Our Little Early Christmas Present!!!

Hayden Michael Van Zanten born at 10:25 p.m. December 17th, 5 lbs. 12 oz., and 19 in. tall. Hayden and mom are both doing great and healthy. The picture of his nursery was panoramic shot from three different corners of his room.
http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=52d6e38a-0b06-40ed-abdd-c6c28f5b5d80
Go to this website to see more pictures of Hayden that the hospital took of him before we left to come home.

Thanksgiving

Bret and I with Jay and Staci at Bret's Dad's House on Thanksgiving.

My Sister Sherri and I at our Mom's over Thanksgiving. She is expecting their 4th child in March (their 1st boy).

Bret and I in front of our 1st full size Christmas Tree.

Christmas will come early this year!!!

We went to a baby appointment on Nov. 19th with Doctor Hendrix who will be the one to deliver Hayden. She started off by saying she wanted to do an amniocentesis at 36 weeks and both Bret and I thought NO! Because it's too invasive and not necessary. They suggested one a long time ago to check if Hayden has Cystic Fibrosis and we said no then for the same reason and whether he has it or not, it won't change the pregnancy. I have known from the beginning that I will be induced, Bret and I figured it would just be a week or two early... Come to find out Dr. Hendrix wants to do the amnio at 36 weeks to confirm Hayden's lungs are mature enough for delivery. WOW is an understatement!!! This was news to us and I will forever be grateful to Bret for being able to come to this appointment with me (I have appointments every other week, and with school and work it makes it hard sometimes for Bret to make it to all the appointments). We agreed to the amnio but still felt dazed and shocked. All of a sudden, Hayden would not only beat New Years but Christmas and my Birthday which is Dec. 26th!!! She went on to describe many aspects of the delivery including an epidural (Hallelujah) and possibly vacuum assistance (not so comforting). We had a week to consider all this information before our next appointment on Nov. 26. I called anyone I could think of for advise and suggestions including a friend who is a nurse in Neonatal, my boss who is a respiratory therapist and my CF doctor as well as my mom. Bret and I offered many prayers for comfort and guidance. Our next appointment was wonderful and just what we needed. It started off with an ultrasound (which we haven't had in about a month). He is growing vary well and weighs about 4lbs 5 oz. Dr. Hendrix came in and we asked her to reiterate and clarify all she had said last week. This time we felt excited and ready. My sister in-law put it well when she said she is jealous that I won't have to push out a bigger baby and struggle through the last month of baby stretching and kicking.
So, to make my long story short...if I get an amniocentesis on the morning of December 17 then the induction will start that afternoon. If the amnio is performed in the afternoon then I will be induced on the 18. I have always loved this time of year but nothing could compare to the joy I feel now, knowing the Lord is blessing us with such a wonderful gift!!!

Well I guess we could update y'all a little...

I was released as University Branch Relief Society President about 2 weeks ago and gratefully passed the mantel onto Annalaura!!!! Stake Conference is this Sunday at which time I will be sustained for my new calling... There is always much the Lord would have us do. However, the last couple weeks of little church responsibility has been very refreshing. Bret is still Elders Quorum President for the next 18 months at which time we will have to move to a family ward so Hayden can go to nursery.
Speaking of Hayden. He is a real mover and shaker!!! I feel him a lot more frequently. Sometimes when Bret and I are watching TV on the couch Bret will get a big smile on his face and then reach for my belly because he just saw Hayden move. I love those precious moments. We already know which parent will be the nice guy and mean mom... So I tell Bret to remind Hayden that he can be Daddy's boy but Mommy loves him too. We had our last ultrasound on October 23 and the doctors all said he is right on track. He weighed 2lb and 14oz which I thought was big but they said that's average. Bret and I are guessing he will be between 7-8lb's when he is born. I really hope he fits through my birth canal...
My health has been good. I have a bit of a sinus thing starting because the weather in Michigan keeps changing but so far so good. I am resting lots and keeping the apartment in order. I finally finished reading all the Twilight books and I look forward to seeing the move with some girlfriends soon.

