Six week wrap-up

So many things to write about...here are a few highlights of the last few weeks of Sawyer's life. Newborn photo

Isn't it the cutest?!

This is Sawyer's second cousin Reese. He is 3 weeks younger. They are going to have a lot of fun together!

Dad and son at the Murphy twin's shower

Sawyer is getting very strong. Here he is practicing his head lifts while getting tummy time.

Exhausted after his first trip to Tamo and SJJ hockey game.
We love the Moby!

For all of you that thought Sawyer has Jason's nose...take a comparison with this photo of me.

1 Month old!!!
This was at grandma's house in BG where we stayed for a week while Jason was gone.

Aunt Meredith and cousin Patrick came all the way from Dallas to help me with Sawyer while Jason was at hockey school. Patrick took to Sawyer like peas and carrots...so sweet.

Thanks aunt Mer. (Also note this was just before he pooped on his aunt).

Lovin on his cousin "lawyer"

Daddy...please take me to Oxford with you!

Milestones so far....

1. Passed the 9 lb mark....and good checkup from the cardiologist.

2. Visually tracking very well.

3. Smiles when prompted

4. Sleeps 4 hours at night (well only once, then up every 2-3 after...phew)

5. LOVES bathtime and his pacifier

6. Enjoys the outside and looking up at the trees

Other fun things we did

1. Visited our neighbors Mark, Kim and baby Lori at their cottage in Michigan. I tried to keep him out of the sun, but Sawyer got a little sunburned. Thankfully not too bad!

2. Multiple visits from good friends and family to welcome Sawyer!

3. Many visits to Handels and Mr. Freeze (Sawyer can't wait to get them first hand instead on second.)

4. Took walks at Wildwood with baby Lola and Luke and their moms.

5. Farewell dinner for Kim and DP who moved to the Jersey Shore (can I get a fist pump?)

6. A fun reunion with the "This Is It" girls. Pictures are on FB. It needs to be semi-annual!

Well, that is it for now. We have 8 week checkups in a few weeks. Stay tuned!

The Rookie Arrives

Team Szynko!

Presenting Sawyer Meade Szynkowski

First off, a HUGE extension of gratitude to all well wishers on the birth of our son. It has been an amazing ride that I never expected. So much fun in store!

Okay.....I have so much to share with you. Sawyer's story is long and full of bumps. For those of you who prefer to not to read a long narrative and look at pictures, I am going to give you a quick summary. Then read on (or not) to learn the rest!

Sawyer is home and doing great. The short of the story is that unfortunately he has a few heart problems. The first is called a ventricular septal defect. This is a hole in the ventricle of his heart where blood is flowing backward from left to right. The good news is that it is the mildest form possible. The bad news is there is a chance it may not close on it's own and can cause some serious problems in the future. The other is called a patent foramen ovale. This is the hole from atrium to atrium that bypasses the lungs in utero that has not closed. Thankfully this is fairly common and will not likely cause a problem.

We are very fortunate to have an amazing pediatrician -Dr. Kennedy and a cardiologist who are taking great care of us! Sawyer is a little tired, and is having some problems with feedings but overall doing amazing right now and we hope it continues!

Here is the story of his birth

We had an OB appt on the 24th where my membranes were "helped out" a little. We were on our way to Kroger to stock up before the baby when contractions started hard and fast, and we decided it was necessary to get to the hospital. Once we arrived, they broke my water and contractions started coming back to back. They thought I would deliver in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, the epidural slowed the process and I was placed on a pitocin drip. It did not seem to work so we set ourselves up for a long night and sent the family home. We were surprised that one hour later, I was fully dilated and ready to push. 20 min later......tada! Sawyer was born!

Little Man's Stats

His weight is a little low, but in fishing terms...his length is a keeper! Ha ha!

The funny thing is that Jason, his father, his brother, and now Sawyer were all born on Thursdays. He made it just under the wire.

Picture Gallery

Proud papa!

Those of you who know Jason, are aware that he does not do well with all things medical. I was worried how he would handle the delivery. It ended up he was a champ and even cut the cord.
( I am so impressed, that I am willing to post this awful picture of myself to prove it)

BEFORE

AND AFTER

Sleeping in with daddy!

Loving on grandma

I love the bouncer!

I am a thumb sucker already!

Tummy time with daddy

Cast of Family Characters

Papa Thompson (Meade)
In case you were wondering where Sawyer's middle name came from.

Uncle Chris-the previous "lil szynko"

Grandpa Szynko

Aunt Meredith
Best big sis ever!

Papa and grandma Shetterly
(My mom and stepdad)

Nana Thompson!

Grandma Szynkowski

Thank you again for all of your support! We welcome visitors!

38 weeks and getting impatient!

70% effaced, Zero Station....ready to rock! Here I am just patiently waiting. I have been walking, doing aerobics,

eating spicy food....anything to get the ball rolling. I had a massage yesterday and asked the MT to push on all the places she that trigger labor. She was kind enough also to teach me a few pressure points that stimulate labor. No response yet.

However, I realized today that he will come when ready. So, I need to just relax and enjoy the last few days of restful sleep. The bag is packed, carseat in place and inspected, hospital tour complete....we now just need the kid. I have been given specific instructions from multiple family members of times not to go into labor. Although I love each and every one of you....for my comfort, I would prefer ASAP. However, it is out of my hands and we are all at the mercy of the little man to time his arrival.

