up using chairs or anything that's handy. He can nearly do it in the middle of the floor with nothing nearby but I think that will take a little more time. Scooting around our wood floor on his bottom is also pretty fun for him. He's still resisting crawling with his tummy off the floor but he'll get there eventually.

My life is still looking after my bundle of joy. We make it out of the house most days going to Bible study, library story time, the grocery store and of course the office to see Dad. I really enjoy my quiet time while Elijah is asleep. I manage to get in some treadmill and shower time and then relax. Most of my pre-baby activities have gone by the wayside. I'm hoping to get back to yoga, pilates, and kickboxing sooner rather than later and I've started reading more before bed to enjoy new books.

Eric continues to work harder than ever but still has the energy to come home and spend quality time with us. He's still feeding Elijah every night and their new tradition is to bathe together. They both love it and I think it's about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Now that I've prattled on about how we're doing, here's what you came for:

Something Cute This Way Comes

2011-02-07T11:59:00.002-07:00

Waking Eli

2011-02-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

9 Month Well Baby Appointment

2011-01-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Elijah had his 9 month check up today. Everything went quite well. He only cried for a minute after his flu shot. He is in the 50th percentile for his height and weight... But in the 99th percentile for his head size. That's right, my baby has a big head.

I don't think Eli thinks it's a big deal. It's just his head.

I'm pretty sure he got this big head, along with his pretty blue eyes and really long eyelashes, from his daddy. I know I didn't give it to him. I just had to birth it.

Dr. Becky didn't seem too worried about it, but would like us to get it checked. We will have to go to Rapid City to see a specialist who may advise a CT scan but as of now everything is okay. I'm trying not to freak myself out but any news like this is scary. He doesn't seem to be behind developmentally but you never know.

How could there be anything wrong with this sweet baby?

Bullet Point Update

2011-01-18T15:28:00.001-07:00

I used to think that people who called their children by the wrong name were a little silly. I can understand if the names are similar (say, Jared and Jason) but when they are not even close, I just couldn't understand why they couldn't get it right. Well, I did it myself today. For the first time, I called Elijah Eric. So I'm done with mocking other people about it.

I know Elijah has always been on the bigger end for his age but I never thought of the impact it would have on me. Carrying his 20 lb body around has given me pain in my entire left arm, but mostly in my wrist. I think it has also thrown my back out of alignment (which I have problems with anyway). But hopefully a visit to the chiropractor will help!

On the other hand, hauling a baby around so much has really increased my arm strength. My left arm strength at least. An example of this: last Sunday I went bowling with our church youth group and throwing a 12 lb ball down the lane is much easier now. As evidenced by my seven strikes and six spares over two games.

I don't want to jinx anything, but Elijah has continued to be an excellent sleeper. Not only are his nights 11-12 hours long, but he consistently naps twice a day for at least a couple hours. If we're not home in the morning, which is when I try to do our outings, he takes a longer afternoon nap. For never napping the first 6 months of his life, he's certainly making up for it now!

I don't think it's been evident in the last few pictures I've posted, but Elijah has teeth! His bottom two teeth popped out the week between Christmas and New Year's. Just like everything else about him, they are (excuse my language) frickin' cute. No evidence of more teeth to come anytime soon, but I'm glad he has some!

In another big boy development, Eli has started his more advanced babbling. Mostly baba, dada, and badabada but it's coming along quite nicely. He loves watching me say lala so I'm sure that will be next, though I'm really pushing mama.

I don't think I've mentioned it before, and if I have I'm sorry to repeat myself, but Elijah shows an interesting preference for blonde women. He has met women with several different hair colors, but he smiles and giggles and stares at blondes the most. I'm not sure why this is because the most beloved woman in his life (his mama of course!) is NOT blonde but maybe he has inherited his father's fascination with the flaxen haired maidens (which Eric no longer has - of course).

As it is NFL playoff time, I thought I should mention we are firm Packers supporters. Because they have won the last two games while we were wearing certain pieces of apparel we will be sporting them again this Sunday night. Go Packers!

Caged Animal

2011-01-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is what I get to see every time I go into Elijah's room when he's done sleeping. Okay, he doesn't pull himself up yet but he IS this smiley. Even if he's been crying, once he sees me (or Eric) he starts smiling.

I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but... We have the cutest little boy ever.

The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe.

2011-01-05T15:41:00.005-07:00

Because December was a hectic month for us, Eric and I will be celebrating our 3rd anniversary (12/21) this weekend. I can't believe we've been together for 5 years already. I've learned so much about the world and myself from Eric. It hasn't always been easy, but to be cliche, nothing that is worth it is ever easy. We've had a great 5 years and I'm looking forward to at least 55 more.

2005 - Met, Began Dating

2006 - Engaged, Traveled to Switzerland with my family

2007 - Traveled to Maui with Eric's family, Married

2008 - Renewal of Vows, Honeymoon to Oahu

2009 - Vacation to DC, Traveled to Kansas City for Jared & Sarah's Wedding, Conceived Elijah

2010 - Elijah born, Moved into new home, Vacation to Lake of the Ozarks

2010: A Review

2011-01-03T14:48:00.006-07:00

2010 was a crazy year for us. We had all kinds of changes and fun times:

First, and most important, was Elijah joining our family. He has changed our lives but only in good ways. I've learned so much in the last 8 months of being his mom. I never thought I could love a baby as much as I do. I am blessed to have him.

The second biggest change in our lives is our new home. We now reside on 5 acres in a beautiful 4 bedroom 3 bath house. Thanks to Eric's hard work we got the landscaping done before the snow set in. It will be a great place to raise our family.

This year we were asked to be godparents for the children of good friends. We were happy to accept and were able to travel to Omaha to be there for both kids' baptisms. Elijah met his good buddy Sean who is only 5 weeks older than him.

We also drove to southern Missouri and had a wonderful week long vacation with Eric's family. We spent our days sitting by the Lake of the Ozarks, watching the boats drive by. It was a great opportunity for Eli to spend some quality time with his grandparents.

I also started participating in Community Bible Study in Spearfish. It is the second study I have done and am thoroughly enjoying it. Not only do I get to study the Word of God but I've met some wonderful women and get a little baby free time. Elijah spent the first two months crying through the once a week sessions but has grown to enjoy his playtime with the other babies in the nursery. I'm excited to attend the second half and finish learning about the Book of Revelation. I plan on being a part of CBS for many years to come.

Eric revived his love of music by being part of the local production of My Fair Lady. While it sounds to me like he spent more time playing Blokus than rehearsing, I think he had a great time. Elijah and I missed him dearly during his rehearsals and performances but it also allowed us to set up his bedtime routine without worrying about Daddy being alone will Mom soothed the baby to sleep.

The Nies family was also blessed by a second grandchild this year. Little Timothy Amos was born 12/08/10 and is as cute as can be. He's had some troubles here at the beginning of his life but he could not have better parents to get him through it. We are anxious to meet him and for he and Elijah to become close friends and cousins!

I learned a lot about myself as a woman, a wife, a mom, and a Christian this year. I hope to keep these lessons fresh in my mind and continue growing in 2011.

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T09:45:00.005-07:00

A wonderful Christmas was had by all here in the Nies house. Because Elijah was getting over a cold and we would be out most of Christmas Day, we spent Christmas Eve at home together relaxing. Christmas morning Eric's mom and brother came over for brunch and gifts. We then went to Rapid City for the big family get together. Unfortunately my mom had to work and Les was sick so they missed it and were missed. Nonetheless we had a good time and Eli was great until he started getting tired. We managed to get home, bathe him, and have him in bed by his regular bedtime. Then Mom and Dad got to relax too!

Elijah and one of his favorite uncles

Christmas present from Uncle Jason

More interested in the bow than the present (of course)

Sitting at the "kids'" table

The "adults'" table

Cuddling with Mom

Checking out all his new stuff!

Trying out his walking toy from Grandmother and Granddad

Now riding the new toy

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas as well! Enjoy what is left of 2010!

Picture Update

2010-12-20T10:31:00.002-07:00

Saturday Afternoon Naptime

2010-12-04T12:39:00.003-07:00

I've said it several times but I am so happy that Elijah is napping. Today he was upset for less than 10 minutes before he was asleep. Plus last night he slept for 10 hours before waking up, nursing for 15 minutes, and then slept for another couple of hours. It took a couple more months, but I'm glad Eric convinced me to try letting Elijah cry it out. It has been a life saver for us.

I haven't posted pictures in quite some time so here are some new ones of the most popular member of our family.

