Monday, December 29, 2008

New post

Holy cow, so I know it's been a while.......holidays have made us all busy, so hopefully you'll understand the delay but here's an update on what we've been up to.

We all survived the "Arctic Blast 2008" snow storm that kept us housebound for almost 2 weeks. Needless to say, we're all really, really tired of snow. We had nearly 18 inches on the ground on some of the worst days. And while most cities would think that's nothing, let me just say that Portland has a storm of this magnitude once every 40 years or so. We are completely unprepared for it. Luckily, Maddie had fun playing in snow so I guess someone enjoyed it!

House is still coming along well despite the snow delay. As of this afternoon, we have part of a roof which really makes it look like something! Very exciting to drive by it everyday and see progress. We're still on track for a mid-April move in!

Baby #3 continues to grow and thrive. We're officially 30 weeks into the pregnancy and I can start to see the end. Every day I grow a bit more optimistic that we will bring this little one home. In a few weeks we start our twice weekly monitoring - non-stress tests on Mondays and bio-physical profile ultrasounds on Thursdays. It will keep us busy but will also hopefully keep us sane. Anyway, I think we may finally have a name picked out but because the gender is not a surprise this time, we are keeping her name to ourselves. We also have an official date for inducing.....Alex and I will be checking into the hospital the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 24 with the birth most likely being on the 25th. 8 more weeks!

Maddie is also growing and amazes us daily. Her vocabulary skills have really stepped up recently and I marvel at the conversations we can have. She's definitely a little girl now and no longer a baby.

Below are a few pictures from the past month!

Back of the house during framing.
Front of the house during framing.
This is Miss Lily Gabriella Baioni, born to our dear friends Sean and Dana. Lily was born on Christmas Day (this picture was when she was about 24 hours old) and was 5 lbs 2 oz (she was three weeks early.) She's the best Christmas present Dana and Sean could have hoped for. She's the littlest baby I've ever held but she's absolutely perfect!
A view of downtown Portland during the snow storm, on one of the "better" days. Because of the road conditions, we had to take the tram up to the hospital.
Not sure what this is about but it's a pretty funny little pose.
Getting ready to cut down our Christmas tree.
Christmas morning.
With Tovah after decorating her tree.
Kisses!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

New Pictures

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks....

Maddie at swimming with her teacher, Bonnie. She's taking her lessons at the same aquatic center I did when I was little. She LOVES it! She starts ballet on Tuesday.
They finally broke ground on our house! Here's the hole where the foundation will go.
Another view.
Me in front of the forms that have been poured for the foundation. (FYI, about 25 weeks preggo in this pic.)
Foundation actually being poured. So exciting. Should start framing this week.....we've already got some rough plumbing in as of this past Saturday. Expected completion is 4.21.09!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Quick Picture

Here's a rendering of what the new house will look like when it's done. Sooooo excited!!!

Belated Update

I realize it's been a while since I last posted but a lot of things have happened.

1. Maddie had her first experience with stitches. I got a call from her school on election day that she had fallen and hit her head on one of the little play tables. Split her eyebrow right open. Luckily, her pediatrician could do the stitches at his office rather then sending us to the ER. She ended up with six and got them out last Monday. She was very brave and I have to admit that I was pretty proud of myself that I handled it as well as I did. Amazing how the maternal instinct takes over when your child needs you. =)

2. We FINALLY have the building permit for our new house, so we (well, the construction guys) are supposed to break ground this coming Wednesday. Yay!!!!!

3. Pregnancy is still going well, though I have to admit that emotionally I am having a really hard time lately. I've been a bundle of nerves and a lot of tears have been flowing. I'm sure the upcoming holidays are bringing some of it on, as Audrey is supposed to be here with us this Christmas. I've started seeing a new therapist and it does help to talk some of these things through.

