The Aydan James Wheeler Baby Blog

2008-11-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

2008-11-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hello World!

2008-10-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Look At My Belly Button!

2008-09-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'm Handsome!

2008-09-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Love

2008-09-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Finally Home!

2008-09-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

With a few days home finally under our belt, we finally decided it was time to update the old blog. As you probably have seen from the picture below, Aydan is here. He was born on Wednesday September 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 AM. He weighed 5 lbs and 15 ozs, and measured 19 inches in length. We are truly blessed to have such a handsome little boy that we can call our son.

While all of that is great and wonderful, it was quite a long road (or at least seemed that way) to get there. It all started last Tuesday morning, when while getting ready to go to our weekly doctor’s appointment Shannon feinted. Luckily I was next to her and caught her before she fell to the floor. Seconds later she regained consciousness, and straight to the doctor we went.

When we arrived, I told the nurse what had happened, and they whisked us off to an exam room. Twenty minutes later, we were sitting down in the doctor’s personal office, and being told that it was time. No more messing around, the doctor said, its time to get this baby out.

With that directive we headed straight to the hospital. Once we arrived we were taken directly into the labor and delivery room, where we would remain until Aydan poked his head into the world for the first time. After we got all situated Shannon was started on medicine that would begin to induce her labor, and then began the waiting game.

For the rest of the morning, afternoon, and early evening we just hung out and waited for things to happen. In the late afternoon we were joined by Shannon’s mom and sister and my brother. All three did a good job of keeping us company, and distracting us from the long night and morning ahead.

At around 6:00 PM, another family friend, Shannon Esparza, joined us. I can’t tell you how important this was. Besides her wonderful personality and loving spirit, the great thing about Shannon E. is that she’s a masseuse. She came specifically to help move Shannon’s labor along by massaging her and inducing special pressure points along the body that helped initiate labor.

By the time she left around 8:30-9:00 PM Shannon was two centimeters dilated. Up until that point, nothing at all had been happening. When the nurse called the doctor was shocked. From there things began to progress rather rapidly. Contractions were coming and going, like waves crashing into the sand at Huntington Beach.

Shannon began to feel lots of pain, but did a great job keeping her breathing techniques we learned in our Lamaze classes. The doctor had prescribed her some pain medication, but it wasn’t enough to keep her from feeling lots of discomfort. At about midnight, she was finally far enough along to get her epidural, which helped calm her down, and allowed us to get some much needed rest for what we thought would be the long morning ahead.

For the rest of the night we slept off and on, with Shannon waking with big contractions sprinkled throughout the night. Things continued that way until we were up for good around 6:00 AM. By that time we had gotten all the rest we were going to get, for the rest of the morning.

By that time Shannon had dilated to about 8-9 centimeters, and the contractions were coming about every 30 seconds. At one point, she had what felt like a contraction for 30 minutes straight. This continued until 8:00 AM when the doctor came in and decided it was finally time to begin pushing.

Along with the nurses help, Shannon began pushing, slowly moving Aydan down the birth canal. She continued this way until around 8:40, when the nurse called the doctor in and said it was time. With the doctor all scrubbed up and the nurses in place, it was go time.

After four pushes, Aydan’s little head appeared. My jubilation was quickly turned to worry however, when just moments after his head came out, the doctor told Shannon to stop pushing. I looked down and noticed what looked like three snakes wrapped around his neck. On his way down, he had wrapped himself around the umbilical cord three times, and cut off his air-way.

The doctor quickly grabbed three pairs of scissors, and cut all three cords off his neck. Sprung free from the cords Aydan quickly slipped out, into the doctor’s hands. The doctor quickly placed him on Shannon’s belly, but he wasn’t there for long. After what seemed like one second, the nurses whisked him away to the corner of the room, where they had all sorts of equipment set-up to help him make his way into the world.

With all the cord wrapped around his neck three times, Aydan wasn’t breathing and his heart had stopped. Three other sets of nurses quickly entered the room and ran into the corner where they were working on our son. During this whole time Shannon and I waited to here a cry or anything come from him, so that we’d know he was okay.

Seconds pass and we had heard nothing. With everything going on, time seemed to stand still, the only thing we could focus on was Shannon’s doctor saying that everything is going to be fine. He’s going to be all right. After what seemed like forever, the nurses reported that they had got his heart going, and that he was breathing on his own.

For the first few minutes of his life, he didn’t want to get going. As the nurses would say later, he was just a late starter. With things finally turning around for him, the nurses told us that they would be taking him up to the NICU where they would watch and observe him. So with Shannon still being worked on, up I followed our son.

