{Surprise Arrival} Caleb Michael

As you know by now, we had an early surprise arrival of Caleb a couple weeks ago. I've had a few people ask me why he came so early and unexpectedly. And although I don't really know why, here's how it all went down.

On Saturday December 5th, Ella and I went to the PSU hockey game, as we often do on Saturdays in the fall/winter/spring/allyearlong. It was the annual Teddy Bear Toss game, so Ella was super excited to go, as it's her favorite game of the year.

In the weeks prior, I had been having occasional contractions, especially when I was at work or doing something active. The doctors were aware, and they said it was no big deal. That Saturday, I had been having contractions more frequently and at rest, so I looked at the doctors' instructions they give to all pregnant patients. It said that if you have contractions at rest, and they resolve with hydration and activity then they're false contractions. So to the game we went, and the contractions stopped. So I didn't think anything more of it. We had a great time at the game, and had a relaxing and routine evening at home. 

I went to up to bed at 11pm, and Mike was still watching the Big Ten championship game {go iowa!}. Just as I tucked into bed at 11:30... GUSH! I was totally shocked, and I knew immediately that my water had broken. So I waddled my way into the bathroom. Since Ella was asleep just down the hall, I didn't want to yell for Mike. So I texted him. And his phone was charging about 10 feet from me. Rats. I made my way down the hall and quietly asked Mike to come upstairs. Twice. Nothing. So I waddled halfway downstairs, hoping not to make a trail on the carpet behind me. I asked him again to come upstairs. He stood up and started to slowly make his way upstairs, while intently watching the football game. Patiently, I rolled my eyes and headed back upstairs to avoid making a puddle on the stairs. A few minutes later, he came up. [priorities ;) ]

After calling the doctor and quickly throwing some things into a bag, Mike and I were on our way to the hospital. We had called a friend to sleep in our guest room so that we didn't have to wake Ella. Thank goodness for friends! 

Because it was five weeks early, my OB and pediatrician were discussing sending me to Hershey to deliver, since there isn't a NICU here-- just a nursery. But my labor was progressing quickly and they hadn't made a decision yet, so there was no time to transfer me to a hospital an hour and a half away. 

When I arrived at the hospital, my water had indeed broken, I was 3cm dilated, and my contractions were 3 to 5 minutes apart and getting stronger. They got me admitted by 1:30am, I got an epidural at 3:30am, and I was fully dilated by 4:30am. They had me "labor down" and wait it out [if you're wondering why, they didn't know by GBS status since I wasn't yet 36 weeks, so they were hoping to get one more dose of antibiotics in at 6:30am], which I was totally ok with... lying there with an epidural sounded much more pleasant than pushing :) 

Around 5:30am they decided I should start pushing. And after a whopping three pushes, Caleb was born! 

Caleb Michael

Sunday  |   12/6/15  |  5:50am

5 lb 8.5 oz  |  18.5" long

Labor was a completely different experience this time around. I was in labor for six hours, and I pushed three times [Mike said I didn't even break a sweat!]. With Ella, I was in labor for 20 hours and I pushed for two hours. Needless to say, I recovered much more quickly this time around! 

Big sister Ella was so proud to hold her baby brother!

Mike and his two little munchkins!

Sweet Little Caleb!

Our Recent Visitors

As you may have seen, we've had a handful of visits lately from family and friends. It's been great to have extra people around and to see people we don't get to see too often!

In September Mike's mom, aunt, and grandma were here.
In mid-October my dad, Deb, and my brother were here.
In late October, some friends from college were here.
And last week, Mike's mom, dad, and brothers were here. 
And we have more visitors coming soon in anticipation of the arrival of the Little Guy!


Here are some pictures from when my family visited in October

learning how to drive a tractor at the fall festival

and grandpa dave teaching her how to milk a cow, too

helping uncle mike put on the handles of her baby doll crib

all done at the park, walking home with deb

so much fun!

jumping with uncle mike

hockey game

she perfected this face over the course of the week

loving all the attention

And some of when Mike's family was here last week

giving the duck some acorns

park with gumba dave

helping grandma marie make thanksgiving dinner

new favorite snack: bear made of toast, bananas, and blueberries

wagon ride with grandma marie and grandpa dennis

Newborn: Round 2

I've had a handful of people ask what we need for Round 2 of the newborn stage or ask if we've registered anywhere. Initially, we hadn't really considered answers to either of those questions. But now I have. I made a Target registry (just because it's what we have here. and they have free shipping. and they have a 10% completion discount!) for a general idea of what we're planning to get this time around. SO-- If you were one that asked, there's your answer. If you didn't, please (please, please) don't take this as a 'hey, buy us something' post. That's the reason I almost am not posting this anyway.

Ok, now for some more exciting posting:  our recent visitors!

Pregnancy #2: 32 Weeks

Last week we had a much-anticipated 32 week ultrasound. At the 20 week ultrasound, there were a couple little concerns that they wanted to check into again at 32 weeks, mostly just to make sure that the little guy is growing appropriately. (Based on weight-gain and this growing belly, I had to assume yes!) Thankfully, it went very well. He's growing perfectly, weighs four pounds, and measuring two days ahead of schedule. The things they were concerned about are much less concerning than they initially thought, and we're in the clear to proceed with the remaining eight-ish weeks. Thanks to those of you who were sending prayers of health for the little guy -- they were answered! Now we just can't wait to meet him!!

While doing the ultrasound, they "snuck in" a 3D image for us to really see the little guy's face. We didn't get to do that with Ella, so it was really fun to see! Here's a side-by-side of Ella at just a few days old, and her Baby Brudder at 32 weeks. Could they look any more similar at this point?!

After seeing his little face, I realized how soon he'll be joining us! I've been asked a few times if we're all ready for him to come. Uhhh.... NO! I have done next to nothing in preparation of his arrival. We've had visitors staying in "his room" just about every two weeks for the past couple months, so we haven't organized furniture or anything. We literally have only moved Ella's crib into the room-- pink siderail covers and all. Maybe I should get on that??? 

We have a few things to buy this time around, but of course much less than the first time. Just some live and learn things to make life a little easier.

We still haven't settled on any names. There are two that I really like, and I told them to Mike a few days ago.. and of course he vetoed one. He wasn't crazy about the other, but he still has yet to suggest anything. Maybe we'll have a name or two picked out by the time we walk through the hospital doors. Good thing we still have a while!

Pregnancy: Round 2

I feel like I have all sorts of things to update you on... life events, opinions, random thoughts. You just might be getting a little bit of everything in the coming weeks. 

But first up:  a little recap of this pregnancy so far.

Here's the most recent picture I have. High-quality, I know.

When I was pregnant with Ella, I posted weekly how things were going. I obviously haven't done that this time around, but I also feel like there isn't a whole lot changing each week. So that would probably bore you. And me. 

Overall, the pregnancy has been going really well. I can definitely tell some differences from the first time around, but let's be real-- growing a baby is growing a baby. So it's just about the same.  Same sort of weight gain. Same right hip pain (which by the way, I now have a friend who specializes in prenatal chiropractor-ing, so I'll be seeing her soon). Same nausea and acne at the beginning. The main difference that I notice is round ligament pain. I get it much more frequently than I did the first time around.. perhaps because boys carry lower? Maybe that's a myth, I don't know. Perhaps I'm having more pain this time because I'm more active and things are getting stretched more. Who knows.

I'm still kind of craving ice cream, but not quite as much as Round 1. More just my normal-life ice cream wants. I've been saying that I'm not really craving anything, but I have noticed that I'm drawn to cereal more than anything else, and more than usual. A bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats can really make my day!

One thing I'm trying to make different this time around is the weight gain. The day I went into the hospital to deliver Ella, I had gained 51 pounds. That's a little ridiculous, and I didn't want to repeat that. I started this pregnancy in pretty good shape physically, and 10 pounds less than when I got pregnant the first time. Because of that, I didn't think I would stay under the generally recommended 25 to 35 pound mark. But certainly not 51 pounds! As of right now, I'm 29 weeks and I've gained 28 pounds. If I can keep it under control for the next several weeks, I'll be happy. I'm shooting to keep it under 40 pounds-- 35 would be great! But I'll really have to keep my food and exercise in check. Time will tell!

Oh, and in case I didn't mention.. we're having a boy this time around. And no, we don't have any names picked out yet. Literally, none. If you have any suggestions, send them our way!

Updates. Grand Updates.

Well, you guys proved me wrong. I'm surprised how many people have viewed my last post and sent messages. So I guess I'll give this whole regular-updating another try! 

I'll try to get you up to speed on what's been happening since Easter. I'm sure I'll leave some things out, but I'll do my best.

