Merry Christmas!

Completion of Nursing School

After Rebekah was born, I had 3 days of clinical left. Fortunately, my instructor was kind of enough to work around things. I went to clinical that Thursday, and then next Tuesday. My instructor had me make up the clinical days......which then I could complete nursing school this semester. Thank you, Mrs. Black!
Another key part to the story is Benjamin's mom. She came and stayed with us for 10 days. She also helped me complete nursing school. Barb watched Rebekah while I was in clinical, taking exams, and getting some sleep. Thank the Lord for Grandma's!
Our church brought over meals for a week. That was a HUGE blessing.....we didn't have to think about what's for dinner or the bother of preparing it. Thank you, Homewood Church!
I couldn't have gotten through the last 2 weeks without my family and these key people. I am glad that school is behind me. I can actually enjoy my family.....Benjamin AND Rebekah!

Debut

On December 1, 2008....Rebekah Marie Rasmussen made her appearance! It was a cold snowy night when I went into labor. The first snow of the season, actually. How ironic. :-) The maternity unit was busy that night, too. I think the drop in barometric pressure might have something to do with it.

I labored for 3.5 hours total. It started at 10pm with my water breaking in the rocking chair. (I was actually on Facebook when my water broke.) They say sometimes you hear a pop. Well, in my case....I did hear a pop. I looked at Benjamin with wide eyes and said "I better go check it out....it feels like there is a relief of pressure." When I got to ER I was 8 cm and throwing up. Benjamin is a trooper, I must say. I was at the hospital for 1.5 hours before our new baby arrived. They were worried that the midwife wouldn't show up in time because of the bad snowy roads and because I was progressing so quickly. I was proud that I delivered without any pain meds. That was my first choice. I told Benjamin while in the car going to the hospital, that I was going to ask for some pain medication. Well, I was too far along and the med would affect Baby in a negative way.
Rebekah was born at 1:33 AM and weighed 7.5 pounds, 19 inches long. She is a pro at the sucking/swallowing coordination.


I felt good afterwards. That first shower after birth, is refreshing! I couldn't sleep that same night. I was overjoyed and looking forward to a Grandma visit before she had to go to work. The hospital provided us with a celebration dinner. That was delightful! Benjamin had steak. I had a glass of sparkling grapejuice with my meal. :-) We are so blessed with our new bundle of joy. Rebekah is a good baby. Eats well, sleeps for 2 hours at a time, and enjoys looking at the Christmas tree lights. I'll say she is the BEST Christmas present I have ever received!

Mixed Feelings

Well, I went for a baby check-up today.....today is my estimated due date. I have approximately 4 hours until the due date is past. I am 70% effaced and 1 cm dilated. The progress from last week's check up?? 0.5cm more dilated. Not too much progress. I really really want to meet baby and have the joy of holding the tiny bundle. But, at the same time, it would be nice to finish up the semester still being pregnant. I have 3 clinical days left.....next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Then I am home free!!!
So how long will they let me go without inducing me? Well, they don't really start talking about induction until 10-12 days after the estimated due date. However, I have to go in for more frequent baby check ups. Instead of weekly, it's like every 5 days. They did a non-stress test today and plan to do one during the next appointment. Today's was negative....a good thing. Baby is happy in my belly.
Benjamin's mom is flying out here and staying for 10 days. She comes next week. It will be nice to see family. I just wish the whole Rasmussen family could join her.
We will let you know if any more progress with signs of baby coming into the world.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Yummy Recipe!

About 2 weeks ago, I was searching through a Taste of Home cookbook, hoping to find something interesting and yummy to make. The trick is that I look for something with ingredients that we have already in the house. It wasn't too long that I stumbled across meatballs in a cream sauce. I had everything but 1 ingredient (chicken broth). It was a lot of fun to make and better yet, the dish was approved by my husband!
So tonight, I've decided to indulge in meatballs and cream sauce, again. If I have the time to make it, I don't mind spending the energy to create the meatballs from scratch. I am eager to have my taste buds smiling. :-)
This morning, I had a baby checkup. 3 more weeks!! No signs of impending labor. We are excited to meet baby. Benjamin's mom is flying in and staying for a week in December. It will be a joy to see her and spend some family time.
Nursing school........almost done! 4 more weeks. I'm in my last class....precepting. It is such a relief to be done with the heavy duty material. I hope to learn a lot in clinicals and then apply it to when I take the state exam. I can't believe this is reality. :-)
Benjamin grew a beard. I wonder how the baby will take to it. :-) He is getting ready to start up school in the spring. Meanwhile, he is working full time with lots of overtime hours putting up temporary fences. I pray for his safety, often.

November Is Here!

November is here.....which means.....Baby is near! My official due date is November 26th. (The day before Thanksgiving) We really don't have Thanksgiving plans. We're thinkin' that we might request 2 plates on standby. We'll see. I am anxious for the BIG day! I have more week of class and then an exit nursing test. Yeah, kinda stressing about that test. It's amazing how everything is coming to be. You dream and plan for such a long time, then when it comes to reality....excitement builds all over again. I promise we will have baby pictures up as soon as the bundle of joy makes an appearance!

Missing

It is 7:30pm and Benjamin is not home from work. He started at 5 0'clock this morning. What a long day! He has been putting in a lot of hours. It's the missing him part that I don't like. I've been trying to call his cell phone over the past hour....no answer. I am a little nervous. Hopefully, nothing major has gone wrong. I know I should rest easy because everything is in the Lord's hands. I need to remind myself of this often, right now.

Fall Season

A week ago, Benjamin and I bought a pumpkin with the intention of carving a face. Yesterday, Benjamin cleaned the pumpkin out and I carved the face! It was a lot of fun. We baked the pumpkin seeds, too.

Well, the end of my 2nd class is coming to a close. Just 2 more weeks of the class and clinical. It is a reminder to me how near baby is entering into this world. This past weekend, Benjamin and I attended the final session of childbirth class. We learned a lot. I hope it works when I go into labor. The class did decrease my fear about labor and the whole birthing process.

Benjamin is starting the process to enroll in spring semester classes at Purdue-Calumet. He has taken a year and a half off, so it will take some effort to get back into the swing of school. He is excited to start up again.

An Extra Day

Last night, I was preparing for clinical this morning. While doing so, I received a phone call from one of my classmates, saying that clinical has been canceled and to check the school website. Sure enough, our instructor is sick and canceled today's clinical. In a way, it is a blessing. I didn't have to be out of the house by 6am. And I have all day to catch up on homework and housework!
Lately, Benjamin has been starting work at 5am. He gets home around 2:30pm, which is sooooo nice. Its like we still have a day together. I like hanging out with him! (This pic is an older one from when we were dating)

Benjamin to Texas

A few weeks ago, Benjamin went down to Galveston, Texas with work. They put up a lot of temporary fences around sites that will be rebuilt. I thought I would post some
pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Meanwhile, at the ol' homestead in Hammond, life has gotten quite busy. I am 33 weeks into my first pregnancy (7 more wks to go!).....and I am feeling it. Whew. At my last appointment, I was found to be slightly anemic. I was a 10....normal is 12. So, I am taking some iron supplements and feeling much more energetic! School has me going crazy. I am taking one class, but I feel like it is a full time job. Demanding! I am almost done with nursing school, so the pressure is on to know the material and complete assignments without fault. Basically, if I am not at work, I am doing school stuff. And some how baby appointments get thrown into the mix. Thank the Lord for a wonderful husband who takes care of me!

Baby Shower

This past Sunday, a few ladies from our church threw Benjamin and I a baby shower! It was a lot of fun. A lot of loving people and nice gifts to help start our family. Pictured here is Heather, me, and Kim. Some old, good friends of mine that could make it to the shower.....thanks, girls!
When I got home, Sunday evening, I began organizing the baby things....unwrapping, folding, separating.....its fun to go through it all, again, while remembering who the gift was from and the story behind it. I think it is all pretty much organized and ready for baby's use! It is another reality check for me. Sometimes I go into little moments of denial that I am actually having a baby. But then as I fold onesies or put diapers on the shelf....it is a time of excitement and anticipation. I am looking forward to meeting our new bundle of joy!

PTL!

Yay for mom coming home from the hospital yesterday and yay for benjamin coming home from Texas today!!!
I picked up my mom from the hospital after I got off work yesterday. She still has pneumonia, but the last leg of recovery can be done from home. She is on a bunch of oral antibiotics along with some other medications. My mom still is weak and gets short of breath sometimes along with getting tired quickly. Doctor said no partying....no going back to work for awhile. Stay home and rest. Hopefully, the pneumonia will clear up soon! She has a couple doctor's appointments as well as some tests in the next couple of weeks.
Benjamin comes back home this evening from spending 4 days in Galveston, Texas. He along with 2 other guys, went down to put up temporary fences around the "construction sites". Because of Hurricane Ike, a lot of Galveston needs to be rebuilt. I am overly delighted that Benjamin is coming back home.....no more lonely nights. He should be back in 1.5 hours.
YAY!!!!!