Even in the elevator on the way up, things were looking good. He had good color, and his breathing was fine. It turned out he just wasn’t much of a crier in his first few hours in the world. Once we got the NICU the nurses said that things looked good for him, that he would probably only be there for a few hours, just so they could make sure that everything was all right.

With that news in hand, back down to the LDR I went to check on Shannon. After all of the chaos during the birth, Shannon was understandably upset and wanting to know what was going on. It was a big relief to her, to know that everything was going to be all right.

After a few more trips back and forth I got to take some pictures, and on Shannon’s way up from labor and delivery and into the maternity they let her stop in the NICU to really see her son for the first time.

After that it was into her room in the maternity ward, where we waited for the pediatrician to clear Aydan and let him “room-in” with us. After what seemed like forever, the pediatrician finally came into the room, and said that everything was fine with him, and that we had a healthy little boy.

Despite everything checking out, our hospital stay wouldn’t be over quite yet. As is normal with newborns and in particular pre-mature newborns, Aydan had a bit of jaundice. His numbers we’re pretty high in the first day, so under the “Billie Lights” he went. He would stay this way until Saturday, when they finally let the three of us come home.

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It’s now been a few days that we’ve been home and everything is coming along great. There are the usual ups and downs with a newborn (i.e. being fine all day long, and then deciding to be fussy at 3:00 AM J), but whenever we get the chance to just look into his cute face, we know that everything is fine. We’ll look forward to still updating this web-site from time to time with new pictures and new stories. Thanks again for all of your love and support these past nine months. Without them, we couldn’t have done it.

September 3, 2008

2008-09-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Hospital: Part 3

2008-08-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

June 20th 2008 (Summer Solstice), may have laid claim as the longest day of this year, but August 28 2008 is a close second. Needless to say today was a long day.

It started out around 7:30 this morning. We knew that we had another doctor's appointment today, and we knew that they wanted Shannon to eat a big breakfast before we came, so Aydan would kick away when we got the appointment. So we got up, and made pancakes.

It was my first time making pancakes, and I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. I even got a perfect Mickey Mouse pancake on my first try. With that kind of a start who knew, how long today would be.

With a belly full of pancakes and orange juice, off we headed to the doctor's office. When we got there they took Shannon in to do the NST (the test she took the other day, that tracked the baby's heartbeat) right away. With her all hooked up and good to go, the test began.

On Tuesday when Shannon was hooked up Aydan, needed a little help getting moving so the nurse brought in the "Baby Alarm." Today started off much the same way, except this time, not even the alarm could wake up the sleepy kid (he get's that from his mom ;) ). So off we went into the ultra sound room.

Normally all of this would take just an hour or so, but today was an extremely busy day at the offices of Dr. Morrison and Fong. In between getting us off the NST and into the Ultrasound room, Dr. Morrison had to jet over to the hospital to deliver his second baby of the morning.

When he finally got back, it was time for the ultrasound. Dr. Morrison said Aydan was good and healthy (approximately 6lbs 13 ozs), but he was still concerned that there wasn't enough movement. With that in mind, he said he wanted to send us over to the hospital for another test, a CST (Contraction Stress Test).

By the time we got out of the doctor's office, it was all ready noon and we had spent three hours in the office. Luckily, the hospital was so busy that we had to wait for them to call us to come in, so we got to go home, eat lunch, and get some rest.

At around 3:30 we got the call to head over to the hospital. Off we went to get another test done. This time things were a little better. After stimulating some contractions, Aydan's heart rate was up, and we were sent home to rest, with the stipulation being coming back on Monday.

With another day in the books, we get even that much closer to Aydan's arrival. Luckily he didn't come before Shannon's shower on Saturday. Thanks again for all of your prayers and comments. We are truly blessed, to have such wonderful friends and family!

-AW

Another Day...Another Doctors Visit

2008-08-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

With another day coming and going today, another doctors visit was upon us. As Aydan's arrival draws closer, we are at the doctors office so much, it almost feels as if its our home away from home. With Shannon's recent hypertension diagnosis, we know that every doctors visit will probably be eventful, and today was no exception.

When we got into the office, Shannon went through the normal procedures, and once again her blood pressure was abnormally high. For the second trip in a row, they sent her into one of their rooms, made her lay on her side, shut all the lights off, and told her to relax. Like clock-work, three minutes later all was back to normal.

