Zoom!

Wow, where has the time gone? Well... our little Lennon is taking up much of our time, but he is VERY worth it. I mean come on, how cute is he?

He is getting so big!

The Birth Story

Papa Wood writing to you, and Chelsey and I both wanted to get her birth story written before we forgot parts of it.  My short-term memory is shot from being sleep deprived this past week and I know it will take quite a bit of collaboration to get all of this right.  I will start by highlighting the weeks leading up to the arrival of our little one because it helps provide a little context and I should apologize for length but I didn’t want to miss anything…

On April 2^nd we went in for Chelsey’s doctor’s appointment and we found out that she was not dilated but was about 70% effaced, very excited the week before because this sounded like tremendous progress.  The doctor told us that he didn’t think it would happen that week, so we were kind of expecting something to happen this week. 

Enter the April 10^th doctor’s appointment…

Before giving us the update this week the doctor asked what he told us last week and we told him and he proceeded to tell us that Chelsey was maybe 75% effaced and possibly a half a centimeter.  Essentially, the doctor was just throwing us a bone because her progress was essentially non-existent.  I came to work that Tuesday and felt bad because I could tell Chels was upset and I was disappointed as well.   I thought about trying to get her to take the afternoon off.  I then realized that for the weeks leading up to this doctor’s appointment I had been telling Chelsey to take time off for her mental health and she always refused.   

I knew Thursday was going to be rough because we were already emotional that the doctor’s appointment didn’t show much progress and the coming Thursday, April 12, was the original due date.   I coordinated with Chelsey’s coworkers to kick her out of the office Thursday afternoon.  I found out the local triple A team, the I-Cubs, had a home game that started just after noon that I could use as a distraction.  The plan was set…

Every Thursday Chelsey and I would take the morning chalkboard pictures and send out updates to our family and friends.  It was the perfect storm.  Thursday morning came and Chelsey didn’t want to be there for the picture as we both foolishly expected her to go early.  As we had the past 32 weeks, Chelsey got in front of the chalkboard and posed like a champion.  I think we were both a little upset that nothing had happened.  Chelsey got really upset and of course I just felt helpless and shared in her frustration and wanted to tell her about my plans for our afternoon.  I was able to bite my tongue and surprise her for a great afternoon away from work watching baseball, walking around Grey’s Lake, and then relaxing that evening. 

Thursday was a good refresher for both of us, but Chelsey knew that she wanted to schedule an appointment with a masseuse that specializes in pregnant massage the next day.  The masseuse’s waiting room wall is covered with birth announcements because he uses acupressure to help induce labor.  Chelsey was able to essentially nap for an hour while getting a massage, another great refresher.  That night, we went out for a nice dinner with my mom and her boyfriend and then went to Chelsey’s mom’s to see her sister and future brother in law.  Chelsey’s sister was in town because her dad arrived earlier in the week because he wanted to be here for the birth of Lennon.  It was the perfect weekend for labor to start, because we had a lot of family in town.  However, we were missing my brother and sister and our doctor told us in the weeks leading up that this Saturday was the only day that he would be out of town.  Of course…

Chelsey started experiencing contractions around 2am that were relatively mild (I am hesitant to ever say contractions are mild because I feel like Chelsey or any other woman that has labored would kill me).  Over the next 4 or 5 hours the contractions progressed to about every 7 minutes.  For some reason the doctor’s office gives you a sheet that tells you to call the office when the contractions are between 5 and 10 minutes.  I’m no accountant… oh wait… but 7 minutes sounds like it is right in between 5 and 10 minutes.  I don’t know why they give you that sheet when they really want you to call until 3 to 5 minutes between contractions… more on that later.

Chelsey and I had the bag that we had planned to bring to hospital pretty much packed for some time.  We had a list of items, mostly my clothes, our toiletries, and our pillows with a few other essentials that we couldn’t pack until the very last minute that were frantically thrown into a bag around 6am on Saturday. 

They tell you that you should make a point to eat before going to the hospital because once you are admitted they will not allow you to eat anything.  We took the advice of everyone else and ate a quick breakfast and called the hospital and were on our way at 7:30am.  I cannot begin to describe how excited I was and how much my heart overflowed with love for my wife and arriving son.  I figured, since labor started around 2am, we would be able to meet our little man before dinner.  Oh did he have other plans…

Chelsey and I arrived at the hospital in high spirits.  We wen through the check-in process and the obligatory “on a scale of 1 to 10, tell us where your pain is” test and it felt like it was only a matter of time.  We were put in triage as we expected and were waiting for the nurse to come in and provide the official check.   The nurse came in and told us that she was only dilated to 1 centimeter.  Major bummer.

