Growing so fast!

Gillian is going to be 7 weeks tomorrow! Time sure flies! She is the sweetest baby and continues to be easy. She really doesn't fuss much, she eats well and sleeps pretty well. The only complaint I would have is that she doesn't like to be put down. It certainly makes it hard to get anything done around the house or makes getting stuff done with Alistair sort of rushed so we don't send Gillian into a major meltdown! He continues to be patient with her and understands her needs are a little more time consuming and we can't do something right away because she has to eat first. He also includes her in his considerations for things such as telling everyone to sleep well or asking if we all had fun doing something. Gillian's voice sounds a lot like mine, except a little higher pitched! (:The dress she is wearing is a dress I wore when I was a few weeks old!

I love getting to put dresses on her! Alistair may have had to suck it up and oblige me once if I didn't a girl! ;)

So Long Sweet Girl

Our sweet, sweet girl Sadie passed away yesterday at the too young age of 7. She lost her battle with cancer. We are devastated to lose her. She was the best dog anyone could ask for. From the day we brought her home at 10 weeks old, she has been a wonderful addition and companion in our lives. She brought us constant joy, made us laugh and had a way of making you feel better by just being around. She is in a better place now and can once again chase balls and run around without pain and nausea. Sadie, we will never forget you and will think of you often. Rest in peace our beautiful girl, there will always be a special place in our heart for you. We love you so much!

Resuming life as normal

It is hard to believe it has been 18 days since Gillian was born. We seem to be falling back into our old routine, with a few new changes here and there. All of this will be changed again when Seth goes back to work this week and I go back to primary care giver for Alistair. Getting my rhythm down with him and working feedings in with Gillian will take some time. Just when I think she is getting into a routine, she goes on a marathon eating binge. She is certainly putting on weight now, her face is beginning to look chubbier. She had a weight check last Wednesday and she was up to 7lbs, 6oz - only 2 ounces from her birth weight. The upside of Seth going back to work is that he will be doing it slowly - 2 days this week, 3 days the following week. So I won't be going a whole week without him for another 2 weeks. Easing into it is the way to go!
We have had a couple of outings now besides going to the store. I hadn't been south of Evergreen Hospital since the beginning of February. Last Sunday we drove to my parent's house for a belated Easter dinner. The Easter Bunny came a week late and left eggs for Alistair and Natalie to find and then baskets for all 3 kids. We had such a beautiful day, I even have tan lines on my feet! It was nice to get out of the house and out of Bothell for a change!The GrandkidsWhile Seth has been home he has decided to use the time to get some things done around the house, with the help of Alistair. One of the major projects was to tackle our lawn, or lack thereof, and get rid of the moss. Seth borrowed the neighbor's broadcast spreader and Alistair used our drop spreader and the two of them spread moss killer. Since that time Seth thatched the lawn and the 2 of them raked (we bought Alistair his own rake) it up and then spread sand and grass seed. Alistair is into trying out whatever piece of baby furniture we have out. We brought the bassinet downstairs in an attempt to get Gillian used to it. Alistair was checking it out and next thing I know he is laying in it. He had tried to get into the bassinet while it was on the stand, but he was thwarted. I think he has given up on that, but now tries to get into her swing!The Unibomber when he was almost 3?Pretty baby on her new quilt Grandma Hennessey madeGillian's favorite way to hangout with Daddy. She always looks so comfortable!

She suckered me into sleeping with her like this after an early morning feeding. It was quite cozy!

Brothers and Sisters

Alistair didn't want anything to do with Gillian when he got home today. We didn't force him to do anything with her. He has come around on her and this afternoon wanted to hold her. She even decided to wake for the occasion! Alistair also decided he wanted to try on my donut I got in the hospital from the soreness in my back end from the horrible bed!

