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The biggest sister you’ve ever seen!

December 30th, 2008 · bridget, family, spencer, Uncategorized

As I mentioned in the last post, we were able to bring Spencer home from the hospital a couple of days before Christmas.

He had spent 9 total days in the NICU. During which time Bridget was unable to hold him, and only rarely got to see him through the glass window. It was hard for her to see Dave and I go visit him but be unable to go herself. She threw a couple of fits and even had an accident in her pants as a result of that stress.

The night we brought him home was particularly exciting for her and she loved to be able to touch him, hold him, and kiss him. When anyone would ask her if she is a big sister or if that is her little brother she’d reply with comments like “Yea. I’m the biggest sister you’ve ever seen!” Since he’s been home she’s been incredibly loving and helpful. She enjoys bringing him his pacifier when he cries or handing me a diaper so I can change him. We are grateful that she hasn’t seemed too resentful or regressed as a result of having to share her little throne.

She has, on occasion, told us that she is a baby too and that she needs a pacifier and a diaper… but a quick reminder that babies have to take lots of naps and can’t eat treats brings her back to being content with her big girl status.

Spencer is still on oxygen, but shouldn’t be more than a couple of days longer. We have been testing his levels on and off of the oxygen and expect that he’ll be done any day now. The monitor that we had was a bit unreliable so we traded it out for another – hopefully the new one will prove to have more accurate results. He had his 2 week appointment yesterday morning and he is doing well… the doctor says that he is gaining weight and that his lungs sound good. We are grateful for positive news.

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Merry Christmas

December 25th, 2008 · a day in the life, family, spencer

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

We were able to bring our little boy home from the NICU on Tuesday evening. He is still on oxygen though, and will be at least through the end of the week. And that is the best Christmas present we could ask for… a baby home for Christmas!

Thanks for all the well wishes. I’m sure we’ll post another update in the next couple of days.

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Baby Update

December 18th, 2008 · a day in the life, bridget, dave, family, spencer, tina, Uncategorized

Things around here are a little different and crazy at the moment (as I suppose can be expected).

I was discharged from the hospital yesterday. Spencer, on the other hand, is still in the NICU. His breathing has improved since he was born, but he still hasn’t figured out how to coordinate eating, breathing, and swallowing combined. He finally gained weight today so his eating is improving some, but he really wears himself out when he eats and often doesn’t have enough energy to adequately eat at the next feeding. At the moment they are tube feeding him at every other feeding and letting him reserve his energy for when he does breast/bottle feed. They also have him on oxygen so he has one less thing to worry about when he eats. He seems to be improving a little bit each day, but it looks like it may still be a few days before he gets to come home to us.

Life at home is a little bit odd without him here, but somewhat normal in that we were accustomed to it being just the 3 of us. It really is a weird reality. We are all very anxious to have him come home with us and we’re hopeful that he’ll be able to before Christmas. In the meantime we try to visit the hospital several times a day to feed and visit him. Its hard, but we are grateful that we live so close. Little Bridget is handling things pretty well, but she is not at all impressed that her only contact with her little brother has been through 2″ glass. She is very anxious to be able to hold and kiss him.

The recovery from this c-section has been significantly easier than it was with Bridget. I am very glad that I skipped the hours of pushing prior to surgery this time. Although I still have a fair amount of pain, getting around has been much easier. Walking, laughing, coughing, and sneezing don’t hurt as badly as they did the first time around. I still move pretty slowly and struggle to bend down to get things. I can’t lift much of anything, or vacuum, or drive my car (its a stick). And I’m still on all kinds of pain medications. But comparatively… much easier. Its also a bit more interesting to be at home recovering without also trying to care for a newborn. That part was unexpected, and it definitely has its ups and downs. I think it will be interesting to finally bring him home and not have to worry as much about recovering at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I’d bring him home this second if I could. The stress and difficulty of caring for both of us would be worth it.

At any rate, things over all are looking up for us. Yes, Spencer is in the NICU, but the things he is struggling to overcome are minor compared to what they could have been. We’d rather he not be there, but he is being well taken care of and the effects of his slight prematurity will be short lived – he shouldn’t have any long term issues as a result. For that we are grateful.

At any rate, here are some more pictures of our new little man and his entrance into this world…

Saturday, December 13th
In the elevator heading up to Labor and Delivery.

During the c-section. I’ll spare you the bloody cut open abdomen pictures.

Here he is! Born just minutes earlier.

Sunday, December 14th
In the NICU, attached to high pressure oxygen. Look how small he is compared to Grandpa Ernstrom’s hand.

