Rough Two Weeks

Hey guys!


Life has been moving a little bit too quickly lately.  Sad events have plagued my family lately with my wonderful Grandpa Ken Taylor passing away on Friday, May 11th and now my Mom back in the hospital, with no feeling from the waist down and fighting for her life.  Dealing with the death of her father in her condition was hard on her and hard on everyone else.  We just left St. Francis Hospital in Indy where my Mom is now staying and pray that we get some answers soon on what treatment will be best for her going forward.


Sara has dealt with her share of stress through all of this, but has been trying to stay relaxed for Baby Charlotte.  It breaks my heart that Charlotte will never have the chance to meet either of my Grandpa's, but I am so excited to tell her stories about both of them.  Now we just have to get Mom healthy so that Charlotte can enjoy her as much as we all do!  And I know that she will get healthy again, I can see it in her eyes.  She refuses to let these hospital stays get her down, it is amazing to see.


Sara is still feeling healthy and strong.  Her baby bump is becoming more prevalent, but it has not slowed her down at all. We had a great first birthing class and feel like this will be great preparation in our attempt to deliver Charlotte naturally.  She was a trooper and took me to Chicago on Saturday for my birthday to the Cubs vs. Sox game and we had a great night at Wrigley watching the Cubs get stomped!


Here are the latest developments that Charlotte has experienced in Weeks 24 & 25...


Week 24


She is growing steadily at this point and is weighing in at over a pound.  Her figure is lean and will be getting more plump in the weeks ahead.  Her taste buds are developed and her lungs are almost fully developed as well.  Her skin is so thin and translucent, but that will change soon.


Week 25


Charlie is now around 13.5 inches long and weighing in at a pound and a half.  That's my girl!  She is starting to acquire some baby fat on her frame.  As the baby fat becomes more prevalent, her wrinkly skin will turn to the smooth skin of a newborn baby.  She should be growing more hair at this point (I'm nervous since my lumpy head didn't see its first follicle until age 3).  Also, as Charlotte gains weight, she is expanding Sara's little belly and making her belly button pop out (you can see this in the Week 25 pic if you look close).


Here are the pictures of Sara and Charlotte from Weeks 24 & 25:

Hope to talk to you all soon, love you guys!

Love,

Josh, Sara, and Charlie

Charlotte Ann Wiencken

Fam,

Barring the slim odds that the gender was misdiagnosed, I want you to get used to the name Charlotte.  Each day we get closer to seeing her little face and we can't wait.  Sara is getting used to feeling her little feet as they about bust out of her belly.  I love resting my hand on her belly and feeling Charlotte move around.  Sara definitely has a baby bump now as Charlotte continues to grow like a weed.

This is Week 23, sorry that I got so behind on these updates.  A lot has happened!  For one, my Mom has been declared Cancer FREE!  This was the best news in the world and I want to thank everyone who said a prayer and contributed to her positive thinking.  We have also been spending time getting Charlotte's room ready and registering for her Baby Shower on June 30th.  Our heads were absolutely spinning as we walked the aisles of Buy Buy Baby with the scanner gun.  I am officially terrified (mostly about emptying my wallet).  Luckily, we had the unbelievable expertise of Sara's great friends and new mothers, Stacey and Ginger.  Their presence was comforting to say the least.

We had another visit at the Doctor today and got to hear the heartbeat again.  Sara's belly was measuring right on target and Charlotte's heartbeat sounded great.  I sat there and held Sara's purse as usual.  Tomorrow we start our birthing classes.  This will be the first of eight.  I am trying to be supportive and not be skeptical, but the class takes place at a lady's home residence.  I'll fill you in on my thoughts next week...

Since I missed a couple of weeks, here is what happened in Charlotte's development during Week 22 and now Week 23:

Week 22

Charlotte was 11 inches and nearly 1 pound.  She was starting to look like a miniature newborn.  Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows were becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums.  Her eyes have formed, but the colored part of her eye still lacks pigment.

Week 23

This week, Charlotte has been groovin'.  With her sense of movement well developed by now, she can feel Sara dance (If you have seen Sara dance, I'm not sure if this is positive news).  She is now about 12 inches long and weighing in at over a pound.  Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare her for breathing and the sounds that her increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world.  I've been talking to her and preparing her for meeting our dogs Sampson and Laney.

