for years now when i’ve seen beautifully posed professional newborn photos, i’ve always thought how i’d absolutely love to have them taken of my own baby one day. so a few months into my pregnancy with little justin, i scouted out the talent on long island.  after careful consideration, and some convincing steve to make it an early birthday present to me for the year, we decided to choose christine melissa photography to take the photos.  after seeing these teaser photos, i’m so happy with our decision and i can’t wait to see the rest of her work!  but for now, here are the photos she’s posted online of our handsome little man.

steve and i are ecstatic to introduce justin andrew eichele to the world.  he was born on January 10, 2012 weighing 9 lb, 8 oz and measuring 21 ½”.  when they refer to babies as little bundles of joy, they don’t nearly do our little love any justice.  he’s the most amazing, beautiful thing i have ever seen in my life.  we are so lucky he’s ours.  his entrance into the world wasn’t exactly how we planned it, but that doesn’t matter anymore b/c he’s here and he’s everything we ever dreamed he could be and so very much more.  here is justin’s birth story:

justin was due on january 2nd but i kept insisting to everyone that he would be early.  he had been measuring in the 70-80th percentile for size during his sonograms, and for some reason i thought this meant he would be done cooking early and would make his appearance some time between christmas and new years.

christmas and new years came and went, and still no baby.  i went to the doctor and he told me that since the baby was measuring at over 8 lbs we would have to induce on january 9th to make sure he wasn’t too big and we could have a safe delivery…but the doctor was sceptical about justin’s weight, and told me that by the look of my belly there was no way an 8½ lb baby was hiding in there, and that he MIGHT be born at around 8 lbs (ha!).  But he insisted we do the induction anyway.

i prayed for baby to come on his own, as i had read unfavorable things about inductions, but january 9th came and it was time to go to the hospital that night.  they started the meds and from 11pm through 5am nothing much happened to progress me, but my contractions were very close together so they couldn’t give me any more medication.  instead, they made a non-drug attempt at dilating me which sent my contractions into hyper-drive and i was in excruciating pain w contractions 1 minute (sometimes zero minutes) apart for 3½ hours.  i was only 2 cm dilated but the pain level was too intense, and the nurses and Dr’s agreed that a milder pain reliever would not help me at that pain level, and that the only thing that would help was an epidural.  i was relieved when the epidural kicked in and for the next 4 hours i labored until the doctor noticed i was only dilating to 4 cm and wouldn’t budge.  an hour later, he told me that the baby’s heart rate was dipping, and while this would usually indicate the baby trying to push down and be a positive thing, my body wasn’t dilating enough for the baby to progress and if he continued trying to drop without being able to for too long, it could put him in danger.  the doctor told me if there was no progress by 6pm, we would have to do a c-section.

i was not happy with this news, being that surgery has always been my greatest fear.  i had told my Dr from the beginning that i wanted to avoid a c-section at all costs, for the baby’s health and for my own sake.  20 minutes later, the Dr came back and told me he didn’t want to wait any longer, and that it was time.  this was the point at which the person having the baby turned into the baby.  my body began shaking and my blood pressure shot up.  i was freaking out and telling the nurses how afraid i was.  they told me to remember that the result of whatever was ahead was having my baby in my arms, but i couldn’t even focus on that.  i couldn’t stand the idea of having surgery, and of being awake for it!  they wheeled me into the OR and began prepping me.  i started feeling nauseous and dizzy and told them i felt i might pass out or vomit.  the next thing i knew, steve was next to me in scrubs and they said they were beginning.  once i knew it had started, i felt myself fainting.  i told steve i couldn’t stay awake and that i needed to pass out.  he tried to keep me awake by telling me our baby was coming, but i felt myself drifting off.  i was nearly passed out, and then all at once the doctor announced, “he’s here!” and i heard my son cry.  suddenly i was wide awake and overjoyed.  steve told me later that in a moment i went from my eyes rolling back, to them being wide open, with a huge smile on my face.  i didn’t care what they were doing to me anymore, all i cared about was my baby.  they brought him over to show us and there he was – this enormous blue baby!!  i worried this meant that something was wrong.  they took him away where i couldn’t see him, and steve kept assuring me he was fine and said over and over, “he’s SO BIG…he’s HUGE!”  the doctor even peeked over the surgery tent and told me it was the right choice to do the c-section, b/c he may have been too large for me to push out.  finally they got him cleaned up and put him in steve’s arms.  it was the greatest sight i’d ever seen…the love of my life holding the new life we’d just created.  and little justin was absolutely beautiful.

they told me i was all done and that they’d be wheeling me out soon.  they also told me that i would be holding justin as they wheeled me down the hall.  i became frightened because i couldn’t feel my arms and i told them i was going to drop him.  they assured me i wouldn’t and they put him on top of my chest.  i still couldn’t feel my arms but somehow was able to hold my little angel and we were off toward recovery.  as they wheeled me i heard the excited familiar voices of my mother and my sister in law melissa, and felt kisses on my cheek but i could barely tell what was going on.  once we got to recovery and steve held the baby for a bit, they took him away to weigh him and check him out and we had some time to rest.

