Poor Baby!

Well, I thought I would write my feelings about this weekend. First of all, my cute baby started running a fever around Wednesday. But, it was just aroun 99 and wasn't really doing anything, so we were not sure if it was a real fever or just her getting hot. Friday, my mom was watching her and I was seeing if she was doing ok, when all the sudden she had a temperature of 100. Nik ran her to her doctor. Well, to everyone's surprise he sent her home and said it could be a virus or a reaction from her shots. (Her shots were two weeks tomorrow) Now, Nik and I have had thoughts about her doctor and thought he was starting to be better since the last problem we had. So we trusted him and went through another rough night. However, in the middle of the night she started running a 101 fever and was just staring at me. Saturday we sat home and then Nik went and finished the Christmas shopping. While he was out getting the last of it done, I started questioning the thought that her fever should not be going on. I went and checked her temp, after giving her tylonol 1 hour before, and her temp was not going down, but was going up. We are now at 5 o'clock, and my thoughts is when does a fever really last this long? I called the instacare and asked them my questions. They said to get her in right away. When we got there the doctors were very good! This is another doctor looking at her and made comments such as her ears are red (when the doctor said the day before they were perfectly fine!) Also, he said that he was concered that a 2 month old is running such a high fever and did not have a serious ear infection or anything else that was sticking out serious. He said he wanted to make sure that there was nothing else, before we left. So, he had her checked for a bladder infection. I had to go through the painful part of watching them try to get a cathader in (sorry for spelling). After about 10 min or so they were finally able to get a sample, thankfully she went before they got it in. When he came back, he told us that she DID have a bladder infection and was very thankful that we brought her back in.

Well, today, the intacare called back and checked on her and made sure everything was going better. Now, I have to say I am a little upset at her orginal doctor that told us everything was fine, when last night the doctors were not going to let her leave before they found the source of the fever. Since this is the second time we have had problems with him not listening to us, and making us feel like we are in there being dumb, I am looking for another doctor. We are supposed to make a follow up appointment this week and I don't think I could really go back to him and trust him.

Soooo , if anyone knows of any good doctors that are out my way, please let me know!

I am proud to say that today she is back to her really happy self and is talking up a storm. Thanks to the great doctor that was so willing to spend his time to help her!

OK, OK, coming soon

Well, I was going to post a bunch of things tonight, but Nikelle decided that she would sit next to me and talk to me and want me to do other things. So...while I have a second.....
coming soon is going to be some New Kids on the Block pics. Yes...I went to the fabulous concert and have to say it was a blast! When the pics are posted I will tell you more! I know you can't wait!!!

Nikelle Loves bath time!

Nikelle is getting so big! I returned to work and I can see the changes more then ever. I leave her with my mom everyday and am so lucky to have her be able to take the chance to watch her, so I can go to work and know that she is ok! It seems like since I have returned to work, we have been taking more pictures of her. Every night Nikelle starts getting fussy around 7:30 and wants to take her bath. She loves her bath time (now). I can't say the same for getting dressed after, but she is starting to splash. We are so lucky to have a precious little girl that is a great baby. People always say having a baby is life changing and hard at times, but you have a hard time wondering what life would be without them. It is so true. I look forward to coming home each day to see my little girl and my husband. It's wierd to think we did not have her in our life two months ago. So many things have changed, but we are slowly adjusting and can not imagine life without her!

Cozy little towel and on her way to get dressed!

Dressing Nikelle for the weather...What a cute little bear!

Nikelle's first pumpkin

She loves her little chair and keeps trying to talk to them.

Oh, she found the one on the side.

Happy birthday to me!!

Happy birthday to me!!

On Saturday, November 8th I turned another year older. I always look forward to my birthday because it is a busy time for the family. Nik's sister's b-day is on the 6th, and his grandma's is on the 10th so, it is filled with dinners and celebrations.

For my birthday, my mom took Nikelle for her first night away.

It was a nice break. We have been dealing with her screaming non-stop for a few weeks,

and it was a day worth waiting. Although I did not have her, I found myself waking

up every few hours waiting to hear her grunts and movements. (She is a very noisy sleeper)

Nik and I went to dinner and did not need to rush through to attend to her and then relaxed the rest of the night.

Awww it was a great birthday!

P.S. Since I return to work tomorrow, we think we have found out what was wrong

with Nikelle and the crying has quit. It is amazing what happens when you go

to the doctor each week.....grrr! It is nice to have my happy baby back!

Happy Halloween

It was Nikelle's and Aniston's (my niece) first halloween. I can say, I think they really enjoyed it....haha. It was a pretty good day and I have to say that Halloween is more fun when you have a kid. Well, we started by going to visit Nik's grandma, then went and saw my parents and then went to Nik's sister to meet up with his family and take my nephews trick or treating.
Dallas thought that going to one or two houses was enough and then was giving out his own candy. Garett couldn't see why his uncles wanted to go back out to get more candy. Then finally he saw that he would get more candy. When you see his costume you will say it fits him after hearing that.
At least next year, Nikelle will be walking and she will be able to get her own candy (and give most of it to her dad).

