Kiana's family visitors!

Kiana and her mom and dad have been blessed with all the wonderful visitors and help we have gotten in the last few weeks. My mom was able to be here for Kiana's birth, although for awhile we didn't know if she was ever going to come out! She was also able to spend a couple weeks here after she was born. Grant's mom was also able to come out and spend a week with us. We can't thank them enough for all that they have done for us. They both traveled so far and it was so nice to have help, especially since my surgery I have felt so helpless, as I have been put on so many silly restrictions for the first six weeks.

Here is Kiana with her Grammy Cyn.

Here is my mom, Kiana's Grandma Mary, while we were waiting in line to see Santa.

Kiana is so fortunate to have some Grandparents that live so close. Kiana's first visitors in the hospital were her Great Grandma Wilma and her Grandpa Frank! They too have done so much to help us out. I think we still have leftovers from Wilma's cooking, and Grandpa Frank always made sure our sidewalks were clear first thing in the morning so we could get to our doctors appointments. Even though most days we don't even leave the house, or get up and out before noon!

This Christmas Kiana got to meet her Grandma Denese and Auntie Hanna. They drove all the way from Arkansas to spend Christmas with all of us!

Kiana is also very excited that she is going to get to meet her Grandpa and Grandma Johnson who are driving out from Missouri next week, and her uncle Will is going to be here early next month! What a special girl to have so many family members who love her so much!

We can't wait until she is a few months old and hopefully we will be able to make a trip out to MN and IA to see her Great Gramma Verna, Great Grandma Lois, Great Grandpa Shorty, and all our other relatives!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Our precious princess turned three weeks old on Christmas Eve! It's amazing to see how much she has changed in just three weeks. She's not just our sleeping newborn anymore. She's awake more and more everyday, and seems way more alert as she focuses on you! We wanted to also thank everyone for the wonderful gifts this year, especially for Kiana! You wouldn't believe one little person can get so much stuff!

12-24-2009 - I'm three weeks old today!

We tried doing tummy time, but it was a little difficult to get her to stay on her tummy. Until she was perfectly flat she kept rolling over to her back.

Once she got stuck on her stomach she was doing a great job at keeping her head up! We knew she would be good at this, since she has never really been a bobble head baby. Since she was born she's always had some head control. Although once she realized she was stuck, it didn't take a few minutes before she had enough!

Too Cute!

Two Weeks Old!

Kiana turned two weeks old on Thursday, and to celebrate we made impressions of her hand and foot. She was cooperative at first, but then she started to get a little confused! She also had her two week doctor appointment on Thursday, she weighed 7 lbs 10 oz (8 oz over her birth weight) and 20 inches (1 inch longer). She's currently in the 25th percentile in both weight and height.

Kiana's first week home!

Kiana will be two weeks old tomorrow! She's grown so much in two weeks it makes us sad to see our little girl get bigger, but we're also excited about seeing her change and grow. She learned how to cry recently and is learning how to use it to her advantage, but is still a pretty peaceful baby. Below are some pictures we've taken in the last week.

12/10/09 - I'm One Week Old Today!!!


Here's her getting her first real bath! She didn't appreciate it too much, but she doesn't like being naked regardless. We're hoping she stays that way for a long time!


She and daddy got dressed up to watch her first Broncos game last Sunday, eveb though she slept through most of it!


Here's some more pictures taken this week!

Any resemblance????

We saw Kiana laying this way yesterday and thought it looked exactly like one of her poses during our 4/D ultrasound. Do you see the resemblance?

Welcome Home!

Since Kiana's been home we've been adjusting pretty well to life with someone else running the show. It's funny how your priorities change, even Grant forgot all about football on Sunday! I didn't know that was even possible! In between changing, eating, sleeping, changing, eating, sleeping, etc... we've managed to take a few pictures of our precious sweetheart!

Checking out her new bed for the first time. Mom sleeps next to Kiana in her nursery until she starts to sleep in her own crib. With mom sleeping next to her she slept pretty good her first night home, she sleeps a good three hours or so. It also makes feeding more convenient while mom recovers from surgery.


Sleeping Beauty!


Checking out her floor gym! She seems to enjoy it, although her attention span doesn't last very long yet.