I should have mentioned our first nurse, Chris, was so awesome!  She is about our age and was so incredibly sweet; trying to keep everything light hearted and was great to us.  Chris kept Chelsey hooked up to the machine to monitor Lennon’s heartbeat and keep an eye on her contractions.  The contractions were pretty irregular and they were not intensifying.  Chris suggested we start walking around the maternity floor to see how Chelsey progressed.  Chelsey and I only took about 10 steps out of triage into the hallway and ran into one of her coworkers that had a c-section two days prior.  It was great to run into her and her husband and their new little one in the hallway, as it really provided both of us with a distraction and a breath of fresh air.  It was almost as if we were able to clearly see what we were there for.

Chelsey and I continued our walking for the next almost four hours, it really only felt like it was maybe thirty minutes or so of walking.  I think part of the reason it went by so quickly is the nurse was hooking Chelsey up to the machines about every 30 minutes or so to monitor Lennon’s heartbeat, and it felt like it was every 5 minutes.  The other reason it went by quickly was because every few minutes I was covertly sneaking saltine crackers for Chelsey and helping her snack, as I mentioned you are not supposed to eat once you arrive.  By 11:30am, after four hours of walking Chelsey had progressed to 2 centimeters and there was change.  This change was important because Chris told us that it meant we could stay in triage and continue walking or we could leave. 

Chelsey and I decided since she was already somewhat hungry and it was only a matter of time before the operation of sneaking crackers was busted, we should head out for a bit, get some food, walk around our neighborhood, tend to our dogs, and see how long we could last at home.  I asked what the determining factor should be for us to come back in.  The nurse told us that she really wanted Chelsey’s contractions to be between 3 and 5 minutes.  Then why does the office give us a sheet that says to call when contractions are between 5 and 10 minutes?!

So we headed off to Panera, calling all the grandparents on our way home to update them with our morning festivities, and headed home with some lunch.  As we were heading home I could tell Chelsey’s contractions were intensifying.  Our dogs were very excited to have us home for a bit and after lunch we took them for a walk around the block.  We were stopping about every couple hundred feet for Chelsey to deal with contractions, it was a slow walk and I felt so bad for Chels.  We got home from the walk and Chelsey’s contractions were fairly regular at around just over 5 minutes apart.  I want to take a second to tell you how amazing my wife is, as her contractions progressed they were getting so painful for me to even watch, I cannot fathom how difficult they were to go through.   You would never know she was going through incredible pain in between contractions, Chelsey was joking around, cleaning our house, doing laundry, and cleaning our bedroom for people to stay with our dogs while we were in the hospital.  This is after 12 hours of labor!  My wife is a freaking champion!

We were still home, and the contractions were varying between just over 3 minutes and just under 5 minutes apart.  I was using the stopwatch on my iPhone and using the lap timer for the start of each contraction, it was pretty obvious the contractions were averaging just under 4 minutes apart.  I was trying to make the most of the distractions at home and said we should try to wait until 4:30 to call again, around 4 the contractions were so pants-wetting intense and awful to watch we decided to call.  We knew that Chelsey’s doctor was out of town on Saturday but he told us he would be back in the evening so we called him on our way back into the hospital.  He said he was still in Iowa City (about 2 hours away), but he would check in when he got back to town. 

By this point I was using both my phone and Chelsey’s phone to send out mass text messages to update all our family and friends where her contractions were and that we were heading back to the hospital.  It took us what felt like an eternity to get from our car back to the maternity front desk to check in. We finally made it to the front desk and were able to check back in, I was hoping we would get our same nurse again.  They led us into the oh so glamorous triage room again and we met our new nurse, Laurel.  It took a little bit for Laurel to get the computer up and running, and by the time she was able to get all the instruments hooked back up she checked and Chelsey was dilated 3 centimeters and was 90% effaced.  I hoped it would be much more than 3 centimeters, but at least it was some progress.   

Our nurse helped Chelsey get into the shower to sooth her contractions and I ran to the car to get all of our bags.  I felt a little ridiculous brining in a gigantic bag of pillows, clothes, computers, and my camera bag.  It felt like we were moving in for a week but we ended up using pretty much everything.  As I got back to the room, Chelsey was feeling great and we found out that our doctor was probably 40 minutes away.  I spoke with Laurel about the whirlpool as she indicated that it would be a great source of relief for Chelsey but she didn’t think she would have time to fill it before the doctor arrived.  We decided that there would be just enough time for the whirlpool to fill and it was so great to see how relaxed Chelsey became.  I called the whirlpool a mini-epidural from then on. 