Trying to decide what to play with first.

Hanging out with cousin Cole

Showing everyone how much he loves to walk

Here he is wearing the same shirt as Eric at the same age

Enjoying some carrots

I also wanted to mention that a good friend of ours has started a new blog, Obsessions of the Trophy Wife, where she will be discussing tons of interesting stuff from cloth diapers to co-sleeping. She is the mother of two and has a lot of experience with kids. I'm looking forward to seeing what she has to say and I hope you will check it out too!

Oh, and we're still waiting for the new Niesling. Hopefully he decides to come soon!

Nies News

2010-12-02T14:05:00.003-07:00

Here's just a couple updates with our family:

1. Thanksgiving went really well! It was wonderful to have the family to our new house. I'm already looking forward to more get togethers here. The ladies were wonderful and helped cook. I did realize however, how short stocked my kitchen is. I borrowed a roaster, serving dishes, silverware, table cloths, a coffee maker and other stuff. And luckily no one got sick. :)

2. Elijah is being a great little napper. He still cries before actually falling asleep but that is getting shorter everyday. Today he had such a busy morning with playing at nursery during my Bible study and then lunch with Daddy and Grandma Kris he was out after only 15 minutes of crying. And I can definitely tell a difference in him. He's even happier and smiles more than when he didn't nap. I hope we can keep this trend going. In attempts to do that, I'm not scheduling any appointments or outings during the afternoon until napping is so well established we can miss one day without if affecting him too much.

3. We're still waiting for the next Niesling to make his appearance. Eric's brother Jared and his wife Sarah are expecting with their due date being tomorrow. I think Sarah is as ready as I was (as ready as all women are at this point). Hopefully she doesn't have to wait as long after her due date though. It'll be great for Elijah to have a cousin so close to his age. I'm so excited for them!

4. I'm trying to get Elijah and I out of the house more. We go to Bible study every Thursday morning, and started attending the local library's storytime this last Tuesday, but I would like to find at least one more outing for us to do each week. Playdates are always great, but with winter here the park is pretty much out of the question. Anyone have suggestions for me?

That's about all that is new around here. I hope to have new pictures of Elijah and our house up soon!

Sickness in the House of Nies

2010-11-19T09:31:00.003-07:00

November has been a tough month for the Nies family so far.

Elijah had his 6 month doctor appointment at the end of October and we discovered he had a slight ear infection in each ear. The doctor prescribed amoxicillin to clear it up. Eric and I both had a lot of ear infections as children (my mom says I had some really bad ones) so I thing Eli will get them too. The small of that pink bubble gum medicine brought back a lot of memories for me. Poor Elijah got some pretty bad diaper rash because of the amoxicillin. The rash was almost worse than the initial ear infection. So he was a pretty unhappy baby for two weeks. Then once he was better he had to get his six month and

flu shots. Thankfully those didn't upset him too bad. He is back to being healthy and happy, despite some congestion. Plus he even had a good day at Bible study yesterday! And one side benefit of him being sick is he is napping better than ever! Granted it's still happening on me or our bed, but at least he's doing it pretty consistently twice a day.

Eric and I had food poisoning earlier this month after I made spaghetti for lunch one Saturday. Thankfully Elijah was sleeping really well because he wasn't feeling well so the two of us could be sick all night long without having to worry about him too. I got over the sickness quicker than Eric, who still accuses me of trying to kill him.

With us hosting Thanksgiving at our new home and everyone feeling healthy again, the rest of November should be better!

Finally Settled

2010-10-11T20:20:00.002-06:00

Last week Eric and I chose and bought living room furniture. With this purchase, we are fully moved in and set up. Or at least until we decide to finish the basement in a few years. While I was comfortable before, I now feel like we're really here. We don't have to lay in bed or go down to the basement to read. We can also entertain without forcing guests to sit on the floor! (We didn't really do that - just spent lots of time at the dining room table.) (Which is good because we're hosting Thanksgiving this year... Wish me luck with the turkey!) I'll try to get some pictures taken and up on the blog this week. I'm very pleased with our new chairs and look forward to lots of time spent on them.

In other news, my grandparents were here from Switzerland for the last two weeks to meet their first great-grandchild, oh and to see the rest of us too. Elijah was a little hesitant at first but by the end was letting great-grandma hold him without crying and tugging on great-grandpa's beard. (My grandfather looks like Santa Claus. Really. I'll get a picture of them up too.) It was wonderful to see them again. We're planning on going to Europe next year to see the rest of my family again and maybe do some traveling. But they, understandably, couldn't wait that long.

As far as our most recent baby issue, sleeping, is concerned it seems to be going better. He's slept through the night the last two nights (which I'm sure I have now jinxed for tonight by blogging about it) and takes cat naps on my lap when we're not running around. My plan is to try moving him to his crib for naps soon, but may just forgo the whole thing as it works alright for us right now.

Since sleeping is working out again, my biggest Elijah problem is separation anxiety. Since I'm a stay-at-home mom it's generally not an issue. The only people he has been alone with our my in-laws, but he has no problem with them. Where things are going wrong is for my Thursday morning Bible study. They have a nursery run by wonderful women, but Eli is just not comfortable there. I have gone five weeks and he has cried each time. Not necessarily for the entire two hours, but for quite a bit of it. I wasn't worried at first; I thought he merely needed some time to adjust. But it doesn't seem to be getting any better. And while I don't mind checking in with them and trying to soothe him, it's not worth it to me if I miss the group studying and lecture. I'm not giving up by any means, but am frustrated. Eli does need to overcome this fear but I'm sure we'll get there.

Another Post on Sleep

2010-09-23T20:25:00.002-06:00

Throughout this napping crisis we've been having (okay, it's not really a crisis, but it feels like it sometimes) one good thing that has come from it is a bedtime routine.

Eric's involved in a play so he has practice each night. Originally I thought this was going to be a problem but it is good for me and Eli to set up this routine.

The times may vary slightly, but essentially what we have worked out as follows:

-Eric and I eat dinner
-Elijah gets dinner (rice cereal and veggies)
-Playtime
-Bathtime (which is a whole post on its own!)
-Nakey time
-Outside for a few minutes of fresh air
-Reading time
-Nursing
-Bed

It's been working great for the last couple weeks. I'm lucky that Elijah still falls asleep while nursing so I just rock him for a few more minutes and then transfer him to his crib. Occasionally he wakes up a couple hours later to nurse again, but other than that it's going well. I know eventually we will have to work on him soothing himself to sleep, but for now I'm sticking with what works.

Monday Monday

2010-09-20T20:41:00.003-06:00

Today was another good day in the life of Elijah Nies. He got to see 3 of his 4 grandparents!

Eric and I have accepted that no one will come to visit us anymore; it's all about the baby. And rightfully so - he's such a cutie!

As such, my parents came to see Eli and brought us lunch as well. Aside from my mother trying to ply my little boy with pizza and soda it was a delightful visit. We chatted, ate, and then assembled the small portable grill my dad won at a golf tournament and thoughtfully gave to us. I'm guessing there will be grilling going on this Friday at the Nies household!

Then Eric's mom came over so the two of us could (finally!) watch the last episode of Top Chef. She also brought pizza and fed Eli his first serving of green beans - which did not go over well at all. We'll try them again tomorrow and if he still doesn't like them, well, we'll hold off for some time and then try again. He started getting a little fussy at the end, so Kris and I couldn't have our usual in depth discussion about the show (although we both approve of the winner).

My sweet baby is finally asleep in his crib (after 1.75 hours of nursing and 10 minutes of rocking) and I'm off to crash in bed. G'night all!

Napping: Update

2010-09-19T18:49:00.003-06:00

We're still working on napping. Friday was a set back for me when I realized that Elijah will scream anytime he is in his crib. The last two nights he has woken up at midnight and instead of going back to sleep like he was before, he immediately started crying. And then the same thing happened in the morning, when before his morning awakenings were gradual and I heard him chatting over the monitor not crying. So rather than have him totally resent his crib I'm going to start over. Or at least try something else. I'll work on getting him to sleep and then laying him on our bed and sleeping there. Eventually I'll get him moved to his crib and then start on falling asleep there.

On the recommendation of a couple people, I also requested the Elizabeth Pantley book "No-Cry Nap Solution" through the SD interlibrary loan. It'll be some time before I get it, but I'm hoping not too long.

Other than that, we had a great weekend! Friday was relaxing in the house with the bad weather. Saturday afternoon was spent with friends and an excellent pot of chicken and rice soup and today we got to see Eric's family.

Here's hoping napping goes well this week!

