André James Maes

X23B Water Accumulator Tank

2011-10-05T21:39:00.004-04:00

Andre has been wasting a lot of water when brushing his teeth. So I did some research and found that an accumulator tank can help. I got the DIY idea from surfing the 'net.

http://www.r-visioncamping.org/modules.php?name=gallery2&g2_itemId=6297
and
http://www.modmyrv.com/2009/06/10/rv-diy-water-accumulator

...are two examples of homemade tanks.

Benefits include:
1. Pump runs longer, but less often. This will extend the pump's life.
2. Water flow is stabilized, no longer surging and slowing with the pump cycling.
3. Water pump is quieter. No clue why. Maybe because the air in the accumulator has a dampening effect.
4. No-Pump needed at night. I now have 3 litres of water available even after the pump is shut off.

The tank itself cost $20 to make versus $40 for a store-bought one. The parts to install it (or any commercial tank) cost around $10. Very satisfying.

Installation Complete: X23B Battery Cutoff

2011-08-07T14:47:00.002-04:00

After finding my camper battery dead just two weeks after we last used it, I realized that it was time to install a cutoff switch. Apparently things like the TV antenna booster, digital clocks, etc. are enough to pull down the battery over that period of time.

I used a Marinco "Park Power 701" series switch. It's a good one because it's fully self-contained and can be surface mounted on the outside of the battery box, making it safe from sparking and fire due to battery-gasses.

André helped me install it. It was a lot of fun drilling, cutting, taping, etc.

Also notice the dongle hanging out of the battery box on the left side of the picture. That is a 2-Pin flat harness which is connected to the battery through a fuse. Negative is on the exposed side. This allows me to leave a solar panel plugged in while the camper is in storage to maintain the battery.

My New Camper

2011-05-10T21:00:00.005-04:00

Just a quick photo to upload.

Andre is pleased to announce his Mommy and Daddy bought "him" a brand new camper.

Here's a photo:

Now if the weather would just cooperate, we'll go on our shakedown trip. Should be a lot of fun!

Andre's Day Out With Thomas

2010-08-22T12:09:00.013-04:00

Ever since he watched his first "Thomas and Friends" episode, closely followed by watching a high-speed freight train haul by on Mothers' Day 2010, Andre has been hooked. He's in love with anything to do with trains. So when Mom saw that Thomas was going to be at the Huckleberry Railroad this weekend, we jumped to buy tickets.

For those who haven't been there, Crossroads Village and the Huckleberry Railroad are Flint's version of Greenfield Village...only less crowded and filled with lots of hands-on activities for children. Admission to the park was free, but the tickets to ride the train (for around 40 minutes) were about $20 each. From the photos you'll see it was well worth it. Andre was all smiles all day.

Thomas himself was a modified rail car pushed by a diesel engine behind him. So if you're a big fan of steam engines, this is not the real deal. But if you like spending time with your family in an awesome setting, I highly recommend you go. Here's the obligatory family self-portrait:

Once Andre got past the initial thrill of being on a choo-choo-train, he resorted to his analytical self. In this photo, he's carefully checking out the RV's at an amusement park that also happened to be in town. Note the rest of the train following behind us, and the reflection of the Big-Top in the windows.

Finally here we are at the crossing gate, waving to Thomas and his passengers as he speeds on another adventure. Bye-bye, Thomas!!!

Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast

2009-11-23T18:21:00.003-05:00

Sorry, but I've no photos this time around. But I did want to share with you all my self-created recipe for the best chuck shoulder pot roast ever. André totally loves it. Maybe you will, too.

Aside from being yummy, it can be prepared and plated in less than an hour. Because it's cooked in a pressure cooker, it retains all the good nutrition and there's only one pot to clean afterwords.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
1 Pressure Cooker with Steaming Rack (5 Quarts or Larger)

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (1.25 pound) beef chuck roast
1/3 package dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/3 package dry Ranch salad dressing mix
1 package brown gravy mix
16oz water
1 medium onion, peeled & halved
4 large potatoes, peeled & halved
2 cups baby carrots

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in the pressure cooker over medium-high
heat with the lid open. Brown the roast on all sides
in the hot oil. Remove roast from cooker & turn off
heat.

2. In a small cup or bowl, mix together the Italian
salad dressing mix, and Ranch dressing mix. Rub them
evenly over the entire roast.

3. Pour water and gravy mix into pressure cooker.
Place roast back in pressure cooker on cooking rack.

4. Seal and lock pressure cooker, and cook over high
heat to build pressure until the indicator sounds. Turn heat
down to medium, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from
heat and rapidly depressurize cooker following the
pressure cooker instructions. Unseal the lid.

5. Add potatoes. Repeat cooking process for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and rapidly depressurize cooker to
unseal the lid.

6. Add carrots and onion. Repeat cooking process for 5 minutes
minutes. Remove from heat and rapidly depressurize cooker to
unseal the lid.

7. Remove ingredients from pressure cooker. Pour gravy
from bottom of pan into serving bowl.

Bon appetite!

It's great...to be...a Michigan Wolverine!!!

2009-09-19T16:35:00.005-04:00

What an a-maize-ing day!!! Or should I say a-Maes-ing??? OK. Amazing. Whatever.

Today, André went to his first ever Michigan Wolverine football game. We're teaching him from an early age that if he wants to grow up to enjoy football, there's only one team worth watching. They live and play in Ann Arbor. Accept no substitutes.

Here we are, after just having entered the new-and-"improved" Michigan Stadium. Daddy asked a police officer if he could do the "serve" part of "protect and serve" by taking our photo. He kindly obliged. André got a junior police sticker and a bracelet to help identify him in the event he got lost.

The stadium wasn't too packed. We were very lucky that nobody was sitting on either side of us, or in the row in front of us. So it gave us a great view of the game, and also room for André to run around a bit. Temperature was a perfect 65 degrees, with 10 knots of breeze and clear skies. Perfect for football!

Here, André was sharing some love with Grandpa late in the 3rd quarter as the Wolverines were extending their lead against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. They both had a super time. In fact, I don't know who enjoyed the day more: André or Grandpa Roger.

We left at the top of the 4th quarter. André was looking sleepy. We got him to the car just in time. He fell asleep within minutes of being strapped into his seat. No traffic slowdowns at all on the way home. When André woke up an hour later, we were pulling into the driveway.

A perfect day!!! Go Blue!!!

Aquaboy!

2009-08-04T21:27:00.006-04:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

Last weekend, Christa and I took André to Lake Huron Campground. While the grounds were much less than spectacular, at least they had a pool. And thank God, the weather cooperated this time.

As you can see from the photos, André has overcome his fear of the water. He now likes to splash and make waves with his hands. But his favorite of all is playing "Humpty Dumpty." André will sit on the wall while the nursery rhyme is said, and when Humpty has a great fall, André will leap into the pool. We loved it! After about 5 minutes of this, we realized that André was the star attraction at the pool. Everybody was watching and smiling.

The other good news is that the trip wasn't a total bust. Christa and I met another really neat family who had 3 babies, all born prematurely. The girls got along famously telling stories to eachother about their experiences. The guys talked about their campers. Good times.

