Please take a moment to vote for Caleb in the Star Tribune’s Cutest Baby 2010 contest!  He is in Round 4 of the voting, beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday (4/22) and ending at 9 a.m. on Friday (4/23).  The winner gets $1,000!  Here’s the link: http://startribune.upickem.net/engine/Welcome.aspx?contestid=15579.

I always knew I wanted to be a mother and I always knew that when the day came, it would be amazing.  But, I didn’t know just how amazing!  I am loving every minute of being a mother and I am so in love with my little Caleb.  As I looked at his beautiful face the other day, tears came to my eyes as I realized my mom must have looked at me the same way I now look at my son – with such love, joy, and admiration.  There is truly no love like the love a mother has for her child.

Today, I am overflowing with joy!  Each day with Caleb is better than the day before.  He’s such a happy baby and such a good boy.  He’s starting to be so much more alert and is smiling and cooing more than ever.  He has his 2-month checkup tomorrow morning and I’m anxious to see how much he’s grown.  He is already in the 3-6 month clothes.  Breastfeeding is going well – he’s a very good eater!  He loves being held – especially by Mommy and Daddy, but, for the most part, anyone’s arms will do.  He’s not a fan of “tummy time,” but he is beginning to love his swing and play gym.

I just can’t get enough of my boy!  I thank God for Caleb and for the love and joy having him has brought to my life.

Contractions began around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day!), but did not become regular until later that evening.  We arrived at the hospital at 8:00 p.m.  Here I am at 39 weeks, 3 days, just hours before leaving for the hospital.

After about 16 hours of active labor, Caleb Michael was born Monday, February 15, 2010 at 11:23 a.m.

We were expecting a big baby, but no one could have prepared us for just how big – 9 pounds, 15 ounces, 23 inches, 14 3/4 inch head!

Caleb’s heartrate dipped twice – once when they broke my water and put a scalp monitor on him and again towards the end of my labor.  My doctor recommended a consult with an OB to see if I would need a C-section.  Thank God I was able to deliver naturally – with no pain meds!

Giving birth and meeting my perfect little boy was definitely the most amazing moment of my life!  We are so blessed!

As of my 39-week check-up this morning, I am 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby is at a -2 station.  My doctor said baby should be here within the week!  I’m so excited I would jump up and down…if I didn’t have to pee all the time…

When I was pregnant the first time, with Francis, my doctor found that my progesterone was low and put me on injections twice each week.  Because of my history, Dr. Spencer started me on progesterone injections immediately after getting the positive pregnancy test results.  He also drew my blood to check my progesterone level.  When the medical assistant called me the next day to tell me that my progesterone was low again, I was worried about you for the first time.  I began telling family and friends at Church that I was pregnant so that they could pray for you.  I have been so touched by the number of people who have been praying for you throughout my pregnancy.

Around six weeks, morning sickness began to set it.  Although I felt nauseous nearly 24/7 and was throwing up two or three times each day, I was secretly glad because I knew that as long as I felt sick, you were alive and well.  We also had our first ultrasound at six weeks and got to see your precious heart beating for the first time.  I was amazed that someone so small (about 3/4″) already had a perfectly beating heart!  At nine weeks, I began to feel a little nervous because Francis had died at eight and a half weeks.  I requested another ultrasound to check on you.  We invited your grandparents, Auntie Gina, and cousin Matthew to come along and take a peek at you.  They were all amazed to see you moving and to see your cute little face.  I couldn’t believe how much you had changed in just three weeks!  After the ultrasound, Matthew was talking about “the cute baby.”  I will treasure the pictures from both ultrasounds forever.

I continued to get the progesterone injections twice per week and my pregnancy progressed well.  I signed up through Baby Center to receive weekly updates on your development.  I looked forward every week to read about how you were growing and changing.  As the weeks went by, your daddy and I got even more excited and fell more in love with our little Miracle Baby.

On the morning of June 13, 2009, my period was one day late.  Your dad and I had been taking classes to learn a new charting method to help us conceive again after the loss of our first child, your brother or sister, Francis.  According to my chart, I shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant.  So, I thought for sure I would just be wasting a pregnancy test, but I took one anyway.  I was sure the test would be negative, so I set it on the counter without giving it much thought.  When I looked at the test and saw those two pink lines, I was shocked!  It’s positive?!  I’m pregnant?!  I couldn’t believe it.  After the initial shock wore off, I was thrilled.  I looked at myself in the mirror and tears of joy began streaming down my face.  It was early on a Saturday morning, so your daddy was still sleeping.  I pulled myself together, woke him up and told him I had something in the bathroom to show him.  He was tired, and probably wondering what in the world I could have to show him in the bathroom, so he said he’d come look in five minutes.  I persuaded him to get up and look right away.  When he saw the test, he asked me “what is it?”  I looked at him with a smile on my face and he asked me again “what is it?”  I said, “It’s a pregnancy test…and it’s positive.”  He was just as shocked and thrilled as I was, gave me a great big hug…and went back to bed.