Despite the fact that her blood pressure had returned to its normal level, the doctor still wanted her stick around for some observation, so they took us to another room and hooked Shannon up to a heart monitor and contraction monitor for the baby. The doctor was interested in tracking Aydan's heartbeat, and in particular what it was doing after he made a movement.

With Aydan strapped up to the heart monitor, Shannon was given an electronic plunger (it looked like the button they give to Jeopardy contestants). Every time he moved, Shannon was to hit the button, making a mark on the print-out and helping track the heartbeat.

After about five minutes Aydan hadn't yet moved, so the nurse came in with the "Baby Alarm." The Baby Alarm was a device that vibrated and made noise gently on Shannon's belly, waking the baby up, and making him move. After the alarm, Aydan wouldn't stop moving.

After a few more minutes, the doctor came back in, and said everything looked good with the baby, but that he wanted her to come back in Wednesday morning for some blood work and then again Thursday for the results.

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Prior to Shannon's hypertension diagnosis last Monday, things at the doctors office had been pretty smooth. Most times we were in and out of there within minutes, sometimes seconds. At times it would seem like we were whisked in and out almost too fast. Despite all of recent developments, its been nice to see the reaction of her doctors. They have been concerned, supportive, and most importantly helpful. I know that when the time comes (and its coming very, very soon) we will all be ready.

Keep us in your prayers,
AW

Tummy at almost 36 weeks!

2008-08-22T20:44:00.001-07:00

Almost 36 weeks....

2008-08-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

When It Rains, It Pours....

2008-08-21T19:08:00.001-07:00

Andrew, Benny, Aydan, and I have had a very eventful week to say the least....and it still is only Thursday! On Monday afternoon I had an appointment with my regular doctor just as a little check up before Aydan arrives. It was supposed to be a no big deal appointment and my doctor, Dr. Shine, just wanted to see me about a month before his due date. So, I went to my appointment and no more than three minutes into the visit she looked at my chart and was alarmed at my blood pressure reading. She came back in the room with another blood pressure pump and checked it again. It was still high. Then she wanted my OB's number and went to call them. When she came back she told me that instead of me going to the OB's office I would have to go straight to the hospital. Now, this whole time I was feeling completely normal and totally shocked.

Andrew was at his big golf tournament event for Citrus College and so I felt really bad but I had to call him and tell him to meet me at the hospital. They checked my blood pressure about every five minutes, took my blood for tests, and a urine test for protein. It was pretty intense but sure enough my blood pressure went down and they sent me home after a few hours. All of the tests came back just fine and Aydan was perfect. My OB doctor, Dr. Morrison, was at the hospital delivering a baby at the same time I was there. He came in my room and asked that I come to his office first thing the next morning.

When I went to his office on Tuesday morning my blood pressure was high again! 160/100! Yet again, I felt perfectly fine and normal! They had me lay down for a little bit and then it went back to normal. When Dr. Morrison came in he told me that he was putting me on bed rest and that I needed to take it easy. He said I have hypertension and that I cannot work. The only real sign I had of this was the fact that my feet have been swelling but other than that I thought I was doing really good! Andrew, as always, has been very supportive and reminds me daily that God will take care of us.

So today, which is Thursday, I woke up to our little Benny being very happy and cheerful but when he turned around he had a bald spot on the back of his left hip! Somehow in the middle of the night he had a grand ol time of biting himself to complete baldness! I was shocked! He's never had any behavior like this before! I checked him over and over again, no bugs, blood, or dandruff. What is going on with my little dog! We called the vet and they said he could have just gotten a little bug bite or a little irritation and went to town on it. We bought him some medicated shampoo and are praying that he doesn't continue this little biting episode.

Then this afternoon, I went to have lunch with Andrew and as I was walking to his office I saw the civic parked in front with the driver's side window down. Now, Andrew has been known to make fun of me for being to paranoid about locking things up because he has a much more trusting spirit about him that people won't rob him. :) So, I went in his office and asked him why he would leave him window down. He said he had no idea what I was talking about. We walked outside together and sure enough it was not only down but broken! It would not roll up as we turned the car on and pressed the window button. We drove together to Pep Boys and spent a fortune today on our little Honda Civics window.

Man - to say the least - I am very tired for my first week of bed rest....and I would love to have a very blessed and stress free day tomorrow! Keep us in your prayers! :) Love to all and thank you for all of your support. Aydan sure feels it - trust me he dances a lot!

Update

2008-08-06T20:02:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since we've posted an update, so we thought tonight would be a good time to do so. There hasn't been anything too exciting going on around these parts, but time is definitely flying in regards to this baby.