Happy Camper 2.0

2009-05-25T21:37:00.003-04:00

More photos, while at campground.

Taking my morning milk with a good read.

Look, ma, no hands!!!

What'cha doing, Katharina???

5lbs of dirt? I'm 2lbs in already!!!

Happy Camper 1.0

2009-05-25T21:27:00.003-04:00

After this weekend, the phrase, "happy camper" is an understatement unless compared to Andre. Here are some photos, with captions.

Flying "J" Rocks!!!

Yep. Everything looks level!

Helping Daddy back in the camper. Reverse is SOOOOO easy!!!

What's this? A stick? Can I eat it????

Land Yacht 1.0

2009-05-21T09:24:00.004-04:00

Gotta shower and pack my clothes, but otherwise I'm ready to roll. Here's a picture of our no-so-minnie-Winnebago. It's 50 feet of driving fun! Hopefully the weather cooperates with us. Last forecast I saw for Muskegon was highs in the 70's and dry.

Audrey's Birthday

2009-05-17T21:44:00.003-04:00

This blog post will be replaced by one that Christa types. Right now, she's upstairs, feeding André his bed-time bottle. She's had a wonderful day, but a tiresome evening. So if it takes a while for her to update this blog post, please forgive her.

But for now, here are the photos for you to enjoy!

BTW: Make sure you check out the other post from today. Just scroll down a bit.

Warriors in Pink: Harley Cleanup

2009-05-17T21:32:00.003-04:00

Here's a quick photo of André helping Daddy clean his bike for the Ford Warriors In Pink event. Ford is a big supporter of breast cancer research/treatment. Warriors In Pink is our kickoff to support the Komen Race for the Cure. We ride our bikes in laps around the walkers and make lots of noise to draw attention to this great cause.

As you can see, André was very excited to put his hands all over the shiny chrome.

Anyways, if you're looking for a great cause besides March of Dimes, I suggest giving me, whoops I mean the Susan Komen foundation your money.

Swimming

2009-04-25T16:09:00.005-04:00

We took André swimming today. As usual, he cried like crazy for the first 5-10 minutes. Then he settled down and had some fun. We topped off the day by going under water together for a couple seconds! Mommy didn't expect it, so she didn't get a photo. Oh, well. We get to try it again next week!!!

Tenderoni

2009-04-21T21:54:00.008-04:00

André likes dancing to Chromeo, Tenderoni! Check out the video below! Make sure the volume is turned up. Sorry about the abrupt fade. Daddy's still getting used to the camera.

What! What! My legs! They're outta control!!!

Happy Dance

2009-04-13T23:23:00.005-04:00

André has developed a happy dance. He walks and claps his hands, normally to the sound of Mommy singing his favorite songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Bah Bah Blacksheep." We're trying to figure out if he's practicing for a role in Grease, or West Side Story.

Christa and I are looking forward to Summer now more than ever. On our walks, André will occasionally stop to examine cracks & pits in the pavement, or twigs that have fallen from trees. We're still having some issues with his lactose intolerance. The doctor says a lot of kids are this way, and we just need to give him soy milk, then slowly introduce cows milk while his body adjusts.

As for Mom and Dad, we're learning that it's time to re-baby-proof the house. Because he's walking everywhere, André can reach doorknobs and turn them. So rooms that were once safe because they were inaccessible are now available for him to explore. I've been reminiscing about the time I burnt myself with boiling coffee at 3 and trying to imagine how my Mom must have felt. Ugh.

But since this posting is titled "Happy Dance," I'll end it on a super happy note. I am thrilled to say "Congratulations" to Stephanie & Jason, Wendy & Reed, AND Juanelle & Tony who have just had children of their own in the past month. Welcome everybody! Let the party begin!!!

Gettin' Ready to Run

2009-03-23T17:00:00.007-04:00

There's nothing much new to report. So I'll stick to the facts. André is standing on his own - a lot. He is even "bailing out" from his comfortable standing aids (furniture, toys, our legs, etc.) and taking short walks on his own. He really like the new picture window, watching people walk by, and cars drive by.

André is also learning to properly respond to some basic commands, like "come", "danger/hot", and "no, sir. not for you." Of course, he's also snapping back sometimes with a really funny growl. He prefers to hand-feed himself, and is just now figuring out that he can hold his bottle. Thank God for that!

It's interesting to see how other babies that were born within one month of André are learning different things at different rates. Some younger babies have mastered basic words (like "uh-oh" and "bottle") and skills like walking and bottle-holding. Some older babies can't do what André does. I guess it's just another way for each of us to see how truly unique and special these kids are.

The Longest Journey Begins With A Single Step

2009-02-04T20:37:00.010-05:00

Step by step! Ooh, baby!

André is starting to gain trust in his ability to stand on his own. If we encourage him a little he will even take a couple of steps. He loves to walk pushing something across the floor for balance. All those mornings and nap times saying bye-bye to his twinkle lights has paid off. He will wave bye-bye if you say it to him.

As for food he loves everything we have given him. André loves to feed himself! He is now 20lbs 6oz. and 29 inches tall! It doesn't surprise me how much weight he has gained in the last month since he eats like a horse! I get lots of hugs and kisses everyday from him. He is a very loving little boy! Although there are times I look at him and think, "you are such a boy"!

André's Snow Days

2009-01-11T22:25:00.014-05:00

Today, we decided it was time to take André outside to play in the snow. We had just gotten 6" - 8" of fresh, fluffy snowfall in the past 24 hours. The sun was shining brightly. And as you can see from the photo below, André was in great spirits, ready to take on the world.

He's been a terror around the house lately. All André wants to do is climb on stuff so he can stand. This picture was taken just moments after we put him down in the living room to play. No, that's not a typo. Yes, that is our bed. The little guy decided he wanted to explore the house. He crawled (in under a minute) from the living room to the master bedroom, and pulled himself up on the bed.

We're starting to understand why our parents liked having wall-to-wall carpeting! The wet sound of a baby's head thumbing into hardwood floors is just awful.

After Christa wrangled with André for 10 minutes getting him into his snow suit, we were ready to go. Here's André in his brand-new sled he got for Christmas from his Great Aunt Gerri. Look how thrilled he is now!!! Go, André! Go! OK. So maybe he's really thinking "I CAN'T MOVE MY ARMS!!!" Whatever. At least it was fun for us parents.

After our photo op, Christa decided it was time to take André for a bit of a walk. Here they are sledding along on the snow-covered sidewalks.

We'll have to try the snowtime play again soon. He's still got a lot to learn. Like: You need to be OUTSIDE, in the snow in order to catch snowflakes on your tongue.

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!

André's 1st Birthday

2009-01-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been one year!! How time has flown right by. It is hard to believe that André went from this:

To this:

André seemed to be even happier on his birthday than at Christmas. He showed some interest in opening his gifts we gave him. Trouble even came over to help out! He had lots of family and friends here to help him celebrate his special day. André says thank you to everyone that came. He enjoyed seeing the people he hasn't seen in a while. Especially Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave. Thank you Uncle Dave for taking all the videos for us! Also to cousin Lindsay, André was glad that you finally got to hold him and spend some time with him. Lets do it again soon!

We did a Curious George theme so I made a monkey cake. It was my first time making and decorating a special cake. André enjoyed the cake and especially the icing! As you can see he made a mess of himself!

André is crawling all over the place. I'm a nervous wreck!! We are trying to baby proof everything. Once we think we have everything we realize we missed something cause André gets into it! Ugh!! He also is pulling himself up on to everything. We are contemplating buying him a helmet!! LOL We have beening trying to introduce some solid foods. So far he has had potatoes, pancakes, turkey, ribs, refried beans and rice(which is his favorite!). He is still only saying dadadada. He had few things that he says but we can't exactly tell what it is. Well more next week after his one year check up.

André's first Christmas

2009-01-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

Did santa come yet!? That's what André asked when he woke up Christmas morning. As you can see he was a very happy little boy! We had a wonderful Christmas here in the Maes house. It was a long day though. We started of by going to mid-night mass. André did very well! He just sat there listening. It was quite funny when our priest come up to us after church and told André thank you for all your raspberries during my homily!!! We sit front row center so he see and hears everything André does. He also thought that repeating dadadadada during comummion was a good idea! Well, we are just happy he didn't melt down at all.

We had Christmas dinner at our house for everyone in our family. So it was pretty cozy. After dinner we opened our gifts. André loved all of it! We couldn't get him to open his gifts himself. He would just sit and look at them. He couldn't decide which ones to play with first. It was really cute watching him go from one toy to the next. You would think he would have been overwhelmed, but he wasn't.

Hey, babe how you doing!?

This was a much better Christmas than last year! We really enjoyed being with all of our family and having our son with us to celebrate this special time of year! We are sooo thankful for all our blessing that we have received this last year! Thank you for all your prayers and loving thoughts for the last year!

Andre Meets Santa

2008-12-08T21:00:00.001-05:00

So André went to see Jolly ole' Saint Nick this weekend. It went well! No tears!! He looked at me after I set him down then looked at Santa. He gave me a I'm not sure about this look. Just like he does anytime he goes to some he doesn't see a lot or never. Not sure what he should do he reached up and put his fingers through Santa's beard. It was soo cute!! The Nelson's also took Audrey. They had total success too. We gave each other a high five and hope for the same next year!! Yeah right!!! We told Santa we would make sure we had his favorite cookies out. Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas everyone!!

André is progressing so well. He is now eating some solids. Potatoes, macaroni, cheerios, oh and refried beans!! He loves puffs!! He has started a milatry crawl everywhere. He has figured out how to pout! If you take something away he has a tantrum. And when you tell him no he pouts and then tries again. Then when you tell him no again he pouts then cries!! It's hilarious!!!!

As you read from the last posting we didn't have a very good Thanksgiving in the Maes household. Besides having to put Pepper down. We went to my sisters house for Thanksgiving and we weren't there five mintues and her dog bit André in the face. No puncture wounds but he scraped him in a couple of places. He is ok! Yes, the dog was punished! He had never done that before so the only thing we figure is that it was a dominance bite. Well, lesson learned is when you walk into a house check out everything! I mean everything! Look for any dangers! Even if it is family.

The Rainbow Bridge

2008-12-05T22:29:00.023-05:00

Just this side of heaven lies the Rainbow Bridge.

When a beloved pet dies, it goes to the Rainbow Bridge. It makes friends with other animals and frolics over rolling hills and peaceful, lush meadows of green.

Our pets do not thirst or hunger. The old and sick are made young once more; the maimed and the ill become healed and strong. They are as healthy and playful as we remember them in days gone by.

Though happy and content, they still miss someone very special, someone they had to leave behind. Together, the animals chase and play, but the day comes when a pet will suddenly stop and look into the distance...bright eyes intent, eager body quivering. Suddenly recognizing you, your pet bounds quickly across the green fields and into your embrace. You celebrate in joyous reunion. You will never again separate. Happy tears and kisses are warm and plenty; your hands caress the face you missed. You look once more into the loving eyes of your pet and know you never really parted. You realize that though out of sight, your love had been remembered.

And now, you cross the Rainbow Bridge together...

I love you, Pepper. You were the best dog I could have ever hoped for. You've been gone for only a week, but I already miss us playing fetch with coke bottles, the red jingle-bell ball, and that stupid cardboard tube you loved so much. My fondest memories are of watching TV and falling asleep with you across in my lap in the La-Z-Boy. I even liked hearing you snore through the night at my side while Christa did the same on my other side.

Please forgive me for the times when I disciplined you without knowing that you were actually ill. And the times when I kept you locked up - just a little too long. Oh, and for laughing at you when you would biff trying to leap onto the back deck because you couldn't see the steps. In hindsight, that was probably pretty terrifying for you.

When you had the stroke, I couldn't bear to see you suffer more. I thought I was strong in my decision, but maybe I'm just a wimp after all. This hurts so bad. I'm so sorry our friendship had to end this way. For 12 years you were my best pal. I hope you remember me, and the good times. I can never forget you.

Please wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge.

Mr. Peanut's First Halloween

2008-11-07T23:56:00.008-05:00

Halloween was a hit in the Maes house. The week before Halloween we went to our church's "trunk and treat" and everyone loved Andre! We enjoyed watching all the kids trick or treating. It was a lot of fun since in our neighborhood we don't get any kids. For Halloween we went over to our friends Titus(T1) and Lisa's house in Royal Oak. They at least had few kids. Their son Titus(T2) and Andre got to play while us adults had lots of adult conversation. Andre also decided this was the night he was going to stay up until 11:30. He refused to go to sleep. So we just packed up and left. He was asleep by the time we got to 13 mile. Mind you we started at 14 and Woodward.

Andre really has progressed over the last few weeks. He has picked up saying "dadadada" and "yeeeaahh." I say that to him a lot. He still is not crawling, but I don't think it is far off. We got him a walker at a mom to mom sale a couple of weeks ago and he loves it! He will actually kind of chase you. He loves to chase the cat!!

Today he was sitting in front of me on the floor and he grabbed my hands and stood himself right up(which he does all the time), but it was what happened right after that freaked me out. He saw the cat walk up and got excited. All of the sudden he just started walking(holding my hands) and wasn't gonna stop 'till he got that cat. Well she ran as fast as she could once she realized what was happening. Michael got in front of him and called him he kept going right to Michael. Michael then turned him around and I called him. He walked between us at least three times! I actually started to cry! I can't believe my baby is getting so big!!!

End of the Summer

2008-10-14T20:30:00.011-04:00

When Summer ends, we wonder where we are. So we take some time to look back on the fun times we've had, our accomplishments (or lack thereof), and our relationships. This year, Fall is way different. I have a son. It's time to make some changes.

So here are some of the changes: Christa and I chose to sell all of our Michigan Wolverine football tickets so we'd have more time to spend together with André as a family. Thank goodness for that decision - Michigan stinks this year. We bought a brand spanking new RV so we could enjoy camping rather than watching me spend hours working on the old one in the driveway. Y'all know how cheap I am...and I've never had so much fun! We've taken one trip to Lakeport State Park, and another to Lexington to spend time with some close friends at their vineyard. The "goldentops" of the trees were just beautiful. Thanks for stopping to point them out to me, Nate.