Napping: Day One

2010-09-15T20:00:00.002-06:00

Today I decided it is time for me to take charge of Elijah's napping situation. Of course, I choose to start the day after he wakes at 3am, nurses, wakes again at 5:30 and we sleep in the recliner until 8. But there will always be something to stop me so I went ahead with it.

Well I noticed he was yawning and staring off at 9:15 so I tried to nurse him and when he didn't want any of that I rocked him for a bit and put him in his crib. He immediately started crying, but I walked out. I let him cry for 45 minutes during which I started a load of laundry, cleaned the litter box, and did my bible study work for the day. At that point I couldn't take the crying anymore so I went in and picked Eli up.

Then this afternoon he nursed from 1-2pm and fell asleep on my lap. I rocked him for a few more minutes and then put him in his crib. He slept for 15 minutes and then woke up crying. I let him cry again for 45 minutes and when I went in to pick him up he was still going pretty strong.

I'm not sure if this is the absolute best thing for my baby, but I have to try something. He needs to learn to fall asleep on his own and naps are so important for babies. Everything I have read says good day sleep equals good night sleep and that babies who nap are happier. I'll give this a try for a while and if I don't see any improvement I'll find something else.

One thing that will not help my plan but something I have to work around is a bible study I'm doing on Thursdays from 10am-noon. It is a great program and I'm looking forward to studying Revelation. They also have a children's program and a nursery for babies under 2. Unfortunately Elijah spent almost the whole time last week crying. Loudly. Even though the sweet ladies held him the whole time. However, this was the first time he has been separated from me and not been around someone else he knows (Eric, Grandma, or Grandpa) so that is most likely the problem. Hopefully he will adjust soon. It's wrenching to know he'll start crying as soon as I leave him but it will be good for him. Right?

Update!

2010-09-14T20:33:00.005-06:00

Wow, it seems like forever since I last posted. The last 4 and a half months have flown by. Things are going great with Elijah and the new house. We've had our ups and downs but I wouldn't change a thing.

Eli is the sweetest little boy. After some initial difficulties, breastfeeding is going great. I wasn't sure I'd survive the first 6 weeks but I survived the pain and it was completely worth it. Pumping is going well too so Eric can feed Elijah or I can take him out with a bottle and not have to worry about nursing. We actually just started feeding him rice cereal yesterday too. He is your typical baby with food all over his face but I think he likes it. He's been staring at me every time I eat for the last few weeks so it was time to start him. I think the next foods I try will be carrots and peaches, then move on to sweet potatoes and such. I'm hoping to make a lot of the food myself.

My baby has already almost doubled in weight (8 lbs 15 oz to 17 lbs 6 oz) and grown almost 5 inches in length. He can fit in some 3-6 months clothing but has moved up to 6-9 months mostly. I have to say my arms are much stronger for toting him around in his car seat. (And I'm 2 pounds away from my pre-baby weight!)

Our current down is Elijah's napping. He used to only nap on my lap after nursing and would wake up if I tried to move him to his crib (which is what I do at night and works great - for now). He doesn't even do that now though. Granted, I have not been consistent in his napping routine (first vacation and then out and about running around since) so that is most likely a big part of it. My goal is to start putting him down for naps at 9am and 2pm (ish) everyday and letting him cry it out to learn how to go to sleep. We'll see how that works out.

Hopefully I will have more time to update now that things are a little most settled. Once Elijah naps I'll have plenty of time!

The Niesling Has Landed

2010-04-29T17:51:00.003-06:00

Eli is here! I'm busy loving on him (and feeding him and soon to be changing him) so I will update with more details later. For a play-by-play on the delivery, pictures, and other updates, check out Eric's website.

Thank you to everyone for your amazing support and love! I don't know where we would be without our family and friends. Eli is a lucky little boy to have all of you in his life.

Today is THE day.

2010-04-27T10:08:00.001-06:00

Since the Niesling hasn't come on his own, today I will be going to the hospital at noon to be induced. Hopefully just breaking my water will be enough to get labor started, especially since I have been experiencing some contractions on and off this morning.

Eric and I will be keeping you updated as things go!

The Waiting Game

2010-04-24T19:30:00.002-06:00

It's now four days past my due date and Eli is no closer to making his entrance into the world. I had some contractions on Monday night into part of Tuesday but they were irregular and never lasted very long. Since then I've been walking and resting preparing myself for when the big day actually comes.

We saw the doctor on Wednesday and she said I was dilated to 3 cm and the Niesling's head is down and in position. She scheduled me to be induced on Tuesday if nothing happens by then. She thinks that if she breaks my water that should be enough to start labor. I sincerely hope so, but if we need a little help, well, she is the doctor.

Like I said, nothing much has been happening here. I've tidied the house every morning and read several books over the last few days. I also try to keep people updated on our status through facebook, texting, and calls. I have also taken up actually cooking our lunches, which for anyone who knows me, that's a pretty big deal. I'm sure Eric will get used to it just as the Niesling shows up and he will no longer be getting homecooked meals. Or at least not for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to everyone for your support and interest! Hopefully we will all get to meet Eli even if it's not until Tuesday or Wednesday (but at least the end is in sight!).

Quick Update

2010-04-19T10:53:00.002-06:00

Well, tomorrow is supposed to be the big day, but I think we'll be waiting longer than that. I have not had any contractions and what I have felt has either been my imagination or went away as soon as I switched positions. As much as everyone is ready (Eric is constantly asking where his baby is) I think Eli is going to hold out for a little while.

At my last doctor's appointment she said I was not quite 2cm dilated and she stripped my membranes (separating the amniotic sac from my cervix). That doesn't seem to have done much, but I have no way of checking to see where I'm dilated now. Our next appointment is Wednesday morning so we'll see what she has to say then. (As much as I want to not make that appointment because the Niesling is born I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing Dr. B in her office before we see her in the delivery room.) However, she did tell Eric last week that she would not let me go two weeks without inducing. Hopefully that means if we don't have the baby by Wednesday we can talk about when to induce at the appointment.

I'm off to rest and watch A Baby Story on TLC. Then I'll be taking at least one walk this afternoon in hopes of moving the Niesling along. I'll try to keep everyone updated either by phone call, facebook, or posting here!

Ahh... Nine Days!

2010-04-11T18:16:00.003-06:00

My first couple weeks as a stay at home mom have been going well. I rest as much as possible, do some cleaning, some packing, and some eating. I also have gotten into the TLC show A Baby Story. It follows families as they go through the birth of their children. I don't know if it was the smartest idea to start watching this show, but it gives me somewhat of an idea of what to expect. And since we're (gulp) nine days away from my due date now, the thought of what's going to happen has crossed my mind a few times.

Overall things are going very well for both the baby and I. The last two doctor's appointments have been quick and painless. Because I haven't had any contractions, Dr. B has not even checked for dilation or effacement. I don't think I've even had false labor or Braxton Hicks contractions. Occasionally I feel some tightening or slight cramps but it doesn't last longer that 15 seconds and there is never more than one in a row. I think the Niesling is going to stay where he is as long as possible.

Even if Eli chooses not to arrive until at least the 20th, Eric and I are both ready for him. His room is all set up and ready for him (aside from the completely necessary waterproof changing mattress cover I'll be picking up tomorrow) and my hospital bag is packed. We are also ready for him mentally and emotionally. While labor and delivery still freaks me out slightly (thank you to everyone for their reassuring words on that subject!) I'm ready to be a mom and hold my baby. And no one could say that Eric isn't totally pumped to become a dad. Even though neither of us has any experience with babies, especially newborns, we're up for the challenge and ready to meet little Niesling!

Oh and we've been bad about taking pictures lately. Suffice it to say, I'm big. And waddle a lot more now. And am ready to have this baby.

It's Official...

2010-04-01T20:40:00.002-06:00

...I'm a stay at home mom! Although the mom part is probably going to come in a couple more weeks.

After weeks of waiting and training my replacement, I'm finished with my old office job. It was a good job and I enjoyed it for the most part, but I'm glad I can stay home with the Niesling. It'll be interesting keeping myself occupied until he makes his appearance, but I think I'm off to a good start.

I couldn't sleep in this morning, even though I was laying awake in bed for two hours last night, and I never did get a nap in sadly. But I was very productive. I did one load of wash of our clothes, two loads of sheets, and a load of baby clothes. I also vacuumed our bedroom and the living room, as well as mopped the kitchen floor, and loaded, washed, and unloaded the dishwasher. Oh yeah, and I started thank you notes for the gifts we have received. All-in-all a productive and full day.

