Abby's Timeline

I thought it would be nice to save this information for Abby someday.


April 2008 We found out Jeremy's brother, Bryan, was being admitted to the hospital for a blood transfusion. They found out he had Leukemia (for the second time - he also had it when he was a child). On our drive to and from Indiana we decided it was time to get serious about having a family. We would probably keep putting off kids because of this or that and when are you ever 'ready' for a child? Jeremy's dad had been fighting cancer for about a year and now his brother would be fighting it, too. It was a big reminder that life is precious and unpredictable.


May 31, 2008 The biggest day of my life (up to that point!)!!!
We found out we were pregnant! We had no idea we would get pregnant so quickly and really weren't trying to get pregnant (our plan was to get pregnant in the fall and have a summer baby!). I had gone to my family doctor on May 29th for a physical and took a test, but it came back negative. I remember waiting for the results hoping for a positive and realizing I would be so excited to be pregnant. I wasn't shocked for the negative, but really disappointed, which really surprised me. I told myself I would test again June 1st if I still wasn't sure. I couldn't help myself and took the test Saturday morning. I bought one of the tests that tells you "pregnant" or "not pregnant" because I didn't want to have to deal with those lines being faint or hard to read. I couldn't believe it showed "pregnant" right away! I went to tell Jeremy and he was still sleeping, so it took awhile to sink in. Of course he was beside himself smiling from ear to ear! I had grad class that day and was dieing to tell someone so I told my friend, Kelly, on the way to class. I remember it was really hard for her to stay quiet, but she did!
I remember being a bit shocked to be pregnant and then being completely self-absorbed! I felt like the only pregnant lady to ever walk the earth! ~Why would that driver cut me off in line, don't they realize I'm pregnant?! ~We had to clean out the kitchen of junk food and even bought wheat germ (I have to say I never ate much of it!)!!! ~All of a sudden I had to do all my research on pregnancy - a trip to the bookstore was in order and I pondered over the pregnancy section for a long time. I'm pretty sure I walked out with four or five books! I have to say, I had a hard time wiping the smile off my face, too!


June 15, 2008 Father's Day!
We told our family on Father's Day because we couldn't keep it a secret any longer! We bought the grandmas brag books and the grandpas got t-shirts that said "Best Grandpa Ever!" The uncles got a picture frame that said "I Love My Uncle." We made cupcakes and put little babies on the top (Jeremy's idea)! It was such an awesome day telling everyone our family was expanding. I remember both grandpas asking "Is this for real? Are you sure?" I don't know many experiences that are better than telling your parents you are now going to be a parent.


June 30, 2008 Our First Doctor's Appointment
We met Dr. Angie Wise for the first time. (My GYN had quit earlier in the year.) We loved her instantly! We had an ultrasound to date the pregnancy and was told our baby was 8 1/2 weeks along. Our due date was February 5th, 2009. Dr. Wise answered all of our questions and agreed it would be a good thing to get the screening for Downs Syndrome done before the 13 week mark. She helped us get that appointment scheduled and went over all of our questions with us.


July 14, 2008 Downs Syndrome Screening Ultrasound
Because Bryan (Jeremy's brother) has Downs Syndrome we decided to do the screening just to be better prepared in case our baby had it. It was a simple ultrasound done between 10 and 13 weeks. We were 11 weeks pregnant when we had our ultrasound done. They measured the distance between the skull and the spinal cord (I think) and depending on how far apart or how close together it is will give a good indicator of the baby having Downs. Abby's test was fine, but if it would have come back in the questionable range we would have gone on for an amnio to know for sure.


July 29, 2008 Our Second Anniversary
We celebrated at Maggiano's - yummy! Of course our baby was our topic of conversation. We kept talking about how next year we would have a baby on our anniversary!