As you can see from these photos, André is a happy baby. In just the past week, he's gained a pound! He's a full 16lbs, 11oz. We're using some of the regained time to play. We practice standing, squats, and even walking (no crawling, though). Believe it or not, André can kinda do the moonwalk! We've taken our first family trip to Yates cider mill, and met up with friends we made while at the Beaumont NICU.

We've even managed to make the time to take André to the Renaissance Festival with our bowling teammates and their baby boy. Oh, yeah. We're also bowling great: Third or fourth place out of 26 teams! Thanks for carrying my butt, Titus!

I can't put in words how happy I am to have made "sacrifices" to be with my family. This Fall is the best ever. The colors are much brighter now. It's like they really want to tell us truth. They give our testimony to the end of the Summer. <sigh> It's the end of the Summer. We can spin the light to gold. Thanks for the inspiration, Dar.

Little Firecracker

2008-07-08T09:06:00.006-04:00

Keeping our promise, here are some more photos and an update of what's going on in André's life. There's not much new happening in terms of his health. André is still sleeping 8-9 hours each night. He's still not napping. He prefers formula over breast milk, but is eating both in record amounts. All-in-all, André is doing as well as any parent could hope for.

On Friday (Independence Day) we took him over to visit our friends in Clawson for barbecue and professional fireworks. It was a great time. André got to play with Audrey and Sammy. Dad got to eat hot dogs buried in coleslaw and onions. Mom got to socialize with her girlfriends and see their beautiful babies.

Below are some photos of André in his "First July 4" garb. We had to pry the flag out of his hands after the shoot. He's developing a really strong grip. Tummy time is still difficult for him. But like everything else, I expect he'll surprise us and be doing push-ups in no time.

Sleeping Through the Night Makes Happy Campers

2008-06-30T20:47:00.018-04:00

First and foremost I know I'm a terrible mother and person!!! You all have been looking for some kind of update/pictures of André. Well, I got the hint!! :-))

Finally, we've reached another big landmark in André's development.

What first started last week as a "lucky" night has now developed into a routine occurrence. As the title suggests, he's sleeping through the night. And it happened at a perfect time: Just before his first camping trip ever!!!

Last week, after hearing the news about how well Sally and Mike's baby Audrey was doing, and how quickly she was gaining weight, Mike and I decided to introduce pure baby formula feedings into André's diet. To our surpirse, the kid loves the stuff. I tasted it. It tastes like crap. Anyways, André began eating more and more at every feeding and he also began sleeping longer and longer.

When we went camping on Friday, André slept for nine (9) hours straight!!! He repeated the performance again on Saturday. As you can see in the photos above, both André and Dad were enjoying themselves.

André is eating formula 5-6 oz at time!! He is also still getting breast milk. I still have about 11 gallons of it left in the deep freezer!!

He has been cooing at us for a few weeks now and has started sucking his left thumb. He likes to grip things and hold on to them. Mostly stick them in his mouth!! He LOVES to smile at us!!!

The sleeping through the night is sooo great, but he still doesn't take a nap during the day for me unless I hold him or we are in the car running around!! I have tried everything. I can't figure it out. It's hard cause I can't get anything done during the day. So by the time Michael comes home I'm frustrated cause I have accomplished nothing!! There are days he will just sit and play by himself and I listen from the other room. It's great to hear.

I can't believe it has been six months since he was born. I actually sat in the camper on Saturday and had myself a good cry. I was just thinking back over the last six months and realizing how far we have come since December. Thinking about how I wasn't sure if he was going to make it. And praying to God every day multiple times a day. Begging him to bring André through this. Well, like I said before the power of prayer is amazing! I can say I just thanked god on Saturday for all he has given us in André. It most certainly has not been easy but I will say I'm blessed to have André and Michael in my life.

-- Christa

Good things (news) come to those who wait

2008-04-16T22:01:00.024-04:00

Ok, I Know I know you all have been waiting for an update!!

André is doing well. He is now almost 7 pounds, and is 19 inches long. As you can see in the pictures he is getting chunky cheeks! His preemie clothes are starting to get too small for him. Yeah!! He is playing more while on his mat and likes you to interact with him more and more. He loves to snuggle with you and hates it when you put him down! I asked the doctor about spoiling him with too much holding. She says that he is still too young for that. I don't need to worry about that until he is about 6 months. The reason for him wanting to be held is that he wasn't being held like he needed/wanted to be in the NICU so now that he is home he can get it when he wants it. Hence loving to snuggle!

He is now sleeping in 4 hour stints, which is nice. He had one night he went for 5 hours. We totally freaked out!!! I went running into his room to make sure he was ok! Oh, I forgot! He is now sleeping in his crib for the most part. Some mornings Michael puts him in bed with me before he leaves for work. I enjoy this!!

The picture with me in the kitchen is me wearing my Moby wrap with André in it. This is my lifesaver. There are times that André just won't lay down to sleep. When I put him in the Moby, he's out like a light. I can actually work around the house and do things that I need to get done, whether it's chores, my hair, or just writing out bills. I recommend this wrap above any others. Mike even uses it from time to time. It's funny watching him try to put it on. He's totally lost, but I love him anyways for trying.

André the Explorer

2008-03-24T20:16:00.007-04:00

Do Tucans taste like chicken? Or do they taste like Froot Loops? Wait a second! What do chicken or Froot Loops taste like?

Ahh!!!! Mom!!! Get me out of this crazy thing!!!

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

2008-03-17T20:32:00.016-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Everybody!!!

Buuurrrrpp! Mmmmm!!
That bottle of single malted milk sure was smooth!!

Well, it's been a while since we up dated you all.
We went to the doctor last Tuesday 'cause he was pale and we where worried that his hemoglobin was low. They checked it and it was good. We found out why he was soo cranky after he eats. We thought it was colic, but it was reflux. He is now on Zantac. He also only gained 1ounce in a week. So we now have to add preemie formula to his breast milk. Which means I don't get to breastfeed him as much as I would like. He has started to lift his head which gets out of control sometimes! lol We have really started to notice his face filling in. Which is exciting to us!! We are getting used to his sounds. Which there are a lot of. He is very noisy! He seems to like to make noise just to hear him self. For the life of me I don't know where he gets that from!! lol (Timmy talks alot) We now know which ones we need to respond to. We have been just sticking around the house except to go to the doctor. I'm feeling like a caged rat!! We did go bowling last night to our king and queens league we are on. It was great getting out. André went to grandma and grandpa Maes' for them to watch him. We find out tomorrow when we go to the doctor how much weight he has actually gained this last week. I'm anxious to know how much the formula is helping. We will update everyone on that this weekend.

P.S. Happy Birthday Uncle Dave!!! ;-))) Love, André

Mommy Knows Best

2008-03-06T14:23:00.020-05:00

After five nights of no sleep, Michael and I where at the end of our rope. We actually started arguing with each other in the middle of the night who was going to get up and comfort André. We both thought it was our turn! That made for a strange apology in the morning. I did some research online trying to figure out a solution. I read on some bouncers, which kind where the best for a baby soo small. I finally found one that a lot of mothers recommended. Many said that it was the only thing there baby would sleep in -- period. After some convincing on my part, Michael finally agreed to go and buy it at Target. It is the Fisher Price Baby Papasan. See the link in André's Preemie FAQs. It was the best $50.00 we have spent on André. (or was it really spent on us?)

I do have to say that Michael is frustrated with the fact that all the products out there state they are to be used by newborns. Well, André is a newborn but most of the products are to big or aren't supportive enough for a baby his size. What the hell? Tell us what size it is good for not the age!!!

It was quite funny we put it together and put André in it. He sat for a while very interested in the world around him, looking at the mirror above him. Then with no warning he was out like a light. He slept like that for 3.5 hours. We actually had to wake him for his feeding, which hasn't happened since coming home. We thought, "Hallelujah! We struck the jackpot!" But we didn't want to get to excited until the evening to see if he would sleep at night.

As you can see from the picture we put the chair in his bassinet, then laid him down. Eureka! Another 4 hours of sound sleep! Not a sound! Michael and I actually ended up getting some continuous sleep ourselves. Although I have to say we got a little nervous we had to check on André periodically. It was hard to tell if he was breathing or not. That is how sound asleep he was.

So Michael ended up telling me this morning that I was right about it and it was one of the best ideas I have had!! Yes, I already knew that! A mothers intuition is all I can say.

Sleeping with the Alien

2008-03-05T18:00:00.013-05:00

Captain's Personal Log, Stardate 61679.2.

Since we departed the Beaumont-13 just five days ago with the alien life form, time aboard the Peanut-1 has become stressful. Something is going on here, something outside of my control, and that makes me very worried indeed.

The alien seems to instinctively know when we are tired and need rest. It waits until Cdr. Christa and I will be on the verge of sleep, then it strikes. It has two weapons: A deafening sonic modulator and a stink beam. The stink was expected and can sometimes be tolerated. But the regularity and volume of the screams is astonishing.

We consulted Dr. Alexis yesterday. She tells us this is quite ordinary and expected of such a small creature. He's weighs 4lbs 6oz and consumes no less than 10oz of milk per day. She also informed us that she has no need to see him for another 2 months.

Oh, this blog entry is too much work. Or maybe I'm just tired. Or maybe it's both. !Narf! Here are some photos of the little alien, André. He's actually asleep right now. So I'm getting some sleep while the getting's good.

Captain Mike

Leap of Faith

2008-02-29T17:02:00.012-05:00

Back in November, Christa said she'd deliver the baby a little early. Mike thought it would be way cool if it happened on Leap Year. It's funny how things work out sometimes.

Today is Leap Year, and André is now exactly 9 weeks old. Today also happens to be his first day at home with Mommy and Daddy in St. Clair Shores. So in a weird way, Mike got his Leap Year baby.

Now a new chapter of the Maes family life begins. Mom is exhausted. Dad is a nervous wreck. André seems aware that his surroundings have changed. The doctors say that André is ready. God, we hope they're right. That's all that can be said at this point. We'll write another blog entry soon to let you all know how we're adjusting to our new life together.

Challenge #3: Complacency and Insurance Companies, A Dangerous Combination

2008-02-23T16:15:00.024-05:00

I guess things have been going just a bit too well lately. André has been breathing well, eating well, and pooping well. He's even been moved into another part of the NICU used for observation of low-risk babies. Complacency was setting in. Little did we know that lightning was about to strike.

On the day André was born, I had notified my HR department of his birth. I received instructions to send them a fax to certify that André is my son, and therefore eligible for benefits under my health-care plan. I thought I did everything right, but apparently I made a mistake. Because now we're starting to get bills from Beaumont, and benefit statements saying that our insurance company has denied payment. What the heck? I can't afford this!

Whether it was the wrong fax number, faxed upside-down, lost by Ford's HR department, or just completely overlooked by me, who really cares? The bottom line is that the paperwork was not on file, and André was abruptly removed from my insurance plan. Get this: His coverage was terminated on January 28, but notification wasn't sent out until February 5! Add in USPS delivery time and a week of sitting on my desk before opening and you can see how this became a problem.

The good news: Provided the paperwork was received within 60 days of his birth, coverage would be reinstated and bills would be paid retroactively. I promptly re-registered André, faxed the forms, and this time I even called to verify that everything was set. Most importantly, I've learned a very valuable lesson. HR departments and insurance companies will do anything, and I mean anything to legally deny coverage, even if they are morally wrong in doing so.

Watch out. Nobody cares about your baby except you. Call, follow-up. Bug the crap out of people until you're satisfied that everything is OK. There's no room for complacency. I'm sorry, André. I'll do better next time.

He...could...go...all...the...way!!!

2008-02-18T20:24:00.011-05:00

Holy cow! This kid is something else! In just the past week, André has gained 4oz, and is now taking almost every meal from a bottle. Some of the nurses are saying that he could have his gavage tube pulled by the end of the week. Some doctors are saying it could be as little as 2 weeks before he comes home. We're just saying our prayers that he keeps doing so well, and we'll be thankful when André's homecoming day finally arrives.

This weekend has been crazy. Between taking the demon cat to the vet, bowling, coaching, making hospital runs to and fro, shopping for last-minute baby items, doing house chores, and writing late-night police statements to report a deceased neighbor (like all our stories, it's a long one...), we've barely gotten a chance to just chill out and rest. Even this baby-blog entry is being written from the hospital. Christa is even reading the newspaper and making her grocery list while André sleeps in her lap.

Most people who've had full-term babies say that the first week home with baby is exhausting. If exhausting is all that it is, we're looking forward to it!

Good to the last drop... Milk that is...

2008-02-11T23:16:00.000-05:00

André has officially gained 1lb since birth. That means he is 3lbs 6oz. Whaooo!!!! This is a huge milestone. It has been 4 days since they took him of oxygen and he is doing great without it! That means they moved his gavage to his nose. He is doing great with his nipple feedings. Tonight he drank his whole 29ml bottle for me. The nurse said he drank his whole afternoon bottle as well. With the weight gain they will more than likely increase his feedings to 30-31ml per feeding. I can't believe the difference in him in just 3 days of not seeing him. I can really see the weight gain. All I have to say I don't want to be away from him for that long again! I was so lonely!! He fills me up everyday. And no I'm not talking about milk!!! lol

Mom's turn... :-(((

2008-02-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

Michael has given me a lot of things: unconditional love, great marriage, laughter, a son, and now his cold!!!

I came down with it after I left the hospital yesterday afternoon. First came on the fever and achy body, then runny nose, sneezing and coughing. It came on soo fast. By the time Michael came home I felt like a Mack truck had hit me. My only thought was please God I hope I didn't give this to André!

I didn't sleep much last night. due to all my symptoms and having to get up and pump. It is really important right now that André get my breast milk 'cause my body is producing antibodies against this cold. He will get those antibodies through my milk. So it is making it tougher for me 'cause that means I can't take anything to fight it. Only Motrin!!! I might break down and take something tonight though.

So all those wonderful feelings I was having the other day about bonding are now gone! :-( I'm feeling like a loser just like Michael did. He went up to the hospital last night and twice today to have one on one time with André. He is doing very well per Michael. They took him off of his nasal canula last night. He is up to 3lbs. 4oz now. He is having very few desats that require some stimulation from his nurse. Which is good for him. He is nipple feeding well for his age. He gets down about 1/3-1/2 of his bottle and quits. So they gavage the rest.

Well, I'm off to pump for the last time before bed and to take something to help me sleep tonight.

Goodnight all!

One step closer to home....

2008-02-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

Things are going well this week. André is up to 3lbs 2.5 oz. and 16 1/2 in. As Michael told you in an earlier post we started nipple feedings this week. He gets two bottles a day the other feedings he gets thru his gavage. We also have been trying to put him to breast. That is going well. He latches on great and he is starting to get the idea of sucking. He is very early for trying all of this so it will take some time until he gets it totally. For now we just are enjoying are time bonding with each other. I finally feel like I'am able to be a mom!!! It feels great!! :-)) Michael was finally able to visit him yesterday after being sick. He was very happy about that. Tonight they got to sit together while I went and pumped. Michael also tried feeding him tonight. Being the first time he has ever feed a baby he was uncomfortable. It took him sometime to get it. He did well though.

Deadbeat Dad

2008-02-03T20:09:00.000-05:00

It was only a matter of time. But yes. It's finally happened. For the past 2 days, Daddy hasn't been in to see André. The closest I've gotten to seeing my son is to the Beaumont parking structure. I feel like such a loser.

If the flu doesn't kill me, the separation anxiety will.

On Friday after working from home all day, I decided to shut down my PC and clean the bathroom. By the end of that chore, I developed a mild cough. Cleansers, right??? Later that night, Christa and I went out with some very close friends to listen to some live blues at a local club. The cough worsened. Smoke, right???

It just got worse. In bed I shivered all night long and barely slept. I woke up with a splitting headache, sore back and legs, and a stabbing pain through my back into my lungs. Temperature: 100.2° F. Oh yeah. And the cough was worse. Way worse.

I immediately called the NICU to advise them of my status, and my friends who were at the bar. This is the big one. Influenza. No doubt. Why, oh why didn't I get the shot?!?!?

So now my punishment for not caring for myself is solitary confinement. Christa has gone to the NICU and visited, but I'm stuck at home on the verge of barfing every time the cough hits. She's gotten to hold and feed André, but I've gotten to hear stories of his progress. THIS SUCKS! (note: no new photos, either.)

Anyways, here's what Christa has learned:

André is up to 27ml of breast milk, with HMF, which will make him gain weight super fast.
He took his first bottle feeding this morning, and drank most if it before tiring out.
He's off of oxygen and breathing regular room air.
He enjoys peeing and pooping during diaper changes.
And...He's 3lbs now!!!

Christa will try breast feeding this week. I'm still running a fever and will not be allowed to see André for a couple of days after the fever breaks. Hell, at this point, I'll be happy to just see tomorrow itself. I'm going to bed. Tell me who wins the football game.

Michael

Happy One-Month Birthday, André!!!

2008-01-28T21:14:00.001-05:00

You say it's your birth-dré? It's my birth-dré too, yeah!
They say it's your birth-dré? We're gonna have a good time!
I'm glad it's your birth-dré, Happy birthday to you!

Here's some photos of the Maes family celebrating André's one-month birthday. I know we have not posted anything in a while, but not much to say. André just sleeps, eats and poops. He is saving all his energy for growing. When he is awake he is very alert!! Loves to just focus on us. He is up to 26 mls per feeding, which is every 3 hours. Now a whopping 2lbs 14oz. Still on the nasal canula at 21% oxygen with 1 liter flow. Which is very low. He is still having A's and B's. All normal for a preemie. He just needs time to grow!!!

Michael and I are fairing pretty well. It's hard trying to get everything in, in a day. Especially for Michael. Sometimes it's tough to even find the time to write these blog entries. But you can always assume that no news is good news.

Anyways, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. They mean a lot to us.

Chillin' with the Family

2008-01-21T11:49:00.000-05:00

After some time to recover from his eating binge last weekend, André has resumed feedings on Thursday. This time, the protocol is much slower, and it seems to be working. André's belly is soft, making good sounds, is full-looking, but not distended. The nurses are being super-extra-careful to check for any undigested milk, and have now ramped up to 9ml / 3hrs.

If we haven't said it before: The NICU staff is fantastic.

Of course, with lots of eating comes lots of napping. Here are some photos of lil' André napping with Mommy and Daddy.

As for poop, well, we've had some meconium smears yesterday, but no real stools yet. In the spirit of the Super Bowl, Daddy is considering starting a pool. $2 a square. The winner is the one who chooses the day and hour that André poops his diaper.

It sounds gross, but in the NICU the small victories mean everything. Little signs of progress are all we have to go by. The next step will be removal of his I.V. Hopefully he'll have it taken out by next weekend. That'll make it a lot easier for us to hold him. Besides, the nurses say André is an I.V. nightmare, so the sooner they can stop poking him, the better.

Thank you for continuing to pray for André's health. He's making lots of progress. Check back later this week to find out more!!!

NICU: One helluva ride!

2008-01-16T17:36:00.001-05:00

We were told that the whole NICU preemie experience is a roller coaster ride, but we had no clue what that really meant. Now we're finally beginning to understand. Nervous of the pre-term labor. Relieved that we avoided delivery. Scared of delivering a 27 week preemie. Joyous when our son was born. Terrified of his heart problem. Excited that the medication worked and André could be fed. Now for the part y'all don't know...yet...

The NICU medical staff find it necessary to experiment. They try different things to find André's limits. Feedings on Friday were 2ml per 2 hours. Saturday was 4ml per 2 hours. Sunday was 6ml per 2 hours. The charts said: "Infant is tolerating feedings." Tolerating? What the hell does that mean? Here's the answer: It means you're at the top of the hill and the roller coaster is about to come flying back down to earth. Introducing Challenge #2: Backed Up Bowels.

At André's 7pm feeding on Sunday, there must've been a mistake. Because before his 9pm feeding, the nurse checked to see how much milk was still left in his tummy. We were already concerned because his belly was very swollen. He looked like Starvin' Marvin. When the nurse drew back the syringe plunger, she found 13ml of undigested milk. Lil' André was literally being stuffed!!!

By the next morning at 9am, we got a call from the hospital. No more feedings, start antibiotic, run X-rays. The doctors needed to find out what was going on inside André's belly. And to just make things worse, we saw on a blog site that his brave NICU neighbor, Luciella, had just passed away. What next?!?!?!?

Mom visited in the afternoon, which is when this photo was taken. Apparently André's digestive system is working properly, just slowly. The tummy swelling was going down, and he was moved to a nasal cannula for some fresh air. The respirator is gone! Whoo hoo!!!

But the news keeps getting better. Right after Mom said good-bye, André left the nurses with a pretty good mess to clean up. We're told that the phrase "blow out" would be an understatement for what he did in his diaper. That's our boy!

We're not going to leave you with any speculation on what tomorrow might bring. We're just going to go visit our son tonight and enjoy the time with him. It's Dad's turn to hold!

Movin' on up in weight class!!!

2008-01-13T23:51:00.000-05:00

Breaking News: Former feather weight champion moves to light weight class!!!

André is now 2lbs 8oz.!!!!! He is also getting 4ml per feeding every 2 hours. They plan on moving him up to 6ml per feeding tomorrow. Finally all those lonely nights getting up and pumping are starting to pay off!!! Also the Dr. says they might try and take him off the cpap this week and see how he does just on a nasal canula!! He has been dropped down to 35% humidity which means they will probably turn it totally off this week. His IV blew today in his left am. Which is not uncommon in preemies. They only bad thing about it is he ended up getting an ulceration on his arm from it. It will take a couple of weeks to heal. Which means they can not use that arm for any IV's until it heals. Other than that he is doing very well!!! I got to hold him for over an hour today!!! What a birthday present!!! :-)) He slept the whole time but thats ok to me.

We will try and post new photos/video later this week. Also, thank you to everyone who joined us for our shower yesterday. It was great seeing all of you!!

Take care and God bless everyone!!!!

got milk?

2008-01-12T00:33:00.000-05:00

A lot of you have been anxiously awaiting an update from us. Sorry about the delays in posting. This has been a been a very busy week. Baby shower preparations, illness, work, bowling coaching, and the occasional concert have been keeping us occupied while waiting for the news. Does André's heart still have a large PDA? Were there any negative side effects from the medicine? Will he need surgery?

The answer to all of those questions is:
NO. But he will need a lot of milk!

On our way to Ann Arbor for a much awaited Vance Gilbert concert, we stopped into the NICU to check on our boy. When we walked in, the nurse told Christa: "You're just in time. Come here. We're going to feed André for the first time."

I don't think I've ever seen Christa's smile so big. The PDA is gone, and now André is being fed every 2 hours with the milk that Christa has been banking at the NICU. He's starting with just 2ml per feeding, but over time that volume will increase, as will the time span between feedings.

Thanks to all of you who have been comforting us, and praying for André. Today is a very happy day for us. The road is still long and is sure to be filled with more challenges. But for now, this one seems past. If you need to find us this Sunday morning, we'll be in church giving praise and thanks.

André's Baptism

2008-01-07T20:30:00.000-05:00

Today (7-January-2008), André was baptized by Rev. G. Michael Bugarin of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community in St. Clair Shores. Through his baptism, André is cleansed of sin and also becomes a member of the Church. This is a bittersweet time for us as parents. André has got a long road ahead of him. No matter where that road takes him, we know that he'll be in the grace of God.

Jesus answered, "Amen, amen. I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:5)

Please welcome André to our faith, and pray that his PDA treatments (details below) go well.

- Michael & Christa

Challenge #1: André's Large PDA

2008-01-07T20:10:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened in the first 10 days of André's life. His first challenge is what the doctors call a "significantly large PDA." No, that's not a Public Display of Affection. We wish it were. Rather, it stands for "Patent Ductus Arteriosis" and it's not a good thing at all.

Basically, when we are all born, there's a small blood vessel that connects the aorta and pulmonary artery. It should begin closing when we take our first breaths. But in André's case, it has not closed. In fact, it has opened. This is a problem because blood is essentially "swishing" from one side of his heart to the other. Untreated, this will lead to heart failure.

The doctors have decided to treat it using a medicine (Indomethacin) which helps to constrict the muscle in the wall of the patent ductus arteriosus to close it. It is most effective if administered within the first week of life, but can be given through day 14. Unfortunately André had us all fooled into thinking he'd heal himself. So here we are just now attempting this treatment. And the potential side effects aren't very pleasant. God help him.

If you want more details on PDA, I've provided a link on the right-side of this blog.

André's First Movie

2008-01-02T15:08:00.000-05:00

Video taken: 31-December-2007 @ 3:47pm.

Every proud daddy dumps wads of cash on video gear. So of course we want to use it everywhere, embarrassing our kids whenever possible. Here's a clip from the first videos I took of my son, André.

The Power of Prayer does Miracles!!!!

2008-01-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

Thank all for your prayers!!! Apparently you all are knocking heavily on God's door because he is listening.

André is making leaps and bounds!!! The doctors are amazed at his progress!! He is now off the the vent and on a CPaP. It just gives him some positive air pressure while he breathes for himself. His bilirubin has dropped. He cries when he gets frustrated and angry at us when we change his diaper, take his temp., check his BP, etc.. He also loves listening to us talk to him (especially Michael). He moves his one open eye around to find where you are at. The other eye is still fused shut. It should open soon. They are hoping to put a g-tube in by end of the week to start feeding him all the milk I've been pumping. I'm excited for that so he can start putting on some weight. He has lost about 10% of his birth weight. This is normal. I have gotten to hold him twice. It is the best feeling in the world each time. Well, I'm off to pump and go to bed. More to come as we progress. Love all of you!! Thank you for all your love, support and prayers!!!! They mean the world to us right now!!

The Main Event

2007-12-31T11:14:00.000-05:00

Introducing André James Maes!
He was born on 28-December-2007 at 12:32am, and
weighed in at 2 lbs, 6 oz laying 14.5 in long.

Ladies and Gentleman, from the fabulous Hotel Beaumont NICU in Royal Oak, Michigan, for the 1000s in attendance and the millions watching around the world, LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

Timeline of Events
(per Mike's swiss-cheezed memory)

12/25 @ 12:00am - Contractions begin. (st. joan of arc)
12/25 @ 5:30am - Contractions continue. (triage)
12/25 @ 6:00am - Contractions worsen. (ldr #4)
12/26 @ 10:15am - Contractions subside. (antepartum #3735)
12/26 @ 11:00pm - Contractions return. (ldr #12)
12/27 @ 6:00pm - Contractions subside. (antepartum #3735)
12/27 @ 9:15pm - Contractions escalate. (ldr #5)
12/27 @ 9:30pm - Treatments end. Imminent delivery. (ldr #5)
12/28 @ 12:32am - Baby André James Maes is born!!! (ldr #5)

Total time of labor: 72.5 hours. Whew!

Whoa, baby!

2007-12-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

Possible date change? We'll, the doctor said no, but Peanut seems to have other ideas.

On Christmas eve, Christa and I were putting the finishing touches on our plans for the next day. We were wrapping gifts, and day-dreaming about the holiday parties; this being our last Christmas before having a baby. It was a romantic, peaceful, and spiritual night. The best Christmas ever. Hands down.

We went to midnight mass at St. Joan of Arc. Christa was signing. It was beautiful. But then half way through mass, she stopped singing and started holding her belly. Something was happening. But what?

We went home, opened gifts, and went to bed. By 4:30 in the morning we were up. Christa hadn't slept a wink. She had been having contractions: Not the Braxton Hicks kind, but the real "I'm having a baby" kind. We called the doctor, packed some bags and were off to Beaumont. Peanut apparently didn't like the idea of waiting until 2008 to celebrate Christmas.

I'll leave the medical details to Christa to explain, but the summary is this: It's 12/26/2007 12:30p, we've been at the hospital for the past 31 hours, and are now in the Ante-Partum unit. Christa's condition is stable, and she's sleeping peacefully (drug-free). Peanut has been grounded, and confined to Christa's womb for at least another two weeks. Bad, bad Peanut.

Christa will sign on after she wakes from her nap and eats lunch. Thanks for all your support, prayers, and phone calls. We appreciate it. Y'all have my phone number, so please give me a call if you want to visit. I'll give you the details then.

In case you're wondering: This is still the best Christmas ever. I get to stay at the hospital with my wife, play games, watch movies, etc. I've got no place else I'd rather be.

Michael

No Date Change...

2007-12-22T11:49:00.000-05:00

Well, after many days of phone tag with my doctor we connected. They are not going to change my due date. He says everything measurement wise all fits together. So I just have a alittle bigger than average baby right now. I feel he is wrong and I'm going to deliver early March. But I guess we will just have to wait and see. Peanut is going to make it's enterance when it feels like it. I'm still feeling great most of the time. I'm starting to have trouble sleeping. I wake up and my hip is soar, so I turn over. Then awhile later I wake up and the other hip is soar. Turn again. It's a losing battle!!! Well, I'm sure I won't post anything unitl after Christmas, so I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday with their families.

Possible date change!!!

2007-12-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

I know I know it's been along time since I posted anything. Sorry to those who have been waiting for an update!!! Thing's are going well. I feel great! We went to the doctor this last week and I have only gained 19 lbs. Which I feel great about. He had me go for another ultrasound since I'm still measuring large for my due date. I have all along, but usually when that happens you slow down at some point. Well, we went on Friday and had it done. That is where the new pics are from. The tech told us the baby is 2lbs at this point and it is in the 75 percentile for this stage. Which means the baby is just above average. We find out tomorrow if the doctor is going to change our due date. I will definately let all you know as soon as I know!!! Peanut sure does let me know he/she in there. Lots of movements. You can feel kicks from the outside now. I actually put the remote on my belly and you could see it move. It was pretty cool!

We ordered our furniture over the weekend. Been feeling anxious about having things done alot lately!! Wondering did I register for all the right stuff? Am I ready for this? Worried about labor. Much much more. I know this is all normal. I just sit back and take a few deep breaths and tell myself that it will all be fine and everything will be done. Michael has been great! The other night my whole body ached and he gave me a back rub. It was wonderful!! We will let you know what is decided on the due date!

21 Weeks

2007-11-15T22:37:00.000-05:00

Things are progressing very well. We went for our 19 week ultrasound and got to see how big our Peanut is getting. It was very exciting!!! We did have to go back the next week(week 20), due to Peanut not cooperating. First, it wasn't in a good position then when we did get it to move it wouldn't stay still! Little bugger!!! They couldn't get all the heart pics they needed. When we went back the baby again was in a bad position, but we enticed it with a walk and a sucker!! Heather I guess my child can be bribed also! :-)) After that we got some great pics. We even got some 3d ones as you can see. We have officailly gotten the big belly as the pics tell. Feeling very good! No more headaches!!!!!! Yes!!!! Saw the doctor this week all is well. He says I'm still measuring 3 weeks big, but there's no problem. Hence the reason I look 24 weeks instead of 21.

19 Weeks

2007-11-01T23:17:00.000-04:00

So we had an ultrasound today. As you can see we got some great pictures of our little Peanut! The first pic is of the face. It looks like a skeleton due to the baby not having any fat yet. Michael thinks it is the coolest thing in the world! The second pic is a profile of the baby you can see the head, body and even a leg! The third one is also a profile you can see the head, body and even an arm. Right above the babies head you can see a hand. Peanut was a little difficult today, so we have to go back in 10 days so they can finish getting all the pics of the heart they need. It didn't want to move from the position it was in then when it did it wouldn't stop moving. We saw Peanut moving it's mouth, some hiccups and lots of arm and leg movements!!! I have been feeling lots of movement for about a week now. Especially at night!! Have had a couple of good whacks that has shocked me. I'm not used to the movement thing yet. Michael keeps trying to feeling it, but it's just to early for that which disappoints him! We are 2 weeks past half way. I'm starting to get alittle anxious about getting every thing done. I know it sound weird, but the first half went by sooo fast. Then you know once the holidays hit things get poushed aside. Michael thinks I've lost it! He says not to worry it will get done. I know it will, but I can't help feeling the way I do.

18 Weeks

2007-10-23T21:41:00.000-04:00

We had our check up last week and everything is going well. The nurse had a hard time keeping the heart beat in the doppler. The baby kept moving around so much that she laughed and said it must be doing gymnastics. It was quit funny! The heart rate was at 150 beats/minute. They measured my uterus at 20 even though I'm at 16 weeks. He tells me that some women just have a larger uterus than others. We go for an ultrasound on Nov 1st. I know alot of people are asking what we are having. NO we do not plan on finding out!!! We are excited to go and see how much our Peanut has grown!!! I will make sure I post it so everyone can see it. I have been feeling little flutters. I don't expect to feel to much due to my uterus being 3 weeks larger than it should be. Peanut has alot of room to romp around in!!!

16 Weeks

2007-10-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

Sorry, It's been awhile since I posted anything!! It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I'm still having headaches! Other than that I'm feeling great!! It has been 5 days since my last one. That's good. But the days I have them it pretty much puts me down for the day. So I have to play catch up around the house or my MaryKay. Last week Michael actually had to take me to ER for a severe headache. It turned out to be a migraine. Everything is fine though. I'm hoping that things are on the turn around now. We have been able to listen to the heart beat every Sunday since we have a baby doppler that my friend loned us. It's Awesome!!!! We actually listened last night and found it right away. It was soo strong!!!! I'm noticing people looking at me all the time. I think they are trying to figure out if I'm just fat or pregnant. I'm sure that is me just being self conscious. Trying to figure out what to put on is a daily chore. I 'm to big for all my clothes and my belly is to small for maternity clothes. My boobs on the other hand are huge! So it make it that much more difficult. I can't wait for the belly to catch up to them!!!

We pulled the goalie and scored!!!!!!

2007-09-22T01:45:00.000-04:00

Michael and I pleased to announce that we are expecting a new addition to the Maes family on March 29th, 2008. Experienced some of the normal pregnancy stuff like little nausea and lots of fatigue. The worst has been the headaches. We had our first ultrasound the 10th week of pregnancy. It was amazing to finally see the little life that I'm growing inside me. I'm feeling a bit like a sausage in it's casing. My clothes just don't fit well anymore. Body not quite ready for maternity clothes. Very frustrating!! I guess that's what they call the in between stage. We went for our monthly check up on Monday we got to hear the heart beat. It was sooooo reassuring and exciting! The doctor says everything is going well. We are in our 14 week. I have gained a total of 6lbs. It's also hard since my uterus tilts forward so it crates a bigger stomach then I should have. I will attached a photo of the ultrasound and a profile pic of me with my bump. Not so sure if it's a baby bump or fat!! :-))