Homecoming!

Will was released from the NICU today! His jaundice/bilirubin count went down a little bit from yesterday. The NICU doc advised us to visit Will's pediatrician on Wednesday in order to check his count to ensure it keeps going down. It was a great feeling packing up and leaving the hospital family suite and NICU room, but also a little scary! The nurses and docs in the NICU have taught us so very much. We will miss them, but we know we're ready to start the adventure at home! Below are some pics of us leaving Clarian North.

Looking studly laying on Great Grandma Jo's hand-made blanket

Our Family!

Will's First Week of Life

Bright Eyed at 2 Days Old with Feeding Tube


5 Days Old and Healing Well


Will Loves to Eat!


Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken me awhile to post some info/pictures. Little Will is still here at Riley/Clarian North NICU, but he's doing very well. The doctor thinks he may get released tomorrow if his jaundice levels go down. He had a high level of 14.7 at the start and went down to an 8.6, but then rebounded up to a 10.4. We are hoping the trend starts back downward! Will's high red blood cell count should also go down soon since it's related to the jaundice and bruising from the forceps. He finally gained some weight today---yeah! Babies usually lose some weight after delivery, so Will went down to 5 lbs. 12 oz. for a few days after being born at 6 lbs. 3 oz. But today he gained close to 3 oz, so he's measuring in at 5 lbs. 15 oz! He's still super long and skinny...but cute as a button! You'll see from our pictures that Will's really come far with the bruising. We definitely wanted to refrain from showing you some of the more scary pictures of him right after delivery and the following day, so we started with a picture of him at day 2. You wouldn't believe how far he's come though, if you'd seen the way he was bruised when he was born! We are so thankful...

Thanks again to all of you for your unending care, support, and any prayers you lift up for Will! =)

Blessed from Above...

Our precious little Will made his grand entrance to the world on Tuesday, Aug. 25th at 6:11 AM. Both mom and dad are thrilled that he is here and that the very strenuous and long delivery is behind us. William Zachary Elder weighed in at 6lbs. 3oz. and is 19 and 3/4 in. long. He has been spending his time with the wonderful Riley North NICU team here at Clarian North due to the magnesium sulfate that mom had to be on for high blood pressure during delivery. The mag made mom very sick with double vision, hot flashes, and a feeling of overall drunkenness for the day of the delivery and the entire next 24 hours. The magnesium causes babies to be more lethargic than normal. Will seems to be handling it fine in the NICU because he is breathing very well on his own, his heart rate is wonderful, and he opens his eyes a couple times a day! Will has many bumps and bruises from the forceps delivery, and this is another reason for the NICU to watch over him. He's just a little soar!! His busted lower lip, bruised nose, and marks on his face/head are all healing very quickly, but they definitely caused little Will to not want to eat much at first! Thanks to the fab NICU team, Will has been getting great care & nourishment through a feeding tube and today he started to do some feedings on his own without the tube. This means the tylenol they provide Will with is helping his lower lip not ache so bad! =) The saddest part is that momma can't even be with her baby during the first day of his life. Due to the magnesium I had to be on for 24 hours after delivery, I could only be wheeled down to the NICU to see my baby for 30 minutes total during the first day of his life. Talk about difficult for mom to handle!

We think he's just precious and perfect. We also feel blessed to have him in our life. We're so thankful for all of the loving support our family & friends have showered us with. Can't wait for everyone to meet him!
Thank you for following our updates! Your prayers are appreciated beyond words.
Love,
Alyson & Jeff

P.S. It's taken me a long time (8 weeks to be exact) to emotionally heal from our traumatic delivery in order to be able to post a picture of how our sweet boy looked when he was first born. But I feel it's an important part of the process of appreciating just how far he's come and a part of the miracle that he is today! This is one picture that shows how little Will was hurt from the long strenuous delivery. The magnesium in his system made him a limp noodle and the physical marks are all from the forceps. CLEARLY, my ex-OB did not have the necessary skills with forceps...rrrr. And why didn't she just do a c-section?! Jeff and I decided to fire her from delivering any more of our babies! So here it goes....

We've Arrived!

Aly was admitted to the hospital Sunday night to get ready for the induction on Monday! We had a great last dinner as just the two of us at Carrabba's Italian Grill. You can see how swollen (and ready) Aly looks to deliver baby!! Is it possible to retain any more water?! Geesh...!

The Time is Here!

Today was our 36 week appointment! After a long afternoon that included a non stress test, an ultrasound, waiting in the lobby (and running into some old friends!), and meeting with our doctor... We have some news!

Baby Will is doing very well. The ultra sound estimates that he's measuring in at a hefty 7 lbs. 3 oz. and I'm measuring at 40 weeks! Wowzers... We can't imagine how big this boy would be if I actually went to a full 40 weeks before delivering! Our doctor said "this baby is totally ready to be born" and she feels great about inducing me at 37 weeks with my pregnancy induced hypertension. She said the longer I stay pregnant, the worse my blood pressure will be. I am already witnessing that, as this past week has been a difficult one with high blood pressure.

The Plan--
1. This Sun. night (Aug. 23rd), Aly will get admitted to the hospital to prepare for the induction.
2. On Mon. morning (Aug. 24th), the pitocin induction will begin!
**Hopefully, a healthy baby boy will be delivered by the end of the night on Aug. 24th (without having to use magnesium sulfate--a very nasty "last resort" drug that's used to bring down high blood pressure).

Thank you for your prayers and support!
--Jeff & Alyson

We figured we'd post a few pregnant belly pictures since the end is in sight! =)

A Delivery Week in Sight!

THE VERDICT-- We will officially be parents in 8 to 18 days!

Today was my 35 week appointment. Doctor believes that both mom and baby are continuing to do well! The plan... Go back next Tuesday to see how things are progressing; have an ultrasound and run tests. If things look shaky, they'll deliver Will next week (Aug. 18). Or, if things are still looking up, my doctor will wait to deliver Will until the following week (Aug. 24th) when I'm 37 weeks. I will keep you updated!

Jeff and I are feeling nervous about what type of delivery I'll have. We greatly appreciate your prayers for my doctor's careful assessment and decision of when and how to deliver baby Will considering my gestational hypertension!

34 WEEKS!!!

A big YEAH! We made it to a significant milestone...Aly is 34 weeks pregnant as of August 4th! This is a big deal because baby's lungs are more developed and he has a better chance of less health problems if born past 34 weeks. If Will was born now, he'd probably be able to breathe on his own, but would need help with his feeding/sucking reflex and would require a feeding tube.

The next milestone is to hit 37 weeks! But each and every day counts! One day in the womb is like a week outside the womb, so we hear. =)

Baby Will still looks wonderful on the NSTs that the nurse performs every day. It's always great to hear his heartbeat and see all the activity he manages to fit inside my womb. At times, it's uncomfortable, but I'm thankful he's a happy and active little boy!

Painted by Lee Bellin