The YOUNGER cousin

Wyatts first girl cousin, and first younger cousin was born today 11/23 at 11:47.  8# 1oz.  20.5".

For more details, check out their blog with the link on this page.

After some time

Well, we have been home for some just over a month now, and we feel like we may finally be getting this parenting thing figured out.  Wyatt does make that easy, as he is a very good child.  He is to the point of sleeping for 5-6 hours at night, and does not fuss or cry unless something is really wrong with him.  All in all, very content.

 

Tummy time started off being a very good thing, as he seemed to love it.  Now, it seems to turn him into his grandpa Joe.

Wyatt is a very big boy.  He has the hands of his father, and his grandpa Ken, and we are attempting to document his life as much as we can.

I have mentioned that he is sleeping 5-6 hours a night, which means about 1 wake up for us (mostly Jean) at this point.

Bath time is always interesting to see what gets wet.  The floor, the table, and sometimes its not water!

 

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He is a good boy though, and keeps us on our toes!

Generally happy, sometimes mad.  Either way, hes a keeper!

The big update....

On September 10, 2009, at 7:07am, Jean gave birth to a 8lb 12.7oz, 20.7" baby boy. We named him Wyatt Kenneth. As I am sure every father does, I think he is beautiful. The end result of all the time spent is a very perfect picture.

However, getting to our bundle of joy was not as exciting.

We were scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, 9/9/09. We arrived at the hospital around 6:30am, and I was SET on a 9/9/09 baby. Jean was set on Pitocin and the waiting game began. Not alot to talk about for the next hours. Contractions finally started around 3:30 or so, and around 6:45pm our OB, Dr. Johnson, broke Jeans water. Now things were going to happen!! Yeah, right. At 9:50 they decided to insert a IUP (measures contraction intensity and frequency), as well as a Fetal Heart monitor onto Wyatts head since we were having difficulty with the external monitor. The contractions were getting more and more intense starting at around 7:30 or so, and at 10:10 Jean finally requested her Epidural, since the intensity has really shot up at 10 when her water did finally let loose. Her savior arrived around 10:30, and by 10:40 Jean was ready to nap, as the pain was gone. We were given some time (from about 1 until 3) to try to sleep, but as anyone who has been in the hospital knows, the visits every 20 minutes from the nurses greatly limit the quality you get. Around 3am, our nurse came in to check Jeans cervix and announces, "Your set, time to start pushing". Around 3:15 Jean started the process, and made great strides very quickly. It was not long before the doctor showed me my sons head, and we kept going.

At 5:45 the nurse mentions that things are not really progressing anymore. She called the doctor, and when she arrived, we were informed that forceps and the vacuum were not options due to the babys position. She also mentioned that Wyatt was face up (not good) and also in a sort of twisted position, and she felt the only chance for vaginal birth was to turn the baby. Wyatt disagreed, and to prove his early life stubbornness, a C-section was requested. The look on Jeans face nearly brought me to my knees. She had went through 3 hours of pushing, being prodded, and whatever else, and now, they were going to surgery.

Surgery went extremely well, and mom and baby are doing fine. He is a big boy, with a 14" head, and also has the hand size to prove it!!

Just photos now, update later....

The final pre-baby post.....

I can honestly say, that this will be the final pre-baby post. Tomorrow, 9/9/09, Jean and I need to be at St. Lukes birthing center at 6:30am to have the labor induced. As much as I know Jean is not looking forward to the idea of induced labor, she is also fairly happy to have this phase behind her. We both are anxious, nervous, excited, scared, and ecstatic to be parents!!

Keep you all posted, and hope to have pictures up soon!!

The light at the end of the tunnel??

It is all getting very close. Its almost surreal. Here we are, within a week of our due date, and it feels like only weeks ago we were telling everyone that we were expecting. Wow how time flies.

We made it through the weekend, and The Lutgen wedding. We were both very glad we made it, and had a great time. It will be nice to someday explain to little BK that they were able to attend their godparents wedding, and how much their parents both appreciate that!!

So, with the weekend over, we are trying to catch up on some sleep, and relaxing a bit with the inevitable truth around the corner that we will soon be parents, and up approximately one time a night for the next few weeks. (A guy can dream, and please, don't wreck this for me!!) Last night, Monday night, as we were laying in bed, the contractions started. They are small, and inconsistent, but nonetheless there. I guess what this means, is there is no denying it, soon, we will be parents!!

well, another hurdle cleared!!