Tomorrow I will be going shopping with my mother-in-law for the last minute necessities for the baby (changing table, diaper bag, diapers, boppy pillow, etc) as well as finishing setting up his room. Hopefully we can get everything we need and coordinating his room. It'll be one more thing I can check off my to do list before he's here.

Earlier this week I had my doctor's appointment. My Group B strep test came back negative which is one less thing to worry about during labor. My weight went up slightly, but my blood pressure is still good. Dr. B did not check for dilation but she did say that my uterus is two inches smaller this week (down from 36 to 34 inches) so she thinks he has dropped into my pelvis. I have noticed that I can breathe easier now and I have the pregnancy waddle occasionally. Which means the Niesling could be arriving at any time, although I think it will be at least one or two more weeks. I have not had any Braxton Hicks contractions. Or at least not that I know of.

The next scheduled appointment is Tuesday the 6th. I'm guessing it'll just be a regular check up with possible checking for dilation and effacement.

Overall I've had a good week so far and am looking forward to spending Easter with family and relaxing. Not to mention watching the first baseball game of the season.

Beginning of the End

2010-03-28T17:24:00.004-06:00

We are officially into our ninth month! Only a couple more weeks until we get to meet the Niesling!

I have to say I'm very excited to start this new phase in our lives, but at the same time, as it draws closer, I'm more and more nervous about the labor part. I know it'll all work out, but just the unknown and the pain factor is starting to set in. I'm holding off on being really scared mostly because I know it won't do any good at this point. (But it still sometimes keeps me up at night.)

We had another doctor's appointment last Tuesday the 23rd. It went very well. The usual pee in a cup, weigh in, and blood pressure check. Dr. B also did the Group B Strep test, which we will get the results for next week. She then checked if I was at all dilated. She said my cervix is softening, but no dilation or effacement. We will now have an appointment every week until birth. The next appointment is Tuesday the 30th.

I will also be finishing my last three days at my current job this week. After March 31st, I will be a professional stay at home mom, albeit without the baby at first. I'm going to use this time to finish organizing the baby's room and things, packing my bag for the hospital, resting up as much as possible, and just mentally preparing for the Niesling. I am very lucky to be in this position of staying home with Eli, which I realize is not an option for many women. I look forward to spending every day with my baby and not missing anything.

Last weekend, two of my dearest friends threw me a baby shower. Many of the women that are important to me were there from family to friends. There was good food, funny games, and amazing gifts. Eli is going to be so blessed to have all these women in his life, especially the women who hosted the party, Lexi and Ashley. The girls also have basically decorated the Niesling's nursery. I cannot thank these two enough for their generosity and friendship.

My mind seems crowded these days with thoughts and worries, none of which I can pin down now. I'll just say that not an hour goes by without me being amazed by this baby inside me and being anxious to meet him.

Week 34

(Yes, we did miss Week 35 pictures. I will tell you though that I haven't gained much if any weight in the last week or so. Also, we measured around my belly and it has increased about .5 inches in that same week.)

Week 36

What Happened in Weeks 32 & 33

2010-03-10T19:01:00.003-07:00

Now that it has been almost two weeks since I last posted, I suppose I can update the blog again.

On March 3rd we had our last doctor's appointment. Dr. B actually had to go see another OB patient at the hospital so we met with her Nurse Practitioner Cathy. She is also a very nice woman. Everything was good at the appointment from my weight to the baby's heartbeat. Cathy, who is also a labor and delivery nurse as well as having taught years of Natural Childbirth classes, and having 10 kids of her own was a fount of knowledge. She showed me the pelvic thrust move (on your hands and knees moving your pelvis up and down to help shift the baby and stretch) which has been really helpful when the Niesling starts making me uncomfortable. She said if you do it before bed it helps most women sleep. I have been neglecting that pre-bedtime exercise and haven't been sleeping well, so I guess tonight I will start up again!

Our next appointment is not until the 23rd as Dr. B will be out during the week I should have had my two week appointment. After the next appointment, which is during week 36, I will be going in once a week for a check up until delivery.

Eric and I also decided that I will be done with work after the last week of March (barring any unforeseen complications). After that I can get everything ready, from washing baby clothes and setting up the baby's room to just resting up for labor and having the Niesling. Part of me is worried about keeping myself occupied for that time, but I'm sure it will fly by and no one actually knows when Eli will be making his grand entrance.

Last night I attended the local hospital's breastfeeding class. I already knew a majority of the information from reading books and attending the childbirth prep class, but I did learn a few new pieces. And yes, I will be breastfeeding Eli. It just seems like the natural choice, why wouldn't I choose to do so?

At the end of the class I got to tour the hospital's labor and delivery rooms. They have an excellent set up where you stay in the same room that you give birth in. They will only take you off the floor if you have to go downstairs to surgery for a c-section. The hospital also lets you keep the baby in-room as much as you like or you can choose to have them in the nursery while you rest and recover. The rooms also include cable TV, DVD/VCRs, wireless internet, and my favorite part, whirlpool tubs. I don't know how much distraction I will need during labor, but I will probably take advantage of the tub. According to the nurse, they want to monitor the baby for at least 20 minutes of every hour while you're laboring, but other than that you can be in the bath or up and walking.

Needless to say, I feel much better having seen the hospital and where we will be during delivery. Eric did not attend the class with me, but I hope to get him to the hospital soon just so he can get a tour as well so he knows where the heck he's going when the big time comes.

Other than those two exciting events, the last couple weeks have been relatively quiet. I'm so tired at the end of the day that I can't work up the energy to do much. We spend the majority of our time relaxing. There's still plenty of bathroom trips all day, as well as getting up at night because I can't sleep. I've been eating constantly as well (those three rounds of breakfast are great!).

The Niesling is running out of room to move now. When I'm sitting at work or home he's constantly moving and pushing my belly out. I've just reached the point where it's uncomfortable, but I'm fine with that. I can take a little less comfort as long as my baby is healthy and still doing well. He also usually has the hiccups at least once a day. This occurs after I've eaten and am relaxing on the couch or (of course) when I'm trying to sleep at night. Eric can feel the little movements with the hiccups and it makes him smile every time.

Like I said, everything is going great, we're just trying to survive the next 5-6 weeks before we get to meet our little man.

Week 32

Week 33

Week 32 Update

2010-02-25T19:34:00.003-07:00

We're officially starting the eighth month this week. Just a few more, okay 8, weeks to go! It honestly seems like we were just at Week 20 and halfway through this adventure.

I finally broke down and created an Amazon Baby Registry. It has all the gear I talked about in this post, plus other items I've thought we might need or others have suggested (three guesses on the only two items Eric has added to the registry). You can see what we've got on the list by clicking on the link above or going to Amazon.com and searching for either of our names on the Baby Registry list.

Within the last week I've been really tired all the time. I still get up for my two potty breaks per night, but now it's getting harder to get back to sleep. The smaller bladder and activity usually wakes the Niesling up so he starts moving or hiccuping and then I can't get back to sleep. Thank goodness for weekends and the time to take naps.

Here are pictures for the last two weeks, I'll hopefully have 32's up soon as well.

Week 30

Week 31

Week 31 Doctor Appointment

2010-02-21T19:23:00.004-07:00

This past Friday I had another doctor's appointment, and like most of the rest, there's not much to report.

I went in, peed in a cup, was weighed, and had my blood pressure taken. Nothing worrisome there. Then Dr. B came in and I got to meet her nurse practitioner who seems like a very nice woman as well. The doctor measured my uterus, 31 inches, and listened to the Niesling's heartbeat, 140 bpm. After that she asked if I had any questions and since I didn't, I was free to go. It took all of 30 minutes from check in to co-pay. Hopefully the next appointment, Wednesday March 3rd, goes as well.

Other than our ultrasound on Wednesday and this doctor's appointment, week 31 was rather uneventful. I ate a lot, peed a lot, and had trouble sleeping a lot. I'm sure that's how life will continue to be until the Niesling decides it is time to make his appearance.

Drumroll Please...

2010-02-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

Well, we had another ultrasound today and Eric was right. We will be having a little Eli.

Or so we think.

While we saw parts today that definitely look more boy, you can never be 100% sure until the baby is actually born. But Eric and I feel like we can confidently say, based on what we saw and what we made of it, that we are having a boy.

We are both very excited about this, and while it wasn't as clear as some other ultrasounds we have seen (ahem), we can't wait to meet our little boy. And based on the kicking he's been doing lately, he's going to be a soccer player (I know all women say that and I'm mostly joking).

The Niesling was breathing quite heavily and moving a lot which is great. This will probably be the last ultrasound we do as we are in Week 31 and from now on there's not as much room for the baby to move around in.

As it is Week 31, we should probably get on putting the baby's room together (and clean all my stuff out of it) and I should maybe pack a hospital bag, huh? While anyone who knows me can attest, I am quite the procrastinator I think this is the best reason I'll ever have not to put it off and be ready for when Elijah Julian Nies arrives.

Childbirth Prep Class

2010-02-13T19:08:00.004-07:00

Today for the next step in our journey towards parenthood, Eric and I went to a childbirth preparation class at Rapid City Regional. (They do not offer the class in our town.) It was very informative and Eric in particular felt he learned a lot. Some of the information covered was:

Discomforts of pregnancy and how to relieve them ,
Warning signs of labor,
Stages of labor,
Positions for labor,
Pain management, and
Delivery.

We also got a great booklet to read through that will help us.

The part I'm most concerned about at this point (once we get to the hospital) is the pain management. I can freely admit that I am a wimp and will need drugs. But other than that I'm trying to keep an open mind and just see how things proceed before deciding on what to go with. The idea of an epidural worries me a little, but I do feel better today after the class and seeing the small catheter they insert into a woman's back. And learning that it does not actually penetrate the spine.

As we were sitting in this class, Eric kept leaning over and whispering to me with an evil grin, "Are you ready for this?" (He also kept mentioning how glad he is that he's a man. Imagine that.) Well, it's a little late for second thoughts. I used to think I never wanted kids or wanted to adopt (which I would still like to do) because I couldn't handle childbirth. But really, what is there to worry about nowadays? Every person on Earth came into being from a woman. If they can do it, I can. While I am slightly scared and nervous, I know Eric will be with me and I have a great support system beyond him. Just the thought of all those people put me at ease. (But I still don't understand people who choose to give birth at home rather than a hospital. Why not take advantage of medical technology and be where they can take care of you and the baby if something happens?)

Due to weather, Eric and I did not go back to the class after lunch. The roads were not good coming home and we felt we had gotten our money's worth out of the class already. Plus they were doing the tour for half of the afternoon and as we will not be delivering at that hospital, we felt it was unnecessary. However, we can get a tour at the hospital where we will be delivering just about anytime we want.

In other news, we purchased our Pack 'N Play! So really we had two big steps today towards the Niesling. As I have mentioned before, this is what we will be using instead of a crib for the first few months (unless baby decides otherwise of course).

All in all, it was a very educational day and only makes me more excited to meet our baby.

Week 29 and Picture Comparison

2010-02-09T20:15:00.003-07:00

Week 29 started with the Niesling and I still doing well. Eating every two hours (approximately) and going to the bathroom just about as often are still the norm for me.

Last Friday we also had a doctor's appointment. Eric missed out on talking with Dr. B because he had to go back to work. She measured my uterus (29 inches!) and listened to the baby's heartbeat (140 bpm!). We talked a little and she answered a couple questions I had, primarily about doctors in Spearfish (I think we'll stick with her for both the Niesling and myself) and putting together a birth plan. From what I've read, that's a big part of preparing nowadays, having a typed up birth plan to give the doctor and anyone else you may come into contact with on the big day. Dr. B said she doesn't find it necessary as we will discuss all of the issues before the Niesling makes his/her first appearance. I think I'll look over outlines on the Internet and in books just to give me and Eric ideas on what we will be facing and questions we need to think about.

I also had my glucose test at last week's appointment and we just received word today that my glucose levels are normal. Dr. B's nurse Anna did say my iron levels are a little low and so I need to be taking a supplement for it, but it is nothing to be concerned about. Whew! I was really worried I would be giving up sugar for the next 10 weeks. The next doctor's appointment is set for the 19th. We will be seeing her every two weeks until the end of March (week 36) then will be in to see her every week. It's getting so close!

Eric and I have also scheduled another ultrasound next Wednesday. We want to try to get the Niesling to loosen up a little and show us his/her goods. Also my parents will be there for this one so that will be exciting for all of us.

Today was exciting for me as well because the baby was continuously moving while I was sitting. Before there was movement when I was relaxing at night or in bed, but now the Niesling is making his/her presence known all the time. And you can see the bulges in my belly where a foot or elbow is pushing for more room.

I do have pictures for week 29, and for comparison purposes have included the very first pictures from week 8. You can definitely tell a difference now! Thankfully the difference is pretty much only in my belly and hair increases. I didn't realize how big I had gotten until I looked at these pictures side by side!

Week 8

Week 29

Week 28 Update

2010-01-29T18:35:00.015-07:00

We are officially in the 28th week/seventh month/third trimester! It feels like we just found out I was pregnant and we're already two thirds of the way to a newborn. I hope these next couple months go by as fast as the rest have.

I know I said I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment this week, and we were, but we had to move it to next Friday, February 5th. Unfortunately I don't think I can avoid the glucose test any longer than that. But I would like to get it done and make sure all is well with me and the baby.

We would also like to do another ultrasound in the next couple weeks to see if we can identify gender. It is driving us both crazy. Ok, it is mostly driving Eric crazy. But I would like to know as well.

I've been feeling good lately. A little tired as I'm getting up at least once a night to use the bathroom and the Niesling has taken to waking me up at 5am with his/her movements and then I usually don't get back to sleep. Everyone says this is good preparation for having a newborn in the house, and I'm sure they're right, I just wish I could get in all the sleep I can these last three months. I've also been a bit emotional; either I can cry at the drop of a hat or I'm depressed and can't perk myself up. Luckily Eric has been great in helping me cope and do what he can to cheer me up.

I've been very lax in the picture posting arena lately, so below are weeks 22-28. You can definitely tell I am pregnant now. The maternity clothes and sweats are all I can fit in, but I don't need much else. Also, please excuse my hair and facial expressions. We usually take the photos after I get home from yoga when I want nothing more than to sit down and have something to eat. Now that I'm aware of it though, I will try to look happier from now on!

Week 22

Week 23

Week 24

Week 25

Week 26

Week 27

Week 28

Baby Gear to Get

2010-01-24T16:50:00.001-07:00

Like I mentioned before, I really have no idea what a baby needs. So thanks to the advice of friends and family and this great blog (and others), I have some ideas now. Below are the items that Eric and I are looking into getting or what we would love to get if someone wants to give a gift to the Niesling.

Boppy Pillow (& Slipcover or Slipcover)- According to the majority of blogs I have read, this is a great pillow to have. It really helps to position the baby for breastfeeding and also helps the baby with tummy time. I love that you can buy the pillow and multiple fun patterned covers.

Bumpo - Apparently this seat is amazing for helping babies learn to see and keeping them in one spot for a least a little while. It was recommended we get one with a tray.

Activity Gym - Once again, great for tummy time and most babies love them.

Pack 'n Play - Highly recommended. Eric and I are going to buy this one and use it instead of a crib for the first couple months so we don't have to get a crib while we're moving from trailer to house or wherever we may be when the Niesling is born.

Infant Bathtub - I know you can bathe a baby in the kitchen sink or the bathtub, but this tub comes highly recommended and seems safer than letting my baby just sit in the kitchen sink.

Baby Monitor - I don't think the new versions that monitor baby movements (for SIDS) or even with video are strictly necessary, but it would be nice to have a simple audio monitor system to keep track of if the Niesling is crying.

Bjorn Bib - The Niesling won't need this for a while, but we have friends who use these bibs and they are amazing. Their little boy simply eats out of his bib.

Crib - This is the style we like, but want it in a light color or unvarnished so that we could finish it in the color we want. We also would like the changing table and dresser to be in the same color/finish.

Changing Table - I'm not sure how terribly necessary a changing table even is. But it would be nice to have one.

Dresser - We have to have someplace to store all the cute clothes and diapers!

Carrier - I don't think I'm a sling kind of girl, but a carrier would be nice to have so I can keep the Niesling with me while I do household chores and such.

Snuzzler - I'm worried about our baby being too small for the car seat after first being born, but this Snuzzler looks like the perfect way to adjust for that. It was appears that this will help support the baby's head and neck even after he/she could fit in the car seat themselves.

Below are a few other pieces that we want but are not as specific as above.

Clothes - Who can resist cute baby clothes? Especially those shoes!
Blankets/Swaddling Blankets
Books
Pacifiers (apparently there is way more controversy over pacifiers than I ever thought possible)
Toiletries
Diapers
Humidifier - I don't know if this will be needed, but I want to keep it in mind just in case.

