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We have had lots of questions about what kind of baby Ethan is. He has been great! He seems to be pretty laid back. He is quite content being awake and taking in the world around him and is a pretty alert baby. He does, however, already have things he loves and hates. He loves: being held, cuddling, baths (in the real tub), EATING, grunting, filling diapers (preferably right after we change him) and making funny faces. He hates: being hungry, being cold, and too much activity around him. He sleeps pretty well, about 3-4 hours in between feedings. We really couldn't be any happier with him and are enjoying every moment we get to spend together!
Over the weekend we had an opportunity to have some quality family time. On Saturday morning we went over to Mike's mom's house to bake and decorate Christmas cookies. It's a yearly tradition and we love doing it! This year was a little different in that of course Ethan was around and Lainey was old enough to help - kind of :)! Lainey had been a little jealous of the little man in the past, but she was great with him on cookie day! (She was even kissing him at the time this pic was taken - we just didn't catch it) Lainey helped uncle Mike change Ethan's diaper and was very concerned that he had his pacifier and blanket with him at all times! The super cute Christmas bib in the above pic was a present from aunt Kelly - don't you love it!?
Later on, we went to my mom's house to visit. Kileigh is also very interested in Ethan and is really wanting to help with anything we are doing. When it is diaper changing time, she gets our diaper bag and pulls out everything we will need. When it is time to feed, she is more than willing to help me (haha) feed him and to help pat his back to make him burp when he is finished - she even makes the sound for him sometimes. She has also started to imitate what we are doing with Ethan with her baby. She feeds her baby - under the shirt - rocks her, puts her in the swing, changes her diaper, etc. Right before the picture below, she was following Mike around, holding her baby the same way, rocking her to make her stop crying. The two little cousins are really fun and entertaining to be around. I can already tell they are going to be quite protective of their little boy cousin!
On Friday, Mike, Ethan, Courtney, Kileigh, my mom and I all went to the Janesville Mall to meet Santa. While we were in line, we tried to prep Ki by talking about "Ho Ho," as she calls him, and how nice he is and how we all wanted to sit with him. She was smiling and pointing at him and seemed to be really excited. We had planned on getting a picture with Ki and Ethan together with Santa, and, as you can see below, only Ethan is featured with Santa. Poor Co tried to give Ki to Santa and she FREAKED out! Kind of funny for all of us, not so much for her. She now calls him Ho Ho Scary :) Ethan on the other hand, slept through the whole thing. Santa wanted to take the rest of the day off with him.
Don't you love the little sweater vest?? This is going to be Ethan's outfit for Christmas Eve :)
Sorry it took us a whole week to post but we are proud to introduce our new little man Ethan Michael Ekedahl! For those of you who don't know the numbers, he was born at 5:48 on Thanksgiving morning, weighed 7 lb 15 oz, was 20 inches long, and came out screaming! The labor went really really well, I don't think I could have asked for better. My contractions started at my mom's house around 8:15pm after preparing my contribution for Thanksgiving. All that cooking must have made him excited for real food! We got to the hospital around 10pm and I was already 4cm! An hour later I was 6cm and decided it was time for an epidural before it was too late to get one. From there, I was complete at 4:15 am and delivered just before six. It was tough work but we couldn't be happier!
The first few days have gone really well. I am breastfeeding so the first few days were a little rough since my milk wasn't in yet, but things have greatly improved in the last few days. He is sleeping between 2 - 4 1/2 hours in between feedings at night, which is actually pretty nice! His awake time seems to be in the morning between 8am and 11am. We take full advantage of those big blue eyes during that time. Mike has become quite the pro at changing diapers. He says since I have to feed Ethan, the least he can do is change the dirty diapers. Overall, I would say Mike and I couldn't be any happier than we have been for the last week! Ethan has completed our little family - for now :) - and we couldn't love him more!
For the last tidbit of news, we went to Madison yesterday for Ethan's follow up appointment for his kidneys. He had an ultrasound and a VCUG (for this test they placed a catheter, injected dye into his bladder and watched to see if urine was backing up into his kidneys). The tests showed that his left kidney is 100% normal and his right one is still a little swollen. The doctor said it is the mildest form of the swelling so nothing to be all to concerned about. We have another ultrasound, no VCUG thank God, in another month to see if the right kidney improves.
That's it for now. I'll be updating pictures on here probably weekly since he changes so quickly! Until then, we will be busy cuddling and loving our new little man!
Today I had yet another doctor appointment. My cervix is still closed and 50% thinned out - so no change since the last appointment. My doctor talked about induction and, after talking with Mike about it, we decided we want to let it just happen naturally. After she told me being induced doubles your risk of having a c-section, it was a no-brainer. Also, being induced would mean constant monitoring and not really any ability to walk through the contractions, making the likelihood of needing/wanting an epidural way greater.
The only other real news from the appointment is that I am still measuring a couple of weeks smaller than normal. I am measuring 35 weeks, although I am technically a bit over 37 weeks. So, if next week my dates are off by more than 2 weeks, she is recommending an ultrasound (AGAIN!) to make sure he is growing appropriately. From feeling on the outside of my belly, she guesses he is about average - 6 1/2 pounds right now and about 7 to 7 1/2 at birth!
Next appointment is again next Thursday - wish me luck!
Last weekend we had a great time in Lake Geneva where we celebrated the marriage of Mike's uncle Tom and his new wife Anne. The whole thing took place on a big boat out on the lake. We celebrated by eating a SUPER yummy seafood buffet, drinking (for some :)), and going out on the town at night. It was a great time - congratulations Tom and Anne!! Below are some pictures of the day. Notice all of the pretty fall colors!
Another milestone this week is that I just turned 36 weeks on Tuesday! We never thought I would make it to this point, but are ecstatic we did. The little guy should now be able to come straight home with us, rather than spending extra time in the hospital! I also had my doctor appointment on Thursday, and found out I am still the same - closed and 50% thinned out. After anticipating an early delivery, it is now looking like we will be lucky to deliver by our due date!
Other changes this week, unfortunately, include adding on some nice water weight. My face and fingers have gotten pretty puffy - I even had to take off my wedding ring, just to be safe. My next appointment is again on Thursday - I'll post again with any news following the appointment! Finally, since all of your prayers worked so well to keep him inside, feel free to start praying for him to come out soon :)
It has been a busy couple of weeks for us. To start off I attached a picture of the baby quilt my mom and I made. It took a lot of time, effort, and a lot of backaches for us both but I think it turned out really nice!
As you know, I started my 4 hour shifts a couple weeks ago now. They went pretty well with just a little cramping afterward. Last Thursday (10/15), I had another OB appointment to evaluate the situation, and the news that came back was great. I am still not dilated and the only change was that his head dropped down into my pelvis more. The doctor says that is a good sign he will stay head down and is exactly where I want to be at this point. So, as of 10/15 I went back to work doing my full 8 hour shifts. Let me tell ya, I am definitely out of shape from my 8 weeks of laying around! My next appointment will be next Thursday (10/29), so we will see if anything changes!
On the same day as my appointment my work threw me a really nice baby shower. I hadn't seen everyone in awhile so it was nice to catch up on everyone's news and all of the endless work gossip :) I was also grateful because, being nurses, they fully stocked all of the breastfeeding products I could ever dream of having - including some really neat strips that determine the amount of alcohol in your breast milk!
Next on our list of activities, was a night out with one of Mike's work friends and his wife to an MMA (mixed martial arts) event in Rockford, IL. I know it sounds dumb, but we love watching it! If you have ever seen UFC, it's the same as that only for local fighters. It was pretty intense, and there was a lot of blood shed, but we loved it and hope to do it again in the near future. As you can see from the picture below, we were pretty close to the ring!
Finally, today we had another baby shower - this time at Mike's work. Again, we were blessed with many nice gifts and great food!
Today was also the day of my UW Children's Hospital appointment. The appointment was a consult with a pediatric urologist (who I loved!) to figure out a plan for the baby's kidneys following birth. Mike's mom joined me on the trip up and was super helpful - I listened to everything the doctor said while she took notes so we could look back if we needed a refresher b/c it was A LOT of info! The overall plan is that he will be born just like any other baby - we don't need to deliver early or have any special birthing plans. Following birth, the doctor recommended that, since the dilation is found in both of his kidneys, he be put on Amoxicillin as a preventative measure right when he is born. He also recommended a circumcision - which we were going to do anyway. Then, within 5-7 days of birth, he wants to see us back up in Madison to run some tests on the little guy. They will be doing an ultrasound, to check if the kidneys are still dilated, and will also put in a catheter (OUCH! - poor little man) and inject dye into his bladder to see if the urine is backing up into his kidneys. Following the tests, the Dr. will determine whether or not he needs surgery. Overall, the stats look good in that 85% of little ones that show this type of problem on ultrasound do not need surgery!
Whew, I think that's all the news I can give ya for now, but I will send out a quick update next week after my next appointment! Love ya!
We have had lots of questions about what kind of baby Ethan is. He has been great! He seems to be pretty laid back. He is quite content being awake and taking in the world around him and is a pretty alert baby. He does, however, already have things he loves and hates. He loves: being held, cuddling, baths (in the real tub), EATING, grunting, filling diapers (preferably right after we change him) and making funny faces. He hates: being hungry, being cold, and too much activity around him. He sleeps pretty well, about 3-4 hours in between feedings. We really couldn't be any happier with him and are enjoying every moment we get to spend together!
Over the weekend we had an opportunity to have some quality family time. On Saturday morning we went over to Mike's mom's house to bake and decorate Christmas cookies. It's a yearly tradition and we love doing it! This year was a little different in that of course Ethan was around and Lainey was old enough to help - kind of :)! Lainey had been a little jealous of the little man in the past, but she was great with him on cookie day! (She was even kissing him at the time this pic was taken - we just didn't catch it) Lainey helped uncle Mike change Ethan's diaper and was very concerned that he had his pacifier and blanket with him at all times! The super cute Christmas bib in the above pic was a present from aunt Kelly - don't you love it!?
Later on, we went to my mom's house to visit. Kileigh is also very interested in Ethan and is really wanting to help with anything we are doing. When it is diaper changing time, she gets our diaper bag and pulls out everything we will need. When it is time to feed, she is more than willing to help me (haha) feed him and to help pat his back to make him burp when he is finished - she even makes the sound for him sometimes. She has also started to imitate what we are doing with Ethan with her baby. She feeds her baby - under the shirt - rocks her, puts her in the swing, changes her diaper, etc. Right before the picture below, she was following Mike around, holding her baby the same way, rocking her to make her stop crying. The two little cousins are really fun and entertaining to be around. I can already tell they are going to be quite protective of their little boy cousin!
