2 Week-old!

Well, Jesstine is a two week-old now! And boy has it been a two weeks! She had a couple of nights where she slept 5-6 hours straight, but that was after she stayed up until 1 AM! She is such a beautiful baby! We had our first case of mistaken identity this week. We were out shopping and the girl at the checkout called Jesstine a he despite the fact that she was wearing a purple onesie and had a bow in the head support in her carrier. Oh well! I am sure it happens to everyone at some point!

We have some great pictures of our little one. There are too many to share on the blog, so I am working on getting an online photo album to share them. Between diaper changes and feedings of course! I will hopefully be posting a link on the blog soon. That seems like the easiest way of doing things! Until then, I leave you with a few pictures here. The first is of her all dressed up for her tea party that we had in her honor on the 23rd. She was such a trooper, but there were a lot of people and it was very hot! After being passed around to quite a few people, she quickly got overstimulated. Daddy came to the rescue after being called in by Grandmom (thank you Grandmom!) and she seemed to do okay afterwards. It was hard for her to fall asleep though. By the time 1 AM rolled around, she was finally able to drift off for a while! The other two are of her in her new swing and play mat. We are getting good at tummy time. Daddy works with her and she tends to stay down longer than she does with Mommy!

So, until the next post (and online photo album link) is up, here are some pictures of our little princess!

God Bless,
Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

P.S. There was a request for me to post the picture of the proud Daddy on the blog too, so here it is as well!

Daddy's Girl already!

I am ready for my tea party!

My new swing sure is soothing!

I think I can reach that toy over there!

Daddy's update

Well, it has been far too long without me getting an opportunity to update this blog. So I'm taking advantage of Mommy's fatigue to get in my own 2 cents.

Jesstine is simply the cutest baby I have ever seen. You can say that I'm biased, and you would be speaking truly. However, being biased doesn't mean I'm wrong. Just look at her! I'm sure you agree.

On the left here you can view Jesstine as she contemplates how to solve the world's problems. She was anxious to start in on Darfur, Tibet, and Islamic terrorism, but we convinced her to start with learning how to poop and pee without crying. Those are going to be essential skills no matter what line of work she ends up in.

Speaking of, we're confident that little Jesstine is going to knock 'em dead at our old alma mater. When the dean heard about her birth, he donated this little outfit along with a letter of admission (and full scholarship, of course). It's also possible that the lack of sleep we've experienced has deluded my thinking to the point that I just imagined all that, but then I've still got the picture, and where else could that outfit have come from?

Finally, I want to leave you with some pictures of my girls. There has been a lot of debate concerning just who Jesstine most closely resembles. I honestly do not know how this "controversy" started. Jesstine is a slam-dunk genetic replica of her Mommy. There is no debate. I don't even need to provide an argument other than these pictures. One is of Jesstine. Another is of Lacie when she was just two weeks old. The final picture shows just how far the apple has fallen from the tree (if at all!). I leave the decision to you, the jury. The prosecution rests.

SAH

It's A Girl!

Well, she is here! For those of you who have not heard, we have a baby girl! Jesstine Jonelle Hutchins was born on August 14, 2008, at 3:27 pm. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 inches long. She is so small! She is quite petite like me! My mom can't get over how much she looks like me! There are things that I recognize that look like Stephen as well though. I think the nose is his! It curls under when she eats! It is quite cute!

We have been home for a couple of days now. Her looks change each day. We are tired, but things have gone quite well so far. We even made a trip to the baby store so that I could get some supplies to assist Jesstine and I in the breast feeding department! To my joy, my milk came in tonight. I won't tell the details of how I discovered it, but it was a very interesting way! I didn't feel the usual symptoms! If you are interested, ask! It was actually quite comical.

Here are some of the pictures that we took today. One of the outfits that I have been really wanting to put Jesstine in is a fish outfit that says "Mommy and Me." It is blue and kind of boyish, so I put a white bow on her head! This is how cute she was! She really likes napping on Daddy's chest! We are really enjoying her and are very excited to share her with you! Right now, I plan to go to bed!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement! We have her here. Now the journey is just beginning!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

D-Day!

We had our follow-up appointment today with the doctor. He seemed very glad that we had made it to week 38. He also went over the test results from last Friday and what they meant. He feels confident that Jesstine will be ready this week. He has decided to induce on August 14! That will be Thursday. It is also the day before my birthday. It gives me a goal! I feel like this pregnancy has been full of goals. I am so full of many different emotions right now! I really am excited about having Jesstine! It seems like it is finally going to happen! I am so excited to share my life with this little person who is some of me and some of my wonderful husband! I am excited to dress her in pretty dresses and show her the world! Yet, I also know that it is still a couple of days away and I am so anxious that something is going to go wrong. All I have is a bad experience with pregnancy and birth! I haven't had the joy! I want it so bad! I for some reason just can't let myself go and trust that it is going to happen. After Friday, I knew that God wanted me to trust Him and I haven't been. I want to. I am still working on that!