And of course, anything Packers or Cardinals. But please, no Vikings or Yankees gear.

I do plan to breastfeed so I also want to look into nursing covers and possibly a breast pump. It's probably not a bad idea to have bottles on hand too, just in case.

Any further suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

In Memory

2010-01-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

We all know someone who has lost a baby. This was something I was not very aware of before becoming pregnant, but is much more common than I ever thought. Not that it makes it any easier to deal with when it happens. We have friends and family who have lost children both during pregnancy and after birth. No matter the circumstances, it is a tragedy and hurts my heart to think about. It also makes us even more thankful for the Niesling and my relatively easy pregnancy.

I just wanted to take a moment to say that we love you all and you and your babies in heaven are in our thoughts and prayers.

Blue vs Pink or Eric vs Michelle

2010-01-19T17:33:00.004-07:00

One of the privileges of being Eric's wife is occasionally being right and getting to tell him "I told you so". (I know, not a great marriage practice, but that's a separate blog.) Frankly I don't get the opportunity to do it much. But we may have come upon the greatest "I told you so" of our lives.

The gender of our unborn child.

That's right, we're back to square one as far as knowing whether we'll have a little Eli or Maggie. As you may recall, at our December appointment the ultrasound tech said she thought she saw scrotum. Eric confirms that he saw what she was talking about. I, however, saw no such thing and was not fully convinced. (I will not be fully convinced until I see a penis.)

Today, thanks to Eric being on the board and the wonderful people who work there, we were able to have another ultrasound at the Bella Pregnancy Resource Center. Jodie, the nurse manager, was kind enough to do the ultrasound for us. It was amazing to see our baby on that screen again. We were lucky enough to see the Niesling sucking on toes, hands, and the umbilical cord. Eric's parents, who had never seen an ultrasound, were also there experiencing it with us. Roxie, Bella's executive director, was there as well. It was amazing for all of us.

We explained our gender conundrum to Jodie (Eric believing wholeheartedly that it is a boy while I remain somewhat skeptical) and she attempted to discover the sex herself. Unfortunately, our baby has a sense of modesty and kept his/her legs together, preventing any peeks into our boy vs girl problem. Eric flat out asked Jodie, if he put a gun to her head what would she say, and her reply was that she had no idea. It is completely 50/50 in her mind.

So while Eric still says it's a boy, I am back to telling people that we're not sure. We're hoping to have another ultrasound in a couple weeks to help determine who is right and who is wrong. The winner of this argument will be talking about it for the rest of our lives. Let's just hope it's me. :)

Baby Accessories We Have

2010-01-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

As Eric and I are both first time parents, we have been asking plenty of friends and family for advice. They have all been open and wonderful answering our questions and giving us suggestions that work for them. Of course, every baby is different, but it's nice to hear everyone's point of view. Since I have this blog anyway, I thought I would do posts on baby needs and accessories that we already have and are still looking at getting. This way we can keep track of what we still need to get for him and others can see what we already have if they want to buy the Niesling something. I might still do a registry, but I think this will work out just as well.

We have already started receiving gifts for the Niesling, especially since we just had Christmas. Since we found out it's a boy, a majority of the clothes we have received have been specifically for that gender. These include some cute sporty slogans and lots of blue! We also received a beautiful Winnie-the-Pooh fleece blanket from some friends. Eric's brother Jared and his wife also sent some wonderful Christian baby books. We also got a sippy cup from Eric's aunt and uncle that his cousin Cole used. This cup was made by another of Eric's aunt and uncles. The family hopes to start a new tradition of passing it to each new baby!

Thanks to my sweet mother-in-law and her love of garage sales, we also have bigger baby pieces. These she got right after we found out I was pregnant and they have been sitting in our shed since late August/early September. The funny thing is Eric and I recently decided that we wanted to do animals (jungle/African) for our nursery and when I went to check to see exactly what his mom had bought, nearly all of it was animals! It is safe to say that will be what we go with since we already have some pieces and it's gender neutral for our next baby.

The Niesling already has:

1. Evenflo Embrace Car Seat and Base: I pulled it out today to make sure that it is a current model as apparently car seats have expiration dates (which I did not know before). It is the kind that has a base you leave in the car and you can snap and unsnap the carrier. The fabric is adorable with zebras, elephants, alligators, hippos, giraffes, and turtles.

Athena testing out the car seat for the Niesling

2. Instep Jogging Stroller: I wasn't sure about this at first, but I'm looking forward to using it now. Not that I was ever a jogger or runner, but it looks like a good quality stroller that we will be able to use for a long time.

3. Fold Up Stroller: This is a nice little extra stroller that folds up easier and faster than the jogging one. I'm guessing this will be used for Wal-Mart and other store trips when the Niesling gets a little older.

4. Exersaucer: Everyone I've talked to and all the blogs I've read have said they could not live without this. Kris found one that has a circus theme, so it has the animals we are looking at incorporating into the nursery. I'm so glad to have this!

5. High Chair: I'm not sure when most babies start sitting in a high chair, but we have it whenever he's ready! It has adjustable heights not only for the tray, but also for the legs.

6. Bouncy Seat: Another favorite of many moms, I'm hoping our baby loves it as much as others do. Plus it's got cute little animals on it too as well as a removable activity bar with hanging animals.

7. Swing: Another must have. The one Kris found is basic, but what more do you need?

8. Fisher Price Rainforest Mobile: This is so adorable we couldn't resist taking it out and trying it the first time we saw it. Unfortunately, the buttons are marked wrong. Pressing the button for Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart plays the incorrect music. (Not that I would have ever noticed, but Eric the classical music man could tell.) I'm sure we will relabel them so they are correct.

We are so thankful for the amazing friends and family that are giving us gifts for the Niesling. We greatly appreciate it and hope they know how much we love them!

Don't Worry, I'm Still Here!

2010-01-16T14:57:00.007-07:00

It has been forever since I last updated the blog and I have gotten a couple gentle nudges this week from friends to update. So here I am. There won't be any pictures of me for this post as Eric is not here and I'm not sure how to upload them from the camera. I will learn though, so I can post pictures whenever!

Since I won't show you photographic evidence, I will tell you that I finally have the obvious pregnant belly. Last week Eric and I trekked to Rapid City and bought some more maternity clothes for me. I was pleasantly surprised how well everything fit and the selection of cute shirts to choose from! It has now reached the point that I cannot wear any of my old pants except sweats and lounge pants. Most of my shirts could stretch to accommodate the baby bump, but they're not long enough. So it was a good thing we expanded my closet.

I have had two doctor appointments since the last post. At the December check up, we spent 3/4ths of the time doing an ultrasound. It was amazing to see our baby on the screen! Here are a few of the ultrasound pictures.

We asked about the gender before the ultrasound tech was done and she said she thought she had seen scrotal skin. She showed us what she was talking about and Eric apparently saw it. I, on the other hand, could not tell head from tail so I'm not positive. However, we are telling everyone it's a boy! (Eric says I'm still denying it because I want a girl so bad.) I am hoping we can get another ultrasound and the baby will be in a better position to verify gender. Either way both Eric and I are super excited!

The rest of the December appointment and our January appointment were talking with the doctor. We didn't have any questions and she had no worries so they were relatively quick visits. I've gained 14 pounds since I first saw Dr. B at the beginning of October. Seven of those pounds were put on between the December and January visits. Needless to say, I'm no longer worried about putting on enough weight! Especially since I seem to be eating every 2 hours. (The ladies at work like to give me grief about my snack drawer. I can't help that I'm growing another human and need to nourish him!) (And the pancake craving seems to have faded away as well, to be replaced by eating any and everything.)

The next doctor appointment is January 27th. I will be doing my glucose and anemia tests that day. I have to say I'm not looking forward to the orange sugar drink, but I am anxious to make sure my sugar and iron levels are okay. My pregnancy has seemed so smooth that I'm worried something will happen to make up for all the easy parts.

Oh yes, and baby is constantly moving now. He seems most active when I'm sitting or laying down, but I can feel him moving at anytime. He enjoys jumping on my bladder at 2 in the morning, which can be a pain, but it is a wonderful feeling nonetheless. Eric can feel him moving everyday now, but whenever I'm around others I can never catch him moving long enough for anyone else to feel. Which is disappointing for family and friends, but hopefully we can remedy that soon!

In other exciting news, Eric and I are buying 5 acres of land between Spearfish and Belle Fourche and plan to build a house this spring! We had originally hoped to be in before the baby was born, but it is looking like it may be a month or two after. Either way is fine with me. I'm just glad we'll have more room now that our family is expanding.

