Little Big Cheeks

Blog Post by Kati:

Callie's new nickname is Little Big Cheeks. A couple of days ago my mom said "If she were a Native American baby she'd be called "Little Big Cheeks." I think it is a very appropriate nickname seeing as she has the cutest cheeks ever.

My friend Bethany took some beautiful photos when she was over a few days ago...here are a few of my favorites:

One Week Old!!!

Blog Post by Kati:

Callie Joy is officially 1 week old! I can't believe it has been a whole week.

My Uncle Joe was holding her at 7:55pm when she turned exactly a week old- he was excited! :)

Sisters

Blog Post by Kati:

Last night we had Kona for the first time overnight after her fun vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's house. She was a really good girl. She was curious but was a really good listener when we told her to stop if she was getting too close. When I got up to feed Callie at 4am Kona came into the nursery with me and laid on the floor next to the rocking chair. It was really cute!

Here's another couple of cute pictures from the past couple of days:

Bliss

Blog Post by Kati:

I'm sitting here typing with a sleeping baby in my arms. It doesn't get much better than this! :)

We had our first doctor's visit today and Callie is perfect! We go back again next Wednesday.

We have had a busy couple of days meeting more friends and family. She met most of the Gosselin side yesterday and they of course love her!

Here are some pictures of her and Nana and Papa...and another really cute one!

Winning Prediction

Blog Post By Chris:

So sorry that this is late, but I am finally getting to posting the final winning prediction. There were 3 people that guessed girl and December 22nd. Our friend Molly Baker guessed 3 p.m. My aunt Lynn guessed 8:06 a.m. (but she guessed boy).

However the winner of the prediction was my dear boss Shadi. She guessed 4:20 pm and was the closest time to Callie's birth time (7:55 p.m.). So congratulations to her, she will get a special spot in Callie's scrapbook.

Merry (Belated) Christmas!

Blog Post by Kati:



I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, despite the crazy snow/sleet that we have here in Minneapolis/St. Paul! On Christmas Eve we went to my parents' house and did our usual present opening...Callie definitely had the most presents! Then yesterday was our first full day home and the Gosselins came over and made us a delicious Christmas brunch! It was also an exciting day because Callie met her big sister Kona. Kona was VERY interested and excited to meet her.



Kona is still staying with Grandma and Grandpa until we get our baby routine established. But it was wonderful to have her visit yesterday- we miss her!

We're still trying to figure everything out- the different cries, the different faces (the "poop" face is still kind of a mystery- she makes the funniest faces that look like she's pooping but there hasn't been too many poops yet!).

I'm going to work on putting all of our pictures on a photo sharing website (that is better than Facebook) so I'll post that link once I get to it! Computer time is short these days.

I still can't believe when I look at her beautiful face she is ours and we made her...it is truly amazing.

Going home!

Blog Post by Kati:

Well, it is 9:40am and we're ready to go. Our OB just came and did the final visit and everything is great! It looks like the snow is coming down out there and we're anxious to get home and out of the hospital air. Both Chris and I are really congested and we hope that once we get home we'll feel better.

Callie continues to be beautiful! She has been breastfeeding well the past 12 hours or so. We had her sleep in the nursery last night so that we could get some sleep and they brought her in at 3:30am and 6:30am to eat. She did great! I'll feed her again shortly.

I have updated the link of pictures that I posted yesterday so there are a few more of Callie meeting her grandparents, aunts and uncle! :)

Here's a funny one of her and her daddy about 3:30am after feeding:

So happy

Blog Post by Kati:

It has been an exhausting and exhilarating 30 hours. Labor was long, epidural worked great for the most part. Lots of pushing and she finally made it at 7:55pm on December 22nd, 2009. Here she is right after the delivery- eyes open and everything! She's been a sleepy little girl ever since then.



Here is a link to some initial hospital pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144385&id=650686819&l=602d923d97

She's healthy and happy...we're so blessed!

Callie Joy Gosselin

Blog Post By Chris:

It is really late, and both Kati and I are super drained from the long day. But our little girl is finally here. After about 13 hours of induced labor Callie Joy finally joined us.

She weighed in at 8lbs 12 ounces, and was 21 inches long. She is perfect in everyway (except her conehead).

My mind is a complete blur right now, so we will have to post later with more info.

Here is a picture right after she was born with her momma.

BABY

IT'S BABY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please continue with the positive thoughts and prayers!

We love you all!!!!!

And Baby Goose's real name is...












(Sorry you're gonna have to wait 12-18 hours or so...hee hee)

12/21 Predictions

Blog Post By Chris:

Okay there was only one prediction for today. Unfortunately the guess was a boy, but Kathy Wicks (or mama Wicks) guessed this morning @ 12:21 a.m.

We'll keep everyone updated on the birth of our daughter tomorrow.

Last day

Blog Post by Kati:

I'm weirdly calm today. I'm listening to Christmas music and working on picture projects on the computer. Kona is sleepy. Chris is working. Just like a normal day. Except that in a little over a day there will be another member of our family! I'm pretty sure other family members are freaking out way more that we are.

Church was great last night- just what I needed. Being so close to having a baby at Christmas time makes everything so special and more meaningful than ever. I kept thinking about Mary and how different it was for her. I'm so nervous about giving birth and I'll be comfortable in the hospital with people around catering to my every need. She gave birth in a barn with no one but Joseph to help her. It makes me appreciate her story and sacrifice that much more (especially because of I only had Chris to help me I'd be in trouble! ha ha).

I'm amazed at how fast these past nine months have gone by. At the same time I can't believe that the time is here for Baby Goose to come. Thanks to everyone for being so involved in this journey with us, so supportive of us, and so excited for us. Please continue to pray that Baby Goose has a healthy and happy entrance into the world. :)

12/20 Predictions

Blog Post By Chris:

I figured today I would put the predictions before they happened.

There are two predictions for today and they both were for a girl

The first is our friend Jed Wachter. He and his wife have two kids, so he is somewhat intelligent. His guess is 4:15 p.m. Still a chance

The second guess is Kati's friend from work Michelle. She and her husband have a 8 month old boy Zak. So good guess on the girl. She guessed 7:57 p.m.

That is it for predictions today.

Wishin...and hopin...and thinkin...and prayin...and SNIFFING

Blog Post by Kati:

No baby yet, but I have developed yet another lovely head cold.

Awesome. Perfect timing.

But if it is all I have to deal with in the next few days (besides delivering a baby of course!) I'll be just fine. :)

The plan is to go grocery shopping today...and then to a Christmas "Eve" service tonight even though it isn't really Christmas Eve. Our church does one early for those that are traveling for the holidays but still want the Bethlehem Christmas service. I'm thankful for that because we definitely won't make it on Christmas Eve! At the services there is always a family that plays the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus) and I remember saying to Chris last year "Maybe next year that will be us." We ALMOST made it. Come on Baby Goose! :)

12/19 Predictions

Blog Post By Chris:

There were two predictions for today.

The first was one of my co-workers Alisha. She guessed Girl @ 11:14 a.m.

Second was our friend Alison Knutson. She guessed boy (wrong!)@ 11:32 a.m.

That's it for today, no baby yet.

12/18 Predictions

Blog Post By Chris:

So there were a few predictions for today's date.

My Aunt Karen guessed in the a.m. so we'll say 12 a.m.

Friend Jason Montgomery predicted 3:31 a.m.

And my Dad (who guessed the sex wrong so it doesn't count anyway) predicted 4 p.m.

Those are all the "wrong" guesses for 12/18. Stay tuned for more predictions.

4 days max!

Blog Post by Kati:

My brain is fried so I'm going to be brief:

Rash this week-->better but still annoying
Hands/feet this week-->super puffy

Ultrasound today--> everything looks good
Doctor's appointment today--> great
Cervix today--> 2 cm dilated; 70% effaced
Membranes today--> stripped

Tuesday, Dec. 22nd--> if nothing happens over the weekend, a 6am scheduled induction!!!

So if all goes well, Baby Goose will make her debut in 4 days at the latest!

Mini Watermelon

Blog Post by Kati:

Week 39!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.