Yesterday, I freaked out a little, imagining that Baby #3 hadn't moved as much as normal. Luckily, my midwife's office is extremely kind and told me to just come in to check it out. I had a non-stress test where they hooked my up to a monitor for about 20 minutes to check the baby's heart rate. The good news is that I got to listen to that beautiful sound long enough to ease my nerves. Bad news is that it made me feel a little foolish, since she was obviously beating away, nice and strong, in there. But considering I'm 24 weeks and have really only had two "freak outs" so far, I think that's not that bad considering everything that's happened this year.

4. Shout out to Mom and Dad.....they will be celebrating the 40TH ANNIVERSARY of their first date in a few days. It boggles my mind.....I thought that being with Alex for almost 8 years was impressive. Not so much when I think about them. =) But it's something really grand to shoot for though - can't wait til we can brag about that milestone too!

That's it in a nutshell for now. When we have pictures of our house starting, we'll post them.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Carving Jack O Lanterns

Tuesday night, Maddie "helped" Daddy and Grandad carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. Here are some pics....

Maddie's fuzzy, but a good shot of what the finished products looked like.
Grandad working hard.
So much fun!



Sunday, October 26, 2008

New Photos

'Nuff said.

Here I am at nearly 21 with Baby Girl #3.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A Few More (And Then I'm Off To Bed!)

Here are just a few more for the evening.....

Maddie and Daddy passed out on the Nana and Grandad's couch. Maddie was tired from a full day of school and swimming lessons. And Daddy? Well, he can just sleep whenever and wherever the mood strikes. =)
I don't know how clear this will be but here is a 3D image of Baby Girl #3. It's showing her face, her left hand up to her mouth and her right arm kind of bent up (her elbow by her cheek.) I'll try to scan it in the next few days but wanted to try and share. We've never had a 3D peak of the any of the girls for us, so it was a special treat. She is healthy and we have every reason to believe she will be home with us March 1.

Audrey

Just after Audrey passed away, my brother Jacob and his wife, Stephanie, purchased a brick with her name and birth date to be placed outside Disneyland. We saw it for the first time on Oct. 17th and I was surprised at how emotional we all were. Frankly, I totally lost it and there were tears for all of us. Just a small reminder as to how important she is to us all. Here are a few pictures......

A special thank you to Jacob and Stephanie. It is such a special thing that you've done.

Maddie looking on.
Mommy and Maddie with Audrey's stone.
Nana, TT and Grandad

Disneyland Pictures

Happiness
On the merry-go-round
Cinderella's Castle
Daddy, Maddie and T
She REALLY enjoyed this ride
Maddie with Dale
Pretty girl
Maddie seeing Brother Bear
Maddie and Daddy participating in "Following The Leader"

Monday, October 20, 2008

Update

Hi all - busy week for everyone but lots of fun.

First, Maddie turned three on Monday the 13th! She's a blast and I can not believe the three years have gone so fast. She is thriving in preschool and just started swimming lessons today. We did "Mommy and Me" lessons for a long time but she's now old enough to do them on her own. She also had her 3 year check-up with the pediatrician (Dr. Jack) and she is healthy as a horse. He remarked several times on how smart she is. Vital stats: 35.25" tall (30th percentile) and 28.75 pounds (40th percentile.) At least she's not in the 15% anymore but she still seems like a midget. =)

Baby Girl #3 is seemingly well. Moving a lot and growing. We have another ultrasound tomorrow - we assume everything will be as it should be. Quick note: we keep getting asked if we have a name. We have a short list of names we like and one that sticks out over the others, but nothing definite yet and even if we did, we've decided not to share until she's here. Since the gender won't be a surprise this time like it was with the first two girls, we're trying to keep a little suspense!

We just got back from Disneyland last night and we had a blast!!!! Maddie is at a great age and LOVED all the rides. Particular favorites were riding Dumbo with Daddy and Winnie the Pooh with EVERYONE. One at a time. =)

I hope to post pictures soon.....we have plenty of good ones.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A Note

Dear Friends and Family,

Please join us today in remembering our daughter Audrey and all the lost children whose families still grieve by lighting a candle in memory and in hope that greater research can save others in the future.

