Merry Christmas!

Aunt Candi and Uncle Matt came to visit the day after Christmas.

Pappy and Grammy Cora came to see Evan.

Opening presents made me sleepy!

Santa baby

Evan with his reindeer from Grandpa

Our first Christmas together

Noah's ark from Mommy

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We enjoyed our Christmas with our little man so much! He slept through most of it, but just having him here was the best gift ever!

Three more firsts!

Ok, this one is just because I'm looking adorable...

My first Redskins game with Daddy

First bath - I didn't even cry too much!

I did not like getting ready for it, though! I don't like being naked!

Ahhh....that's better, Mommy!

My first visit to the doctor - thank goodness they didn't poke me this time! I had enough of that at the hospital.

I love car rides!

More pics of the little man!

Our family of three!

Ready to roll! He's wearing the hat and sweater that his Daddy wore home from the hospital.

We're finally home!!

The best Christmas gift EVER!

My sleepy boys

I have a feeling that I'm going to be one of "those" moms. You know, the ones who take 9,000 pictures of the baby sleeping because he looks SO CUTE!!

Day 6

Sorry for the delay in updates. I have been updating facebook, texting and doing this and I forget what I have done and haven't done! Mommy brain??

Saturday to Sunday was a long evening. Stan and I had to go to the courtesy suite on the third floor at midnight and leave Evan in the nursery on the second floor. It was really hard to leave him even though I was only a floor away. We were told that if his test results came back positive, he would have to go to the NICU for 7-14 days. So leaving him combined with being nervous about how the test would turn out made for a very long night. The courtesy "suite" was just a twin bed, a dresser, a night stand and a lamp, so Stan slept on the floor. We went down at 4am to feed Evan. I think we were both happy when 8am rolled around. We went down to get Evan to feed him and sat and rocked him awhile. The nurse told us that the results weren't back yet, but they had to rerun his bilirubin (jaundice) test because he was looking a little more yellow. She said the doctor would be there around 9:30.

A little after 9, Stan and I decided to go to the cafeteria and get some breakfast. We stopped at the bathroom on the way, and as we were heading to the elevator, Dr. Chang was just getting there. We turned around and headed back to wait for him to check the baby. He came out and gave us the thumbs up! We were so happy that we were going to take our little one home with us! Finally around 11:30, we headed home!

Mema was there to greet us when we got home, and she held Evan while Mommy and Daddy ate some lunch. Poor Stan had to go out and shovel out the cars from the 22 inches of snowfall after almost no sleep since Tuesday plus sleeping on a concrete floor the night before. We spent the day together, and it was wonderful!! Our first night was ok. I've had to supplement with formula, and we used a new bottle right before bed. I think it made him gassy. He was up crying from about 2-3:30, and we didn't know what to do. I had already fed him, so we burped him, rocked him, swaddled him...finally, we remembered - THE PACIFIER!!!! We got that out, and finally he was soothed! At 3:30, I fed him again, and he slept until we woke up a little before 8.

He had his first pediatrician appointment on Monday. He was still 8lbs which is what he was when we left the hospital. He didn't gain anything, but he hadn't lost anything either, so that was ok. He got checked out, and all was well. His color was even looking better. We have another appointment on Thursday, so hopefully he's gained some weight. After our appointment, we went to Babies R Us and bought 8 more pacifiers!

We've had two nights since that first one, and he has slept through both of them until I wake him up to eat. We're hoping it continues because sleep is nice. :) He has been so good - I say that he's taking it easy on us first-timers.

Day 2 - God is Good

Today was Evan's 2nd day of life. We were supposed to go home today, but blizzards and doctors had other ideas. We got all packed and ready to go so we could be ready when the pediatrician discharged Evan. Dr. Chang came in around 8:30 to talk with us. He told us that Evan's CBC (his white blood count) came back and looked great. It is now in the normal range - BUT, they wanted to redo his CRP (to check for inflammation and infection), and that test takes awhile to come back because they have to send it to Hopkins. He said that it would be a few hours, but he thought everything would be ok. He also said that Evan looked a little bit yellow, but he wasn't really concerned about it. He called the NICU doctor to come and look at him and told us that we were waiting on the go ahead from that doctor or the CRP to come back. So I got back into bed to try and catch a little sleep while we waited for awhile.

