IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                  Jacob Graham Richard Sisler                         
Sunday, June 4, 2006
12:19 PM
8 lbs, 10 oz
20.5 inches long

My water broke at home at 3:00 AM, and we made our way to the hospital.  We were admitted, and started getting Pitocin to increase contractions, and that it did!  Yeeooowwchh!!  Things got hairy pretty fast then (some of the details are a little fuzzy still) - Jake entered this world by emergency c-section, as his heart rate was dropping extremely low (as low as 50-60 BPMs, waaaaaay too low for him!) and had a low 1 minute APGAR score (3), but perked right back up for his 5 minute APGAR (9).  Not exactly how we had planned his entrance into the world, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.   He is a miracle baby!  God has His hand on him at every moment.   We have so much to add to the story of his birth, those will be added as time and energy allows.   

Mom, Dad & Jake are home now (as of yesterday) and doing well.  He is so beautiful, wonderful, and amazing!  Parenthood is so unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!  We are sooooooo blessed!

Okay, signing off for a little bit.  I will send pictures as soon as possible - hopefully by the weekend!

Hope you're all doing well :)

all our love,
Beth, Tim & Jacob
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Happy Due Date to You!  Happy Due Date to You!  It won't be too long, and there'll be three of you..."   That was the song (to the tune of Happy Birthday) that we came home to on our machine today, compliments of our wonderful sister-in-law Elizabeth and nieces Hannah (8) & Sophie (6)....followed by LOTS of giggles and laughter, of course.  Ha, ha, it was soooooo funny, I listened to it 3 times!  Thank you, ladies!  What a great surprise!

We had our 40-week check today, and we're making progress!  Dr. L said I'm 1-1.5 cm dialated and approx. 50% effaced.  YEAH!  Last week I was barely a fingertip dialated, and there was no mention of effacement.  I've been having contractions, many that stop me from what I'm doing to catch my breath for a second, but nothing regular.  I started writing down the times today, and they were anywhere from 6 minutes apart to an hour or more.  But getting stronger and more frequent!

Dr. L. stripped my membranes today (yeeoowwch!  But I'm sure it is nothing compared to the pain of actual labor...so I'm getting prepared).  She also had a NST (non-stress test) done to check the Baby.  That was fun!  We got to hear (Tim got to see, as the monitor faced him) the Baby's heartbeat (anywhere from 119 -159 BPM at times) as well as monitor the Baby's movements, all of which was recorded.  Dr. L said Baby looks great.  She will have me repeat this test on Monday, June 5 at 10 AM.  Hopefully, we won't make it to that appointment! 

BP, weight, urine, and measurements all look great; I am having some swelling, but relatively little compared to what I was having.  I feel great, for the most part, somewhat tired (then I nap!) and achy and now crampy (which is a good thing!  I say bring it on....)

Tim is getting anxious, as am I.  But I know that me being anxious won't help the process along, so I'm just taking every moment as it comes.  There is nothing else I can do!  God continues to have the perfect plan for all of us.

Thanks for continuing to check on us.  Hopefully by the next time I journal (or call or e-mail) we'll have all the Baby details to give each of you.  If not, then at least we'll have a plan as far as possible induction or what steps we're taking next.....YEAH!!!! 

Love to each of you!!!!

Beth, TIm, & Baby

It is soooooooooo HOT outside this weekend; we are doing our best to do almost nothing and stay cool while doing that!

Yesterday's high was near 89 and today is supposed to be around 93 degrees - record breaking in Michigan for this early in the summer season! 

My heart goes out to all of the mothers who will be pregnant throughout this summer - heat and humidity = swelling and being totally uncomfortable!!!!! 

This Memorial Day weekend has been a blast - we saw a movie on Friday night (Over the Hedge, it was VERY funny!), did a lot of sleeping in and resting, went to a Tigers baseball game yesterday (got up about every inning and drank TONS of water!  and didn't stay the whole game), and today did a lot of nothing, and we are going to see a matinee show with Tim's brother and sister-in-law. (we have friends that swear that going to see a movie is a method to bring on labor...we shall see)  Needless to say, it has been a lot of FUN regardless of the heat and the fact that the Baby is not here yet!  TIm & I are enjoying these last few moments of "coupledom"; we were blessed to have just a few more by surprise!

I've been havnig some contractions (maybe 8-9 per day total that I've noticed anyway), some pretty big ones, but nothing regular or deeming a trip to the hospital.  Our bags remain packed, and we are ready at any time, whenever that might be!  Until then, we are enjoying being virtually plan-free and completely flexible!!!! 

Thank you, God, for continuing to bless us with the gift of this pregnancy and Little Life.  We are anxious to meet him or her, but we know we will in your perfect timing.  AMEN!

Take care, stay cool, and we will be sure to keep everyone posted!!!

Love, Beth, Tim & Baby S                                                                              

So instead of being in the hospital today, holding my baby, recovering from surgery & preparing for life with a newborn, I'm stuck here at work....the last place I want to be!

We had another doctor's appointment today, for a 39-week check up.  Turns out my EDD is actually still 5/31 - next week instead of this week.  There is nothing to report from my appt - Baby is still head down and heartbeat sounds great; my weight, urine & BP are fine too.  She checked my cervix, and I'm a fingertip or less dialated, so that pretty much means NOTHING!  I could stay that way for weeks.  I'm having some contractions, but nothing regular or painful.

We will see her again next week, 5/31, and go from there.  Chances are I could still be pregnant for the next 2-3 weeks.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear today, but we'll most likely start talking induction probably within 2 weeks (that's my understanding anyway, all information is of course subject to change!)  I know this is for the best, and I have to keep telling myself that!  God has a bigger picture in mind for our family, and I am well aware of that.

So now I'm praying for the strength to get through each day at work.  I really could do without everyone's questions like, "Why are you still here?  I thought you were out on maternity leave?" and "Have you been having contractions?" and "When are you gonna have that baby?".....not that I mind at all that everyone cares & loves us, it's just hard to not get frustrated by answering the exact same questions a hundred times a day.  In fact, most evenings I don't even answer the phone (home or cell) when I get home from work because I simply can't face more of these questions.  I promise to keep everyone updated as things happen or change!

Okay, enough, I'm going to stop complaining.... 

This pregnancy is a gift from God, and with each day that passes, I am more grateful for this Miracle of Life.  What a blessing!!