Baby on the Way!

We found out a few months ago that we'll be adding another Wierzbicki to the world. We're having a boy, and Ella is excited to have a Baby Brudder! I'm due January 7th; currently 28 weeks along. Other than monitoring a few odd things, the pregnancy has been going really well. I'm trying to stay active and avoid the donuts and ice cream - I don't want to hit the 50+ pound weight gain mark that I did with Ella. (So if you hear me talking about cookies, tell me to lock it up!)

Still Working

Mike is still working at Penn State doing marketing in the athletic department. He's still in charge of marketing for hockey and the ice arena, and they've added lacrosse, golf, and football. It's safe to say he's a busy guy! Ella and I try not to be too needy when he's so busy, but we're not always successful :)
I'm still working at the rehab hospital part-time. There are some weeks I work only one day, and some weeks I work nearly 40 hours. It all depends what Mike's work schedule allows and what the hospital census is.

Ella is still going to the same in-home daycare, and she's still loving it. She gets along really well with the other two kids and the caregiver. Some days when she hasn't gone for a while, she'll even ask if she gets to go play there! 

Iowa/Nebraska Trip
The summer began with a Memorial Day Weekend trip to Iowa. My family's annual fish fry was scheduled for that weekend, so we decided to make a trip of it. Even though the fish fry was cancelled last minute, we had a great trip anyway. We got to see a lot of family and friends, including a trip to Omaha!

Minnesota/Wisconsin Trip

We also took an early summer trip to Wisconsin for the wedding of two friends who live here in Pennsylvania but are from Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was a beautiful wedding, and we were able to make a quick trip to St. Cloud (where we lived in MN before moving here to PA) while we were there!

Michigan Visitors

In early September, we had some road tripping visitors from Michigan. Mike's mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin came to visit for a few days. We had a great time hanging out, visiting the arboretum, and refereeing toddler play.

Iowa Visit

In late September, Ella and I took a fairly impromptu trip to Iowa. Our annual family fish fry had been rescheduled for a weekend in September, and I wanted to spend some time with my childhood bestie.

Play Time!

I promise we did more than travel this summer! We spent a LOT of time at the local parks and pools and playing outside. 

Ella Turned Two!

In early October, our teeny tiny little baby girl turned two! I have no idea how two years have passed, but they've definitely been a fun two years. 

Because we didn't have any family visiting, we didn't have too exciting of a celebration. And Mike has been very busy working, so we thought a low-key family night was the way to go. Per Ella's request, we had pizza and 'yellow' cake. Seriously - those were her requests. What a goof! 

A few days after her birthday, she saw a leftover cupcake and requested a candle to blow out. So we had a mini celebration in the middle of the kitchen floor -- candle, Happy Birthday song and all.

Pumpkin Patches

There are a lot of fall festivals around central Pennsylvania, so we took advantage of a couple different ones. Ella and I went to a fruit farm with some friends, and we came home with orchard-fresh apples and a big pumpkin, as well as great memories. The next day, we went to another fall festival with my family that came to visit. We came home with a couple pumpkins to carve (which hasn't yet happened) and some more great memories. 

Family Visit from Iowa

Just last week, I had some family road trip the 17+ hour trek from Iowa to visit for a week. We visited a fall festival, went to a hockey game, and did some sight-seeing. We had a great week, and of course ate entirely too much food.

That just about brings us to the present. As you can see, it was a fun, eventful few months since we've last chatted. I'll try to keep you posted with our goings-on in the future! (Unless, of course, no one reads it....)

**LOTS of pictures to be added soon.

To Continue or Not to Continue...

That is the question.

I realize I haven't posted since Easter. That's kind of pathetic. But to be honest, I wasn't sure if anyone was even reading this. I was getting very few page views, and I wasn't sure it was worth my time to post photos and updates.

But since then, I have had a few friends and family members ask if I was ever going to update again. And ask how they're supposed to know what's going on. And request pictures, since they weren't getting them on here. So may it IS worth my time to update??  We've also had a lot of things happen in the past few months, and some more exciting things to come in the coming months.

So my question to you is... Should I continue to post updates? Or not?

I'll check out my page views in a week or so, and I'll decide from there. If you're reading this and you want continued updates, shoot me a message! I'm more than happy to share photos and updates, but not if it's just going to the crickets in the corner of internet-land.

Ok, thanks.
Maybe see you soon.
Maybe not.