Along Life's Little Journey

It's going to be a rough road...

2011-12-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

An update on my big sister...

She had to be at UNC on Wednesday to meet with all of her Dr.s. They were at the hospital from 8 in the morning until almost 6:30 that night. They were informed that she would be having a tentative surgery date of January 6th (my birthday). However, she had to go back on Thursday to have minor surgery. They removed 6 lymph nodes underneath her left arm to test and see if the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes. We pray that it has not. This will determine what approach the Dr.s will have on her surgery date. They won't know these results until the 21st of Dec. So we wait again.

Really hoping they may decide to come home since her surgery isn't until January. It would be great to see them. And I am pretty sure it would probably be good for her too. Well, the whole family actually. I guess we will see.

On another note...I have almost made it through my first week back to work. It's been a little nervewrecking. Have called the sitter a couple times to check on my little guy. Had to inform them yesterday that he is only 7 weeks old, therefore still too little to be on a set schedule. They asked if I wanted them to keep him awake when the older kids woke up from nap. It's really hard to keep a newborn up when they are supposed to sleep quite a bit. I know...we had to do it to get him to remember that day time is for being awake (as much as a newborn is) and night time is for sleeping (somehow he got this mixed up last week...). So, the fact that I had to remind them of this, makes me a little nervous.

On the plus, Fridays are the day they spend most of the time with daddy and then grandma comes to watch them. Yay :) Really wish I could have a family member watch them all the time and not have to worry about a sitter watching them.

So, things are busy around here trying to get my Christmas shopping done...haven't even started wrapping anything. I am still waiting for a few things to come in that I ordered online. Still waiting on our family pictures that I ordered to get here. Everything seems to be on hold. We start family Christmas's this Sunday...yikes.

Back to Life...Back to Reality

2011-12-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

Anyone remember that song? Don't ask me who sings it or the rest of the words, because I'm not sure I know the correct words :) But anyway...

I'm back to work. Today. Yes, I have been off for 6 weeks due to having a baybay! Yay! Landon Alan graced us with his presence October 27th at 7:06pm. It was opening pitch of the World Series game. Something that my husband will never forget :) especially since it was his beloved Cardinals. Landon weighed 8lb 40z. and was 20 inches long at just over 2 weeks early.

I had had a Dr appt that morning and my blood pressure was high. I had to wait around for a bit and get it rechecked. It was still a little elevated, so he sent me down to triage to have some labs done. When the labs came back, there was protein in my urine and my bp was still a little high. My Dr. decided our little boy would be here that day. Good thing I had brought my bag!

Everything went great with delivery. Landon latched on like a pro shortly after being cleaned off a little bit and we haven't had any issues with nursing at all! It is like night and day comparing this nursing experience with Aiden's.

I apologize for not updating sooner, but we no longer have a computer at home since we literally do not have any room for one. We plan to get a laptop at some point, but that won't be happening anytime in the near future. So, all of my updating will be from work when I can get the time!

I was so incredibly sad to leave my little man this morning, but the good thing is he gets to stay with daddy until a little after 11 and then goes to the sitter. I guess I am just nervous because of all the issues we had with Aiden's first sitter when he was a baby. I'm sure he will be fine. Which, reminds me, I need to make a phone call :)

On a not so happy note...my sister found out two weeks ago that she has breast cancer. She is 35. Her husband is in the Marines, so therefore, they are down in North Carolina without any family near...not sure all the details, just know that she will have to have a double mastectomy done and will be going through Chemotherapy. She also has 3 young children. Starting next week, I will be getting yearly mammograms per my Dr. Sometimes, life just really sucks. Especially since they won't be able to come home to family for Christmas. If I had more time that I could take off, I would be going to them.

35 weeks...and counting!

2011-10-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

This time, I have made it past the day Aiden was born. Things seem to be looking pretty well so far, other than measuring about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. I go in for another ultrasound (yay!) on Friday and also see my Dr. afterward. Anxious to see what he will say and how I will be measuring at that time.

I have been going to physical therapy because I have had a lot of trouble with my hips this time. So much so, that sometimes it's hard to walk. It seems to be helping quite a bit. I have been having less pain, which is fantastic. Apparently my pelvis was cockeyed, so we are working to get it realigned. I also have some inflammation around my hip joints and she is working that out too. Again, I seem to be getting better already and I have only seen her twice.