Happy One Month Birthday Nikelle

It is official! Nikelle is one month old today.

It is hard to believe that she has been in our life for one month. It just seems like yesterday that we found out we were going to have a baby. Life has had many changes in the last month. I think we are finally finding our way and adjusting to the changes.

I thought I would start out for telling you how Nikelle got her name. Some of you know, but some of you do not. So.....Nik and I have had this name decided for a while. We always used to joke about the funny names we would name our kids. Some of them was jeep, jetta, Barthamou, you get the point. Well, Nik's mom said that Justin could name one of his kids Justine so it would be like having his name (if it was a girl, instead of jr or something). We started combing our names and came up with Nikchelle, but it was to close to Michelle. We took a few letters out and got Nikelle. It is Nik's name plus the last part of mine.

Now for the middle name....Annlea (pronounced ann-lee). Nik and I struggled with this one and finally one night we sat down and listed both sides of the family and was trying to combine letters and names in some way. Nik's dad's middle name is lee and we were trying to think of how to carry part of the Gerritsen's after Nikelle got married. Well, almost two years ago, we both lost our close aunts. My aunt Ann was serving her mission in Flordia and past away from a car accident. His aunt past away a few months later after struggling with MS. Her middle name was Lea (Lee). Both of our aunts played a huge role in our life, and we started considering how to do this. Nik thought of Leann, but we wern't to sure. He later came up wit Annlea. When Nikelle was born we had to decide. Nik felt that Leann was an older name and liked how Annlea was different from everyone else, kinda like her first name. So, that is how Nikelle got her name. Now, Nikelle can grow up knowing she has her mom and dad's name and two very important peoples, in our life's, name to help complete it.
Now that we all know the history, and have become attached to cute little Nikelle, here is a slideshow to show how much our little princess has grown in one month! Enjoy!

Starting to see.....

Well, today I think it finally got official.....I feel like a mom. It is starting to sink in that I actually have a family of my own (haha). I know this is wierd, but I'm one of those people that think things will really never change. I know we grow up, but it is hard to see that things REALLY change. Get my drift? Well, sorry if you don't, but looking back it has already been a month since Nikelle was born. It has been almost a year since we found out that we were going to have a baby (in Jan). And today, when I went in to change Nikelle, I put on an outfit that was one of the first newborn outfits to fit her. Well, I think today will be the last time that she will wear it. It is starting to get a little small. She is still really small, but I thought I would put it in perspective for you. I laid her next to the elmo and well you can see....



She is starting to get so big so quick. Everyone always says they grow up quickly and I believe that, but I didn't think it would be this fast.

Little or Big Nikelle

If anyone knows Nik's mom, Beckie, or otherwise known as Grandma China, well she is crafty. I am so lucky to have a great mother in-law that is willing to help me as much as my own mom. So, she is into making these hats here lately and when Nikelle was born she made her one.........







as you can see it was a little small.
That is some skill....it is hard to get something to small for little Nikelle.

So, she gave another try, but was trying to make one for Nikelle's cousin, Aniston, because hers was to large. Well, now this one was a little tight on little tubby's head, so it fit Nikelle. Awwww isn't it adorable?!?!?






Also, I promised some pics of her cute room. Well, it is not all the way done, but here is the main idea.

Mclaren

Well, watching Nikelle grow made us think of Mclaren. I know!! Shes a dog. But, our animals are our kids too. She is four months old and actually is a pretty good puppy. She is still learning of course. But, Nik was arranging his pictures and here is Mclaren growing up. Oh the joys of having a puppy!

Nikelle and her 3rd week

Nikelle is 3 weeks old and growing!

Boy is Nikelle growing. She weighs 6 lbs 9 oz! She is about 20 in long. Since my camera finally decided to work today, I thought I would post some pics from her third week.

Here is Nikelle after a bath.....as long as she is wrapped like a "barrito" (as her dad says) she is happy. Believe me....you don't want to know what she sounds like when she is upset.

This is Nikelle being peaceful.....haha she is such a good baby! As you can tell she does not like her hands wrapped up. If they are not where she can fling them around, she will let you know. Gotta love the crazy hair!

Nikelle had her two week checkup this week. Here is her "flipper" after her PKU...poor baby!

Nikelle and her daddy, she is telling him a story. Gotta love the lazy Sunday's when dad and daughter can hang in their white t-shirts!

AND...of course I can not leave out our other kids. Here is Mclaren looking at the camera wondering what her dad is doing.

Nikelle Annlea Gerritsen has arrived!

She's finally here!
Nikelle was born on September 28th at 1:52 am. Here is a pic right after her bath with her dad!

