Wednesday, March 26, 2008

We're Still Here

Hello! I know it has been a few days since my last post. We are still operating without our computer. I promise, one of these days we will have it looked at. When that happens, you will get Dallas pictures! I know you are all anxious to "see" him again.

Today, Dallas and I had an afternoon adventure. We headed into town to visit Dad at work! He was wide awake when we left the house, but the ride into town put him to sleep before we got to the blacktop! Of course, he slept pretty much the entire time we were at work. Oh well...everyone still enjoyed seeing him.

Also, I want to thank everyone for keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. Prayer is a very powerful thing! In addition, thank you to all those that sent cards, emails, flowers, and food. It was all greatly appreciated!

Until next time...

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter

I hope everyone was able to enjoy this holiday with family and/or friends. Doug and I made it to church with little Dallas this morning. I'm very proud to say that he slept through the entire service! Even with all the other babies and toddlers screaming around us! He did get fussy on the ride home, but I can't blame the little man...it had been nearly 4 hours since he ate. Don't we all get fussy around that time?

Doug is making a wonder Easter dinner for us. He has been working so hard on it all day, and he let me take a nap while he was preparing the food. Wasn't that super nice of him? I sure think so.

Again, I hope everyone was able to enjoy the day and rejoice in the meaning of Easter.

Happy, Blessed Easter everyone.

Until next time...

Friday, March 21, 2008

We're Home!

Hello All!

I'm sorry it has been a while since my last update. As my Mom had commented, our computer did crash during our stay at the hospital. No...we haven't had a chance to get it looked at/fixed. I'm using Doug's work computer, and I haven't figured out how to upload pictures from our camera.

Anywho...the good news. We did get released from the hospital yesterday morning. Dallas had his last antibiotic shot at 6 in the morning. Dr. Skopec did her last check over him around 7:30, and we were able to get all of our stuff loaded up by a little after 10! We hadn't quite realized how much *crap* we had accumulated at the hospital during our stay!!!

We are pleased to say that they boys did an OK job of accepting Dallas. Charlie just wanted to continually smell and lick Dallas! Fred was interested at first, and then decided it was no big deal and left Dallas alone after that. Dallas slept fairly well through the night. We went to bed around 9 last night, Dallas woke up around mid-night, 3:00, and 6:30. After eating at 6:30, he was wide awake until 9:30 or so! He is now sleeping soundly.

Until next time...

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Dallas's Progress

First off, is that how Dallas's should be spelled? or is it Dallas' ? Isn't this awful...I'm suppose to be a teacher! Ok...enough of that!

Dallas made more progress today. {Loud Cheer!} When the nurse brought him to the room for his 1 a.m. feeding, she said they had taken him off the oxygen monitor! She then said that the Dr. Skopec (the peditritian that has been taking care of him here) wanted Dallas to still spend the night in the nursery (except when he needed fed) so the nurses could keep an eye on him ~ as we would be sleeping, and not able to. Fine by me - especially if it means he is off the monitor. Dr. Skopec told us that this morning the monitor was being difficult because it would flat line everytime Dallas wiggled his foot. She checked him over...determined he was fine...said it had been over 48 hours since his episode...and then the monitor came off.

Dr. Skopec also decided to change his antibiotic schedule from every 12 hours to every 11 hours. This will allow us to cut down our stay at the hospital. If we would have stayed at the 12 hour interval, we would have been released Thursday evening...now, his last dose will be Thursday morning!

Dallas did get a new IV this afternoon. Luckily, he has veins like his Daddy and they were able to get it on the first try. He looks like his arm is in a splint because they put a little board under his arm so he would bend it too much and work the IV out.

In other news, Grandma and Grandpa Bergman and Aunt Josie headed back to Indiana today. We hope they had a good travels back.

We are so thankful for all the help our families gave over the last week. And, we are thankful for all the prayers everyone has been sending our way. We definitely have the best support system!

Until next time...

Saturday, March 15, 2008

(Another) Dallas Update

Thank you to everyone that added Dallas and us to your prayers. We know God is listening because Dallas is improving by leaps and bounds. After is check-up with the doctor this morning, they decided that he could go off the heart monitor and be removed from the IV. That leaves the oxygen monitor as the only thing he is hooked to, but it is now portable and he is able to be in the room with us!!!

As far as the IV goes, he will be off for the next 24 hours to give his tiny hand a break. They thought this best because he will eventually have to be back on the IV to receive his antibiotics. For today, though, they are just going to give him the antibiotics through an injection in the leg. Also, because his eating habits are increasing he doesn't need the nutrition of the IV.

