The Story of Nathan

In honor of Nathan's one week birthday I thought I had better update the blog with his birth story. If you missed the events leading up to last friday you can read about them by scrolling down.
Last Thursday was a nice day spent with just me and Naomi. We went to storytime at the local library, had McDonalds for lunch, and shared lots of hugs and snuggles. During her nap I got a call from the maternity ward at ARH (click on the link to see pictures of the new hospital) and they told me that my section was scheduled for 9:15 on Friday morning and that we should be at the hospital at 8:00. That evening Ron's parents brought us dinner and we spent the evening together, just the three of us. Around 8:00 we dropped Naomi off at my parents house again and gave her lots of hugs and kisses. It was hard to believe that my baby girl would be a big sister the next day.
Ron and I had a great night sleep, although both of us were feeling nervous and excited.
On Friday morning we woke up and headed to the hospital. When we got there the nurses were saying that every room in the maternity ward was full. It had been a very busy night:). They got me all ready for surgery and took us down the hall to the OR. While we were waiting we met with our surgon (Dr. Goswami) and she assured us that everything would be fine and had us sign some concent forms.
At 9:15, as scheduled, I was wheeled into the OR for my spinal. Unfortunalty, it did not work and I had to be put under general anisthetic, just like when Naomi was born.
Then finally after the months of waiting, Nathan Henry Klassen made his entrance into the word at 9:56am on Friday, May 22, 2009. Ron was able to see him right away and watch the nurse weigh and measure him. Everyone was suprised to hear how heavy he was. 11 lbs 5 oz and 23 inches long! A beautiful baby boy!

I woke up in recovery and soon was transfered to our room. Ron was waiting for me and told me that Nathan was in the NICU. Nathan was having trouble maintaining his blood sugar levels because he was such a big baby. As soon as I could I asked Ron to bring me to the NICU to see our son.


When I first saw him my inital reaction was that he looked a lot like Naomi did when she was first born. It was so nice to finally see him and hold him in my arms. The nurses had tried to give him an IV 4 times, but they couldn't get it in because he is so chubby. Instead they inserted a feeding tube in his nose so that they could constantly feed him formula to keep his blood sugars regulated.
I got up every 4 hours for the next day and night to go visit him and nurse him. He nursed really well right away, but was not getting enough since my milk had not come in yet. The nurses tested him by taking blood from his heel every few hours. His sugars thankfully stayed at proper levels.
After 24hrs in the NICU our little buddy was finally able to join us in our room. It was so nice to have him so close by. Just before he came to our room Nathan got so frusterated with having the tape on his face he pulled out his feeding tube and it left a huge red mark on his cheek. Although he was nursing well he still needed a topup of formula after each feed, and he eagarly gobbled this down every few hours.

We enjoyed many visitors during the next day, but the most special momment was when Naomi got to meet her little brother. It was so wonderful to see how gentle and loving she was towards him. She just held his hand and kept saying "Hi, Hi" in a quiet voice. We asked her if she wanted to sing a song for Nathan and she said yes. Then she sang "Jesus loves me" without any prompting from us.

Ron and I both missed her so much while we were in the hospital. She seemed so indepedant when she came to visit us and didn't seem upset about spending the weekend with Opa and Oma. In fact it was quite the opposite. She just kept saying that she wanted to have a sleepover at Omas house. We know she was well taken care of and obviously had a wonderful time.
The next evening we got the ok to go home. We packed up all our things and our precious "little" son and began our new life as a family of four.


Things have been going well since we got home. He has been up for a few hours every night except for last night, but sleeps well durring the day. Even when Naomi is playing her recorder right by his bassinet:) He is now completely on breastmilk and does not need any formula. This is such an answer to prayer, because I was worried that he would not nurse well after getting used to having a full tummy of formula. So far he is nursing like a champ and no longer needs to have the formula to feel full.
Naomi is adjusting well and really seems to love her little brother. She is loving having her daddy home to play with all day and all the extra attention.
We have been so blessed by our families. They have come to visit every day and taken turns bringing us dinner every night since we have been home. Thankyou, we love you all!

I love my little family so much and I am enjoying each day with them. I think this post is definalty long enough. If you have read all the way to the end "thank-you", and if you just stoped by for the pictures "thanks" also :) I just had to get this all down to preserve my memories since the days have a way of running into each other and I don't want to forget all the little details of my little mans big day.

The best laid plans....