Life

Today at 5am, Benjamin headed to Galveston, Texas with his work. About 2 weeks ago, he started working for a small fence company. They put up temporary fences all around the Chicagoland area as well as northwest Indiana. Because of the hurricane in Galveston, a lot of temporary fences are needed so things can be rebuilt. Benjamin will be gone until late Saturday night/early Sunday morning.
How am I doing? I don't like the fact that I come home to an empty house. It's been lonely around here and he hasn't even been gone for 24 hours! I miss him already. We got pretty good at the long distance thing while we were dating. Its been awhile since we had to be a part. I look forward to his phone calls.
Meanwhile, I've been keeping busy with school, work, the pregnancy, and trying to get my mom well so she can get home from the hospital. Benjamin is such a support. He makes sure I get adequate sleep, drink plenty of water, etc. He takes care of me....sees to it that I don't over exert myself. I love him.
My first class of the semester, Psych, is completed this week...yay! Next on the list is advanced medical/surgical....for 6 weeks. I stand amazed at how fast the completion of nursing school is creeping up. It seems like I was just graduating high school, excited for the next big step in life. Lord willing, I'll get through the last semester with no problems.

Update #2 on KGK

It has been 1 week since my mom decided to go to the hospital. And she is still hospitalized. The pneumonia has worsened over the last 2 days. Breathing is getting more labored because of the increase fluids in both of her lungs. She goes down for a chest x-ray each morning so doctors can monitor the progression/regression of the pneumonia. Because my mom has been on IV maintenance fluids since the first day, she has been retaining fluid in her legs and ankles. Today, they stopped the IV fluids. She is only getting antibiotics, intravenously. For the last 5 days, the doctors have been prescribing massive doses of antibiotics to try and get a hold on the bacterial pneumonia.
The plan of care for this week is to investigate deeper to see if something else is going wrong inside her body. One doctor thinks its the gallbladder. So more testing and lab work will be done over the next few days. There is no sign of her going home. They won't discharge my mom until they get the pneumonia in control and they find out, if anything, if something else is the matter.
Please be in prayer for:
-that the pneumonia will decrease, and breathing will become easier
-the fluids she is retaining in her legs and ankles will be reabsorbed quickly so then the swelling will go down
-that the doctors will be able to figure out if anything else is going on "deeper" inside my mom's body
-continued strength, physically, for KGK
-that the relationships between KGK and the medical staff will be non stressful and therapeutic
-continued encouragement and strength for KGK's family

Update on K. Kocevar

I thought this would be a good place to fill you in... Last Thursday, my mom, Klara, wasn't feeling well. After work on Friday, she came home and crashed in bed. She had flu-like symptoms. The symptoms went on all weekend, with no sign of improvement. Early Monday morning (around 3am), I got a call from her, saying she would like to go to the hospital. She wasn't getting better and thought she better get some help. They admitted her and she got up to the unit around 10am. Klara did have temporary relief (about 4 hours) because of the medications she received in ER. For a few days, they were unable to find what was wrong. Lab work was coming back normal, the initial chest x-ray was normal. It wasn't until Wednesday, when they did a CT scan of the chest and abdomen that they found out she has bilateral pneumonia.....it is in both lungs. Not fun. Klara continues to have fevers, chills, achy muscles, and feels weak. It won't be for another couple days when the antibiotics will get a hold of the infection and then hopefully, she will be feeling somewhat better.
A way that you could be of help is to pray and keep her in your thoughts. Pray that she will overcome this illness, that she would get relief soon from pain and "not feeling good". Also, you could pray that she would remain strong and pray for her family as they pull together to be of support to Klara. Thank you in advance for praying!

Our Room

Compared to our bedroom at the apartment, this bedroom is large. We had to adjust to the minimal closet space. Over at the Apt, we each had our own closet the length of a wall. And now, we share a closet that is as small as a front closet. Good thing we have dressers! The space is nice in the room, though. The walls came out darker than we expected, but the good news is the walls are more blue than we imagined.

Our bedroom was the 2nd room to get completed (first, was the living room). That was pretty important to me. I don't sleep very well when the room is in a chaotic state. Here are some pics for you visual people out there.

