Visitors, Hobbes and Your Sister!

Dear Kalvin,

The first few days of your life were so much better than your sisters. I didn't take any Percocet so you weren't abnormally sleepy!

You got lots of visitors! 

Grandma Sandra stopped by while daddy took Kacie to the doctors in hopes of finding out why she wasn't feeling good! They didn't give us any help, so that was lame.

While grandma Sandra was there, my aunt Susan and cousin Melissa came to meet you. I forgot to get a picture because you had to get your hearing tested while they were there!

Uncle Colin got to come and meet you!

Uncle Trevor stopped by one night.

My cousin Danielle came and hung out for a while

She helped us get your first pictures of you and Hobbes, who was your other visitor!

The nurses loved your Hobbes doll. One of them took it with you in your cart when you went to the nursery. She was so excited about it, she wanted to show the other nurses.

Dad was so tired. there were a few times when I would try to wake him up from across the room. I'd yell his name, I threw something at him and I ended up getting up, walking across the room, shaking his feet and he still wouldn't wake up. I swear he was dead!

But when he was awake, he would just hold you and snuggle up to you and I loved watching him interact with you.

Kacie, earlier when grandma brought you to go to the doctor, you were miserable. Your face was puffy, you didn't want to be put down, you weren't talking and we could just tell you felt sick. But the second you saw Kalvin and we said 'do you see the baby?' your eyes lit up and you started pointing at him! Unfortunately, we couldn't let you touch him because you were basically dripping out of your nose, but it made my mommy heart just happy that you were excited.

I'm sure that you are still a little bit closer to the veil than we realize and I think you knew exactly who that baby was. I think you were excited to see Kalvin because you knew he was your little brother that you'd been waiting for!

Anyway, as I said, the doctors were no help. So grandma went and asked the pharmacist what to do. they recommended this miracle medicine.

Seriously, it cleared you up so much that you were finally able to come and meet Kalvin!

It was perfect. You were so excited to see him. you giggled and smiled and we kept saying 'this is Kalvin. Remember Kalvin was in my tummy?' and you'd just smile and look at him.

You kept trying to hold his hand. He wasn't totally thrilled about it...

But it made me so happy to see you already loving him!

It was like your motherly instincts just kicked in and you knew how to hold him

And you rubbed his face all gently. It was just perfect. I had imagined you being able to spend a little more time at the hospital with him but I'm so glad you were happy to see him for the few minutes you did get to see him.

Well, the next day was our last day in the hospital.

We had been SO excited to get to put on your outfit. We bought it shortly after we found out you were a boy. THOSE PANTS!!!

My mom sent me this picture of Kacie. She was staring at a picture of you on her phone. She just sat there for several minutes looking at you!

People probably think I am crazy but I LOVE the stay at the hospital. It is so surreal to have a new baby. To just be able to stare at this new life and have people taking care of your every need, always bringing food and ice cold water. I love being able to focus on me and my baby for a few days before we head back into real life. It's like a mini vacation to me.

We are so glad that you are here little one!

Love,

Dad and Mom

Week by Week!

I think my favorite thing about the belly pictures is how I increasingly look more and more uncomfortable and tired. You can just see it in my face and hair do's that I'm exhausted and uncomfortable at the end!

17 Weeks

18 Weeks 

19 Weeks 

20 Weeks 

20 Weeks and 5 Days 

It's a BOY!

21 Weeks

22 Weeks 

23 Weeks 

24 Weeks 

25 Weeks 

26 Weeks 

27 Weeks

27 1/2 Weeks

28 Weeks

29 Weeks 

30 Weeks

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

34 Weeks 

35 Weeks

36 Weeks

37 Weeks

38 Weeks

The 38 week photo was taken on Friday April 3rd and you were then born April 6th. This is the last photo of me pregnant with you kiddo!

So glad you're out!

Kalvin Scott Gonthier

Dear Kalvin,

We can't express enough how much we love you and how glad we are that you finally arrived!

But,

We had the hardest time leaving your sister at home, sick.

Kacie NEVER falls asleep on our shoulders. Or really anywhere other than her crib and occasionally her carseat. That's how we know you're really not feeling well!

If you remember how I was so sad over not having you on Friday? I was so uncomfortable and if we are going off of my actual due date (April 8th, the one I calculated from the start) then I was only a few days away from 40 weeks so I was full term uncomfortable, big belly pregnant!

Anyway, Friday they sent me home to collect my urine for 24 hours. TMI? Oh well… It was dumb!

Anyway, I did it for about 16 hours and then I started having contractions and it was difficult to keep collecting so I made the decision to stop.

In the morning I called the doctor and they said to just bring what I had so Kacie and I headed to the doc and met your dad there. Well apparently it did matter that I stopped early and so the lab tech went and got Dr. Broburg. He came in and I explained that I stopped because I was having contractions and he was like "well that makes sense, since we were collecting to know if you needed to be induced. Lets check your dilation."

I had an appointment scheduled for later that day but he just checked me right then and it was awesome! I was already 3 centimeters dilated and then he stripped my membranes. He was like "It seems like we just need to have a baby today!" and I was like "YES, thank you!"

Anyway, so he gave us an hour to go home and get back to the hospital!! EEK!

Well I started calling people to watch your sister and no one was answering. Not even my mom answered. Finally Melissa did and I started crying when she picked up because I was really worried about leaving Kacie and I was so glad she'd have someone watching her that I knew would take good care of her.

Unfortunately, it was a disaster leaving Kacie!

It was incredibly difficult to get out the door because Kacie knew something was going on and she was sick so she just cried and cried and threw a fit. So apparently after we left, Kacie just sat behind the couch by the front door crying!

She flipped out when Melissa looked at her.

And then finally fell asleep.

Eventually you let Melissa cuddle you

And then a little later you even let her play and dance with you. So it turned out ok, and then grandma got there and you let her cuddle with you in her bed, even though she was exhausted from her long drive. You kicked her all night just to let her know you were still alive so that was helpful!

Meanwhile, your father and I were at the hospital awaiting your arrival… in pain…

(why am I posting this picture?)

They write it in front of you what your goal is for the stay. Ours was 'Have Baby Boy Kalvin'

They came in and gave me the epidural, that anesthesiologist was very talkative! 

Man I love epidurals. Well, when I'm giving birth I do!

And then we spent a few hours just hanging out and letting my body progress. I was texting people, your dad was finishing up a test for one of his classes, and we both kept talking about how much we missed Kacie.

Well at about 5, maybe a little after, they checked and I was dilated to 4 cm. They were also checking on you because your heart rate started to drop a little bit. My contractions were really strong and so they lowered the pitocin and Dr. Broburg broke my water. Then we just kind of waited for a few minutes.

This is where things got real! I remember with Kacie I started to feel like I should push but with you I just started to feel like you were pushing! All the sudden there were like 5 nurses and Dr. Broburg came in and they were wheeling in emergency C section beds (just in case) and beds for you and carts with tools and they got me ready and were like "Ok ready, push" and then I pushed 5 times and you were born at 5:57!

It was a lot more painful this time. I don't know if the epidural was less strong then with Kacie or if it was just the fact that you were born so fast, I don't know, but whatever it was I'm glad to be over all the pain and uncomfortableness of it all!

You weren't much bigger than your sister, 8.1 pounds, 20.5 inches. You came out peeing all over everyone! 

Wow, it was just as amazing the 2nd time around. I remember seeing you for the first time and just feeling so happy, so relieved you arrived safely and so blessed!

(and so much more comfortable without you being inside me!)

They cleaned everything up and then left us alone for a bit. 

We just cuddled you and took lots of pictures.

Everything about you was just perfect.

Oh and this is random but when you came out you were soooo dark! Like blue! because my contractions were so strong they were making your heart rate drop. When my cousin Danielle came to visit we were telling her how dark you were while we were eating dinner. I looked down at my potato and I was like "THIS IS THE COLOR HE WAS! He was blue like this potato!" It's kind of funny but it's true. You were really that color!

Your father is just so happy to have you here. He is so excited to be able to share his love of sports with you. He can't wait to have a little 'mini-me' around, that copies everything that he does!

We love you so much Kalvin and can't wait to see you grow!

Love,

Mom, Dad and Kacie