Last weekend turn out to be SO different than the one we had planned. Talk about toying with a pregnant woman's emotions!
It all started last Thursday at my normal doctor's appointment. My blood pressure was up, but thankfully not dangerous, so I was sent to the hospital for a Non-stress test. (Basically checking baby's heart rate, movement and my blood pressure). The results of this test were that my blood pressure was still up so they had the lab come up to do some blood work. The nurses at the hospital called the doctor with my results and he said to come in again on Saturday and if my BP was still up I should be prepared to have a C-section that day. So, I went home and told Ron the plan and we prepared to have a baby on Saturday. It seemed like perfect timing. My parents were talking Naomi for the long weekend, and Ron would be home all the following week.
I got a call that afternoon to go see my doctor the next morning because they found white blood cells in my urine which indicated an infection of some sort.
Friday morning Ron stayed home from work and I went to the doctors to see what the diagnose was. Bladder infection! All the pressure and discomfort I had been feeling was not Braxon Hicks but rather this silly bladder infection. They put me on antibiotics and I began to feel a lot better, even after only a few doses.
That night my parents took us out for dinner to Greek Island and then took Naomi to their house for the night so that we could relax and be at the hopstial early the next morning.

Saturday morning came and we both felt such peace about the whole situation. We knew that in a few hours we would be parents again and life would be forever changed. We got up to the maternity ward and checked in. They hooked me up to the machines for another NST, and this time my BP was great. In fact it was the lowest it had been in months! I attribute it all to those who were praying for us and the peace that passes all understanding from God above.
The doctor came in to chat with us about the options. I had wanted a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) from the beginning and therefore had not scheduled a C-section. He said that he wanted to give us every opportunity to have a natural birth if possible, however we could also just give the word and it would be a C-section, so he suggested we talk to the obstetrician.
The obstetrician went over all the risks of a section and had us sign some forms. She was not able to do the surgery that day, and she could not justify a c-section before my due date. She told us that her next available OR time was for Friday May 22. I was disappointed. Although a C-section was not my first choice, by this time I had accepted the fact that this was how it was going to be. When she said that I would have to wait nearly another whole week I could not help but get upset. She told us that her office would contact us to confirm about what time on Friday early the next week.
So, we headed home with all our bags still packed and an empty car seat. We had a nice lunch together and then picked up Naomi from my parents place. We enjoyed the rest of our long weekend with friends and even took Naomi down to White Rock to play in the sand and water. She had a fabulous time.


On Monday I got a call from the obstetrician's office and they told me that Friday was full, so I was an add-on for the following Monday (May 25th), but they couldn't guarantee that it would happen that day. Talk about frustrating!!! I was so sick and tired of hearing, "Well, it MIGHT happen", or "If there are no emergencies before you..." Ahhh! All I want is to have this baby already.
The hospital called on Tuesday morning and asked me to come in on Wednesday morning for my pre-op appointment to go over things for my "possible" section on Monday.
So today I headed to my appointment and answered all the questions and had even more blood work done. Just as I was leaving the obstetrician popped her head into the office and told me that one of the women who was scheduled for Friday just had her baby. So that meant that I went from "possibly Monday" to for sure on Friday!
I am waiting for the hospital to call me tomorrow to tell me what time I have to come in on Friday, but at least I know that by the weekend we will be a family of four!
Sorry this post got so long, I really wanted to get down all the details for my own memories. If you don't hear from in in a while, rest assured it is because I am enjoying my newest baby and trying to recover.

Anxious Anticipation

These are the last few days of being the mom of one. I'm nervous about the adjustment. My mind is filled with so many questions: Will I be able to handle being the mom of two? Will Naomi get enough attention once baby comes? Will she act out? What will I do if they both need me at the same time? How will I ever get anything done around the house with two beautiful children to care for? Is is possible to love another child as much as I love Naomi? How will this labour/delivery/recovery be? I guess the best way to describe how I am feeling is anxious. Anxious for the birthing process, anxious to meet this new little one, anxious about the adjustment time. Just plain anxious.
With Naomi, I was already in the hospital at this point in the pregnancy getting my labour induced, and I am NOT eager to repeat that process. I feel like I am in "uncharted territory". I have more of the "typical" end of pregnancy symptoms than I did with Naomi, including LOTS of Braxton Hicks contractions. I hope that these are a good sign that I will go into labour on my own and avoid induction. According to the doctors a spontaneous start to labour gives me the best chance to have a VBAC and avoid another C-section. Pray with me that this will be the case, please.
Ron has been the sweetest husband throughout this pregnancy and I know that he is nervous about the transition to a family of four. I think its because we have the memories of Naomi's birth as our only reference point and that experience was anything but typical. I keep trying to remind myself that it likely won't be worse than it was with Naomi and we were able to survive that, so therefore we'll make it through, right? I know everything will work out fine, but I can't help but wonder, how?

