Merry Christmas

Christmas came early at the Lowry home. Amelia Jean was our Christmas-in-August gift from God. For this reason, we pretty much just skipped over the whole gift-giving tradition. Amelia's happy and healthy and right on track with every developmental milestone; yet another gift for us. At four months of age she weighs almost 14 pounds and is over two feet long. We couldn't be more thrilled.

We had a wonderful Christmas day in Puyallup with the Felkins/Rios bunch. What a blessing to have such incredible people in our lives. They spoiled the three of us and Amelia enjoyed going from lap to lap. No crying for this gal, as she's pretty much a perfect baby.

The Holy Family

On December 3 at the Redmond Lights celebration, we posed as the Holy Family in the living nativity scene. Amelia was a perfect baby Jesus. We'll have to wait and see if she wants to do more stage work like her Great Grandma Jean, Grandma Jan, Aunt Heather, and Daddy.

Just Silly

Snow in Seattle?

It never snows in the Puget Sound region. So why would our three-month old own a snowsuit? Exactly! She doesn’t. But, we do have one gently used and very warm chicken suit leftover from Halloween. Throw on her blue doggie slippers and we're set. Enjoy!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

... It's off to work I go.

I started back to work on Nov. 7. The transition has been good for me, despite all the horror stories I had heard from everyone. It's actually nice to use my brain on a higher level and interact with my wonderful coworkers. I did miss them, as I was out of the office for about four months.

I get up early (4:30 am), but that's about the worst of my schedule. I arrive at Nintendo around 6:45 am while Gene stays home with Amelia. They meet me at my office at 1:15 pm, we switch vehicles (if you have the baby, you get the nice car), and he's off to work at Boeing. My shift with Amelia ends when Gene arrives back home around midnight. Gene and I don't see much of each other except on weekends, but it's best for Amelia and that's what counts. Amelia has adjusted just fine to her new schedule. She’s such a terrific and easy baby.

Washington Grown

Amelia made one cute Foster Farms Chicken for Halloween. She dressed up, along with all her friends, for her first Halloween party. Then she turned into a tired pumpkin so she could pass out candy to all the big kids who dropped by our house. It was a great day.

Two days later it was time for more celebrating as this new mom turned 40! I can’t believe that one, but it’s true. The morning started with a bouquet of flowers and two birthday cards; one from my husband and one from my daughter. Then a few moments later the two of them presented me with a diamond necklace and matching earrings. Very special!

Our new little family headed out the door for breakfast at the Maltby Café, and then it was off to meet Amelia’s new friends for lunch at the Honey Bear Bakery. The day was a wrap with friends Mark & Dorothy. We picked up a quick dinner and then joined their son Aaron to watch the Bothell vs. Redmond high school girl’s volleyball game. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a high school. It was fun to see what’s to come in the next years with Amelia.

Just Beautiful!

A day in the life of Amelia Lowry!

Vitals

Gosh, it actually has been since the last post that I downloaded our photos from the camera. And no, I didn’t do it today either. The quantity of photos taken since Amelia’s birth has definitely decreased. I’m currently sorting through the 353 photos we took in the first 13 days of her life to decide which to order. It’s crazy how the digital camera can seem to take an endless number of photos. We are still taking photos; just not as many.

Her two month well baby visit went fantastic and her pediatrician said that she’s just perfect. She holds her head up very well, is very alert, and is about to roll over. She now weighs 10 pounds 12 ounces (50th percentile) and is 23 inches long (75th percentile). Her precious little head is growing perfectly and is in the 40th percentile. She was given her first round of four different immunizations and tolerated them just fine. It really was a non-issue with a slight fever, tender thighs, and some extra sleep the next day. That was it.

Amelia really is a great and easy baby. She doesn’t even fuss when we put her down. This morning she played on her play mat all by herself for over an hour just giggling and cooing at the toys hanging over her. Of course we were both admiring her from afar, as we were trying to figure out if she knows she’s batting the toys overhead. Not quite yet, as she’s still got the uncontrolled arm jerkiness, but she’s almost there. When her arm did hit a toy, sometimes she would grip the toy. She IS perfect. We feel so blessed.

Halloween is coming! Be sure to check back to see Amelia in the cutest costume ever!