I had a wonderful baby shower two weeks ago at the Miles home. (They are the family I nanny for) Where Hayden got the most handsome outfits and fun goodies. The shower had a great turn out of people. I loved it and everyone had a good time. Bret really liked going through everything when he got home from work that night. We didn't want to buy anything till after the shower but now we have most everything Hayden will need for his first few months of life. Bret had Wednesday off from work so we went shopping for a dresser for all of Hayden's cloths (We won't need to buy him any till he is 6 months because of all his grandma's and the shower)!!! We think he may have more outfits then Bret and I put together. He will be the cutest baby ever!!! Anyway, we spent all day trying to find a simple non expensive dresser but even a cheep one at Wal-Mart was about $300. Finally, I suggested we try at Art Van Clearance center just to drool. Miracles do happen...we found a fun blue bedroom set (dresser, night stand, wall mirror and twin bed headboard) for $300. Even with taxes the set was cheaper and more sturdy then any single dresser we had looked at all day long. We were exited to say the least, I could hardly contain myself!!! We got it home and into Hayden's room just in time to leave for our baby basics parenting class. It was the funnest class we have been to because I must have gotten Hayden exited about his new bedroom set also...He would not stop moving all night and it wasn't just little twitches...he was jumping, kicking, punching, waving and having a good old time. It's a good thing Bret and I already know how to change diapers because we had a hard time paying attention to the teacher with our little entertainer doing tricks.
We are so happy and truly blessed. Life is full of adventures so treasure all you can.

Daddy's can be so cute!!

I have been wanting to go window shopping for baby stuff for about a month. Bret had time before work today so we finally went. He likes shopping as much as I do but we have lots of family and friends who can't wait to spoil baby Hayden with stuff and we are grateful for their generosity. So this trip was only to look and think for a future spending date. Just as we were walking into the first store Bret told me "lets not buy anything till after the baby shower" and I agreed... This first store was a second hand childhood shop and it was great!! Everything was in good repair from cloths to swings to wall decorations to cribs to diaper bags and lots more. I was getting really exited for that future spending day!! Next, thing I know we see this really cute framed poster about toddlers and how everything is theirs. We really liked it and the price was right so, I picked it up. Then, Bret spotted a variety of mobiles and quickly headed straight for them. When I caught up to him he turned around with a Tigger rocking horse in his arm and a big grin on his face. He is the biggest sucker for Tigger and again the price was right. We headed for the check out before we saw anything else with the right price.
We then drove to Babies R Us. I've never been in there before and assumed the prices would not be just right so I was content with just looking... It was a nice store and the prices were not as bad as I expected. We looked at baby monitors, furniture, strollers and baby bibs. If you ever want a good laugh read the baby bib wall at Babies R Us... Bret couldn't resist getting a couple! Now remember, this trip was my idea and he said we shouldn't buy anything even before we entered the first store. The bibs he had to get said "chicks dig me" and "If you think I'm cute, you should see my dad". I'm telling you sometimes Daddy's can have as much, if not more fun then Mommy's. We left before he could pick out Hayden's first University of Michigan jogging suit.

Pregnant and Lovin it

Baby Hayden is now 27 weeks along or about 6 months gestation. I feel him kick often and even Bret gets to experience his strength sometimes. At our last appointment, the doctor said something I have never heard before about myself and it really surprised me...She said" Kari everything looks normal". With my health and character, "normal" has never been used to describe me before but it was so nice to hear that this pregnancy is going as expected.
Because I have Cystic Fibrosis this is a high risk pregnancy. We chose not to have Bret genetically tested to see if he was a CF carrier. Though we could pass CF on to our child we feel the Lords blessing upon us as our baby grows within me. We will not know until he is delivered and either way he is ours and we are his for Eternity.

Our Creation

We decided to try for a baby back in December while watching the LDS Christmas devotional on my hospital bed. I was just coming to the end of a weeks stay in the Hospital for a bad lung infection. Keep in mind it was my first inpatient stay in about 11 years. I usually just do IV antibiotics at home with rest but this time my doctor put his foot down and I had to go along with it.
I had been thinking about a baby for some time but didn't want to persuade Bret into anything. So when he leaned over to me and said he wanted a baby I used all the self control my body contained to not jump out of bed and dance around the hospital room.
One early May morning I woke up to use the rest room and contemplated using our last pregnancy test...Bret was sleeping so peacefully until I quietly crawled back into bed and gently woke him by saying " Honey, I know its Sunday but could we go to the store and buy another pregnancy test". (Quietly...she came running in and pounced on me) His eyes got really big and said "What!! Really!!" We then quickly went to the store. Upon our return and another trip to the bathroom our hopes became a reality!!!
I told Bret I wanted to wait to tell everyone but all of our 4 sets of parents knew before the day was up. Everyone else knew before 2 weeks had passed.
We had our first Baby Doctor appointment at 6 weeks and was able to have an ultrasound to confirm the babies gestational age. It was absolutely amazing to see our little peanut. I have by weekly baby appointments and they usually include an ultrasound. One time Bret said "I'm glad your pregnancy is High risk so we can see our baby so often." I just smiled and gave him a big kiss. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at about 13 weeks and it is under control with insulin and diet. I have not had any amount of morning sickness or any other complications. So far this pregnancy has been a lot better then I expected.
At our 15 week appointment the ultrasound technician asked if we wanted to know the babies sex (Bret wanted a boy so bad and I just wanted a healthy baby) we both said yes. Bret got exactly what he wanted...there was no mistaking our little man for a little girl. When I looked over at Bret I could feel the delight in his soul and see the excitement in his eyes. It was perfect!!

Health

To all who do or do not know my younger brother Darren and I have Cystic Fibrosis. Basically, it is a genetic disease which affects the respiratory and digestive systems. Everyone who has it is affected differently. Our biological parents had 4 kids, Aaron, me, Sherri and Darren. Aaron and Sherri are both married with all healthy children even though one of them is a carrier for the genetic disease. A carrier is someone who genetically contains the mutation but not any of the symptoms. Because CF is a recessive disease both parents need to be at least carriers to give the child the disease.
I was diagnosed at about 11 months of age and my parents had no idea what CF was let alone that they were carriers. Once I was diagnosed and began treatments I was relatively healthy. I have only been hospitalized about 3 times that I can remember. Darren however, has always been a lot worse. He got a double lung transplant about 2 weeks after we found out we were expecting a baby. His recovery is going amazingly well and my health though the pregnancy is very good also.

Our History

Hello everyone!!
I guess I'll begin by saying you don't have to move to Utah to meet the man of your dreams... Bret moved to Michigan to live with his father and stepmother in December of 2006. His plans were to go to school and see what the Michiganders were like. I was living with 2 roommates, attending Western Michigan University and working at the time.
On one cold mid December evening my 2 roommate (Desiree and Annalaura), Bret, Tyler and Jessy decided to meet and go ice skating here in Kalamazoo. After ice skating they all returned to our apartment for hot chocolate. I got home from work to find some fun new handsome faces in our apartment. Everyone was chatting and getting to know eachother while the TV remote was being passed around for entertainment. When, all of a sudden, I realized the TV had stopped on a FSU Football game!!! I mean who in there right mind would watch college football at a girls apartment... gross!!!!! I jokingly (loudly) made my point...and found Bret with the remote. He was very good looking and all decked out like he should be on his way to go snowboarding (I was wearing a beanie and a long sleeve shirt). I tried not to pay too much attention because I was sure he was much younger then I and maybe he had not even served a church mission yet. But he was Hot!!!
About one month later Desiree and Tyler started dating and then quickly engaged. Tyler had just returned home from his mission and he knew what he wanted. Desiree was preparing for a mission and thought she knew what she wanted....Long story short. They are our best friends and live just one apartment building over form us.
I found out he was not as young as he looked and had been home from his mission in Jamaica for a while. I realized I really liked Bret during a trip to the Detroit Temple on March 3, 2007. That night a group of us watched a movie at "the girls apartment" and Bret showed me lots of interest but I didn't want to get my hopes up. The next evening was a CES Broadcast at the stake center. I came in late and found the seat next to him empty so I filled it quickly. When he leaned forward, I really tried to resist the temptation to rub his back but I didn't resist too long...when he leaned back again he put his hand on my knee which really shocked me and I didn't need to hope anylonger. We have been together ever since.
He suprised me by proposing out front of the Detroit Temple the last weekend of April. The next week Annalaura, my brother Darren, Bret and I traveled to Desiree and Tyler's wedding in Nauvoo. Darren, Bret and I then continued onto Utah to see friends and meet family. I knew if I wanted a modest Wedding Dress I had to get it while I was in Utah so Julie Tew (one of my favoite missionary companions) took me shopping and it worked out perfectly. So did meeting his family. It is such a blessing when all the in-laws like each other.
We got married on August 25, 2007 in the Detroit Temple. We spent our honeymoon in Lava Spring, ID, visiting family, and had a wonderful time. The day after we got home to Kalamazoo, Michigan, we both went back to school and work. I finished my bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication and Travel and Tourism in April 2008. We found out we were expecting a baby in May and we were so very happy. They say the first year of marriage is the hardest but I have to disagree because we get along so well this has been the easiest time of my life!!!