Shannon is doing well, but her feet have begun to swell. All we can do is get her to stay off her feet as much as possible and get her feet up when we have the chance. I've been trying to do my part, rubbing her tootsie's every night.

Aydan has also been getting much bigger and stronger, kicking her all the time. While it's kind of cool to feel him kick and move during the day, all of that movement keeps her up most nights, and makes it hard for her to sleep.

When we found out we were pregnant 8 months ago, we had the summer broken down into three segments. First was our friends Ken and Lindsay's wedding towards the end of June, second was our friends Brandon and Rachelle's wedding in the beginning of August, and last but certainly not least was Aydan's arrival in September.

Well the first part came and went a month or so ago. Ken and Lindsay's wedding, which I was a groomsman in, was beautiful and we had a blast. This weekend it's Brandon and Rachelle's turn. Both Shannon and I are honored to be in the wedding party, and have been looking forward to it for quite some time. While we are excited to share such a special day with our friends, it's just one more reminder of how close we are to welcoming our son into our lives.

As always we appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Until next time,
AW

We are no longer breach....

2008-07-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

It is a little hard to understand, but that is the top of Aydan's head. Today we had an appointment with Dr. Morrison and he was nice enough to ease our fears about Aydan being breach. Turns out, he moved as of today to his perfect position! Hooray! We are really blessed.

My Tummy at 31 Weeks!

2008-07-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

31 weeks!

2008-07-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Kicking, Classes, and Family

2008-06-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well as we sit here on a lazy Monday evening watching a show on WE about a woman who gave birth to sextuplets, we realized we should probably update the blog which we haven't done in quite some time. So here we are with an update about what's been going on the last couple of months.

Since our last post about the 4D Ultrasound, Shannon's belly has really started to grow. It's truly an incredible thing. Though its getting larger by the day, it's as hard as a rock. When my belly gets large (which it has, considerably over the last two years), it's just feels fat and squishy. The 9 Month process in which a child is born, has been a truly unbelievable experience, and I know it will continue to be so, as we get closer to the end.

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This past weekend we were lucky enough to celebrate my brother's (Uncle Aaron) 21st birthday. After a nice family dinner at Downtown Disney, my sisters (Aunt Alysse and Aunt Abby) came back to our house to hang out for a bit. Abby was real excited about getting back to the house, and having a chance to try and feel Aydan kick (which he has been wont to do over the past two months).

For the first ten minutes or so nothing happened, but a few minutes later something pretty extraordinary happened. Shannon called me over to the bed where she was laying down, and asked me to talk to Aydan to see if he would move. Sure enough a few seconds later, Aydan started to kick away. He recognized my voice.

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With a brand new baby about to enter our lives in just a few short months, we've been trying to prepare ourselves for the change that is about to come. Along with bending every parents ear we come across, we've started taking some baby classes last week at our local hospital.

Our very first class was the "Happiest Baby on the Block Class." The class was geared towards new parents, and how they can deal with a crying newborn. The video we watched seemed pretty insightful. It talked about treating the first three months of a child's life as if it was the fourth trimester.

While other baby's in the animal kingdom begin to walk or provide for themselves within the first week, it takes months for human beings to begin to develop. That's why its so important to nurture that child even more during the first three months.

Along with the "fourth trimester" idea, the video talked about the "5 S's" (Swaddle, Holding the Baby in the Side-Stomach Position, Shhh, Sway, and Swing) when it comes to dealing with a wailing baby. In the video it seemed as if the technique was very effective (though they probably wouldn't show it to us if it wasn't!), but we will have to wait and see how Aydan handles the 5 S's.

Besides the "Happiest Baby on the Block Class", we will be taking "Lamaze" (every Monday in the month of July) and a "Baby Basics" (one Monday in August) class in the coming weeks and month.

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We are looking forward to spending some quality time with family and friends in the coming weeks. This weekend I'll be a groomsmen in our friends Ken and Lindsay's nuptials down in Newport Beach. Also, in a couple of weeks, we will get to celebrate Shannon's sisters' (Aunt Heather) 22nd Birthday.

We will be having another ultrasound on July 7th, just after my favorite holiday. If we get to bring home some pictures we will make sure and put up another post then.

Until Then,
-AW

Finally - no more pictures please! :)

2008-05-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Look at my toes!

2008-05-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

I can open my mouth!

2008-05-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Boy

2008-05-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

Aydan James - Week 24 - Sleepy Baby Boy

2008-05-26T18:51:00.001-07:00

We may have gotten too excited...

2008-05-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

but we registered for some of Aydan's things today!

