Christian's Birth Story - Chapter 7 ... Growing a Baby

It wasn't long after finding out that they were expecting Baby Foote come May 2013 that the young girl started to feel very sick. She was very confused how this "morning sickness" seemed to last ALL day nearly EVERY day! How sneaky to make her think it would only be in the morning....

It wasn't long before the young girl realized that she should always carry a "puke bag" with her as her nausea could come on out of the blue! She even found herself throwing up in the parking lot at a work event where everyone could see her. "This baby is going to get the guilt trip someday!" the young girl thought. 

The nausea lasted until the young girl was about 22 weeks pregnant. Even after that she often felt sick, but the vomiting had at least ended. The young man felt very bad for how sick the young girl was, but at least she never had to be hospitalized. She did often find herself hunched over the toilet bowl, though. One morning, as the girl was leaving for work, she actually gave the young man a kiss good bye and his morning breath sent her running for the toilet! 

Even with taking medication to help make her feel better, the young girl found herself very sick. Many smells bothered her...from the smell of the young man to raw meat and chinese food. They all made her want to cry because they made her feel so sick! She would often get very upset with the young man when he would wear cologne or bring home chinese food...ESPECIALLY when he would make chicken speidis or reheat them in the microwave!

The young girl had now been working at her job as an Employment Counselor for just over a year. The young couple knew that once their little bundle of joy arrived, the young girl would become a stay at home mom. However, they decided for the girl to start staying home much sooner. 

Managing around 100 clients who relied on the young girl for their childcare and several other support services, the young girl found her job to be quite stressful, which only added to her nausea. Every Sunday night, the young girl would have a panic attack hoping that she could make it through the upcoming work week without needing to take a sick day. Finally, the young girl's doctor recommended she stop working if the couple did not need the extra income. With much debate, the young girl stopped working at 15 weeks pregnant. What a relief! 

Around this same time, the couple learned about Intelligender Gender Prediction testing and decided to take a test at home! They were eager to find out if they were having a boy or girl. The test claimed to be 90% accurate if taken with the first mornings urine, but they still weren't going to be positive until their gender ultrasound. 

At this point, the young girl had had several dreams about having a baby girl, so she was certain she was having a girl! The young man still was rooting for a boy! They both just really prayed for a healthy baby, though. When the Intelligender Test revealed that they were having a boy, the young girl didn't believe it. 

A few weeks after taking the Intelligender Test, the young couple flew to New York to spend Christmas with the young man's family. Since they had just gotten engaged in New York City the year before, the couple had planned a "Baby Moon"to New York City on their way to upstate New York. They would finally get to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and would go ice skating again! 

The young man had a few tricks up his sleeve yet again! Once they were on the plane to New York City, he gave the young girl a card with a riddle in it! After a few guesses, the girl learned that they would be having a gender ultrasound done in New York City that night!!! The young man had planned for them to visit GoldenView Ultrasound for a quick gender scan, have the baby's gender written on a Rockefeller Center post card, and for the couple to then go to the ice rink to reveal the gender!

The young girl was in tears! How special! But she also became immediately nervous! This would only be the beginning of nervousness over ultrasounds! She always worried that they would find something wrong with their precious baby. 

Seeing their baby on the ultrasound screen made everything seem so real! The cute little baby even sucked his thumb through most of the session. So precious! While baby was being a little shy at first and crossing "its" legs, it later become extremely obvious to the ultrasound tech as to what the baby's sex was. She wrote it on our post card and printed several pictures for us, even noting on a few how she knew the sex. 

The couple then headed off to the ice rink in eager anticipation! As they walked to the rink, they chatted about what they thought they saw. The young boy was certain that Baby Foote was a boy and the young girl thought that's what she saw too, but also thought it may have looked like a girl...she wasn't as positive as the young boy. 

As soon as the young couple arrived to the rink, they found a spot with a great view of the rink and the tree and pulled out the postcard....

They were having a BOY!

Up until this point, the couple had decided that if they would have a boy they would name him Levi. However, after confirming they were indeed having a boy, the young girl decided she wasn't so sure about this name, but instead loved the name Christian. The young man agreed....Christian was it! 