After getting out of the whirlpool and getting back in bed the contractions started to intensify.  Laurel was so great during these intense contractions, she was incredibly soothing and was just what Chelsey needed.  I also texted our family that if they wanted to head down to the hospital they were more than welcome to join us, but was very clear that during pushing they would all stay in the waiting room.  As the family started to trickle in Chelsey’s doctor arrived and found that she was about 4 or 5 centimeters dilated and decided that it was time to break her water.  The doctor indicated that if Chelsey was going to get an epidural she should start that process sooner than later. 

Chelsey and I were both very practical about the birth of Lennon, we didn’t really want a “birth plan,” we were going to roll with the punches and do what we felt was best for her and Lennon.  That means that if Chelsey could do without the epidural she wouldn’t take it, but if she felt she needed it she would ask for it.  After over 18 hours of labor it was clear that Chelsey needed the epidural.  If Chelsey did not take the epidural she would have been so exhausted by the time she dilated to 10 centimeters she wouldn’t have had the energy to push.  We found out that Chelsey needed a bag of fluids before they would administer the epidural.  While we were suffering through these last contractions we were watching the weather as the worst storm of the year was approaching Des Moines.  The timing ended up such that the anesthesiologist was having Chelsey lean forward to insert the epidural line into her spine and not move at the same time the worst of the storm was smashing into windows and Chelsey was having a contraction.  Laurel explained that if the tornado warnings went off she didn’t know what Chelsey would do but said she would at least take her into the bathroom.  Oh joy, just what you want to hear with a doctor slipping something into your spinal cord.  As the storm passed over Des Moines, Chelsey’s contractions were turning from agony to just feeling the pressure and the entire mood in our room shifted. 

There were so many benefits to the epidural, the greatest was that it allowed Chelsey to truly relax between contractions.  Additionally, Chelsey’s contractions were coupling for some time - one contraction would start and before it would be completely gone another one would pick back up - they were not doing this each time so it was difficult to gauge the real time between contractions.  The epidural allowed the doctors to hook Chelsey up to a Pitocin drip to help de-couple the contractions and start making them more regular to keep the progress going.  Had Chelsey not got the epidural she would have almost certainly needed a c-section. 

Chelsey’s doctor told her that she would need to have Lennon before 8:30am otherwise we were going to have to start the c-section process.  Neither of us were ready to even hear that, I remember my heart sinking into my stomach.  Not long after that our next nurse started her shift, yes that is right if you are counting at home, we went through three separate nurse shifts at the hospital before Lennon arrived… thankfully our new nurse, Mindy, would be our last.  Over the course of the next several hours Chelsey was able to relax so much that she got some rest.  The very brief snooze was imperative for Chelsey because without it she wouldn’t have had enough energy to push when it came time, which was rapidly approaching. 

There was one truly terrifying moment that occurred.  As Chelsey continued to progress, it got to the point where she could start to push a little bit to see how Lennon was doing.  In between checks and pushing Mindy was having Chelsey switch lying on her sides to make sure that the epidural didn’t saturate one side of her body.  After flipping from one side to the other, Lennon’s heart rate dropped from around 140 to 70.  They were having Chelsey flip back and forth to try to get it corrected.  They were unable to get his heart rate back up and forced Chels to get on all fours and start taking oxygen through a mask.  Eventually they got his heart rate back up to normal, but it was a very scary 5 minutes that felt like a lifetime.  After they got his heart rate sorted out and it was stable for some time, Mindy encouraged Chelsey to push a few times.  It was great to see our nurse’s reaction to the progress of each push and I could see the excitement in Chelsey’s face as she felt she could finally do something by pushing.

Chelsey’s doctor came back in after the nurse determined that she was ready to push again and wanted to see the progress.  The doctor came in and was able to determine that Lennon was posterior, meaning his head was down but he was facing up, not a good sign for Chelsey.  Her doctor began the long process of trying to flip Lennon while Chelsey was pushing.  It was early in the pushing process and Chelsey’s pushes weren’t very effective because of the epidural and the doctor was only able to get Lennon half flipped.  Her doctor said that the anesthesiologist would need to come back and cut the epidural in half.  That was a very scary thing to hear, because when you hear that they are going to cut your pain relief in half you would assume that means you are going to be in some pain again however that was not the case.  Reducing the epidural just meant that Chelsey would feel a little more pressure, at this time they reduced her Pitocin to almost nothing as well. 