We are registered at Target and Babys R Us. :)

We are going with a turtle theme with blue and green color scheme! :) I really cannot wait until we get the furniture sent to the house and Andrew puts it altogether for him. It is really all starting to come together and seem more real! :)

Sorry about the delay with pictures, we will try to get them up A.S.A.P.

Love to all! Keep praying for our little turtle! :)

It's a.....

2008-05-09T09:07:00.001-07:00

BOY!!!!

Aydan James Wheeler!!!

2008-05-08T15:57:00.001-07:00

Hooray!

2008-05-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

Here is our wonderful crib and changing table that I just ordered! Whoa who! I am so excited! Obviously, not the bedding that is pictured, just the frame! :) Remember to check back tomorrow, we find out the gender tomorrow morning at 8:00 am!! :)

The Four Month Appointment

2008-04-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly four months since we found out that we were pregnant, and with that it's been nearly two months since we were able to see a picture of the baby. With that said, we have been a little anxious about getting another opportunity to have an ultra sound. We were excited to see the growth, and for Shannon it would be a little peace of mind knowing that there were two arms and two legs.

With so many people around us either being pregnant or having recently given birth, we've come to realize that different doctors have different philosophies when it comes to the ultrasounds. Some doctors like to give them all the time, some give them very sparingly.

After our three month appointment last month, we came to the conclusion that our doctors tended to ere on the side of giving them only when they were completely necessary. There isn't anything wrong with that philosophy, but it was hard, especially for Shannon, to not be able to see what is going on since its our first child.

Today marked our four month appointment. Going into today's appointment, we knew we have an appointment set for May 9th with a high-tech ultrasound so that we can find out the sex, but that is still a-ways-a-way.

As we are sitting in the exam room, Shannon and I decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask if we could have an ultra-sound. So after we got to hear the heartbeat (which sounded great, normal, and healthy), Shannon asked if there would be anyway at all for us to see a picture, and Dr. Fong was nice enough to say yes, as long as we could wait for her to finish the rest of her appointments.

We gladly waited, and were able to have an ultra-sound at the end of the day. We got to see the head, the arms, the legs (there's two of each!), and we were even able to make out the face a little bit. My how it has grown. It has definitely moved from a peanut, into a small baby.

Unfortunately, the machine wasn't able to print anything out because the printer was down, but we were still grateful for Dr. Fong going out of her way to let us see the baby. I know you all are excited to see a new picture, and I know for sure on May 9th we will have a great one for you all, along with whether or not it's a boy or girl.

Until Then Much Love,
-Andrew

Baby Poll

2008-03-31T15:38:00.001-07:00

Hey All,

There isn't much news here on the home front, that Shannon hasn't all ready covered, but we did add a fun new feature on the 'ol blog today. If you look over at the right hand side there is a poll being conducted. What do you think we are having? We know we will be blessed with whatever God chooses to give us, but we thought this would be a fun addition to the Wheeler Baby Blog. The poll will run up until May 8th at Midnight (we find out the sex on May 9th at 9:00 AM). As always thanks for all of the love and support!

The New Hot Momma Car! :) and Daddy!

2008-03-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I have had a fun filled week during my Spring Break! The biggest news is that we have been very blessed and made a big purchase and change for the baby to come! All in one week we sold Andrew's little pickup and had our new 2008 CRV delivered to our home! Having your new car brought to you instead of going to the dealership is amazing! I am really proud of Andrew because he was the "Wheeler and dealer" in this whole process. He really has been taking care of our new family to come. :)

We are in our 14 week and we are sure growing! I haven't been craving sweets or salts but rather fruits and for some odd reason 1000 Island dressing! Yum! :) Tangelos are in season right now and are amazing! So, I have switched from oranges to tangelos for the time being. I have been sleeping better and feeling more like myself again. I can't wait until I get to feel the baby for the first time!

Our other baby Benny, the dog, got a haircut this week and it is rather short. Andrew says he looks like a meerkat! I think he still looks like his handsome little self - just with short hair. :(

Love to all!

