Happy Easter/Anniversary!

Our 7th anniversary happened to fall on Easter this year. With a new baby and Sean in finals, we decided to keep this anniversary low key. We had a great day just hanging out together and had a yummy Easter dinner at my sister's house. Thanks to my friend Heidi who volunteered to babysit, Sean and I were able to go out to Tucanos for dinner last night (we took Bode with us and he slept the entire time). Seven great years together so far, and many many more to come!

Last week we were invited to an Easter egg hunt. It was one of my first solo outings with the boys, and I am happy to report it went well! Jackson has been obsessed with plastic Easter eggs this year, so I knew he would love it. It was funny because as soon as he found an egg he would open it and start eating the candy before looking for another one. :)

Belle, Ashton and Jackson after the egg hunt

Jackson wasn't so sure about the Easter bunny...

Face painting!

We dyed Easter eggs last weekend.

My sweet boys

I told Jackson he had Shrek hands from the dye (which happened to be on tv while we were coloring the eggs)

Easter morning

The "Easter Rabbit" (as Jackson calls him) came!

And there was even a little basket for Bode--comprised of gifts from other bunnies ;)

Candy and eggs aside, we are so grateful for our Savior and His example and sacrifice.

We hope everyone had a happy Easter and happy anniversary to us!

A small mishap

While at the hospital after having Bode, Jackson had a minor incident. My mom said she heard him running down the hall and then heard a big thump. When she ran to get him, she found this:

Notice the hole in the door on the bottom right.

Wonder how he managed to punch a hole through our door?

Why, with his forehead, of course!

We're guessing he must have tripped and hit the door with his head. Though our doors are not high end, we were all quite impressed that he managed to punch a hole through it. Also impressive that his scratches were in a nearly perfect circle.

Jackson has been enjoying telling people what happened to his forehead when they ask. He shows them our door like it is a badge of honor. Glad he can smile about it. Funny kid!

Introducing the newest member of our family!

Bode McEwen Ricks

Born April 13 at 1:03 pm at 36 weeks and 6 days! Weight: 7 lbs, 12 oz. Height: 19 inches.

We are so happy this little guy is here! He is doing awesome and is so strong! I was thinking we might have another baby in the NICU, but not so! He came out breathing just fine on his own and took to nursing like a pro! We think he is so handsome and are so proud of him :)

We decided to name him Bode (pronounced bo-dee) basically because we both just really like it. I love "Bo" too and liked that it would work as a nickname. McEwen is Sean's middle name (and his mother's maiden name) and I have always loved it. We thought it sounded good with Bode, so it stuck. :)

Here's the short and sweet labor story if you are interested-- Last Monday I went back to the hospital and got my routine blood testing done. My blood platelets came back low again and they were getting low enough that if they went down much more I would not be able to have an epidural. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and we discussed options. I was originally scheduled to be induced tomorrow (the 19th) but the doctor was nervous that my platelets would go down again and I could get sick. I was not crazy about the idea of not getting an epidural. After much discussion, we decided it would be best to induce me the following day. I was just shy of 37 weeks. Both Sean and I felt at peace with the decision and it was nice to finally have some sort of plan!

Final belly shot in the hospital before being induced:

The labor was honestly a dream come true. I was given the pitocin a little after 8 am and Bode was born at 1:03 pm. I got the epidural around 10:00 and was dilated to a 4. By 12:30 pm I was at a 10. I could have delivered then, but they actually told me not to push and to try and hold off because I was supposed to have the antibiotic they had given me in my system for four hours. At 1 pm I started pushing and Bode was here 3 minutes later. Pretty much the easiest thing ever. I almost started laughing because I just couldn't believe it could be that easy!

Just after Bode was born:

Back in the mother/baby room:

So far Jackson has been a great big brother. No poking eyes out or major tantrums... yet! ;) He is protective of "baby Bode" and gives him lots of love.

Ready to go home!

A few pics with his eyes open!

He has two dimples just like Jackson:

We feel so blessed he is here safe and sound and that he is doing so well! We're having a great time cuddling him and kissing his chubby cheeks. I forgot how much I love newborns. I love the way they smell and how soft they are. I love the little sounds they make and their total dependence on you.

The hospital offered a photographer to take pictures of Bode while we were there. I wasn't expecting much, but when I saw the pictures they took, I ended up buying the cd because there were a few shots I ended up loving. I didn't really have professional pictures taken of Jackson until he was 7 or 8 weeks old, which is what I plan to do with Bode, but I thought it would be fun to have some really newborn ones. Here are my favorites of the ones they took:

B&W version

Welcome to our family, kiddo! :)

Another update

Went to the hospital this morning for another round of blood tests. My liver enzymes went down, meaning I will not be induced today! :) I am very excited to meet this guy, but so glad for the extra time. Grateful more prayers have been answered.

I will be 37 weeks next Thursday, so we'll see how close we can get!

8 months and an update

Well we weren't sure we were going to make it to 8 months, but I am so glad we did!

My blood tests and 24-hr. protein test came back Monday and for the most part the results were good. My blood platelets and protein came back much improved and well within normal range. The doctor said he's never really seen such a turn around and joked I would be the big topic at their next conference. He's pretty sure preeclampsia is not an issue at this point. My liver function test did come back elevated, but this is common with people who have cholestasis. I went in again Thursday for another round of testing. Again, blood platelets were great, but liver function went up again. Blood pressure is still good.

So the plan as of today is to get retested again Monday. If my liver function goes up yet again, my doctor said he thinks it will be time to induce. If the level gets better or plateaus, we will continue the waiting game and retesting every few days up until 37 weeks. On Monday I will be 35 1/2 weeks along. Still early, but it sure sounds a lot better than 33 weeks did! And though I am trying to prepare myself for a possible delivery Monday, I keep reminding myself that the labs could totally reverse in our favor again. Obviously I am hoping to keep him in the oven as long as possible, but I am feeling confident this little guy is going to be born when the time is right, whenever that is. We'll still take any prayers anyone wants to send our way! :)

I did go in for an ultrasound Wednesday to see how the baby is measuring. When I got home from the hospital and weighed myself, I was pretty surprised to find out I had lost five pounds. The doctor measured my stomach and I measured fine, but he ordered an ultrasound just to be sure. The ultrasound went great and following in the footsteps of his big brother, the baby is actually measuring 2 weeks early. Not sure if my weight loss was due to stress, water retention, hospital food, or a combo, but I am using it as my excuse to eat whatever I want until I deliver!

Here is a cute face shot the ultrasound technician got:

Looks a lot like Jackson I think. Same nose and lips :) Pretty excited to meet this guy!

I've had better weeks

Spent the last week in the hospital and let me tell you what a fun experience that was.

The friday before last, 3/18, I started having sharp pains in my abdomen every time the baby would kick. I was only about 33 weeks along. I called the doctor when it started hurting pretty bad and they sent me to the hospital for a non-stress test. I am used to getting NSTs because I am required to do them twice a week anyway because I also have a condition called cholestasis of pregnancy. So I went in not expecting much, and though the baby was doing great according to the NST, they admitted me overnight at the hospital because they could not come up with an explanation for the pain. The pain got worse-- to the point where I had to have help walking and simple things like changing positions on the hospital bed would take five minutes.

They did a lot of blood testing and found that my liver enzymes were elevated and my blood platelets were a little bit low. My blood pressure was totally fine. They also did an ultrasound on my liver and kidneys and found that my kidneys were swollen. On top of that they did a CT scan to check my appendix and gallbladder-- both fine. The scan showed I have kidney stones in both of my kidneys, so they originally thought maybe that was a cause for the pain. However, as time went on, where the pain was manifesting and the fact that I wasn't passing any stones made them think kidney stones were not the problem. The doctor ordered a 24-hour urine test to check for protein (loads of fun) and when it came back it showed me as being in the preeclampsia range. That combined with the elevated liver function and low blood platelets worried the doctors as being a form of atypical preeclampsia (basically preeclampsia without the high blood pressure). At this point I had seen several doctors who had also conferred with a few specialists at the hospital. The specialists were pretty convinced it was preeclampsia and that I needed to be delivered as soon as I hit 34 weeks. My doctor wasn't entirely convinced so he kept me in the hospital and kept repeating the tests to see if there was any change.

Much to everyone's surprise, the labs started getting better. My liver function started coming down and my platelets started going up. Because my pain was starting to ease (and because I think they could tell I was going to have a nervous breakdown if I didn't get out of the hospital) they let me go home on bed rest, with plans to continue the NSTs and regular blood testing.

I got home and was feeling ok for a few hours, but before I knew it, new pain started and I started panicking. I started having pain in my shoulders and chest and it was really painful to breathe. Sean took me back to the hospital and they re-admitted me. Again, the baby was doing just fine and was being monitored closely. The fact that I was having such difficulty breathing made the doctors worry I could possibly have a blood clot. So once again I was wheeled down for a CT scan of my lungs. They tried to have me lay down on the table for the scan and I honestly could not do it. It was the most severe pain I have ever felt. When they got me on my back I honestly could not breathe. They had to send me back upstairs in the hospital for pain medication and we had to wait for it to take effect before trying to lay me on my back again. Luckily the medicine worked and I was able to lay on my back for the scan. And we were very happy that the scan showed no sign of a blot clot.

Basically from that point on I was just in the hospital and having tests repeated on me every 12 hours. The pain started easing again and my labs continued to get better and better til eventually the liver function and platelets were in the normal range. The doctors ordered a new 24-hr urine test and it came back thursday morning in the normal range. By thursday I was feeling MUCH better and once again they decided to let me go home with the same instructions of NSTs twice a week and regular testing.

I have been home since Thursday and I am still feeling pretty good. I am not 100% and still have random pains here and there, but it is a night and day difference compared to how I had been feeling. I am now 34 1/2 weeks. I was starting to feel like maybe I was in the clear, when I found out this morning that the lab at the hospital messed up my last 24-hour urine test. This was the test the doctors were really concerned with, so when it came back in the normal range on thursday, they felt good about sending me home. The fact that now I have to repeat the test because of error makes me extremely frustrated and nervous all over again. I do take comfort in the fact that my other labs have improved a lot, and just hope at this point that this next round of testing (which will be done tomorrow) will yield good results. I had to go in for another NST today and the baby continues to look great on the monitors, which is obviously the most important thing.

Here is what I don't know:
Which of the symptoms I have/had caused the pain
If I truly have preeclampsia
If my 24-hour urine test will show elevated levels of protein in the urine
If the medication I was on for cholestasis could have been the cause for some of the pain
When I will deliver (could be this week if labs are bad or could be as late as 37 weeks-- not later because of the cholestasis)

What I do know:
I still do not have high blood pressure
I have kidney stones and my kidneys are swollen
As of thursday my blood platelets and liver function tests were normal
My appendix is fine
I do not have a blood clot
Spending a week in the hospital sucks

As of right now I am extremely happy to be home and feel very blessed that I have not had to deliver yet. I know this is a direct result of many prayers and a priesthood blessing. Any extra time this little guy has in the womb is a plus. We have had an outpouring of support and help from family, friends, and neighbors and we are really grateful. We really appreciate and welcome all of the prayers in our behalf. My mom and sister have been saints taking care of Jackson all week and he has had such a great time I don't know if he's even missed me! Sean has been an amazing support and I am grateful he is so patient and loving.

So here's to hoping testing goes well these next few days and our son will get more time before he makes his debut. I will try to be better at updating!

Fly Fishing

Sean went fishing last weekend with our friend Brent. Brent is an avid fly fisherman and one of the founders of the Web site Fly Fishing Frenzy. Brent happened to be taking a video for the site while Sean caught a fish, so I thought I'd post it for fun (with permission of course!).