Here are pics from the last two weeks so that you can see the baby bump developing...

Until next time family, we love you guys!

Josh, Sara, & Charlotte

Pregnancy is over half way done!

Ladies & Gents, we are having a Baby Girl!!!

We could not be more excited and absolutely cannot wait to meet her.  Now that we know, it seems like everything changes.  Time to prepare her room, come up with name options, and buy a shotgun!

We had so much fun last weekend with everyone that could make it to the cookout.  The rain tried to spoil our fun, but we didn't let it.  Especially Uncle JJ and Uncle Drew who both had headaches the next morning.  Thank you to everyone that was able to make the trip, we had a blast finding out the news with all of you.

Sara is still feeling like a pregnancy warrior and continues to fly through with no complaints.  She is feeling her move around a lot now, but I am still having a tough time feeling it by putting my hand on her stomach.  I feel more when I put my hand on my own stomach after downing a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito from Taco Bell.  As my little princess grows, I am sure her kicks and punches will become stronger.

Here are the developments that were happening in our Baby Girl in Week 20 and Week 21:

Week 20

She is around 7 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel - the length of a banana.  She is swallowing a lot more these days (not what this soon to be father wants to hear), which is good practice for her digestive system.  The top of Sara's uterus is about level with her belly button, and she is right on schedule with her 10lb weight gain.  I don't know if my weight gain was part of this schedule.

Week 21

In week 21, she has grown to the length of a carrot, about 10.5 inches long.  Her fluttering movements have turned into full-fledged kicks and nudges (Sara can attest to this, she thought the baby attempted her first cartwheel yesterday).  Her eyebrows and eyelids are present now (I wonder if she is already practicing "the look" that will force me to give her whatever she wants.)

Here are Sara's pics from Week 20, we don't have this weeks photos yet...

Thanks for reading, we love you guys!

Weeks are flying by!

Hello everyone!

Weeks 18 and 19 have gone by so fast that I forgot to send out an update.  I hope that everyone enjoyed a nice Easter Sunday.  A lot has happened since we last talked, so let me fill you in...

Week 18

Baby Wiencken was definitely growing this week and Sara was starting to notice.  In week 18, Ol' Tiddlywink had grown to the length of a bell pepper and weighed almost 7 ounces.  Baby was busy flexing his arms and legs this week (must get that from me, I do that a lot in the mirror).  His/her features kept developing and the ears are now finally in place.

As for Sara, she had a light travel schedule for work, but kept up her workout schedule.  Her energy level has been great and she eats way better than I do! (Cheetos are a vegetable, right?)  She has been dealing with some pretty regular headaches, but luckily hasn't had the sickness that comes with some pregnancies.

Week 19

Now that you are up to speed, let me tell you what has been going on lately.  First off, I want to happily say that my Mom is currently out of the hospital and feeling better each day.  We got to spend the day in Terre Haute on Saturday and her appetite and energy levels were the best that I have seen since she was first diagnosed.  Right now, we are expecting her to go back in to the hospital next week to begin round 4 of chemo treatment (hopefully the last!).

As for Baby Wiencken, week 19 brought on a lot more development and an Ultrasound for us where we got to see the progress.  In week 19, Tiddlywink's sensory development is exploding and his/her brain is designating areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.  Research shows that Baby Wiencken can potentially hear our voices at this stage, so I have been singing Motley Crue and Van Halen tunes so that he/she can perfect their scissorkick in the womb.

We had our Ultrasound appointment today and it was amazing.  Baby Wiencken was moving around so much and we got to see some great angles of what he/she looks like now.  As of today, he/she was weighing in at 12 ounces and looked completely healthy.  We know one thing, this baby knows how to cross those legs and sit Indian Style because it was pretty much impossible to determine the sex.  However, the technician assures us that she has the evidence of the sex and placed those results in an envelope for us.  We will be finding out for sure this Saturday with all of you who can make it to the cook out!  It could still be the next Larry Bird or Albert Einstein, but it could also be the next Amelia Earhart or Amelia Bedelia.  Maybe those women references aren't the best since one suicide bombed in to the Atlantic and the other is a story book Nanny who was an idiot and had no common sense.  Let's just hope for a boy.