Week 21

2009-12-07T18:27:00.004-07:00

We are starting Week 21 and feeling pretty good. The baby is kicking quite a bit, which is an amazing feeling. I try to get Eric's hand there to feel it, but he is pretty impatient waiting for it. Although he has felt it at least a couple times. I'm just waiting for the baby to kick him in the face when he's doing this:

Wouldn't that be hilarious? So far, no go though.

I can count on the cat to sit on my lap and keep my belly warm. She is more clingy than usual since we left her home alone for a week over Thanksgiving. If I'm sitting under a blanket or laying out comfortably you can pretty much guarantee that she's there in 10 minutes or less.

Sadly, I have not gotten my pancakes in the last week. I may break down and buy some mix to make some one night. However, I haven't been having the craving for them either.

Two days until we find out gender of the Niesling. We are both hoping for a girl, although I wouldn't mind a little man either.

The next update should include a gender annoucement, as well as maybe some name possibilities. Hope everyone has a great week!

Week 21

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

2009-12-01T18:50:00.009-07:00

Life around this Nies household have been crazy lately. Eric has been working very hard and seems to have a lot of meetings. I haven't been so busy, but time has just been flying by. Even though that's easy to say when you seem to spend all your extra time sleeping.

It did help that we took a week off to go visit Eric's brother Jared and his wife Sarah. They were kind enough to host us for Thanksgiving in Litchfield, IL where Jared is currently doing his vicarage. Litchfield is a great little town and they are staying in the parsonage, which is great. We spent most of our time there just relaxing and enjoying time with Jared and Sarah. They cooked some great meals, which was especially good for me as I'm still hungry all the time.

On the way to and from IL, we also stayed with our friends the Nevins near Omaha. We love spending time with them and it's even better now as they are pregnant too. You can imagine how much time we spent discussing baby names and poo colors. Their daughter Celia was there this time, so we got to hang with her as well. She was especially enamored with Eric and he with her. I think it just reaffirmed his desire for a daughter.

I also bought my first maternity clothes with Cara. Three pairs of pants, which are still just a little too big. But I don't think it will be long before I fit in them, as I seem to be finally getting the classic belly. Which is good because the regular pants are not going to hack it for much longer.

The most exciting part of our vacation, aside from feeling the baby kick more and spending time with some wonderful people, was hitting a deer on the interstate 30-some miles from home. Luckily all three of us seem to be fine and we have insurance to cover the damage. Eric and I will be down to one car for a few weeks, but that's a small price for all of us to be safe and sound.

Because of our vacation, we did miss week 19 pictures. Below are weeks 17,18 and 20.

Week 17:

Week 18:

Week 20:

Also, just a reminder that next week is our next doctor's appointment when we will hopefully find out the gender!

Oh, and I still want pancakes all the time. :)

Another Day, Another Doctor's Appointment

2009-11-10T20:22:00.004-07:00

Today we saw Dr. K again. It was a relatively simple checkup. We did get to hear the Niesling's heartbeat, which was exciting. The doctor figured it to be about 140 beats per minute. Since we didn't get to hear it last month, it was great to get it this time. That was about the extent of the appointment. She answered a couple questions for us, including mine about morning and night pains. She said as long as the pains don't last very long and there's no bleeding with them, everything should be fine. She also agreed with Eric that I can exercise everyday and it would help me be in better shape for labor. Dr. K said she wasn't worried that I haven't gained much weight yet. That eased my mind, as I've only gained a couple pounds. I am hungry all the time, so I'm sure I'll start putting on more weight soon. Our next appointment is scheduled for December 9th, where we will have an ultrasound and hopefully find out the baby's gender!

Other than the appointment, things have been relatively normal. I'm eating about the same, and appear to be finished with the sickness. I did get the H1N1/swine flu shot last week, although it seems as though that has calmed down as well. I am still sleeping a lot, including at least one nap per weekend. I do crave pancakes all the time though...

Also, congratulations to our friends the Nevins who found out they are having a boy!

Hopefully I will have the next round of pictures up soon.

Weeks 14 & 15

2009-11-01T14:29:00.005-07:00

Things have been pretty calm around here lately. I'm sleeping extra when I can, including 12 hours Friday night and then an hour nap on Saturday afternoon. Despite having built in extra hour last night with daylight savings time, I was up early this morning. Eric has been good about letting me take a nap if I'm tired.

One more recent development has been my almost constant hunger. The nauseousness and queasiness are pretty much gone. The only time my stomach is upset is if I get hungry and don't eat. Consquently I've got snacks everywhere, from trail mix and fruit at work to cheese and salad at home. I feel like I'm eating a lot but am only slowly gaining weight. I'm not weighing myself every morning like I was before but feel healthy. Which I think is more important.

Last week was my birthday, my last one without a baby. And as one of my coworkers put it, my last one as Michelle. From now on I'll be "Niesling's mom". Which is fine with me, just made me pause for a minute and realize how much my life is going to change. Only for the better, but still different. It's a new chapter in my life I'm really looking forward to.

With everything that was going on, Eric and I missed a picture for Week 14, but below are Week 15 pictures. I am getting a bigger bump, but I think it's more obvious when I'm wearing a couple layers of shirts.

First Doctor's Appointment

2009-10-13T19:14:00.012-06:00

For all my promises I haven't been very good about updating the blog. I'll try to be better as time goes on.

Last week I had my first doctor appointment. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who insisted on going with me. I hadn't met the doctor before (we'll call her Dr. B), but she was great. I'm looking forward to getting to know her and having her with us through this process.

The appointment started, as most first appointments with a new doc do, with the medical history questions. Dr. B's nurse Anna is quite the character, but at least she'll keep me laughing. After she finished asking us about our backgrounds and such, Dr. B came in. She went through some of the same questions and we got to know each other a little bit. Because we thought I was at 13 weeks, she said we should be able to hear the heartbeat with a hand-held doppler. So I laid on those fun beds they always have in doctor's offices and got the fun cold goo on my belly. Dr. B went over my belly for 5 to 10 minutes. While it was cool to hear my own heartbeat, she couldn't find the baby's.

This was one of my big worries, that something had happened to the baby in the first three months (since I didn't see a doctor that entire time) and we wouldn't know it. Eric, being Eric, wasn't worried, but since I am the worrier of the two of us, I will say it gave me some restless nights. I think being my first pregnancy, and having heard sad stories from more than one couple who are friends, I was justified in my worry.

Dr. B decided to order an ultrasound since she couldn't find the heartbeat. She didn't seem worried at all. She thought I might have a tilted uterus or be a week behind what we thought, either of which would have made it harder to find the baby's heartbeat. We headed over for the ultrasound (where I once again got my belly exposed to the chilly goo) and the tech had no problem whatsoever finding the baby.

In that moment, it became completely real for both Eric and I. I knew I had this baby growing in me, but it wasn't the same as seeing him/her right there in front of me. (And for those of you taking bets, there is officially only ONE baby. Sorry.)

So without further ado, behold the newest Nies:

We each have a copy at work, plus the original on our fridge. I also believe Eric's mom has a copy on her desk at work. The kid isn't even born yet and already has more pictures out there than me!

Needless to say, the ultrasound was a great relief. While the tech said she had hoped we would see some movement, just knowing our baby is safe and sound was enough for both of us. When I called before the appointment, they did tell me that they usually do ultrasounds at Week 20, and then with Eric's connections at the Care Center, hopefully we will have more pre-birth pictures to share.

The ultrasound tech also said, according to the measurements, she thought I was at Week 12, which would put us a week behind what we thought, also moving my due date to April 20, 2010. (Sorry to those of you looking to have the baby born on your birthday, earlier in the month, though anything is possible.)

The ultrasound was the most exciting part of the appointment. Aside from it and the previously mentioned question portion, there was the always fun "female" (Pap, exam, etc) part, and then the blood draw. Eric and I also got flu shots, and I will be getting the swine flu shot, most likely at my next appointment (which is November 10th).

It was a wonderful first appointment and I am so glad I waited the extra couple months to see Dr. B. She is a great doctor and I think will take good care of all of us. I did ask her about my not gaining any weight, in fact losing a couple pounds in the first trimester, but she said it was nothing to worry about at this point. If I don't start putting on some weight though, we will have to do something about it. I am still not really craving anything, but find myself getting hungrier more often during the day. Luckily I have very understanding bosses who don't mind me snacking on fruit or such at my desk.

