Doctor Visit Updates...

It's been a busy 2 days for myself & Nate. We went to the podiatrist Monday 8/24 for Nate's foot/ankle trouble. The doctor took off his soft cast, saw no reason to have an MRI done, but did put him in a full size boot. The boot is black & goes all the way to his knee. It even has a pump...like the Reebok pumps...to help stabilize the ankle/foot. He is able to walk w/ the boot & doesn't need to use any more crutches. He is off for another 3 weeks until we see the doctor again on Monday 9/15. At the next appointment he should be out of the boot completely & starting physical therapy. Not sure when he will be going back to work though. The doctor said that torn ligaments are worse to heal than breaks. By the time Nate goes back to work he'll be off for Jordan's arrival. Haha. We just want him to get better, so we are in no rush to get him back too soon.

Today 8/26, I had 2 doctor appointments. This morning I had my hemo doctor appointment to check my platelet count. For those who do not remember...if my platelet count is below 100 I cannot receive an epidural & if for some reason we were to have a c-section it would be hard to get me numb & they would have to use different methods. At the appointment today my level was at 115...the highest it has ever been. My last appointment w/ the hemo dr. is Wed 9/30 to check the final platelet count & then Jordan will be here shortly after :-)

This afternoon I had my weekly OB visit. I now weigh 163 lbs...I have gained 33 lbs throughout this pregnancy & they tell me to keep gaining. The nice thing is that I've been told I'm all belly :-) I don't feel all belly though! Jordan's heart rate is perfect, our weight is great, our meds are working & the monitoring has been wonderful. Dr. Holbrook said to keep up the weekly visits, resting, monitoring & meds & we are looking great & she sees no reason why we wouldn't go full term. She did say that at 36 weeks (end of September) she will take me off of the turbutaline pump & monitoring & let nature takes its course. OB full term is 37 weeks & w/ the steroids we received at our 1st hospital stay Jordan will have no problems ;-) So, it sounds like we may have our baby here before our due date, but who knows...she may be stubborn & stay put until our due date or after. You just never know.

Well, that's all the news in our lives. We hope you all enjoyed your summer. We will keep you all posted as usual. Thanks for the continued prayers & support.

Love xoxoxoxo,
The Helgerson's

Weekly OB Visit Update...

Had our weekly OB visit today 8/19 @ 9:30. Jordan is growing, growing, growing! She is a BIG girl :-) We are now 31 weeks along & she is 4 lbs 3 oz. She is in the 81st percentile for her weight & size. She's at the top her class already. Haha. Dr. Holbrook said, "Wow, you have a big baby" We are happy she is big & not little though.

We have 8/9 weeks to go & then we get to see Jordan live & in person. We are getting more & more excited as it gets closer. We are also getting more & more nervous that we will be parents. We just don't feel old enough & it hasn't hit us yet. We are just glad we are such a good team already & now with all the ups & downs during our pregnancy it has made us even stronger.

We are still to remain on bed rest. I'm allowed to drive the car since gimpy Nate cannot. Dr. Holbrook said she is fine w/ that since everything is going in the right direction. Just keep laying around as often as possible, drinking lots of fluid, eating right & getting lots of rest. We are to return next week for a regular OB visit...no ultrasound :-( I like seeing our baby! Haha.

I also received my birthday present from my wonderful and amazing husband today...even though my bday isn't until Friday 8/21. Haha. We love getting our presents early. This is actually late for me though. He got me a new teeny video camera. That is all I really WANTED for my bday...I want to capture all the memories I can. People will probably be annoyed w/ how much video I take...but, it will be so great to have.

That's all the new exciting things going on in the Helgerson world. Nate has his podiatrist appt on Monday 8/24 & we'll know more about his injury. We are hoping for the best as always.

Thanks for all the love & support.
Love xoxoxo,
The Helgerson's

2nd Baby Shower w/ My Family...

The pool full of presents for little Jordan :-)

She'll be the cutest cheerleader ever...go Bears!!! (surprisingly my Mom did not get this for her)

Her 1st fishing pole....it's Barbie...Nate will love helping her catch a BIG one

Jordan's 1st bikini....too cute. Can't wait for her grandparents WI cabin

The display of delicious food

Beautiful beach cake...it was nummy

The drink table....a punch I couldn't enjoy....glad the guests could

My sister, Aimee threw a fabulous Baby Beach Bash shower for Jordan & I. She decorated the house w/ palm trees, sea shells, beach towels & had a wonderful display of tropical foods. Lots of fruit, sandwich roll-ups, salad, crackers, dip & delicious punch. It was so nicely put together & really thought out. I'm so proud of her for all her hard work. (I know my Mom helped too, but Aimee was the leader at the shower).

It was so nice to see family & family friends. Everyone loves buying for a girl. Jordan received so many cute outfits, bathing suits, books, & a new barbie fishing pole. Her daddy was very excited for that gift. All the gifts we received were wonderful. We are so thankful to have such great family & friends who love us & our baby so much :-)

We played games & at the end of the shower all the guests received a CD made by my Mom & Aimee w/ all daughter/mom songs. They really thought of everything. It was such a special day for us. Thanks for everyone who came & thank you Aimee & Mom. You two are so amazing!!!

Hope you enjoy the pics from the shower....
Love xoxoxo,
The Helgerson's

News about Daddy....not us for once...

So...Wednesday 8/12, Nate called me to inform me that he was at Swedish American ER in Belvidere. He hopped over a fence to get to a job site & when he landed the yard sloped down causing his right ankle/foot to roll over. He heard cracking & popping & said it hurt so badly that he thought he was going to vomit. (Too much info?) He called his boss to come get him, but he didn't answer, so he called his Mom who is off in the summer & lives in Belvidere. She came to the rescue & brought him to the ER.

The ER doctor took x-rays, said it didn't look broken, if anything he has torn ligaments. He was put in an airsoft cast & is on crutches until he sees a podiatrist.

So...Today 8/14 (Grammie Deb's aka My Mom's bday) he had an appointment w/ a podiatrist at 3:00 p.m. She did not do any x-rays...she felt the area, asked questions about his pain & decided he needed to be put in a soft cast. She came back in the room w/ all the necessities to make a cast. He is to be in the soft cast for 10 days. It needs to stay dry & clean. After 10 days he returns to her office to get the cast off, have an MRI & see what happens next. She says he will be on crutches for the next 2 weeks at best case scenario. Worst case is he's on crutches & in a cast for 4+ weeks.

Nate has another appointment scheduled Monday 8/24 w/ the podiatrist. We'll know more at that time. For now he is to ice it, keep it elevated, dry & clean. Now I have a bed rest buddy :-) It's sad that the healthiest person in our house is the dog. Doozer is now our nurse. Very scary!!!

Well, that's the newest info in our household. Pretty scary that we will be parents in 8 weeks. Haha. Hope you are all enjoying your summer...ours has been pretty weird. Hoping for better luck next year!

Love xoxoxo,
The Helgerson's

Another GREAT OB Visit...

Pretty Disney Princess wall...rocking chair will go there when we get one

Her big window....there will be a shelf under the window soon

Jordan's beautiful bedding & crib....it looks so cozy

Changing table/dresser w/ all the shelves....organized of course :-)

Love her convertible crib....thank you Grandma & Pa

Nate loves to put things together....it's only the beginning. Haha

We had another weekly visit to our OB doctor on Monday, 8/10. We saw Dr. Nicole Macaulay at the appt. Dr. Holbrook is off for the week. Dr. M said she & Dr. H do not want to do any cervical length ultrasounds or check the cervix. They would rather leave it alone since my contraction monitoring & terbutaline pump are working so well. No point in getting the cervix all crazy again. My blood pressure is low as always, my belly is measuring at 30 weeks...so we are right on track. Only 9 more weeks to go until Jordan is ALLOWED to arrive. Our next appointment is Wed, 8/19...we will have a growth ultrasound to check how Jordan is developing & an OB visit.

The nursery is ALMOST complete. We are in search of a white rocking chair...which is harder to find than you would think. We don't want a glider/ottoman & that is all the stores seem to sell anymore. All the rocking chairs we have seen used are old & need a lot of TLC. Jordan's Daddy did all the painting & set up of the crib & dresser. He is so wonderful & helpful. We are lucky to have him :-) I've posted some pics of the nursery...still have a few things to put on the walls, bookshelf, tv/dvd stand, & rocking chair. I'm sure you will all be surprised, but the closet & drawers are all organized.

We have our 2nd baby shower this Sunday w/ my family. My sister is throwing us a "Baby Beach Bash" & I'm so excited to see what a wonderful job she does. At the age of 15 years old she's already been a Maid of Honor & now she's planning a baby shower...she's the best sister ever!!! I will post pictures next week to show all the great things we received for baby Jordan.

Have a wonderful week & weekend. We will keep you posted on any updates as always.
Love xoxoxo,
The Helgerson's

Best OB Appt Yet...

We had an OB appointment this morning at 8:45. We were scheduled for just a visit. Checked weight, blood pressure, Jordan's heart rate & measured my belly. Everything is fabulous!!! My glucose tolerance test came back normal...which means I do not have gestational diabetes :-) Great news...we were just assuming I had it, because of everything else that has gone on.

Dr. Holbrook said the meds & monitor are working great. We aren't going to change anything. We'll continue bed rest & weekly OB visits. If I feel any cramping or back pain to let her know ASAP and we'll do a cervical length ultrasound. Otherwise, we'll just keep having quick normal OB appointments.

I was very excited to be a "normal" patient today. I was in the office for 25 minutes. I'm usually there for almost 2 hours...so, it was nice for a change.

Other news in the Helgerson house...Nate put together the crib, dresser & painted Jordan's princess room. Nate also washed all the clothes, while I got to fold & hang. We kept laughing at how little all the clothes are. Jordan's crib bedding, decor & pictures for the wall will all be in this week. Her room is looking great, still lots to do. We have 3 more baby showers so I'm not going to organize to my full potential until we have everything. Haha. I'm so proud of Nate for all of his hard work on the nursery & all of his love & support through all of the craziness this pregnancy has brought us.

We are both very excited that things are starting to go well. We have 10 weeks from today for our due date of October 19th (Nate's birthday). We could go earlier, but we'd like to make it to full term. So...the more laying around the better! We will keep you all posted as usual. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer.

xoxoxoxo,
The Helgerson's