We had a very busy weekend with a few graduation parties, the twins 6th b-day party, Cheryl's baby shower, and our first house showing. We had a little glitch and forgot to put a house key in the lock box. Made for a little stress in the afternoon.

After it was all done, we were a little bored, and created this next masterpiece. Hopefully our little man will have better artistic skills than Jason..ha ha!

That is it for now...my next post will include delivery pictures.

Can't wait!

Holy Diapers Batman!

The Diaper Party Was a Success! A HUGE thank you to all of our friends who came to the

diaper party yesteday. I have not counted the number of diapers, but easily know it s in the thousands. You are the best!!!! I think a few Depends got slipped in there as well. Ha ha!

The boys had a good time playing corn hole and other games. They shoveled Tony Packo's chili dogs and chili mac down between games. Jason had a blast introducing everyone to the octagonal beer pong table he made especially for the event. He has so generously decided to donate the table to those less fortunate (meaning a friend who does not have kids) as he is pretty sure he is in retirement from beer pong hosting. It was a hard decision, but he wanted it to go to someone who would take good care of it and use it often =).The weather held off until about 10 pm when major tornado warnings were issued.

We were fortunate enough to only have strong winds come thorough, but others were not so lucky. 7 people died in Lake township and many houses were destroyed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those families.

Officially at 37 weeks today. No signs of labor yet. Since he is now full term, he is welcome to come whenever he likes =). I will post a pic sometime soon.

35 weeks and counting

35 weeks and big as a house.....only to get bigger =)

I am starting my weekly OB appointments. Things still are going well. Sleep is at a premium, but weirdly, I am not tired all the time. I guess it is mother nature's way of preparing me for times to come. I find myself a little sentimental and I cry at silly things.....sometimes it is quite annoying and others it is quite funny. My new project is putting together an overnight bag. I am an overpacker, so it will likely have everthing but the kitchen sink. You never know what you might need.

A quick update to catch you up on what is going on in our lives

1) Baby Lola Hayes was born on Mother's day! Yeah! She is ADORABLE! We look forward to Lola and little Szynko terrorizing the Loft together!

2) Had a wonderful visit with the Clelands.....Matt and Jason went to the trout club and caught us dinner. They cleaned them and grilled it up that night. Freshest fish I ever had and boy was it good. Thanks Matt and Michelle!

3) Progressed to the 3rd week of childbirth education. It has been a good experience overall, but Jason is having a tough time with the actual "birthing" part. He will just have to get over it with complete immersion therapy on the day baby comes! ha ha!

4) We went to the Justus family annual fish fry last night at Somerset Lake in MI. They had over 700 fillets of fish to cook up with four different methos...cajun battered, beer battered, pan fried cornmeal, and grilled. Darn was it not the best fried fish I have ever had (and it is not something I usually care for). Jason fished and caught a few...and I tried unsuccessfully as usual. We had a very nice time with my coworkers.

5) Our friends Jen and Matt also got engaged last night! CONGRATS to our fellow future MIAMI MERGERS!

That's it for now! Hope everyone enjoys this amazing weather!

It's all about the house

We have been busy lately preparing the house for sale. Jason really wants a bigger yard and we could always use more space for the little man to come.

We had our first open house today, and I realized that although I would like a different house, I am going to be very sad to see this one go. It was hard to imagine other people living here.
We have lived here since we got married. We have modified almost every inch of this house to make it our style. I love it.....BUT all things must come to an end. So, I am dedicating this blog to our house. I am making a permanent record that I can reflect on for the future when we live somewhere else.

The living room-

These walls have been painted literally 6 times until we found the color we liked. I added the racing stripes a few years later one weekend when I was bored. My mom made the padded stool and covered the couch and chair. We replaced the original carpet with the hardwood floors.
This desk was a donation from a family friend. It is better than any desk you could ever buy.

The Kitchen-

I told Jason before we bought this house that I wanted a red kitchen. The cabinets were originally oak. Jason put in new countertops and the dishwasher, and the floor.

Our itty bitty kitchen table.

The spice rack used to be a door leading into the bathroom. Jason walled it off and expanded the storage in the kitchen.

The stairs to the basement-

I love old produce box packaging. My friend Nancy made me these prints. I am in the process of getting them all framed...hence the empty wall space.

The basement-

The second living room, and the man cave. We did not do much to this space but add furniture.

The aquarium and TV area for Jason.

The upstairs bathroom-

This was our first home improvement project. Two months after buying the house, the shower wall caved in. So, the vanity, floor, shower, and walls were all modified and replaced. Where you see a cabinet used to be a door to the kitchen. I think the only original item is the toilet.

Master bedroom-

My mom and I made the curtains. I also got bored one day and added the city scape. Hopefully potential buyers will like it.

My mom and I made the headboad out of the old door from the bathroom.

The nursery-

Described in detail last post. I will spare you.

The backyard-

Jason's playground for his green thumb. There was no landscaping other than the tree when we moved in. The picture does not do it justice. He gets compliments frequently from the neighbors.

The fun back side garage door.

The front-

We painted the awnings and re-did the landscaping

If you know anyone in the market for a great starter home in Washing Local...

send them our way!

So, that is about it for now. I will post a 34 week pregnancy picture after my next doctor appointment.