Here are some pics of Sara over the last 2 weeks, enjoy!

Hope to see most of you on Saturday!  It will be nice not to say he/she anymore!

She's only Seventeen! (Weeks)

It's that time again!  That time when Sara forces me to update this blog :)

I hope that everyone is doing wonderful!  It was another gorgeous day.  I took both dogs to the state park for about a 5 mile hike and found some more morel mushrooms along the way - I cooked up a batch for dinner, delicious.  Sara went to the gym for a workout on Saturday morning, and she's been experiencing some pain in the lower left side of her head.  Our research is saying it might be a pinched nerve, but any other thoughts are appreciated!  Sara and I were feeling productive today and made a trip to Lowe's to buy some stones and mulch.  We used the stones to build a fire pit, and it turned out great!

Sara's body is definitely taking a more pregnant shape, especially after she eats a meal.  We are expecting to feel that baby kick or punch any time now - Sara thought that she might have felt it this morning.  She is still feeling great and taking great care of herself.  She is feeling like it might be a boy, but I am positive there is a little Joshelina in there.

In week 17, here is what was happen in Baby Wiencken's world...

Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker.  Baby can move his/her joints and sweat glands are starting to develop (hopefully the only thing he/she gets from me!)  Baby is the size of an onion this week and growing fast.

We sent out the e-vite, but as a reminder, the date for our family cookout to get together and find out the sex of the baby is Saturday, April 14th at one.  I have spoken to most of you, and we hope that you can make it!  But we totally understand if you can't.

Here are pictures of Sara from Week 17...

We will talk to you all again soon.  We spoke to my Mom tonight, and we know that she's at a pretty low point in this cancer battle.  Please keep her in your prayers... she needs this now more than ever!

Love,

Josh, Sara & Tiddlywink

Sweet Week Sixteen

Good evening Ladies & Gentlemen,


For the first 16 weeks, this fatherhood thing has been pretty easy.  People say it will get harder once the baby comes out, we'll see.  We are only a few weeks away from finding out the sex of this baby.  Sara is leaning towards boy, I believe there is pink in my future.


We had a great last weekend visiting Ohio and staying with Sara's dad.  Saturday we had the opportunity to travel to Columbus to see Jared, Amy, and their precious baby girl Maddie.  Nervous as always, I took my turn holding her and didn't seem to injure her.  We had a nice cookout on Sunday at Sara's Mom's house with more family.  This early 80 degree weather is spoiling all of us in the midwest.


My Mom has finished her 3rd round of chemo and is in the hospital still getting her energy back.  We love her so much and wish she didn't have to go through this nightmare, but she has the best attitude about the whole situation.  We'll keep you posted on her progress.


In Week 16, here is what has been happening with Baby Wiencken...


Baby Wiencken is about the size of an avocado and will be doubling in weight over the next few weeks.  Toenails are growing and his/her limbs are becoming more developed.  Tomorrow Baby Wiencken will experience his/her first Sweet 16 win as a Hoosier (and Ohio Bobcat) fan!


Here are Sara's pics from Week 16...

Baby Wiencken is in Florida!

Hey Friends and Fam!


As I write you from my March Madness Bachelor Pad in Indianapolis, Sara and our unborn child are relaxing at a work training in Boca Raton, Florida.  I know that all of this traveling isn't easy on Sara, but hopefully the overnight trips will die down soon.  Before she gets a rest though, I'll be picking her up from the airport on Friday and heading straight to Dayton.  We are going to spend the weekend there, and take a day trip to Columbus to see her step Brother Jared and wife Amy's new baby girl.  We are so happy for them and really looking forward to it!


Sara's father Robin was able to attend Friday's doctor appointment with us.  It was brief, but everything was positive.  Little Tiddlywink's heartbeat was still 160 bpm and going strong!  The next appointment in April is when we will get to see another ultrasound and hopefully find out the sex of our baby.


Here are the developments happening in Baby Wiencken during Week 15...


The hair on his/her head is growing in (if any grows!) and thumbsucking might already be occurring.  Baby Wiencken should be the size of an apple this week and his/her taste buds are forming.  I wonder if Baby Wiencken will love cheese like their dad?!


Here are pictures of Momma Wiencken from Week 15: