Summer Update

Hey friends and family, the subtitle of the blog remains true: "rarely updated." lol. Here's what's current with the Sudhoffs:


Andy is working part time landscaping after parting ways with Northbridge (amicably) in April. Northbridge is headed in a direction where they desire someone with a different mix of gifts and talents than Andy has, so in order for the church to be well served and for Andy to be in the sweet spot of ministry the way God has designed each of us to do, he is no longer the second pastor there. We continue to pray for a new full-time position, hopefully in pastoral ministry, but Andy is open to whatever God has for this season. We are praying, too, that God would bring our beloved Northbridge just the right person to complement Mark and the staff. We Praise Him, even in the bittersweet time of transition.


Nicole and the kids are getting into a daily rhythm, with Elijah extending naps, awake times, and eating baby food, and Micah continuing to be the energetic preschooler he has always been! 


We have our house on the market, which can be challenging! We are praying for the right buyers to come along in the right time, and for us to know where we are headed next. We have a great in-between place to live (at the Thomas ranch in Merton), so even if we don't know where Andy's next job is, we are ready to sell this place! If we do stay in the Antioch/Trevor area, we still want a bigger place. We have moved 2/3 of our belongings to Andy's mom's, so it is easier (but still not "easy") to get ready for showings with two little ones! It helps us realize what we can live without, and I think we'll be quite selective about what we bring in to our next place!


We said goodbye to Nicole's mom in March of this year. She was ready to go, even if we were sad to let her. Nicole's brother Bill was with her when she passed, quite peacefully. She and Nicole's dad were buried together at the cemetery of the church where Mom grew up in Genoa, WI. 


We are excited to say hello to a new family member soon! Nicole's sister Jen is pregnant with her first child (Nicole really thinks it's a girl) due on the 4th of July! We're praying for a safe and healthy delivery and for the baby to be smaller than Elijah, at least by a few ounces. ;)


We walked in the Vince Lombardi Walk for Cancer Research again this year, and raised $595 with your help! Thank you to all of you who donated, we continue to hope and pray that other families will not need to go through losing a parent at such a young age like we lost Andy's dad almost 3 years ago. 


Below are a few recent pics. Praying that all of you are enjoying summer, and that God is blessing you and yours with health and gratitude, two simple things that go a long way toward a happy life!

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Waiting eagerly for Elijah!

Well, we're waiting eagerly for Elijah to arrive! We are really getting excited about the birth. When I saw Kate (my midwife) on Tuesday, I was 80% effaced (thinned out) and 1 cm dilated! I am feeling very positive about this progress, since many of the horror stories and long, induced labors seem to begin with very little thinning and softening of the cervix. (sorry if that's TMI for some of you readers!) I am working hard on keeping a positive attitude about the pregnancy, the labor, and the birth itself. I am getting the "are you ready to get that baby out" question a LOT, and I am using that as an opportunity to reinforce my desired state of mind, which is, "I'm ready whenever he's ready, but I'm not anxious."


Today, Andy and I are going to see Harry Potter 7 (part 1), and then REALLY -  I'm going to pack my bag for the hospital and the bags for Micah and Elijah for Grammy's house. :)


Hopefully, we'll have some news soon about this little one entering the big wide world!

Recent preggie pic with my friend Kristi, who now had her little guy! (Ezra)

Micah's Birthday

Hi there!  Just wanted to post a little about Micah's birthday.

We celebrated as an immediate family on the actual day, with cupcakes and presents just from Mommy & Daddy. Micah loved it! One of his gifts was Rintoo, the final "Kai Lan friend" that he's been missing. We also gave him a Thomas the Tank Engine electric toothbrush (he's been fascinated by Mommy's electric toothbrush for some time). He loved it! He visited his friends Cael and Karys and brought their family some cupcakes, too, while Mommy went to the midwife (again!). We had dinner as a family and had a wonderful time.

On Saturday, November 6, we had a family party for Micah at Grammy & Papa's house! Great Gramma was able to make it along with our family and Grammy & Papa. We had pizza, veggies, fruit and an AMAZING Brobee cake! (If you saw Micah's Halloween costume, this cake was the same character as the costume.) Momalla is a wonderful cake baker, and we appreciate it SO much!  Below are some pics.

the Midwife!

