Grandma Time!

Both Grandma Bartels and Grandma Wallsch have gotten a chance to spend quality time with their new grandaughter. Grandma Bartels came over and watched Violet so that John and I could sneak off to a movie for my birthday. It was so nice to be out just the two of us but I was anxious to get back to her - now if I could just convince family to help out with Violet's late night "Very Awake Time" =)

Grandma Wallsch was able to come for a few days from Madison - it was soo nice to have an extra set of hands so I could do some of my favorite things - Shower / Potty / Eat.... hahahh Grandma & Grandpa Wallsch will be coming for another visit in Jan - I've already been warned that the "Grandpa's" are going to spoil Violet - teach her all sorts of stuff & when she is old enough she will learn all there is to know about A&W Ice Cream Floats. Too cute!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Just wanted to post a quick picture of our family - I'll post an update very soon!

Xmas Pics

Here are some more pictures from last week:

Snapfish

We had to take a couple pictures for the Christmas cards, but it ended up being more hassle than we thought it would. There is only a limited window where Violet isn't eating, sleeping or crying. We had to wait until she was settled down and not being fussy, then change her outfit, settle her down again, and hope she didn't want to close her eyes and go back to sleep while we were snapping photos. I think we got couple good pictures (see the link above) out of the 40 or so we took.

A little update - Two Weeks

Well I can say John and I have survived being parents for over two weeks.

The pediatrician at our two week appointment said she looks perfect - she does have her nights and days mixed up but she was also very active in the womb at night too - the Dr. said she will take some time to adjust but nothing to be concerned about.

Violet has defiantly been a new adventure for us and we are soo enjoying all the special details about her. When she is feed and has gotten a good nap in, she is very alert and full of different facial expressions. We have started to call her "Little Houdini" because she does not like to be wrapped up and prefers to have her hands up near her face. (*You can imagine how feedings go when you have two arms blocking you.)

Besides my lack of sleep I'm feeling great and I'm enjoying being at home. John has been awesome with Violet and helps out as much as he can, I can tell he misses her when he is at work.

We will post more later - look for our Christmas Card - coming soon to all.

Home

Someone was not very happy when I took this picture....

I've posted more (and happier) pictures here:

Snapfish

Tona & Violet were given a clean bill of health by the pediatrician, so they were able to come home on Wednesday. Tona has been feeling better everyday, so much so that I have to tell her to take it easy and make sure she isn't pushing herself too hard. We both have been trying to sleep as much as we can, but I seem to getting more naps in than Tona.

Violet is doing well and is doing all the normal things a newborn does. We think she has her days & nights mixed up because she likes to wake up around midnight and stay up until 4am. We are hoping this will be just a short phase. Being at home with her the last couple days, I think we are starting to pick up on some of her habits and personality. She DOES NOT like to have her arms restrained. No matter how tight we bundle her, she will kick and squirm to get her arms and legs free. It's like a mini-Houdini. She won't cry when changing her if we get her while she is still sleepy. It's strange how finding out about little things like that make it so much fun to be a parent.

We would like to thank everyone for the great gifts we've received in the last week! We appreciate everything and it makes us (and Violet) feel very loved. If anyone wants to stop by, just give us a call as we are usually here.

I also wanted to apologize to everyone who has tried to call or email in the last week that I haven't got back to. With taking care of the kid, trying to finish the basement, and starting back at work, all of my spare time I have been sleeping and neglecting my phone.

Violet's 2nd Day

I will add an update tomorrow with more pictures, but I have had some problems with my computer, so it is taking longer than expected. I did take a short video of Violet when she was two days old that should be posted here.

Quick Update

Tona did not have to have the blood transfusion yesterday. She felt good enough to walk and her fever went away, so they felt there was no reason to have the procedure. Tona has been feeling much better and we are both ready to come home.

Both Violet and Tona have been taken off their IV's and are finally able to move around freely. It was nice to not have to hear all the different machines and pumps while we were trying to sleep last night. Due to everyone being healthy, we should be able to come home tomorrow.

If people would like to visit, we would ask that they either come tonight while we are here at Woodwinds, or wait until Friday. Tona would like a couple days at home to rest and recuperate from her surgery. We like having visitors (seeing as we have been cooped up in a hospital room for almost a week), but just call before stopping over.

Day 2

I finally got to hold Violet this morning! They let me try to feed her, but she was feeling too snuggly and wanted to sleep instead. I tried a bottle first, but she wasn't too interested, so I took some breast milk on my finger and tried to get some into her mouth. She clenched up her lower lip and went back to sleep. She looked exactly like Tona when she did that.

Tona is feeling and looking better this morning. She might have to have a blood transfusion soon as she lost quite a bit of blood in the surgery yesterday, but her temperature is back to normal and the hives are starting to go away. She will just have to take it easy for the next couple days.

Evidently, Tona got to breast feed in the middle of the night. I was sleeping a foot away from her and missed the whole thing. Violet took very well to the feeding and Tona was VERY happy she got to hold her daughter.

I've posted more pictures on Snapfish this morning. I apologize that you have to register to see the pictures, but Yahoo Photos closed down and I had to post them somewhere.

http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=24631196697573758/l=329340500/g=114741814/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Violet Mae Bartels

It's been a long couple days. But was all worth it.

This morning Tona had dilated to 4cm, and everything was looking good. She got to 8-9 cm by 11am, but ended up staying there until 3:30pm. She also started running a high temperature and started shaking. The doctor was concerned that she had an infection, and that she still wasn't fully dilated 22 hours after her water broke. We then decided to do a c-section. It was a little hard to hear after 3 full days of labor. They got the staff ready very quickly, and before you know it I was gowned up and watching the surgeons cut open my wife.

At 4:52 pm, Violet Mae Bartels was born. She was 8 lb 9oz., and was 21" long. She did not cry after being pulled out, which caused some concern for the doctors. I just thought that she was tough like her mom. The doctors let Tona hold her for a second, then took her away to get her on some antibiotics. Both her and Tona are healthy and are resting to get better.

Violet is right across the hall from us, but since Tona is on bedrest, she can't go see her yet. I think Tona is a little sad that I've been to see her 6 times already, but they are going to let her breastfeed tomorrow morning, so she will feel better then.

I just wanted to thank everyone who had called or sent messages. It means alot for us and our new family!

PS. I will post more pictures when I get time tomorrow.

Waiting for Violet (Day 2)

Tona was induced again today, with really not much to report. She is still at 2cm, but at 75% thinned, which is supposed to be pretty good. Because of that, the doctor broke her water about an hour ago. If all goes well, Violet should be with us by tomorrow.