4 weeks old already!

Our newest addition is here!

A quick recap for those of you who don't know, ( as well as for my own personal remembrance in my blog) It was a difficult delivery! Induced early because of preclampsia and hypertension, it was 37 weeks 2 days into my pregnancy. Interestingly enough, once I got to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitor, I was already having contractions. They gave me a medicine called cervidel the night before to get me ready for baby and at 4 am, they woke me up so I could take a shower and relax for a bit. They started me on pitocin (another medicine to bring on contractions and help dialate my cervix) at 5 am. My doctor came in at 8 am and had planned to break my water. I was not dialated enough, so she was unable to break it. ( YIKES it hurt when she tried!) A couple hours later, my water broke on its own. Labor took a long time. I was able to relax for a little while after my epidural. Yeah, no natural labor for me!

Everything took quite a while and I was not fully dialated until 8:45 pm. I started pushing shortly after and continued pushing until 11:45 pm. Myles was coming out face up and having serious issues making his way over my pelvic area. At midnight, the doctor came in and offered to help with forceps. I quickly agreed and after 3 1/2 hours of brutal labor, Myles was born at 12:17 am.

He was in the NICU for several days due to some minor complications. He had quickened breathing and wasn't feeding at first. I lef the hospital on Saturday without my little man, which almost killed me. Luckily, he quickly recovered and was doing very well. Besides a mild case of jaundice he was able to come home the followinf Tuesday. He was on a photo sensor light blanket for a few more days. After that all was perfect! He just turned four weeks yesterday!

We celebrated his first Christmas with all of our family and is doing AMAZING! I fall more in love everyday! New Years Eve was pretty uneventful. We stayed home and made homemade calzones. His grandma and auntie Maggie came over for a quick visit and we just watched movies. Overall, a quiet, relaxing evening.

Now that things are kind of slowing down, more blogs to follow. Time to feed Myles!

Love,
Michelle

Minutes to Myles? I hope so!

It has been too long since I have updated, but it seems as if most of the family has now made their way onto Facebook, so my happenings aren't that interesting. However, a few exciting events have transpired over the last few days and they're more of a personal nature, so this stuff will be on my blog.

Throughout the pregnancy I have been pretty fortunate to remain in good health. Unfortunately, my blood pressure has been increasing slightly over my last few visits. My normal Dr. was not in the office last Friday, so I went in and saw another Dr. in the practice. First off at the visit, when I got onto the scale, I had gained 11 pounds. This coupled with protein in my urine and an elevated blood pressure earned me a direct do not pass go, do not go home, go directly to Labor and Delivery at the hospital. They were afraid I may have some early signs of preeclampsia. If this was the case, then the doctor wanted to deliver Myles. (Below is a pic from the hospital- Courtesy of my mother in law, who rushed to my side with my sister, Maggie. Thanks so much, Ladies!)

Further testing revealed that all my blood work came back normal and my blood pressure was evening out, so they sent me home with orders to relax. All weekend my husband made sure I relaxed and didn't exert too much energy, so I was hoping all would be well at my appointment today. Again, my doctor wasn't available so I saw a 3rd doctor! After the nurse took my blood pressure it was 146/90 which was way too high. She made me lie down on my side for 5 minutes and took another measure, it fell to 135/80, still not great but better. Overall, the doctor told me I was experiencing pregnancy hypertension and the best thing for me to do is to be on bed rest.

Luckily, I am already on vacation for work this week, but it looks like I may be starting my leave earlier than expected. I will know more when I see my doctor on Wednesday. So being almost 37 weeks, Myles is almost full term, so if he comes, he should be ready to meet the world. I just want nothing more than for him to be happy and healthy. Labor could be anytime and I am looking forward to him being here. He can enjoy the new nursery his dad worked so hard to finish!

Baby Update and Basement Near Completion!

Time is Flying by! I honestly have no idea how it is almost October. Everyday seems to pass by quicker than the last. Jason has been working so hard to finish the basement and it seems all of his efforts are finally done! He pulled an all nighter last night to finish the last of his "to do" items. He went to bed this morning at 9 am when the installers arrived to put in the new carpet.

Not only will the carpet replace the yucky carpet on the stairs but it will also run throughout the basement. It is soft and pretty and I cannot wait to see the final outcome! Once the carpet is installed we can move forward with moving the guest bedroom downstairs. After that, the baby room will begin construction. There is not a lot of actual construction so much as removing some built in cabinets and replacing the wood paneling with a more insulated drywall. I can't tell you how proud I am of Jason and all his hard work! He's truly amazing!

