Due Date...

Sure is crazy to think Gabriele was due today and she has been with us now for 18 days. I am so glad she decided it was time on January 12th. I cannot imagine what my days would be like without her. Now if we could just get Daddy to be home with us every day and every night... we are working on it though!

Dad & His Girls

I have been slacking off tremendously from adding my two cents to the blog so now that I've figured out my user id and password I'm ready to get going again! haha. Most of you that know me know that I have had a lof of life experiences for being under 30...hush I'm not 30 yet! This experience has been nothing short of life changing. My first Daughter Gracie is the most amazing little girl in the world, beautiful, smart, outgoing, and a little on the active side...not sure where that comes from. Before Gabi I would look at Gracie and think..."How could any little girl be so precious." Well then Gabi arrived and that little girl is so amazing and she is only two weeks old. She eats well and wasn't supposed to be able to. Her blood mixing was going to be a major concern but the Dr's say she has found a way to calm herself and control it. She is by no means out of the woods on anything but she is already showing us that she is a little fighter and I couldn't be more proud. Gracie is such an amazing big sister to Gabi. She already takes good care of her, feeds her, burps her, and just can't wait to get her chance to hold her again. Micah as well has not yet ceased to amaze me. She has been working so hard to keep Gabi trying to nurse, taking her to the Dr's all the time, taking care of the house, me and all sorts of other things. She has taken on the task of motherhood full boar and is ready to take on whatever necessary to make sure that our little girl is always in good hands. If love really is all you need this family is going to be very strong for a very long time!

2 weeks later

Sorry it has been a while, but Gabi and I have been recovering and enjoying each others company. I can't believe Gabi has been around for almost 2 weeks. Wow, time sure flies when you're having fun. She has developed really good sleep habits. She eats every 3 hours. So although it is not good quality sleep I still get more than what I thought I would be getting at this point. We need to get her to gain some weight. I think she poops it all out, because she eats well, so we are working on that. She went to the pediatric cardiologist on Tuesday and all reports came back good. Looks like surgery will happen no earlier than 4 months and no later than 7 months. Jason and I pray for it to happen sooner than later, I mean we only want what is best for her. The thought of waiting just seems scarey to us, but we have a very good team of doctors so we know she will be well taken care of.
I have been so overwhelmed with joy since her arrival. I cannot imagine life without her, she is amazing. I have shown her off quite a bit. We have even been to the mall and everyone says she is the cutest little thing. Well of course she IS the cutest little thing!! We are so blessed and we thank God everyday for all of our answered prayers. She has given us a new direction and focus on life . Jason and I have become closer and we continue everyday to have a stronger relationship. She gives us all so much to be thankfull for. Gracie even calls her at bedtime to tell her sissy good night and she loves her. Gabi is a very special little girl and we will love her and hug her and squeeze her and call her Georgilina...inside joke with me, Jason, and Gracie!

My First Bath...

Whoever said bath time was fun was not an infant! After a lot of fussing though Gabi was a happy baby. She just didn't care getting wet, she did enjoy being in the buff. The thing I enjoyed the most was washing her hair. I am just so amazed at how much hair she has and it is so soft.

Gabi and I are recovering well, we are taking advantage of the doctors orders...relax around the house and get sleep. The first 2 nights were pretty rough, but last night she did awesome, hopefully tonight is the same. Daddy had to go to Iowa to work so it's just us girls, we sure miss him, but he has to work hard so we can play later. Sadi is a little confused but she seems to be adjusting. I think she realizes that Gabi is a real person and she is not going anywhere.

This feels so much better than that silly bath!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Wrapped in Pooh a special gift from Big Sis Gracie!

GABRIELE

SHERIDAN

ACKER

JANUARY 12, 2007

We went to the doctor on Monday and once again things looked good so we went home. Well Thursdays appointment was another story. Gabi passed her BPP with no concerns, but once again her doppler readings were up and causing stress on the flow of blood to her brain. Dr. Bennett said we could probably wait until Mondays appointment, but nothing is a guarantee so we should probably go in and start the process. Although that is what we have wanted to hear for so long we were now facing the fact it was really going to happen...oh my goodness we are going to have a baby!

