Our new family of four

Sorry it has been so long since we updated here. Things have been pretty hectic for all of us adjusting to our new addition - Matthew Patrick Kutsch.

Matthew joined our little family at 10:51 a.m. Thursday, April 16, 2009. He weighed in at 9 pounds and was 20.5 inches long.

He is growing like a weed and doing very well. At his 2-week appointment yesterday he was at 10 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches.

I must say that a C-section is much different than the 12 hours of back labor I had with Nate. I freaked a bit when I couldn't feel my legs or see them. The anesthesiologist said it wasn't uncommon and she made me feel tons better. It was crazy to walk into the OR and have a baby less than 45 minutes later. Matthew came out perfect with 9 and 10 apgars (already an overachiever).

Overall, we are doing OK. Matthew is growing and Nate is adjusting. He is a little more whiny and prone to cry now than before (that also could be because he is 2), but he loves his baby brother and likes to give him hugs and kisses. It is the time we spend with Matthew that I think bothers him. It will take time so we are all being as patient as possible.

The healing for me is going well. I got sick from the morphine in the hospital, but once that wore off I was OK. Pain meds are great! I am hoping to get cleared to go back to work after 6 weeks from delivery like I want and not have to wait 8 weeks. I am already going nuts at home

I guess that is about it. I am sure I am missing something, but I am exhausted and can't remember what. I am posting a few new pics - he is the spitting image of Nate at this age.







For comparison...
Matt coming home from the hospital


Nate coming home from the hospital


Matt in boppy chair


Nate in boppy chair

Baby will be here Thursday!

We have been battling some issues with the pregnancy lately, but we finally have an end in sight! An ultrasound last week showed low fluid and big baby. Another one later in the week showed the same.

A final one today showed good fluid and the baby still large and cute as ever! Fluid went up to 9! WOOOOOHHOOOOO

But because Baby is big so we talked about inducing on Thursday. However, because he is at 8.5 lbs minimum now and Nate got stuck at only 7lb 11oz and the doc tried to use the vacuum, we are scheduling a c-section for Thursday. After weighing all of the possible complications, there are more complications for the baby if we go vaginally (and he gets stuck or we have to do a c-section anyway) than scheduling a c-section, we are confident this is our best option for Baby. I am more than willing to deal with any complications to me to assure baby is OK.

So - surgery is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, April 16th!

Our 36w5d doc appt

Well, our appointment went well. I love the doc I got to see - she is very caring and very thorough and didn't dismiss any of my concerns.

I am not dilating any more, so no more progress on that front. However, I did have a trace of protein in my urine and my BP was higher for me 136/something. So - I get to take another day off work today b/c I have to do the 24-hour urine catch and I am not taking that jug and catcher to work! UGH! I know, I know TMI! I also will be missing class tonight to take in my jug and have blood drawn.

I also measured slightly big, so I get another ultrasound next week. I figure I have measured a bit big all along and did with Nate too, so I am not worried. But I also wasn't going to turn down another ultrasound! Oh and HB was 140s.

All in all it was OK - just not liking the 24-hour test - yuck! While it wasn't all sun shiny news, I did feel very comfortable and listened to when I left. I am not too worried about the results from these tests b/c we are 37 weeks tomorrow and baby is still moving around a lot.

Another crazy week - but we are nearing our due date

Last Thursday, I had been feeling pretty good - and then the evening hit. Starting about 5ish, I started getting pretty strong contractions about 15 min. apart. I kept track and tried drinking more water (I already had had 3-32oz. cups during the day) and just resting on my side. Nothing worked and they started to get closer. I called doc when they were about 10 min apart consistently. She sent us to L&D to get checked. After getting my pokey husband our the door, we finally got to the hospital in Davenport about 10:00 (I called about 9:15) and got all hooked up. By that point the contractions were about 5-6 min apart (that is what they were when I was admitted to have Nate). They checked me and I was at a 1.5 cm.