The antibiotics he is currently on need to be given for 7 days. Therefore, we are here at the hospital until Thursday/Friday at the earliest. We are still waiting to hear results on the blood cultures and the spinal fluid cultures. If they come back with as being positive for infections, we will be here longer. As of this morning, nothing was showing up on them, but it is still early.

Sorry there are no new pictures but we are having a little trouble with our camera connecting. Until next time.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Dallas Update

Hello, All! This is actually Rajean again making a post. I'm so thankful that Doug has been keeping you all updated on Dallas and providing some great photos! I know you all are very appreciative of it as well. Just wanted to update you on Dallas, and also let you know a few more details on his arrival. {Just a fair warning...this is a long post}

We'll begin with his arrival. At our Monday appointment, Dr. Smollen gave us the option to induce. I had made progress from the week before, and she thought it would be a smooth inducement to go ahead and have me come in and break my water. Plus, she was on call at the hospital on Tuesday. I really liked the idea of her being the one to deliver "Buckwheat" (as we were still calling him at that time. Of course, Doug and I were very anxious to meet our little one. We got to the hospital at 9 the morning of the 11th, and got settled right away. Dr. Smollen came and was about to break my water when she decided it felt like Dallas was breeched. She got the ultrasound machine to double check, and sure enough ~ Dallas was butt down not head down! (The stinker!) After discussing the troubles associated with breech deliveries and how Mercy Hospital doesn't do them, we decided to have Dr. Smollen try to turn Dallas over. After serveral minutes and two hard attempts, we realized he wasn't budging. We then started prepping for a c-section. I was given the spinal block by a great doctor who was very kind and empathetic. Once I was numbed up, Dr. Smollen gave it another try to turn Dallas ~ Still no success. Off to surgery we went. At 11:08 a.m. Dallas made his enterance into our lives. Dr. Smollen was in awe of how big he was (8 lbs. 8 oz.; 21 1/2 inches; a 15 inch head, and big feet)! He actually would have weighed a bit more had the little guy not peed twiced while they were delivering him! Anywho...after stitching me up and getting to a recovery room, Doug and I were able to spend about an hour with him before he went to the nursery. Overall, we were very thankful to have decided on inducement and to have such a wonderful team of doctors and nurses on call that day.

Alright, enough about labor and delivery...Doug had mentioned that we would be heading home today (Friday), but plans changed through the night. They drew blood around 6 p.m. because Dallas was showing signs of Jaundice ~ not uncommon in babies. Well, the level was higher than they liked and decided to put him under the lights for some phototheraphy. The nurse came to the room around 9:30 p.m. to pick him up for the lights. When they got to the nursery, Dallas decided he was hungry...so back he came! He ate like a champ again, and then left again around 10:30 to get his treatment. A little after midnight, the doctor came in to tell us that Dallas was having a rough time. He had quit breathing a few different times during the night. Not enough to require CPR, but to require oxygen to get him going again. They had ordered blood draws and a chest x-ray, and were wanting to do a spinal tap to rule out infection of the spinal cord (meningitis). We, of course, agreed to all the tests and then sat and waited to hear back from the doctor. (This is where times get fuzzy for me) We were able to go see him, but couldn't hold him because he was hooked up to monitors and an IV. We stayed for a little while, and then came back to the room to try and sleep while Dallas went back under the lights. At 6 a.m., we were woke up by the nurse for my vitals check, and then we went down to the nursery to see Dallas again. He had "straightend up" and had not had any more episodes of apnea. He was still having phototheraphy and was sleeping, so we couldn't hold him or really touch him (they didn't want us startling him). Around 8 a.m. or so, the nurses tried giving him some sugar water and he again stopped breathing. The doctor then ordered a CAT scan. He had that done at 10 a.m. and everything came back normal!!! We are still waiting on cultural results from blood draws and the spinal tap ~ they could take up to 72 hours.

Alright...enough sad news...now the good stuff! After the CAT scan, we were able to sit and hold Dallas for a while. The miracle of skin contact and familiar voices is amazing! His breathing and oxygen leveled out, as well his heart rate. We could have sat there forever, but I had to go back and pump.