I had a doctor appointment on Friday. Myles is now 29 weeks and he is just an active little baby already. He even kicked the doctor when she went to check his heartbeat. It was pretty funny! His heart rate is normal and my belly is growing rapidly. I just can't believe 11 weeks until my due date! Let's hope he decides to make his grand entrance while the family is all in town for the holidays. However, he is a Dable and Ouellette and we can all be stubborn with minds of our own!

Jason and I also took a 2 week birthing class which finished on Saturday. It was great to see the hospital where I will be giving birth and getting a tour of the facility. Aurora Women's Pavilion is just a wonderful place to be giving birth. Feel free to check out the website if you want. http://www.aurorahealthcare.org/services/awp/virtual-tour/ipix/virtual-tour.asp

After much consideration, I decided to speak with my boss at work and let her know how difficult travel can be at the time in my pregnancy. She was gracious enough to adjust my schedule and I do not have to complete my last two classes. So YAY, no more plane travel and I couldn't be happier!

This should also allow me more time for keeping you all up to date with my fun happenings. Happy Fall Ya'll (As they say in Atlanta)

All my love,

Michelle

Seriously?

So this may be a bit of a ranting blog, but there have just been some funny things that have happened to me lately.

Yesterday I had to start another round of travel. I knew it was going to be a little rough as there are no direct flights from Milwaukee to Boca Raton. My flight flew into Atlanta and after a short layover went onto West Palm Beach. The first leg was fairly comfortable as the woman in Milwaukee took pity on me and though I was supposed to have a center seat, she graciously moved me to an aisle in the bulk overhead row. She said she remembered what it was like to fly pregnant and how uncomfortable it can be. So, overall NOT a bad flight.

Once we got into Atlanta (on time, shockingly!) I was happy to find out that my flight came into gate A28 and the next flight was leaving from A20, another yeah moment! Then it all ended. I had what they called a SRC or Seat Request Card, which means I was not assigned a seat. I asked the woman at the desk politely if she could give me an aisle seat, as my bladder needs frequent empties. Without batting an eye, she said "We're already overbooked and you have a center seat, sorry." There went my good fortune.

As I made my way back to the 41st row of 45 and tried to settle my way into the middle seat, I had an inconsiderate, large man at the window who seemed annoyed that I was trying to put on my seat belt. Gee, sorry to bother you "Mr. I should have purchased two seats." Sweating and out of breath, I finally managed to get my seat belt on only to realize I forgot to get my magazines out of my backpack which was now securely placed under my seat. Forgetting I had what is now close to a beach ball under my shirt, I had a heck of a time trying to get them, luckily the very sweet woman next to me was gracious enough to get them out for me. Can't fly without my US Weekly!

Fortunately the plane arrived on time and I got my rental car (a 4 door, luckily) quickly. I safely arrived at the hotel and was able to get a Caesar salad, but with ranch dressing (no raw eggs!) A decent night's sleep with an alarm that buzzed too early was a rough start to the day, but it was OK.

Until I stopped by the front desk where the Assistant Manager had recognized me from my stay in July. She asked how the pregnancy was going and I stepped back to give her a full view of my belly. She said, "You look great! When are you due?" I told her "thank you and December" That was when she preceded to ask me, "Are there two in there?" Huh, WHAT?? No there's not two in there you insensitive lady! (Not what I said, but I sure thought it!) I politely told her no and she said, "Are you sure?" YES. I AM SURE. "Yes. Pretty certain, haha." (what I really said) Seriously? Geez.

So it's the end of the day and now I lay back, with my swollen sausage toes and my non existent ankles. But you know what? I am thankful for the healthy baby boy growing inside my expanding belly. Even though things like travel can suck and people can say stupid, insensitive comments, I wouldn't change a thing, because our little man, Myles will be here in just a few short months. Oh and by the way, he is kicking hello to all of you out there right now!

All my love,

Michelle

25 weeks and our 1st Anniversary!

Thank you Blog Police, AKA my dad who was kind enough to inform me I had already broken my promise of a weekly blog. My intentions were honorable and I sat down several times to write this blog, I apologize.

Last Friday we had our latest doctor's appointment. She measured my belly and made sure to hear the heartbeat. Not only was his heartbeat strong, Myles made the doctor laugh because he was moving around so much. Not surprising to hear since he has really been moving all the time. He tends to be really active for about 45 minutes then chill out for about two hours.

Overall, it is the best feeling I have ever experienced and I truly feel like there is already a bond between us. I am just really looking forward to seeing his beautiful little face and holding him! The next 3 1/2 months are going to go quickly and I am just trying to enjoy every day of pregnancy.

We celebrated our anniversary last Saturday night. We went to Sanford Restaurant and had an incredible dinner. We began with a pork ravioli that was very yummy. Jason tried the Sturgeon (which he really like) and I had a duo of veal, loin and breast on a veal ragu. It was pretty good, but nothing came close to the incredible desserts we devoured! Jason had something that tasted like an almond roca with a butter pecan ice cream and I had a frozen chocolate souffle with door country cherries. Both were SO incredible! It was a lovely dinner and gave us the perfect meal before heading off to see Phantom of the Opera.

The show was wonderful. It was Jason's first time seeing Phantom of the Opera and though there was A LOT of singing and not a lot of speaking, he seemed to like it! We just really enjoyed spending the time together because we know the baby will be here before we know it!

This Monday, our 1st anniversary I had taken the whole week of vacation so we were able to spend the day together. Jason indulged me and we went to Babies R Us where we found more wonderful items for Myles' room. We purchased his bedding (a cute safari theme), a glider chair and ottoman and a mattress for his crib. The crib and dresser we purchased at a HUGE warehouse sale last week. We got a heck of a deal! It was exactly what we wanted for 1/2 the price. Now it has taken refuge in our living room along with all the new purchases from Babies R Us on Monday.

After the big baby trip, we went to go see Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" and it was a fantastic movie! We shared a HUGE popcorn and soda and were too full to go out to dinner. When we got home our plan was to cut into our Anniversary Cake made by Joyce Dhein the same woman who made our wedding cake, and enjoy. However, Jason had a bit of an accident with the above mentioned super full living room. He was looking for something for me and poked his eye REALLY badly on part of the crib. There are 4 long metal prongs which stick out and one went right into Jason's left eye. So off to the emergency room we went. Fortunately, Jason had just scratched the outer fleshy part of his eye and had a small abrasion under his eye lid. He was VERY lucky not to scratched the cornea. He is doing well now. Back to working his butt off on the basement. Up next BABY ROOM!

As always, a very busy week for the Dables. So can you see why I had to stretch my deadline for blogs a bit? Hopefully you all understand and I will try harder.

All my love!

Michelle

Too long!

Sorry it has taken me so long to post. I have been on the road for 8 out of the last 11 weeks. Though one would think it would be easier to blog on the road, I am so exhausted I haven't had the strength.


That is all going to change. I am making a personal promise to all of you (my friends and family) to update this blog weekly! So new happenings with the Dable family.... In case any of you haven't heard, we had the 20 week ultrasound a few weeks ago and we were trilled to find out we are welcoming a baby boy!





Not only did the ultrasound tech see what she called the "turtle" (boy parts) she also commented that I was further along that we initially thought. I should have been 19 weeks and 5 days, but she guessed I was closer to 21 weeks or further. My doc, Dr. Sportiello said that she wouldn't officially change the due date of December 20th, as the little one can come anytime within the 3 weeks around my due date. Overall, he was perfect. She said he was a little cookie cutter baby and everything measured just right!

We have decided on the name Myles (or Miles- still in discussion.) It is a name Jason and I both really liked. It is not too popular or trendy right now but a solid name. We have chosen the middle name Edwin. There are a couple reasons why we chose this name. Jason's Great Grandfather on the Dable side was named Edwin, but I also want to pay respect to my amazing grandfather whose name was Edward. So, Myles Edwin Dable or Miles Edwin Dable will be his name. He will be here in mid December and we couldn't be more excited!


Until next time, which WILL be next week, I promise!


Michelle

15 weeks and going great!

So I had my 15 week doctor appt this week. Everything went fantastic. The doctor measured the heartbeat at 160 beats per minute.

We have sheduled our 2o week ultra sound for July 31 and we are so thrilled. Interestingly enough, we have a mixed bag on who thinks boy and who thinks girl. My instincts tell me (as well as a couple interesting dreams) that we will be welcoming a little girl, but Jason is pretty sure we will be having a boy. Either way as everyone says, we just want the baby to be happy and healthy.

I think I felt the baby move for the first time this week as well. It's so difficult to tell, but we were at a concert and as soon as the band started playing, I swear I felt a small twinge in my belly. Since then, I have felt a couple more small "movements." It's very exciting as things are moving along wonderfully.

As for the rest of our happenings, I am about to head on the road for a minimum of 3 weeks this month. I head to Pittsburgh and Charlotte next week. Followed by two weeks of travel to Boca Raton with a visit to Orlando/Merritt Island to see Dad, Mom, Joe, Anna, and Mason. I am thrilled to see everyone and especially how Mason has grown. Now at 10 months, he is so close to walking....

Overall, I feel pretty good. Nausea every now and then, but much less than it has been. Sleeping a little less than the first trimester and not always falling asleep has been a welcomed change. So stay tuned and I will keep everyone in touch!

All my love,
Michelle