It is a bizarre feeling not knowing where we'll be in a day...a few days...a week. Home or hospital? No sleep for a good reason (baby) or no sleep for a dumb reason (itchy belly)? I am just really anxious to hear what the doctor has to say today! I'm trying to be really calm and rational and remind myself that when the baby is ready she'll make herself known...but I really just want that to be ASAP.

Last day of work until the end of February! And it is pajama day. Thank goodness.

Hospital bag is pretty much ready to go (at least my stuff and the baby's stuff is...Chris hasn't packed anything yet!) so we're just counting down the minutes...

The end is near...I hope!

Blog Post by Kati:

Yesterday was an interesting day. Around Monday I developed a lovely itchy rash all over my belly and ended up going to the doctor for it yesterday. They drew three different vials of blood for some tests to see if my liver was absorbing bile appropriately (because if it wasn't, a rash was a common side effect). If my liver wasn't working right, the doc said they'd induce me ASAP. He gave me a prescription for some Benadryl-like drug to help with the itching but I can only take it at home since it makes me drowsy. Anyway, the first 2 tests came back normal and the 3rd test was sent to Abbott and won't be ready til tomorrow. My normal doctor's appointment is tomorrow, so because I'll be 39 weeks and depending on the test or the readiness of my cervix, inducement is an option... so we'll see!

1st Baby Prediction

Blog Post By Chris:

Back before we knew the sex of the baby we took predictions on sex, date, and time. Over 50 people gave their expertise advice on when they thought the baby would be born. Well today marks the very first prediction. Josh Knutson predicted today at 5:30 p.m. Now the next guess is not until the 18th, so he has a little time to get the closest. I know Kati at this point wants Josh to be right. I will try to keep this as up to date as possible with everyone's guess, even if you did guess a boy.

Stranger's Kindness

Blog Post by Kati:

Since it is SOOOOOOOO cold I decided to stop at Starbucks for a delicious hot (decaffeinated!) drink before work this morning. In line the woman ahead of me asked me when I was due and we were just chatting about babies. When she was buying her drink she told the cashier that she wanted to buy my drink too and said "Good luck with the baby!"
It was a great start to my morning. :)

Three days left of work until break! Friday is pajama day at school which is AWESOME. And it also means I only have to find appropriate work outfits for 2 more days. It is a struggle...not too much fits anymore!

Quote from my sister Mari:
"I just wanted to let you know that you are huge."

After explaining my maternity leave (that I have to stay at home for a couple months to take care of the baby) to my students, one student said:
"Just bring the baby here. We'll help."

Belly Picture

Blog Post By Chris:

Here is hopefully the last belly picture.

Vikings 11-2

Blog Post By Chris:

Well the Vikings won their game today 30-10. It was a breath of fresh air after last weeks loss. After todays win the Vikings clinched a playoff spot. However, they still need to clinch their division.
Today we did a little morning shopping to finalize all the things we still needed. We went to Target first and got a breast pump and some comfy clothes for Kati when we are in the hospital. After that we headed over to Babies R' Us to grab a few things. We purchased our pack and play crib and also bought another car seat base for my car. Thankfully the pack and play did not require much assembly, it is sort of fold and go.
Also this morning we had breakfast with Jed and Dominik Wachter. Nik was there too, but we weren't there to see him. It is always fun and interesting to see how other people parent, and to see how their kids react. This morning at breakfast Dominik was coloring with some crayons and ended up throwing them on the ground. Jed (his dad) told him that he wasn't going to get them back because of that. Dominik got this serious look on his face, turned to his dad and started babbling nonsense. Jed looked at me and said "he's trying to negotiate with me, but I have no idea what he just said". The serious look on Dominik's face was the priceless part. I can't wait to be a parent (seriously).

Baby Shower #5!!!!/Doctor's Appointment

Blog Post by Kati:

My final baby shower was today and it was a blast! It was thrown by the girls in my small group from church and all of my Twin Cities childhood/elementary/high school/college/adult friends were able to come! There was 14 of us and it was so fun to have so many girlfriends all in one place celebrating Baby Goose! :) We had a delicious lunch, played a couple of great games, opened presents and chatted. Here are some pictures from the festivities:

All the girls:



Fun presents!



Thanks to Bethany, Jenna, Lara, and all my girls for the wonderful afternoon!!!! :)

My doctor's appointment yesterday went really well. There has been definite progress from last week as I am now 50% effaced AND 1 centimeter dilated! I don't really know exactly what all that means, but it is more than last week so I'm happy. My baby bump also measured in at 40 cm...and since I'm only 38 weeks that means she has grown a lot in the last week (fyi for those who don't know (ahem, my sisters)- your baby bump usually measures the same number in centimeters as how far along in weeks you are). So the doctor said to have the hospital bag packed and that it could be any time! It is kind of hard for me to believe that since I still haven't felt any fake contractions or anything, but we'll see! :) We're making a final shopping run tomorrow to get some things that we still need so we'll be able to pack that bag and have it ready! We've already had the baby's bag packed for like a week, so if I go into labor tonight, at least she'll be all set!

It's amazing how at this point little mundane tasks become challenges: putting on a seat belt (I need a LOT of extra belt!), trying to get out of a bathroom stall (the ones at work are really small...or I guess I'm just really that big), sitting in a chair (kind of a free-fall, not so graceful) and getting out of chairs (requires physical and mental energy, along with a good push from someone nearby), putting on socks (I need longer arms), typing things on my computer at work (again, I need longer arms), and finding clothes that fit (it is a bad sign when are MATERNITY clothes too small!).

I'm just so thankful I'm at this point and that the end is in sight!!!!! And that I have such great people around so willing to help. :)

Leek

Blog Post by Kati:

Week 38!!!!!

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)



Ahhhhh, another Friday! Another fast week!

Baby Goose has been very active this week...I'm looking forward to my doctor's appointment today to see if things are progressing along nicely. I think they must be since she dropped a little since the last appointment. We'll see!

I have my final shower tomorrow. It is being thrown by the girls in my small group with all of my girlfriends. I'm excited!!! :)

Have a great weekend everybody!

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Blog Post by Kati:

The waiting game is killer. I haven't been having contractions or anything (besides the fact that she is definitely moving lower), but just feel like I'm ready and should be done. :) Everyone feels so sorry for me as I slowly waddle around...

A couple more quotes from people:

5th grade boy: "What does it mean if your water breaks? Because on Alien vs. Predators the lady's water breaks and an alien came out."
Me: "Um..." and then promptly changed the subject.


1st grade girl seeing me in the hallway: "Are you PREGNANT?????"


Random lady at the gas station: "Congratulations, honey"


And my favorite- my sister Laura: "I had a dream baby Clara was born and you and Chris couldn't decide on her name - it was between "Twen" or "Southdale". I hated both choices"
(FYI, Clara is NOT the baby's name)

After the weekend of not sleeping well at all, I have slept a little better the past two nights. I think I was just so wiped out from not sleeping. I'm ready to be not sleeping well for a better reason than being in pain! :)

Tomorrow Chris and I are going to Let's Dish- a place in Highland where we will be putting together 4 different meals to freeze. Each meal will be 6 servings, so we'll have a lot of meals! It will be a fun activity to do together. After that I'm going to the Timberwolves game with my dad. Even though the Timberwolves are pretty bad this year, it will most likely be my last opportunity to go for a long time! As many of you know I was once a DIEHARD T-Wolves fan...back in the day when they were good. But they still have a small part of my heart and I enjoy going to the games- especially with my dad. :)

Kona continues to hang out in the baby's room. She is very interested in some of the baby toys that are in there. She is so cute! And she's going to be such a good big sister.

Getting close

Blog Post by Kati:

Close. So close. It is getting to the point now where when I see people who I see somewhat regularly, it is a definite possibility that I won't see them again until after Baby Goose arrives. So saying goodbye is always a little strange. I had a chiropractor appointment yesterday and as I was leaving she said "Next time I see you you'll be two independent people!" I love it! :) And it is so weird at the same time!

My doctor's appointment was long but good on Friday. My doctor checked the baby's heart rate with her little wand and was doing it for longer than normal. Then she said that she wanted to hook me up to the big baby heart rate monitor for awhile because the baby's heart rate seemed lower than what it should be. She told me not to worry but of course I was freaking out a little bit. The nurse rolled in this big machine thing that looked like it was from the '80s and put a couple of straps around my stomach. I was in charge of holding the sensor that picked up the heart beat and holding a button that I had to push every time I felt Baby Goose move. And then I just had to lay there and watch the little markers mark the heart rate paper and make sure the sensor stayed in the right spot and concentrate on if she moved or not so I could push the button all for 20 minutes or so. It was actually very cool because I could hear the heart beat and watch the movement on the heart rate paper that said where her heart rate was. It got to the point where I could almost predict when she was going to move because her heart rate would speed up a little and I could see it! Anyway, after a long 20 minutes my doctor came back, looked at the long heart rate monitor paper and declared that everything looked absolutely perfect. Whew! But I wasn't done yet- still had to go to the lab and get my blood drawn to test my hemoglobin. So I was at the doctor for over 2 hours, but am so thankful that everything is great!

I'm pretty sure that Baby Goose is dropping lower, slowly but surely. I feel more pressure on my bladder and in my hips and pelvic area. Sleeping is getting more painful and it is no longer comfortable to be on my back for any amount of time (I used to be able to lay there for a couple of minutes before switching sides and feel some relief, but no longer!). And I am now needing more mental and physical preparation to get up from chairs or do any other moving around that requires larger movements. All of this is a GREAT sign to me, because it tells me that she's staring her slow descent into the world. Come on out early, Baby Goose! We're ready for you! We can't wait to meet you! :)

Swiss Chard

Blog Post by Kati:

Week 37 Info:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.



No idea what swiss chard is. :)

I can't believe I only have 2 more weeks of work before Baby Goose arrives! This week flew by so I can only imagine the next 2 weeks will do the same.

We have a pretty calm weekend ahead of us which will be nice. We can get a lot done. Come on, nesting instinct!!!! :)

Have a great weekend everybody!

Nursery

Blog Post by Kati:

As Chris mentioned in his post, the nursery is pretty much done! Here is the before picture (remember it was a total JUNK room!):And here are the after pictures:

The crib showcases my aunt Jenny's awesome quilt, and the beautiful rocking chair we got from my aunt Margie and Grammy:
The changing table and the giant teddy bear from my aunt Coco and uncle Jim:And of course the Baby Goose showcase:
I think the room turned out pretty cute and it feels great to have it ready to go for Baby Goose!

Here are a couple of comments I have gotten the past 2 days:

"Do you have a ball in there?" (3rd grader seeing me outside in my coat)

"Any day now, huh?" (Stranger at a store)

And I also get a lot of pity looks as I waddle around. :) But I still feel really good- much better than I expected to feel at this point. It is just getting a little more painful to sleep so I switch positions a lot, but it takes a lot of effort to do that. Which for some reason for me requires some grunting and groaning. :)

Been A Long Time / Updates

Blog Post By Chris:

Boy I have not posted for a long time. It has been a pretty crazy time for work. The Thanksgiving weekend brings the busy shopping time of the year, and I am required to work a lot during that time. So needless to say I haven't had much time to post. I haven't heard many comments about Vikings updates, but they are now 10-1. I think them doing so well this season causes me to be more nervous every game.

I also have not given a lunch buddy update for awhile. There really has not been much to talk about, or at least nothing funny that he has said. However, he always seems to forget that I am married to Mrs. Gosselin, every single week. Ah wait there was a story. Last week when I went in for lunch buddy duty Alejandro and I decided to play checkers. Usually we just set up dominoes and knock them down, and that seems to keep him entertained. Well last week he didn't want to do that, he wanted to play checkers. I had not played checkers in a long time, and had a vague memory of the rules ( I know, there are not that many rules). So that led to a made up game with checkers pieces. Needless to say, Alejandro ended up winning the made up game. I hope he never plays checkers against someone who knows what they are doing, because I definitely did not teach him the correct way.

As Kati has so kindly kept the post updated we have had plenty of showers, each being unique in it's own way. Our nursery is all done, most of the baby clothes have been washed, now we just need to wait for our little girl to be born. T-minus 24 Days!!! So since we are so close to the day I think it is okay to finally tell the name that we have decided. We are going to name her..... no just kidding, we still aren't telling.