Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas so far!

Yesterday, we had enchiladas for Christmas Eve Dinner. Then we opened family presents. We went to Midnight Mass - which Kaitlyn slept through. She woke up once for a feeding around 4:30, then slept til 8:30!

This morning, we had potato pancakes and applesauce for breakfast. Then we opened presents from Santa and looked in our stockings. Tonight, we will be having lasagna for dinner with a candy cane ice cream cake from Coldstone for dessert. Yummy!

Our Latest Snow Storm

Our last winter storm rolled through Sunday night. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

This is what we opened the door to at 9:30 when Kevin was getting ready to head to work..

A little perspective of how deep that snow is...

And finally, the next morning...

Kaitlyn's Morning at Daycare

Thursday was Kaitlyn's first day at daycare... sort of. Our daycare does a 3 hour day before the children start so they can get to know the kids and the kids get to know them. Kevin and I dropped Kailtyn off at 9 in the morning, went to breakfast and did some errands. Kaitlyn apparently had a good morning. She slept in the swing for two hours. She also met Santa and Mrs. Claus for the first time. I wish I could have been there! Santa even brought her a present... a little stuffed reindeer. Her first full day of daycare will be on the 29th and I go back to work full time on January 5th.

For all you Floridians, we got about 6 inches of snow yesterday/last night and are expecting a foot or so on Sunday.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

So it is starting to look a little more like Christmas around here. A lot of area houses and businesses have their lights up, and some of the displays are great this year. We've also had our first snowfall, even though it was only an inch or so, and has no completely melted due to today's heavy rainfall. We're still holding out hope for a white Christmas though! Below we have posted some pics of Kaitlyn out in her first snowfall!

Thanksgiving

Hello all, sorry this post is a day late, but here it is. Since the Patriots are not doing well today, this is a perfect opportunity to share some pictures from our first Thanksgiving as a family. We celebrated Thanksgiving at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, which turned out great.

Here is Kaitlyn getting ready for the big day

Kaitlyn in her Thanksgiving attire ...

Kaitlyn being thankful ..

And finally here are pictures of us at Bugaboo...

The meal ...

And lastly just a fun picture from home ...

Hope everyone is doing well, we had a few moments of flurries here today, but it quickly turned over to rain. Luckily hasn't been that cold here, living near the coast has its advantages. Will be posting again soon!

Another quick video

Just a quick video of Kaitlyn in her bouncer, a little grainy because it was taken at night. Will be posting some photos Thanksgiving night or the day after. Hope all is well with everyone, and thanks for all the well wishes and support given over the past couple of weeks.

Just a quick little video taken at the hospital when Kaitlyn was first starting to look around, she is on her phototherapy bed. We'll try to get better videos on here in the near future.

Finally home

Well here we are, finally home. Obviously a busy couple of days with sleepless nights as we try to get adjusted to Kaitlyn's schedule. Left the hospital a day late, only so Kaitlyn could get treated with some photo therapy for jaundice, a common problem apparently with late preterm babies. Below are a few pics of Kaitlyn and her coming home outfit.

This is Kaitlyn in one of her photo therapy beds

Kaitlyn in her coming home outfit, all set to head home

Introducing to the world...

So the big day finally came, albeit earlier than we could have expected. Weighing in at 9 lbs 1 ounce and arriving after numerous hours in labor which finally resulted in a C-Section, Kaitlyn Rose Dickinson made her debut at 658 this morning. We will post more about the birth in the next few days, but for now here are some pictures.

Getting closer

Hello all!

We had another appointment yesterday, and first off the good news is that all the lab results came back normal, with no apparent problems. Kaitlyn is still very healthy and doing well, her heartbeat is very strong and she is as active as ever. Cyndi is going to have to start shaving her work hours a little bit, and possibly take at least a few days off a week. On the other side of things, the doctor said that she would like to see us get to 38 weeks (which is 2 weeks from now). We're not sure if that means the doctor is thinking of speeding the process along a little bit or not. Either way, the doctor said we wouldn't have to worry about Kaitlyn going past her due date. With that being said, it won't be long now. Cyndi has a baby shower at work on Friday, so we're hoping to get those last odds and ends we need in preparation for Kaitlyn's arrival. Look for another blog around that time, we'll try to get some pictures up. Hope everyone is doing well and voted yesterday, and for those who have been wondering, no it hasn't snowed here yet. :)

Going into the last month....