Gillian Isabel Hennessey

Gillian Isabel Hennessey arrived on Wednesday morning, April 8th, at 7:33am. She weighed in at 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. She arrived via c-section. She has a full head of dark hair and 2 little dimples located on either side of her mouth. She is very cute and we are in total awe of her. So far she seems to be a very calm baby. She only cries when she gets her diaper changed or when I am not quick enough to pick-up on her "I am hungry" cues. We came home Friday after 3 nights in the hospital. I was admitted a day early to be on a 24-hour insulin drip in order to stabalize my blood sugars. This in turn made sure her blood sugar would be stabalized after she was born to avoid blood sugar crashes and having to be in the NICU. Bringing a newborn home right after birth is a new experience for us. There is much to figure out that we didn't have to with Alistair. Speaking of Alistair, he came home today. So that adds a new dimension to figuring stuff out. So far forAlistair, Gillian is an acceptable addition to the house. I wouldn't call him crazy for her, but he has taken a certain interest in her and checks on her occasionally! We are looking forward to this next stage in our lives. Gillian is going to be fun to watch grow and Alistair will be both fun and entertaining to watch how he adjusts and changes to this new addition. Once he comes fully around, I think he will really love having his little sister! We took a ton of photos (as did others) the first few days. If you are interested in seeing them, here is the link to our web album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kellyhennessey/WelcomeGillian#

Things and Stuff

You would think with all the "free" time I have on my hands I would get more up on the blog that I do! (: I have intentions, they just don't always get followed through on! We are still on baby watch. If nothing happens by Wednesday (the 8th) she will be making her debut via c-section. Not thrilled at the idea of recovering from one of those again, but whatever works to get her out! While we have been on baby watch, here are a few things we have been doing in the meantime:

On March 29th Sadie turned 7. We celebrated by getting her a marrow bone that kept her busy for about 4 hours in the yard. I think she enjoyed it. Of course first she had to indulge us by waiting for us to sing her Happy Birthday and having a candle lit for her. She has had some health problems lately and for a week earlier in the month we thought we were going to have to say goodbye to her. But she turned around and is doing so much better now. Thank goodness, we aren't ready to not have her in our lives anymore quite yet! ):

This past Saturday, when the sun decided to finally make an appearance, we headed for an early morning outing to Country Village. We took some stale bread to feed the ducks and then took a train ride. After the ride, Alistair played on the new pirate ship they built as well as some other climbing structures. We ended our outing by visiting the kettle korn stand and waiting for the first batch of the day to cook. It was delicious as usual and didn't last long!

Yesterday we decorated Easter Eggs in advance of Baby Sister's arrival. Once she is here, things will be falling by the wayside a bit! Alistair seemed to enjoy this activity and really got into choosing the colors and putting them in the cup. We tried to get him to put stickers on the eggs after they were dry. He would put one on each and that was it. We tried to show him you could put more than one on, but he wouldn't have that! (:

The next post you see will be announcing the arrival of Baby Sister! Stay Tuned...

Big Boy Bed Time!

Today we finally put together Alistair's big boy bed. We bought him a furniture set at Ikea some time ago and have slowly put the pieces together. Every weekend we have wanted to do it, but something comes up that prevents us from getting to it. We decided with less than 3 weeks left until Baby Sister arrives, we best do it now for we get prevented from doing it again. He seems pretty excited about it, didn't seem to bummed about the crib leaving. But as I type he is still trying to go to sleep and I have been in there twice now to escort him back into bed. We will see. Hopefully this gets better! (:

Reunited....and it Feels SO Good

For anyone who has followed this blog from the beginning, or shortly there after, you know about Alistair's affinity for his bouncy seat. If you are newer to the game, here is a post attesting to this: http://sethandkelly.blogspot.com/2006/10/crazy-bouncy-seat-sessions.html
Well the bouncy seat came home this weekend. The Knappenbergers borrowed it for Isaac to enjoy after Alistair out grew it. It is now sitting in our living room, next to Sully's old bouncy seat, and Alistair climbs into one of them and plays. It is quite amusing considering the top of the bouncy seat bounces within inches of the floor. We are trying to figure out if he remembers his chair, or if it is something "new" that he can use at the moment. He says he will share with baby sister when she gets here, but we will see! (:

Gray skies are gonna clear up...