We went to Vesta later that day to help your Uncle Andy serve food for River City Days that weekend.  I couldn’t contain myself and had to share the news with my parents right away.  Your grandparents were thrilled, too.  After losing Francis, I thought I would be extremely nervous the next time I got pregnant, but I wasn’t.  I felt only calm and joy; somehow I just knew you were going to be okay.  

When we returned home on Sunday night, I took another pregnancy test just to be sure.  Of course, the second test was positive, too, so I scheduled a doctor appointment as soon as I could get in on Monday afternoon.  My regular doctor wasn’t working that day so I met with Dr. Spencer.  They did another pregnancy test at the clinic (also positive) and Dr. Spencer took a look at my chart.  He said, “This baby is a miracle.  These are the ones you know God wants you to have.”  (He said this because, according to my chart, I shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant when I did.)  Of course, I already thought of you as a miracle, but after hearing the doctor say that, I began referring to you as my Miracle Baby.   

To be continued…

This is one of the photos taken during our maternity photo shoot.  I was almost 29 weeks when this was taken.  We used this for our Christmas cards.  More to come soon…

I cannot believe how fast the time has been going and how little time I’ve had to get online and update…it’s been over 2 months!  So, in case I don’t get a chance to get back on here to write before Christmas, I wanted to take a quick moment to wish you all a wonderful and blessed Christmas.  I’ve read about some of your Thanksgivings, and I assure you there is so much to be thankful for this year. 

Baby, hubby and I are all doing well.  I’m at 31 weeks now and feeling pretty good.  We had some friends take some maternity photos a couple weeks ago, so I’ll post some belly shots when we get the disks with all the pictures.  I would also love to post a letter to my son and/or my pregnancy story.  Hopefully I’ll be able to do that soon (perhaps with the pictures).

Until then, so long!

October 15 has been designated as Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day (visit www.october15th.com for more information).  The idea is to light a candle from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. (in your time zone) to create a continuous “wave of light” in memory of babies that we ourselves or others have lost.  I plan on lighting 6 candles tonight: one for my precious Francis, one for my sister-in-law’s daughter Maria Elizabeth, and one for each of my 3 siblings Dana, Philip and Hannah.  The 6th candle is for all other babies in my and my husband’s families and those lost by friends.  I have been keeping a memory box for Francis with ultrasound photos, sympathy cards, and other mementos, so I typed up a sheet for tonight that I’ll add to the box.  Thank you for helping me remember these and other precious babies today!

October 15, 2009

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

In Loving Memory of our Precious Babies

We lost you before we met you, but we love you just the same.

Francis Lindner

Maria Elizabeth Carlson

Dana Rohlik

Philip Rohlik

Hannah Rohlik

And all babies from the Rohlik, Boerboom, Lindner, Powers, and friends’ families that wait for us in heaven.  When God calls us home, we’ll all be together again.

A candle was lit for each of you from seven o’clock to eight o’clock p.m. as we joined in prayer and remembrance with others around the world, who have also lost precious children, to form a continuous wave of light in your honor.

We had our 20-week ultrasound this morning at 7:30.  It was so good to see our precious little BOY and to see how much he’s grown since the last ultrasound at 9 weeks.  I can’t get over how amazing these ultrasounds are!  Our little guy was upside-down with his head “way low.”  The ultrasound tech had to ask me to scoot my pants even lower to get a good look at his head.  We were able to see our son’s brain, kidneys, spleen, heart (even the separate chambers!) and spine, not to mention his “boy parts.”  We also took a peek at his bladder, which was full to begin with, then empty, then full again before the end of the scan.  The ultrasound tech showed us his hands and feet and the bones in his arms and legs.  He had his legs all stretched out and crossed at the ankles; it was so cute!  While she was showing us his cute little face, we caught him yawning!  The ultrasound tech said he measured about 13 ounces and 21-weeks, which would push our due date up to February 11, but she didn’t change our due date, so it still remains February 18.  She also measured the baby’s heartbeat (141 bpm) and blood flow in a few arteries and the umbilical cord.  As far as I could tell, everything looked great and the baby is healthy.  But, of course, ultrasound techs are not allowed to tell you one way or the other.  My doctor will go over the results with me at my next appointment on Monday.

It seemed like the ultrasound tech was done with the scan, so I had to ask her if she could tell us the sex of the baby.  She replied, “I can look.”  Yes, please!  I’m so glad I asked!  I was almost certain we were having a girl, and as I mentioned in my previous post, my niece and nephew thought the baby was a girl, my sister-in-law and mom were also feeling more like the baby was a girl.  My dear husband was the only one thinking boy and he was right!  We are both so happy and excited to be having a healthy little boy!  I can’t wait to start shopping/registering for cute little boy things…