According to a few people, I am getting the baby bump, which I think is more obvious at certain times than others. But I'll let you judge for yourselves with some pictures of me. The first two are from two weeks ago (Week 11), then last week (Week 12), and this week (Week 13). (Also, when looking at the older pictures, please note they will be a week behind what I said because of the adjustment.)

Week 11:
Week 12:

Week 13:

*Please ignore my not-so-happy expressions in the pictures. They in no way reflect how I feel about this pregnancy and baby. It is a reflection for the time of night (right before bed) that Eric usually takes these pictures.

A short update on everything else about the pregnancy: I'm still queasy, tired, visiting the bathroom frequently, and breaking out. But I'm hoping the first two on this list will be gone in the next couple weeks as I start the second trimester.

Thank the Lord for good family and friends

2009-09-28T20:54:00.003-06:00

Now that it has been almost two weeks since my last post, I've decided to give you an update. There actually won't be much of an update. Things have been plugging away the same as before. Nauseous, breaking out, tired, hungry, and maybe a little whiny. I keep waiting for the queasiness to be over, but as of yet there has not been any relief.

I keep waiting for the cravings to kick in so I can send Eric to the store for pickles at 2 in the morning, but they haven't shown up either. I haven't been eating as well as I should have in the last couple weeks, so if anyone has fun easy ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet, please let me know!

The last post I wrote was a little bit of a downer about all the bad things in the world that we bring children into, so this time around I thought I would be more positive.

One of the greatest blessings we have that I'm so thankful for are amazing family and friends to help us through this stage of our lives. Both of our families are very excited and have been nothing but supportive for us. It doesn't hurt when Eric's mom brings us new stuff for the baby every weekend after she's done with the garage sales. I don't know what we'll actually have to buy new when the time comes. As this is the first grandchild and great-grandchild on both sides, I don't think we could have happier relatives. And I know they are all there for us, no matter what we need or how far away they are.

Along with these great families, we have wonderful friends. The ones who already have kids are answering any and all questions we have about child rearing, the ones who are pregnant along with me are there to commiserate and advise, and the ones not yet to the family stage are just plain excited for us. I hope we are as good of friends to others as these people are to us. Even when we seem to be "ignoring" them. We just have to spend a lot of time at home because I haven't been feeling well. (Hopefully that will change soon! Both the sick part and the non-socializing part.)

I don't know what we would do without all these amazing people. Yes, we could make it on our own, but they make it a lot easier, and more fun because they are around us, supporting us. So thank you to all you out there. You know who you are, and more importantly, we know who you are.

And yes, we will be calling you for babysitting duty!

Week 10 Update

2009-09-15T20:45:00.005-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts the last week. I've been tired and queasy and not up to the task of dragging myself to the computer to type. Thankfully I'm feeling better tonight, so you all get a post!

(And actually today officially begins week 11, but I thought I should let you know how week 10 went first.)

There wasn't much excitement around our house this week. Primarily the ordinary housework, go to work, relax time. I swear if I wasn't queasy 90% of the time, tired 80% of the time, and using the bathroom every hour I wouldn't even think I was pregnant! Oh, and there is the breaking out like a high schooler, moodiness, food cravings, and other assorted pregnancy symptoms. I don't understand the stories about women who don't even know they're pregnant until they give birth!

One thing that did really hit me this week is something I'm sure all parents go through. Wondering about bringing a child into the world. I mean, between all the pain and suffering we go through, the possible surgeries, the losses we sustain in our lives, the day-t0-day grind, why would anyone want to be part of this? I think it was mostly my father-in-law having surgery last week that really made me think. He came through great and hopefully will feel a hundred times better once he's through recovery, but what if something had happened?

I've been fortunate not to have a major loss in my life thus far. But just the thought of not having someone there, of losing them forever really makes me pause. Of course we still have children and continue to grow our families but I think it's something that comes more the the foreground once you know you'll be bringing a child into the world and subjecting them to all of that.

Okay, enough with the heavy stuff. Now on to what I'm sure is everyone's favorite part of the blog (although I know it's not mine!), the pictures:

There is no obvious changes yet, but we want to stay faithful to our week-by-week update. And just to show everyone that Eric is not gaining any sympathy weight, feast your eyes on this!
Not quite the same Buddha we all used to know and love, huh? He has done an amazing job of losing the unnecessary weight and keeping it off. Hopefully he can inspire me to lose the baby weight next year. But of course, safely and not in a hurry.

I think that's all for now, I'll try to post again soon. Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

Week 9, Post 2

2009-09-07T20:18:00.006-06:00

Thanks to everyone for the great response to my blog. I know you haven't all left comments, but just hearing that you're reading it inspires me to keep going.

Hence this, the second post.

I said in the first post that I didn't seem to be having too many symptoms, right? Well one that I am having over and over again is FBT (aka Frequent Bathroom Trips). These FBT have now progressed in the last week to include the infamous ENITMOMPSFBT (aka Every Night In The Middle Of My Precious Sleep Frequent Bathroom Trips). And as it usually does, my feet on the cool linoleum and just having to get out of my comfortable bed for these trips wakes me up enough that it takes me a few minutes to get back to sleep. So while I lay there, praying Eric will stop snoring, I usually start to compose blog posts in my head. And at that time they are always brilliant, riveting, and full of amazing insights. Sadly by the time I get up the next morning, all these awesome thoughts are gone from my head. And so you are left with this.

In the great tradition of many pregnant couples before us, Eric and I have decided to do weekly pictures to follow the physical changes pregnancy imparts on a woman's midsection. As such, here is the first set, taken on the Saturday night of week nine. (We're not even officially parents yet and already are weekend nights are going down the tubes!) (I can't believe I'm really going to post these on the internet for anyone to see, but here goes.)

In addition to FBT, I have now another symptom of pregnancy to add to the list of having experienced. Luckily I don't mind this one nearly as much. On this long Labor Day weekend I ended up taking four naps totaling between 5 and 6 hours. While I've been slightly more tired the last few weeks, this was the first time I actually was tired enough to sleep during the day. Unfortunately, I do have to go back to work tomorrow, which is going to greatly impede my naptime. I'm hoping I'll either have time for a catnap during lunch, or right away when I get home, or that maybe the tiredness will restrict itself to the weekends. Sadly, I don't think any of these options are very likely.

I think that is all the updates for now. Hope everyone had a great long weekend and I'll post again in the next couple days!

Not Quite the Beginning of the Beginning

2009-09-05T19:44:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is. After having been pregnant for the last 9 weeks, knowing I'm pregnant for the last 3, and contemplating this blog for the last few days, I've finally sat down and started.

I want to use this blog to keep friends and family (both those we see a lot and those we don't) updated on the pregnancy. Unfortunately, I'm a procrastinator and somewhat lazy, so I'm going to depend on my husband and your enthusiasm to keep me going on it.

The title for the blog came from a friend of Eric's who coined the term "Niesling". We both thought it was appropriate and funny enough to be included.

As I said, I'm approximately nine weeks along. And sadly, I have been experiencing the wonder that is morning sickness for most of the time. I don't actually get sick, I'm just queasy and uncomfortable almost all day long. Except after lunch and dinner, which it's nice to get some relief. Thankfully I only have three weeks left until the second trimester starts, so hopefully the nauseousness will go away like all the women I've talked to say it does.

Other than the sickness, and frequent bathroom runs, I haven't felt too much different. Okay, there are the occasionally dizzy moments, and I can't concentrate very well in the morning, and I'm constantly hungry, but other than that...

I have not yet been to see the doctor. I did go in the Monday after we found out and saw a CNP. They did all the blood tests and such, and have not called me, so I'm assuming all is well until I do see the doctor. That appointment is scheduled for Wednesday October 7th. Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

Also, we do plan to find out the gender, and will be telling everyone who wants to know. Why just add to the stress of delivery when we can know now and decorate accordingly? (And let my mother-in-law know so she can plan her shopping accordingly as well. And anyone else too. :) )

The funny thing about this is we have two couples that are friends who are also pregnant right now! Unfortunately they do not live close so I have to depend on email and facebook to ask them my questions and commiserate.

Hm... Is there anything else I need to tell you in this post? Well, I haven't had any cravings yet. Unless you count the fact that as soon as I think of a food (Chinese food, chocolate chip muffins, yogurt, etc) I immediately want to eat it and will not stop thinking about it until I do. Eric is not digging this part of the pregnancy, but has agreed to start going on my food runs when I hit the second trimester. Only 3 weeks to go!

I hope you guys find this interesting and feel free to email me or leave questions in the comments and I will answer them!