Week 34

I'm really trying to be better at capturing this pregnancy, so here I am at week 34!  Can you believe only 6 more weeks until Number 4's due date?!?!

Once again, everything is progressing as it should, and this little one is very, very active!  It will wake me multiple times at night with its acrobatic moves.  I guess I should look at this as preparing me for those night time feedings.  I am also continuing to experience heart burn when I lay down at night.  I don't remember having much when I was pregnant with Dallas, I had some at the end of my pregnancy with Reba, I had quite a bit from the end of the 1st trimester on with Julianne, and I have had it from the get go with this one!

Dallas and Reba love to cuddle up beside me and place their hands on my belly waiting for the baby to move.  They also love telling the baby good night and that they love it.  Julianne will point to my belly on occasion and say, "Baby".  We'll see how she adjusts once the little one is here.

Until next time...

Week 32

It's been two weeks since my last baby/belly update.  Although not much has changed since my last update.  I did end up being extremely tired after the week of sheep shows and putting up garden produce.  I have since recouped, and I am back to "normal" for the time being.

Until next time...

Happy 33rd Birthday (to me)!

What a day!  I got up early in hopes of getting a hair cut before my baby doctor appointment.  Only, as I was getting ready to leave, I found out I had left my wallet in the van last night.  Doug took the van today, so I could take the truck to have the tires rotated.  Thankfully, I had enough time to run up to Doug's work to get my wallet and get to the salon when it opened (one of those walk-in only places).  I ended up getting about 2 inches cut off the overall length, and I had the gal add layers - which has really brought out the waves/curls in my hair!

As far as the baby check-up, yesterday marked week 30 for baby number 4!  Everything continues to be on track, and baby is as active as ever!  I'm sure I am going to be exhausted next week after these sheep shows and garden work I've been up to this week.

After the baby check-up, I headed over to Sears to get the truck tires rotated.  Unfortunately, they were not able to complete the task because the stock racks were in the bed.  I had specifically asked when I made the appointment if it would be a problem.  The gentleman told me as long as they fit through the 10 ft door, they could do it.  Apparently that wasn't true.  The racks did fit through the door, but they did not allow the truck to be lifted high enough.  Oh, well...

After leaving Sears, I made 4 different stops to gather all the back-to-school supplies.  I ended my errands by stopping to get the sheep feed.  Doug then took me out for supper.  All in all, it was another great birthday!

Until next time...

10 years and 22 weeks

Happy 10th Anniversary to us!

February 2006

February 2007

Summer 2008

December 2008 

July 2010

Fall 2010

November 2012

April 2014

Summer 2014

Can you believe it's been 10 years since Doug and I stood in front of God, family and friends pledging to love one another for the rest of our lives? We have been so blessed on this journey, and I can't wait to see what the next 10, 20, even 50 years have in store for us!

Now, as for the 22 weeks...that's how far I am in this pregnancy!  I am completely slacking in the belly photos this go around, but that's what happens with each child.  Less and less photos...right?

I did go for another ultrasound today.  The tech was unable to take the anatomy measurements (head circumference, belly size, liver, femur length, etc) at the last appointment, so I had to go back.  I was able to take the kiddos again, but the tech this time around wasn't as sociable.  I don't think the kiddos enjoyed it as much, and we didn't come home with that great of pictures.  Here were the two best ones...

Everything still measured on track for a due date of Oct 7, so no surprises this visit!  We once again chose not to find out the sex of the baby.  Dallas and Reba voiced a few times that they would like to know, and Doug even considered finding out.  Momma got the final vote, and I said, "Nope.  Surprise."  Dallas and Reba are both hoping for a brother, and I think that is what Daddy is wishing for too.  We shall see come October!

Until next time...

Week 20

I know, you are probably surprised to see I'm already doing a week 20 post.  Honestly, I am, too.

This pregnancy is definitely flying by!  Let me back up.  I "officially" found out the last week of March that I was pregnant.  I had been extremely tired for the previous 6 weeks or so, I originally contributed it to the long winter we were having.  Anywho, I figured I was no more than 8 weeks along, so I put off setting up an appointment with my doctor.  

On April 13th, I had my first appointment.  At the appointment, the nurse practitioner had a hand-held ultrasound machine that she said would be able to pick up an image if I was at least 8 weeks along.  I was thinking I was 10 weeks (at the most) at this point.  The NP was quite surprised with the image on the screen and stated that I was at least 12 weeks!  She couldn't give me an accurate date, as the machine was not accurate enough to take measurements (it was the size of a smart phone).

I scheduled my next appointment for May 4th, along with a full ultrasound to determine my due date.  I was able to take the kiddos along for that visit, and they were super excited to see the baby on the big screen.  

Here are a few of the images from our visit

The tech was wonderful, and we had a great visit.  Although, I was quite shocked, once again, at the end of the ultrasound when the tech stated that I was 17 weeks 5 days along!  That was almost 3 more weeks than I thought.

So, here we are...half way through the pregnancy.  My official due date is Oct 7.  Let's hope Doug will be done with harvest at that point!

Enough of my story, here is my comparison picture!  Let the guesses begin: boy or girl?

L-R: Dallas ('07), Reba ('09), Julianne ('13), and #4 ('15)

Until next time...

Announcement

Remember the photo shoot I had with the kiddos a few weeks ago?  Well, I had another reason for the pictures.  I wanted to make a card...

Until next time...

Welcome Julianne Faith!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the doctor offered for us to come in this morning, break my water, and have a baby!  We jumped at the chance, even with the snow storm in the forecast.  Ma-maw came down last night so she could stay with Dallas and Reba while Daddy and Momma went to the hospital.

Just as the weatherman predicted it rained first and then turned to snow after midnight.  Schools were canceled, so we were going to let kiddos sleep in, but they had other plans!  They woke up just a few minutes before we were going to leave, so I got one more picture with them and Baby in my belly.

As Doug and I were driving to the hospital, we were glad we made the choice to induce labor and not have to make an emergency trip with the poor road conditions should I have gone into spontaneous labor.  We also talked about how it was the perfect day to sit in a hospital room and watch the snow fall!

Around 7:30 a.m. the doctor broke my water and labor started.  After an hour or so, the contractions really had not picked up, so my doctor decided to start Pitocin.  That did the trick!  A little before 1 o'clock, I had dilated to 6 cm, and the contractions were very strong, so I decided to get an epidural.  It was roughly 1:30 p.m. when the anesthesiologist finished, and unlike the epidural I received when Reba was born, it helped ease the pain right away!  Between 1:45 and 1:50 p.m., my nurse was explaining that she was going to call my doctor with an update, and she was going to suggest Dr. Alvey come up in an hour or so to check on me.  Just then, Dr. Alvey walked in (her office to see patients is on the second floor of the women's hospital and labor and delivery is on the third floor).  She mentioned to the nurse that she would like to check my progress, and low and behold, I was fully dilated and ready to push!

At 2:14 p.m., we welcomed our new baby girl in the world!

Meet Julianne Faith Bergman

She weighed in at 7 lb 12 oz and was 21 inches long.  She was the quietest newborn ever!  We couldn't hardly get a single cry out of her; she had her eyes wide open, taking everything in around her.

Excuse my red eyes, but there might have been a few tears of joy!

Daddy watching over the nurse getting Julianne's measurements

Proud Daddy and his newest little girl

Gotta have a bow on little girls! (her eyes are wet looking for an ointment the nurse applied)

When we called to let Ma-maw know we had a surprise, the kiddos were just getting up from naps.  Dallas told us that he did not want us to tell if he got a brother or sister, he wanted to wait until he got to the hospital.  Ma-maw then braved the weather (and the worsening road conditions) and brought Dallas and Reba to the hospital.

Our family of five! (side note: I was so excited that the kiddos were able to come to the hospital and meet their new sister; you might remember, Dallas was not allowed at the hospital when Reba was born)

Even though Dallas was convinced he was getting a brother, he quickly fell in love with his new sister.

My little mother hen couldn't get her hands on Julianne fast enough

Because today was St. Nick's Day, someone had donated Christmas stockings filled with goodies for all the babies born today.  Dallas and Reba were more than willing to check out the goodies.

They were then more interested in the stocking while Little Julianne got a few more vital checks from the nurse

Daddy and Ma-maw then took the kiddos to get some supper, while Momma got the chance to get cleaned up and Julianne got her first bath.  She then got to hang out under the warming lights until her body temp got back up to normal.

Shortly after, the group returned and we were all moved the postpartum room.  The kiddos each held Julianne again, and then Ma-maw decided they better start the trek back to the house, and Momma needed to get some sleep!

Until next time...