Well, here's the story. Friday at work, before she was born, I felt the best I had in a long time. Everyone was saying this was going to be the weekend. But, at the doctor that Wednesday before I was barley thinning and I was not dilating. So, Saturday morning came around 5 am I woke up to some weird feelings. I just thought they were funny pains and didn't think to much about it. Well, after trying to go to sleep many times and waking up every 10 to 15 minutes I was wondering, but still did not think anything about it. Finally, I got up and tried to start my day. When my mom called I said, I might run to the hospital just to see what is going on. But, I still laid around and tried to do stuff.

Later that afternoon, Nik's mom and dad came by the house, and by now these funny pains were every 3 to 5 minutes. His mom suggested that we go to the hospital because she was pretty sure they were contractions. So up to the hospital we went.

I checked in and long behold I was dilated to a 3! I was still thinking they were going to send me home. About an hour later they came back and I was almost a 4 so they kept me. This was about 5 pm Saturday night. After I got the "happy shot" I wanted to sleep and I found out later on I said some pretty funny things, that I really don't remember, but Nikelle arrived finally.....weighing 5 lbs 10 oz! A long shot from the 7 or 8 lbs she was supposed to be. Things are calming down and getting back to normal, but life is getting more exciting.....

I'm Still Alive!!

I know, I know!!! It has been a few months since my last post. So here is an update. I have finished my Master's which is a big reason why I was not posting. I was taking two classes at one time and it was a little busy. But!! Now I am finished and can get back to normal life.
Nik and I are going to have a little girl in a few weeks. Her name is Nikelle, but we are still debating a few middle names. We have been working on her room and it is almost finished. I just had my baby showers this past week, and wow!! I am thankful to all the people in my life that are here to help me out. Without them I don't think Nikelle would be coming home to anything. So, thanks to everyone! I will post a pic of her room when we get it finished and everything set.
Besides those two time consuming things, we got to celebrate Nik's dad's 50th birthday. His mom had her knee replaced, which was about time!!! My little niece, Aniston, was born on July 6th. When I hold her Nikelle goes nuts! It will be nice for her to have a cousin her same age. AND.....I know, we are strange. We got a puppy. Her name is Mclaren. She is a golden retriever and is very cute. This is her at 12 weeks. She is just 15 weeks now. Slightly bigger. She is potty trained and it was quick for her. She listens to sit and stay is getting better. She loves her dad and makes sure that he plays with her everyday. Well, since I have put everything in a nutshell, I will go back to doing normal posts. Hopefully in the next few weeks you will be looking at pictures of Nikelle. If she is not out by then, I might scream! She is just as stubborn as her dad....horray!!!

Part of the Family

Just to introduce you or visit our family so far. The kitty, her name is Ellie. We have had her for a year and she is a strange kitty. Shes the baby and knows it! The white dog is Jetta. Nik and I got her from one of my past boss'. They were moving and could not take care of her. She is a little timid, but is very cute and looks up to Anna. Anna is a golden retriever/australian shepard mix. She is Nik's baby and is the best dog I have ever known. She is so smart and loves babys and other baby animals. As you can see, just to take her picture she has to get her belly rubbed!! What a bunch of spoiled cute animals!

Getting Crafty!!

It's official!!! I might be totally bored, because I am doing things that I am not very good at. I got a sewing machine last week, and this is what I made. It was actually quite easy. I know it is not much, and many people are most likely laughing, because it is something that is not to hard, but anyone who knows me I am horrible at crafts!! I am getting more daring this week and I am going to make a blanket like this, but with batting.....(wheres the awwwss and eewwws). Nik and I should find out what the baby is for sure on Wednesday, so I am just making stuff with colors that could go both ways.

Happy Birthday Dallas!

My little nephew turned two on June 6th. He is about to have a little sister in a few weeks and really looks up to his older brother. He had a clown (my aunt, Rainbow) to help entertain all the kids and enjoys all his new toys. Of course, he blew out his candles and we ate the cake with the wonderful red and blue frosting. It just seems like yesterday that he is born, but he is starting to love to talk!!

(Of course this is a picture of him last year, until I get the other one to work it will have to do.)

Vegas Vacation June 08

Here are some vegas pics. They are also on the side for the future. I have also posted our wedding memories. If you click on the aol pictures it will take you to my photo album. On the right is where you can visit just those pics!!

Vegas Video

Well, since the news in Jan (we're expecting) the trip to Vegas had to change a little. I settled for just being able to ride the Gondola's. Here is the man that took us on our boat ride and made us fill like we were there (haha)....I guess it is beter than the smell. (That is what he told us)

The First Try

Well, I am trying to discover the world of blogging. I am home this summer bored and thought that I would work on getting this down. Nik and I are expecting our fist child in October. We are starting to get very excited (nervous). We are at 90% for a girl, but that can all change. We just got home from Las Vegas on Saturday, May 31. It was a nice outing. We both got the great present of a cold to bring home and have been sick since. It was the perfect temp although I am not liking the swelling of the feet! We were able to see just about everything we could think about and more. We visted Hoover Dam to see the new construction of the bridge. It is huge when you get up there!! Nik was a little bummed that we couldn't ride all the adventurous roller coasters, but it was all worth it and will be more rewarding later on.