Where's Amelia?

It's not that I have too much time on my hands, because I don't. It's just that I couldn't resist this photo opportunity!

Bath Time!

Amelia loves taking baths and we love giving them to her.

Happy Birthday

On September 15, Amelia turned one month old. We can hardly believe it! She's getting so very big; over nine pounds already. She's still so beautiful and we love her dearly.

Hangin' Out

Our afternoon at Green Lake.

Don't Use the Water...

What is it with me and homes with sewer problems? The first month after purchasing my Seattle home, the sewer backed up. Then three years later the first month our tenant was there, it backed up again and had to be replaced. Thankfully I'm married to a plumber who was able to replace the pipe through the yard.
Well, now we're looking at problems of a large magnitude at our Bothell home. Darn! I need to wash some clothes for my baby and heck; I need to wash the baby! She needs a bath.
Anyway, that's my rant. Let's hope that we have a clear sewer line before Monday, which is my first day home alone with Amelia. And the date on Monday is September 11. But I guess it's not the end of my world if I have to drive somewhere to use a toilet.

Oh yeah, isn't Amelia beautiful!! We're so in love!

The Long Story

Now here’s the long version on Amelia’s birth. Dad started writing the story while we were in the hospital. Mom will fill in the blanks and give a current events update.

Ok she’s here, whew…’ Kirsten is feeding the baby so I’m in charge of the blog update.

I would like to introduce Amelia Jean Lowry. Amelia means hard working and industrious. Jean means gift from God and is also her Great Grandmother’s name.

So here’s what happened. We went to the hospital Sunday to start Kirsten’s labor. At about 10:00 pm she was having contractions every 5 to 10 min. After laboring at home all night, we made it to the hospital around 8:00 am Monday morning. Kirsten was well into labor so she did not need any actual medicine to get things going. Things progressed slowly and painfully (no pain meds) all day until finally, at around 6pm, it was advised that Kirsten get an epidural. Everyone was exhausted and it was the best and only choice.

At around 11:00 pm she started pushing but Amelia wasn’t going anywhere. Kirsten spiked a fever of about 101 and twice the baby’s heartrate dropped to 40 beats per minute without explanation. Then her heartrate rose to 170 beats per minute and stayed that high. After two hours of pushing and a stressed out baby, the midwife and doctor determined that for the safety of the baby we needed an emergency C-section. Everything happened very quickly, as Kirsten was wheeled to the OR immediately. Our beautiful baby girl arrived at 1:48am. Because of all the stress the baby was under, she did have a bowel movement in the womb. The medical team was able to clean her airways before she took her first breath so she was not in any danger of inhaling the bad stuff. So finally after almost 28 hours in labor and some touchy moments with the baby’s heartbeat, she’s here and she is perfect.

Kirsten was on antibiotics to tackle her fever that hung around for a few days. Amelia’s fever didn’t last long enough to need medication, but then she was diagnosed with jaundice. We didn’t even notice how yellow she really was until we looked at the photos we were taking. She came home with the light bed and an in-home nurse visit each day. It only took three days for the jaundice to leave and to receive a baby clean bill of health.

So now she’s 17 days old and just as delightful as the day she was born. We’re still getting to know each other and we’re having so much fun in the process. She sleeps four to five hours at a time each night and isn’t really fussy unless she needs a diaper change or is hungry. She’s such a great baby and we couldn’t be happier.

Today Amelia took her first “walk” at Seattle’s Green Lake. Mom and Dad each had their favorite Starbucks drink and we looked every bit the Seattle urban family. It was hilarious and we loved every minute. The last time we walked Green Lake we were quite pregnant and checking out all the different strollers in an effort to make the right choice. This time we didn’t notice any other strollers or even the water as we couldn't stop staring at the contents of our stroller – perfect!

Really Really Tired

Wow, we had a rough night. It seems that our little angel likes to power nap during the day for up to four hours and then power feed non-stop at night. Today we're going to try and make some changes by either A) waking her to feed her more often than we have, B) just power nap with her which we've been really bad at doing (there's so much to do around here), or C) cry with her when she cries because we have no energy to do anything else. The likely solution probably won't be C, but it might just give us an outlet for a moment.
Gosh, who knew that it could take three days to plan an outing to buy a rocking chair or that I, Miss Organization, would be late in paying the bills. Now that HAS to get done today, but I'm not quite sure when or how. Wish us luck!
Know that even at the worst, we still look at each other and say we wouldn't have it any other way. We're having a wonderful time caring for our precious Amelia.
G&K

More Photos

Space Age Baby Light Bed - all gone now!