The NICU doctor came in a little while later to see us. She said that she did another test (a blood culture) to make sure he didn't have any bacterial infections. THAT test takes 24 - 48 hours to come back. Immediately my mind was going in overtime knowing that I HAD to be discharged because of insurance, and this woman (who did not have the best bedside manner) was telling me that I had to leave my baby! She also said that he looked REALLY yellow to her. After she left, I burst into tears. We did not want to leave without him, and we couldn't come back and forth because of the blizzard going on outside. We decided that we would stay as long as we can (11:59 pm Saturday) and then sit in the waiting room all night so I could continue to go and nurse him. The nurses went to check to see if the courtesy room was available.

In the meantime...this afternoon around 3pm, we got the CRP and jaundice readings back, and both were great. We would have been released already if the CRP was back earlier this morning with good levels, but since this blood culture was started, we still have to wait for it to come back. The fact that these tests were good was fantastic news.

We found out around 6:30 that we were allowed to use the courtesy room for the night. It is on the fourth floor, but at least it's a bed and not just a chair in the waiting room. We are still staying in the maternal care unit until 11:59 so we can have him with us, and then he will go to the nursery for the night, and they will call me to come down and feed him. Right about the time they told us we got the room, we also found out that they sent another jaundice test out because they felt he was looking a little more yellow. The head nurse said that if it came back high, he would need to stay ANOTHER 24-48 hours to be under the bili-light. She suggested giving him some formula as well to help supplement to get it out of his system and make sure he doesn't get dehydrated. An hour later we found out that his levels were a little bit higher, but the pediatrician wasn't too concerned. Thank you, Lord!

So here we are - still waiting on the results of the blood culture. Hopefully they will have them in the morning, and all will be well, and we can go home. If not, they have to give him antibiotics, and he will have to be in the NICU for 7-14 days. The thought of it makes me want to go crazy. I'm praying so hard that all will be well, and our family will be able to go home tomorrow.

When we were choosing Evan's name, we were looking at the meanings. Evan means God is good. God IS good, and we are putting our faith in him that all of this is for the best. Only He knows the master plan.

I have more pictures, but the cord is in one of our bags, and Evan and Daddy are sleeping, so I don't want to turn the lights on. I will post them as soon as I can.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers. We are blessed to have so many great friends.

Day 1

Evan's first day was quite eventful. He had to stay in the nursery for awhile because his pulse ox levels were a little low. They became stable, but his white blood count is up. They said it could be because of his traumatic birth or he could have an infection. They retested him again at 10pm last night, and it was still up, so they sent another one at 6am, and we are waiting for the results. Evan was so good yesterday (and tired). He is nursing like a champ, and he far exceeded how many diapers he was supposed to "produce." Mommy and Daddy are really good at having him at the nursery when he has a poopie diaper! :)

Here are some updated pictures of the little man!!

Baby Evan is here!!!!!!!

Well, after a loooooong labor, baby Evan Stanley Palczewski has made his arrival! He was born at 6:41 a.m. today weighing in at a hefty 8lbs. 15oz. and 20.5in long. Melissa was such a trooper, I have the utmost respect for my wonderful wife for what I witnessed today while she was giving birth. Never again will I bust her chops for being a sissy!!!!!!!!! Melissa started pushing at 3:40 and by 5:40 the nurses stoppped the pushing and went to get the doctor. Dr. H was a little busy, so momma and me got a few needed winks. Dr. H came in checked Melissa and told her that she could help the birth with a vacuum. The doctor vacuumed, and pulled and pulled, and then Evan got stuck. The nurses had to make several calls. They finally got him out, he was rushed to his warming table so that he could be suctioned and cleaned and then..................he cried! That was the best sound two very nervous parents could hear! We were nervous that he was not making a sound upon delivery, but the doctor said that it was from being stuck.

I just walked our son to the nursery to be checked for temperature and to get his first bath. He has a bruised head and forearm from the delivery, but other than that, our son is doing great!!!!

Baby Post #2

It is now 8:35 p.m. we just got checked again. She is 4-5 cm and 100% effaced. Melissa had the epidural around 6:00 p.m. She is feeling "very good" right now. Now it is a waiting game, the doctor said that the first 5cm are the slowest, and the rest should move a little faster. I will update this when there is more to share.

Post #1

We arrived at the hospital around 8:30 this morning, determined not to leave with out a baby. We had to be put in an exam room for the time being, waiting for a real l&d room. The doctor checked Melissa and she was measuring a good 2cm and 70% effaced. Melissa received the oxytocin around 10:00 a.m. It is now 2:00 p.m., the doctor checked her and she was now 2-3 cm and 80% effaced. The doctor then broke her water and gave the order for the antibotic. Melissa is in considerable more pain now since the water has been broken. I guess it is time to into comfort husband mode and help her with whatever she needs. I will update when something more happens.

bumped again...

We went to L&D today at 9am. They said they had no beds and sent us to the waiting room until they figured out what to do with us. The head of nurses came in a little after 10 and told us to go ahead and go home, and they should have something for us by lunch. I called at 1, and they said that it was busier than when I was there in the morning. They rescheduled us for 8:30 tomorrow morning, and she SAID that we are confirmed and on the schedule. She said someone else was bumped for us to get into the schedule. I really hope we can get a bed tomorrow. The emotional toll that this is taking is worse than the waiting itself!! Another night of no sleep, and hopefully my sleepless nights will be because of the little one and not the anticipation of labor!

How about Round 2???

Well, when I called at 8am to make sure they had a bed available for me, they told me I was on delay. I was supposed to call back at 9am to come in at 10am. At 8:45, they called and said they wanted to see me in the office to get monitored and then "we'd talk about options." This was not making me happy. We went in, and they monitored the baby for awhile. Everything looked good. They said the hospital was full, and they would reschedule me for 9am Tuesday morning. I was upset because I had been anxious and nervous all night, but apparently crying doesn't get you anywhere. :)

My mom, Stan and I went off to Cheesecake Factory for lunch and walked around Arundel Mills for a little while to pass some time. We came home, and I went upstairs for a nap. I woke up at 4pm to a message from the doctor's office saying that they were going to need to reschedule me for Friday at 7:30 in the morning. Soooo not the message I was hoping for. I came downstairs, and Stan told me that he had talked to the nurse (she had called here too), and he told her we were confirmed for tomorrow and to please check again. We waited until 5:41 when Dr. M. finally called back. She said - "We're still on for tomorrow!" It turns out that someone DID bump my spot who needed to deliver tomorrow, but another bed opened up, so they still have room for me.

We will not be answering any calls from the hospital or doctor's office! We are going at 9am tomorrow and not calling ahead of time. Dr. M. said, "If you just show up, they have to do SOMETHING with you!" So we will be heading out tomorrow morning for Round 2. Hopefully we will end up in a bed and have our little boy in our arms tomorrow! Stay tuned!

It's almost time!

It is almost 8pm now, and I'm wondering how much sleep I'll really get tonight between being excited and not sleeping well anyway!

Our bags are packed and ready to go. We have to call at 8am to make sure they have a bed available for me (and they better!!!), and then it's off to the hospital for a 9am induction. We will be trying to update the blog tomorrow while we are at the hospital, so check back for updates!

Thank you for all your prayers and support! We can't wait to share the news of our little boy's birthday - and NAME!

Love,
Stan and Melissa

Eviction notice has been served!

I had an appointment today. I am 38 weeks and 5 days today, but the lil pierogie's belly was measuring 41 weeks!! They estimated that he is about 8.5 lbs. already. That was part one of my appointment. When I went to meet with my OB after the sono, my blood pressure was high, and my cankles had reached an all time record of puffiness. That combined with the couple headaches I've had over the last week were a little concerning. He checked me, and said I was a "good 1cm" and a "good 50% effaced," which was all old news! ;)


Dr. E. said he was going to send us to L&D to get my bp's monitored as well as a blood test to make sure I wasn't developing pre-eclampsia. He said if I got released that I should make an appt for Monday, and we would talk about scheduling an induction for later next week. So off we went to L&D.


All my blood pressures as well as my tests came back normal at the hospital, so I was all set to be discharged. Dr. M. checked me before I left, and she said I was 2cm and 70% effaced (I guess it depends whose hands are in there??). She said she didn't think there was any reason NOT to induce me, and that she feels like the 8 1/2 lbs. is conservative (yikes!). She said that she thinks Monday is the day, and she would check the hospital schedule. The nurse came back and said, "We'll see you Monday at 9am for your induction." So....baby P. has gotten his eviction notice, and if he doesn't decide to vacate sooner, Monday, December 14 will be the day things get started (and hopefully his birthday).

I guess my next post will include baby pictures!! Stan and I are so excited to meet our little man. We can't wait to love him with tons of hugs and kisses!!

Humph!

We had an appt today, and I had no change. Still 1cm, 50% and -2. I've been having steady contractions for the past 2 weeks, so I was hoping it was getting me SOMEWHERE, but I guess not! The doctor still said I could go any time, and at least I am full term now, so that is good. I guess we will keep waiting for the moment when he decides to come and meet his Mommy and Daddy who are waiting (not so patiently) to meet him. :)

My next sonogram to check his weight is next Thursday (12/10) followed by my OB appointment to get checked again. I guess if I make it to that appointment, I will post on how it goes, and if not, I will post pics of the little pierogie. I can't believe it is so close already!! How exciting!!

No change

At my appt. on Monday, I was still the same - no change. My next appointment is next Wednesday. We talked about when I would be getting my next sonogram because my other doctor thought we should do another growth check before delivery. She said that the next time I would have one would be Dec. 7, but she thinks I'll be delivered before then. I'm trying not to get my hopes up thinking the baby will be here early. I'm very anxious to meet him!! I just pray that he comes in his own time when he is fully ready to be in the "real world."

I'm still having contractions every few minutes - just waiting for them to actually do something!! :)

Stay tuned!

Well that didn't take long!

I ended my last post with - I'll post again when something exciting happens. Apparently Baby Pierogie loves attention!! Friday morning I woke up bleeding and feeling a little uncomfortable, so I thought I'd play it safe and call the doctor. They got me in at 9:20 and checked on the bleeding. I was dilated 1cm! She asked if I had been having any contractions, and I said I didn't think so. They hooked me up to a NonStress Test to check on the baby's heartbeat and see if I had any contractions for 15 min. She came back in and told me that I was contracting every 1-2 minutes, and she was sending me to the hospital to get monitored at Labor and Delivery. So, off I went to get monitored some more.

I arrived at the hospital around 10:30 and got all set up in my room. Apparently Stan took a jet plane from work because he arrived shortly after I did (I was across the parking lot, and he was at work 45 min away). The doctor came in around noon and said he wanted to monitor me for an hour to see if the contractions were causing me to progress at all. I also found out that since I wasn't full term yet, they wouldn't be able to deliver me there if I DID go into active labor because the NICU beds were full, which scared me - I didn't want to be without my own doctors and in a strange place. So the waiting game started. My mom got nervous and thought she might miss something, so she drove down from Pittsburgh just in case, even though I assured her things were fine, and I would probably be sent home. (Thanks for your concern though, Mom. I always love to see you!!)

Dr. K. was in the OR and didn't come back until 6pm (so much for being monitored for just an hour)! When he checked me again, I was still 1cm, so I got to go home. I am supposed to go back if contractions get more intense, bleeding gets heavier or if my water breaks. I have still been contracting most of the weekend, but they aren't as close together, and they don't really hurt. I go in tomorrow (Monday) to get checked to make sure I haven't progressed. Dr. K. says I'm not going to make it to my due date, but of course he can't tell me when I WILL go into labor. Needless to say, the first thing Stan and I did when we got home was pack our bags! We'll be ready next time (or at least we'll have our deodorant and toothpaste). :)

So Baby P is on his way sooner than later. We are eager to meet him but hoping he stays in at least until next Saturday so he'll be full term! I am feverishly trying to write sub plans and finish my two grad papers "just in case." Maybe this is God's way of teaching us to not procrastinate, but who knows...it could still be weeks away, and it's God's way of teaching us patience! :)

I'll post after my check up tomorrow (unless I'm at L&D again).

I'm feeling pregnant....

and Stan always says, "Well, you are!" I've felt pretty good and had energy up until a few days ago, but now I'm just feeling worn out by the end of the day. We had an appointment on Monday afternoon, and I found out why! Baby Pierogie is 6lbs. 8ozs. already! I guess carrying around a baby that big in your belly WOULD tend to wear you out after being on your feet all day with 18 first graders. I had some serious cankles on Monday and am retaining so much water! We have just about 4 more weeks to go before we get to meet our little one, and we can't wait!!!

In other news, we finally finished the nursery! We got a shelf which Stan hung, and we got the crib all made up and ready. Everything is put away and in its place. We have the coming home outfit all picked out...all we need is baby. :)

We are going to the doctor every week now, and we will be having another sonogram in a few weeks just to check the weight and to make sure we can attempt a regular delivery versus a c-section. I will post when something else exciting happens! Enjoy the pictures of the nursery!

Hooray for Fudge Rounds!!!

I had an impromptu appointment today because of some discomfort. All is well - the baby kicked the doctor's doppler while he was listening to the heartbeat. :) They checked to make sure my water didn't break and checked to make sure my cervix was closed (it is) since it is a little early for the pierogie to arrive. The doctor said that the pain I was having was because pierogie's head has dropped into my pelvis to get ready for the big event!!!

The other great news I got was that I finally passed my second 3 hour glucose test, so I do not have gestational diabetes. Long live the Fudge Rounds!!!!! I have an ultrasound and an appointment in one week to check the weight of the baby again.

MD Baby Shower 11/01

I had my shower here in MD on November 1st. It was a ton of fun, and I got to see lots of friends and family. Thanks to all who came to share this time with us!




Mom and New Mommy

Former and Current TRES girls

Teether blanket

Gretchen and I

Rhi and I

Diaper Cake

Quick Update - 33 weeks!

We had an appointment on Thursday, and everything is looking great. Baby Pierogie's heartbeat was great, and I was measuring about a week ahead. For some reason, as soon as the doctor goes to put the doppler on my belly, Pierogie sticks his tush in the air. :) We will go back in 2 weeks, and then we start our weekly appointments. It's getting so close! Dr. Esposito would like to do another sonogram in 3 weeks, so we will get to see baby P on the monitor one more time before the live show! The dr. just wants to measure one more time before the big day. In other glucose news, I have my SECOND 3 hour glucose test on Wednesday. I pray that all goes well and all numbers are in the normal range this time.

I have my MD baby shower tomorrow, and I am super excited! I'm sure I'll be posting info and pictures after that! I can't wait to see everyone!!!

Baby Shower!!

It's a boy!!

I had my baby shower in PA on October 17. Stan, Lisa and I set out at 8am that Saturday to trek up to PA in the rain. We had a delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel and arrived in
Milton a little before 12. The shower was at 1, and I arrived a few minutes after to a room full of family and friends. It was beautiful! My mom had gotten me a Boyds bear with a baby boy outfit, and that was the theme of the shower.

I got to visit with everyone and eat, and then I started on the task of opening gifts. They were never-ending! Everyone was so generous, and our baby boy will be the best dressed pierogie in MD! Stan came down for the gift opening, and he even got a gift to open that included a pee pee teepee to avoid all those spraying "accidents" while changing little boys. :) After presents came cake, and before I knew it, it was 4pm, and I was ready for a nap!

Thanks to everyone who came and made it special, and extra special thanks to my mom for all of her hard work. It was everything I could have hoped for and more! I love you all!

The cake with the bear that I got on it

Adorable favors

Gifts!!

One of the books we received for Lil Pierogie

A beautiful handmade blanket that we received

Mommy and Daddy

Nay, Ali and Me - Nay is due the day after me, even though it looks like I am 50 weeks pregnant, and it looks like she is 20 weeks pregnant! :)