So Thankful!

MomMom sent talking Valentine's to the kids - Daniel loves his!

I have to say how thankful I am to some of the families in our church who are so generous with both their time and resources. Since Drew was born we have received several great meals. For those of you that know me - I hate to cook - so these meals were an incredible gift to me and definitely spoke my love language! Tonight I was blessed with another unexpected meal. Tuesdays are crazy days as Andy doesn't get home until about 5 pm and then he is out the door by 6 pm with Matt and Sarah for Kids Club. This was my first night home alone with Daniel and Drew and I really wondered how it was going to go. Drew cooperated most of the evening and I was able to spend some quiet time with Daniel. He chose to watch a movie, "Hotel for Dogs". We sat snuggled up on the sofa together until he fell asleep! I really miss spending that time with Daniel - he is such a sweetheart. I have to grab those moments whenever I can! Before I know it he'll be a 12 year old and won't want to be with his mom! Drew is doing well, though today he doesn't want to settle down to sleep. I am hoping he is wearing himself out for sleeping tonight! I have to start tracking what I am eating as maybe that is what is contributing to his unsettled behavior today. Of course, it could just be he is starting to wake up and realize there is more to life than sleeping! I forget what it is like to have a newborn and have to remember what to do with little people again! Well, it's snowing already here in Philly - round 2 of snow this week. They are forecasting a foot to 18 inches - on top of the 28.5 we already have! This could be our snowiest winter yet! Andy and I think it is funny that we have lived in Philly for the top three snowstorms ever! And still after all these years Philly has no idea what to do with all the snow it gets! The mayor keeps telling the neighborhoods it can't plow the side streets because they are too narrow - you would think they would start purchasing some smaller plows to do the side streets. What we can't figure is that trash trucks are what is often used to plow the streets - the same trash trucks that go down these narrow street to collect the garbage. Oh well! We continue to live on an unplowed street and will hopefully thaw out before Easter!

The Stats

My brain still hasn't fully recovered from this pregnancy. I knew Drew had a doctor's appointment today - I thought it was at 1 pm - it was really for 10:30 am! Fortunately it was just a weight check and they fit me in. I was glad since Andy drove us all down there and it would have been a real pain to reschedule!

Guys watching the Super Bowl!

Drew is two weeks old today and is doing beautifully! With all the others I remember the doctors taking both weight and length checks - this doctor only does weight. By two weeks the doctors like to see the baby regain their birth weight - which for Drew was 10 pounds 12 ounces. Today he weighed in at 11 pounds 3 ounces! Not only did he regain his birth weight, but he also gained 7 ounces! I laughed as the doctor said they like to see babies gain about 30 grams a day and Drew has been averaging 53 grams a day! I guess my worries about him taking the bottle the first 24 hours and then nursing him were for nothing! He has taken to nursing like a champ and hasn't had a bottle since the night he came home from the hospital. He is also becoming more efficient as he only takes about 30 minutes from beginning to end - so nice for the middle of the night feedings!

It really is amazing that Drew has only been with us for two weeks - I rally can't remember what life was like before Drew joined our family. He has just fit right in. He is a mild mannered, easy going kid - so far!

Daniel just loves him and loves holding him whenever possible. Daniel is starting to get a bit emotional - crying and asking for lots of hugs. We are trying to spend tons of time with him and do some extra things with him, but I guess it is inevitable that he have some emotions with not being the baby anymore. Overall, he is doing well. He has been amazing me with his knowledge. In all honesty I have not spent a lot of time doing school with Daniel. I have felt terrible about it. But somehow he knows all his uppercase letters and can count up through 30! It really is amazing what kids learn when surrounded by older siblings! The other day he asked how to spell GOD. I told him the letters and this is what he wrote on his AquaDoodle (a great toy he got for Christmas!). So it's backwards! I was amazed as we have never even worked on writing letters! I am determined to start working with him full time next week. I think he is going to be a great student!

Matt and Sarah have been having a hard time getting back into the swing of school. After having a week off for the baby and then two days off the previous week for staff retreat - they really don't want to be doing school! But we are pressing on and have gotten several subjects in each day. I am determined to get full school rolling again by the end of the week. The coming snow should help as we can't go anywhere and I can get a "normal" day in without any interruptions! Please pray for the three older kids - that we would spend the right amount of time with each one and be encouraging towards them. Thanks for all your prayers!

Every one of our kids has been an afghan baby. Matt received his first and most loved blanket from Dorothy Schultz as a shower gift. He received many other afghan baby blankets - but that one was his DeeDee (what he called it!). Sarah and Daniel both received their afghans from Grammy Schultz and both love them still today. The one you see in all the pictures was also made by Grammy Schultz and is the most beautiful one I have ever seen - I LOVE the colors and Drew really seems to prefer this blanket to all others. I wrap him up in it nice and tight and off to dreamland he goes! Do you see his little fingers in the above picture? All the kids have done that - they weave their fingers in the holes and just hold on to the blanket. I love it! Thanks Grammy!

Snow Day!

Yesterday was an awesome SNOW DAY! 28.5 inches of snow fell in the city of brotherly love and the kids have enjoyed every moment! Andy is such a great dad. He took the kids out at 12:30 pm and I didn't see them again until about 5:00 pm. They went up to the church playground and played in the snow - and when they got tired of the snow they ran around inside the church. Daniel came home looking like a snow monster - covered in snow and big red rosy cheeks! An hour later he was crashed on the floor and out like a light!

Drew has been a dream baby - he has fallen into a schedule and is now eating about every 2 1/2 hours during the day and sleeping for 3 hour stretches at night. Last night was our first "rough" night. He cried for about 2 hours from 9:30 - 11:30 and nothing Andy or I did would console him. I finally tried feeding him one more time and then wrapped him up nice and tight and then he fell asleep until 3:00 am! If that's as rough as it gets - I'll take it!

Today was his first immersion bath. His umbilical cord stub fell off last Thursday - I was so glad as he would scream through his sponge baths. I was worried he would hate baths all together - but he LOVED the tub! The water was nice and warm and he just sat in the little floaty (that I borrowed from Carisa - Thanks! I love it!) and relaxed. It was great! He is such a cutie! Drew is really starting to move his left arm. He moves it up in front of his chest and is really making progress. Thank you all for your prayers!

I am feeling so much better - it took a lot longer to recover from this pregnancy than the others. As my one friend says - I am an old-head and was feeling my age! I have, however, lost 28 pounds of the 40 I gained this pregnancy! I am anxious to get back into exercise and am trying to eat right. I really would like to lose the pregnancy weight by my birthday in May. And then pick up where I left off and lose the rest of the weight I had started to lose before getting pregnant!

What a difference a week makes!

Drew - One Week Old

I can't believe what a difference a week makes! This time last week we were wondering what was up with our new little guy and just thankful that he had made it through the birth. Our three other children had no idea what their new brother looked like and hadn't seen mom in over 14 hours and wouldn't see either of us until the next day. Amazing that we have since brought home our BIG boy and he has been loved and cuddled by all on a regular basis!

Since we brought Drew home he has already been to the pediatrician and the orthopaedist. Both doctors gave glowing reports. Both feel that Drew will regain full use of his left arm within the next few months and will make a full recovery. His case of Erb's Palsy is very mild and his fracture is small - should heal in the next few weeks. I loved his orthopaedists - two YOUNG doctors. They were so gentle and careful of Drew and were just so encouraging. I am really glad I switched pediatricians and am now part of the CHOP network. Every doctor I have met so far I have really liked. Drew will go back in three weeks for x-rays and another doctor visit to make sure his clavicle has healed and his arm is improving.

So our baby is already a week old! We sang happy birthday to him at 3:54 pm and just praised God for His wonderful work in Drew's life already! I am amazed at this little person who has so captured my heart. I don't even mind that he thinks I am an all-night buffet! I just love holding him and staring into his dark eyes. He is a sweet boy and really only cries when he is hungry or has a stinky diaper! He was hating having his diaper changes, but today was a turning point as I was able to change his diaper with him screaming like a banshee! Daniel has been a dream big brother and is content to hold Drew for an hour or more! He just loves having him around so much! I truly hope that they will grow up to be best buddies. Matt and Sarah have also had a great time holding Drew - there is often a line of kids waiting for him to be done eating so that they can have their turn at holding him! I think it's funny - we'll see how long it will last!

Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf. God is so good to us. We are so thankful to Him for all He has done this past week.

He's Out!

We are rejoicing in God's amazing work in our son's life as he was released from NICU today and is now in my new roommate! The greatest thing, however, was that the kids were able to meet their new sibling! They all instantly fell in love! Daniel proved to be the loving big brother we knew he would be - so excited to meet this new little brother! Matt was truly eager to hold Drew and was thrilled to see that he had a brother that looked more like him - dark hair and dark eyes! Sarah was beyond ecstatic with holding a baby and begged to hold him every minute she was here! It was great to see all their love and excitement for their new brother.

Grandparents also came today to meet the new grandson. Though my mom was present during our harrowing experience - she didn't really get to see him as they whisked him away pretty quickly. So all the grands met him and held him today. My mom, of course, was near tears as she experienced the fact that we almost lost the little guy and was extremely thankful to be holding a healthy, albeit BIG, baby boy.