A kiss from Mom. The yellow is also all gone.




Going Home

No More Jaundice!!!

Just before leaving for the hospital Monday morning, August 14.















Laboring - no meds!

Yeah! The jaundice is all gone, along with the light bed. Amelia's nurse told us this morning that there is no need for any of the extra medical stuff and that we should just start enjoying her. We couldn't be more thrilled. The "clinicalness" (is that a word?) of it is all over and we hardly know what to do. I guess now we'll have more time on our hands - maybe.

Enjoy the photos!
Brand New













Daddy introducing Amelia to Mommy

A very proud daddy!

There's a New Girl in Town

Here’s the quick version, as I know everyone has been waiting patiently all week. We’ll fill you in on the finer details soon.

Our beautiful baby girl arrived a bit past schedule, but is here now and is quite perfect!
Amelia Jean Lowry joined our family at 1:48 am Tuesday, August 15. Forget the 33rd percentile she was supposed to be in, as she weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 1/2 inches long. All three of us are exhausted from a near 36 hour labor and then an emergency c-section. She didn't like the long labor and started to stress out. Then she wasn't born a moment too soon, as we both had a fever. Now she's got a cool blue light bed to help her battle jaundice.

But in spite of it all, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and we’re taking her home today, Thursday, August 17. We even get to take with us her space-age blue light bed and a nurse!!! Actually, the nurse will visit our home once per day until the jaundice is gone.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers throughout the week.

Gene, Kirsten, & Amelia

Past Due

Our due date of Monday, August 7 has now come and gone and this mother-to-be is getting very anxious. Actually, I’m just uncomfortable and simply ready to finally hold this little girl in my arms. An even better sight for me will be to see Gene holding his baby daughter. Because of everything we’ve been through in the last two years, when the moment finally arrives, we’ll likely be beside ourselves with emotion. Heck, I’m crying as I write this. Hormones… All the heartbreak of last year has been right at the surface for me as I prepare for this baby’s birth. Baby Noah Michael is never far from our thoughts.

The word from our medical team is that sometime next week I’ll be induced. I don’t have the exact date yet and am hoping she’ll arrive on her own timing over the weekend. I’d love to avoid all the medical intervention, as it does frighten me a bit. Either way, we’ll have a baby by the end of next week, August 18. E-mail me your new lottery date, time, weight, and length guess. You can even throw in a first and middle name idea if you’d like.

Cheers to a smooth and speedy delivery!

Due Date

Well, my due date of Monday August 7 is almost here and unless we have a very eventful evening starting about right now, the day might just come and go as all the others. We'll definitely let you know just as soon as possible when something happens.

I'm tired, uncomfortable, and hot because of the weather. Thankfully the heat subsided for the past few weeks, but I fear it's on the rise again. Thanks to my friend Geraldine, we've got AC in our home now!! Excellent!

My blood levels are holding steady and the baby seems to be tolerating her mild anemia well. My sciatica nerve is pinched really bad now so walking is very painful. Other than that, we're all doing well. We're just so excited for the next chapter to begin! We're ready to go whenever this baby decides to make her entrance! Soon would be nice, as it's getting old being so very pregnant.

Stay tuned,
Gene & Kirsten

Still Pregnant...

Yep, I'm still pregnant. I have only one more week until my official due date of August 7. I'm certainly ready for our daughter to show her lovely face, as it's getting more difficult to get comfortable. At this point, sleeping is my greatest challenge and sleeping through the night is something that hasn’t happened for over a month. I've been home for the past two weeks and between Dr. appointments most days, I try to take short naps throughout the day. My blood levels are holding steady and the baby is also doing just fine. The resting seems to be helping.

My mother and sister are visiting for the week. I’m hoping that we can entertain them with a birth before they leave. They’ve been so helpful with cleaning and cooking and just keeping me company. It’s been very nice to have them here. We've also picked up the last few items for the baby and now feel completely ready for the little gal to arrive.