August 4, 2008 Extra Ultrasound
I babysat for Dr. Bryan Lilly's kids when they were growing up. When he found out we were pregnant he offered to give us an ultrasound at the local ER. Who's gonna pass up a free ultrasound?!!! We asked if we could bring Jeremy's dad so he could be there to see the baby. Bryan was fine with it, but Tom wasn't feeling well enough for the trip in to Jasper. So, instead the rest of the family came: My mom, dad, dad's girlfriend (Sharon), Jeremy's mom and Jeremy's older brother, Bryan were all crammed in the room for the ultrasound. Dr. Lilly printed out lots of pictures to take home for Tom and the other grandparents! It was a nice gift from Bryan.


August 30, 2008 Grandpa Reckelhoff passed away
Jeremy's Dad lost his fight with cancer on the morning of August 30th. He fought the cancer really hard, but it was a tough fight. Jeremy was able to spend a week with his dad in August helping to take care of him and spend some time with him. We were planning on coming up Saturday night, but Friday Jeremy's mom called and said we should probably come up now. It was a really late night because I wanted to make sure I had substitute lesson plans in place for the following week (if I needed them). We didn't leave our house until after 8 pm and Jeremy was riding his motorcycle with me in the car behind him. We take highways instead of interstates and he has to stop for gas more frequently. It was about midnight when we made it to his parents' house. His brothers had already gone to sleep, but his mom was sitting bedside. I went to sleep, but Jeremy stayed up with his mom for quite a while. I'm not sure when Jeremy came to bed, but sometime around 5 am I woke up to use the restroom. Becky was sitting with Tom and I asked if she wanted some company. We sat together for a little while before we both got really sleepy. She gave Tom some medicine and we both layed down. I remember around 7:30 Becky came into the room and said, "He's gone." I thought he would hang on a little longer, but I think he was waiting for his family to be close by. He ended up passing away while we all slept, which I think is what he wanted. Tom was an awesome human being, but an even better father and father-in-law. I was so sad that our baby wasn't going to get to meet him because he would have been a wonderful Grandpa. But, at the same time I was relieved that he was no longer in pain. He had a rough few last weeks and I was happy he was no longer hurting. He passed away on a Saturday morning. That afternoon we went to the funeral home to plan his visitation for Monday. Sunday afternoon the priest came over and we planned his funeral for Tuesday.
I will never forget the love we felt from so many friends, family, and community members. The firestation where he was a volunteer firefighter had their firetrucks draped in black and covered their badges in black. They also hung a huge flag over the road where we would travel. You could tell they would miss Tom as much as we do. I met some of Jeremy's family that I had never met before and spent time with others we rarely saw. It was a long week, but I know Jeremy and I were pleased with the way Tom's funeral had gone.
I also remember it was sometime during this week that I felt my first baby kicks! I wasn't quite sure if they were real, but after a day or two I realized that's what it was!


September 22, 2008 Our 20 Week Ultrasound
We had already decided we didn't know what we were having, so it's not like we were excited to find out the gender, but it was still exciting to see our first baby yet again. Of course she was perfect and developing great. After our ultrasound we went to Babies-R-Us and registered for all of our baby essentials. It was such an exciting day for us. Long and tiring, too, but overall very exciting!


November 22, 2008 Our Baby Showers
Saturday morning Sharon threw a baby shower at her house with all of her friends. It was very nice and intimate. We got our baby bedding and some other goodies for Baby Reckelhoff.
Saturday evening my mom and Jeremy's mom threw us a shower with their families and friends. The theme was "A Star is Born" and it was movie related. They had a red carpet, glittery stars, and even a dress up area to take pictures. It was a fun shower and we got lots more goodies, including our travel system, another stroller, and lots of diapers, wipes, rattles, and more! I remember it completely filled the back of our Buick Rendezvous!


