5 weeks today!

Prince Tristan's Royal Quarters

Alas! The Prince's Sleeping Quarters are complete! With his unexpected early arrival, mommy had to put a rush on the finishing touches on Tristan's room and it's finally ready!

Bringing Tristan Home

What a joy - Tristan Ace is so perfect! We struggled the first week with his weight and he dropped down to 4 lbs 12 oz. But, at our last check up he weighed in at 5 lbs 6.5 oz - more than his birth weight! So he's right on track and is growing every days. He sleeps all during the day and is awake most of the night. He doesn't like to be anywhere but laying on my chest, daddy's chest or nana's chest...he is not a fan of sleeping on his back! He was circumcised on Friday Sept. 25 and his belly button was revealed on Monday Sept. 25! We are so happy.

Mommy got mastitis this week so I've been battling the fever and have been taking antibiotics. I'm amazed at what our bodies do naturally, and how we women automatically fight so strongly to keep our babies as healthy as possible.

Nana has been coming by to give Mommy and Daddy some breaks. Daddy really enjoys to watch college football and play Xbox games. Mommy just enjoys resting and taking Tristan pix.

Tristan will be 3 weeks old tomorrow evening - time is flying! We are so blessed to have him - and for him to be so healthy and in our arms. He is soooo strong! Already lifting his head up on his own - often!

Tristan's room still is not complete. We are waiting for his bedding to be finished and the recliner to come in. Mommy is very much looking forward to being able to rock Tristan to sleep and sing him lullabys in his room. We'll wait patiently though...after all -he did arrive 6 weeks early! :)

Once it is all set up, we will post pix. East Coast Mom and Dad will be coming to meet Tristan on October 20. We are so excited for Tristan to meet his East Coast Grandparents!!!!!

Tristan's First TWO Weeks!

Tristan Ace is Born! - Press play button to watch

Tristan's Baby Shower - Press play to watch

Tristan Ace has arrived!

Boy oh Boy oh Boy! And I MEAN BOY! :) I had no idea I'd be posting pix of Tristan so soon! But I'm so very pleased to announce his arrival!!!!!!! Much has happened in the past week - but nothing more important than that our son, Tristan Ace Lackovich, is no longer in my belly but in my arms! Here's the story - Will be updating with pix soon - and pix of the most wonderful shower for Tristan that was on the very day before Tristan's arrival!

Hello from the Lackovich Family!!

I’ve been so anxious to get this note out to you with an update and details on how and when we were blessed to welcome our son, Tristan, into this world! We’ve received all your phone calls, gifts and wishes and want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your thoughtfulness and your prayers! So sorry that we haven’t been able to contact everyone back but PLEASE know that we love you! This has certainly been a time of incredible adjustment (though wonderful!) and we were SO not prepared for Tristan to arrive 6 weeks early! So we plan on being a bit behind for at least a few weeks.

On Saturday, Sept 12 the ladies and I were celebrating Tristan at a baby shower generously hosted by Aunties Theresa and Melissa. It was there that I was surrounded by the most wonderful friends and we had such a great time (thanks so much ladies!). I felt so blessed to have so many friends surrounding me and supporting me during this amazing time. We were joking about how I looked ready to pop and though I was “ready” for Tristan, there was still much to do in preparation for him!

After a long, emotional day, I came home with Theresa and we crashed around 10:30 pm. I woke up at 3 am in disbelief, wondering if it really was my water that broke. I went into our office to hunt Joel down – he was playing xbox live as usual at that time of night. Lol. When I shared with him what happened, we pulled out our computers to google “is it possible for your water to break if you’re not having contractions” - and all signs led us to call the doctor who advised that we go to the hospital to get checked. Though I was worried because we still had 6 weeks to go, I was very calm and relaxed, and felt really confident that everything was going to be okay.

We arrived at Grossmont Hospital around 4:30 am where I was admitted. They confirmed my bag of waters had ruptured and informed me that I’d be going home with my baby! Joel and I were ecstatic, beside ourselves. We were advised to prepare for a long day and immediately tried to contact our family.

There was obviously concern for Tristan’s well being, lung maturity and possible infection. Test results confirmed that Tristan’s lungs were “borderline mature” so The doctor left me to try to run a natural course to keep Tristan in as long as possible. Eventually contractions started coming slowly but surely.
By 7:00 pm Doctor thought it was a good time to augment the contractions to make them more regular and consistent and I was given a mild consistent dose of Patocin. I started feeling the contractions almost immediately and went for an epidural at around 10:00 pm. From that point forward, I was one happy camper! Smooth sailing!!!!!! By 11:00 they started preparing the room for Tristan’s Arrival and from there it all happened so quickly! Once my bladder was emptied, I felt Tristan’s entire body drop down. I was told not to push because Tristan was right there, and they wanted to make sure a doctor was in the room. Doctor came in, and after three painless pushes, Tristan entered the world at 11:33 pm.

I could not have asked for a better labor or delivery experience. But to have Tristan come into this world 6 weeks early and totally healthy has been God’s greatest gift that I’ve ever received. Tristan was taken to NICU for about 8 hours while they observed his vitals and tested him and his lungs to see if he was strong enough to come home with us, and that he was. He was brought to my arms around 8 am on Monday morning and we left the hospital on Tuesday evening around 7:30. Those two days were spent working with lactation consultants and nurses to try to get Tristan to latch and observing his feeding. Because he is so early, there was concern that he would be weak and not be able to eat. I had success, but had endured so much pain that I’ve been advised to pump until I heal which should be a few more days. Tristan has been to two doctor appointments and there is concern that he’s lost weight. He’s now weighing in at 4 lbs 14 ounces so we’re working hard to get him back up to his birth weight of 5 lbs 5 ounces as quickly as possible by feeding him every hour, on the hour.

He is SUCH a joy – sleeping most of the day but enlightening us with his alert, open eyes when he is awake. He sleeps in the total fetal position (right now he is on my belly kissing his very own toes!). I cannot simply describe the joy and happiness that Joel and I are experiencing. We look forward to having him meet you in the very near future! It’ll be just a few more days before we have strength to get out and about but we are looking forward to it!!!!

Thanks again, so much, for all your love and support! Tristan is truly blessed to have come into this world surrounded by so much love from all of you!

All our love,

Tracey, Joel and Tristan

Tristan Ace Lackovich
Born Sunday, September 13 (Grandparent’s Day!) at 11:33 pm
5 lbs 5.6 oz
18.5 inches

Belly Bump Pix at 34 Weeks!

Prenatal Bonding with The Flinns

I couldn't be happier to be sharing this pregnancy experience with dear friend Erica. We met as Freshman in high school (over a fatuation for New Kids on The Block!) and now we are just 4 weeks apart with our due dates. Erica and her hubby Anthony recently joined in on the birthing class fun at Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest. Erica - 30 weeks, Tracey - 34 weeks

34 Weeks - Birthing Classes

Hi!! Today I realized that I should be taking an official "maternity leave" in just two short weeks! I haven't quite figured out what my "upcoming schedule" will be like, leaving the office and all, but I do know that it is approaching rather quickly! 6 more weeks until Tristan arrives!

Joel and I have already taken a few classes of "Getting ready for baby" and "Bringing baby home". Tonight we learned to swaddle, bathe, take care of the cord, what to do when baby is sleeping, etc. I have my own opinions about the feeding schedule based off of some true success stories from friends who've recommended BABY WISE. I am currently reading the book and plan to implement BABYWISE and to get Tristan on a schedule (as much as possible anyway). We're excited to be parents and to hold our little nugget!!!

Everything has been going very well with the pregnancy. I had a minor scare this morning and went to an emergency doctor visit but it ended up being something minor. I was so thrilled that the nurse let me listen to Tristan's heartbeat for an extended period of time. It was so soothing, I started crying...

I've been having some chronic pain in my tailbone and my ribs are bruised and painful. But these are small prices to pay for this miracle I'm so blessed to be a part of!

This weekend my dearest friends will be coming in to town to celebrate and they are having a shower for us. I'm so excited to see everyone and am amazed at all that my friends are doing for me. I will get to spend time with girlfriends from elementary school, high school, college, dance, magic and cheer and am so happy to be able celebrate with them!!!! Tristan is so lucky to be coming into this world with all this love surrounding him!

The summer weather has been VERY hot, especially here in HELL CAJON. I'm managing, but dang, it's an extra hot year and thank goodness for AC!

Weekend Getaway in Palm Springs

Thanks to dear friends Leslie and Alan, Joel and I were able to escape for a weekend getaway to Palm Springs. The heat was unbearable (it happened to be the HOTTEST day of the year there in record breaking heat) but we still had a wonderful time together. We spent time in the pool, laying around and cooling off in the AC, did some shopping, gobbled some ice cream (had to gobble or it would have melted!) and visited with dear friends Stacy, Billy and their son Preston in La Quinta. We had so much fun!

Tristan's Guammie Baby Shower

I only call it "Guammie" because today we were surrounded by so much love, family and friends from our dear island of Guam. My mom and sister hosted a baby shower for us today at the beautiful Syucan Indian reservation community pool area. The weather was absolutely perfect and the company was even better! We indulged in delicious Guamanian food (thanks to everyone who made such yummy Chamorro dishes - Tristan got his fill!) and Hawaiian barbecue from L&L. Today was a day of feasting and festivities! Tristan was showered with so many wonderful gifts and his room is beginning to look lived in! Just a few short months til he arrives!

Thanks to mom and Tiff, and everyone in between who helped, set up, cleaned up, cooked, came, brought gifts and brought smiles. We truly appreciate you being a part of this very special time in our lives and thank you for making it so memorable and wonderful!!!

xoxoxo

PS Today I am 30 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Only 68 more days to go!

The Royal Quarters

We are calling Prince Tristan's bedroom his royal quarters...and royal it will be! Our prince deserves a shrine, and that he will have!

Thanks to East Coast Mom and Dad for gifting us with Tristan's furniture collection that is sure to last for many years to come. It is a gorgeous espresso wood and includes a crib and foam mattress, dresser and changing table, and beautiful wardrobe closet with a large oval mirror. I couldn't resist it - it's the perfect "Mirror Mirror on the Wall"!

Joel and I were having a challenging yet rewarding evening last night as we set out to get perfectly straight vinyl art and block letters on the walls - and we did it!

With Tristan's real life fairy tale beginning here, so it is written..."...And he lived happily ever after." on one of his walls - and handsome gold letters spelling out his name as if he were a true spartan warrior prince with Fleur de Lis on either side.

Every prince must have a stallion! Tristan's plush horsie is watching over his crib, waiting for his arrival.

An antique gold chandelier will hang from the ceiling with monogrammed shades and harlequinn print.

A nobel crown will be poised above his crib with canopied shimmery gold panels gracing each side.

Can't wait to share more pix. This is by far the best hobby I've ever had! More to come soon!

Tristan's Special Chair

Upon our arrival to Florida to visit Gramma and Grampa Lackovich, Tristan was gifted a beautiful wooden rocking chair that belonged to his daddy when he was a child. It was decorated beautifully with custom made pillows and padding with a monogram "T" by gramma. A security blanket also made by Gramma and a white plushy teddy bear with "God smiled the day you were born" sat on the chair :)

Surprise Baby Shower from Our East Coast Family - GO GATORS!!!!

Oh my goodness! Joel and I are at the Orlando airport heading back home to SD after an incredible weekend with the family. We came out to celebrate Dad's 65th Birthday and to spend some time with everyone before Tristan comes into the world. We were greeted on Thursday evening with big hugs and enjoyed a midnight swim underneath the stars and full moon with wine (water for me) and cheese...a beautiful rocking chair decorated with a pillow hand-made by Grandma that included a monogram "T", blankie and teddy bear were waiting for us in our room to bring home for Tristan...on Friday we celebrated Dad's birthday with a wonderful surprise. We gifted him with a Florida Wysteria plant for their backyard, and we all worked together to create a concrete stepping stone using cookie cutters that represented each of us. Joel - snowflake, Me - Butterfly, Tristan - Baby Foot, Mom - Heart, Jill - Mermaid, Stewart - Fire Truck, Joseph - Monkey and Dad - Rocket. The weather has been perfect! We enjoyed the day catching up with Joseph who is now 19 months and playing about 5 or 6 games of Scrabble!

On Saturday we woke up thinking that we were heading to Mt. Dora for a Gator rally. We were given Gator shirts to wear for full orange and blue spirit! We drove to SIL's house to meet up and it was there that Joel and I were surprised to learn that it was all a set up! They were having a BABY SHOWER for us! Oh my goodness! We were greeted with leis and the house was fully decorated with Orange and Blue pride, balloons, streamers, decorations, and everyone was decked out in Gator gear. And, Best Man Doug made it out to celebrate the occasion! We were truly surprised!!!!!

We had a wonderful BBQ lunch, super fun games (including who could put the diaper on the bunny fastest - I won!, Gator trivia, and how many gators were in the swamp). SIL Jill is the most creative person I've ever met. I told her she could teach Martha Stewart a few tricks!

The fireplace was full of incredibly thoughtful gifts. Every package was detailed with a theme, a thought, a phrase or a special something...Joel's favorite was a shirt for Tristan that read "my dad's team can beat your dad's team!"! Tristan picked up a few of Daddy's childhood dolls, clothes and toys, too. I'm so amazed that East Coast Mom has kept all his goodies over the past 36 years - and in such great condition!!!!

We had a delicious and adorable Baby Gator Prince cake - it was a perfectly delightful day and were totally overwhelmed!!! The boys ended the evening drinking 'special occasion' aged whiskey from Stewart. Boy was this a special occasion!

We went back to Titusville and East Coast Mom brought out a tub full of baby memories and goodies for Joel to go through. We found his baptism outfit which Tristan will likely wear at his baptism and many other goodies like his baby teeth, letters to santa and the easter bunny (my favorite! - he once asked Santa for parachute pants! LOL!) What a memorable occasion...

The next time we see our East Coast Family - there will be another addition!!!

Thank you East Coast family for an amazing weekend to celebrate Tristan! We love you!!!

29 weeks

Hi! So it's amazing how quickly this baby bump of mine is getting bigger, and bigger and bigger!!!! It seems like Baby T bump has doubled in size in just the past two weeks! Ignore the bummy look in these pix and just note the bump :) hehe

I can't believe how far we've come. Sigrid gifted me with a pregnancy journal that I started to work on over the weekend and I was asked to reminisce about all that's happened thus far in my journey towards motherhood. I'm amazed at the progress and all that's taken place in our lives since January.

I'm in the middle of packing for our trip to Florida - we leave in the morning to visit our east coast family. We're thrilled! This will also be my last trip before Tristan is born.

I'm happy that we've confirmed our Maui vacation in February. It will be the perfect time to celebrate our new addition!

I couldn't resist buying this adorable pumpkin onesie for my little munchkin since he should be with us to celebrate the Halloween holiday this year!

The blanket in the photos was the first of a few to come crocheted by my mom for Tristan - isn't it beautiful!?!!!

27 Weeks

It's official! We've moved to East County! We've been here for just about a week and are finally feeling settled in. We are so happy with our decision to move as it will be the perfect home to start our family. We are thrilled about the space, Tristan having his own beautiful room, more room for Jasmine and Dollie to run around, a backyard and room for baby toys and playtime!! And, we are much closer to my family which will be very important as our days get nearer (and we get to enjoy the pool in this super hot summer!) We're also enjoying the peace and quiet, hearing real birds chirping in the morning, super nice neighbors...so far so good! Here are some belly pix from the top of the roof at our condo when we said our good-byes to the city!

Tristan weighs over 2 lbs now and is a mover and a shaker! He's already lighting up my world with every movement. He is all over the place! I can't wait to see him in just a few months!

We just registered at the hospital and signed up for the many classes ahead! In the coming months, we'll be taking "Preparing your mind and body", "Bringing Baby Home" and "Breastfeeding" classes. I can't wait to experience all of this with Joel! They'll start after we return from our visit to Florida to see our east coast family!

24 Weeks!

We had our 24 week doctor visit yesterday and boy was it quick! Everything with Tristan is moving right along - couldn't ask for anything more! We heard his healthy heartbeat of 140 beats per minute. All tests so far have turned out extremely positive. It's now time to register at the hospital - woohoo! We'll be delivering Tristan at Mercy hospital in Hillcrest. No negative comments on my weight gain this time (whew!) but I still am very excited about moving to a home with a big kitchen so that I can start cooking some healthy meals! Living downtown always encourages the easy way of dining out - which isn't the best diet for me or Baby T! We found a new home close to Nana and Tata and will be moving next weekend! We are sooo excited to get Tristan's room ready for him!

I've been learning all the in's and out's of baby and mommy necessities. Thankfully I have a lot of support from friends and family who have recently gone through this or are going through it now where we can share stories, symptoms, gear, toys, books, do's and don't's. It's such a fun ride!

Tristan is moving SOOOOO much these days. Daddy got to feel him kick about 10 times in a row the other night. Brent was able to feel him last night at family dinner, too. It truly is amazing!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Dearest Tristan, 

Today was a dramatically sad, sad day! The world's greatest artistic inspiration, Michael Jackson, passed away at the age of 50. I'm saddened that you will never know the magic that he brought to this world! I can't wait for you to come into my arms. I know there will be an even greater sparkling magic I've never known before when I finally get to see you and hold you! I feel you kicking and moving so comfortably inside of me and it makes me smile every time! Daddy has felt you a number of times and his eyes light up with joy. You make us so proud already! We found a home to settle into before you arrive. I am so anxious to get your room ready for you!!!

Keep on kickin' baby...we love you!

23 Weeks

Time really is just flying on by! Joel and I had so much fun going "out" and seeing the friends for the first time in months (what seems like ages!). It was even fun just getting ready! Tristan got lots of love from warm hands this evening as many saw "the belly" for the first time!

We're getting closer to finding a new home to start our family. We are most anxious to be able to set up Tristan's room with the beautiful furniture that Mom and Dad Lackovich gifted us with. Tristan's crib bedding is being made and things are moving right along!

He has been moving sooooo much - I almost wonder if he DOES want to be a dancer? He seems to be up most when I'm watching "So You Think You Can Dance"! Irony? Joel refuses to find any correlation between the two. LOL

Mommy is feeling SO much better these days. We all just couldn't be happier and are enjoying every second of this amazing time!