Hopefully the next entry will include baby photos!

Full Term Today!

Yep, we made it - all three of us! Today marks the 37th week of pregnancy and thus a full term baby. Our official due date is August 7, but she could arrive any day now. We're thrilled, nervous, anxious, and in complete disbelief that we may actually become parents this time.
I'm home resting now per doctor's orders. They're watching my blood closely and so far no need for a transfusion. Because my red blood cell levels are so low, I'm just really really tired. They're also watching the baby's blood. They scan her brain each week with the ultrasound machine and can use the data to determine if she's anemic. The past two weeks she has shown some signs that may indicate she too has inherited spherocytosis from her mother. Either way, she's just fine at the moment. After birth she may have a bit of jaundice, but this likely may be the only extent of the illness for her.
That's it for now. Who knows what the rest of the week will bring!

6 Months Old

This is Kirsten at 6 months old wide awake (probably suppose to be sleeping) in her Great Great Grandmother's Crib. Oh the 1960's and those vinyl baby bumpers!

The Crib

Happy 4th! We spent last evening rearranging our living room and setting up the family crib from 1881. It's simply georgeous! Many coats of orange oil did it well and the crib bumper set from my wonderful coworkers looks amazing! Bring on Baby!

Heatwave!

It's been REALLY hot for Seattle. Thankfully I've been able to avoid excess weight gain and ankle swelling, but I'm definitely having a hard time sleeping. I can't get comfortable and it's just too hot. That's really the only bad news.

My blood levels are not great, but OK for the moment. The baby is doing great! She's very active at all hours of the day and not anemic or stressed at all. We're checked each week and so far so good. I'm slowing getting exhausted from lack of sleep.











On a fun note, I spent Sunday afternoon in the garage cleaning and oiling the family antique crib. It's from approximately 1881 and I slept in it, as did many relatives before and after me. We believe it was acquired for my Great Great Grandmother in Brooklyn after her family immigrated from Paris. I'm working with my Mother and Grandmother to get the full details. After several more much needed coats of orange oil, I'll doll it up with a new mattress and the bumper & crib set my wonderful coworkers gave me last week. Now where do I put this beautiful set up? The living room will have to do, as we haven't yet cleaned out a bedroom for our new little bundle of joy.

Gene is now working at Boeing and is also working round the clock on our rec room remodel in hopes of finishing it before the baby joins us. Once finished, our office will move to the new room and we'll have an empty room ready to become a nursery. No worries about timing. We do have a bassinet in the corner of our bedroom and a car seat ready to go. Now we just need to pack our bag and we're off...

Men & Gadgets

They do seem to go hand in hand. Picture this …

You’re sitting in the exam room waiting for your midwife to come in. It’s been less than a minute since the nurse left with your vitals neatly recorded. Your husband spots a new toy from across the room. He retrieves from the counter a plastic model of the female reproductive system, each individual plastic piece fitting together to form an intricate puzzle. He checks it out thoroughly in an effort to figure out where his daughter has been living for the past eight months.

In an instance, the model implodes in his hands and scatters in what appears to him to be hundreds of pieces all over the floor. I immediately start laughing so hard I’m crying. He, on the other hand, is quite focused and is scrambling to gather fallopian tubes, ovaries, and a uterus from the floor. After a few moments and some searching for a missing ovary, the puzzle model in complete again. Still not laughing, he puts the model back, sits down and simply states with a smile “I just shouldn’t touch things”. This from the man who drops everything. I still cannot stop laughing. He now relaxes and joins me in completely cracking up. We slowly contain ourselves and in walks Michelle the midwife.

We review our birth plan and Gene’s desire to not only cut the cord, but to actually deliver/catch his baby as she’s born. He admits his concern about dropping her and is assured that she will not let this happen. He then briefly recounts the events of the past ten minutes. Michelle is now laughing and in tears.

Now why can’t all medical office visits be this fun? Relax and enjoy the moment.

3-D

How cool is 3-D ultrasound! Here she is at approximately 4 pounds 4 ounces and 32.5 weeks gestation. Just 7.5 more weeks until her due date. We'll see how long mom can hang in there with the pinched sciatica nerve on her left side.