On our way to our first pediatrician appointment! She weighed 7lbs exactly, just 2oz less then her birth weight. She's gaining weight perfectly, since she was 6lbs 11oz when she left the hospital Saturday. 5oz in 3 days, we might have a little chunker on our hands soon enough!

Welcome to our family Kiana Grace!!!

We left a family of two and returned as 3!!!

Daddy's little princess

Mommies snuggle buddy

Now I lay me down to sleep...

First ride home

Kiana's Birth Day Story 12.3.2009!

After entering our world on a wild ride, Kiana Grace is our precious miracle child! Her birth story is below! Sorry ahead of time for being so long!

On Wednesday December 2nd I had my last doctors appointment before my due date, at which my doctor agreed to help get my labor moving along by stretching out my membranes. I was already dilated to 3cm and at least 50% effaced so it didn't take too much effort on her part, but definitely not the most comfortable experience. She suggested we had dinner in town and do a little shopping before heading back to Canon, just in case. For those that don't know I chose to deliver in Pueblo, a 45 minute drive from Canon City. Better doctors, better hospital!

At 5:30pm, just an hour later I started having mild cramping, which soon became mild contractions every 2-4 minutes apart. We decided to walk around the mall for awhile, as I wanted to wait as long as possible before going to the hospital, just to make sure they were the real deal. At about 9:30pm they started to space out to 5-6 minutes apart, but were definitely getting stronger so we left for the hospital, just in case. When we arrived I didn't have any change in dilation since my appointment so they said they'd give me 2 hours and if there was still no change they'd send me home. Even though my contractions were frequent and regular they weren't strong enough to do anything. I was determined not to go home so in order to get things moving I walked the hospital floor very briskly, not like the casual walking we did around the mall! Sure enough when they came back to check I was at 4cm, around 70% effaced, and my bag of water was bulging like a squeezed water balloon, sure to burst soon. So at 1:00am December 3rd I was admitted, and now it was just a matter of time before our little girl was going to arrive.

As my contractions did continue to get stronger they started to spread so far apart they were only coming every 10+ minutes and getting further and further apart. At 5:00am the doctor ordered me to be placed on a Pitocin drip, a hormone used to induce labor. At that point my anxiety went through the roof and I just knew I wouldn't be able to do it naturally anymore. No more then two minutes after they started the drip I felt what I thought was a vicious baby kick that made my whole body convulse. I scared Grant so bad he may have jumped more then me. My first reaction was that the baby kicked my bladder, cause I felt a little drip. It only took about 10 more seconds for me to realize that my water burst. That was definitely the strangest feeling I've ever felt, up till then! I felt like an explosion burst in my stomach. It also couldn't have happened at a worst time, just two minutes earlier and they wouldn't have ordered the Pitocin.

It only took a minute from my water breaking for me to go into hard labor. The contractions returned at full force and came every 2 minutes, and now I'm on a Pitocin drip to make them come even harder and faster. At 7:00am, two hours into what felt like sheer hell, the nurse checked and I was still only at 4cm, but now 90+% effaced. I was having an impossible time breathing deeply and my anxiety was rising that I wasn't able to get my body to relax enough to dilate more. Knowing that the IV pain medications are only really effective the first time I tried to hold out as long as possible, but with the disappointment of hearing I wasn't making any progress I just couldn't take it anymore. I was giving a dose of Fentanyl, which was suppose to take the edge off so I could relax a little. I also needed something that may help me sit still if I decided to do the Epidural. Unfortunately it did absolutely NOTHING!!! I couldn't take it anymore and ordered the Epidural.

At 8:00am the anesthesiologist finally showed up, Grant and my mom were kicked out of the room and it took everything I had to sit still for her while having hard and strong contractions, which felt non-stop at this point. While she was very fast, something wasn't right because it didn't kick in like it was suppose to. I did feel a little tingle in my legs, but after two injections I still felt the contractions at full force. Soooooo, she had to do it again! This time it kickedin right away, so much so I felt like I could finally pass out and get some sleep, although I didn't yet!