It's amazing how things can change in a week. I am going home today! I am going home on bedrest, but I am going home! Most of me is very excited and greatful, but part of me is nervous about having to come back. I still have to be seen twice a week in clinic, get labs drawn weekly and do a weekly 24 hour urine test, so I will still be closely monitored. Plus I will have to take my blood pressure numerous times during the day. This week has been really good. My blood pressure, due to additional medication, has gotten much lower and stabilized. My blood sugars are still slightly erratic, but that will come with tweaking my medication. They know I am compliant with how to eat to keep my blood sugars low, so they wouldn't keep me here just for that. My labs have been normal all week and everything they have done with testing the baby has been normal and/or perfect.
So it has been a roller coaster ride this week going from gloom and doom on Sunday to better days today. I will be on bedrest at home (bed or couch, etc.), but at least I will be at home and will be able to see Alistair more than the hour or two I have seen him each day. Seth won't be running from home to here and back everyday after a long day at work. Seth's mom will still be living with us and helping out, but hopefully I will be able to help her a little by distracting Alistair with books or puzzles or something so he isn't always bugging her.
I will be 32 weeks tomorrow, so we still have a few weeks left before the end. Hopefully we can have an April baby. We just have to hang in there! (:

The road to recovery...

The Hennessey family has been turned upside down, inside out and hit by a semi only to spin out of control across the road and land in a ditch. We have had more things happen in the past week or so than anyone really needs in a lifetime, really. First off last Friday (Feb 6), I was sent to the hospital after having my blood pressure log reviewed. They wanted to get me evaluated and have the baby observed for any distress. My labs came back fine, the baby was perfect and they decided to increase my blood pressure meds. I came home the following evening. Sunday was a quiet day for the most part. Alistair was acting a little off and after his nap he was pretty clingy and not wanting to do anything. Around dinner I took his temperature and he was running a low fever, so we gave him some Motrin and then sat down to eat. He was hungry since he really hadn't eaten much in the way of lunch. 5 minutes into dinner, Alistair started having a febrile seizure. I knew what it was because a friend's son had had one last year and described it. I was more worried about the big bite of food he had in his mouth when it started. His mouth was so tightly clenched that there was no way to get it out. So Seth pulled him out of his chair and held him face down over the table in the event that he might relax and open his mouth and then the food could fall out. In the meantime I had called 911 and they showed up within 3 minutes. They took his vitals and evaluated him. Once he came around he was fine except he was really tired and upset. But to be cautious they felt we should go to Children's (and we would have either way) for him to be looked at because of his heart condition. So Alistair and I rode in the ambulance and Seth followed in the car. He was checked out and everything was fine. We were home around 10:30 or so.
The week was pretty quiet. I tried not to do much. I did take him to swimming and took him to the park one day, but for the most part we stayed home and rested. Friday I had a doctors appointment and they reviewed my blood pressure log again. That afternoon I got a call from the doctor telling me to up my bp medication again and to take my blood pressure often. So with that Seth and I headed out to dinner and a movie. Alistair stayed with my parents because it was a 3-day weekend and we decided it would be our last opportunity for some alone time before (and after) the baby comes. When we got home from our date at 10:30pm, I had 3 missed calls and 3 messages from the doctor. She had decided that she wanted me to come to the hospital and get evaluated again. So I went and was home by 12:30AM with the same results as the week before. Saturday Seth had lacrosse practice and after a shower I parked myself on the couch and was planning on a day of catching up on movies. Every time I took my blood pressure it was slightly higher and I called the doctor. After the second call, they had me come in again. Then they decided to admit me for overnight observation since they decided to add an additional medication and wanted to observe me on it. I also did a 24 hour urine collection test. Yesterday (Sunday) my blood pressures were great but my urine test came back with double the amount of protein they want to see in it which is a precursor to developing preeclampsia. So that coupled with my blood pressure issues was enough to make the decision to put me on bedrest for the duration of my pregnancy or until the baby needs to be delivered. Hopefully being on bedrest will prolong the amount of time the baby can stay inside and not be too premature. But the bedrest is to be done at the hospital, not at home. They said my risk of seizure, stroke or worse is high enough that it would be a liability to send me home, even with someone helping at home.
So here I sit, and I guess I am lucky I can sit and not have to be lying down all the time. Seth has brought me all kinds of stuff to make me feel more at home. My brother and wife loaned me a laptop to be able to be connected to the outside world. Seth's mom is going to be living at our house for a while to care for Alistair during the week. My mom will be taking Alistair to swimming on Wednesdays. Everyone is offering help, so it is nice and will hopefully make things a little easier on everyone.
This totally sucks and that is all I am going to say about it. I could go on for paragraphs on why, but it pretty much sums up my feelings by saying it totally sucks! (: I have done a lot of crying in the last 24 hours, more than I have since Alistair was born. Day by day, hopefully, it will get better. I need to focus on the positive and stay as upbeat as possible. It could be worse, according to a lot of reading I have done about bedrest. We are resilient people and have been through similar situations and come out the other side successful. We will this too, but right now it seems so long and daunting. One day at a time...

