Family of Four (Five if you include the DOG...)

Everyone said having 2 children would be a game changer... we are still struggling to keep our heads above water right now, but overall we think we have made a smooth transition. Our dog, Dunken, is perhaps taking it the hardest, but with spring around the corner we can hopefully get him outside soon (he won't walk in the snow). 


Jalen has jaundice so we've been taking him for Billirubin blood work everyday, finally yesterday it dropped so we can stop doing that. Jaundice isn't a big deal but with Sara nursing we had to make sure he was eating enough and he seems to be a VERY sleepy little man so that's been a challenge at times but he seems to be getting the hang of it. We take him in Monday for his 2 week appointment, time flies when you're having fun!!


Here are a few recent pics...

Aunt KK (Sara's sister) came to visit

Smiles all around :)

Good thing Haley has 3 strollers for her 3 babies!?

And Goodnight ;)

We're HOME!!!

Well, I (Sara) finally cried. Those who know me well, know I'm not much for tears but when we walked in our front door this afternoon, the floodgates opened. I am so excited, thrilled, relieved, elated, and proud to be home! 


We cannot begin to thank our family and friends for all their support and love. We know that the stress and worry of the past 9 months has not been ours alone. Specifically the "grandparents" and our siblings that have been so supportive and helpful to our family.


Grateful and truly blessed,
Sara, Mike, Haley, and Jalen Jwaskiewicz

All ready for the car ride home!

Last "family" pic at the hospital, yipeee!!!

Home sweet home!

Haley enjoying her cookie with her new baby brother :)

Jalen Michael is here... 2/13/12

Just one day after Mike's birthday and one day shy of Valentine's Day our little guy decided it would be a good day for a birthday!  Jalen Michael was born today at 12:26 weighing in at 5lbs. 8 oz. , 18 inches long. He made a speedy arrival as we arrived at Strong around 8 a.m., after a fun rush hour traffic drive and a little more than 4 hours later we had him in our arms.  He is being monitored for low blood sugar and body temperature regulation, both are common with 36 weekers, but for now they have kept him in room and not taken him to the special care nursery. We are hoping to be discharged on Wednesday! This has been a completely different experience, filled with happy tears and all the "firsts" we never really had with Haley. Below are some pictures that captured some of these moments.

Mission Accomplished!

From our original consult with the High Risk Perinatologist their goal was to get me and baby safely to 36 weeks.  We will never know which intervention was the key or if it was the combination of all 3 but regardless on Thursday we made our goal and we couldn't be happier. The stitch was removed Wednesday and I am allowed to join the land of the living again. Although going back to work is not in my future, as I am begin directed to "ease" back into moving again, I can start to build back some of the muscle and stamina I have lost over the past 3 months.


So in my new found freedom so far I have cleaned and organized 2 closets and I hope to organize Haley's clothes for donations next week. I found this great blog: iheartorganizing.com and it give great ideas and visuals for ideas~ although I'm pretty sure I could never live with this woman (holy, Type A).


Today's "outing" was to Wegmans (not too sure I missed these Saturday morning adventures) and I will probably need a nap to recover but it was nice to get out of the house, despite the snowy winter weather that decided to finally make its return. 


Another celebration will be on Sunday for Mike's birthday. Haley and I are going to make him a chocolate cake! It's going to be a quiet day since he's battling an ear infection and can't hear out of 1 ear :( 


We hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's Day!!  


Start making your bets! My original due date was March 8th!!  


We are still relishing in the GIANTS win...

Giants Win!!!

Well, the excitement at our house Sunday was up there in Mike's "best day ever" along with our wedding and the birth of Haley. He is more than excited that his son is going to be born in the same year and he has high hopes for the SU basketball team to make it a trifecta!  I was just happy I didn't go into labor during the game :)


With that said, baby boy is looking good. He gained nicely this last few weeks and he was an estimated 4lbs. 14oz. (35 weeks) at the ultrasound on last Wednesday. We go back in this Wednesday for the cerclage removal, they docs are going to try it as an in- office procedure and go from there. Since I am contracting they are taking it out 1 day shy of 36 weeks and I am hoping for a easy, (painless?) drama free experience. I am hoping it is successful so we can skip the spinal and an entire day of hospital intervention.  After that I can begin to move around again but we will have a better idea of what to expect once it's over. Hopefully the last few days/weeks are typical and soon enough we will have some good news to share!


Continued thanks for the support and prayers! Friends at work made us my favorite Wegmans tomato orzo soup last week, thanks Marissa and MaryJane it was delicious :)