It was a sweet day. I am just so thankful to God for giving us another miracle. Andy and I believe we have asked a lot in the miracle department - many of you remember that Daniel had two complete knots in his umbilical cord and technically shouldn't even be here! We believe each of our kids is a miracle and gift from God - but our last two are particularly special as we could have lost them both. More proof that God is very much in control of our lives and our children! Thank you for all your prayers - please continue to pray for Drew as his left arm continues to heal and that he would gain full use of it!

He's Here!

When the day started I didn't think he would be arriving today as when we called at 6:00 am to confirm our induction the hospital said they were full - I was so disappointed! But I left it up to God and figured He knew what day he wanted our baby to be born. Thankfully 50 minutes later I got a phone call telling me to arrive at the hospital by 8:30 am! I was so happy! It actually worked out pretty well as we were able to wake the kids and see them to our friends house and reassure them that things were going to be okay. Poor Daniel was a bit upset about leaving us, but seemed to do well once he was dropped off.

We arrived at the hospital and things started moving quickly. I was already 5 cm dilated and so ready to have this baby! They started the pitocin at around 9:30 am and things kicked into gear pretty fast. I am a wimp when it comes to pain and requested the epidural at 11:00 am! The doctor finally arrived at 11:50 am and made my life so much better! What I hadn't counted on was the epidural causing my blood pressure to plummet making me feel absolutely horrible. They soon corrected that and things progressed normally. I was able to sleep, rest, and relax while my body did the work of getting ready to deliver our boy.

Finally at 3:15 pm I was given the go ahead to start pushing. Now with Matt I pushed 3 1/2 hours - you know first kids! With Sarah and Daniel it was a breeze - delivering them in about 3 pushes. This one was a bit more difficult. I pushed for about 30 minutes and finally got his head out - massive cheeks! But then the drama started (we can't have a kid without a dramatic entrance!) His shoulders got stuck. All of a sudden the doctor is calling for help and there are twelve people yelling at me to push harder and pressing on my belly and pulling on him to assist in his birth. They were finally able to pull him out and immediately took him over to give him oxygen. It seemed like forever before he finally cried - but never a sweeter sound was heard. He is currently in the NICU with a fractured left clavicle - very common for these type of births. He is, however, already gripping with his left hand and starting to move the arm more. They believe he will make a full recovery and have full use of his arm. His stats are:Name: Andrew Elijah Schultz (we'll call him Drew)

Weight: 10 lbs. 12 oz.

Length: 21 1/2 inches

Head: 14 inches

Chest: 14 inches

And his shoulders are wider than 14 inches! He is doing well. Andy and I were able to go down tonight and hold him for about an hour. We praise God for bringing our baby safely into the world. The doctor told Andy that this was one of her most serious deliveries in her 10 years of practice - only one other compares to ours. We thank you all for praying for our son and his arrival. Please continue to pray as he grows and develops - that things would progress normally and he would grow strong and healthy.

37 weeks 4 days

Yes, that is how far along I am in this pregnancy. Only 2 weeks and 3 days, at the most, to go as they won't let me go beyond my due date (01/28/10). Though at my Dr. appointment last Thursday I was already dilated 3-4 cm. YEAH!! I was hoping to go last week, but little boy Schultz is hanging on by his toenails! He is getting quite large and it is getting harder to drive (I have short legs and a very big belly!) and to walk around and do normal things - like clean the bathrooms and laundry! Each day the kids ask if today is the day he will arrive - it's starting to drive me crazy! I know they are anxious and want to meet their brother - but I keep telling them God is in control and will let him arrive on the day he is to arrive. I am hoping his day is soon!

In the mean time we are getting ready for his arrival. The clutter from the bedroom is almost gone, the laundry is almost caught up, and I even painted our headboard for our bed today! It was a dark blue and it is now a sage green to match the new bedding I bought about 10 months ago! I am finally getting brave enough to remove the white sheets from our bed - though I did that for the kids a couple of months ago. I am praising God that we still are in the clear as far as bedbugs go. We pray each day that we will never have to go through that experience again. I am so thankful for all Andy has done to our house. It really is looking quite amazing. We are going to be hanging pictures this weekend - if the baby doesn't come - so I will post pictures of what the house looks like. I am in love with it again!

I will post any updates about baby Schultz as soon as the great event happens! Please pray that he will arrive safely and that all will be well! Pray for the kids, too, as they adjust to a new sibling - we think Daniel is going to be a riot - he is already so in love with this little guy!