Kerstin's Blog

Here are some current pictures of Grace, she is growing every minute.  With every new personality trait she gets more and more fun.  I will say she still is a pretty fussy baby, but I am loving being a mom, even when seems she cries all day.

 We found out that the county has closed the book on us and now we just wait for a court date for all the legal finalization.  The hard/scary part is really over since the birth parents signed off their rights, but it will be so nice to have the legal stuff over as well. 

 I am taking a couple weeks off to show the little miracle off to family out of the state. Please keep watching in my absence and I will keep you updated as well.

 Thanks for all the positive feedback over the past two months, without exception you have all been so kind. I love hearing your stories and feeling your encouragement.  

Many of you have asked about that cute little bath chair we use for Grace in the sink.

It is from a French company, you can find it at the link below.

http://www.supersmartypants.com/thermobaby-daphne-infant-bath-seat.html

Our growing little one is still a Girl! So many people keep telling me they are positive I’m having a boy because I am carrying so low, but another scan yesterday shows she is still all girl!  Now 2lbs and facing my back, she is looking very healthy.  She likes to head but my bladder around 6:30am every morning so if you see me flinch during the weather you can blame the baby.

Yes, we have a name, but we aren’t revealing it just yet.  Too many opinions out there, and we are not changing our minds so we will just wait until we get closer.

2 baby girls in 5 months, I still can’t believe the blessings.

Do pregnant women in Japan stop eating sushi when they are pregnant? I know we are not supposed to eat much fish here in the U.S. when pregnant, and raw fish is out.  Are we just being overly cautious?  I am craving sushi like crazy!

Does it seem like so many people you know have had a miscarriage, or are struggling with getting pregnant? I don’t know if it is actually more of a problem, or if technology is just highlighting it more.  Think about it. My mom never had a sonogram; most women of her age didn’t even know they were pregnant until 3 months. Even 5 years ago, women didn’t have their 1^st appointment until 10-12 weeks.  If you lost a baby at 6,8, 10 weeks many women just thought they got their period. These days you can find out if you are pregnant 5 days before your missed period!  I think that is part of the reason so many more women seem to be having miscarriages. So what do you say to these women and their partners?

I’ve had some comments from those of you who are trying to get pregnant or know other who are going through infertility or have lost a baby.  I had so many well-meaning friends and family try and make me feel better, and some of it made me feel worse. Its not their fault, they just don’t know what to say in these situations. I thought I would share what I think are some of the main things you should or shouldn’t say to a struggling couple. 

 This is MY opinion, which, I will admit, means nothing; this is just something to think about.

 What NOT to say to someone who is trying to get pregnant.

 * Relax and it will happen. (I got pregnant during one of the MOST stressful times of my life)

* As soon as you stop thinking about it, you will get pregnant (That makes us think about it more! I was thinking about it almost every day when I got pregnant.)

* As soon as you adopt you will get pregnant. (I know you hear about it all the time, but it really isn’t that common. The reason you hear about it is because it is rare.)

* You work out too much.  (You have a better chance of getting pregnant if you are in good shape, as long as you don’t have such a low body fat that you don’t get a period you are fine.)

* You will get pregnant/pregnant again.

* You will have a baby, don’t worry.

 The truth is NO couple knows for sure that they WILL get pregnant and have a child.  It may not be God’s plan for them.  Saying, “you will have a baby, don’t worry” isn’t the truth and it isn’t reassuring. 

 Try Instead

 * How can I help? 

* You have every right to be angry/sad/in pain, this sucks but you will make it through this.

* There is an awesome plan out there for your life, have faith that you will survive this pain.

 Just let your friends/family talk.  Don’t give them advice on tricks to get pregnant, positions, home remedies etc…  I can guarantee if someone has gotten to the point of sharing with you that they are struggling to get pregnant that they have spent endless hours on the Internet reading about how to get pregnant and have tried every trick in the book already.

 Grace’s first shots

 So we survived her first immunizations.  We decided (after a lot of advice from everyone) to trust our pediatrician and get her 1^st round of immunizations.  We figure we would see how she responded and then decide on the 4-month shots.  Having a girl puts us at lower risk of autism as well so that helped with our decision.  Plus, being in the news business I hear about all the kids who die because they didn’t get their shots and I think I have a responsibility to the community to have my child immunized.

 She screamed once and I cried my eyes out.  This was the 1^st time I really saw her in pain and it was torturous!

 That day she slept a ton, and the next day she was an angel.  We had been having a problem with fussiness and it was all of the sudden gone!  I don’t think it was the immunizations, but the timing was funny.  We also started her on Gripe Water and a bit of rice cereal on recommendation from our pediatrician (and yes we use Dr. Brown’s bottles, they are the best.) I think this all really helped with her acid reflux and she is much happier.    In fact we got her 1^st smile 24 hours after that doctors appointment. She will be 8 weeks on Wednesday and I was getting nervous!  Of course, her 1^st smile was at her daddy (he make me smile too,) but now she can’t stop smiling at all of us!!! 

She has almost doubled her size.  From a preemie baby at 6.3lbs she is now 10lbs.  She just gets cuter every day. 

 My favorite part of the day.

 I should say going to work since my boss is reading this, but it is actually about 1pm each afternoon. I get home and take Grace from Dan and we have a good 1-2 hour nap together. I NEVER took naps before I was pregnant but now I am a nap champion!  Grace falls asleep much better when she is on your chest so she will sleep for a nice long stretch. It is a magical time that I cherish every day.  I know she wont let me do that when she is a 7 year old, so I am savoring these moments now.

I’m back at work on 10 News this morning at 5 and 6 am. I wasn’t really dreading it, as I really enjoy my job, but I was having a hard time with leaving my baby and husband. 

It’s still so hard to not be around her all day. I am getting back into the swing of things; my husband is being a wonderful father and spouse and doing all the late night feedings. My father is in town this week to help with the transition and the dogs are doing their part to keep an eye on everyone.

 The Sunday before I went back to work my hubby was pouting a bit and I asked him what was going on and he said he was going to miss me.  We just got so used to being around each other every minute. I really do feel so blessed that we got to spend over a month together at home almost every day. Even if it was sitting around doing work or passing the baby back and forth, at least we were together.  I know we are so fortunate to have been married for over six years and still just want to be together 24/7.  It’s awful when he is out of town for work; I am not one of those wives who likes my alone time when he is gone.  I can’t think of a better life than both of us working from home (or not working at all, since I am dreaming here) and being with each other and our daughters.

 Everyone at work has been so kind, and so surprised to see how much I have grown.  All the emails have been really nice (except for one, but you can’t please everyone right?)  Thanks for all your encouragement and for sharing all your stories.  I really lay it all out in the blog and it warms my heart that so many of you are willing to do the same with me.

 Grace is getting soooo big!  She is growing every day in front of my eyes.  She has been having a bit more gas than usual (funny to me to be talking about gas, but I guess that’s mommyhood J,) so that has made her a little sad sometimes.  Were trying to get her on a good schedule but we just cant seem to get her to take a morning nap.  She also just wants to be held. She is a lot like the two of us, she likes to snuggle and is very needy.  We don’t mind it, but we have to get her to sleep! She goes back for her 2-month check up next week, and we need to start talking about what we are going to do about vaccines.  There are so many conflicting reports that it’s so hard to make a decision.

Baby #2 is gaining tons of weight, she now is almost 2lbs.  My weight gain is leveling out and I am feeling much more comfortable in my skin these days.  I think my belly finally got big enough to make my expanding bum and thighs look skinny again!  I was having a hard couple days because she wasn’t moving around as much and that was freaking me out, but she is in there kicking up a storm again.

 The heat has been hard on all of us. The dogs don’t move all day, the baby is naked all the time, and my husband and I can’t stop sweating.  Grace loves to be swaddled but I feel like it is just too hot to wrap her in a blanket.  We have tons of fans all over but no air conditioning.  I usually LOVE the heat, but this summer it is a bit much for all of us.

 Keep your comments and suggestions coming, and thanks for watching me in the morning.