Chelsey’s doctor said that it would probably be about an hour before the adjustment in her epidural would take effect.  We waited the hour and probably an extra 20 minutes or so before Chelsey began trying to push through her contractions again.  It was just what Chelsey needed, each time she pushed it was so much more productive than it was before.  Chelsey’s doctor came back in and he was able to see a significant improvement in her pushes.  During each push the doctor tried again to flip Lennon, he was able to get much more movement each time. 

Chelsey’s doctor said to the nurse that she should try to push a few more times and then let him know what type of progress she was making.  The doctor stepped out of the room and the next contraction started.  We saw the contraction starting on the machine as the nurse and I were helping Chelsey and the nurse started counting… 1… 2… and all the sudden she yelled Stop!  Chelsey and I were both a little confused and the nurse told us that she needed to get a lot more people in the room.  Our doctor wasn’t more than 30 feet from the door and got called back in and what felt like every nurse on the floor started trickling in.  After the labor nurse, pediatrics nurse, and the doctor’s assistant nurse came into the room Chelsey was given the go ahead to start pushing again.  Chels pushed through maybe two or three contractions and Lennon’s head was out!

One thing that I was not prepared for was seeing Lennon’s little head and not hearing any crying.  I knew the baby did not start crying until they were further out of the womb but it was a very surreal seeing his head and the room feeling so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.  Chelsey pushed through maybe one more contraction and he was out.  It was so incredible, he started wailing and they put him on Chelsey’s chest for some skin to skin contact.  It was official!  April 15, 2012 at 5:07am Lennon arrived weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.  It is impossible to describe the love I had and still have for my wife and new son.  The nurses moved him over the little baby station where I was so overwhelmed it was difficult to focus and take pictures.  

Since Chelsey labored and delivered Lennon last weekend we have been on a nonstop emotional rollercoaster with all sorts of family visiting and just spending time as our new family of three.  It took a little bit for our dogs to get used to having him around.  Now, Wrigley is sometimes curious about Lennon but mostly apathetic and Kaya is always concerned about what he is doing.  Anytime Lennon gets passed from person to person, gets his diaper changed, or really makes any sound Kaya is on high alert and wants to make sure everything is okay.  It is really difficult to describe the love we feel for him, our affection has grown over the last nine months and now that he is finally here, it is almost as if it has crested and we feel these consistent and deep waves of adoration.

Wonderful Surprise

The morning started out terribly. Yesterday was Lennon's due date. I was an emotional wreck. I didn't think I would see that day and not have him yet. I had it in my head that he would be here already and we would be engrossed in loving on our little one. Nevertheless, the day began and we were set to take the 40 week chalkboard picture. Before Pat could even get set to take it, I began bawling. Needless to say, I can't believe the picture turned out. The morning was all about the same, spent on the verge of tears.

At 11:00 or so, one of my co-workers emailed me and told me to head home and take a long lunch. I was so grateful that! Once I got home, Pat told me I didn't have to go back to work, because he had arranged for me to have the afternoon off. How amazing!  He surprised me with flowers, one of my favorite snacks, and tickets to the I-cubs game that started at 12:05. It was so wonderful! We hurried down to the ballpark and spent the afternoon eating bbq nachos and watching a great baseball game. After the game, we took the dogs to Gray's Lake and walked.

It was WONDERFUL!!!!!

I have the best husband, I am so amazingly blessed with a man that really does understand me and knows when I need to take some time away. He is going to be such a great dad!

 And this is what I look like dead asleep with a pooch on my face after a long day!

Much Love,

The Wood Pile

Lennon Update #32

Today is Lennon’s original due date!  I am not quite sure why they give a specific day for the anticipated arrival for a baby, it seems like such a cruel joke to play on a soon-to-be-mom that has hormones through the roof and a soon-to-be-dad that feels completely helpless.  That being said, Chelsey and I are doing great! :)  In all reality we are doing very well, we are just so incredibly excited to meet Lennon and love on him.  This is the 40^th week of the pregnancy and Lennon should be about the size of a small pumpkin.  The average newborn is 7.5 pounds and 20 inches long, hopefully he is right around there and not enormous like I was.  Chelsey has been sleeping very well for about the last week.  While sleeping well is great, Chelsey would much rather sacrifice her sleep to wake up with some contractions.  To this point, Chelsey has really only experienced Braxton Hicks contractions.  The Braxton Hicks contractions are occurring more frequently and Lennon is running out of room which are both restricting his movements.  The best moments this past week for Chelsey was having Friday off work to pamper herself and relax, spending time with family on Easter, and her dad arrived in town this week. 