Dr. Morrison and Dr. Fong are great! :)

2008-03-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

So, I do admit that I was a little disappointed today when we went to the doctors office and found out that we were not getting an ultrasound done today. :) But, we did get to hear the heartbeat for the first time! Today we saw Dr. Morrison who is the sweetest little old man. :) He reminds me a lot of Robin Williams because of his humor. When we heard the heartbeat it was really amazing! I haven't really felt the baby so it is just unbelievable that it is really there! ;) Of course I asked the doctor if the heartbeat sounded normal and he said in a very sweet joking voice, "Sounded like 150 - 160 beats per minute but I wasn't counting..." He is so experienced he just "knows" what a normal healthy baby sounds like. He told us that we are doing well and that we are 12 weeks and 1 day today! :) We are in the clear. :) (By the way I think I have a lot of smiley faces in here....sorry:) )

One of the other highlights that happened today was when I had to be weighed in. Normally, I dread this time of the appointment but I know it is a must. I read in the book that Sarah got me, "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" to just not look at the scale. So, I look to the side and tell the nurse to not tell me the results. She smiled and said ok and then walked to her chart. When she went to take my blood pressure she asked me how far along I was and when my last appointment was. She said that I should be very happy because I actually have not really gained a lot of weight and that most women gain at least a pound a week thus far. She said I must be transferring the weight to the right places! Of course I told her that she was my favorite nurse! :)

Andrew and I have been extremely blessed in a lot of areas, not only with this new little baby that God has in store for us, but also with his job that helps support us. We met today with the office manager of the doctors office and we are totally taken care of with baby expenses by Andrew's amazing insurance! Thank you God! :)

A co-worker of mine, that is also pregnant, had a doctors visit today too in regards to her little baby boy and all was well! We've been praying a lot for her lately and it was a great relief that everything is ok with him.

To top off a great day - I went to Target with Andrew and got some cute mommy clothes! So, I am ready to go and happy about today! Thank you for your prayers and support! We really really really appreciate it!

Second Baby Picture!

2008-03-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for our baby's second picture to be taken tomorrow at 3:30! We are really excited and will have it posted as soon as we can! Love to all!

Update

2008-03-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hello all. We hope this post finds everyone well. Things have been super busy around here, but unfortunately there isn't much to report. Shannon is doing a great job so far, and is all ready a good mom. Not much has changed, but she is starting to get a little bit of a baby bump.

On a fun side note. Since we found out that we were pregnant, we have been trying to collect Disney movies and kids movies in particular. This week 101 Dalmation's came out the Disney Vault, and Tuesday we travelled to the local Target to grab our copy.

As we came home and popped it in the DVD player, it quickly grabbed our attention, and the attention of our first child "Benny." It was cute to watch Benny's ears perk up and head move back and forth every time one of the dogs would bark. I'm pretty sure it's his new favorite movie.

In a weird way I think being a pet owner has somewhat prepared (even if it is just a little bit) us for a child. It was fun to watch his reactions to something as simple as a DVD for the first time, and I realized the joy it brought me. I can only imagine how much greater that feeling will be when I get to watch my child do something for the first time.

Our second OBGYN appointment is coming up in two weeks, and we will be sure to make a post and show you the new picture.

We are 9 weeks!

2008-02-24T17:58:00.000-08:00

"Over the next four days, fingernails, toenails, and hair follicles will appear (these are all specialized parts of the top layer of skin) and your baby will assume a more upright posture. The joints that began to develop during Week 6 now resemble adult joints. Week 9 is a period of rapid growth. The average rate of growth until birth is .06 inch (1.5 mm) in length per day, but the baby will begin to grow even more rapidly at this point" The Pregnancy Journal.

I am really excited that we are growing and doing well. The baby is working hard and I am starting to get my appetite back. On Saturday, we went to a restaurant called Flappyjacks for some breakfast. It was so nice to actually want to eat and be able to eat! Of course, when we came home I was so tired and had to take a nap! :) Naps are very common now. I get very sleepy and sleep seems to be the cure.

Andrew has been working very hard lately, and not just at home! ;) The Citrus Basketball team played a terrific game last night and won their conference championship! He was really pumped up! The gym was backed and you could tell Andrew was excited! I was very proud of him! :) By the way - Citrus beat Bakersfield last night! :) hehe

Andrew and I also got to see baby Hudson for a little bit today! Julie and Dave are doing an amazing job with their little boy! He is tooooo cute! Andrew did a really good job rocking him too! He was a pro! Thank you Jules for the diapers too! ;)

Well, I am really looking forward to March 17th as it is the next time we get to see our little baby! Thank you for all your prayers and love!

I Love The Smell Of Bananas In The Morning

2008-02-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this story won't be to graphic, but it is about morning sickness!! Just an FYI!

What a day, today was. Our appointment was set for 9:00 AM this morning. Both Shannon and I had arranged to be off of work this morning, so that we could be there together. We got up early and went to the store around the corner to get something small to eat before our big moment.

Shannon usually has to have something to eat early in the morning, otherwise she gets real naseous. So in our infinite wisdom, we bought her a banana, thinking it would be light on her stomach and easy to digest.