Well, I got to visit the midwife this week, and I am so excited! She is very supportive of the kind of birth I'm looking for: no drugs, minimal techno/medical interventions, and personal support throughout labor and birth. One of my big questions was: "What if I go past my due date?" and she was so in line with my own desires in her answer.  If I get to 41 weeks, they will do a biophysical profile and a nonstress test, and make sure everything is OK with Elijah and me, and there are no signs of an aging placenta - which can cause serious problems for the baby. If everything looks OK, they'll keep monitoring me every other day or so until 42 weeks, and if I stay pregnant that long, I will need to have a repeat c-section, since the risks of a Pitocin or prostaglandin induction, including uterine rupture, are too great. So, if I make it to 41 weeks, I will be trying every natural method to induce labor that I can find!!

My midwife is partners with an OB/Gyn, and they cover each other's births. He is supportive of her and her patients' birth plans and will not try to push me to take an epidural, induce or augment labor with drugs, or jump to a c-section at the drop of a hat. On the other hand, if a c-section is MEDICALLY NECESSARY, then he will be on hand to perform it, and the hospital has an anesthesiologist on staff 24/7, and is always ready for an emergency c, should it prove necessary.

I am trying to continue to eat healthy, get exercise, stay active, read about the labor and birth experience and pray. I am praising God that Elijah is head down (the ideal position for vaginal birth) and that I am measuring "just right" for this point in my pregnancy, and that our insurance company will cover either the midwife or the OB and the hospital!

Thanks to all of you who have had supportive and challenging things to say as we seek "Our Best Birth." I am so excited to enjoy this blessed event in our lives!

Baby Prep and the Move Toward Being a Hippie

Well, I'm 27 weeks pregnant today, and almost to the 3rd trimester! I've been reading and researching a lot since Micah was a scheduled C-section due to being breech, and I would like to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after ceasarean) with boy #2 (who, incidentally, does NOT have a name yet, we are having a really hard time with that). In my studies, I watched "The Business of Being Born" - a documentary by Ricki Lake (yes, the talk show host - she's quite the advocate for birth and women as a result of her own experiences). It opened my eyes to some interesting information about the American health care system, hospital birth and obstetrics, and midwives. I then read Ricki and Abby's book, "Your Best Birth," and I am just starting "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth," a book by America's most famous midwife. These, along with a lot of internet reading (taken with a grain of salt, of course) are causing me to lean toward a birth with a midwife and possibly even natural birth (without pain meds!).

I have to admit, I'm feeling like a bit of a hippie all of a sudden. I've never been one of these granola types before. Although, as I think about it, I have been a recycling nazi for some time; I've been composting our veggie waste and yard trimmings for as long as we've had our own home; I've been trying to buy organic, free trade, etc, whenever it makes sense and is relatively convenient for me; I've purged my home of chemical cleaning products and started taking natural vitamins; I've been trying to eat a lot more whole foods and green things; and my sisters will attest, I only shower as often as a lot of hippies (lol)... I guess my move toward being a hippie has been in process for some time. I still drive a gas powered car, but I have dreams of a hybrid minivan; I still use a lot of electricity, but I dream of a home with solar panels or geothermal heating and cooling...and now, as I am on a journey with Something Edmund and his impending birth, I find myself thinking about leaving a great OB practice and a hospital and delivering "for real" for the first time with a midwife! I know there are those of you who are going to feel, and maybe express, deep concern for this type of decision. I encourage you to communicate with me about it, and do some research of your own. I definitely recommend watching "The Business of Being Born" to start.

26 weeks

More soon, as I continue to process this information and take more steps on my journey toward birth #2. :)

Citizen Sudhoff #2 on the way, remembering Grandpa Don

Hey blog world, sorry it's been OVER A YEAR since I posted a blog entry... yikes! Well, I'm trying to get back into the swing with this one.

We are very excited to welcome Citizen Sudhoff #2 around Thanksgiving this year. I'm about 18 weeks pregnant right now, and I'm feeling pretty good! We will find out if we're having a boy or a girl on July 12th (assuming Citizen #2 is as cooperative as Citizen #1 was). We're taking the whole family to the ultrasound, and Micah is excited to see a "video" of the baby in Mommy's belly.

Last Saturday, we went to the Milwaukee County Zoo to participate in the Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds Walk/Run to raise money for cancer research. We walked in memory of Andy's dad, Don, who went to be with Jesus in November 2008 after a long battle with cancer. We raised $340 including our own registrations and a matching gift from one donor's company, along with many individual and family donations. We are so grateful to all those who donated! Here's a few pics of our adventure at the zoo. We had a great time, and Micah had as much fun running up and down the ramp by the giraffes as actually looking at the animals. :) We decided to put off the zoo pass for a year. ;)

Micah loved the Safari Train - we got to ride with the steam engine AND the diesel engine!

Chrissy sponsored one of the water tables in memory of Dad/Grandpa Sudhoff.

Watching the steam engine come down the track!










Chrissy and Micah looking out the window of the train. So cute. :)

The shade was perfect for this pic! Micah had such a sweet setup in Grammy & Papa's wagon. He was chillin' all day. :)




Here's the fam, decked out in Hawaiian gear in honor of Don.
Chrissy, Micah, Andy, Nicole, Janece, Nathan, Craig.

Mother's Day

So adorably, on Mother's Day, Micah climbed up on the couch, climbed into my arms and laid on me and said "hug." He has never done this before (without me prompting him to "give Mommy a hug)! I was so excited. What a great gift for me. :) Andy got me some great tulips, too! My favorite. :)

updates!

Well, I changed the layout again... I just wanted something fresh, I guess!! So Happy St. Patrick's Day, a couple of days late. Like I said, always posting on holidays! ;)

I have big news. I am (re)starting my business as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! I am now booking workshops and accepting memberships in my Crafty Chicks club! Our first meeting will be April 3rd, a Friday night. I'll post pics soon of potential projects.

Groundhog's Day!!

So, it appears holidays are my posting time - and Groundhog's Day was yesterday. My Dad started a silly tradition in our family one year, that we would call all the aunts and uncles on Groundhog's Day. It was super fun, and a good "excuse" to be in touch with loved ones.

Things are so great here. Even though we've lost a grandpa and two dads in the last two years, we feel so blessed to have all the relatives we do have, and such a wonderfully peaceful and meaningful life. God is so good to us.

Micah is growing all the time, and learning new things left and right. He took his first steps all on his own on Christmas Eve - what a great gift to us! Last year, he smiled on Christmas, and this year he walked! He has lots of words, baby-talk though they be, which he relatively effectively uses to communicate with us. His favorite sign - "more" - is used for more, please, I want, and sometimes other purposes. He also signs "all done," but that doesn't prevent him from whining to get out of the high chair. He loves to read, and he loves to "wok, wok, wok" holding onto two fingers. As he sits in our laps, he will find our hands, and grab a finger from each and squirm to the ground to go walking. He loves going up and down stairs, and he loves animals. He also loves "Yo, Gabba Gabba," "the Wonder Pets," and all kinds of books.

I'll try to post again soon and this time, some pics!!

Christmas

So I have been thinking about Christmas, and I'm very excited this year!! Micah is obsessed with our tree and the "aga" (lights) and the "tar" (star) on top, so I have had the chance to share with him about Jesus being born, coming to earth as a tiny baby, just like Micah!! What a wonderful truth to share at Christmas when so much of what is happening is all about presents and Santa.

Final Andy's Dad Update

Hi everyone, thanks for keeping up with all of this, it has been a long road. Andy's dad passed into eternal life at 1:35 am November 5th. We are sad that he is no longer with us, but happy that he is no longer in pain, and that he is now in eternal glory, rest, and joy - with Jesus Christ, whom he believed in so solidly, and led us so well to follow by his example of love and confident faith.

The wake and funeral service will be Thursday, Nov 13th at Meadowbrook Church in Wauwatosa - click here to see the obituary and details.

Another Update on Andy's Dad

Hi, a lot of you have been asking for updates on Andy's Dad... we went to see him Wednesday the 22nd and spent some time there around lunchtime. After we arrived, he had a short nap and then we went to lunch. He and Andy enjoyed some soup, and then a friend from church came by to visit as well. We sat and talked in the cafeteria for a while and then went back to his room. After lunch, unfortunately, Dad wasn't able to keep his food down, so that was a bummer. He was relatively lucid while he was awake, but there were a few oddball comments here and there. He is physically doing pretty well, but mentally not great. He is in good spirits and was making jokes even when he was getting sick. The best part is that he is still spiritually awesome. We have no idea now when his time will come, but God has it all planned and we are confident that the timing will be just right. Please continue to pray for Mama Chris (Andy's stepmom), for strength, endurance, and most of all, reliance on and confidence in Jesus. Thanks!!

Andy's Dad update

Today, Andy's dad had two heart attacks while in the hospital with complications due to chemo. He had been on dialysis and TPN nutrition and after the heart attacks today, he was in a lot of pain, but lucid. He decided, with the support of the family, to stop artificial means of life support, including nutrition and dialysis. He will enter hospice tomorrow and continue only pain medication. The doctor said a healthy person can go 11 days without food, and since Don is not healthy, it will probably be 3-5 days. Please pray for the last few days with family to be rich and sweet, and for minimal pain for Don until his passing into eternal life with Jesus. Pray for Chris, Don's wife, and Lisa, Andy's sister, and Andy. Also, Don's siblings, Janece, Warren, and Karen.

thanks for praying

Thank you for your prayers - Andy's dad is doing much better. He is on the oncology floor now instead of ICU. I will try to update again soon. :)

Please pray

Andy's dad is in the hospital with complications due to chemo. He has a rare type of prostate cancer which is in his bones and elsewhere in his pelvic region. This is a recurrence of a cancer that he recovered from a few years ago. Right now, he went into the hospital with pain in his hips, and they found that he had an infection, septic shock, and then last night he ended up having a heart attack. He is stable and was awake and coherent today.

Please pray for Don (Andy's dad), Chris (Andy's stepmom), Andy and Lisa (Andy's sister). I will update when we hear more.

unpacking is yucky

I truly despise unpacking. That is why I'm posting on the blog and not unpacking right now. :P

I am bad at blogging

This blog is starting to remind me of my journals - I am terrible at consistently posting!! Well, Micah is 9 months old now, and he is a treat. If you are interested in seeing approximately 50 pics a month, and you don't already get my emails, please let me know, and I'll add you to the list. He's so adorable!! This is my favorite recent pic, with his "mohawk" in the bath.













Our biggest recent news is that we purchased our first house in Trevor, WI - and we are busy making it a home!! So far, we have ripped out all the old flooring (except some decent ceramic tile in the bathroom), moved the entrances to the bedrooms, creating an alcove (you have to see it), added a linen closet (cutting the master closet in half - but it's worth it!), changed every single light fixture except one recessed light in the kitchen, sanded and refinished the kitchen cabinet face frames (with like 20 doors and drawers to go) and painted every single wall - not one white wall in the place!! Here's a pic of the exterior, I'll post more soon.

all done working - lol

post by Nicole

Well, I'm done working for a paycheck. Now the work of motherhood begins. I have to say first of all that I am SO thankful for the blessing it is to be able to stay home with our little munchkin. Even when he cries upwards of 4 hours a day (which he does, and which we are trying to pinpoint the cause of).

Every day is now a workday, 24 hours a day, but every day is now also a "free" day, with no commute, no traffic, no boss (but God), and no deadlines. So far, it suits me. But I won't lie - as much as this kid has been crying lately, I'm definitely looking forward to my cruise in early February!!

wow, it's been long!!

Well, our apologies to anyone who followed the link from our Christmas Card/Baby Announcement and came to find the most recent post two weeks before Micah even arrived!! Silly Mommy thought she updated it sooner...
(side note: in an effort not to confuse our son with too many pronouns, we refer to everyone including ourselves by their name to him. like Bob Dole used to do. ;)

So, the quick update: Micah was born November 2, 2007, three days before his due date, by c-section, since he was still breech. He screamed extremely loud in the delivery room, so no one had to tell Nicole that he had arrived!! I think he scored a 9 or 10 on his Apgars (very good, very lively, healthy baby.) He was 6 lbs. 7 oz at birth, and 5 lbs 11 oz when we left the hospital (totally normal weight loss).

Mommy, Daddy and Micah stayed in the hospital until Monday midafternoon. Momalla (Andy's mom), Papa Jon and Bret (stepdad and stepbrother) came to visit Friday night when Micah had been with us just a few hours!! They visited again on Saturday too. Amy and James N came to visit on Saturday.



some pics from the hospital: