It's a boy!!

Hey guys!!! Well as some of you may already know ITS A BOY!!!! It has been a wild and fun ride these past couple of days! Noah Wayne Tarwacki was born October 7, 2010 at 1:32am weighing in at healthy 7 pounds 13 ounces and measured 20 inches long! We are thrilled and couldn't be more in love with this perfect little boy!

Here is a brief rundown of Noah's birth story... I went to my weekly check-up on Wednesday morning. My usual blood pressure is 108/70 but at my appointment it was 150/90 and I was at +1 for protein in my urine. So of course they were nervous of preeclampsia and wanted to monitor me and the baby and to do some blood work to determine how serious it was. So they sent me to the hospital to do the tests and best assess the situation. Before I left they told me their was a chance they would go ahead and keep me at the hospital and start the labor process. When I got the hospital they did the checks - baby was fine although my blood pressure was not getting any better. So they said it was time to get this show on the road! :)

They moved me down to a labor room and by 4pm they started the process. I was still only 1.5cm dilated and 70% effaced so they inserted this "shoestring" into me that had meds that would help soften my cervix. They said they would have to leave it in for 12 hours and then if my body was ready they would start the pitocin at 4am to induce labor. They also mentioned that there was a chance that my body may naturally go into labor as this medicine worked to soften my cervix. My body reacted well to this medicine. By 8pm my contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart and I was really starting to feel them. No pain really just a lot of pressure. By 8:30pm I told them that the pressure had increased - even when I wasn't having a contraction I felt a lot of pressure. Still not super painful but just very uncomfortable. They decided to go ahead and check my progress - I was now at 4 cm and 80% effaced. They went ahead and called the dr in to see if they could go ahead and remove the shoestring (sorry I don't remember what it was called) since my body was already starting the labor process. Once they took that out is when things really started to move. The contractions were really starting to get painful. I had originally told the nurses I wanted to try to do the delivery without meds but was open to the idea if it got to be too much. Well by 10:30pm it had gotten to be too much.... They said they would check me so I could decide if I was making progress or really thought I needed meds - I was now at 7cm and almost 100% effaced. That gave me the motivation to just stick with it and not take any meds. It was tough but with Pete by my side and using all of our breathing techniques I just knew that I could do this. The Dr. arrived around 12:00am and I was at 10 cm and 100% effaced - they broke my water and started to prep for pushing. Holy Cow! This was crazy. Although I only pushed for about 45 minutes it was really a lot of hard work. But it was great that Pete and the nurses were counting me through my pushing and just so encouraging. At 1:32am I gave my final push and baby Noah came shooting out like superman!! He is perfect in every way!

Noah has been a trooper for the past few days - he has this cute little squeal that he does when he is hungry or gassy :) We just cant get enough of him and are enjoying being home together learning how to best meet his needs and care for him. All of it was SO worth it and we are happy to have our little baby Noah.

I am attaching a few photos that we took at the hospital and as we were going home together. :) Enjoy!!

Blessed

This entire pregnancy has been one blessing after another. Being able to get pregnant, not having any morning sickness, still being able to have an active lifestyle while carrying this child, getting to make new friends because of the pregnancy, watching Baby T. get showered with gifts, and seeing Pete and my relationship grow.

One of the most recent blessings was receiving a bassinet for Baby T. to use in our bedroom. My girlfriend from work just had a little boy and she is lending the bassinet to Pete and I for Baby T. :) We truly have been blessed throughout this entire pregnancy. God is so good!

Here is a photo of the bassinet:

Week 38

I cant believe we are starting week 38 today!! It has gone so fast. I have really been enjoying the pregnancy and experiencing the miracle of this child growing inside me. Yesterday I went to a Kids Consignment Sale with Pete's mom at the 4-H Fairgrounds. They had a lot of nice stuff. We bought a saftey gate for only $8.00 and the grandma-to-be bought Baby T. this....

It's so cute I know... our child will be a little pumpkin this year! It will make for some fun scrapbook photos that's for sure! Well here is the Week 38 update according to BabyCenter.com. Enjoy!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Nursery Photos

Well the nursery is done and now just waiting for a little baby to come and live in it :) Here are a few photos I took this morning.... when viewing take note of the brown boarder stripe that Pete painted for me. He did an amazing job. It is not easy to get those spaced out just right and make the lines that straight! I want to give him props for doing such a great job!!!. Enjoy...

Bowling

So after a bowling outing this past weekend I quickly learned that my belly is larger than a bowling ball.... check it out:

Week 35 - with audio :)

I cant believe we started week 35 yesterday!! How exciting. It has gone rather quick and the little one will be here before we know it! Here is the weekly update from BabyCenter.com: 

How your baby's growing: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.


When I was at my check-up yesterday I recorded the baby's heartbeat. It was a strong heartbeat at 140bmp! Hope you enjoy listening to our little one :)

Photos from Week 32

Two weeks ago Pete's sister Amy snapped a few photos of us with the baby belly. We realized that I do not have many photos being pregnant so she volunteered to take a few for us! Below are a few of my favorites (I also updated our profile picture with one as well). I have grown quite a bit since these were taken but I guess that is to be expected when we only have 6 more weeks to go! Enjoy...

Anthony Travel Baby Shower

Here are the photos from my last baby shower! My friends and colleagues from Anthony Travel threw Baby T. a fun pool side baby shower 3 weeks ago! We had a great time and once again Pete and I were really blessed by everyone's encouragement and generosity! Enjoy!!!!

Sheila, Allison, Amber and Shelley! These girls worked hard to set everything up! A big thanks to Shelley for opening up her home (and pool) for the shower!

All the food was amazing but this chip and dip platter was my favorite!!


The fun decorations!!


These cupcakes came from a local bakery and were AMAZING! The gift bags were made by Marcia and had little homemade candies inside. Yum!


Some of the lovely ladies who attended!!



Fun in the sun!!!



So many nice gifts from everyone at my work!! The biggest surprise was that several of my colleagues pitched in and purchased the baby crib for us! Just so generous! We are blessed!! Oh what a fun baby shower for little Baby T.!!!

Indiana Shower

Two weeks ago was all about the baby! We were thrown TWO baby showers up here in Indiana. One was hosted by Amy and Janie (Pete's sister and mom) and the other by my friends at work (Anthony Travel). I am including an update with photos from the first shower below. It was an open house type shower so guests could come and go as schedules permitted. It was so nice to chat with everyone and even catch up with some friends that I had not seen in quite a while!

Baby Tarwacki was blessed with so many great things - it is one spoiled and cared for child already that is for sure! :) I hope you enjoy this short recap of the shower and get a glimpse of what made it so special for us!!!

We are decorating the nursery green and brown so the girls used those colors for the shower. The food was amazing!!!!

Amy and Janie made these cupcakes themselves. They even made the little chocolate molds on top of each cupcake. Not only did they look great they tasted even better!!!

Amy made one amazing punch and hosted a great shower!!!

Janie invested a lot in hosting this shower and everything went so great!!!!! Those little sandwiches you see were BBQ pulled pork - YUM!

Aunt Carol got the baby a piggy bank. You can never start saving too early!!

This was the first time I got to meet my friend Rachel's little girl. She had more fun playing with the wrapping paper than any of the toys around her!!

Some of my lovely guests!

Ever since we first saw this in Target we knew we wanted some for our first kid! I think we ended up with 3 or 4 boxes of the butt paste ;) Yeah I was WAY too excited about this!

More guests - Melba in "her chair"

So excited to see Jen and Jen! They are both due just a few weeks after me! Looking forward to playdates!

Aunt Amy made this for her new little niece or nephew. It is a diaper cake with a bath time theme! Super creative and cute! I loved it! A great centerpiece at the shower!

As you can see we had a wonderful time at the Indiana shower. The following day my colleagues hosted another great shower. More on that to come at a later time!!

Week 29

We have made it to the third trimester!! Here is another weekly update from babycenter.com

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

This week has been a busy week preparing for the baby's arrival. We have started calling/researching childcare facilities to see what our options are when I go back to work. We had a tour yesterday of a childcare center and today look at an in-home option. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek out the best option for our child.

Last night was quite the adventure - we had our first (of five) childbirth education class. My friend had recently been through the classes and given me a lot of the highlights but it really had so much more to offer than I expected. I think we are really going to enjoy the class and look forward to the upcoming weeks.

This weekend there are going to be TWO baby showers for Baby Tarwacki! Amy and Janie (Pete's sister and mom) are throwing the first one - it will be an open house, come and go shower. My colleagues from Anthony Travel are throwing one that will be at my friends house - it will be an afternoon party out by the pool. We are blessed to have so many supportive and generous family members and friends around us as we prepare for this next chapter in our life. God is so good!

This concludes the week 29 update. Next week we will be sure to include photos from the baby showers.

Week 28

Here is the weekly update on the baby's growth according to babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

The past few weeks have been busy with work, family and friends. For the 4th of July we went to Janie's house (Grandma-to-be) for a cookout and birthday celebration for Pete's grandma (great grandmother-to-be). We had great food and a fun time! After the party we got a group together to go watch fireworks in Plymouth. This has been a tradition of our for the past 5 or so years. It is the best fireworks show I think I have ever seen and I look forward to it every year. The evening involved Frisbee, elephant ears, games and ended with the grand finale show!! This year the finale was louder and brighter than ever and I think that baby Tarwacki really enjoyed them :) Here are a couple of photos from that evening:

TN Baby Shower

On Sunday, June 27th my mom and best friend Jackie threw Baby Tarwacki a baby shower. With the help of Jackie's mom Connie and my sister-in-law Christine they put together quite the party! There was about 25 of my friends there from all different points of my life. It was a mini bff reunion when Rachael showed up to spend some time with me and Jackie and I felt old when I saw Dorothy (I used to babysit her and her brother Wayne) and she was all grown up and told me she was almost done with college!! It was so great to catch up with everyone. From my 2nd moms to church friends to seeing Ruth, Lindsay & Pam... it was awesome!!

Needless to say, it was very special time of togetherness and Baby Tarwacki was blessed by so many special gifts. I really enjoy my time with my family and friends and am so thankful for all of their love and support. During the shower the guys (my dad, brother, nephew and Pete) and headed to the Lookout's Stadium to watch a game.

Here are some photos Jackie sent me from the shower:

The food - the petifor cakes were from Jackson's Bakery - yum!!

Aiden asked me why none of the gifts were for me and they were all only for the baby - Such a cutie!!

BFF reunion - Rachael, me & Jackie :)

Christine, Becca & Jen - I love these girls!

Me with Jackie, Connie & my mom - thanks for hosting an amazing shower!!

Trip down South

June 23rd, Pete and I made our way down to the Atlanta area to spend the weekend with my brother and his family. We decided to take a mini vacation before I got too uncomfortable to travel. We had a nice visit and really got to relax! A few of the highlights included

• A fashion show put on by the nieces
• Girls spa night
• The guys did an outdoor speaker wiring project
• Shopping and Dairy Queen with the nieces
  
• White Water (Six Flags Water Park)
• Banana Pudding

We had such a nice and relaxing time. I didn't take many photos during the visit but here are of few that I took with my phone:

Riley and Aunt Ruth

Aiden and Zoe

We stayed at my brother's place until Sunday which is when we made our way up to Chattanooga, TN to spend some time with my family and attend a baby shower my mom and best friend were throwing for the baby. More to come on that....

Ultrasound

On Tuesday Pete went with me for my checkup and we had an ultrasound done :) The baby was pretty relaxed during the procedure and took a few good photos. We got to see the baby's heart, lungs and kidneys and everything is developing right on track! We are in the 52 percentile for growth and development so not too big and not too small - just right :) The baby weighed in at 1pound, 4ounces and appears to be as healthy as can be :) It was nice to have Pete there with me and for him to get to "meet" our baby.

I am including a couple of photos for you all to see. This first one is a nice profile picture - the baby even has it's mouth open a bit.
This second one is a nice photo of the baby's foot. Oh, so, cute! :) Hope you enjoy!!

Today starts week 23 so I'll include the baby's progress according to babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Voting Time

Well, we have decided not to find out what we are having. We think it might be fun to be surprised and hopes it adds to the excitement a bit :)

So...with that being said, we need your help. We have found three different bedding types that we like for the nursery - all of them are neutral and super cute. We would like your help in picking out which one to get. Please cast your votes in the comment section if you would like to help out...

Option #1


Option #2


Option #3


Thanks for your help :)