Monday Memories

First Ultrasound of "Buckwheat"

First Ultrasound of "Gertie"

Oh, and while I'm at it...I'll add the First Ultrasound of Baby B #3!

That's right folks...Doug and I are excited to announce that we are expecting Baby B #3 in early December (my due date, not deadline, is Dec. 5)...that makes me just over 10 weeks along.  So far things are going well.  The heartbeat was measured at 176 this morning.  I have good days and then I have bad days.  I have energetic days and then I have lazy/sleepy days.  And, at the end of every day, I feel like I am going to get sick.  Thankfully, I only did on one day a few weeks ago when the stomach bug went through our house.

As with our previous go 'rounds, we will NOT be finding out the gender of Baby B.  I don't have strong feelings one way or the other at this point either.

Dallas and Reba are both excited about having a new baby in the house, but they are having a hard time understanding it will be a while before the baby arrives.  So...We use family birthdates as a time table.  For example: Gram's birthday (June 14) is when summer starts.  After Momma's birthday (July 30) Dallas will start Kindergarten and Reba will start Preschool.  Pa-paw's birthday (Sept 1) is when Daddy starts to harvest corn.  And, after Reba's birthday (Nov. 17) is when Baby B will be arriving.

Until next time...look forward to updates and the soon-to-be growing bump!

Introducing Reba Elizabeth Bergman

Here she is, the newest addition to the family. Reba was born around 7:20p.m. She weighed in at 7lbs. 4oz. and 20in. long. The parents are very excited as you can imagine and are very grateful to God that she is healthy! More pictures to come as Rajean takes back the reigns of the blog postings.

Congratulations!

To my long time friend Melissa and her husband, Chris. They welcomed their first child, Zachary Christopher, into the world on Sunday morning. The little...correction...big boy weighed in at 8 lb 10.7 oz and is 22 in long! Check out her blog for pictures of the new cutie.

Congratulations again!

Until next time...

Oh Baby!

We are finally ready to announce to the world that Dallas is going to be a Big Brother! We are very excited and feel very blessed to bring another baby into our family.

"Gertie" (short for Gertrude), as we are affectionately calling this one, is due November 19th, making me about 15 1/2 weeks along. No, we don't know if the baby is a girl or boy, and no, we are not planning on finding out. For some unknown reason, we have called it Gertie from the moment we found out we were expecting.

I had an ultrasound on April 15th (yes, I have been keeping this a secret for quite a while). It showed one baby with a heart rate of 160 beats/min. Here is a small video of the heart beat.

I also have a couple pictures from the ultrasound...remember, Gertie was just 8 weeks when this was done. Making him/her only a half inch long with teeny-tiny arms and legs.

This is of the rate rate

A profile view

I started a couple weeks ago taking pictures of my ever-growing belly. For those that are interested...here is the progress thus far:

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Dallas and I were able to hear the heartbeat at my last appointment which was May 6th. My next appointment is this Wednesday, June 3rd.

As far as how I have been feeling: TIRED. That's about all I can say. I did not have morning sickness, but I felt very nauseated for quite a while. A couple things that are different with this pregnancy is that I don't have a problem eating eggs (I couldn't stand the thought of them while pregnant with Dallas); I often gag while brushing my teeth (never had a single problem before); and I'm loving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

One thing that is the same: I get sunburns very, very easily. I'm having to put more sunscreen on me than I do on Dallas when we go out to play! I also have found that the Coppertone Baby Sunscreen SPF 50 is the only thing that works!

So...now you all know!

Until next time...

8 Months Old

OK, so I am a day late, but I know you really won't mind. Dallas had his 8th month birthday yesterday. He is growing and changing all the time. Which, I'm sure all you other moms know how that is. He has started to get up on all fours and rock a few times, but no forward movement. He is also starting to grab on to things like he wants to pull himself up. I guess I should continue to enjoy these last few moments of him not getting into things!

As far as his growth stats...I'm guessing he is around 21 or 22 pounds and probably close to 30 inches tall. Again, these are just estimates. I tried sitting him on our scales, and they read 19 pounds! I know that can't be true, he hasn't lost weight since his last check-up... wait, does that mean my weight is off as well? Nahh...

I have also tried taking a tape measure to see his height, but he pulls on it and wiggles too much! I guess you and I will have to wait until his next well-baby check-up on the 12th of December for the accurate measurements.

So...until then, just enjoy the pictures and know that he is definitely a growing boy!