We got checked in and started inducing at 5:30 pm. We were told it probably wouldn't be until Friday evening before we actually delivered. First time pregnancy and the fact she would be 3 weeks early the chance of it taking less than 24 hours was slim to none. Well Gabriele was out to prove to the world she is ready to make her grand entrance and start impressing all of us, and that she did! By 1:30 am I was in the most intense pain...contractions had kicked in and she was almost ready. At 4:15 am we were ready to start pushing, she was born at 4:41 am Friday January 12th, 2007. She is the most perfect little angel I have ever seen. She was definitely the light at the end of the tunnel. It was as if all my fears had disappeared. Seeing her for the first time brought tears to our eyes. We knew instantly that we had been blessed with such a special gift. Gabriele Sheridan Acker 6 lbs. 17.3 inches, our tiny little baby girl finally came and we are so proud of what she is and who she will be!

Close but not yet...

Yesterday started off to be the most nerve racking day ever. We first met with Dr. Kelly, he will be Gabriele's pediatrician. He is a very soothing doctor and he has been taking care of the Acker kids since Gracie was born. Next we went to the hospital for our appointment with Dr. Bennett. We arrived at 10:30 am with the hopes we wouldn't leave and we would have a baby, but that is not what happened. We did another BPP test which she did not pass the breathing portion so we had to get hooked up on the fetal monitor. The good thing is that the blood flow stress from her umbilical cord to her brain was ok although the stress to her heart was still up, 4.0. Since the stress on her brain blood flow was down we are in the clear. When we got hooked up to the fetal monitor the first time she showed an abnormal heart rate. So when then had to go to labor and delivery where we then had to got hooked up to the monitor for 2 hours...or so we were told. At 3pm we should have been done, but Dr. Bennett wanted us to stay on until he could come visit. He got held up in clinical and took 2 more hours. At 5pm, he came to see us. What a long day at the hospital to be told your baby looks great, you can go home and we will see you first thing Monday morning.
We were a little disappointed because we want to see our little angel so badly, but we also know that Dr. Bennett will do what is best for her. So we are gonna start going twice a week to monitor things more closely and I have to count movement on a regular basis through out the day. We will continue to say our prayers and God will take care of the rest.

Belated...Happy New Year

Nothing to exciting this year since I am not in the party mode. We hung out at Freddie and Ginger's. We played board games and Jason and I argued over Cranium. It was quite entertaining for Freddie and Ginger, we just couldn't agree on the rules. Hint to anyone we play the game with, Jason is not good at humdingers. Oh well at least we celebrated with family. Happy 2007 everyone. I know we are excited for what '07 has in store for us, I just wish she would arrive :)

Could be it...

Gabriele may be arriving sooner than we expected. Yesterday she passed her BPP within 15 minutes, showing off again! We showed a little area of concern though. They also watch her blood flow on a weekely basis. Last week she passed with a doppler reading of 3.0, that is considered the border line for high risk. High risk meaning she is not getting enough blood flow to her brain and heart. If it gets any higher they take extra precautions. Well this week it was 3.8. The reason they watch this so close is because it causes unnecessary stress which could potentially cause a still born birth. So we are going in tomorrow to repeat the test. If it stays the same or is any higher they will admit me and we will induce. We definitely are concerned but we have such an amazing team of doctors that we feel confident she will come out just fine. Jason and I have mixed emotions about her coming tomorrow, but we both agree the sooner she arrives the sooner we can get answers to all the unknown. If we do induce I will be 36 1/2 weeks, 37 weeks it considered full term so we are not concerned as far as her development. Besides I think she is ready to show off in the real world anyways. We truly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers from each of you. It is such a blessing to be surrounded by so much love and support... Thanks!