Our little 2 month old!

July 30th, 2012

Where has the time gone? It is so hard to believe that our little princess is already 2 months old :) The Rustman family has been extremely busy this past month (part of the reason as to why I haven't blogged in awhile).  Brenna is starting to smile and look at the world around her.  It is amazing to see her changing right before our eyes.  She is growing like a weed! Her newborn pictures turned out great.  She truly is a princess.  Brenna attended her first Spanish Fiesta compliments of Erinn and Eduardo.  They made some delicious Spanish dishes for us to try.  Jim started his new job at Peoria County jail as a correctional officer.  Brenna and I are so proud of him, and we are happy that he is doing something that he loves. He just got put on second shift.  This will be a big adjustment for the three of us. Wish us luck! We had our last Shower hosted by the wonderful Fehl women.  It was originally scheduled for June 3rd, however miss Brenna had other plans and we had just gotten home from the hospital that day.  It was great to see everyone and nice for them meet little B.  Daddy Jimbo turned the big 3-0 on July 3rd!! He said it was the best birthday by far, because it was his first one as a dad (aww).  We went to the fireworks after his birthday dinner.  The combination of the wicked heat and the loud fireworks, did not make Brenna a very happy camper.  We watched them from the air conditioned inside.  The next morning, we got up super early, and Brenna walked in her first 5K.  She loved it, and we can't wait until she is running along side us! Brenna went to her first wedding a couple weekends ago.  We are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends that included her in their guest list.  Thanks to Rob and Allison Carroll! The bride was beautiful and Brenna enjoyed dancing the night away.  True story..she loved the loud music.  Must take after her party animal parents lol.  It was surely different being a new mommy and being in a wedding at the same time.  Grandma Linda was a BIG help that weekend! Last week, daddy went off to Vegas for Brandon's bachelor party.  While he had fun, he missed his girls (duh!). Grandma Kim came down and spent some quality time with Brenna and I.  It was great to have some extra help and company while Jim was away.  Brenna had her first round of shots at her two month old appointment! Parents always say it is horrible, however I didn't quite understand how horrible it was until I watched it first hand.  I felt so helpless.  Our little peanut now weighs 8 pounds 14 oz  and is 22 in long! She has come a long way :)
 



Time Flies: Brenna's first three weeks of life :)

June 2012

After a few days in the hospital, we were ready to get home! We were discharged around noon on Saturday, June 2nd. I was a little sore, but feeling better than I did the day after surgery.  We had so many visitors in the hospital, and so many flower deliveries.  We felt very loved :) There was a wonderful welcome waiting for us when we arrived home!

Brenna's first week at home was busy with many many doctor's appointments.  We went for our first visit the Monday after we got home.  They were concerned about her jaundice, so we were sent down to get blood drawn.  That was so sad to watch :(.  The blood test results were lower than the scanner results so they wanted us to come back the next day to re-check it.  Meanwhile we were already going back on Wednesday for a weight check.  In the end we ended up in their office everyday except Thursday.  Nothing like getting to know our new pediatrician! All was good on the jaundice and weight front. She had her first Target and Wal-Mart experience.  She behaved so well and slept right through both places lol.  Since then, she goes everywhere.  She even went downtown to watch daddy run the Steamboat run! She loves the stroller and daily walks.  We have been going to the pool almost everyday.  Brenna snoozes while mommy sleeps in the sunshine :) We have learned that she likes the wind blowing in her face. The many visitors and thoughtful gifts have shown us how blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our lives.  We really don't know where we would be without you all! We love this little girl so much :)

Here are some pictures of our little peanut!

And a Baby Makes 3!

June 2012

Wow! It is hard to believe that Brenna has been in our lives for almost three weeks already! She wasn't due to arrive until Friday this week.  Having her now, I wouldn't change that for anything.  I thought I would fill everyone in on how it all went down and how our little lady came to be.  Jim, my mom, and I went in for my 36 week check up on Tuesday, May 29th.  The sonographer was scoping everything out before meeting with the doctor.  You could hardly see our little peanut on the screen, and Valerie was super quiet.  She asked if I had any indication of my water breaking.  I said no, and really began to worry! She measured the amniotic fluid multiple times, and sent us in to speak with the doctor.  Dr. Stalling came in and said that the amniotic fluid was at a 4.5 and they like it to be between a 10 and 20. She said that if I was at 37 weeks, they would send me to the hospital.  I was 36 weeks and 4 days.  They consulted the neonatal specialist and he sent us to the hospital.  We went it to full on rush mode and headed home to pack a bag! We were nowhere near ready for this to happen, since my due date was 3 1/2 weeks away.  After checking into the hospital, they hooked me up to monitors and started me on Cervadil.  This was supposed to soften my cervix and get labor started.  They checked again in the morning, and there had been no change.  They started another dose in hopes of getting some sort of change.  The doctor said that it could take up to 36 hours for this to work....yikes!! I was restless and having some small contractions.  Around noon on Wednesday, Brenna's heart rate started dropping whenever I had a small contraction.  It was miserable to watch and it made me really start to worry about how this was all going to go down.  Dr. Mueller was on call that day, so when he came in and said that he recommended a C-section, I was relieved that she wouldn't be under stress too much longer.  Within the hour, I was in the operating room, and gettin preped for surgery.  I didn't feel any pain, and was apparently the most chatty patient they had had for awhile.  (What can I say...I have the gift of gab!) Brenna Louise was born at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30th.  She was 5 pounds 14 ounces and was 19 inches long! She is the best thing that has happened to us and I know that I can't imagine life without her!