Just after 8:30am my doctor showed up to check on me, I was actually pretty shocked as they usually only show up to catch the baby! She seemed nervous about my drowsiness and now I was dry heaving that she ordered internal monitors be done on me and the baby to get accurate readings of my contractions, blood pressure, and babies heartbeat. As soon as they were done the Pitocin was removed and my doctor and nurse started moving very fast and suddenly there were six other people in the room. At the time I didn't know what was going on, but I saw at least 3 doses of Ephedrine being pumped into my IV and my legs were raised straight above my head. While my nurse was doing a good job at keeping me calm, my doctor was repeatedly hollering for the nurses to get anesthesia back in ASAP as this is their fault and they need to fix it. I guess all the medicine I was given with the Epidural caused my blood pressure to drop dangerously low, which also was causing our babies heartbeat to drop dangerously low. After the Ephedrine shotseverything seemed fine again and everyone except my nurse left, so I thought all was good. The other people in the room I guess were there ready and waiting in case my doctor called an emergency c-section to be done.

When everyone left my nurse stayed and was explaining to us what just happened, as Grant, my mom and I were all completely freaked out at that point! It was then that I knew the seriousness of the situation. It wasn't a half hour that my doctor and more nurses came back in, now about 9:30am, and again I was shocked to see her as I figured everything was ok so she left. She was just watching our vitals outside. My blood pressure was starting to lower again, but more importantly with every contraction our little girls heartbeat was dropping dangerously low again. This time though her heart rate was dropping because she had the umbilical cord wraped around some part of her body causing it to shorten and get stretched as she came out, cutting off her oxygen. She checked my progress as I told her I started to feel a little more pressure. I was fully dilated to 10cm! While my last check was at 7:00am, they figured the Epidural that was given at 8:00am allowed me to relax my muscles causing me to dilate. So in an hour and a half I went from 4cm to 10cm. Even though our little girl wasn't fully descended they made me try and push. Unfortunately since they took me off Pitocin my contractions had spaced out again to at least 5 minutes apart. They let me push for 3 contraction, around 15 minutes, while my doctor tried pulling her out! After the third contraction we had no choice and couldn't wait for the next one, so she rushed me in for an emergency c-section! If the contractions were closer together we might have had more chances, but her life was now in danger and they had to get her out.

While I was rushed into the operating room and given more doses of the Epidural, Grant was rushed to get a gown on and wait for them to call him in. While in the room I hear my doctor say "you have two minutes before we're ready or we have to put her under", then she says "that's it she has to go under." I guess Grant heard her yell that they had to knock me out right before someone came and said he couldn't come in anymore. At that point he didn't know it was because they couldn't wait for the epidural to kick in and thought both our lives were in danger. At this point I now have three anesthesiologists is the room, ones checking my vitals, ones putting a mask on my face and one comes rushing over to me asking if I can feel any pain on my side. While I felt her touch me I didn't feel any pain, I guess she was poking me with a needle. So she says, "Wait do a test cut on her first, I think shes ready!" A TEST WHAT I thought!!!! YOU THINK???? When I didn't feel her "TEST CUT" they started surgery right away, so I hollered if my husband could come in. As soon as they rushed him in the head anesthesiologist tells him to take a look shes coming out! I've never seen Grant's eyes get so big! As soon as she was out they rushed her to get examined! All I could see out the corner of my eye was a slimy white squirming baby, but once she started crying all my fears and nervousness from the day were gone and that was definitely the happiest moment of my life! Grant brought her over for a second so I could see her, then they had to take her away and Grant stayed with her in the nursery. 2 hours later mommy and baby were finally united.

I looked on the board in the OR after we were done and saw that we entered the room at 10:01am, surgery begun at 10:07am, Kiana was born 10:08am, and surgery was completed at 10:17am. While we had a stressful ride we are proud to announce that on Thursday December 3rd at 10:08am a perfectly healthy 7lb 2oz 19inches long beautiful baby girl was born! Both mommy and baby got to go home Saturday afternoon and are doing great! More pictures to come!!!!

Baby Update!!!

39 Weeks 1 Day
Less than a week until my due date, and our little girl is growing bigger by the day! She's dropped a lot and everyday I think it could be the day, but we're still waiting. At my appointment last week I was almost 2cm dilated and at least 50% effaced. Getting closer, but they still stay it could be tomorrow or it could be at least another week, not much help. My mom came to visit last week to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, and to be here to help us out once she arrives, so now were just impatiently waiting!!!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

For my birthday Grant surprised me and took me to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. They have their Christmas concert every year in Colorado Springs and I have wanted to go every year since we've moved here. The concert was awesome! There was actually more singing and less Orchestra then we were expecting, but still amazing. It was our little girls first concert as well! ;) We weren't so sure how she was going to handle it, as it was very loud. She was definitely kicking, or maybe taking after her dad and dancing up a storm the first 15 minutes. It just took a little massaging her back for a while, and then she calmed down so I could enjoy the rest of the show. Below is a picture I took during one of the crazy light shows.

To see a video of the concert click on the link below.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8fI1SYCuUM.

Squirrel Update
So many of you have asked what's the deal with the squirrels, honestly we don't know. The little guys are getting braver and braver everyday. We were able to walk almost clear to the stairs to take the pictures below. It took them a little while, but once they figured out there were seeds inside they drill right though now. The pumpkins are actually getting to the point of needing to be thrown away, but since their still eating them we don't want to take their food away.

This one we took when we opened the front door. The little guy didn't even move, just stared at us and kept eating.

37 Weeks 3 Days
Here are some recent baby pictures of me. We're getting more excited everyday, and now that she is considered full term, she's welcome to come anytime now! Anyone have any suggestions on how to get this girl to want to come out?

Happy Halloween!

We have had many people comment this year on our pumpkin carvings, so we thought we'd share with you all! Instead of carving them ourselves, we decided to hire out the work and were able to find volunteers willing to work for food! We enlisted the help of the local squirrel community. Everyday they work harder and harder, and just a few days ago they moved from just the top pumpkin to all the others as well. They've even taken the stem off the first one! The jury is still out as to their pumpkin carving talents and wether or not they should just stick to nuts!


We were able to catch one of the culprits in the act!


Here's a recent picture of me taken at 35 weeks. Doc says our little girl would be safe from now on, so if for any reason I were to go into labor they wouldn't stop it! That's exciting good news and a little scarry at the same time. She's definetly head down now, which is great news since she was head up at our ultrasound just two weeks ago. She has been putting more pressure on me, although I don't think she has technically "dropped" yet. She has been pressing her butt into my lungs more and more everyday making it hard to breath.

4D Ultrasound Video

Below is the video of our 4D ultrasound for our little girl. Sorry it is blurry, but I had to shrink the file size to be able to put it on here. Also, sorry the second half isn't as good as the first, she kept wanting to roll over on her stomach. At 12min 45sec you can see her little heart beating! When she starts measuring the heart beat the tall jumps in between every five or six little beat is actually her hiccuping. Her heartbeat was 143 beats per minute, she still seems perfect! In the office we were able to hear it on the screen, but I am a little disappointed that you can't hear it on the video. At about 15min 50sec, she gets her hands and legs out of her face and lets us see her face again, this time she sucking on her umbilical cord, but not to worry I guess they love playing with it! Hope you enjoy, and be sure to turn your volume on!

Visitors & 4D Ultrasound

This last week has been a very fun and exciting week. Cindy (Grant's mom), Will & Erin (his brother and sister-in-law) and their newest family addition Colin all came to spend the week with us. Cindy made the long drive down from IA and Will & Erin were gutsy enough to take little 3 month old Colin on a plane all the way from D.C. Apparently he did great though!

We took a trip to the local Pumpkin Patch which had a really fun corn maze! I always thought those were mainly entertainment for kids, but after 30 minutes we were starting to wonder if even the five of us could find the way out!

Colin got to be the first to break in our crib, I don't think he minded the girly ladybugs, dragonflies, and flowers too much though! He seemed to love and be mesmerized by the ladybug mobile! It was nice to see he didn't have any problem sleeping in it, especially since he doesn't sleep in his own yet.

You can see more pictures of their trip, just click on the link to their blog on our blog list to the right.

Yesterday was an EXTRA special and VERY exciting day! We got to see a glimpse into what our little girl is going to look like. She was very good and cooperated in the beginning so we were able to get some great face pictures, but after the first five to ten minutes she was getting annoyed at us poking her so she kept wanting to roll over on her stomach. By the way for all of you still not convinced, we got a great shot proving she really is a she! Possibly a future blackmail photo! :) I know were biased, but she is going to be a beautiful and precious little girl!