Funny how time passes!

Ok so I know it has been a while since I posted anything. It has been quite the month with all the activities we have had going on. But instead of recanting everything I will start fresh, if you will. Here goes:

I am 28 weeks and 4 days pregnant right now. I am feeling pretty good, although I am more pregnant and uncomfortable than I ever was with Alistair. I am enjoying it despite feeling like I need a hip replacement and needing to use the bathroom way more than usual. I just recently got diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I think it was inevitable considering I had it with Alistair. But this time around it is much later in my pregnancy. So now I have to prick my finger 4 times a day and take my blood sugars as well as eat a low-carb diet. I have gotten back into the pool and am swimming and doing water aerobics 3 days a week. I think it is helping, but who knows! (:
Last weekend we finished painting the nursery. We are making the guest room into the baby's room instead of kicking Alistair out of his room - mostly because Alistair has a larger room with larger toys! We got him a big boy bed set and will be making that transition in the next week or two. Then we can move all the baby furniture into the nursery and have that ready to go for April (the month, not the name!). We still need to put up the wall paper border, but I am waiting for my interior designer who specializes in wall papering to come up and help me!
People have been asking if we need anything and though we don't technically NEED anything since we already have a child, there are things we would like to replace as they are pretty well used or broken. We went to Babies r Us last weekend and put together a registry for anyone who is wondering what we might need (http://www.toysrus.com/ControllerServlet?searchBy=registrant&defLName=hennessey&defFName=kelly&defCity=bothell&defState=WA&maidenName=&maidFName=&maidCity=&maidState=&registryNumber=&target=search&userType=giftGiver&searchForPerson=primReg&whereTo=viewRegistry&firstName=kelly&lastName=hennessey&city=bothell&state=WA&submit.x=49&submit.y=6).
Of course little girl clothes would be great too - used or new. I went through and cleaned out Alistair's baby clothes a few weeks back and am looking forward to organizing stuff in the new room.

Happy Holidays!

So much going on, so little time to get a post up! Christmas was fun, as usual, this year and was also a little more laid back thanks in part to spreading out the visits. We did Martinson Christmas on the Sunday before Christmas and then went to Seth's parent's for Christmas Eve and my parent's Christmas Day. Alistair was definitely more into Christmas this year than last. He understands opening presents yields something for him and was very anxious to get the ball rolling on that activity everywhere we went. Once he got something that really piqued his curiosity, the remainder of presents was more like pulling teeth to get him to open. He understands Santa, kind of. We didn't explain the whole milk, cookies and chimney thing, but he knows his new race track came from Santa! Alistair and the tree. He did well not touching it, or only touching ornaments with one finger. The novelty of touching the tree wore off after a day or two. He tells the tree lights goodnight every night before he goes to bed. I don't know what he is going to do when we take the tree down soon!Alistair got a new race track from Santa. He is really into racing. In addition to that, Jeff and Michelle gave him the Helmet Heroes Racing Helmet. He will wear that while playing with his race track or while we play Mario Kart!Grandma and her grandchildrenMy parents gave Alistair a play kitchen for Christmas. They put together the BBQ so he had something from it to open. He spent the rest of the day making cheeseburgers and hot dogs for everyone!

In addition to the excitement of Christmas, we had the "excitement" of snow to contend with. All in all we got 15 inches total at our house over the course of numerous snowfall. Our neighborhood, aside from the bare street where they finally paved on Friday, still looks quite snowy. We have quite the snow boulder field outside on either side of our driveway and down the street where the snow plow and accompanying tractor put all the snow the scraped off the street. Alistair enjoyed the snow in small increments, but he wasn't obsessive about it. Usually he went to go play in the snow if we suggested it. Sadie LOVES the snow! She is like a kid. She goes out and runs and rolls and tosses her ball and tackles it. It is quite amusing to watch!Alistair's first snow angel!

What terraced retaining wall?

Tis the Season to be Jolly...

Happy Holidays to everyone! Hopefully the season is going well for you so far and isn't stressful. We are finally fully engulfed in Christmas at our house. We have the tree up and decorated, the house decked inside and out and the Christmas cookies have been made...although a few more might be made later on. Christmas shopping is even mostly done!

Alistair went to go see Santa last week. We walked up to his area at Northgate fully expecting to look at Santa and turn around and leave. I had no expectations of getting a photo this year and I certainly wasn't going to torture him! So we looked and asked him if he wanted to go say Hi and he said, "No." So we said, "ok let's go" and turned to walk back down the mall. Alistair leaned out of his stroller, gesturing behind him, "No No No No!" "Do you want to go see Santa?" "Yes." So we turned around, parked the stroller and let him out. There was no line and one other kid that was visiting Santa. After she was done, we walked into the corral. Alistair was staying glued to Seth's leg and eventually wanted up. Santa suggested we kneel next time him so he could read a book. So Seth, Santa and Alistair read a book together. Then Alistair got down and wandered around a bit, pointing out the tree lights, etc. Then Santa asked if Alistair wanted to read another book with him. Seth and I were flanking Santa, about 3 feet back or so. Alistair walked over to Santa and proceeded to rock back and forth on his feet at a distancre close enough to see the book, but not next to Santa. Every once in a while Santa would ask where something was in the picture. Alistair would think for a minute and then rock his way closer to Santa and point in the book. Snap went the camera. So we got 3 shots of this and that was good for us! It was as close and civil as Alistair was going to get. We spent probably about 20 minutes or so with Santa, he was very nice and patient!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we headed out to Cox's Tree Farm out by Northwest Trek for our Christmas tree. My parents, Seth's parents, Ann and Bob and my brother and family all came. We practically had the place to ourselves and the pick of the litter. Although this is the second year we have been and it took everyone no time at all to find our trees. It is a bit of a drive to get there, but their selection is great and there is no wandering around for hours only to settle on something just to not feel like you totally wasted your time! We've done that in past years! Having a walking little child in a tree farm requires many pairs of eyes. He had fun though and of course his favorite cousin was there, so anything is more fun when Natalie is around!

Alistair "helping" Daddy cut the tree down.

The official Christmas Card pose
Cousins!

In other news, just to follow-up with some stuff mentioned in the previous post, Alistair is going to have surgery on January 12th. However he does not have a hernia, but a hydrocele. This is similar to a hernia, but the hole is much smaller and the swelling comes from fluid in the area and not bowel protruding. Usually if boys get this before 2, they let it go because most times it will close on it's own. But because Alistair is now 2 1/2 (!!!) there is a less likely chance it will close up on its own and it needs to be done surgically. The procedure is an outpatient one - it seems to be minimally invasive and his recovery time will be short. Next week he has an appointment with the anesthesiology department to have a complete physical to be cleared for surgery. It is a little complicated since Alistair has his heart issue. But to me, the fact that he is so active and healthy and is not on medication tells me he would be fine. But I guess we will find out next week. They will also evaluate him post-op to and decide to either let him go home or stay over night for observation.