December 8, 2008 Another Ultrasound
Well, I was measuring bigger than I should have been so the doctor wanted another ultrasound just to make sure everything was going fine. I could have told her it was because I gained an excessive amount of wait, but I was glad she was taking the correct precautions. And, it meant I got to see my baby again! (I don't recommend gaining a lot of weight, but it was nice to get something out of it!) Baby was doing fine and our next appointment was scheduled for Dec. 26th.
At our appointment on the 26th I remember Dr. Wise telling me that if we were to go into labor at that point they would not try to stop me. I almost fell off the examining table! I thought 37 weeks was considered full term (which it is), but she said if I were to go into labor on my own that the baby had a very good chance of surviving so they wouldn't stop labor. I couldn't believe I was that far along in my pregnancy already!!! I remember leaving the office talking to my belly telling Baby to keep cooking for the next 6 weeks!


December 31, 2008
We finally got the crib put together! That last Dr. visit scared me into getting things ready for real! Jeremy worked really hard on the nursery - painting, putting new doors on the closet, new trim and baseboards. It is in a neutral theme because 1) we didn't know what we were having and 2) we knew we would move baby #1 into the bigger room when we needed the nursery again for baby #2. It was so exciting to know the baby would have a place to "live" when we had him or her here!


January 5, 2009 Downhill from here!
I had my 35 week check-up scheduled for 8:30 am that Monday morning. I had already worked it out with my principal to go to my appointment, come in late, and work through my lunch to make up my time (it was a teacher in-service day). Jeremy met me at the doctor's office (I think he made it to all of my appointments). I remember the first thing she asked me was if I was having any contractions. I told her I think I was having some of those Braxton Hicks contractions, but I wasn't sure. I told her I wasn't having any pain and felt pretty good. I knew she was going to start checking for dilation so I told her before she even checked that I didn't want to know if I was dilating - it would freak me out! So, her first check for dilation and I will never forget her saying, "You're not going to believe this! You're 4 cm dilated!" I look over and Jeremy is grinning from ear to ear! I probably looked like I was going to faint! I couldn't believe I was progressing so much so early. I've been told you can dilate early and it doesn't do much. But, you can also start progressing and it doesn't stop! And then you have a baby! So Dr. Wise stands there for a minute and says, "I don't want you going to work this week. I want you on bedrest." Well, Dr. Wise...I'm a teacher. Teachers don't have time for bedrest! I actually asked her if the dilating would reverse!!! Jeremy was so embarressed! He looks at me and says, "You went to the same baby classes that I did! You know it won't reverse! Get with it!" Dr. Wise informed me it would be in the best interest of the baby and me to not go into labor yet and I should go on bedrest. When she explained the baby might have to go in the NICU I got on board with bedrest! All through my pregnancy I thought bedrest might be fun....until I went on bedrest. Laying in bed all day and night with a huge belly, needing to go to the restroom at least every other hour, and the anxiousness of what's to come are not fun at all! Apparently I had been having contractions, I just didn't realize it! Dr. Wise told me to go home and pack my bags - I would be having the baby sooner rather than later! I remember being a bit in denial and refused to pack my bag! Jeremy ended up packing for me...I guess he knows just how stubborn I can be!!!


January 7, 2009 Back to the doctor
Since realizing I was having contractions and didn't know it I decided I would try to pay closer attention. Well, when I did that I could determine when I was having a contraction. I have to say, Jeremy was a huge help. He listened during the baby classes and remembered everything (and I forgot most of it!). He remembered how to time the contractions and when we should call the doctor. Jeremy would put his hand on my belly and feel for tightness and time my contractions that way. I wasn't feeling the contractions at all from the inside. I woke up on Wednesday morning to use the restroom and couldn't go back to sleep. When I timed the contractions I realized they were about 5 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds. I think the rule was 5 minutes apart lasting a minute. When Jeremy woke up I told him and we decided to call the doctor when they opened. They told us to come in and get put on the contraction monitor to make sure I was having contractions. It was funny....we were in the waiting room and I was reading People Magazine (I had already read all the baby books through the first month while I was on bedrest!) and Jeremy would have his hand on my belly timing my contractions. He would say, "Do you feel this one?" "Nope!" (as I flip through the magazine!). By the time we got ready for the day and got into the doctor's office my contractions were no longer regular. But, I was having contractions so we weren't crazy for trying to time them! The doctor checked me and I hadn't dilated any further so they told me to go home and my contractions would either go away or get worse and they would see me later in the day or the next day.
The next day when Jeremy woke up and got ready for work he said and I quote: "When I get home I really hope you're in pain!" He was so excited to meet his son or daughter that he was actually hoping I would go into labor a month early!