Since Dallas was having these bouts with breathing, I was not allowed to nurse him, but at 12:40 this afternoon the nurse decided to try nursing because the pacifier wasn't calming and satisifying him anymore. He did GREAT! His oxygen level dropped right at first, but the nurse thinks it was because he tried to suckle so fast that he forgot to breathe. (I say this is just like Doug when he is hungry...they just try to inhale everything so quickly!) So...we stopped and let Dallas recompose himself. The second attempt was a SUCCESS. He nursed to his little heart's desire, and then even switched sides and nursed again without a single problem! The doctor has decided that we can continue nursing, but it must be in the nursery while Dallas is on monitors. Which is fine with us.

So...we are still at the hospital and we are not sure when we will be able to take Dallas home. Like I said earlier we are still waiting on some test results. I am actually being discharged this evening, but we are able to stay at the hospital (at no charge) because Dallas is still here. I just won't be provided nursing care (given tylenol, having vitals taken, provided meals, etc.) It really is a great service Mercy provides for people like us.

That brings you up to date on Dallas and us. As for myself, I am doing really well with recovery. Doug has been an awesome support for me through all of this. I am so very thankful to have him and the great staff here at Mercy. We thank God that we were still at the hospital when Dallas decided to be a stinker. We have been saying many prayers in the last 24 hours, and we know that Dallas will be receiving many more after having posted this. We appreciate them greatly. We will keep you updated as we ourselves find out more. Hopefully, the next post will say we are for sure heading home!

Until next time...

Thursday, March 13, 2008

More Family





Hey Everyone, time for another post! Can you guess who these pictures are going to center around? Maybe a little guy named Dallas? You got it! Today Grandpa and Grandma Bergman and Aunt Josie came to visit. Dallas and Mom are doing really good. Dallas is eating like a champ now! He was a little slow the first two days(I was beginning to wonder if he was really my child since I never shy away from food) but he finally came around. He got a Hepatitus B shot today and a few other things to get him ready to go home tomorrow. Mom and Dad sure are anxious to get home! Until next time.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

More pictures, family and a tractor or two!








Thought I would put a few more pictures up! Gotta get the grandparents and aunts in on the picture action! Oh yeah, I'm sure that the last picture won't surprise any of you that know what my favorite hobby is. I had to get a John Deere in on the picture for Grandpa Bergman even though I hope Dallas will grow up to be an Oliver man! Until next time, Rajean and Dallas says hi to everyone.

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Baby is Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Hey folks, this is Doug doing the post so if the quality is less than normal its not Rajeans fault! I would put many words just lots of pictures. For the introduction, we had a boy at 11:08a.m. this morning!!! His name is Dallas Matthew and he weighs 8lbs. 8oz. and is 21 1/2 inches long. Enjoy the picutres, more to come later!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Buckwheat's Appointment

We had another appointment today. Things are still going well, and we are just waiting on Buckwheat! The heartbeat was around 130 beats/min. (again). Dr. Smollen is still guessing boy, but she reassured me that she doesn't know ~ it's just a guess. I am also making more progress. I was dilated to a 3 today and about 80% effaced.

Until next time...

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Sunny Sunday...

and still no Buckwheat! Sorry to be disappointing all of you by not sharing any new news. We are trying to be patient, but it is becoming harder and harder. Here's the latest picture...


Week 41

In other news for today: Doug and I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at church sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Doug is a member, so he also got to help serve while I sat and visited! We had pancakes, sausage, ham, and eggs. It was super delicious! After church, we took the boys for a walk. Although the sunshine was pretty deceiving (the wind was still chilly), it was still nice to get outside and move.

Tonight was also our night to bowl. Our partners didn't make it this weekend and the team we were bowling against was also missing a person; therefore, it went very fast! I was pretty satisfied with my scores (especially being over 9 months pregnant!). I hit my average for 2 of the 3 games. Doug says it is bad that I'm bowling better/more consistent than him.

Lastly, the deer have started to appear more often around the house. We went about a week and a half without seeing them (which is pretty unusual). I guess they are enjoying the sunshine we have been having. I snapped a few pictures from the kitchen window...yes, they were that close to the house!







Until next time...

Saturday, March 8, 2008

A Fun Filled Day

This morning Doug and I headed north to a little town called Tripoli. It was about a 2 hour drive ~ so it was within my "limits" of travel. We were on search for a tractor. An Oliver 1355. We had seen it last weekend at the Grinnell Toy Show, but when we decided to go back and buy it...it was gone. After speaking with the guy that had the table, he told us he had more at his toy store. He then offered to put our name on one, and that he would bring it to the Independence Toy Show in two weeks (which will be next weekend). Well...since we are STILL waiting on Buckwheat, Doug thought that it might not be best to wait until next weekend. So...we decided to take a road trip and drove up to the guy's toy store!

Here's a picture of our new toy!