Baby Room

The baby room was a lot of fun to plan and think out. I found the bedding a Target awhile ago. I wanted to go with a "neutral" theme. I put the baby bedding on the registry. When I checked back, it said "limited time only". I don't like that part. Target has messed me up in the past. I find something I like, and when I go back for purchase....all gone. So, this time, I went ahead and bought the bedding for baby. I didn't see anything else that I liked as much. The bedding is little circles...almost like polka-dots. Red, yellow, green, and brown are the 4 colors in the pattern.
One of the walls is green along with the ceiling. The other 3 walls are yellow. I am happy with the outcome. As you can see, the walls were a turquoise. We had to put a couple coats of primer on, first.
I plan to put diapers, wipes, etc on the shelves. Those are actually 4 shoe racks from Ikea stacked up.
Oh, and we can't forget about the rocking moose! That's from Ikea, as well. G-ma thought it would be a great addition to baby's room. We hope baby enjoys it as much as we did picking it out. It was a hassle to put together, though. Love keeps ya going. :-)

Hallway + Bathroom

Next "room" that we come to is the bathroom, along with the hallway. There wasn't much to be done in the hallway. We replaced the ugly light fixture (the same one that hung in the front hallway) with a track lighting fixture. I am happy with our pick! We also painted the linen closet a neutral brown color (the door on the right).

The bathroom had a shower door. I am not a fan of those things. While I am trying not to trip on the way into the shower, I hit my head. Benjamin took the shower door down and replaced it with a shower rod and curtain....yay! He also added 2 towel bars.

Living Room

Come on in and stay for awhile! Let me show you around.....

When we bought the home, the entire house was painted white except for one bedroom. (turquoise) It was actually a nice thing that the walls were white because it made it easy to paint the colors of our choice. The living room has vertical blinds over the windows....we kept those. We like the clean and neat look. Did you notice the light fixture in the front hallway? There were TWO of those in the house. The other one is in the hallway near the bathroom. Benjamin replaced the front light fixture with a more modern/sleek one.
Some friends of ours helped us paint. Benjamin and I knew nothing about painting, so they were kind enough to show us the ropes. I think we got the hang of it.....just the basics, nothing fancy. The one wall of the living room is brick red, the other 3 are a golden yellow.
I find myself stopping and just enjoying the house. It feels like home. I was nervous about that part. How will you call something home that you saw a total stranger calling the same house, home? It is such a luxury to have a home of our own. I didn't realize how peaceful and private it would be.

7525 Van Buren Ave

WELCOME!
Our new property that we call home.....

The Backyard. I will expand on it later on. The detached garage will be a separate post, too.

It's official....we are Hoosiers!!

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans and I have a love-hate relationship. They are great when you have the windows open and have the fan going....plus they add light to the room. But putting them up was quite the job. This 1st fan is in our bedroom. We got it from Lowe's. It weighs 40lbs. The first time we got it up, it worked, but wobbily. 2nd try....not wobbily, but didn't work. Third time? .....there wasn't a 3rd time. We called out a friend of the family who is an electrician. He installed this one and the one in the baby room (below). Praise the Lord the fans are up!

The baby room fan is from Lowe's, also. Benjamin picked it out. I like it....it took a little while for it to grow on me. The lights on the fan are LED lights. I hope they last a long time, cause there are no replacements!

We have gotten a lot done from the "to-do" list. Including:

License plates for car

Driver's License for Benjamin and me

Pics up in our room
Paint touch-up around the light fixture
Rocking moose is a rockin'

As far as putting up house pictures.....I plan to blog about 1 room per day. I'm excited to tell you all about it!

More Happenings

Classes started for me yesterday. I have one class at a time....which is a good thing. Hopefully, this will be my last semester of nursing school. The first class is Psych, second is Advanced Med/Surg, and lastly, Role Synthesis. It will be a full and busy semester, but I am eager to get through it.
Yesterday I painted our pantry with a fresh coat of white satin. You see, our kitchen is rather small which makes for not a lot of space for the table and eating. We put the refrigerator that came with the house downstairs as a storage refridge and bought a smaller one to put in the pantry. Seems wacky, but I like all the extra room. We have quite a bit of cabinet space, so putting food in cabinets instead of the pantry was no problem. The project took all day, yesterday.....and is complete!
Still to do:
put up ceiling fans in both bedrooms,
put on Indiana license plate on car,
get Indiana drivers license for Benjamin and myself,
put up pictures on bedroom wall,
put up living room decor on wall,
touch up with paint around light fixture in hallway,
put together a rocking moose that Gma gave us,
and of course the house needs cleaning!

Odds + Ends

Today started with a fresh cup of coffee.....caramel bliss. My good friend gave me a couple packets as part as my b-day gift. What a nice way to start the day.
Benjamin was at work by 7:00 this morning. Summer is coming to a close, so Robinson is trying to get the jobs done.
When Benjamin got home at 11:30am, we headed over to the Bureau of Motor Vehicle for the state of Indiana. We couldn't get our drivers license, but we did get the title to our car transfered over in our names, we got Indiana license plates, and the registration filed. So we are getting things accomplished.
After the BMV, we stopped at Lowes, and picked up 2 ceiling fans. One for the baby room and one for our room. I think Lowes and Home Depot are our favorite home improvement stores. Benjamin started putting up the fans and I made lunch....BLTs....yum!
Tonight we are having supper with Uncle Walt and Aunt Joy. I think a stop to Ikea in Boilingbrook is a must!
Here are a few of my favorite pics from when we went to Montana:

Ahhhh.....

refreshing......wireless internet is back up and running. Turns out that something had to be done outside, not with the modem. It works. We'll see how long it will last this time.
Benjamin has been working overtime all this week. I miss him when it gets like this. But it is the end of the summer which means busy busy for Robinson. He called me just a little bit ago to say he is on his way home. We'll probably sit down for supper around 7:30ish.
Now that we have internet, means pictures will be up shortly. Thanks for being patient.
Where we live, the houses are really close together and everyone parks on the street. It feels like Chicago. Anyways, we can hear/watch our next door neighbor's TV from our living room. We have our windows open, so as I type, I hear Wheel of Fortune going on. Its kind of annoying actually. I like quiet.....not white noise.
Baby is doing well. I am feeling great. I am actually enjoying being pregnant now. All the yucky feelings subsided. I can feel baby move around....kinda cool. Having a little one became more real when we got the baby room done. I am nervous, excited, anxious, and scared.....all at the same time! I hope to sign up for Lamaze classes soon.
Time to put supper on the table!

Internet Issues

Benjamin and I had our AT&T internet service transfered to our new home. It was supposed to be up and running on 08.05.08....last Tuesday. It didn't get connected until Thursday, 08.07.08. It worked for 2 days and then no more. And when it comes to AT&T customer service....they stink....badly. We did enjoy flawless, wireless internet for a couple of days. No internet for our home since Sunday. An AT&T technician is supposed to be coming out tomorrow sometime to "install" another modem. Apparently, the modem went bad, whatever that means. Good thing everything is still under warranty. So, it wasn't the connection, or the phone line, or the wireless setup....it is the actual modem.
The house is really coming along. We have pictures on our computer, but no internet to upload them to our page. Sooooo, we are trying to be patient over here. :-)
Today has been a relaxing day....much needed, I must say. Benjamin got me a massage for my b-day. My appointment was today, and it was GREAT! I went to the same place where my bachlorette party was. I think I fell asleep at some point during the massage. Yeah, it was that good.....thank you to Benjamin!
Benjamin has an appointment with a cardiologist this afternoon. His orginial Doc was out in Montana....but we needed to find someone around here. Today will be the first visit. We hope all goes well.
Seeing that I am at the library updating the blog, I have a limited amount of time on the internet. I need to sign off.
Ta Ta!!

More things done

When I left for work, the Baby room was getting ready for some paint. I look forward to when I get home to see what it looks like! The house is really coming along because alot of people are helping us out. :-) We hope to get some pictures up here soon.
Benjamin had a company picnic today....he had the nerve to take me along. But, it was a fun time. Good food, entertaining softball game, and nice people. I was ready for a little nap when we got home, but it was time for work.
arg.

By the way.....

Phew

Benjamin and I finished up another coat of primer this afternoon. We got home from work, opened the mail, and then headed to the baby room. The plan is to have it painted and have the furniture organized by the end of this weekend. The "to do" list is slightly getting shorter.

New Beginnings

Lots of new beginnings for the Rasmussen household!
Bought a home on our 1 year anniversary (07.28)
Baby #1 is due 11.26.08
Benjamin starts up school at Purdue in the Spring semester
And a blog to top things off.