33 weeks and Baby Guesses

I thought that since Peanut will be here soon, this would be a good time to record your guesses as to the details of this baby's arrival into the world. What is your guess? (Date, Time, Weight, and Gender)
Here is what we know:
Due Date: May 18
Morning sickness: yes
Carrying high or low?: Not really sure, but this is how I carried Naomi.

So, what is your guess? Leave a comment on this post and let me know your guess. I am looking forward to reading them. I might even try to get a little prize for the one who has the most right.

25 weeks with #2

Here is the belly shot I promised. I feel good, but I think I need to get some new maternity clothes. I'm not much for needing the latest fashion, but wearing the same pair of jeans every day is getting BORING! Why do maternity clothes have to be so expensive?
Baby #2 is still growing strong. We had an ultrasound a few weeks ago and everything looks great. I even got to watch to whole thing on a little screen while the tec was taking the measurements. What a difference from when we went in while I was pregant with Naomi. For the whole crazy story click here. When Ron came in the tec showed us all the major organs and all its limbs, assuring us that everything was looking great. In total we were in the office for less than half an hour. It's amazing what a relief it is to see our little one and to know that s/he is healthy. Baby was pretty calm durring the ultrasound and was trying to suck it's thumb. Maybe this baby will like a soother, unlike Naomi.

Everything about this pregancy is so different than it was with Naomi except for one major thing.... Gestational Diabetes! I took the one hour glucose test and failed which means I get to go back for a three hour test, yay for me! I am sure I will fail that one also, since there is a 70% chance of having it again after having it once already. I can't say that I was really surprise to hear that I have it again. This time I know I can do it and I already know what to expect. The one plus side is that it really forces me to watch what I am eating and therefore makes the whole family eat a lot healthier.
I am tired of calling this baby #2 (I always think of the Ausin Powers movie). He or she needs a good nickname. Naomi was called "Bean" so I think this baby deserves one too. So this is a challenge to all of you out there who read this blog. Help us give a nickname to #2. Leave a comment with your suggestions and I'll pick one!

Belly Picture - Week 17

This picture was taken last week. I am definitely bigger than I was at this time with Naomi, but I keep reminding myself that second babies show faster than first ones. Right? Please tell me that this is true.
I am feeling better these days. The sickness has thankfully subsided, and my appetite is coming back. I heard the baby's heartbeat at my doctors appointment at 16 weeks. What a wonderful sound! It always makes the pregnancy seem more real and is so reassuring to know that everything is well with our newest little one.
We have an ultrasound scheduled for early in the new year so I will put up some pictures of Baby Klassen #2 then.

Here is an update on how baby is doing from the website called
Pregnancy Week by Week
By 17 weeks pregnant your bean may be up to 4.8 inches in length and may weigh more than 3.5 ounces! Most babies are the size of a large apple by pregnancy week 17! During pregnancy week 17 your baby concerns herself with swimming gleefully about her home. As you continue your pregnancy week by week your baby will start converting her cartilage skeleton into bone. This will require ample calcium consumption on mom's part. By pregnancy at 17 weeks most babies can hear outside of the womb. Now is a good time to start reading to your baby or putting on nice, soothing music during the day.
You baby will start putting on a little fat in the upcoming weeks, though your baby will do most of her bulking up during the last few weeks of pregnancy.

14 weeks along with Baby # 2

Here are some quick facts about how are little baby is doing now that I am 14 weeks pregnant. I thought it would be neat to do these updates periodically during this pregnancy, since I have less time these days to think about it. As my pregnancy ticker says only 180 days 'till baby is here. I will have to think of a nickname for this baby so that I can stop calling him or her #2.

Crown to rump, our baby is around 9 centimetres long and weighs one and a half ounces. The body is now growing faster than the head. This week, its parchment-thin skin covers itself with lanugo (ultra-fine, downy hair that usually disappears before birth). Though eyebrows are beginning to grow and the hair on top of the head is sprouting, this hair may change in both texture and colour after birth.