What are you doing, Mom?Dallas' latest trick...sticking out his tongue!

Cheese!

Here's one of Doug when he was 8 months old...

There might be a slight resemblance...

Until next time...

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...

(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.

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...

Valentine's Recap (and more)

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day, and that you were able to enjoy some sweets (especially some chocolates!). My house is now decorated with two lovely spring-type flower bouquets. One of them arrived at work yesterday morning...it was from my mom and dad. The other I got from Doug when he came home from work! There was even a stuffed little lamb with his bouquet! I would put a picture of them up, but I still haven't found my camera charger.

I worked until noon like most days, and then spent the afternoon cleaning the house...Doug's mom, dad, and sister are on their way to visit for the weekend. At lunch time, I had asked Doug if he wanted a "homemade" dinner or an "out-to-eat" dinner for his Valentine's present. He chose Texas Roadhouse, which was fine by me - like my friend Kristen said about her Valentine's dinner...no clean up! Plus, we hadn't been there since Christmas! We decided to go early in order to beat the holiday rush. Of course, we still called ahead, and I was so glad we did. I called at 4:30, as we left house, and there was only a 35 minute wait...perfect - it is a 30 minute drive to the Roadhouse. When we got there, they were telling people it would be a 90 minute wait! Needless to say, we got right in, and the food was absolutely delicious!

We stopped at Wal-Mart on our way home, and can you believe that it was NOT busy! I guess holidays must be the time to shop. When we got home, Doug helped me move the furniture in order to vacuum and do some other odds and ends cleaning. I even made a loaf of pumpkin bread, which made the house smell "oh-so-good".

Today, Buckwheat and I go back to the doctor. We are meeting with Dr. Patrick on this trip - another one of the doctors in the clinic just in case Dr. Smollen isn't on call when Buckwheat arrives. I'll let you know how it goes in my next post. In other Buckwheat news: Doug and I finished up our Lamaze class on Wednesday night. We were suppose to go next week because we missed a class due to weather. Shari (the nurse that lead the class) decided to not make it up because two couples have already had their babies, two more are due on Monday, and one due on Wednesday! That would only leave Doug and I!!!

Lastly, I thought I would share that I have been having dreams about Buckwheat lately. Right around Christmas I had a couple dreams about him/her. In those dreams, one time we had a boy and the other time we had a girl. I hadn't dreamed about Buckwheat since...until we chose names last week. I have dreamed almost each night that we had a girl!

I think that brings us up to date on what's happening in Iowa. Have a fabulous Friday and a great weekend.

Until next time...

It's a Stay at Home Sunday

Yep...we didn't get to go anywhere today. The reason: we were drifted in! We tried going to church this morning, but each way we tried to go, the road was drifted shut. There was one spot that we thought we might be able to get through, but decided not to try since it was about -25 wind chill out. It would be really bad to be stuck in those temps. When we got back to the house, we thought the maintainer would be through at some point and we would be able to go to church in Williamsburg (it begins at 10:30 a.m.). Only, the maintainer never came through. We even watched a few "brave" people get stuck in the same spot we got caught in earlier in the week.

Today was also our bowling Sunday. We decided, with our teammates (who live in Newton - an hour drive away), that it was best not to go. I don't know if we'll make it up either. It was a big hassle the last time we missed a night.

So, what did we do with our time at home? We sat down and finally decided on baby names! Yes, I said names because we have to be prepared with both boy and girl names. Please, don't ask for the names because we want it to be a surprise. You will all find out soon enough!

We also finished unpacking the tractors! We have been working on this for over a week. It started with putting up shelves around the top of the room. We then put up the 1/16th scale tractors. Realizing we needed some lower shelves, we put up some more yesterday, and unpacked the 1/64th scale today. The tractors are officially unpacked, but not completely finished because they still need to be spaced. I think that Bob, Doug's dad, is going to bring some more of the tractors that are still in Indiana this coming weekend when they come for a visit. Then, we will be able to finish the display!

That wraps up our day...

...until next time!

Announcing...

Colton Robert Stockment!
Proud parents: Jason and Kim (Hall) Stockment

Colton Robert Stockment arrived at 5:15 a.m. on January 30, 2008. He weighs 8 lbs. and 12 oz. and is 21 1/2" long. Labor and delivery went well (as can be expected) and baby and mom are doing great. Colton has big feet and long fingers and is absolutely adorable. (This is the note as posted by Grandma Mandy from Kim's blog)