In addition to everything else that Chelsey is missing, she misses walking through the grocery store or some other public place without strangers staring or asking when she is due.  I do not know how she handles it with such grace.  If it were me, I would probably start tearing people’s heads off.  Now I sound like the one with hormones through the roof!  Chelsey has been such a sweet and beautiful pregnant lady this entire time, she noticed that in the past weeks her emotions have succumbed to the list of pregnancy symptoms.  As long as I have known Chelsey, she has been a very emotionally steady person, and I can tell that it is difficult for her to be so up and down.  I try to reassure her that it will all be done in due time and he will be here before we know it (I think I am simultaneously reassuring myself).   At this week’s doctor’s appointment we found out that Chelsey is about 75% effaced and we are still waiting for more progress.  We found out that if Chelsey has not made much progress at her next appointment they will look at scheduling some tests to determine his size and talk about inducing labor.  This is a little scary just because induction has a high correlation with caesarean, so hopefully he will come on his own.  It is difficult to express how much we want to meet him, I am sure all parents feel this way, it is difficult to focus on anything else because we want nothing more than to meet him and love him. 

We hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers.

Much Love,

The Wood Pile

Bright

I received flowers today from a very good friend of mine. It's an amazing blessing to have people in your life that know what you need before you even realize you need it. This was one of those things. So THANK YOU a million times over!

Lennon Update #31

Greetings from urgent care! Do not panic, Chelsey and Lennon are doing just fine. Last night I was working out and when I was finishing a lift and putting the weight down I felt a pretty serious pop in my wrist.  So I am thumb typing this update with my one good hand on my phone.  So forgive me if there are a lot of typos.  This is the 39th week of the pregnancy and Lennon should be around 7 pounds and 20 inches long.  Chelsey is so glad that I get to write another update... Not! Chels and I are both so anxious to meet our little man, but he is very happy and content to gestate a little longer.  Being able to hold him and love on him is consuming our thoughts and most of our conversations and clearly what we are looking forward to most. We received some wonderful news at Chelsey's doctor's appointment on Monday, Lennon is now engaged and Chels is 70% effaced. It could be any day now that we get to meet him.
The news that it could be any day has taken a little bit of a toll on both of us. However, I feel worse for Chelsey as it seems like every morning she is so excited that it could be today and then sometime after dinner you can tell she is bummed that another day has passed and we haven't been able to meet him. This uncertainty and anxiety prompted Chels to say the thing she is missing is her patience as she is praying the Lord will give her more patience. I will give her credit though, every day she is able see the positive as she shakes it off and says "oh well, one day closer to meeting him."  I love her optimism so much.  Something that I thought was kind of funny and Chelsey did not find amusing happened this week.  It requires a bit of an explanation, but when our friends down the street brought home their daughter from the hospital about a year and a half ago we visited them that night.  While we were each taking our turn holding their adorable daughter we saw a mouse scurry across the room and slip under their pocket door. That was the first and to my knowledge only mouse they have ever seen in their house.  Wouldn't you know it, Tuesday when I went downstairs to workout, I saw a mouse dart across the ground and under our stairs.  This was the first time we have ever seen a mouse in our house, I got excited and when Chelsey got up I told her I saw a good baby omen.  Initially she was excited, but as I told her what I witnessed, I don't think I have seen her face turn from excitement to disgust so quickly. 
Thought I should provide a quick update.  No broken bones, a very strained ligament and a splint and I should be good in a couple weeks.  We hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers.

Love,
P, C, & L (the woodpile)

So Many Updates!

Since the very begining of this pregnancy, Pat or I have sent out an update to close friends and family about how the pregnancy is progressing. I thought it would be nice to share our journey with everyone who reads the blog.

Much Love,

The Wood Pile

Lennon Update #30 (from 3/29/12)

Sorry for the delay on the update today, I have been very busy and Chelsey was also busy and unable to assume the update responsibilities today.  This is the 38th week of the pregnancy and Lennon is approximately the size of a watermelon.  That means he should be about 19.5 inches and 6.7 pounds, give or take.  It was great doctor’s appointment this past Monday. We were able to hear his heartbeat for quite a long time.  The doctor wanted to see how reactive Lennon’s heartbeat was, meaning how it changed over time or changed with Chelsey’s breathing.  Evidently it is an indicator of how well he is prepared for living outside the womb.  The doctor said Lennon’s heartbeat was “very reactive” and that was great to hear.  The other best moment of the week was having date night.  It is becoming increasingly difficult but we are trying to soak up every last minute of it just being us and our dogs.  One thing that I have found interesting is it is becoming difficult for both of us, obviously more difficult for Chelsey, but we are both struggling to concentrate and finding ourselves consumed with thoughts of meeting Lennon and having him in our lives. 

Chelsey’s laundry list of things she is missing continues to grow but she remains positive, stating that it has all been worth it for our little L man.  I know she has enjoyed the pregnancy but she is really looking forward to being identified as herself rather than the pregnant one with the basketball under her shirt.  I would not be able to handle it.  Chelsey consistently has strangers tell her how low she is carrying and that it will be any day now.  She is so much more gracious than I would be, she just smiles and moves along.  Lennon is still moving like crazy and is doing this thing where he stretches out and makes Chelsey’s stomach take these freaky shapes.  Chelsey keeps explaining to him that he would have much more room if he would just get out here.  It is pretty entertaining to hear Chelsey’s conversations with her belly.  Not much else going on in our lives, we are both so incredibly excited for his arrival. 

Hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Patrick, Chelsey, & Lennon

Lennon Update #29 (from 3/22/12)

Lennon is full term!!!  This is the 37th week of the pregnancy and that means if Lennon was born today his lungs should be fully developed and would most likely be a happy and healthy baby!  He should be measuring about 19 inches and 6 and 1/3 pounds.  Lennon reaching full term is by far the best moment this week.  Chelsey has felt so much more relieved that he could be born at any moment and be healthy.  Also, my work had a shower for us yesterday and it was very fun. We got a bunch of very fun stuff to match Lennon’s nursery.  Chelsey still misses being comfortable and with this recent temperature spike she wishes she could have a Mojito.  Before long our mint plant will be in and I can make her some fun summery drinks. 

This week Chelsey gained two more pounds and is maintaining her maternity clothes lineup.  However, with this recent warm spell she was able to squeeze into some stretchy skirts and still looks as beautiful as ever.  No labor signs to speak of yet, Chelsey is hoping those will start soon.  She has been fortunate to avoid any stretch marks or swelling and is sleeping pretty well still.  Lennon is wiggling like crazy, there isn’t much room in there to move around.  He is causing some hip and pelvic pain or pressure, but that is a good sign that he is in the right position.  All we are really looking forward to now is Lennon’s arrival, we are so excited to have him here!

Hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Patrick, Chelsey, & Lennon

Lennon Update #28 (from 3/15/12)

Lennon is soaking up some Vitamin D!  We had record high temperatures in Iowa yesterday and are going to probably have them again today and tomorrow.  It was almost 80 and sunny yesterday and that should stay through the weekend.  The warmth and sunshine has brightened Chelsey’s spirit, she was able to sit outside and read over lunch.  This is the 36th week of the pregnancy and  Lennon is measuring about 18.5 inches and 6 pounds.  Lennon is gaining on average an ounce a day and that was reflected in this week’s doctor’s appointment.  Chelsey was measuring 3 weeks ahead, but no dilation or other signs of labor.  Chelsey still experiences some Braxton Hicks contractions pretty regularly.  The BH contractions have started to affect Chelsey’s sleep.  Almost every night Chelsey wakes up with a contraction around 3am and once those pass her mind wanders for a little bit before she is able to fall back asleep.  Overall, sleep is going well as long as her mind doesn’t wander for too long. 

The list of things Chelsey is missing is getting longer as time goes on and she continues to grow.  Chels is still really missing her ability to work out.  With this amazing weather, Chels really wants to run outside, she keeps saying that it is torture.   Walking is getting more and more difficult so I understand how it seems like torture.  Lennon’s head is down and Chels is experiencing quite a bit of pelvic pain, hopefully it doesn’t get worse when he is engaged otherwise she might be immobile.   One very cool thing, one night this week we were able to feel Lennon’s entire bottom half.  Chelsey’s belly was incredibly soft before we were going to bed and we were able to follow the curve of his bottom and able to clearly feel his thigh, calf, and little feet.  It was very cool!  Also, if you are interested, Chelsey has created a blog that we will try to keep up with after Lennon is born.  One of us will try to update it about once a week (not a firm commitment) and definitely share pictures of Lennon!  The blog is http://pandcwoodpile.blogspot.com/ and it will serve as our family updates and notes to him that we welcome all out of town family and friends to visit. 

Hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Patrick, Chelsey, & Lennon

Lennon Update #27 (from 3/8/12)

35 weeks along = 35 days to go!

Week 34 was a pretty uneventful one, so this update will be short and sweet. Lennon is growing like a weed, as he should be!  Topping the scales at 5.25 lbs and 18 inches long (he doesn’t have much room in there). However, no weight gain for Mama this week! I was pretty excited about that this morning as you might expect. Dr. Newland said it’s very normal for mothers’ weight gain to stall or to even lose weight from now until delivery.

Sleep didn’t come as nicely as it has over the past few weeks. I am starting to feel more like a turtle on its back when I try to change positions in bed. I am also chalking up the difficulty sleeping to more Braxton hicks contractions. I am starting to have quite a few each day, which is to be expected. They never hurt, but they do make my back ache and make me nauseous. Fun!  Still no stretch marks and no cravings. I am hungry all of the time, but I think that comes with the territory at this point. My belly button continues to be in a strange half in and half out formation.

Lennon’s head is nice and stuck in my pelvis which is making walking very difficult and quite painful if I try to walk any sort of distance. I am just so thankful that he isn’t breech, so I will deal with the pain! Tuesday was so beautiful here!  It was 72 degrees according to my car on the way home from work. I am feeling so blessed this winter hasn’t been very cold or difficult weather wise, that has sure been a blessing.

We are looking forward to starting weekly doctor’s appointments on Monday. I can’t believe it! We are also looking forward to having Great-Grandma Christoffers here for the weekend. We are so glad she will get to see Lennon’s room and the baby bump before her first great-grandbaby arrives.

We hope this update finds you all happy and healthy!

Much love,

Chelsey, Patrick and Lennon

Lennon Update #26 (from 3/1/12)

This is the 34th week of the pregnancy and Lennon is gaining weight like crazy.  He is about 4.75 pounds and 18 inches long.  Lennon is now adding weight to his fat layers which he will need to regulate his body temperature once he is born.  This is probably the reason Chels has gained a couple of pounds each of the last couple weeks and her inability to workout.  Chelsey is up 27 pounds overall and making up for losing/not gaining weight in the first trimester.  Chels really wants it to warm up so she can start wearing dresses, right now she wishes she could wear yoga pants constantly.  It was funny, earlier this week Chelsey sent me a quick email and said that she just had an unpleasant realization, is no longer able to cross her legs.  On the plus side, Chelsey has been sleeping really well and is still avoiding stretch marks and swelling. 

This past week went well.  I missed my first doctor’s appointment two weeks ago when I had auditors at work and I was able to go again this week.  It was great!  I love hearing his heartbeat even if it is only for a few seconds.  Our nurse told Chelsey that she is the model pregnant woman.  She is still measuring a little ahead but all is good!  Lennon is carrying very low and Chelsey is experiencing pelvic pain whenever she walks.  This has caused her to cut out almost all workouts.  He gets the hiccups almost three or four times a day which cause all sorts of movement.  This past week Chelsey has been craving fruit and Costco is now carrying cheap pineapple and Chelsey is in love!  We are both really looking forward to the little man’s arrival and cannot believe it is March already. 

Hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Patrick, Chelsey, & Lennon

Lennon Update #25 (from 2/23/12)

Chelsey wrote such a great update last week we are now going to be trading off on the chalkboard and update until the arrival of Lennon.  I am going to try to keep the updates short and sweet.  This is the 33rd week of the pregnancy and Lennon is about the size of a honeydew melon.  Lennon should be about 17.25 inches long and about 4.25 pounds.  He is growing like crazy, Chelsey is up about 25 pounds overall.  Her annoyance with maternity clothes is growing with her belly, they are just pushing on her belly and becoming more uncomfortable.  As you can imagine Chelsey is missing pants that do not have a belly panel.  Fortunately, Chelsey has been able to avoid stretch marks and really all swelling, she is the epitome of “all belly.”  Her wedding rings are still on, her belly button is still half in and half out, and sleep has been great this week.
The best moment Chelsey had this past week was getting her new car!  We have a lot more room for Lennon and all the equipment that comes along with him.  It is great to see how excited Chelsey has been and to know that she and Lennon will be nice and safe.  Lennon is still moving quite a bit, he seems to be getting hiccups before Chelsey is falling asleep.  There were no major cravings, a few days Chelsey really enjoyed pancakes, but nothing major.  A kind of funny thing happened this week, Chelsey was visiting the chiropractor and he said that Lennon is in position and ready to go and Chelsey’s hips have started to open up.  The chiropractor proceeded to tell Chelsey that Lennon will be coming early, he guessed only a few weeks.  This bold estimate made Chelsey a little nervous and glad we have already done so much preparation.  It is kind of surreal to think, it really could be any time now.  Chelsey and I are both so excited for him to be here but we are trying to soak up these last few weekends of relaxation and our little family.
Hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Patrick, Chelsey, & Lennon

Lennon Update #24 (from 2/16/12)

Mommy Wood updating you today!  Pat is very busy with an audit at work this week, so I decided to take over the writing reigns.

Week 31 was very eventful. This past weekend we had our first baby shower. Kate, Kelsey, Mom and Mary hosted a wonderful shower for us here in Des Moines. It was so nice! It was wonderful to chat with everyone who was able to come. Thank you again to all of our family and friends for your love, support and generosity. Lennon is going to be one spoiled little boy!

Another exciting event from week 31 was a doctor’s appointment on Monday. Mom joined me this week for the appointment and that was fun! Drum roll please for news from the appointment….Lennon has flipped and his head is down!  On Saturday morning I told Pat that I swore he had flipped over during the night, and by golly, he had. Let’s pray he stays that way until he is ready to make his appearance. Another interesting development from our appointment is that my belly is measuring big. As of now, I am measuring a week and a half ahead. Dr. Newland said we would monitor this, and if I am consistently big, they will do an ultrasound. We are hoping that his apparent growth spurt and his early flip into position might mean he will grace us with his presence a little earlier than 40 weeks, but we will see!

Today is the start of week 32. It’s very strange to think that we could only have 8 weekends until he is born… 8! (give or take)  As of this week, I am up to 22 lbs gained and my belly is feeling very big. Now that he is down, I pretty much waddle everywhere and I have started to have pain in my hips. My sleep has improved much this week and I am thankful for that. Strangely enough, my belly button has managed to stay in.  Well… more like half in and half out. No stretch marks or swelling to speak of. I am craving sweets more this week, and I swear Starburst jelly beans are going to be the death of me. Lennon is moving like crazy. His movements are much different now that he is head down (and sideways I might add). It’s fun to feel feet pushing and to pat his little bum sitting under my ribs.

We hope this update finds you all happy and healthy. Thank you again for your love and prayers for us and our little boy.

Much Love,

Chelsey, Patrick, and Lennon

Lennon Update #23 (from 2/9/12)

This week Chelsey allowed me to guest draw on the chalkboard, not nearly as fancy as her drawings usually are, but it was pretty fun.  This is the 31st week of the pregnancy and Lennon is the size of a pineapple! This week he is approximately 16.5 inches and 3.25 pounds and over the coming weeks most babies head into a growth spurt.  This is not good news because Chelsey is getting annoyed with her maternity pants.  Leggings have become a staple of her wardrobe as the stretchy panel that covers her belly on the maternity pants is becoming uncomfortable.   This is all being overshadowed though as we will be trading in Chelsey’s car for a new car.  Chelsey classifies it as a scary moment, I say it was rather mundane, but we tried to put Lennon’s car seat in the back of her car and it was really tight.  So long story short, we shopped it around a little and we will be taking possession of a new Subaru Forester in a couple weeks.  It is nice to see Chelsey so excited and know that Lennon will be safe and comfortable in Chelsey’s new car. 

A little more weight gain this week, up 21 pounds overall.  Chelsey is really missing her ability to work out hard.  Last Tuesday was her last day of kickboxing during the pregnancy and her back thanks her!  While her back feels much better, Chelsey misses pushing herself.  The most exercise she is getting is walking and lifting light weights and some days even that isn’t very comfortable.  Only 9 or so more weeks to go!  Lennon is still moving like crazy.  His movement has changed from punches and kicks to more slow and firm pushes like he is stretching.  He really likes resting his head directly below Chelsey’s right rib cage. Chelsey rubs his head a lot hoping he doesn’t get too comfortable there.  Hopefully in the coming weeks he will begin shifting and have his head down… we don’t want a breech baby! This week Chelsey is really looking forward to her baby shower this weekend.  I can’t believe it is already here and Chels is so excited to have everyone together.  One other fun moment this past week was ordering Lennon’s outfit that he will come home from the hospital in, he is going to be a stud!

Hope this reaches all of you well and thank you for keeping Chelsey and Lennon in your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Patrick, Chelsey, & Lennon