January 12, 2009 Abby's Birthday!!!!! (And the best day of my life!)
I had my 36 week appointment scheduled for 11 am. Since I was progressing Dr. Wise wanted me to have another ultrasound before my appointment. So, we went in at 10 am for my ultrasound. I remember the tech saying the baby was measuring 7 lbs 5 oz and everything looked good. When we went back to see Dr. Wise I was joking with her and said, "I'm ready to have this baby today!" (Seriously, I was very nervous...I thought I had another month to prepare myself!) Dr. Wise's response was, "I don't think your pediatrician will be very happy if we have this baby today. Let's see how we're doing and go from there. This baby is still considered a preemie at this point." (About this time I remember we never met our pediatrician....another thing I was going to do in that ninth month!) Dr. Wise begins her examination and then another shocked response: "You're not going to believe this....you're 6 cm!" (At this point Jeremy starts pumping air!) So she looks at me and says, "I think we should have this baby today!" That's when I change my mind and say, "I'm not ready to have this baby today...I was faking when I said I was ready earlier!!!" Dr. Wise has a way of jolting me back to reality! She told me that I was progressed far enough that if I were to go into labor at home I might deliver the baby at home! Once she said that I said, "So, we should go to the hospital now?!?!"
Dr. Wise called the hospital to make sure a room would be ready. The drive from the parking garage by the doctor's office to the parking garage at the hospital was packed full of phone calls to our family members! We were pretty excited and thankfully we had planned ahead and had our bags, the camera, extra batteries, and our computer with us. It took about 15 minutes to get checked in to the hospital and get our nice hospital bracelets. It was about 11:45 when we checked in and by 12:30 Dr. Wise had broken my water and I already had my epidural. One of the nurses was looking out for Jeremy and told him to get some lunch - it might be a long night. Of course Jeremy left as soon as he could! When we called my mom she said she was on her way and got there almost exactly three hours after we got admitted! She dropped everything to be down there. My dad offered to come down, but we assumed it was going to be later that evening and wouldn't be worth the drive.


Little did we know that she was going to be born relatively quickly! I started pushing at 6 pm and she was born at 6:32 pm. She was 19 3/4 inches long and the ultrasound tech was correct - she was 7 lbs 5 oz. I couldn't decide between Abigail or Madelyn for a girl's name, but Jeremy knew it would be Abigail! We named her Abigail Leigh because Abigail means "Father's Joy" and Leigh is my middle name and Lee is my mom's middle name. We were going to spell it Lee, but my mom said Leigh is prettier! Abby was considered a preemie because she was born at 36 1/2 weeks instead of 37 weeks. She was born on a Monday and if she would have been born on Thursday she would have been full-term. She had to go to the NICU for two hours for observation (standard protocol for preemies). We finally got upstairs in our postpartum room around midnight. (At Baptist Hospital you deliver on the third floor and recover on the seventh floor.) It was an awesome day and everything went great!


Abby's Birthday Buddy is Tanner. We met his parents, Tim and Brandy, during our baby classes at the hospital. We sat next to them every week. Brandy is a kindergarten teacher so we hit it off with them pretty easily. They were also overdue and had come in Sunday at midnight to be induced. Tanner was born just a few hours before Abby. They are becoming pretty good friends and even celebrated birthdays together this year.
The next morning, Jan. 13th, my cousin and his wife had their third child - Katherine Elise. She was due at the beginning of January, but went over her due date. Everyone was very surprised that Abby was born before Baby Kate!