The New York trip and special ultrasound surprise were amazing and made for the best Christmas ever! The young girl was super exhausted and had sore joints and feet from all of the walking, but it was definitely worth it! 

Right after New Year's, the couple had their anatomy scan at their doctor's office and it was again confirmed that they were having a boy. However, at this scan the couple also found out that the young girl had a low lying placenta. Her doctor later told her that this was not much of a concern, as it often moves up by 28-32 weeks so they would just do another ultrasound then to be sure. Otherwise, if it doesn't move, the girl would need to have a c-section. Not really a huge deal. 

In February the young couple took a trip to Chicago for the young girl's great aunt's funeral. She had come to the end of a long battle with cancer and would be greatly missed. While they were in Chicago, however, the young man had found another GoldenView Ultrasound location and the couple decided to have a 3D/4D ultrasound done and they were so glad that they did! Again, it became even more real to them that they were having a baby as they saw his sweet face on the screen! 

At the second medical ultrasound a few weeks later, the girl's placenta had moved up. However, they now were concerned that the baby boy had too much fluid on his kidneys which could be a soft marker for down's syndrome. The young girl became very nervous, but knew that their baby was in God's hands and they would love him no matter what. They were very blessed to find out at their third ultrasound, though, that the fluid levels were normal! Baby boy was strong and healthy! Praise the Lord! 

The young girl continued on with a normal, healthy pregnancy, although her swelling continued to increase. At her 38 Week appointment her swelling had really gone up and her blood pressure had also increased so her doctor was worried she might be developing pre-eclampsia and sent the couple for a biophysical profile ultrasound and told them she might be sent to be induced right away! The young girl was extremely nervous! She wasn't prepared to have the baby yet! She wasn't due for 2 more weeks! Luckily, baby was strong and healthy at the ultrasound and left to cook a little bit longer. 

The young girl was very patient and not any too eager for baby boy to come too soon. She wanted him to be good and ready, and to be honest, she was pretty nervous so in no hurry! However, after all the talk of inducing early, she started to get more anxious for the day to just come! 

With her due date approaching, and the young man's birthday approaching too, it was time to start trying to get this baby out! The young man was very hopeful that he might get to share his birthday with his son...but his birthday came and went...and no baby :( 

The young man, who isn't much of a walker, started taking the young girl on LOOOOONG walks. She would have some mild contractions but they would always stop when they stopped walking. Eventually, the young girl's due date came and went...still no baby...

And the story continues....

Christian's Birth Story - Chapter 5 ... Mommy and Daddy Get Married!

Even before getting engaged, the couple talked a lot about having kids. They both couldn't wait to be parents! The young girl had dreamed for years about being a mom and finally that dream was going to become a real possibility! 

Having studied Marriage and Family Therapy, the young girl had read and discussed a lot about the benefits of waiting to start a family, but the young girl and the young man knew that they likely would not be able to wait! Plus, the young girl's mom had tried for several years before getting pregnant with the young girl, so they didn't want to wait just in case it might take awhile. So it was decided, the couple would not take any preventative measures to keep from having a Baby Foote sooner rather than later! 

August 18, 2012 took forever to roll around, but soon enough it did! The wedding day was perfect and God was at the center of the ceremony. The young girl and the young man even got to take off on a cruise to the Bahamas the day after they were married! They felt so blessed and had a truly amazing time! They ended their honeymoon in New York with the young man's family for a chance to celebrate with all those who could not make it to Minnesota for the ceremony. 

While in New York, the young man and the young girl did a little special shopping! They bought a Syracuse onesie (the young man's favorite team from his home state)! They didn't think they would get to use it any time soon, but wanted to be sure to have one for when the time would finally come...whether it be a boy or a girl! 

And the story continues....

Engagement Pictures

Wedding Pictures

Honeymoon Pictures

New York Pictures

Just bought the Syracuse onesie! 

Christian's Birth Story - Chapter 4 ... Then Comes Marriage...