Just returned from visiting with Dr. Johnson again. The visit started very well, with them calling Jean back just about immediately. They took her blood pressure and weight as usual, gained 1 lb, and blood pressure was right on! (Its always lower when I drive her there, higher when she has to drive downtown on her own. She will deny this, but facts dont lie.) She is still dilated to 2Cm, right where she was on Wednesday, and the cervix is about 50% efaced. The head has moved down slightly, but we still have time. All this led to the one question on most (OK, all of the Frank clan, and 50% of the Kaproth clan) have wanted to know--Will Jean make it to Tracys wedding.

According to the doctor, as long as Jean has no contractions, and feels OK on Friday, she sees no problem in Jean attending the wedding. Good news!! We did, just to be safe, get a paper copy of all her pre-natal information in the event something odd does happen. Now, my challenge for all you readers, we need to keep her calm and relaxed all weekend!! No letting her get excited because the bagels seem dry at the hair-do place! No letting her get worked up because the bride didnt show up!! Lets all work together to keep her calm!! Take Care, and thanks everyone for all the well wishes and thoughts and prayers we have been receiving.

Playing with the cousins

Today, Jean and I ventured south to Andover for Jills baby shower. While we were there, we gave the soon-t0-be-cousins some time to become acquainted.


Jean had a OB appointment again on Wednesday, and all is still looking good! Heart rate was 150, and she is dilated to 2Cm. Next appointment, TOMORROW!! Hope we get the OK to attend the wedding this coming Saturday!!

the baby room one step closer to complete!

Grandpa and Grandma Kaproth delivered the final big pieces of the baby room today. It looks so perfect in there, its like a page out of a catalog!!








In mommy news, Wednesday Jean had another OB appointment. She did test positive for Strep B, so she will need to undergo some antibiotics during labor. Heart rate is at 160 this visit. Jean is Dialated to 1Cm and 30% efaced at this point. Next appointment, is Wednesday!!

Info in brief....

Another Doctors appointment yesterday. Our regular OB is having some medical problems of her own, so we did not get to see her, we saw another OB from St. Lukes.

Everything looked very good according to the doc. The heartbeat was 150, and Jean is slightly dilated (Less than 1 Cm). Not much more to update.

Thanks to everyone for all the gifts at the baby shower!! Our house is now full of baby stuff, and is really making reality set in!! Your generosity is not unnoticed!!

Birthing Coach=General Distraction

So, for a quick update........

Jean had her 32 week appointment on Wednesday of this week. She is right on track as far as size goes (like the doctor would tell her if she was bigger than usual!!). Baby heartbeat was at 140, the same as last check-up. Starting in August, the appointments go weekly so they can keep a closer eye on her, and be prepared for the big day! Her hands and feet have become swollen as of late, so she has been forced to "surrender" her wedding ring. This week has also been a breakthrough on other fronts. Jean, early in the week, realized that she could eat nuts now, without Gall pain, and "agreed" to go out for Chinese food to see if the deep fried would aggravate her anymore. No such problems, and it appears as the gall problems may be a thing of the past. Keep your fingers crossed!!

On a different front, Friday, we had the first labor and delivery class. Its alot of information coming at you very quickly, but is also very informative and really helped us feel more prepared for our new arrival. After the class, we returned home, and as we were getting ready for bed, I reached over to rub her belly, and felt the baby give me a high-five!! I told Jean about it, and she asked, "How do you know it was a hand?" I had no clue, but it really did feel like a hand. Soon (seconds really) after, Jean was feeling in the same spot, and all of a sudden, (say it with me folks, you can all hear her saying it) says, "Oh My God!!" She had felt the same thing and agreed, must be a hand! Class was also 9-4 on Saturday and continued at the fast, but informative pace. So glad we attended!!

They got legs, and know how to use them!!

Well, this week we have finally SEEN the baby kick. For me, its similar to watching Jean when shes had too much spicy food, as she sits there stares and rubs her belly. There is a obvious bump that appears for a split second, and then Jean says, "Did you see that?" Very cool to see.

Jean had another OB appointment today, and all is good. To my surprise, she passed her test and does not have "The Sugar", or as the doctors call it, Gestational diabetes. The heart rate was at 150, and I guess it was very loud and obvious. Dr. Johnson says everything looks good, which is always good to hear.

The big daddy update......

Today we had another ultrasound. Last time there were a few things that they did not feel they saw as well as they would like, and wanted to see some more. Little BK however, had different ideas, and was stubborn. The doctor got to see what she wanted, but BK did not give the photo opportunities that they have in the past. BK was curled up in a ball with the right arm covering half the face, and the left leg up across the other half and foot above the head. Quite a flexible little demon we are going to have.

Above is a profile shot of BKs head. You can make out a nose, and other facial features. Below is a spine.


Now, you may ask, how is this information "The big daddy update......". The reason is, for so much of the process, dad takes a backseat and watches, just as the rest of the world does. But today, Daddy got to feel the baby kick for the first time! Jean has been feeling it for some time (see below, and she still tells me to shhhhhh sometimes), but today, after the ultrasound, we were at our friend Mikes house, and Jean mentioned that the baby was kicking. I got up, went across the room, and put my hand on her belly. A very pronounced kick came soon after. Jean said it was one of the biggest she had felt. Showing off and performing for daddy--this is gonna be one good kid!!

The second ultrasound

Today we had our Ultrasound. It still amazes me how much you can see, and how realistic things are. Both the grand-mothers came with, and we all turned our back to make sure nobody knows the sex of the baby. Mary did try very hard to buy the lady off, but she was very good to keep her honest.

As you can see in this picture, you can see the head on the left, the arm coming across the chest, the ribs and the knees up to the chest.

Now here is a photo from the 4D system. The lifelike features from the womb are amazing.



This last one was so quick, everyone missed it but the lady running the ultrasound machine. Lucky for us, she has "Instant Replay" and could back it up for us. HELLO MOM AND DAD!!!



The heartbeat was 129 this go-round. We have another ultrasound scheduled for June 1st, to look at the heart again, because the position of the baby this time did not give them a good look at it.

The first kick......

Well, Jean felt the first kick last night. She had always hoped it happened at home, and not at work, so I would be there for it. I guess you can say that I was. Here is how it all went down.....(vision goes blurry and fades to monday night bedtime)

Jeff is watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and Jean is just crawling into bed after her long evening ordeal of getting ready for bed. Jean just gets comfy, and Jeff shuts off the TV. Jean says, "What was that? Was that........" in one of her famous let the end trail off and give no indication if she heard someone break in, the furnace just kick in, or any other of 1 million things she could be talking about.

Jeff says "What, what did you hear?"
Jean, "SHHHHH"
Jeff sits quietly as to not upset the pregnant lady.
Jean, "I think the baby just kicked"
Jeff, "Really, where?" while reaching out to touch her belly and try to feel it myself.
Jean, "SHHHHHHH!!"
Jeff, "Why, does being quiet make you feel it better?"
Jean, "Yeah, just shut up!"
Jeff, "This is stupid"
Jean, "I wonder if thats what it was?"
Jeff, affraid to say anything, drifts off into a peaceful slumber, for approximately 20 minutes before his wife has to pee........

(Vision fades back to modern day, current time)
So thats how it happened folks. Jean is pretty sure its a girl now, as to the fact that its been lazy, and not doing anything for such a long time, and boys are so "busy".

Jeans talk with the Doc today......

Jean had another appointment today, and everything was good! The heartbeat was at 150 this time around, so for all you believers, you may want to go change your vote now........

As far as the gall bladder is concerned, it seems to be a big guessing game. One day, she can eat something, 2 days later, eat the same thing, and have pains. I guess its one day at a time.

Our next appointment is the ultrasound, and is scheduled for May 1st. We are not going to find out the sex before the birth, so hopefully nobody notices the penis or lack thereof!

Update on mommys condition

Well, last time I updated, I mentioned that Jean was having some pains. The ultrasound showed what a general surgeon feels is gall stones, and thinks should be left alone until after the baby has been born.

There is a chance that the pains will go away post-birth, and there is a chance that the gall bladder will need to come out. Only time will answer that question. We are going to monitor her diet, and try to figure out what exactly it is causing the discomfort.

Beyond that, the deposit is down on our daycare. We are going to be sending our little one to "Think -n- Play Learning Center" in Esko.

Jean is really starting to show, and she has mentioned that she thinks she has "Pregnancy Nose". I am still not real sure what that is, but she doesn't seem to be too happy about it.

Todays news......

Jean had another doctors appointment today. The heartbeat was good, and fell from 174 last time to 155 or so this time. Does that mean its a boy? Only time will tell. Jean has gained 1 pound, so I guess thats good!

Jean has had some pains in her side after she eats. The doctor wants to do a ultra-sound of her Gall Bladder to make sure that is not the culprit, and it may just be pregnancy constipation. :)

We have spent a few nights over the last few weeks, looking at some child care centers in the area, and have narrowed it down to a couple. We both have liked Think and Play Learning Center in Esko, as well as Li'l Lumberjacks in the Cloquet High School. We will be making that decision soon.

Well, today we had our first ultrasound of Baby Kaproth. Its the 4D ultrasound, which is almost a bit scary how much it looks like a person already, and is only a small bit over 1" long.

First OB

Our first OB appointment is on Feb. 4. We should learn a few things there, and look forward to sharing it all with you!

Hello Everyone

Hello, and welcome to the blog that we have set up to keep our friends and family informed on our first child. Jean is due at a current estimation of Aug 31, 2009, and we are very excited. More to come soon, but we wanted to get started here now!!