So, after 2 hours of consistent contractions and being told I am dehydrated (I still don't know how with as much water as I drink) they give me the shot to get the contractions to stop/slow. They did for a while. Then they started getting closer again, but they were further (more like 10 min again instead of 5-6). So after 2 hours of them slower than before and no change to my cervix, we finally got sent home at 2!

Still getting lots of contractions every day, but they aren't consistent at this point. I am just supposed to rest and avoid stress. Yeah, like I have time! They did say that most likely this was all caused by stress and dehydration. So, as long as I rest and drinks lots of water I should be OK.

Well, then I went to the doc on Tuesday. No change in dilation, so I am not on any restrictions and if labor starts now they will not start it. So, we just have to pray that Mr Matthew stays put for another couple weeks - we really want to get to 37 weeks before he makes his appearance. At the appt, his HB was 150ish and he is still a mover and a shaker in there.

So - please pray he stays put for a little while longer to give him more time to bake! I know we all want to meet him very soon - but not this soon!

Wow - what a week we have had!

Nate turned 2 on Monday! We had a great and busy birthday party for him on Saturday with friends and family. It was a blast! Nate seemed to really enjoy playing with all of his friends and sharing all his toys.

On Tuesday, I had my bi-weekly doctor appointment. I have had a few episodes of bad chest pains, and the doctor and I both believe it is GERD (reflux) gone awry with this baby. I had a lot of it at the end when I was pregnant with Nate, but nothing like I have had recently. I got a prescription and things seem to have settled down nicely! Also at the appointment, Matthew's h/b was about 144 again and everything seems to be going well with him. He is still measuring about a week ahead, but, again, that is what Nate measured all along.

I can't believe we are at 33 weeks and have less than 50 days until he is scheduled to be here! So much to do still! (But I did finally get my pedicure I have been wanting for so long!)

Here are some photos from Nate's birthday...


Then last night we had a bit more excitement at our house. Nate's slight cold is actually croup. I have never seen Nate struggle so hard to breathe as he did last night when we woke up at 1:30 a.m. It scared the living daylights out of me. I didn't know if he had an asthma attack (never had asthma) or what - it just sounded awful and the poor thing couldn't breathe right. So we went to the ER and it is croup. He got a breathing treatment and scrips for a steroid and an antibiotic b/c he also has the start of his very first ear infection.

I am home with him today b/c Mark is the only one in his department besides his boss these next couple weeks. Nate is contagious (I didn't know croup was a virus) for at least 24 hours. I will try to work some from home while he hangs out and tries to get over this nastiness.

We are just happy it wasn't worse and something he can get over soon. Doc did say once he gets it like this he is more prone to it later. Lovely.

Update from the docs

Well, I passed the 3-hour GD test and my swelling has not gotten any worse, so we are good to go. We won't have another appt for 2 weeks.

Baby Matthew did ring in with a hb of 144 today and has been moving constantly lately. I hope that is not a sign of things to come because he sure likes to wake me up at night with a nice jab to the ribs or bladder.

Hard to believe that Nate will be turning 2 in less than a month. What has happened to our little baby? Now he is a big boy who likes to go up and down the stairs on his own, sleep in his big boy bed, and pretty much be independent. You may be wondering what the theme of his party will be this year - and he chose Handy Manny.

I guess that is all from our house these days. The school semester has started and we are busy as ever. I just hope we get finished everything we want before Matthew joins our clan.

28-week appointment

Well, we are the 28-week mark with baby (well, we will be on Thursday). I had my appointment this morning and here is a quick rundown...

I failed the GD test. With having PCOS, I am not surprised b/c that makes me much more at risk for GD, so I go in on Friday morning for the 3-hour test. I have only heard bad things about this test, so I hope it isn't as bad as I imagine.

Then the doc tells me she is not liking how I am looking. I am more swollen now than I was at the end with Nate and I had a pretty big jump in weight so I go back on Tuesday morning for another look. Hopefully it is nothing. My BP was a little elevated at first, but then it went to normal after a little relaxing.

Other than that, Matthew was very active when doc tried to get the heartbeat and kicked the monitor a couple times. His HB was a strong 130ish (my hb was in with his - it was cute). He is also measuring about a week early, but that was what Nate did too.

Well, that is the update on the baby.

As far as the Nater - he is sleeping in his big boy bed every night now. I loves to play in his new room. I can't believe he will be 2 in only a little over a month. Where did the time go?

Merry Christmas!

Well, we spent this past weekend with the Thornburg/Kutsch side of the family in town to celebrate Christmas. A special visitor came to see us on Saturday, and Nate seemed to really think it was fun - once he warmed up to him. Overall, I think everyone had a great time!

On another quick note - we have been staying warm and dry in all of our crazy winter weather. More snow is expected today/tonight/tomorrow. Good thing we have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off of work, but Mark might have to come in to do some snow removal. Oh joy.

As far as new baby... I am now 23 weeks (as of Christmas Day). We also think we might have a name for the little peanut - Matthew Patrick Kutsch. While we know we don't want to get anything engraved/embroidered at this point, it seems to be the name peanut will have.

Here are some photos from this weekend. We will add more photos from Christmas morning as soon as possible. Enjoy!

Drew spent a couple extra days with us before the rest of the family arrived. He and Mark went on their first hunting outings together and had a great time.



A special visitor comes to visit! Nate loved having Santa at his house!









Nate playing with (and in) his new Mega Blocks from Papa and Grandma.



Watching Saturday morning Playhouse Disney with cousins Drew and Mikayla



Hanging out with Papa



The whole crew builds a gingerbread house.

Our ultrasound news...

We are having ...

A BOY!

OB appt went well - Nate slept through the u/s. I need another u/s b/c Baby Boy didn't want to stretch out enough to get good spine and kidney pics, but everything else looks good. Heartbeat was 160. He definitely wasn't shy about letting us know he is a boy - and the tech said if she is wrong we can call her and she will change the diapers for a year! (I'd say it is a very good bet then.) Found out the placenta is low lying (marginal previa), which is not a big deal at this point b/c 95% of the time it will move up on its own. If not, still not a big deal and we will cross that bridge if we have to with a c-section, but doc doesn't think it will be a problem at all. I loved this new doc. She was very cool with Nate and very sweet. Oh yeah - quad test came back good.


One more thing - my face is finally starting to not swell anymore from this nasty sinus infection I got. I think it is actually going down some! Yay!

That is the news and I will post pics from this weekend back in St. Louis soon!

Happy Halloween & then some...

Wow - this last week has been absolutely crazy at our house. Last Monday morning Nate woke up sick (and I mean the yucky sicky) and Mark was feeling under the weather, too. So, they both stayed home and tried to get better. Tuesday, Nate showed signs of getting better and Mark was on antibiotics for strep throat, so all was getting better. Then on Wednesday, Nate started to feel ill again, but because there was no fever and he was keeping food down, he went to the sitter, where he proceded to share his germs. Thursday, Lynnette (his sitter) was sick, so Mark and Nate stayed home again! Halloween Friday all was good and we had a great time.

Here are some photos of Nate as Tigger and Mark as a bigger Tigger (that was last minute and turned out really well). Nate was so excited when he saw himself in the mirror as Tigger, and then more excited when he saw Daddy as Tigger.

As they went out tirkc-or-treating on the busiest Halloween street in town, I stayed at our friends' house with some other moms and handed out more than 5 bags of candy. Wow! We barely get 5 trick-or-treaters at our house each year!




After a busy Halloween, we headed up to Dubuque on Saturday morning to help Mark's Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Bob move. By the time we got there at only 9:30 a.m., almost everything was moved already! That made for an easier day than I expected! Nate had a great time playing with all of his cousins and other relatives who were there. There sure is no shortage of attention for our little man. Nate also spent a great deal of time pulling Gandma all over by her fingers so he could show her this and that and play with just about everything. I think both Nate and Gandma had a great time!