Nickerson News

Poor Allister has taken the back seat and Baby Nick isn’t even here yet. Seth and I laugh b/c we know he thinks he is number 1, when really he is already number 4. Here is a little tribute to our helpless, extremely needy cat, Allister. (And yes, he has a folded ear…one of his many problems). If you don’t know me, I love to take in helpless, needy animals. If it wasn’t for Seth, I would be the crazy cat lady.

Allister came to us by our friend, Carolyn, who said her friends (5 guys who never had taken him to the vet-didn’t know that till after I got him) had this lovable, outside cat that needed a new home. We were looking for an outside, fairly independent cat who would take care of any rats or mice that might make their way into our home. (Don’t get me started about the 12 inch long rat we had in our house.) So, I went down to Charlottesville, VA to pick him up. I should have known from the car ride he wasn’t going to be the fearless kitty I had hoped for. I think he realized that a women had enter his life and he now could be the helpless kitty he had always dreamed of. The cat who was supposed to be mainly outdoors, has turned into a mainly indoor kitty who loves to sleep in our bed and cuddle with us. He has brought us home 3 little baby mice during his 2 year stay with us. So, he is averaging 1.5 mice a year, but we haven’t had a rat visit us since he has been here….good thing, b/c I think Allister would be so afraid of it.

His 2 favorite activities…sleeping and eating. (He was eating out of Rudy’s bowl-our friend’s dog who we babysat for a week.)

He didn’t want his momma to go away. And this last one was one of our many tries at a family Christmas card.

We love you, Allister, but Baby Nick does rank higher then you.

The weekend went by too fast, as it seems to always do. It didn’t help that I spent all night Friday at the hospital, but thankfully we are fine and we got to see our little guy again…floating around, having a ball inside mommy’s tummy.

It is amazing that babies born at 23 weeks can survive. We pray baby Nick stays put, but it is encouraging to know that they can live at this age. That is amazing!

Week 23: Babycenter.com and Babyzone.com

Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won’t pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Your baby is able to hear. (Dads, did you know: low-frequency sounds mimicking a male voice penetrate the abdomen and uterine wall better than the higher frequencies of the female voice?) Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won’t faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb. Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since he hasn’t begun to form body fat. Bones located in the middle ear harden. The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation. The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. He has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars. If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day. If a baby is born less than 500 grams, it might survive with disabilities. If it is born weighing over 500 grams, it may be able to survive and thrive. Much of this is dependent upon the newly deposited fat in his body, which would help to insulate him. A baby born this small would need weeks of care and hospitalization.

My day yesterday was something I never expected.

I was heading to my doctor’s appt with my mom yesterday. I actually needed a sonogram for my bladder and Kidneys. Baby Nick is doing strange things to my body. We were about 2 miles away from the doctors, just sitting at a red light, and all the sudden we got hit so hard from behind. I was so confused at first. The noise was so loud, that I was for sure my Forester was a goner. (If you don’t know, the Forester has already been almost total.) Me and my mom looked at each other and I could tell she was in a bit of pain and then we both started freaking out about the baby. My mom jumps out of the car and started screaming at the man. “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING! MY DAUGHTER IS 6 MONTHS PREGNANT!”. I just started bawling uncontrollably. All I could think about was the baby. I didn’t know how much he could take and a wave of emotions ran over me. I couldn’t stop thinking that he may be hurt and I couldn’t imagine losing him like this. I have never felt more like a mother then at that moment. Thankfully, my mother was able to take care of all the paperwork and deal with the guy that hit us and the police. His story made NO SENSE whatsoever. I mean, he hit us at like 45 miles an hour. We where like “did you NOT SEE THE RED LIGHT or my car for that matter?” He was in a company truck going to a job and said he was following someone and was focused on the car a few feet ahead. But his story wasn’t making any sense to us. He must of been completely out of it to hit us that hard.
Anyway, so they called an ambulance since we didn’t want to take any chances with the baby. I got the WHOLE ER treatment. I hope I NEVER have to do that again. It is scary. They strapped me down in the ambulance and put me in a gown and started checking my vitals. Very uncomfortable moment having to take off your clothes in front of 2 male paramedics.
So they sped down 95, which was dead stop Friday night traffic, but since they had the sirens on we made it to the hospital in 15 mins. They wheeled me on the stretcher and I was taken to Labor and Delivery. They hooked me up to all these machines and immediately tried to find the baby’s heartbeat. They couldn’t. I freaked out and started crying. Every time I go to my monthly checkups, they find his heartbeat right away. They kept making me turn my body to try and find it. It took about 5 minutes and FINALLY we heard it. It was slower then it should be, but it soon got to be around 150/160′s beats, which is where it is supposed to be. I felt relieved, but I still needed to see him to make sure he was ok. So then they brought in the sonogram and my whole family go to see the little guy. He has grown so much in the last 3 weeks. Everything looked good. He looks even cuter. They checked everything and he looks healthy and my placenta is in place and my cervix is still closed. PRAISE GOD! We had to stay there for 4 hours so they could monitor his heart rate, so I didn’t get out of the hospital till 8:30.
And they wouldn’t let me eat while I was there, so by the time I left I was craving a cheeseburger (oh yes, ever since I got pregnant I am in love with cheeseburgers) So we stopped at Five Guys (best burger place ever) and I soon was a happy camper again.

The guy that hit us got cited. And by the way, the Forester has barely ANY damage…one tiny, little scratch UNBELIEVABLE!!!! (The other guy’s truck-a truck way bigger then the Forester- was damaged pretty bad in the front) I mean, I know the Forester is rated the best crash vehicle and it has definitely proved itself over and over again. So, I think when this one kicks the bucket, which I think will be soon, I am getting another one.

My mom is in some pain. She hit her head pretty hard, but other then that, all 3 of us are fine. PRAISE GOD!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!!

This is BIG NEWS!!!!! It finally happened! It was the best Valentine’s Day present I think I will ever get from my son. I have been praying Seth would feel Baby Nick kick. Last night as we were lying in bed after a very long work day in our home (we reconstructed a closet and  reorganized our basement) I could feel Baby Nick going crazy. I put Seth’s hand on my stomach and prayed silently to myself, “Please dear God, let Seth feel the baby kick.” As soon as my prayer ended, the baby started going crazy and Seth starting saying “I feel it! I feel it!” He felt like 5 or 6 kicks! It was so wonderful! We were both so happy! Thanks Baby Nick for making your mommy and daddy’s day.