Bruce Michael is Born!

We are happy to announce the arrival of our son!

He was born on April 19 at 8:35 am at Presbyterian Saint Luke's Family Birthplace. He was very healthy at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 19.5 inches long with APGAR scores of 7 and 9! His birth went extremely well with mom in only 5 hours of drug-free hard labor (yay Bradley classes!). Dad was an indispensable coach - we couldn't have done it without him!

Dad had the privilege of cutting the cord, accompanying Bruce to his circumcision and exams, and performing his first diaper change! Bruce stayed in our room with us, so we were given plenty of family bonding time. The nurses, midwives, and lactation consultants at PSL taught us so much while we were there! Dr. Foust did a wonderful job during delivery, afterward, and during Bruce's circumcision. We are blessed to have had such an experienced team of professionals working with us as we start our family.

We are now at home after a couple of days in the hospital. Willow already loves her little brother - Chloe isn't quite sure yet, however. Here are some pictures of what we've been doing the last few days. I know it seems like we've fallen off the earth, but we will return to the outside soon enough. Thank you for your patience as we ignore the phone and take our time returning messages. We appreciate that everyone shares our excitement! The three of us are taking some time to get to know each other. We have a lot to do, learn, and celebrate!


Bruce came complete with 10 fingers

And 10 beautiful toes

Here he is in his first picture ever!

Post natural childbirth - yikes!

First family pic with the new addition

Daddy and Bruce get some bonding time just after birth

Proud, yet tired - Mommy and Bruce

Lookout world - here he is!

Bruce waves "hello" to all of you!

Coach's recovery from childbirth

Mommy PLEASE stop taking my picture!

Bruce with the world's best role model

Daddy and the diaper change (part one of infinity)

Our snug bug on a rug

Us recovering at home (this is why we haven't returned your calls :) )

Cozy in the Moses basket

Bruce and Mommy after the first doctor's appointment

More sleeping - maybe we will get a picture with his eyes open someday!

Healthy Check Up

At our appointment today, the midwife reported that both baby and I are still doing well. She also said that they will not attempt to stop my labor if it resumes at this point! We were worried about that since Dad was scheduled to be out of town this week, but we had a wonderful surprise this morning! A kiln is broken at the location he was to test in Pittsburgh. Since it will not be able to be fixed this week, he got to come home! We are so excited! It was a bit stressful for both of us to have him so far away at this time. We'll keep you posted!

Another Baby Shower!!

We are so blessed by the friends and family we have that we were given another baby shower today! It was so much fun! We had wonderful food and games. It was so nice to be able to hang out with everyone!
Chris measures Pat's string in the string game




Zak and Andrea hanging out




Mom eating (rare photo...)




The first gift




Crocheted blanket from Aunt Kimmy




Bottles and toys from Chris




Not all the guests had fun, though :)




"A New Life" figurine from Grandma Eastburg




For future reference...





Nickerson and Zak bonding




Happy shower guests (watching me open gifts)





Joanna and Jacinda demonstrating grace in mommyhood





Nursing cover handmade by Joanna (and her mom Shirley)




After the party - what exciting treasures!


A billion thanks to everyone who made this such a special event! Thank you especially to the hostesses, Chris and Kirsten - we really appreciate your hard work! You did a wonderful job!

36 Week Update

Thankfully, the contractions have lessened considerably for my last week at work. Although I wasn't able to do much there, it was nice to be able to finish out the week. To mark the occasion, Tanya ordered a lemon mousse cake (yum!) and Chrysann made her famous wraps and deviled eggs.

The cake says "Good Bye Holly, Enjoy Motherhood"


At 36 weeks, our boy is still doing very well and growing considerably. Our next appointment is on Monday, which is just a routine appointment with one of the midwives. We finally narrowed down our many pediatrician choices and found one we are comfortable with so our little one will be prepared for his first well baby checkup when he gets out of the hospital.

We get to spend the weekend with our niece and nephew and my sister from Utah, since they were coming through on their way to visit friends in Nebraska. They will get to attend the baby shower tomorrow before they leave town. We are looking forward to it - how fun!

35 Week Update

We had an exciting weekend! We think our little one tried to show up early! On Saturday night, I started to have contractions that were strong enough to wake me up. I talked to one of the midwives and she gave instructions to keep track of them and call her if they became more frequent, etc. By Sunday morning, they were getting even more frequent, so she recommended that we meet her at the Mother and Child Hospital for monitoring. While we were there, the contractions slowed considerably without medical intervention. The midwife reported that I am 2 centimeters dilated already and that these contractions are the real thing (as opposed to the Braxton-Hicks). I was instructed to rest the remainder of Sunday and Monday as well. The contractions came and went on Sunday and were few on Monday. Ideally, the baby shouldn't be born before 37 weeks, which is considered full term. At this point, he still has a small chance of experiencing some developmental setbacks, so we need to keep him on the inside for a couple more weeks. This may cause me to have to do a bit of bedrest or I may have to take a drug to stop the contractions (which is controversial and the LAST option on our list after looking up the side effects for mom and baby).
Even after a full day of work today (taking it easy there too, of course), the contractions are few, so I think we have conquered them for now. I only have 2 more days of work anyway, so I think I can make it. We'll keep you updated!

34 Week Update

Welcome to week 34! Our midwife appointment today revealed normal measurements and heart rate and a head-down baby! Mom's lab work is all within normal limits. Mom and Dad are getting a bit antsy with some early anxiety, but are very excited and waiting patiently at the same time.

For all friends and family that know Boo, the sugar glider in our profile picture, we have some bad news. After 11 wonderful years, Boo has passed away. He has been gracefully but noticeably aging over the last few years. In the last few weeks, he's become increasingly more uncomfortable. The last few days were particularly hard on him. We had a very difficult time deciding to euthanize him. He was an incredible and unforgettable member of our family and neither of us were ready to let go. We employed the offerings of veterinary medicine - pain medication, etc. to make him comfortable in his last days, but it became obvious that he was still not feeling well. Looking into his painful eyes made us realize that we had to put aside our selfishness and make the best decision for Boo. He is dearly missed and will always be an irreplaceable part of our family.

Surprise Shower!

I went to lunch today, just expecting the same old thing, but got quite a surprise! My co-workers had a baby shower for me! I was totally shocked! It was so much fun and everyone was overly generous and gave us the most wonderful gifts! Everything is SO cute - even the wrapping paper!


Chloe had to inspect all the gifts. (What a lot of baby loot!)

At 32 weeks, Baby and I are doing well. Jerret and I's new passtime is watching my abdomen roll, move, and jump. We can watch (and feel) when he has the hiccups and when he moves his limbs around. My co-workers have also been entertained (as well as a bit freaked out) by his antics.

Although the contractions are still there, the midwife saw no sign of actual labor at our last appointment. It looks like he's staying where he is for now - and hopefully for at least 5 more weeks until he's full term. I have been slowed down by recent stiff joints (which is normal) and am still huffing and puffing due to the fact that I am carrying him so high. I have only a few more weeks of work, which brings mixed feelings of excitement, relief, sadness, and apprehension. Having been in the veterinary field for almost 10 years now, it seems weird to just leave. Pretty soon I will be too busy to think about it, though!