Later that night…
Tiny toes.

They lowered his oxygen. Here you can also see the IV in his hand and a vent (tube) in his mouth.

We celebrated Spencer’s birthday that night. He didn’t get to come. And he didn’t get any cake.

Monday, December 15th
Off the oxygen! They moved the IV to his head… apparently its more comfortable that way.

Dave and I got to hold him finally! Prior to now we’d only held him briefly the night he was born.

Tuesday, December 16th
Bridget and her little brother. He got to come to the window when they disconnected the oxygen. She still hasn’t been able to touch him though.

No more IV. Just the feeding tube left…

I haven’t taken any additional pictures since Tuesday. But since then, they added back the oxygen (no more trips to the window 🙁 ) and removed the heating lamps. He’s doing well maintaining his temperature… now we just need to get him eating well.

I’m sure I’ll post another update soon. Wish us luck!

Oh… On another only somewhat related note: Did I lend any of you my breast pump?? I have vague memories of lending it to someone, but I can’t remember who. And neither Dave or I can find it anywhere. Random, I know… but its lost… and I’d really like to find it. Thanks!!

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Picture

December 14th, 2008 · Uncategorized

Here’s a quick picture…

Tina & Spencer

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Spencer David

December 13th, 2008 · family, Uncategorized

Little Spencer David Ernstrom was born tonight!

We came to the hospital around 4:30 this afternoon, and Spencer was delivered via c-section at 6:47 pm. He weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 19.5″ long.

Being nearly 3 weeks early he is having a bit of trouble keeping his breathing steady so he’ll be in the NICU overnight. We are hopeful that he’ll be able to move up to the regular nursery by morning though. Otherwise everything looks good!

We are excited to have him as part of our family and can’t wait to take him home in a few days! I apologize for the lack of pictures, I’m writing this from my iPod at the hospital and don’t have the means of uploading pictures at this time. We’ll share some soon though!

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Dimlight

December 13th, 2008 · random

I saw this video on my sisters Facebook page.
Its really dumb, but I laughed pretty hard.

Enjoy!

Take180.com view

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So much for the numbers (or Early baby?)

December 10th, 2008 · a day in the life, family, random, tina

My last post was all about numbers. Probably boring…

Well, the first number, 29 may no longer mean anything. Ha. So much for trying to schedule a birthday.
I had a doctors appointment yesterday, and it seems that this little boy may try to grace this earth even earlier than expected.

It seems that I am 4 cm. dilated, 80% effaced, and he’s at a -1 station. Gulp!

Now, I know that I could be at this place for a couple of weeks… but a week ago I was only at 1 cm., and not at all thinned out. Not to mention the fact that the look on my doctors face was one of utter shock when she realized that I’d progressed so much in one week. I guess when things progress that quickly it usually means something is happening.
I have another appointment next Monday afternoon. “If I make it that long,” says my doctor.

As for the c-section… who knows.
I guess its possible that I might try a VBAC, depending on how things look when I go in. She says it all seems like a straight shot right now.

So… we’ll see.

Dave is voting that he wait until after finals. My mom likes Monday. My dad, my sister, and Dave’s mom all vote Sunday. I’d just like him to wait until I can get life around this house a little organized. Ha ha. But I guess its not up to any of us now, is it.

We’ll see…

Oh… on a side note. Last night when we were putting Bridget to bed she took my face in her hands, looked into my eyes, and said:

“Mom, I want Santa to come before Spencer comes. Don’t let him come out early okay. I don’t want him to be sick.”

It was the cutest and also most heart wrenching thing she could have said. See, she’s seen some of the pictures I’ve taken of premature babies recently and asked why they have tubes and wires attached to them. I explained that they are sick, and that sometimes that happens when babies try to come out of their mommy’s tummy’s too early. So I immediately knew why she made that comment. We’ve told her all along that Spencer will come after Santa comes. Its cute to see her concerned for the well being of her soon-to-be little brother.

I tried to explain that even if he comes before Santa he’ll be okay, and that he’s done a pretty good job staying in there and getting big. I hope she understands.

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Numbers

December 8th, 2008 · a day in the life, family, random

There have been a lot of numbers that have crossed my path recently. A lot of numbers to remember. A lot of numbers with funny, interesting, or significant stories behind them. Just a lot of numbers, I guess.
It probably doesn’t help that we’ve been watching LOST again recently (trying to get refreshed before the new season starts).