Fiesta for our baby girl!

May 5th, 2012

When we were looking at a good date for our Peoria shower, I knew that having May 5th open was a sign.  It seemed only fitting that we celebrate this little chica with a Mexican theme.  My mom, Kamy, and Tina planned and put together a fabulous party! It was great to see both family and friends.  Baby Rustman is one spoiled girl! She received so many wonderful gifts.  We struggled to find room in the nursery.  I am not sure what we are going to do after the other showers we have coming up.  We appreciate everything everyone has done for us.  I know we could not do this without all the love and support! I am posting some pictures from the shower and Lucas' prom which was later on that night!

3D Sonogram

April 29th, 2012

Last Thursday, Jim's parents came down and joined us for our 3D sonogram.  We tried for an hour to get her to cooperate.  We decided that she must take after Jim and that she is going to be just as stubborn when she arrives.  I feel like we got a pretty good idea of what her face is going to look like.  It is crazy what they can do with technology these days.  We did find out that she is quite flexible, in that at one point her foot was touching her nose! The ultrasound tech was able to tell us that she is weighing in at 3.8 pounds and that she even has hair! It made us want her here now! The last one is a video...she appears a little alien-like, but it is still cool :)

8 Weeks and Counting

April 29th, 2012

Sorry it has been awhile! Life gets so hectic as we near the end of the school year! I am so excited to see the school year come to an end.  It has been very different this year with a little one on the way.  It is crazy to think that we are so close to little Miss Rustman's arrival! It seems so far away, however time has flown and I know these next two months won't be any different! Our friends and family have been spoiling this little girl already.  We are so lucky to have them in our lives.  As far as the third trimester goes, I have been feeling great.  I am definitely starting to feel pregnant.  Exhaustion sets in around 3:00p.m. daily and my legs feel the stress of being on my feet all day.  It seems like it takes so much energy to do simple daily tasks.  My doctor's appointments have been going well.  Baby has had a great heartbeat and her size is where it should be right now in the pregnancy.  We are excited for the upcoming showers to be able to visit with family and friends.  I know I say it a lot, but I don't know where we would be without the support of the amazing people in our lives! The following pictures are some updates to the nursery and some other goodies the baby has received.  Now, we just need Baby Rustman to complete the palace :)

The shelves are up!

The mattress came in!

The blank wall....We decided on a name to hang up when she arrives!

Diaper cake that Aunt Tina made...so adorable :)

I made these over spring break...the next day Aunt Allison sent 12 more! She is going to have a headband for everyday :)



31 Weeks



Adorable outfit from Aunt Amanda!

Baby's First tutu and accessories from Jess! She is going to be adorable in these!

A trip away A.K.A. The Babymoon

April 2012

Happy Spring Break to me! On Friday, we left on a mini vacation down south.  We packed up the car and picked up my mom and brother, Lucas.  With everything ready to go, we drove the seven hours to Nashville! We got into town at about 10:45.  I slept most of the way :) Our family friends, Mike and Dina, have a beautiful home in Lebanon, which is about 25 minutes outside of Nashville.  The weather was HOT, but it was a plus to be able to wear shorts and a tank top for this prego! We spent a lot of time outside in the sun.  The boys played bags and horseshoes, while I soaked up some rays.  Unfortunately, my skin has changed throughout the pregnancy, and I ended up looking like a lobster...OOPS! That night we headed into Nashville.  I was in heaven with all the live country music being played in every bar! The music helped take my mind of the fact that I was Sober Sally.  Sunday was my mom's birthday, and mine as well :)  We spent another day outside listening to music and playing games.  Mike made some fabulous ribs, and we even had funfetti cake (my favorite).  It was crazy to think that this was my last birthday of not being a mom.  It was a great birthday!

Monday morning we got up early and headed two hours north to Gilbertsville, Kentucky.  My mom's friend Kelly lives with her husband on Kentucky Lake.  It is beautiful and we look forward to going back in the summer to enjoy the boating on the lake.  We rode golf carts around the resort to check out some of the homes.  There were some beautiful ones, and there were some not so beautiful ones!

Now that we are back in town, I am spending some time getting some things organized around the house! It is crazy to think that our little girl will be here in just 11 weeks! Time is flying by and we couldn't be more excited :)

My feet were soooo swollen!

A couple of pictures from the vacation! 28 weeks down!