we got to our room some time before 10, and i was grateful that the rooms are private and we had it to ourselves. they finally brought justin into us at 10:30 and we stared in awe at the beautiful little person we’d created.

justin is a week old today, and this has officially been the greatest week of my entire life.  taking care of him is the greatest joy i’ve ever experienced.  i am happy to wake up for feedings during the night…once i see his little face looking up at me, i know i’d rather be taking care of him at 3am than doing anything else at any other time of the day.  even steve, who is typically a grump when he wakes up at any hour, now wakes up for diaper changes in the middle of the night with a smile on his face and a sweet and gentle tone in his voice, to take care of his son.  i’ve never seen a man so in love with a child in my life.  it’s so beautiful it makes my heart melt.

justin is already the sweetest thing i could ever have dreamed of and i feel so blessed to be his mommy.  never in my life have i known or imagined a love like this…and it’s been just one week.  i can’t wait for the rest of our lives together as a family – steve, justin, and me.  ❤

it has been QUITE a long while since i’ve posted…but i’ve finally come on to officially announce the wonderful news that steve and i are expecting a baby boy this winter!

it’s been a very difficult year for our family, after losing tanner to brain cancer in april.  he was a beautiful, sweet, loving, caring, amazing kid who was the light of a family who loved him dearly.  words can’t express what tanner meant to us, and nothing will ever fill the space in our hearts where we will always keep him.  not only has it been hard for steve and i to lose our godson, but watching our brother and sister have to go through losing their child…i hope i never have to know that pain because what i do know is that it is the worst thing anyone could ever go through in this world.  tanner was a blessing to all who knew him, and my heart tells me that he continues to be a blessing to us as he watches over us…and over his little cousin who is on the way.

just days after losing tanner, steve and i learned that we are expecting.  our little boy is due on january 2nd and after a small scare about a single umbilical artery, we’ve since received continuously better news at each doctor visit…and i strongly feel that tanner has a part in that.  i pray to him all the time to keep his cousin safe and i truly believe he hears me.

oddly, there was always a special connection between tanner and our little orange cat, okie.  tanner was the only child okie didn’t run from; in fact, tanner could pull on him, lay on him…and okie would just stay by him and usually they’d give each other kisses.  tanner’s sweet and gentle nature had a strange effect on okie.  and when okie layed on my stomach for the first time during this pregnancy and let out a loud and content purr, i got a strange sense that the connection is already branching out further, from tanner, to okie, to our little baby justin.  it may sound silly to some, but i will always know in my heart that tanner and justin are strongly connected and that tanner will always be a beautiful little angel watching over my baby.

we can’t wait for justin to be here…i’m entering my 3rd trimester, we have baby classes lined up, and have started planning the nursery.  after the crazy hail storm that dented up our new car, we finally have it back in our possession.  and after the hurricane dropped a tree on our house, we will finally start making the repairs to stop the water damage and get the hole out of our dining room! our lives will never be the same after losing our brave, amazing tanner…but we look forward to a new life with our little justin, one in which i know tanner will always be watching over us and keeping us safe.  and in which he will never be out of our hearts.

It’s been way too long since i’ve added a new blog post, but we just got back from Tanner’s Make A Wish trip to Disney World and I had to post so that I could share our experience and some photos!!

We took off Friday morning, April 9th and we landed in hot, sunny, BEAUTIFUL orlando florida a few hours later.  Our hotel, the Polynesian, was incredible and resembled Hawaii.  We didn’t have luggage right away, so we spent the day in our hotel rooms, and later by the pool.  All of Sunday was a relaxed hotel & pool day to avoid traffic at the parks and just have some down time.  We went in the pool with the kids, and Tanner seemed happy relaxing and seeing his Florida family, the Skalings.

Monday was spent in the Magic Kingdom, kicked off with a Pooh & Friends character breakfast at the Crystal Palace. It was fun and most definitely magical.  Tanner enjoyed seeing the characters, and even little brother Chase was loving Tigger and Pooh…this is where we discovered his appetite for large, fake noses.  After breakfast, we made our way over to It’s A Small World, followed by a ride on the park train.  After that, we checked-out the Flying Carpet ride, to find that it was in face handicap accessible.  Melissa and I went on with Tanner, and he LOVED it!!  He kept smiling and laughing, pointing at the sky and saying he was flying.  It was my personal favorite moment of the entire trip.  Later we went back to the hotel for a dip in the pool.  Later, Melissa & Andrew stayed behind at the hotel with the kids, and Steve, Cyndi, our parents, and I headed back to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy some of the more adult rides, including Space Mountain (WOOOO!)