About now, the baby can grasp, squint, frown, and grimace. It may even be able to suck its thumb. Researchers believe these and other movements probably correspond to the development of impulses in the brain.
If you or someone you know is pregnant and you want to know about the baby's development check out this great website.

37 weeks

I know that it has been far to long since my last post. so much has been going on I don't know if I will be able to write about all of it this time.
I have finished working. I did not want to stop so soon however the doctor was concerned about my blood pressure and therefore advised me to stop working imediately. I am supposed to rest each afternoon for a few hours with my feet up because my blood pressure seems to be better when I am reclined. I had really hoped to continue part time until just before the baby is due however I must say that being at home has proven to be quite a nice change.
The nursery is comming along very nicely. I can't wait to put up the finishing touches. I think that it has turned out great. I will post some picutures when it is all done.
Last Tuesday we had another ultrasound to determine the weight of the baby and to make sure that s/he has been developing properly. The good news is that everything looks healthy and the amniotic levels are good. The concern is that the baby is already weighing in at 8.5-9.5 pounds with 3 weeks to go. At my doctors appointment the next day I asked if an early induction would be possible. My doctor said that it might be best to do it early. Usually size is not a good enough reason to induce early, however because of my Gestational Diabetes and blood pressure issues they may induce as early as 38 weeks! Yikes! The 38 week mark is 2 days from now! Wow! So I will try to keep you posted! We may be parents as early as this weekend! Ahhh!

33 weeks and counting

Here is another shot of my ever expanding belly.

Sugar Saga

Well I thought that it was about time to update you all on my Gestational Diabetes story. Things are going quite well. The sugar levels seem to be under control for the most part. The morning numbers are still a little high, however the doctor and the dietitian don't seem to be worried. My next goal is to continue to maintain my glucose levels and gain weight. Hmmmm.... I am not sure how to do this but I will try. My doctor booked another ultrasound for the end of February to monitor the baby and to see how big "bean" is. I guess this will determine if I get induced early or whether I go to full term! We are taking our prenatal on Saturday all day! We have heard from others that taking it in one day is great, instead of having to go once a week for multiple weeks. Our friends Paul and Sylvia will also be in the same class with us, so that should make the entire day a lot more fun! My belly is getting rounder by the day. I will post another picture soon.

Baby Shower

Here are a few pictures from our Baby Shower!

The cake was SO cute. Thanks Victoria for makeing it. I am sure that it was delicious, although I did not have any :(


Thanks again Marilyn and Michelle for all your hard work and effort. You guys are awsome!

Lancets, Strips, and Blood

I thought that it was time to post an update of my gestational diabetes saga. Last Tuesday I had my first appointment at the diabetes center located at MSA hospital. I was pretty nervous about what it would be like, but my fears were soon laid to rest when I met the wonderful nurse and dietitian who take care of all the diabetics in the area. They are so sweet and instantly put me at ease about the entire situation.
I started by filling in some forms about my information and watching a video about gestational diabetes. I was familiar with most of the information that they presented, except when they mentioned that women with GD are often induced to begin their labour as early as 38 weeks! Wow, that means that we could see our baby as early as March 8th. So much to do........ but I am getting distracted.
After I watched the video I met with the dietitian and discussed what kinds of food I can eat. I was encouraged to hear that I was already doing a good job of eating what I should. Basically it boils down to eating according the Canadian food guide (a good idea whether you are pregnant or not) and staying away from sugar. I was please to find out that I can still eat fruit and even indulge with some artificial sweeteners if I really need something sweet. I felt very encouraged and empowered when I left that meeting armed with the knowledge that I was able to control my blood glucose levels.
Next I saw the nurse who showed me how to prick my finger with a lancet (fancy name for a really sharp needle that makes you bleed). Then she gave me a tester kit with the strips that will tell me how high my glucose levels are. I need to test myself 7 times a day (before and after each meal and once before I go to sleep. So far they have been pretty good, with a few that have been higher than ideal. The nurse reminded me that a few spikes in my glucose levels is nothing to worry about, rather I should be concerned with trends of high levels.
My first week has gone quite well and I am going to the diabetic clinic again tomorrow so that they can see how I have done this week and to give me some more encourgement and information. Then on Wednesday I am off to see my doctor again. Either the doctor or the diabetic clinic would like to see me each week, so I guess I will get very familiar with the routine.
All in all I feel very good, I have decided that there is no sense in getting all worked up about something that I cannot control. I will just do my best to control my glucose levels and leave the rest up to God. I know that He loves this baby just as much as we do.

