Happy Halloween!!!

Today was Izzy's first Halloween...she celebrated by sleeping ALL DAY. Seriously, there was little, if any, wake time. Mom was able to shower, do laundry, nap, and shop at the mall all in one day! When dad got home from work, she helped him pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters!

Izzy cannot wait for next Halloween, she has a cheerleader costume from her Aunt Gail that she is just dying to wear! Until then...the pumpkin will do just fine (thanks Grand Roo!).

Happy Halloween!

Week Three...

A closeup of Miss Izzy

Naptime...Katie Monster squeezed in between!
Pammy & Marjan stopped by for a visit!
Izzy loved staring at Pam & Marjan...very alert!
Daddy's nighttime routine...
Izzy holding tight to daddy's hand!

The third week of Isabelle's life has been a transitional one in the McCulloch household! A friend of ours gave us a book called "The Baby Whisperer" that has changed our lives! Mike and I read how to "calm, connect and communicate" with Izzy through her nonverbal cues and cries. Izzy is now out of our bed and into her crib 100% of the time. Wanted to start this habit early...getting her to fall asleep in her own bed for both naptimes and nighttimes. Also, we have learned to catch her tiredness early and put her down at her first cues, so as not to overtire or overstimulate her. We have also started the nightly ritual/routine of bathtime before bed. Izzy LOVES the warm water her daddy splashes her with and her massage afterwards. All of these things have made her a much happier baby (and Mike and I are more rested, as well)! Oh, and Izzy had her longest sleep stretch yet...she only woke up ONCE in the middle of the night on Friday. She never fusses at night...always goes right back to sleep after her feedings. Hopefully we are on our way to more sleep in the upcoming days and weeks!

This past week 4 of our friends had babies. All are healthy and happy...2 boys and 2 girls to join Izzy's circle of friends! I will post pictures soon!

Week Two...

How sweet...Saying goodbye to mom was difficult...
Grandma Berger (Mike's mom)
Izzy snoozing in her crib...
Bundled up for her walk on the Monon...


Week Two of Isabelle's life was another successful one! We feel we need to make it through the first 8 weeks and then we're golden!

-Izzy is on a routine 3 hour feeding schedule...and most times we are waking her to feed her (changing diapers, stripping down, tickling, wet washcloth, et al to keep her awake!).

-Nights are not sleepless...she maintains her 3 hour cycle we have her on during the day.

-She has finally taken to a pacifier, which helps her self-soothe.

-I took her on her first power walk on the Monon Trail, which she slept through!

-She had several visitors this week: Grandma Berger, Molly, Katie, the Fellers, Grandma & Grandpa McCulloch and our photographer friends Zach and Courtney (I will post pics from their session soon!)

-Izzy's 2 week Pediatrician appointment was a major success! Dr. wanted Izzy to gain 1/2 ounce to an ounce a day (meaning, ideally gaining 7 oz. max)...she actually gained 18 ounces!!! Guess she is making up for a low birth rate...and guess she is getting enough milk at each feeding! This really helped my confidence in nursing, to say the least.




I believe that's all the updates for now. Mike and I are happy to say we are surviving and THRIVING in our newly adjusted life. Each day is completely different from the previous...and it is all trial and error. But we are loving every minute of it!

We Survived the First Week!!!

Izzy's first bath...she loved it!

She's my lobster...
Our first walk...
Snug time...

Mom, Kim, cousins Cindy & Cheri

This first week at home has been one of JOY! I was very nervous about the rumored sleepless nights and stress-filled days...only to be pleasantly surprised by the smooth transition! I keep waiting for the ball to drop, which tonight could very well be tonight...but so far, so good! Our first two nights I was woken every 1-2 hours for feedings. But the last 3 nights have brought us a lot more sleep...Izzy only waking twice each night for feedings (stretches as long as 5 hours, where we have to wake her to feed her)! And, she sleeps in her crib like a CHAMP!

Her first week we accomplished the following:
-Day 4 we ventured out to Babies R Us...it took us longer to pack the diaper bag and the car than it did to shop for all we needed
-Day 5 we had our first Pediatrician appt...where we learned Izzy is just 1 oz away from her birth weight!! Guess you can say she is feeding VERY well!
-Day 6 we had our first walk around the block...she slept the entire 2.5 miles!
-Day 7 her cousins came for a long visit and again, she slept the visit away
-Had her first bath & loved it (water baby for sure!)
-Lost her umbilical cord

Grand Roo (my mom) and Aunt Kimmy (my sister) have been here and are leaving tomorrow...so we'll see how the week goes with us on our own!

Mike and I are loving the snuggling with Izzy...her presence is just so sweet & joyful!!!

Isabelle Marian McCulloch has Arrived!!!

The new McCulloch Family...
The newborn Izzy...
Sister, Dad & myself...
Mom, Izzy & myself headed home...

We are proud to announce the arrival of Isabelle Marian McCulloch!

I labored at home on Friday for 6 hours, then again Saturday for 12 hours, starting at 4pm. By 4:30am, we headed to the hospital to learn that I had only dilated to 2.5cm! The contractions were so strong, they kept me there and gave me pain meds. After 1 hour of pain meds, Dr. Teter decided to break my water since I was due on Monday the 8th and was already there (thank heaven he didn’t send us home!). He broke my water at 7am and that only got me dilated to 3cm. With my water broken, it increased my already painful contractions to not-normal levels. I received my epidural at 9am. They started Pitocin at 10am (as my cervix was not changing). At Noon, I was dilated to 8cm and by 2pm I was pushing!!! After 2 practice pushes, we were ready to deliver! 2 more pushes brought Izzy into the world at 2:26pm!!!

Isabelle has a head full of dark blonde hair and blue eyes…she weighed in at 6lbs. 8 oz. and 20 ½ inches long (with BIG feet like her dad)!!!

All is well with both mom and dad…we made it home yesterday evening and are happy to say we have survived the first 24 hours! The dogs are a little freaked out…Baxter could care less and Katie is the overprotective older sister. Super cute.

We have added a link on the left of ALL the pics from the hospital and from going home. Feel free to check it out. There were just way too many pics to post on here...

Thanks for all the phone calls and the visitors…we are so fortunate to have such great friends!

Proud parents,
Kelly & Mike

3:00a.m. Reflecting...

I am sitting at my computer at 3:00am unable to sleep. I was woken around midnight by a text message my husband received from our friends, Matt & Debbie Musgrave. They are at the hospital and the delivery of their baby is quickly approaching (they were due Oct. 1st). When I heard this news, there was no way I could fall back asleep. Not only is it hard to sleep in my 39th week of pregnancy (contractions and baby kicking), I was too excited for our friends and then couldn't stop thinking about when our labor would start...where would we be? how will it all unfold? will I have to be induced? My mind raced. Which led me to my computer (by way of the toilet first).

At this hour there is not much to read on the internet, as most news sites are not updated until the morning. I found myself browsing through friends' blogs (and their friends' blogs, etc.) until I got to reading one specific blog that tugged at my heartsrings: http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com/ I read this from start to finish...and cannot stop the tears from flowing. The story of this family got me to thinking about my own.

Mike has been the best husband a girl could ask for. I met him amidst a very difficult time in my life and he was a blessing I had no idea was headed my way. He was and is everything I wanted in a man: funny, kind, generous, loving, patient and devoted. Given how easy he was for me to love, I never imagined we'd be thrown such a curveball so early on in our marriage.

As many of you know, Mike and I struggled to get pregnant for quite some time. Although we did conceive quickly after we married, that pregnancy ended in a very unfortunate miscarriage. It's still a topic I can't quite get through without crying. And then the two years following that led us to many, many tests and doctor visits and heartache in dealing with our infertility. Mike and I attemped artificial insemination four times, to no avail. We sat out several months, as this was a very emotionally trying and very confusing time in our lives. Then we attempted in vitro...with the first attempt unsuccessful and reluctantly tried for a second, and final, attempt. We were not going to go back for a 3rd try...it was too painful and simply just too much to handle. Thank God we kept trying, as it has led us to a beautiful, healthy pregnancy.

The above mentioned blog got me to thinking...will our baby be healthy when we meet her in the upcoming week? Will she have all 10 fingers and 10 toes and be able to breath and thrive on her own? We will have to wait and see, as Mike and I opted NOT to endure any of the prenatal diagnostic testing offered to us. Being sad and let down for two years took its toll on us and we decided we wanted to celebrate the miracle we created instead of dwell on an illness we could not have any control over for those 40 weeks. We chose together that we wanted to spend my 40 weeks pregnant as happy, positive weeks that only the two of us could share and rejoice in. And that, we have. I find myself in Izzy's nursery just daydreaming about the family we are about to start and the journey that has led us here. Although I often times find myself complaining about my sore back, or lack of sleep, or overall discomfort...I truly am tickled and overjoyed every morning when I wake up and look down to discover, all over again, that I'm pregnant! It's a dream come true for me every morning.

Even as I sit here, Isabelle is kicking and squirming in my belly and my body is contracting to prepare for her impending labor. My body has done a remarkable feat: I made a human being. We had visions of her for many years, and now that vision is about to become a dream come true. I honestly didn't know if I would ever be pregnant...and here I am, still.

I know I am emotional right now, after reading that blog...but these last few weeks of waiting gets me to thinking about our journey and how long we waited for this moment to arrive. So when I find myself saying, "I'm ready," or "I can't make it a whole week past my due date!" - I have to keep reminding myself that we waited years for this miracle...and I can wait a few more days to meet her.

"Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise."

Kelly