Love and peace,
Sarah, Alex and Maddie

October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States. More than 25,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year leaving mothers, entire families and communities devastated. Estimates of the rate of occurrence of stillbirth make it at least as common as autism. Stillbirth is not an intractable problem. Greater research would likely significantly reduce its incidence, but good research requires good data. S.3142 and H.R. 5979: Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act is under consideration by Congress. This proposed bill would standardize stillbirth investigation and diagnosis, thus providing more data for the needed research. Better research means fewer children born still.

On October 15th, remember the thousands of unfinished children lost and the families who remain to grieve them. Honor them by taking action. Let's help pass H.R. 5979 and S.3142.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s3142/show

Visit www.october15th.com for more information and resources.

October 15th is Infant and Child Death Awareness Day

It's unfortunate that this day must exist (and truly, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think of my sweet baby girl Audrey) but here's a short video regarding stillbirth.

Today, as my family thinks of our loss, I simply ask that you hug the children in your life and realize how lucky you are to have them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auZDVzBE98w

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Update

Sorry it's been a while since I left a new blog....things have been crazy around here but all is well.

We saw our midwife yesterday and Baby Girl is looking really good. Heart rate was excellent and we're measuring right on time. We have another ultrasound in two weeks, on August 21, to get another good look at things. We'll really start focusing on the cord from that point on, which is what caused us to lose our sweet Audrey. At 26 weeks we'll have a high resolution ultrasound to get a definite look at placenta/cord and then starting at 32 weeks we'll be getting non-stress tests (NST) every Monday and bio-physical ultrasounds each Thursday until she's here (for those of you who are counting that's going in twice a week for approximately 7 weeks....OY.) We'll also have a perinatologist working with us in the second half of this pregnancy with our midwife. I find it a little scary but also reassuring since I feel like we have so many people working with us to ensure we bring our baby girl home in March.

In other news, we are still waiting for ground to break on our new home but we expect it to start next week sometime.

Maddie turns 3 this coming Monday (I can't believe it) and we're off to Disneyland on the 16th for a long weekend at the "Happiest Place on Earth!" She's very excited to ride the Peter Pan ride with TT, the Teacups with Grandad and Pirates with Nana.

One of the positive things to come from losing Audrey is that I've started assisting in our support group, Brief Encounters. (www.briefencounters.org) It is heartbreaking to speak with some of the mothers who call for information after a recent loss as it brings our loss right back to the surface. But I do find some peace in being able to help others manage this pain. At least I feel like I can start to give back and find some meaning for having Audrey. Even though we will soon, God willing, have our third sweet baby girl home with us, she will forever be my angel baby.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Update

Hi all - sorry it's been a while since I've posted anything but we've been super busy moving and getting settled. We've also been working hard to get our new house off and running. So far, so good - we should be breaking ground soon.

Biggest news is that we went in for a big ultrasound today where we had the full anatomy screen. Luckily, our new one looks absolutely perfect and normal so far.....a huge blessing and relief! Many tears of happiness were shed - I'm sure the ultrasound tech wasn't sure what our deal was!

We also found out that this new baby is......ANOTHER GIRL!!!!! Yay - we would have been thrilled with a boy too but feel lucky to have another girl. Never in our lives did Alex and I think we'd say we're the parents of three girls. Now if we can just come up with a name....;)

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Trying Again

Hey all - here's a quick post for our new blog! Just forget about that old one we had and join us as we update you all here.

We're madly packing and preparing to move into our apartment as we wait for our brand spankin' new house to be done (sometime after April 1.) Movers come on Tuesday but we got the keys to the apartment today and have made a few small trips already.

As always, we continue to be thankful for all the support we get from everyone.

More later......and welcome to Fall '08!