Anyway, I thought I’d share some numbers with you…

29 – Spencer’s Birthday

We’ve officially scheduled the c-section for December 29th at 10am. Gulp! So unless this little man decides to come earlier, that will be his birthday. Its kind of weird to have advanced notice. But kinda nice too. I’ve updated the ticker to the left. Only 21 days left. 3 weeks.
.
68 – My age

Last week Bridget came over to me and said, “Guess what! I’m 4, and you’re 68!” Um… wow, 68. How old does she think I look? lol. I told her that I was 27, and that she was only 3. Then she told me that she had another birthday in her room with her Polly Pockets, so now she’s four. Silly kid.
.
1.55 – Price per gallon we paid for gas

Its so nice not to be paying $4+ per gallon anymore. A couple of months ago, it cost me $69 to fill my tank… disgusting! Saturday, it only cost $24. I think that prices are almost as low now as when I was in High School – nearly 10 years ago. Or, maybe its just a 5-year low.
.
1,450 – The number of lights used to make our 20′ tree

We added to our Christmas light display this year, erecting a 20′ tree. The tree alone consists of 1450 lights. And we’d like to add at least another 1400 to the tree next year – its a little bare. (Click here for last years show)
.
99.1 – THE radio station

Dave hooked up our lights to an FM transmitter this year. 99.1 is the station to turn too if you want to listen to our Christmas Light show from the comfort and warmth of your car. We even recorded Bridget’s voice announcing the show times!
.
19 – Alice’s wedding

The day my sister gets married. December 19th. At 1:00pm.
.
4 8 15 16 23 42 – Um…

Just kidding!
Anyway, I’m sure there are a FEW more numbers I could come up with, but there you go!
.

P.S. Today, the 8th, is my sister’s birthday! Happy Birthday Livia!

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A bed with a “climber”

December 2nd, 2008 · a day in the life, bridget, family

Recognizing that we need to be setting up a crib again soon, and would there by be needing a crib sized mattress… we decided to upgrade Bridget to a twin sized bed and reclaim the mattress from the toddler bed for the crib.

I’d seen a low loft (or junior loft) bed at Ikea and thought it would be perfect. A raised bed thats high, but not too high, and has storage underneath. After a bit more research we opted for a similar but very different bed at RCWilley’s. It was similar in that it was a junior loft with a rail and approx. the same height above ground. It was different in that it was made of metal rather than wood, and included shelves and drawers below instead of just open space.

We picked up the bed about a month ago, and I’m pleased to say that Bridget loves it! The transition was very seamless, and she hasn’t looked back or missed her toddler bed at all. And the best part, if you ask her, is the climber (ladder). She loves that she can climb up and down herself.

Here are a few pictures of the bed assembly process, and Bridget trying out the new digs.

Should I mention that the fine print says not to allow children under 6 years old on the bunk? She’s almost 6, right? Kinda. At any rate, she does just fine.

The light pink sheets made it even better.

And here is a little video clip of Bridget trying out the “climber” for the first time.

I should mention that we did have to set some ground rules for the bed. No standing up there. And no food or drinks (or water of any kind, including in small containers or doll’s baby bottles). So far, so good!

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Twilight

November 26th, 2008 · random

Let me just say that I feel like I’m 12…

Hilarie and I went to see the Twilight movie last night. We were surrounded by a bunch of swooning and giggling tweens. It was pretty amusing.
As for my thoughts on the movie… though I liked it, I can’t say that I loved it. I think that the movie was hyped up so much that I didn’t appreciate it as much as maybe I should have. The film was low budget but more or less stuck to the story line of the book (save a few extra cheesy lines). I wasn’t so sure at the beginning of the movie, but about half way through I really started to like it.

A couple of observations:

  • Carlisle seemed way younger than I thought he would be.
  • Eric looked nothing like I’d envisioned him.
  • Bella never smiled, not really.
  • And Jasper was just… odd. I think I would have liked to see a little more character development there.
  • I really liked Alice and Renee seemed right on character too.
  • The relationship between Edward and Bella was a bit slow at first but well developed overall, I think.
  • I also really liked James. I think he played his character well. I particularly liked the scene with him and Bella at the dance studio.

Overall, I liked it and I’m glad I went. It was fun to see these characters that I’d only pictured in my mind portrayed on the screen. And I am excited that they have decided to go ahead and produce the other movies as well. And I do think I’d watch this one again, but I’ll probably wait until it gets to redbox.

Oh… And Hilarie said she thought she saw Stephanie Meyer in the cafe in one of the scenes. I wasn’t paying attention. Does anyone know if she had a cameo in this film??

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