After leaving the toy store in Tripoli, we decided to head east and go to Lamont (where there is another toy store ~ Bossen Imp.). After spending some time there, we went a little farther east and just happened to end up in Dyersville! For those of you unfamiliar with Iowa geography...Dyersville is the "Farm Toy Capital of the World". It is also where the movie Field of Dreams was taped.

All in all, it was a great day, and I believe I will sleep very well tonight. The weather was a little chilly, but we weren't actually out walking around in it so it was fine.

Don't forget to "jump ahead" an hour! Until next time...

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Still Here...

Due date, plus two days...and still waiting for Buckwheat. Not too much is going on around our house. We are just becoming more and more anxious to meet Buckwheat. The weather has cooled off again. I heard on the news at lunch today that the normal high for this time of year is 40 degrees and the low is 20. Guess what tomorrow's high is to be...any guesses? Alright, I'll tell you...a whopping 13!!! I think Buckwheat has decided to wait for spring and warmer weather.

Tonight I have my confirmation class to teach. I bet the kiddos are hoping that I won't be there! I missed last week because the weather turned bad in the evening. Another one of the teachers called and told me not to come ~ she said the roads were awful and that she would take care of my class. Gotta love people like that!

Well, I had better keep this short so I can get supper ready.

Until next time...

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Due Date

Well, here it is the big D-day...and no Buckwheat. I can't believe it has been 9 months since Doug and I shared with you the news of us extending our family. I was looking at the ticker at the bottom of this blog page, and I remembered back to when the stork was at the beginning and thinking it would be forever before it would reach the end. Well, here we are...the stork has made it to the end, and we are still awaiting (somewhat patiently) for Buckwheat.

I didn't go to work today - I finished up my project yesterday morning. My next project was to get bags ready for Chile harvest and shelling, but the bag printer isn't working properly. The group is to be getting a new printer soon, but until then...there isn't much (for someone like me) to do. Doug is of course staying busy with other projects.

I helped out my friend Laura today by watching Justin for an hour or so while she volunteered at the school. I ended up staying an extra couple hours just chatting about odds and ends. It was a nice visit, and good to have something to make the time pass.

Until next time...

Monday, March 3, 2008

Another Weekend Wrap-Up

Wow! I just realized that Thursday was my last post...and here it is now Monday! I bet you were all beginning to think that we were busy at the hospital or something. Well, you were wrong. Our internet just hasn't been working all that great.

Here's what has been happening around here:

Friday was a beautiful day. The sun was out and the temperature actually wasn't all that cold. Doug's boss gave them the afternoon off since it was so nice outside. I had a doctor's appointment to have some stitches removed. I had a bump develop on what I thought was a mole on my leg. I had it checked out to be sure it wasn't cancerous (it was on top of my thigh ~ you know where I always get the worst sun burns). The dermatologist was concerned, so she took a biopsy sample. Turns out it was a freckle to begin with and the bump was merely an ingrown hair! Silly me...better safe than sorry! Anywho...the stitches came out on Friday and everything is back to normal.

On Saturday, Doug and I went to Grinnell (about half an hour west of where we live) for a toy show. It was the first time the show was at this place, and they had a great turn out. It was also nice to get out of the house. We ended up spending about half the day there, and of course, came home with another toy! We spent the afternoon putting together the final things for Buckwheat (the play pen, the stroller, the bouncy seat, the tummy play mat, etc.) I believe we have everything ready for him/her now.

Sunday was another absolutely gorgeous day! We went to church, and then came home and made breakfast. After our breakfast, we decided to go for a walk. Now, remember we live on a gravel road, have umpteen inches of snow lying around, and the temperature was in the mid-40's...needless to say, our road is a mud slide! So...we loaded the dogs in the car and drove out the the state park just a few miles from here. The boys loved getting out for the walk; we don't do it as often as we should. Doug and I then prepared a leg of lamb for supper. It turned out awesome...took a lot longer to cook than we anticipated, but worth it in the end.

That brings us to Monday...we worked this morning on discarding some seed at work. Always fun when we get to throw things away! After lunch, we went to another baby appointment. I made some progress since last Monday. I am still dilated at a 2, but am now about 70% effaced (last week I was about 50%). The heart rate was a little slower today as well...it was about 130 beats/min. Then, Dr. Smollen said it is all up to Buckwheat as to when s/he will arrive!

Here's a new picture for you all...I don't know if there is much change from last week ~ you tell me!

39 weeks, 6 days
(also known as 1 day before due date)

Until next time...