In any case, here is the picture that I promised in the last blog! This is of Noah, my wonderful, smart, amazing nephew! He came all the way to Wichita this weekend to see baby Jesstine. Unfortunately, he didn't get to see anything but my big belly! Oh, and here is his equally wonderful brother Ian. He still is confused about where exactly Baby Jesstine is. We have video of him lifting my shirt to see her! CUTE!

Oh, and here is the last time you will see me pregnant for a while! Hopefully I will lose all 30 lbs. I have put on in the last 9 months! Enjoy it while it lasts! The next picture will be of a beautiful baby!

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

Humm....

As you can tell, three days has come and gone. We went to the hospital yesterday and had the amniocentesis done. The first time they came back and said it was borderline. That was not a definitive enough answer for my doctor. He wanted to be absolutely sure that Jesstine was not going to come out with immature lungs. So, he sent it off to another hospital for a better test. He was thinking if it was just slightly low, he would go ahead with the induction. However, it was more than just slightly low. So, we were sent home. They all thought I was going to cry. I didn't until I got home. Even then it was more of the same terrified feeling I have been having through this whole pregnancy. My biggest fear is that I have come this far and she will die inside of me like Babe B. did. The good thing is I have made it farther in the pregnancy than I did with Babe B. That has helped. My attitude after leaving the hospital was more along the lines of, "I know that this is for the best." Obviously God has a plan for Jesstine. One thing I have struggled with is trusting Him and His plan for our lives. Perhaps this is His way of saying, "Let me take control of this situation." Really, He has had control the whole time, He was just waiting for me to see that! So, now my attitude is that I trust whatever timing God has planned, I just ask that he let this baby be born alive, healthy and strong! Now, as far as plans medically are concerned, we have a new approach as well. I am not quite sure what that is yet! The doctor said he wanted to see me Tuesday morning and we will reevaluate things then. I am hoping (again with God's timing in mind) that he will say, "We have reached 38 weeks and her lungs should be ready now. Let's shoot for Friday." Again, I am praying for God to use his timing in whatever approach the doctor talks to me about on Tuesday. I would LOVE to share my birthday with my daughter. (For those of you who don't know, my birthday is Friday, August 15.) I have always wanted her to have her own day, but that would be FINE with me if we shared the same day! I don't plan on having another amnio. though! I won't go through that again. I still hurt from this one! Her position didn't make it easy for the doctor to perform! It took three tries to get the fluid out. the good news is that the fluid was clear!

Anyhow, so stay tuned to the blog for more information. Right now I am just like every other pregnant woman! I have to wait (at least until my doctor decides where to go next). I think the doctor will still like a controlled environment where he induces, but I am not sure on the timing. If I should go into labor on my own, then the doctor is not going to stop it. At this point if babies come on their own, they are ready. My nephew, Noah, was born at exactly 37 weeks and is one of the smartest little boys I know for his age! He did just fine! He is wonderful! I will have to post the picture that Jenni took of him feeling Jesstine's foot moving inside my belly. It is precious! As soon as you get it on the computer Jenni, send it my way please!

Until then,
Lacie, Stephen, and Jesstine

3 Days (not including today)!

Well, we have reached the 37 week mark! It has been an emotional couple of days. This marks the point in my last pregnancy that was the last time Babe B. was alive. It has caused at least one sleepless night. I am not counting out another tonight. I am glued to the heart monitor!

I was VERY uncomfortable last night. It hurt to stand and it hurt to lie down. The only comfy position was sitting upright! Tylenol really didn't help much. Because the pain was in my belly, I was concerned and called the doctor today. So, we had an appointment today instead of tomorrow. He did a sonogram. There are quite a few things to report. He said that the amniotic fluid is a little on the low side. It wasn't low enough to be concerned and the baby was moving a lot! He actually took this as more of a sign that she will be ready on Friday. Also, my placenta is on the left and in the front. The baby is on the right. This means that the pockets of fluid are less accessible. So, he said when we do the sonogram before the amnio. on Friday, if the fluid is any lower, he will just induce. If not, they will still attempt an amnio. and see what it says. He is pretty confident based on what he is seeing that she will be ready. This is all good news! I did mention that I was just concerned that I would get to that day and they would find out that her lungs are not ready. I said I didn't know how I would handle that! I hope I don't have to. I know it is better for her that she be ready, but I am miserable emotionally and physically! I am SOOOOOO ready! Oh, also we went to the hospital early Sunday morning because of contractions. They checked my cervix and I was dilated to 1-1.5 cm. This is more than I have ever done without chemical assistance! He took that as a positive sign as well. He didn't check me today, but I figured it was just because Friday was so close.

So, we are still on for Friday. We are still praying that things will work out so she can come that day! (If she doesn't come on her own which would be good too!)

Stay tuned! We plan on taking the laptop to the hospital with us, so we should be able to update at least once or twice amidst the chaos!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine