Our Rainbow Has Arrived!

After a long 9 months and much anticipation, Collin James Hoofnagle has finally arrived!  He was born on Saturday April 6th, 2013 at 8:48 AM.  He was 7lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches long.  When we heard him cry as the doctors pulled him from me, Chad and I could not help but cry as well.   Collin's scream was music to our ears!

I can't say however, that everything went as planned.  We were originally scheduled to have our c-section on 4-4-13.  When we went in with hospital bag in hand ready to have a baby, the maternal fetal medicine doctors were unable to extract amniotic fluid.  We were sent home extremely disappointed and even more anxious.  I was given 2 steroid shots to promote lung development over the next 48 hours.  

We then got the c-section rescheduled for 4-6-13.  We arrived at 6 AM for an 8:00 AM surgery.  The doctors and nurses were so nice and took us right on time.  It wasn't long before we were able to see our little miracle.  Unfortunately, Collin had to be taken to the NCIU before we could hold him.  The doctors had prepared us for the possibility that Collin's lungs may be under developed or that they might contain fluid.

Once I was out of recovery, they wheeled my whole bed to the NICU where I was able to hold our sweet, sweet bundle of joy.  He was absolutely perfect minus all the tubes attached to him.   He stayed in the NICU for 2 days until his blood oxygen level was stable.  Chad and I went to visit him every 3 hours.

Collin was able to come home with us when we were discharged on Tuesday.  He is such a good baby!    Brady cannot wait to play with his baby brother.  He is adjusting well to his role as big brother, asking to hold Collin often.  He has been a big help most of the time.  His new job is throwing the dirty diapers away.

I cannot thank everyone enough for ALL the prayers and kind thoughts leading up to the birth of this child.  We feel so completely blessed to have Collin in our lives!

Jordan, Our Middle Child.

So here we are, one week away from welcoming our Rainbow baby and I can't help but think about delivery day.  Will it go smoothly? Will something horrific happen?  Will I get to bring my baby home?  I am frightened at every thought that runs through my head.  All I want is a healthy, living baby.  I have prayed for it before and was left completely devastated.

You may want to know if I have prayed for another healthy, living baby and the answer is YES!!  Of course I have.  Every single day I pray.

When we lost Jordan, I asked the attending Reverend at Children's Hospital how one goes about "keeping their faith" when encountered with such a devastating loss. He told me a story that I have written about before in the entry titled "Keeping the Faith at 4 months."  I continue to think about how much God loves me and the children that I bare.  I have to believe that He has a plan for each of us.  This time I hope and pray that the plan is to keep this child in my arms.

Jordan will always be our MIDDLE child.  Quite symbolic after rereading my post "Recalling THAT Day, " Where I listed some symbolisms of a butterfly and how much of his life was symmetrical.   He was born smack dab in the middle of the month and on the middle most day of the week (wednesday).  Kind of ironic if you ask me.



I sit here, struggling with the new "what ifs" if this pregnancy and delivery.  Hoping things will go as planned and praying for a rainbow miracle to enter my life next week.

On the bright side, the doctors said the baby is measuring a week ahead (37 weeks) and already weighs 6lbs. 7oz!

2 More Weeks!

40 weeks is a long time to wait for anything, let alone a child!  I feel like a kid waiting for Santa's arrival.  We are prepared to welcome our 3rd son in less than 2 weeks!  We have been busy washing baby clothes and putting the finishing touches on the nursery.  We have a name picked and I just got done registering with the Reading Hospital.  The only thing missing is the baby!  

Recently the days seem to crawl.  Brady and I are waiting for Spring to poke its head out and show us some warmer weather.  Instead, we have been anchored to the house not only because of the cold, but also because Brady can't seem to handle himself in public.  I am thankful for the break when my parents volunteer to take him for the day so I can run some errands.  

It wont be long now until I have two little boys to care for.  I can't wait!! Sleepless nights are just around the corner.  And so is the joy of raising another child.  

Prayer Request: The doctor that I have been seeing throughout my entire pregnancy has called to let me know she will not be able to preform my c-section.  Instead, she must attend a memorial service for a dear friend of hers.   Please pray that in the next 2 weeks another doctor will be able to familiarize themselves with my case and history and that everything will go smoothly and in our favor on April 4th!

The Countdown is On!

There are only 5 1/2 short weeks left until our rainbow is born!!

I say short, trying to convince myself that carrying these extra 30 lbs around with an aching back and a testy 2 1/2 year old, will go quickly :)

Despite some of the daily struggles of pregnancy, (getting out of bed, trying to cut your toe nails, washing dishes, climbing steps, finding clothes to fit, constantly having to pee, etc...) the 3rd time around has not been too bad.  I really doubted how my body would do this time, after having such horrible sciatic pain with Jordan.  I guess my body has become accustom to being pregnant. After all, in the past 4 years I have been pregnant 3 times!  By the time our rainbow appears, I could say I have 3 kids under 3 years old.

Brady calls this shirt my "tent"

Lately, I have had high anxiety. I know what good and what bad can happen with babies and pregnancy.  I have been praying for God to ease my anxieties and that is just what He is doing.  The signs have not gone unnoticed.

One particular sign appeared the other day.  I randomly got out the Honda Odyssey booklet we obtained a few months back.  I was paging through it with hopes that a mini van will be in my not so distant future.  (Look out soccer moms! Minus the stick figures on my back window) As I flipped through, I came upon a page that pictures not only the stunning Honda Odyssey, but also a rainbow, a butterfly, and 2 fawns (new life).  I stopped and smiled, taking in the beauty and meaning this page offered me.

In addition to the random signs of hope, my sister Katelyn created an amazing prayer calendar.   It began on week 20 with thoughts, prayers, and quotes that my friends and family submitted for me.

Katelyn is a very talented graphic artist. She created a beautiful rainbow and butterfly filled flip calendar that I seriously thought was store bought.

I get excited to flip the calendar to the next page week after week to read the touching words people have put together for me.  This also serves as a nice little countdown as well.  The calendar alone has kept my spirits and hope high!

Finished Bath

After a two week remodel, the boy's bathroom is finally done!  It was only suppose to take 5-7 days, but after some miscommunication with the contractor and having to order more tile for the tub, we are finally done!

Each day the "guys" were here, we would be excited to check out the progress.  Brady was a real trooper taking naps through some of the loudest construction.  He was excited to see "the guys" each day and he would even say goodnight to his new bathroom each night.

The nursery is still a work in progress.  The wains coating is up, but Chad still needs to got over it with a coat of paint.  The pressure is on...only 2 more months until baby #3 joins the family!

Superstitions

I would not consider myself obsessively superstitious, but I do have some superstitions especially when it comes to trying to avoid something bad from happening.   We all know how horrible my last delivery went and so this time, I am trying to doing somethings differently during my pregnancy, hoping that we do not have a similar experience.

Last Time:
1. I didn't prepare a nursery
2. I didn't buy anything new for the baby.
3. I had a name picked out and announced.
4. I did NOT announce my pregnancy on Facebook.
5. I delivered at Butler Memorial Hospital.
6. I was negative and complained often about pain and discomfort.

With Brady and This time:
1. I did/ will prepare a nursery.
2. I did/ am buying some new things for the baby.
3. I didn't/ don't have a name picked out OR announced.
4. I did/ am announcing my pregnancy on FB and posting pictures and updates.
5. I did/ will be delivering at Reading Hospital.
6. I was/ am positive and keep the complaining to a minimum.  The discomfort was/ is minimal.

Whether these differences will make a difference or not, I feel better about not repeating what I did last time.  Unfortunately I have been "ruined" after delivering Jordan.  I know that life is not guaranteed, so I have a stiff guard up even though I can feel the excitement and ignorance popping through once again.

Being pregnant and expecting a child is an exciting and life-changing experience, no matter how many times you have been through it.   I continue to pray that this upcoming life-changing event will end up making us feel overwhelmed with happiness and joy.    I have already been down the shock and extreme disappointment road and am hoping a person only ever has to experience that at most, one time.

Operation Baby!

There is a lot to consider when preparing for a baby.  While pregnant with Jordan, we never really prepared much, knowing that we would not be staying in our Cranberry Township home.   Looking back, it was a God sent.  I didn't have to come home to a waiting nursery adorn with adorable baby decor in the midst of the worst grief I have ever felt.   

Now that we are settled in our "forever" home, we are preparing a nursery where we will place our baby boy in April.  In preparation, we had to first move Chad's home office from a bedroom to the basement.  This project was completed soon after we found out we were expecting.  

Now we are in the midst of painting what will become the nursery and remodeling the bathroom the boys will use.   Chad and his dad worked hard over the weekend to paint the room a soft, powder blue. Our contractor will be finishing it with a white wains coating within the coming week.  As our remodel takes place, Brady and I are keeping busy and trying to stay out of the way.  On day one, we baked some chocolate chip cookies (just what I need).  He even helped to do the dishes. 

We are excited for the home transitions as well as our family transition.  It brings me joy to plan and prepare for the arrival of our 3rd child.   Stay tuned for the end results!