So another doctors appointment today. Kaitlyn is still very healthy and doing well, but the pregnancy is starting to take a toll on Cyndi. The doctor wants Cyndi to start thinking about not going to work and going onto some bed rest. We have managed to stave that off for at least another week, with the promise that Cyndi's work is not strenuous and that she can put her feet up. We had some lab work done today, because Cyndi's blood pressure is slightly elevated, we'll know more about that next week. With that being said we are now going to the doctor weekly for the duration. Later this week we will be going to pick up the last large piece of the nursery, the dresser/changing table combo. Lets hope that I can fit it in the trunk and that I can put it together quickly. Really working hard to get the baby's room mostly ready this week, just in case. Now that the baby is considered full term, pretty much anything could happen between now and the "expected" due date.

So during this time, we'll be taking it easy on weekends, Cyndi will be leaving work early here and there, and generally just waiting. We will post again after next weeks appointment, and if the big day comes unexpectedly I will post some short blogs from the hospital (luckily they have wi fi). Alright, that's it for now. Hope all is well with everybody.

Tour of Birthing Center

We had another doctor's appointment yesterday morning. According to our calculations, I am 33 weeks, but according to the doctor, I am 34 weeks. Either way, everything is looking good and our next appointment is in two weeks.

Last night, we also had a tour of the new birthing center at Maine Medical Center, where I will be having Kaitlyn. The center is brand new, it just opened at the beginning of September. It is it's own separate wing of the hospital and has it's own security desk. When I arrive at the hospital, Kevin and I have to show ID and will get "mom" and "dad" stickers until we are checked in and issued wrist bands that will correspond to the baby's. If anyone comes with us or comes to visit, they also have to show ID and will receive "visitor" stickers with their photo on them.

The first floor of the center is the prenatal unit. This is for women with pregnancy complications who need to be admitted before they go into labor. The third floor is the NICU.

The second floor contains triage, the labor and delivery rooms and the ORs. When I arrive, I will be checked into one of the private rooms in triage where I will be accessed to determine if I am in active labor or if I am going to be sent home for a false alarm. All of the triage rooms have private bathrooms and flat screen TVs. If I am in active labor, I get walked across the hall to the labor and delivery rooms. All of these rooms are private rooms with private bathrooms and showers. Each of the rooms also have Jacuzzis, birthing balls, flat screen TVs, and CD players. The lighting in the rooms can be dimmed and massage therapy is offered. There is also a couch that can be made into a bed for Kevin. Kaitlyn and I will stay in these rooms until about two hours after delivery.

After we leave the labor and delivery room, we head up to the fourth floor where the mother and baby rooms are as well as the nursery. Maine Med keeps mothers for 2 days after a vaginal delivery and 3-4 days after a C-section. Kaitlyn will in all likelihood be in the room with me. There is a nursery, but this is for babies who need special monitoring, but aren't sick enough for the NICU. All healthy babies stay in the room with their mothers. Again, there are private rooms and bathrooms. These rooms have flat screen TVs, DVD players, CD players and Wi-Fi. So, we will be able to get Kaitlyn's first photo up on the blog within hours of her birth! There are couches in these rooms as well, and the nurses will bring pillows and blankets, so Kevin will be able to stay in the room with us if he wants to! I won't have to eat nasty hospital cafeteria food either! The birthing center employs its own chef and has a room service menu. My food is charged to the hospital bill and insurance. If Kevin wants to order off of the menu, it costs $5 for breakfast and $7 for lunch or dinner. If we choose to, we can also order takeout as long as dad is willing to go down to the security desk to pick up the food.

All in all, we are pretty excited as the center is great! Now if only I can get over the whole fear of labor!

Pediatrician

Hello all just wanted to leave a quick update for everybody. We met with a pediatrician last week for the prenatal visit, and everything went well. The doctor was very nice, and explained the whole process to us starting from the hospital going through the first two years of Kaitlyn's life. The doctor will visit with us every day Cyndi is in the hospital following birth, and probably best yet is that the pediatrics office is getting ready to move to a brand new building in downtown Portland so not only will it be a new space but there will be new equipment as well. Also nice that they have separate waiting rooms for sick and healthy children. So that was reassuring. Cyndi is doing well, dealing with Kaitlyn's kicking and pushing. We will be touring the birth center at Maine Medical Center next week, along with our next appointment at the baby doctor. Well again hope all is well with everyone, and hope everyone is enjoying fall!

Checking In

Hello all, must apologize for not posting for almost a month. We had another check up with the doctor last week, which went well as always. Only mystery is they are now saying Cyndi is one week further along than we thought. Something to ponder. Anyways we are far enough along now where we are going to be going to the doctor every two weeks. So the next appointment is on October 14th I believe. Today we are going to the pediatricians office to pick out a doctor for Kaitlyn.

Something else we did last week was explore daycare, something we'll definitely need. We took a look at The Toddle Inn in South Portland, and it was much better than even I expected to find. Immediately upon walking inside, everything is very clean and a very nice neutral clean odor. The whole building including all the rooms, hallways, and outside are monitored by video cameras, and you need a key code to get through the front door. The rooms in the building are split up by age, and Kaitlyn wold be starting in the 6 weeks to 6 months room. When we saw it, there were 8 babies in the room all being very quiet just bouncing around in swings and what not. In the next room, starting at 6 months, they have their own outside area with infant swings. Almost all of the age groups have a play area outside designed for their age group, and all of these outside play areas are separated by fencing. There is also an indoor gym, with age appropriate equipment inside. Once Kaitlyn grows older she'll be able to participate in different programs that the Toddle Inn offers, such as dancing classes, and starting at age 3 they offer field trips. It's a very nice place and during the day you can come and go as you please to visit with your child. We believe that we've decided on bringing Kaitlyn here, so we've got the packet of information to fill out and bring back to them to reserve her spot. Well that's pretty much it for now, there will be another post within the next day or so about the pediatrician!

Hope all is well with everybody, think fall! The leaves are changing fast here now, and before you know it winter will be knocking at our doors. The best part, as I remind everybody, is that less than 3 months to Christmas, which will be extra special this year for obvious reasons!

Glucose Test

Well, as some of you may have heard, my glucose test came back high. So, I ended up going in for a more "extensive" test on Tuesday. I had to stop eating and drinking at midnight Tuesday morning. Then at 8:45 am I had my first blood draw. Followed by another bottle of Glucola. Then I got to sit and wait for an hour before my blood was drawn again. I got to go through this 3 more times. A total of 4 blood draws in three hours. I have a nice little bruise from all of the needles.

The good news is, I heard back from the doctor's office today and this test came back normal. So, I don't have gestational diabetes and I can continue to eat ice cream. Yay!

I'm off from work tomorrow, so Kevin and I will probably head up to Brunswick Naval Air Station. This weekend is the last air show before the base closes. Tomorrow is military, police, fire, and EMS day. You need to have some kind of ID identifying you as a member of one of those groups to get on base tomorrow, so it should be a lot less crowded than Saturday and Sunday's shows will be. I'm looking forwarded to seeing the Blue Angels again!

Another Dr.'s Appointment and Other Stuff...

Well, I had another doctor's appointment today. This time I had to drink a bottle of Glucola, so my glucose levels could be tested. The first sip wasn't too bad and I thought that people were exaggerating how bad it was. About halfway through the bottle though I was praying I'd be able to finish it without getting sick. The lab tech said that no news is good news. If I don't hear anything in the next few days I'm fine. If I have abnormal results I'll get a phone call and have to come back for a more "extensive" test (and with my luck another bottle of Glucola... yuck!).

Other than that the appointment was routine. We still love listening to the baby's heartbeat, of course. We were also told it's time to start thinking about birthing classes. Personally I think that those classes are just a lame attempt to make a first-time mother feel like she is doing something to make labor easier, happier, and faster. Until labor happens and she realizes, oh crap those classes were a rip-off and vows never to have another baby. LOL :-)

After the doctor's appointment we met with the priest to plan Kaitlyn's baptism, which is scheduled for the last Sunday in February ( I wanted my parents to experience a Maine winter. Sorry, Mom).

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. We'll be spending ours attempting to put together a crib. (Well, let's be honest... Kevin will be putting together the crib and I will be "supervising").

Latest Checkup

Well with the latest checkup everything again seems to be going well. Cyndi's favorite part is as always listening to the heartbeat, which is getting easier with every appointment. We received a bottle of glucola for the next visit, a lovely orange drink that Cyndi has to drink before the next appointment so that they can check her glucose levels. She is very much looking forward to that ... Below is one of our favorite pictures from the cruise we took earlier in the month, it was taken in the main dining room during the first formal night, as you can see I ordered the steak, but the waiter thought I looked hungry so he also brought me a lobster .. Hope everyone is well

We have movement!

So after settling in (unfortunately) from vacation, Cyndi is very happy to announce that she can now feel Kaitlyn kicking. It comes and goes, but Cyndi is getting used to it. Also, as promised, below you will the pictures from our ultrasound.

Ultrasound...

So we finally had our ultrasound today, and as expected we have news. They are 90% sure that we are having a girl! This is great news for both of us, and we will be naming her Kaitlyn Rose Dickinson. During the ultrasound they checked the skeletal structure and internal organs, and everything is looking good. Keep watching, over the next day or so we will be posting the ultrasound pictures and some pics from the cruise (which was great by the way).

Week 18

This afternoon we had another appointment- my 18 week check up. The usual... weight (ick), blood pressure, etc. Of course, the highlight for us is listening to the heartbeat, which the baby doesn't seem to enjoy. He/she must not appreciate the pressure pushing down, because he/she always squirms away and the doctor has to play chase the heartbeat. He/she is very active. Apparently the heartbeat goes up a little every time the baby moves. Since this happens with our baby we were told we "have a very healthy baby." I also had some more blood drawn for the second half of the screening for Down's Syndrome. This time I didn't almost pass out :-)

Tomorrow we are off to Florida to visit my parents for a few days, then off on a western carribean cruise. When we return, we'll have our ultrasound on July 16. Hopefully we'll find out what we are having then. In the meantime, if anyone wants to hazard a guess of what we're having feel free to e-mail us or leave a comment here. We'd love to see whose right!

Appointment Change

Just to let everyone know the doctor called and changed out appointment by a day, so our next appointment will be on July 1st. Of course we're flying out the next day for Florida! :) Also, due to a question from a family member, if you purchase anything off of the registry online they will ship it to us direct! Look for a post on Tuesday evening!

Love Kevin and Cyndi

Quick Update

Yesterday we had another routine monthly checkup with the doctor. Everything appears to be going just fine. We were able to listen to the baby's heartbeat which is very strong and healthy. Perhaps most importantly the doctor signed the waiver we needed in order to sail on our cruise next month. For those who don't know, we are sailing out of Tampa on the Carnival Legend for our first anniversary. Well that's it for now, our next appointment is scheduled for June 30Th.

Baby Registry

At the request of several people, we have finally started our baby registry. It is at Babies R Us, and can also be viewed and/or items purchased at Toys R Us. We have cards to hand out that will make it easier for anyone to find our registry if they go to the store in person, the registry can also be viewed online at http://www.babiesrus.com . Obviously we have not yet added bedding or clothing, we are going to be adding those to the registry sometime in mid to late July after we know the sex of the baby! :) Hope everyone is well.

First Ultrasound

So yesterday Cyndi and I had our first trimester ultrasound appointment, which is used to mostly make sure everything is running smoothly and check for any possibility of Down's syndrome. Here are some of the photo's taken!

The ultrasound went well, and at times the baby appeared to wave at us. Unfortunately, it is still too early to determine the sex of our baby. We should know at our next ultrasound in July. The other good news is that they were able to successfully draw blood from Cyndi without her passing out.

Hope all is well from everybody, you'll be hearing from us soon about the baby registry!

We saw the baby!

Today was our first "real" doctor's appointment. I made it through this appointment without almost passing out, so that alone was a success! The appointment was actually really quick. Just talked to the doctor for a few minutes then she said she would try to find the heartbeat and if she couldn't she'd actually look for the baby. She couldn't hear the heartbeat (apparently the baby was too small and my stomach was too loud), so we got an "unofficial" ultrasound. Sure enough, she found the baby real fast and Baby Dickinson was moving around. Everything is looking good. Next appointment is June 3.

In other news... a Portland Police Officer died last night. He worked Kevin's shift, so Kevin knew him pretty well. Apparently, he accidentally discharged his weapon at home. He had two young kids (9 and 12). Please keep his family and the police department in your prayers.

Our First Appointment

Today marked a big milestone for us, as we went to the doctors office for the first time! It was just an intake appointment, so we haven't actually seen the doctor yet. However, the nurse has preliminarily told us that the due date is indeed December 2ND! Everything looks good so far, and some blood was drawn from Cyndi for lab work. Our next appointment is on May 6, when we have our first real meeting with the doctor. Until then we'll just keep enjoying the great spring weather we have been having.