Growing!

2 months old on Christmas Eve! What a big girl!

Last week she weighed in at 9 lbs even, and 20 5/8 " long!
She is definitely healthy and even gaining baby fat! So great!

She is starting to smile and really interact more now, but it still acting like a premie.. more like a 3 week old than a 8 week old.. but still good! Eating, sleeping, everything is going fantastic! Her personality is coming out as well.. so fun!

We got the OK to go out and about Dec. 5th, which was great! This mom feels waaaay more comfortable at home now....

5 weeks old already!

Hard to believe Abigail is 5 weeks old! Time has been flying by!

She is now up to 7 lbs 2 oz, and 20 " long! So excited she is finally gaining weight!

Having been on "House Arrest" for 6 weeks (due to bedrest & premie watch) is really starting to make me crazy! I hope to attend church and normal activities as soon as the Dr gives her OK for Abigail to be out & about. :) I am so ready!

Otherwise things are going great, lots of snow up here now! Enjoying getting our Cmas decorations out and the long holiday weekend!



Our 4 week old honey

Staying Home & News

Abigail is doing well and growing so fast!

At her 3 week apt. yesterday, she was up to 6 lbs 9 oz, which is only 6 oz above her birth weight. Good, but not good enough. We will start supplementing 2-3 feedings of breastmilk a day with Neosure.. a premie formula fortifier to help add extra calories. Hopefully that will start her gaining faster!

In other news, I was told by my Dr. that I am not eating enough! I am already down to pre-pregnancy weight, and was eating well, (I thought) but according to her, the reason Abigail is not gaining could be due to the fact that I am not eating enough, hence not making enough or nutritious enough milk. I had never heard of this problem before.. (has anyone?) and so I am eating meat & potatoes and all kinds of higher calorie foods like that to help maintain a good milk supply and healthy diet. But what a weird problem to have! :)

The girls are doing so well with Abigail.. no jealousy! They actually would smother her to death with love! It is so sweet! They love giving her kisses and enjoy getting to see her all the time!

Also, cabin fever is just starting to set in for me, especially. Having a premie means being on "Premie Watch" as I call it. Basically not leaving the house with the baby and going anywhere she could be exposed to anything. ie: House arrest! ;) haha
But it does help her immune system, as it is so undeveloped as a premie, she would catch anything if exposed. So it does make sense, it is just hard to be stuck at home sometimes! But she should be well enough to travel soon.. probably around the first part of December. :) We just have to make sure she is big enough and healthy enough. :)
So then we can go back to church, and I can actually do my own shopping for once!!!! Yay!

I'll leave you with a pic of my three beautiful girls! So enjoying all of them!


Leah, Rebekah & Abigail


Abigail sleeps so much, I often "rest" with her! Such a peaceful face!

Abigail's Birth Announcement

Welcome Abigail Susanne!

Well, it happened anyway! :) After 34 weeks 5 days of waiting and hoping she wouldn't come early, all the medical tests and shots, and 1 1/2 weeks of bedrest, our Little Miss made her way into this world!

But God is good, and she is very healthy & doing amazing!

Abigail Susanne Helweg

6 lbs 3 oz

18 1/2 in. long

Sunday, Oct. 24th

6:40 am

Mom & baby are well, and hoping to come home very soon from the hospital! Thanks for all your prayers! (More pics coming soon!)

Holding her for the first time

Stabilized in the Nursery

Anxiously Waiting...

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new little one...
due in 7 weeks!!!!


Hospital bags and baby things are all ready to go!

Beautiful Crib

New Baby Bassinet for our room.. $10 yard sale find!


Waiting to add another pink name and birthdate on our Nursery Hanging :)

Fall Beauties

Here are two of the prettiest things we've seen this Fall Season!

SO CUTE!
2 1/2 and 4 1/2 yrs old

Recent Projects

Our list of outdoor work has been finally working on getting crossed off! With so much garden stuff this summer, I have been busier than I planned, and Josh as well! But we got to these projects recently! :)

Josh built me this amazing Clothesline this Spring, and I finally got a picture of it posted! It has been so nice to have! Plus I painted it this snazzy white color!

We received this porch swing as a gift (Amazing!) and all it needed was a new coat of paint! Hence, I got to paint again! :) I am so excited to have a swing to use!


Josh's brothers came over one weekend and helped Josh cut most of his woodpile up and stack it into his Woodshed. So we are all set with cut wood for the year! Thanks guys! :) They also helped re-paint our Tool-Shed, which was in a sad state!


Looks amazing! Brand-new!


Then, with our Tool-Shed looking so nice, we re-painted out garage trim as well.. and cleaned the steel siding. It hadn't been done in 12+ years, and it makes it look like a new building! I got to paint most of this myself and it was so fun! I love paint to make things look fresh and new!

Josh's Massive Crappie!

Josh and his brothers went fishing a few weeks ago, and Josh caught a MASSIVE 14 1/2 inch Crappie! He was so proud and took lots of pictures, and decided to even get it mounted! Way to go Honey! I am so excited for him!

Josh and his monster


As big as his arm!

That thing is a beast!

Welcome Baby Melody!

Congratulations to my sister-in-law Hannah & hubby Adam on the birth of their new little girl!
So excited to go and meet my new little niece! :)



Melody Rose
September 7, 2010
12:27 pm
8 lbs 13 oz
21" long

Quick Pregnancy Update: 28 Weeks!

We made it to 28 WEEKS! YES!

For those of you who have never had a premature baby, 28 weeks is a very good age for survival without difficulty and problems (in future) for a premie!
Although getting farther along is better! ;)

Stats:

Baby Girl is doing well!
Heartbeat right around 130-140 depending on my acitivity :)
Weight gain is up to 16 lbs, but still great!
Baby likes to lay transverse, and still is active, but nicely so

Our Dr and I decided to continue with the progesterone shots, as they seem to be working well! Our goal now is to get to 36 weeks!
I also had a Fetal Fibronectin test done, which is a chemical present in your cervix if you will be delivering in the next 2 weeks or so. If the test is positive, I will be getting Beta-Methazone shots to develop the lungs faster. This week the test was negative, which is great!
I also got my cervical length, which is right around 4.5, and our Dr was very happy it was so thick!

So, all in all, it looks great for a smooth, healthy (hopefully term) delivery for our new little one!

What I have been Up to!

Canning Garden Produce!

These are my brand-new shelves that Josh built me for all my canned produce! As he built them, he said "You will never fill these up!" I said "Wanna bet?"
Guess who is winning?

We have been so blessed this year with great produce, from our garden and from friends.
Some of the things I have been doing:

60+ quarts of green/yellow beans
60+ quarts of corn
30+ quarts of applesauce
30+ quarts of diced tomatoes
25 quarts of pickles

and just the tail end of garden season stuff to go! :)
It has been sooooooo fun to watch my shelves fill and look so pretty! So thankful!

Pregnancy Update: 26 weeks

It's been a while since I updated about our beautiful Baby Girl #3 :)

At 26 weeks:

I am up to 12 lbs weight gain (Very good!)

Measuring right on at 26 inches, (although I feel HUGE already, due to the fact she likes to lay transverse and it's a 3rd pregnancy!)

Baby is about 2 1/2 lbs and heartbeat is strong, she is an active girl, but very sweet to me still.. not too "poky"

At 22 weeks I made a decision with my Doctor to start Progesterone shots as a way to keep my hormone levels up to avoid another pre-term delivery until we reach a viable age. (28 weeks)
So every week I go in and get a simple shot, but it is a safe way to ensure this Baby stays in until she is ready! One of the side effects of the shots is possible weight gain, so we are monitoring my weight very carefully, as I tend to have bigger babies anyway, and extra weight gain is NOT a good idea. So far it has been beyond perfect! I think it is due to the fact that I am pregnant during summer, and can be active and eat LOTS of fresh garden produce for much cheaper than I could in winter with my previous pregnancies!

Baby has been very active as of late, and loves to lay transverse, which I am so thankful for! It makes carrying a lot more comfortable, and NO rib kicking!!! ;) Plus you can see her kicks as well as feel them now, which is great fun!

Pregnancy is going very well as we head into the 3rd trimester! Will update you after 28 weeks!

Field trip at Itasca

One of the things I love about MN is living near so many great state parks.. including Itasca! We go there a lot, and we took lots of fun pictures on one of our most recent trips.. ;) The girls and I had a blast!



Leah enjoying the wading at Headwaters

Even Bekah got into it, surprisingly!


My sweet girls


All of us


So cute!


Leah and her "old trees" at Preacher's Grove


Enjoying her own tree at the playplace in the Visitor Center

Fun at the Fair!

We got a chance to enjoy the county fair a few weeks ago, and the girls especially loved the baby animal exhibit! :)

Bekah and the chickens

Leah loved her little goat!

And of course, baby pigs you can pet!

Some of my entries that had placed this year! yay!

Berry Picking!

In June, we went out and picked many wonderful Strawberries that were available locally, and had a blast! :) It was Bekah's first time "picking" or should I say eating, the berries! Leah was a pro and took to it right away! It was great fun!


My beautiful berry


Helping Grandpa pick!


Our plentiful picking!
Perfect for all our jam-making!

Our New Camper!

We are so blessed to now have one thing I have always LONGED for..........

a pop-up family camper!!!!

No more tenting for this family!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sooo excited to use it this summer and all the many summers to come! :)

Dave & Susan's Anniversary!

Happy 30th Anniversary to my in-laws.. David & Susan!

I was honored to get to plan a open house for them on the 27th of June at their home church, and it was a blast! All the Helwegs (save Michael in the Marines) were there and helped with everything! It was a great time of fellowship & family!

Dave & Susan... 30 years!

Beautiful cake!


Enjoying the treat table..
assorted bars, chex mix, and cream cheese mints!


The Guest Table
we also had a family photo slideshow made by James!
It was amazing! :)


Us 4 Helweg girls.. :)
All of us will have had a baby in the last year and a half by Nov '10!)


The entire Helweg Family


Me and my very special mother-in-love.. :)