32 Weeks and Counting!

Well, we've made it past 32 weeks and baby is doing great! I'm however starting to experience some complications of my high blood pressure, and the doctor plans to induce no later than 39 weeks. At this point, his next goal for us is 36 weeks, but every day makes a big difference. We are still keeping a very close eye on the pre-eclampsia which is so far so good. I've started to experience some jaundice though, which means that my liver is beginning to get affected. My skin and eyes have started to take on a yellow color, and swelling is starting to increase. Our doctors will be keeping a close eye on this, and at the first sign my health or the baby's health is declining we will deliver. The good news is that she has already received steroid shots for her lungs, and has been taking her practice breaths for quite some time. She is also quite chubby! At our last ultrasound, she was a half a pound above average which is excellent for her to be at this point. We pray everyday that God will keep her in there as long as possible, and keep us both in good health. We would also greatly appreciate the prayers of our family and friends as well! 

Thanks & Happy New Year!    :)

Merry Christmas

We hope that everyone had an excellent Christmas. We were blessed to be able to spend time with lots of family. Chloe really enjoyed opening presents this year, and had quite a few of them to open of course! She got spoiled with lots of cool toys which she loves playing with! Chloe is getting to be quite a big girl! She has discovered all kinds of new things like running, screaming, backtalking, and hitting! Lol, and honestly we enjoy every single minute of it. Some times its a challenge, but hey its parenting and what more could we ask for, she is just a happy healthy toddler. We take everything in strides, and hope the lessons we are teaching her eventually soak into that cute little head of hers. :) She is also learning so many new words, and it is amazing to see the new things she discovers every day. I can't imagine anything more rewarding. We try to continue to live every day praising God. This holiday season reminds us that even though we have been given several trials to deal with lately, there are many people who have to deal with so much more. We remember to thank God for all that we have been blessed with, and hope that you will do the same!

Happy Holidays!

3D Ultrasound

We got the opportunity to have a 3D ultrasound done of our newest little princess. It was a great experience! We learned that she is almost 4 lbs and has chubby cheeks and legs. The ultrasound tech said it was cute how plump she was. This was great news for us, just in case she were to come early. We also learned that she has quite a bit of hair, and are very curious to see whether it will be blonde or black. It was precious to see how much she looks like Chloe. We found out that she prefers to hold her feet up above her head, or keep them in front of her face. She enjoys sucking on her toes, just like chloe does! :) It's amazing how they can see inside the womb to check on babies development and get such clear pictures! We thought it was a great experience!

30 Week Ultrasound

We've had a lot going on the past few weeks. At 27 weeks we had a scare with preterm labor. They were able to get it stopped using medicines, and we received steroid shots for babies lungs just in case they could not stop it. These are to help speed up lung development in case she were to be born early, she would require less medical interventions with breathing. A week later, we were back in the hospital with the same thing, and dilated to 2. The labor stopped after some IV fluids, which was what we had prayed for as the medications they give to stop labor have very severe side effects. They also do not like to give them more than once, and we had already received them the previous week. We were able to return home on modified bedrest, with a medicine to control the contractions. So far, we've made it to 30 weeks with no additional problems. We had a growth ultrasound today and were very pleased with the results. Our baby girl weighs 3lbs 15oz! Will for sure hit four pounds by the end of the week with all this holiday eating I'll be doing! That is right where we hoped she would be. We also found out that she has quite a bit of hair! We figure it is probably black hair like Nicks! She seems to look like him this time! He is very pleased. We are very, very excited for our 3d ultrasound tomorrow! We hope to get some excellent pictures of her face and what she may look like. We figured since we do not plan on having more children naturally, this would be our last chance to experience this! It will be very exciting to see her features. Chloe will also be able to go and we hope she will enjoy it. She always absolutely loves looking at the ultrasound pictures of her baby sister on the computer!

Update& 26 Week Ultrasound

Today we had our 26 week growth ultrasound. Since I have high blood pressure, the doctor has to frequently monitor the babies growth. We were pleased to report that our baby girl (yes, still very much a girl) is growing right on track. She is in the 60th percentile weighing 1lb 15oz. Our doctor is pleased and says that this is right where she needs to be. So far, everything looks healthy and my blood pressure is staying manageable. I have been feeling pretty good lately, and even asked the doctor if I could do some part time seasonal work. She said no way and told me that my job right now is to keep this baby as well as myself healthy, and take care of the precious baby girl that I have. So for now, my orders are to take it easy which I think I can handle. The doctor explained that an investment in your children is the best one you can make. I feel blessed to be able to see all Chloe's "firsts" each and every day. Chloe is quite ambitious and running around everywhere, but we have plenty of wonderful family members and an incredible Daddy to help us out. We are looking forward to spending time with family this quickly approaching holiday season!

One Year Old Pictures

We had a great time doing Chloe's one year old pictures in Pella. She always does such a great job. It was especially fun doing the "cake smash" and Chloe loved it too! We couldn't believe how fast she is growing up and how she looked like such a big girl! Seems just like yesterday we were there doing her newborn pictures...

Chloe's First Birthday Party

We had Chloe's first birthday party at the Work Systems Fun Factory in Pella. A lot of friends and family came to help us celebrate, and the kids had a great time in the play area! So did Chloe! She loved all her gifts and enjoys playing with all her new stuff!

Plate Family Pictures

 

Growing Girls!

Another Precious Princess





We had our ultrasound on October 5, and met with the high risk specialist. We are very pleased to report that everything looks great with our baby girl. Nick was quite quiet throughout the ultrasound as he processed that fact that God was only blessing him with girls. We decided that a blessing was a blessing, boy or girl! He knows how precious Chloe is to him and couldn't be happier with another little princess. She weighs approximately one pound, and the doctor could find no abnormalities. This was excellent news for us, and an answer to our prayers. We were worried based on how much difficulty I have had this pregnancy. She was a very active little baby, and was constantly moving and flipping around! It was also cute to see that she prefers to lay exactly like Chloe sleeps- on her belly with her butt in the air!    :)

Announcing...

Chloe is pleased to announce that, in February, she will become a big sister. Nick and I are expecting another precious baby girl on February 24, 2012. We all can't wait to meet her!

Welcome to Our Blog

We've decided that a blog would be a great way to keep friends and family in touch with our busy, growing family. We hope that you enjoy our pictures and posts!

Love,
Nick, Allesha, & Chloe