Exploding Fish

I was complaining to my friend, Emily, (who just had a boy born 8 pounds 12 ounces- ouch) that all Keaton wants to do is eat 24/7. She said, "sounds like our little boys have the same goal...to become as fat as possible."

This made me laugh and think (morbidly) of the time when I was five or so. I came home from school to a tragedy.

My beloved goldfish, NikkiVicki (I couldn't decide what name I liked better Nikki or Vicki...so I just named it both: NikkiVicki), had died. Well, it had "exploded." Those were the words my brother used, anyways. Apparently I fed him too much, and it...exploded.

This brings me to a serious question:

can you feed a baby too much????

*See the goldfish on Keaton's blanket? I thought I was pretty clever!

Happy One Month Birthday, Keaton

Dear Keaton,

Happy 4 weeks on this earth today! We are so glad you were born to us. Your Dad and I are your biggest fans. We have known you for only four weeks, yet we feel as though a piece of us is missing when we are not in the same room as you. You have our hearts forever.

We love you,

Mom and Dad

Who's Your Daddy?

Eric Victor Ochocki 7.7.80

Keaton Jeffrey Ochocki 7.1.09

Well, there is no doubt about who this boy's daddy is! (Not that we were worried about that). :0)

Mommy's Dress Up Doll

Wow, that flash is really bright!

I am thinking about smiling...

Uhm, Mom - I'm not sure if you know this, but this hat is WAY too big!

...But, if I cooperate long enough, maybe you'll take it off!

Check out my hair sticking straight up on my head!

I sure love my bouncy seat!

Disappointed with Jon and Kate Plus 8

Recently a friend posted a blog entitled, Regarding Divorce. She was prompted to write her entry after watching the Jon & Kate Plus 8 episode where they announced they were separating. She mentions in her blog how she hoped they would announce that they were going to shut down production to work on their marriage. Not so, instead they decided that marriage wasn't meant to last forever (or something like that) - as Kate later said in an interview. How disappointing.

My friend had a very real confession posted - that she is afraid of divorce. Especially the gradual progression of selfishness that can take place over time, leading to the thought that one or both spouses can't take it anymore, and the only solution they can think of is divorce. I can relate to that fear very well since that (was) always one of my greatest fears too since I grew up with divorce as well.

I wanted to write on this because I think it's a very real topic that most of us can relate to. I have worked hard to overcome this fear and wanted to share my thoughts on it and get your feedback as well. It's unfortunate that we can't just rely on being a Christian and say, "Divorce is not an option," since Christians have the same, if not higher divorce rate, than non-Christians.

So I mentioned I have worked hard to overcome this fear - and still do at times. I don't mean to sound like I have it all down, because I definitely do not. I just have really worked on this fear since I have been married. I never wanted to "think it" into happening. You know the whole self-fulfilling prophecy thing. Also, my marriage and the future has been something I have been thinking a lot about recently since E and I decided to expand our family. I knew (or at least had heard) that having kids changes your marriage. I didn't want my marriage to change - I liked it the way it was, and was scared that having kids would ruin our relationship. Especially since there was so many people saying negative things surrounding having kids and marriage...

I do know that marriage does take work, and can have it's wonderful, awesome moments. However, marriage can also be very difficult. I don't think true love comes without hardships, for those hard times makes you that much more in love. For four years, Eric and I have put in a lot of work into our marriage-we are VERY in love. :) We have been through counseling, marriage seminars, read books along with small groups, watched sermons on marriage, and have applied a lot of tools that we have learned from all of this. What I can say is that there is hope. There is hope for EVERY marriage (except one in which there is physical, mental or emotional violence in my opinion).

How do you not let that gradual progression of selfishness or whatever it is take place? I believe it is through constant effort with use of some tools to prevent the complacency that can often take place over time. Eric and I found so much hope through the tools we were taught through the sources I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Some of the tools we were taught, and the ones that especially stood out to us were these following things:

1. Pray together.
2. Utilize "Time Outs" during what Eric likes to call, "Intense fellowships."
3. Regular Date Nights.
4. Meet regularly with mentors/accountability partners.
5. Understanding God's intentions for each of our roles in marriage and setting that as our guideline.
6. Regular connection/intimacy.

I am only mentioning these things, not because I'm an expert on marriage - far from it. I just hope I can share what I have learned, and that it might give others a new idea or food for thought at least.

These are tools that we were taught have to really be non-negotiable. It's cliche, but someone said that if you view marriage as a marathon in which you'll need constant training, you'll succeed to the finish line.

The marriage seminar we went to through our church along with the book that we read had a lot of impact on our marriage. The book is, Intimacy: 100 Day Guide to Lasting Relationships by Doug Weiss. The seminar was helpful as well as the book. There is a lot in this book to digest, but it is well worth it.

Another impactful tool was some sermons by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. We first watched the sermon on Women in Marriage and then the next night watched the sermon, Men and Marriage. You have to watch the entire sermon including the questions and answer sessions at the end of each sermon. To us, it was powerful, and opened up a lot of conversation for us. It may not be for you, and that's ok...this is just something that was helpful to us.

You can find the sermons at:

Mars Hill Church: Trial Sermon Series - Women and Marriage

Mars Hill Church: Trial Sermon Series - Men and Marriage

I am writing all this to say that I can definitely relate to the fear of divorce. I know that all marriages will face some trials in the course of their lives, but I know there is hope. I have found peace in my faith that by following the Lord's plan for marriages, we (E and I) can weather any storm. I hope I have not come across sounding like I know it all. I have learned that you get out what you put in. I believe that is what makes a marriage last.

Family Fun

We're seriously blessed with great family. This week my Mom has taken off work to help me as Eric has gone back to work. She has been an awesome help doing laundry, cleaning, spending time w/ Keaton so I can take naps, etc. It has been so nice having her here.

Today, Auntie Kristy and the cousins came to spend some time with Keaton. They also brought some chick fil a - I LOVE chick fil a -thanks again! It was a lot of fun having them visit. I can already tell cousin Kaitlin is going to be a great babysitter to K one day!!

Grammy & Keaton

Auntie K & K

Cousins Kaitlin & Keaton

Cousin Madi

Cousin CJ

Me & K (sporting my new "mom do")

Little Man

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

Keaton, Eric and I want to say thank you for all the calls, emails, meals, gifts and well wishes you all have given to us. We are incredibly blessed with amazing family, friends and community. I apologize if we haven't personally thanked you yet. Thank you's are coming!!! :) We are still working on finding a routine. I didn't realize that even answering the phone would be difficult with a newborn!! K must be going through a growth spurt because it seems like he's always eating!!

Uhm, I have a question...

Jack Dog loves Keaton

Seriously, where did he get all that red hair?

My Belly Button Fell Off

Keaton wanted to quickly announce that he lost what was left of his umbilical cord. He also wanted me to let everyone know that he prefers it when Daddy changes his diaper and would like Daddy to be the all-time diaper changer - especially the poopy ones!

Thanks Daddy!

He Eats & He Poops and He Poops & He Eats

Quick - go buy stock in PAMPERS!

This entry's title is a line from one of the Shrek movies - the third one I think. That's all my nieces could say after meeting K. I thought for such young girls, they really hit the nail on the head. That is about all K does! It's a guessing game once you open his diaper whether or not he's going to spray you in the face. He's done that to us a couple of times - he sure keeps us on our toes!!!!

I love it when Keaton smiles. I know deep down that it's a gas smile - but it warms my heart just the same. :) I can't wait for the real deal.

A visit from Uncle J-Dawg and Auntie Krista

After bath time - look at that curly hair!!!!

Just chillin' like a villan

A Baby Story

(Sorry for the late post - this is my 17th attempt (wait...now it's my 18th) at finishing this entry - I need to keep them short from now on - but wanted to tell the whole story:

Wow! Words cannot express how overjoyed I feel. Keaton is pure delicious. Eric and I just can't get enough of him. Although, I will be grateful for the day that he sleeps through the night, or at least longer than 2 hours at a time. I don't want to sound ungrateful because he is the best thing that's ever happened to us.

Here is how Baby Keaton made his arrival:

On Tuesday, June 30th, Eric and I went into the Dr.'s for our weekly appointment. I was almost 39 weeks pregnant. The Dr. informed us that I had preeclampsia...a condition in which your blood pressure rapidly rises (to dangerous levels), you have protein in your urine, swell up like a balloon, have headaches and other such things. The only real cure is to deliver the baby. So the Dr. told us at our appointment that he had scheduled our induction for that same night. Eric and I were shocked, excited, scared and nervous. We went home to pack some things, and then waited for 10:00pm to come. We had our last meal just the two of us at PF Changs...it was good.

Once we arrived at the hospital, we shared our "birth plan" with the nurse. We now laugh because none of OUR plans worked out - only the exact opposite. We picture the nurses at the nurses station just laughing their heads off while putting a big red X through our birth plan. We learned that the end result is the same and also that God laughs when we make plans.

The nurses and our Dr. were wonderful (an answer to prayer), and we put our trust in them and our faith in God. So, with that, I was hooked up to machines at all limbs. I was put on oxygen and a drug called magnesium, an anti-seizure medication - and as a friend puts it - "hell on earth." She was right. I felt like a human volcano and had all sorts of fun hallucinations. They started the induction at 2:00am and after pushing for 38 minutes by 4:05 pm on Wednesday, July 1st, Keaton made his great entrance into this world. His cord was wrapped tightly around his neck, so they did have to give him a bit of oxygen, but other than that was perfectly healthy.

I had to stay on magnesium for 24 hours after his birth. I couldn't get out of bed, as I was still hooked up, catheter and all. Keaton was brought to me for feedings and thankfully did very well. After 24 hours they moved me from "ICU" to the post-partum wing. Each day got a little better. Unfortunately the swelling got worse before it got better, but the good news with gaining tons of water weight quickly is that you loose tons of water weight quickly - 30 pounds in a week, quickly.

My blood pressure remained quite high, but we were finally released from the hospital on Saturday evening. That was a very long night. I have to thank my good friend, Brook Guikema, a labor and delivery nurse for those of you who don't know her, for coming to our rescue that night. She came over at about 12:00am and stayed to help me through a feeding and many questions. She was our angel.

Keaton is doing awesome - he is a very good eater. I just love every minute with him. We want to thank you all for your love, support and prayers. Thank you for your gifts, calls, emails, food, visits, etc. I apologize if there are people we haven't personally thanked or gotten in touch with. It has been a bit of a crazy ride. We are working on a routine, but each day gets much easier. We want you to know that we thank you very much.

I will continue to update this blog as I get a chance! Congrats to those new mama's (Kristi Knipp, Kelly Newton, and Tiff (soon to be a mama).

We love and thank you all very much.

Click HERE for more pictures.

Click HERE for even MORE pictures.

Here he is!

Chrissie and I are overjoyed to introduce our new little boy Keaton Jeffrey Ochocki! He came into the world weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces and measured 20.5 inches. Click here to see more photos! Thanks for all your love, support and prayers!