Boy were we ever wrong. As we exited the store parking lot, and headed towards the doctor's office, the anticipation began to build. You could tell that Shannon and I were both excited and nervous. Normally this wouldn't be such a big issue, but normally one of us isn't pregnant (I'll let you guess which one ;). With nervousness on her face and banana in her belly, things quickly turned South.

About half-a-block from the doctor's office, Shannon began to frantically tug at my sweater, and telling me that she was going to be sick. Now granted, she has really only thrown up once since we found out she was pregnant over a month ago, but she has been sick to her stomach more times than I can count.

As I looked over and saw that her face was greener than the 18th hole at Augusta National, I tried to immediately pull over to the side of the road. She protested however, and insisted that I wait until I get to the next shopping center to pull over (which living in Southern California is never to far away). I said "OK, but here's our bag if you get really sick!"

Not a second later, out of the corner of my eye I saw her lunge for the bag, only the bag wasn't close enough. She proceeded to expel all of her breakfast over my sweater, jeans, steering wheel, and drivers side door and window. I have never seen anything like it in my life.

Now normally I'm not the type of person who enjoys being thrown up all over, but I must say (without trying to pat my own back) I handled it as well as it could be handled. I calmly pulled the car into the shopping center parking lot, made sure she was ok, and ran into the only place that was open, a smoothie store.

What I wouldn't give to have seen the look on the faces of those working in the store, as a I walked through the door with what looked like a mixture between baby food and a smoothie all over me. Not one to beat around the bush I quickly asked, "Where are your napkins?," and was met with a stunned stare and a point to my left. I grabbed as many as I could and walked out to the car to clean up my wife, myself, and my truck.

After we were as cleaned up as could be, considering the circumstances, we decided to just proceed to the doctor's office, since now we were just across the street from it. With Shannon having barely a spot on her, and me with a quite a few spots on my person, we rode up the elevator and strolled into the office as if nothing happened.

Fortunately though, both doctors were out of the office performing an emergency C-Section, so we would have to come back at 11:15. That allowed us time to go back home clean up, and reassess the situation.

Shannon felt terrible, but really it wasn't the worst thing in the world. No one had died, and really all that resulted was another load of wash, and my truck smelling like Banana Nut Bread for the rest of the day. When all was said and done, and three hours later when we were able to see a little heart flicker on a screen, it was definitely worth all of the trouble.

February 19, 2008 - Baby's First Picture

2008-02-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

This is our little peanut. We are trying to get a better/clearer picture soon. This was just taken with my phone. His/her head is to the left of the picture. It was soooooooo neat to see the little flickering heartbeat on the monitor. I think I am going to have Andrew give the whole details of today - trust me - it's a good story! More later! Much love to all!

Waiting....

2008-02-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

With two days left until we get to see the first picture of our baby, we both thankfully have a three-day weekend, to decompress and relax. We are excited beyond belief about seeing our child for the first time, and I know we are both counting days the hours. While we are both blissfully aware of our upcoming child, I think Tuesday will be the day that it really starts to sink in.

What a week and half this has been. Along with waiting for Tuesday to finally get here, this past week Shannon and I celebrated our first Valentines Day as a married couple, and Shannon's 24th birthday. Shannon even surprised me with a Valentine's gift from our unborn baby. It was a beautiful gesture, as I got an awesome card and some baby bibs that said "I Love My Daddy." Don't worry though I got a pink and a blue one since the baby doesn't know quite yet what it will be.

Once again we are so excited about Tuesday and can't wait to share with everyone the first pictures. I'm sure will we have pictures up on here either that night or very soon thereafter.

Hooray for Presidents and Birthdays!

2008-02-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

Ok - I know I am silly but I love being a teacher and having all of the fun holidays off, like President's day! Andrew and I got to stay home today and get some errands checked off the list! We finally got my car a bath today! It looks brand new! :) This week is going to be pretty busy! Andrew works late on Wednesday night, Valentines Day and Jan's Birthday is on Thursday, and then my 24th birthday is on Friday the 15th!

In baby news, but not my baby :), my friend Drea found out today that she is having a little boy! It was fun to get a text early this morning that said she was going to have a little Noah! I'm really excited for her! I cannot wait until we can find out what we are having too. A lot of my girlfriends have had boys lately, so I am hoping Andrew and I break the trend and have a girl! :) We shall see! I also found out last night that another one of my friends and my "older sister" is having her 4th child! Whoa who! Babies everywhere!!!

Andrew and I so far are looking forward to th 19th to see our baby's first picture! I think that is a really sweet birthday present! ;) Keep us in your prayers! Love to all!

2008-02-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

With Shannon handling the last couple of posts, I thought it might be time for a little different perspective. While there have been lots of changes around the house, the most important changes are going on inside my lovely wifes stomach. It's amazing to think that in just 9 short months, a little cell grows into a bundle of joy. With all of that growing going on, there comes some pains, and Shannon has been dealing with them admirably.

With a ton of added responsibility heaped on her in a matter of mere weeks, she has handled them all with a great attitude no matter how hard the situation (Even giving up her beloved Dr. Pepper!). I can't imagine how hard it must be to have all of those changes going on in your body, and still having to deal with a husband like me! She has all ready begun to show signs of being a great mom, and I can't wait to grow with her in that department.

I Love My Husband...and my doctor! :)

2008-01-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

So, this weekend I was starting to have pretty bad allergies that I thought would eventually go away. It is a weird concept to think that just a little while ago I could have easily taken some Clartin and called it a day! But, with the new little baby coming - no drugs for me. I tried to stay calm but I think Andrew had a hard time. He was trying everything to make me feel better. He is such a good "manager" of the baby. He called the doctor and they said I could have a vapiorizer so he went and got one. He helped me clean all of the sheets and we deep cleaned the house. Isn't he awesome! I was still not feeling better and then on Monday morning I got really sick. I knew at this point I had a sinus infection and I needed to do something about it. We went to see my OBGYN to make sure I would be safe with whatever we had to do as far as medicine. Can I just say my doctor rocks?! Of course, I was crying in the waiting room because I was terrified that I was sick and that I was going to hurt the baby. Andrew tried to calm me down but if you know me well enough I was still freaking out. When the doctor came in he was so calm and checked out my face and told me that everything was going to be ok. When I started to cry harder....he asked me a very important question..... "Have you been reading all of the pregnancy books?" I of course answered, "Yes and I am trying to do everything right but I get scared." He then said something that made me feel at ease, "STOP READING THEM! Of course you are going through a lot of emotions and I would be freaked out if I was preganat too!"

Now, how funny is that! My doctor is great and he is getting me back on the road to feeling better. I actually had enough strength tonight to finally make dinner for Andrew and I. He has been doing a lot and I don't know what I would do without him! :)

Thank you for all of your prayers and love. :)

Benjamin James Wheeler - The Big Brother... :)

2008-01-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

Andrew and I let Benny know that he is going to have a little baby brother or sister coming soon....and the talk went pretty well. He just wants to make sure he gets to sleep on the bed still. :)

Massages, alleriges, and rain...oh my!

2008-01-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

Southern California has been blessed with many showers of rain! I know that we are in need of rain so I am glad it is here but it is very hard for me not to get a good 'ol cold with all of the cooler weather. I try to stay bundled up and wash my hands constantly - but I am still feeling a little bit under the weather. Being a Kindergarten teacher does not help when you are trying to stay as healthy as possible. My little adorable students are dropping like flies with the cold and fevers. Please pray that we can stay as healthy as possible during this time. :)

Today was certainly a treat because I got my first pregnant massage from my masseuse and friend with the coolest name ever, Shannon Esparza! :) It was great to just really get a chance to relax. Don't worry - Andrew got a massage too! His back has been hurting him from being such a champ at trying to make sure I am doing ok and have everything I need! :) Thank you Shannon!

Just an update - Feb. 19th we get to see our baby for the first time! :) Thank you for all of your prayers and love!

The First Few Weeks

2008-01-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

It seems like these last two weeks have been a blur. Just two weeks ago, we were still newlyweds, now fast-forward and we are parents to be. Despite the drastic change in such a short time, I find myself getting more and more excited about it everyday. Parenthood is definitely something we knew would be in our future, but who knew it would be this soon. There are lots of changes to come, but 8 months from now everything will be completely worth it, when we welcome a little boy or girl into our lives forever. Keep us in your prayers over the next few months.

On a side note, we look forward to keeping you all updated on the comings and goings of this special time in our lives. Feel free to leave some feedback to encourage us as we go through this great journey together.

It's our first time!

2008-01-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

Shannon and baby are here....and we are both on this little blog site for the first time ever. Andrew had to help us a lot! I was inspired to do this because my Mom found a site called 3DPregnancy.com that shows updated pictures of our new little baby! I hope we all enjoy! Remember to pray, pray, and pray! :) Love to all! Andrew, Shannon, Benny, and the soon to come little one.