The next day was started off with another character breakfast with Hawaiian Mickey & friends at our hotel.  Once again, the kids LOVED the characters…and the food was delicious; the chef even made an extra special meal for Steve and me – a tofu stir fry that was absolutely delicious!!  From there, we took a bus over to the Animal Kingdom where we saw the Lion King show, which Tanner LOVED (especially the acrobatic monkeys!!).  We went on another super fun roller coaster, and a few of us went on the safari.  Later, we did some more glorious relaxing in and out of the pool.

Wednesday was the last day for Steve and me, and we went to another breakfast with Chef Mickey!  The characters were all dressed up as chefs, and this time we got to see the real original Disney crew; Mickey, Minnie Goofy, Donald, Daisy…they were all there and we got great pictures and had a fun time.  From there, we went to downtown Disney and visited the shops, picking up souveneirs and soaking up as much time with the kids and family as we could.  From there we said our goodbyes and Steve and I headed to the airport.

On Thursday, the kids had the last character breakfast of the trip, this time with Tanner’s FAVORITE guys, Handy Manny and Agent Oso!!  We weren’t there, but seeing the pictures I can tell what a fun time Tanner had and it’s almost as good as having been there with them.

As sad as we are that the trip is over, words can’t express how happy I am to have been able to be on this trip with Tanner and our family.  I have amazing, magical memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life…I am so lucky to be Tanner’s aunt & godmother, and simply to have him in my life.  The entire Eichele family are the greatest people I could’ve ever asked for as my in-laws…I feel very lucky every day to be part of their family.  And thank goodness for Make A Wish.  Such an amazing organization, sending Tanner, Chase, Andrew, and Melissa on a trip like this.  I am so grateful to that group and to Steve’s parents for making this entire trip possible for all of us.

Hope you enjoy these pictures of our trip!!

on saturday may 1st, melissa, andrew, tanner, chase, steve, and i traveled down to maryland and spent the day & night w cyndi.  it was great even just to be together and to see cyndi’s home.  we stayed overnight and the next day we woke up early and caught a train down to DC.

we joined the 10,000+ other participants in the race for hope, and at 9am we made our way to the start line, and started the 3 mile walk.  it was a beautiful day and it was so nice to be in our nation’s capital surrounded by monuments and people who cared and were there to run/walk for the same cause that we were.  we finished the race together, and afterward there was a ceremony in a tent.  david cook, the 2009 american idol winner, had run in the race and gave a great speech.  then, he posed for pictures with the children survivors.  tanner got to sit right on david’s lap…it was so great!!

it was a great race for a great cause, and we all agreed that we’d be back again next year.   here is a video i made, hope you enjoy and maybe some of you will even consider running or walking with us in years to come!

we had a really great easter this year at our house…TJ and Shea had an easter egg hunt and they seemed to have a lot of fun!!  here is a video!!!!

Steve and I have decided to run in the Race for Hope on May 2nd, in Tanner’s honor.  The race is a 5K run/walk (we will be running…or at least TRYING!!) in Washington, D.C.  We’ve created a team, “Team Tanner”.  You can donate to either one of our team pages, and anything you can spare would be appreciated.  Your donations will go to brain cancer research, as well as support services to those fighting brain cancer.  Thank you so much in advance for anything you can spare.  If you think you’d like to go a step further and join us in the run, we’d be more than happy to have you on our team!  You can also find registration information on this site, in addition to donation information.  Thanks again!

http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=1490&team_id=36450

steve and i are an uncle and an aunt again…chase daniel eichele is in the world!  he was born january 30th, 9 weeks early.  we were very worried about melissa and baby since he was born so soon, but everyone is doing fine now!  chase has to stay at the hospital for another few weeks, but we got to go visit him today.  we aren’t allowed in the room with him yet, only mommy, daddy, and grandparents can hold him.  but we got to see him through the window and boy is he tiny and adorable!!

here is a video, enjoy!

we are so happy, relieved, blessed, thankful, amazed, and overwhelmed to say that tanner’s most recent PET scan showed NO ACTIVE CANCER CELLS IN HIS ENTIRE BODY!!  this incredible little boy went from being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor just 4 months ago, to now being free and clear of cancer.  clearly TJ is a fighter and can get through anything life will ever put in his way.  he’s an amazing little boy, who is also lucky to have such an amazing family – TJ is a wonder boy, and he also has WONDER mommy and WONDER daddy for parents.  we love them so much, and we are so happy for and proud of tanner for being such a strong, amazing little boy.  congratulations, tanner!!

my latest comic book video about tanner, the wonder boy…

of course, we’ve known all along that tanner is a little WONDER BOY…

wishing all of our friends and family a happy, healthy, and wonderful new year.  we hope everyone had a nice time last night ringing in the new year…we had a few friends over our house for a black & white themed NYE party.  here is a video from the night, you’ll see we had a lot of friends over and a LOT of fun!!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!