29 weeks

As promised here is a picture of me at 29 weeks!

I failed.....

Well I have officially resigned myself to the fact that the remainder of this pregnancy will not be as easy as it has been so far. The doctor called and told me that I have gestational diabetes. That's right folks I failed my sugar test last week. This is a huge change for me. Goodbye sweet treats and chocolate... oh how I will miss you!!! I am going to the MSA diabetic clinic next week to meet with the dietitian and to get some more information about what I can and cannot eat. Then on the 17th I go in to see my doctor again.
I had read a lot about healthy eating during pregnancy, however it was too easy to justify all the little treats I was eating. If you cant spoil yourself while your pregnant when can you? But alas it has all come to an end. My consolation is that the Christmas season is over and all the rich foods are gone. It seems that everyone vows to eat healthier in the New Year and now I have a great reason to join them. It has not been as difficult as I expected it to be so far. I guess I have more will power than I thought. It does not seem like a hard decison to choose between a piece of chocolate or delivering a healthy baby. I would do anything for our little "bean".

"Bean" is my new nickname for our baby. It is always jumping around and so I started referring to it as the "Jumping bean". It also comes in handy because we do not know the sex of the baby and I really dont like calling our baby "it"
The other day I was relaxing on the couch and I started talking to our baby. I said "Hi Bean, I love you" and then I felt him/her kick. "I love you and your daddy loves you" Kick,Kick, "And your Omas and Opas love you" Kick. "And your aunties and your uncles love you too" Kick Kick. I was so neat because it really seemed like "Bean" was responding to what I was saying. I love feeling our baby move inside me. It is the most amazing feeling in the world!
I will post a new picture of my ever expanding belly soon, Wow 29 weeks I can hardly beleive it!

24 weeks and counting

Here I am getting ready to leave for Ron's work banquet. I can't believe that I am already 24 weeks along!

What a big difference from week 17

First Pictures

Here are the first pictures of our little one!

The Face! So cute... ok, I guess it looks more like a scary skull right now, but it is still a beautiful sight

Look at those long legs! Do we have a future basketball player on our hands?

Our Ultrasound

I don't know what I expected when I went in for our first ultrasound on Tuesday. I was excited and anxious to see the baby and to know that everything was going to be ok. Our appointment was for 1pm so I began to drink a lot of water! Can you believe that they ask you to drink 8 cups of water in 1 hour before your appointment. This works out to 2 liters! Needless to say I had to pee, badley. We got to the clinic and waited for our appointment. When my name was finally called Ron and I both got up to go in, however the technician asked Ron to stay in the waiting room untill she had taken some measurements of the baby.
The technician began the ultrasound and told me that the head was on the left side of my stomach and the feet were on the right side. As the ultrasound continued I began to get nervous. It seemed to be taking a really long time! The technician was silent and did not say anything to me. She kept sighing and repeating the same actions over and over again. By this time I had bee in the room for about 1 hour! I soon realized that either there was something very wrong with this baby or the tech did not know what she was doing. Finally she told me that she was having trouble getting a good shot of the heart. I began to worry that it was too small or malformed! She left to find another tech to help her.
Meanwhile, poor Ron is left in the waiting room wondering what is going on! He even asked what was taking so long. They told him that sometime it takes a while longer because the baby is in a bad position. All Ron could think about is that they were counting how many babies were in there! 1,2,3,....
Finally another tech came in an completed the tests. It only took her a few minutes. She corrected the false meausurements that the other tech had made. She reminded the other tech that false readings on the ultra sound could result in the doctor ordering an amnio, which has major risks of misscarriage. I was glad that this second tech came in. She assured me that everything was fine and that I dont have to worry. This made me feel a lot better.
When Ron finally got to come in it was so wonderful to see our little one! The baby had its arms crossed on its chest and then moved one arm back and forth in what seemed like a wave hello. What a beautiful sight to see our small child move! We are so excited to become parents, we can hardly wait! What a blessing to have this kind of technology.
I know that every mother would say this, but I feel that our baby is the most beautiful one in the world. Praise God!
"For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14)

The Baby Preperations

We had a lot of fun setting up our baby crib. It only took us one and a half hours! Wow, we began to wonder if setting up the crib was a test of our IQ or if it was measure of our readyness to be parents. I have never read such complicate directions in my life! Oh well! As you can see we were able to figure it out! I sure hope the rest of the baby preperations will be less complicated.