In November 2011, the young man invited the young girl to fly home with him to New York to spend Thanksgiving with his family. The young girl was very nervous! What if the young man's family didn't like her? Would he still want to marry her? The young man reassured her that his family would love her and he would still want to marry her no matter what! 

The young man and the young girl flew in to New York and spent some time with the young man's family and then they took a special trip to New York City for a night! The young girl was so excited! They were planning to not only explore the city, but they were also going to get to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center! The young girl had dreamed of doing this ever since she was a junior in high school. 

The couple had an early morning flight so they would have a full day in the city. After taking the subway, doing some walking, and finally hailing a taxi, the couple made it to their hotel where they freshened up and headed out to do some exploring and grab lunch before heading to the ice rink. 

All day the young man kept having to make trips to the bathroom and the young girl was starting to worry that he wasn't feeling well but was just too embarrassed to tell her. Then, when they sat down to eat lunch, the young man only took a few bites of his hamburger before saying he wasn't hungry after all. Now the young girl was concerned and even told the young man that they didn't have to go ice skating if he wasn't feeling well. The young man reassured her that he was okay and they could definitely still go ice skating and they headed to the rink. 

When the couple arrived to the rink, there was a really long line, but the young man had told the young girl that their hotel had given them special passes. Luckily, the passes allowed them to bypass the line. "How cool is that!?!" the young girl thought, thinking nothing of it.

The 2 then got their skates and made their way to the ice. They skated and rested off and on. The young man even pointed out to the young girl that they were filming the skating and the young girl jokingly mentioned that they must remember her from when she was on the Today Show while in New York in high school and came to film her again! Little did the girl know, but they were there to film HER! And the young man had actually been making so many trips to the bathroom to adjust his microphone for the filming!

After awhile, it was time for the skating session to end and there was an announcement made to clear the ice. The young man suggested they grab a quick photo as they had wanted to get a picture for their Christmas cards. The girl agreed, but then the young man suggested one of the rink workers take their picture while they were skating around. The rink was getting pretty empty by this point and the young girl was starting to get embarrassed. Then, the couple's song started to play! "What a coincidence!" the girl thought and decided maybe it would be okay if they skated a little bit longer since no one was yelling at them yet and it was their song after all. 

Eventually the young man skated the young girl to the center of the rink and took the young girl by both hands. The young girl was thinking that this was not going to make a very cute pose for their Christmas card and was about to tell the young man this when he firmly said her name... "Chandelle." 

It all of a sudden hit the young girl! The young man was proposing NOW! Not at Christmas! Next thing she knew, the young man was pouring out his heart to her, telling her that he couldn't wait to hear their first baby cry (and many other sweet things) and then got down on one knee and asked her to marry him! She of course said "Yes!"

Oh...and I forgot to mention...the young boy had contacted match.com to see if anyone might be able to help tape the proposal since the couple wouldn't be near their family. Match.com suggested the young man contact The Ultimate Proposal instead, so he did. And they not only came and filmed the entire proposal which then aired in an online show on yahoo, but they also flew out the couple's parents and the young girl's best friend! They even tried to get Hunter Haye's to come sing 'Wanted' for the proposal, but he was already booked. 

And the story continues.... 

Video of Our Proposal 

Christian's Birth Story - Chapter 3 ... First Comes Love...

Now that the young girl lived so much closer to the young boy, they started to see each other nearly every day! In October, the young man went to the young girl's hometown for the weekend to make a special fall trip to Copper Falls with the young girl's cousin. 

This wasn't the young man's first time meeting the young girl's parents, but it was his first time in her hometown. The young girl new she was falling in love with this young man, but seeing him with her family and in her hometown and realizing how perfectly he fit into her life, she started to see that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him! Not only that, but seeing the young man with the young girl's cousin's baby boy, really sealed the deal! But it had only been 4 months since they met! Little did the young girl know, but the young boy was thinking the same thing! 

By the time the 2 were half way home from their visit to Wisconsin, the young man knew what he had to do! He was planning to take the next week to really think and pray through things but he was almost certain that he needed to ask this girl to marry him! 

The night after the 2 returned to Minnesota, the young girl found herself in tears at the young man's house telling him that she was scared because she could see herself marrying him! To her relief, the young man shared that he felt the same way! He then asked if it would be too soon for her if he were to propose within the next few months and the young girl said she was ready! Who cared what people would think. When you know, you know! 

The proposal plans were then underway and the young man did not do things half way! The young girl was certain that they would be engaged on Christmas :) The anticipation was great! 

And the story continues... 

At our first football game (a local high school game)

Passing my first "test" on a date to the race track. I passed! :) 

Double date to the pumpkin patch

My strong man!

Playing in the corn pit

Hay ride!

Homecoming football game at my Alma Mater - UW-River Falls

Walk around Lake Calhoun after our 4 month anniversary dinner

Visiting Copper Falls...where we realized we were the "the one" for each other!

Watching this man with cute little Blakers melted my heart! I couldn't wait to see him with our own baby someday!

Our first "family" photo with puppy Baxter on our way home to Minnesota

Christian's Birth Story - Chapter 2 ... Mommy and Daddy Meet!

The young girl attended seminary for one full year. Through that entire year, the young girl was praying and asking God to make another plan. She offered up several other "options" but knew that seminary was where God had wanted her to be, but she wasn't sure why because she deeply felt called to someday get married and be a stay at home mom...not to be a Marriage and Family Therapist.

While in seminary, the young girl was living in a new area and looking to build a friend group closer to her new home and church. She decided the best way to do this might be to connect with a small group at her church and began attending a women's group through Substance Church. The group was made up of all single ladies in their 20s. After a few weeks of attending the group, the young girl was starting to feel unsure about her ability to relate and connect with these girls. Every week they would take pictures for their "online dating profiles" and talk about their dating lives. Maybe this should have been a sign that this wasn't a group where the young girl would grow spiritually, but God had her there for a reason! She just didn't know it yet! So, the young girl decided why not join an online dating site too!

In the middle of May 2011, the young girl signed up for match.com. After about a week or 2, the young girl received a "wink" from the young man and then young girl decided to "wink" back. However, she later decided she maybe wasn't interested in the young man and sent him a "not interested" reply. For some reason, though, the young man never got this message! Instead he ended up sending the young girl a "VIP message". On match.com, "VIP" stands for "Very Interested Person" and each member only gets one of these messages to send to a match each week. The young man had chosen the young girl to send his ONE message to for the week!

Since the young man had chosen the young girl for this special message, she decided she would respond and just see where things would go. It turned out that they had a lot in common and this young man who looked like a true "player" in all his pictures was actually seeming to be genuine and sweet!

After almost a month of messaging back and forth, becoming friends on facebook and exchanging numbers to text, the young man invited the young girl to dinner. The young girl felt that was too formal and shot him down. Instead she suggested they do something more informal...like go to the horse races at Canterbury Park!

The young girl almsot didn't show up that day, but luckily a friend talked her into it. She was a bit late, though (20-40 minutes depending on who you ask...). Both the young man and the young girl really enjoyed themselves on the date and planned to go out again. However, it ended up being almost a full month later before date #2!

The young girl was starting to think that the young man wasn't really interested in her and the young man thought the young girl was maybe out of his league and not interested in him! On their second date, the young girl DRILLED the young man with many questions and wasn't completely satisfied with some of his answers. After the date was over, the young girl continued to pray asking God what He had for the 2 of them and she continued to hear "trust me".

By the end of the summer, the young girl had finally found an open door to leave seminary! Within 2 weeks she accepted a full time job as an Employment Counselor and moved within 30 miles of the young man who had also moved by this point and bought his own townhome! They were no longer an hour apart!

Things really started to take off in their relationship and by August the young man had told his grandma that he was going to marry the young girl some day. The young girl is a little slow, though, and it wasn't until September that she even knew that she and the young man were officially a couple!

The young girl was so happy and often found herself in tears over how blessed and happy she was at this point in her life. Could things get any better!??!

And the story continues....

 On our 3rd date to Country Jam in Wisconsin

At the Minnesota State Fair September 2011...the day we DTR'd and I finally realized we had been "dating"