Aiden is at such a fun age right now. He is repeating everything! It is amazing how much this little guy is saying and comprehending. He has started to tell us when he has pooped and peed, which I know could be the start of the "p" training, but I don't want to push anything because he is going to have so many changes in the near future that he just isn't going to understand. So we will see...

Hubby and I are getting really anxious about the pending arrival of #2. I think we are as ready as we are going to be :) The few things we still need are not necessary right off the bat, so I think we are as prepared as we can be. So excited! Until next time!

33 Weeks

2011-09-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

I am 33 weeks pregnant as of yesterday. I am slowly starting to get a little bit nervous/anxious. When I was pregnant with A, right about now was when my blood pressure started to get high and I started to spill protein. I also looked like a big balloon with huge swollen cankles, swollen face and fingers, etc. It was not a pretty sight.

Things seem to be looking much more positive this time around :) I had a bit of a scare about 2 weeks ago with lots of cramping and contracting, but I am pretty sure that I was just a bit dehydrated. They went ahead and gave me some Pro.car.dia to take as needed. I have only had to take it twice at this point, which is a fantastic thing. Not much swelling hardly at all. Just enough to where I can't really wear my wedding ring now and my shoes are starting to feel a little snug, but other than that, all is looking great in that department! I go back to see my Dr. tomorrow.

I had an interesting/scary dream last night. It was about my Dr. visit. I dreamed that I had went to see him, but right before I did, I had started to notice some bleeding after I had went to the bathroom. So, when he started to check me, he immediately got a worried look on his face. I was in labor and needed to be admitted...yes, I'm a little nervous lol. But it was just a dream, thankfully.

I feel like I probably should start to take it a little easier, but I have been teaching colorguard again and we are getting ready to go in to District contest this weekend and I had to write a whole lot of work to make sure we get a big chunk on the field to end the show with. Even though I am not supposed to be the one writing the work. Had I known sooner that I would end up having to, it would have been written a couple weeks ago! So, that is pretty strenuous on me and makes me extremely worn out and anxious. We will see how it goes because I still have to write about 2 more minutes of work for the girls, plus fix some minor issues. Ah! I am sure my Dr. wouldn't be too fond of the idea that I am exerting so much energy toward this, but someone has to get it done...and I am not the type to just leave someone hanging. But dangit, I better get paid well for doing all of it! :) We shall see...lol

On that note, keep your fingers crossed that things continue to go well over here. A is growing like a weed and really starting to get words out correctly and repeat most everything you say! I am loving it. What I am not loving is when he gets mad at me and decides he is going to hit me upside the head. We did our first time-out the other night, only for about 30 seconds, but I think it was long enough to have an effect on him. I didn't know what else to do after he threw a fit and then threw a large toy across the room at me. He didn't like having to sit in a chair and not move for a bit. I think I made my point with that.

So, we trudge on :) Life is hectic and flying by like crazy over here. We are excited for this little one's arrival, but again a little anxious/nervous. I am a little nervous about how big brother is going to react, but I know it will all work out in the end.

This crazy, crazy life

2011-09-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy here. I am now in week 31 of my pregnancy...and things seem to be going well. However, I am a little anxious right now since my son A was born at 34 weeks 5days. It would be really nice if my body could hold out at least until 37 weeks! :)

I definitely don't have the swelling that I did with A at this time. Which I assume to be a pretty positive sign for me! Maybe due to the fact that A keeps me on my toes and we are constantly go, go, go!

We still have a lot that needs to be accomplished before this little guy gets here! We don't have a dresser for him yet, we still need to increase our cloth diaper stash, need to get some other minor things. We have lots of clothes from A that I need to rewash just to make sure they are nice and fresh, but I don't want to do that until we have a dresser to put them in after they are washed. Hoping that we can order our dresser this weekend or find one for a decent price somewhere. We shall see. Still so much to do it feels like!!

I haven't blogged in forever. We no longer have a computer in our house since our office is now another nursery. We are hoping that we can eventually sell our desktop and get a decent laptop that doesn't require much space! This would explain why I haven't been able to blog in a few months.

And again, the nerves are really starting to set in with the anticipation of this little guy. Not sure how A is going to react to a little one in the house. He is attached to mommy and daddy's hip right now. Which could make things really hard when his little brother actually gets here. I know there will be an adjustment phase and I am hoping that it goes smoothly lol. I guess we will see!

I am sure my next update probably won't be until after the little guy gets here, so until then!

Blog Slacker

2011-07-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yea....that's me. I am slacking, majorly. It's been two months since I last posted. And in that last post I informed you that we were expecting baby #2. I am extremely happy to say that all is going well so far! I am now at 22 weeks and found out a couple weeks ago that A will be getting a little brother :) They will be around 22 months apart which should be a nice age for them to bond pretty well. At least I am hoping! Chaos will soon begin around our household! :)

Aiden has been super clingy lately, which is fine, but makes me a little worried about what will happen when baby #2 gets here. Momma's hands are going to be full! But he just gets more and more fun every day. We are learning new words and pointing things out and getting excited when we get to go to grandma and grandpas or nana and papas! It is so great to see his little mind working so hard to figure things out :)

We are still thinking about names for this next one. Hubby has picked one out that he really likes and I think I really like it too, but I need to take some time and look at more names, just in case. We are also still debating about whether to put the baby in with A, or give them each their own seperate rooms. I know that A does better when he is in a room by himself, so we are leaning more toward the seperate rooms, but that is going to mean that we have to give up the office space where all of my sewing, scrapbooking, computer, files, etc are and I have no idea where they will go. Because we literally have no other rooms in our house for any of it to go. It will all work out in the end though, I'm sure.

And to make things a little bit more stressful...we are refinancing our house. It will help with our money situation a lot, which isn't bad, but also makes me stress out every time the bills come piling back in to our mailbox. It's never ending...

On that note...have a great rest of the week!! Hopefully it won't be another two months before I post again ;)

I have news :)

2011-05-09T07:05:00.001-07:00

It was a fantastic Mother's Day yesterday! I was able to enjoy most of it with the two loves of my life! And...Blaze has had a few really good days! He seems to be perking up a bit and getting back to his old self. He has even decided that it's time to rejoin us in the bed (which means, it's really his bed and we just have to take up whatever space there is left after he settles in, which isn't very much...at all!). We had lunch with hubby's family and then spent the rest of the day outside doing odds and ends in the yard (planting flowers, killing wasps, washing my car, mowing...) Now, if my Grandma could just stay out of the hospital, all would be really good!

I have also been keeping a bit of something from the lovely internet world, well mainly blogland. A will be getting a little sister or brother in November! Yay!! Complete surprise, but we are so incredibly happy! :) Now, to just figure out our space issue...our house is really small. Oh well, it will come!

Cloth Diapering is going well so far! I have yet to venture into putting them on him at night, because he is definitely a heavy wetter, but we will soon. I am still working on building up our stash so that I won't have to wash diapers every single day. And I am slowly figuring out which ones tend to work better than others (at least for us). We are incredibly happy with the Bumgenius 4.0's. I like the velcro best, but the snaps work well too (velcro is just a lot easier for my extremely active little boy). We also have a few Happy Heiny's...I am not too crazy about these. The velcro works really well, but the snaps, not so much. And of course, I have more snaps than velcro. They also seem to fit a lot more bulkier than any others. Not a big fan of that. But things are working well for us so far and hubby seems to even enjoy A's cute little colored bum :) So far so good!

When It Rains, It Definitely Pours

2011-05-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Things are really hectic around our household lately. Well, for at least the past week and half they have been. Our furbaby, Blaze, is really sick. He started acting strange the weekend before last not wanting to eat, not wanting to leave the couch, and not sleeping in bed with us (this is just craziness). After day 3 of not eating and barely getting off the couch, we took him in to the vet. He ran some in house bloodwork and gave us some medication to start with him and said we should see an improvement within 3-5 days. He perked up a bit the following day and was eating a little bit (but not his dog food). On Thursday of last week, things took a turn for the worse. My hubby had to literally pick him up off the couch to get him to go outside to the bathroom and couldn't get him to eat anything at all. The medicine he was supposed to take we had to put down his throat because he refused to eat what we had put it in. Another trip to the vet that afternoon. This time, bloodwork was sent off, a urine screen was done, and an ultrasound done of his lower half around his kidneys. We were given another type of medication to add to what he was already taking.

Blaze ended up having blood in his urine. The first day we took him to the vet we found out that he had severe anemia, really low red blood cells, and high white blood cells, which made the vet think he had an infection of some sort. We had to wait for the results from Thursday's blood tests.

Fast Forward to Monday morning when the vet finally called me to let me know part of what they found. By the way, Blaze is still very lethargic and isn't really eating all that much and only gets off the couch to go to the bathroom once or twice a day. So, the vet informs me that he is leaning toward Cushings Disease, which is a rest of his life disease that he would have to have medicine for. Which we can not afford, since the amount of meds he would require as big as he is would be twice the amount for a normal size dog. Which breaks my heart.

And I got another phone call today stating that they got the rest of the pathology results back and they are no longer worried about it being Cushings Disease, but that all signs are pointing toward cancer of the spleen or liver cancer...this is the news I have been fearing for a week now. I wish there was more that we could do for him, but our finances just can't do it. I hate that we have to choose like this, but we can't even afford to do a biopsy to verify which type of cancer it is. It actually doesn't really make a difference because we wouldn't be able to do anything further because Chemotherapy for a Great Dane would be astronomical. I can't even believe we are facing this right now. We have been through so much with this dog. He has been such a great addition to our family since before we were even married. He isn't even 6 years old yet. This is so incredibly hard to face right now...

Over this past weekend, we were supposed to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday with the entire family in from out of town (state) and her closest friends and I get a phone call that she has been admitted into the hospital. They didn't know what was going on, but her bp was 90/50. And my grandma usually has high bp. Her blood count was also much lower than what it should have been which meant she was losing blood somewhere. So we all spent her actual birthday with her in the hospital on Sunday and took her cake to eat. They found out she had a bleeding ulcer...

Oh, and Aiden ended up having another double ear infection on Friday. Thank you tubes for doing your job. I know they don't totally prevent, but I was hoping for a little bit more reprieve than just a little over a month. No such luck...

If you stuck with that, wow. I feel as though it just went on and on. We are keeping Blaze comfortable right now and just letting him be and giving him all the love he deserves. Aiden is feeling much better. And my grandma is still in the hospital, for at least another night. Things might turn around soon...we shall see.

Cloth Diapering? Quite possibly

2011-04-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

I am truly thinking about switching to cloth diapers. Everything that I have heard and been told makes it seem pretty easy. The whole getting started is what is a little intimidating to me. I know it's going to take a bit to build up a stash of cloth diapers, but I want to be prepared. And dang it, disposables are ridiculously expensive! We are looking ahead at hopefully having #2 and of course any extra money we can save would be a huge help right now. And obviously, cloth is much better for our wonderful environment. If I can just get my hubby on board :) I actually already mentioned cloth diapering to our sitter and they seem to be okay if that's what we choose to do. They just want to make sure they know what to do. Well, all but one is apparently okay with it. There are three different sitters at A's daycare throughout the day, so the one that isn't okay with it doesn't really matter much :) So, apparently all I need to do is start stocking up on everything and get the ball rolling! I'm a little nervous, but I guess I need to just jump into it. Wish us luck! By the way, sorry it's been a while since I posted, life has been kind of crazy lately. And my little man takes up my evenings with his cuteness :) And...A's molars have broken through on the bottom and he is getting a couple other teeth now too! We have been a bit fussy with the teeth. And...A got tubes put in his ears in March. He was having ear infection after ear infection and double ear infections. So, we finally got him to an ENT specialist and had tubes put in on the 14th of March and we haven't had any issues since! His ears are healing up nicely and all seems to be well with that now! Yay! Lastly, I may begin teaching colorguard again this summer, which makes me extremely happy :) and will help with the finances lol. We will see...the guard that I used to direct is in dire need of assistance since someone else took over and the band director would really like to have me come back in to hopefully get them straightened out before it's too late. If I could go back and be the full-time director again, I would, but that would mean sacrificing the precious little time I have with A and I am not willing to do that. Until next time....hopefully with some good news!

And so it begins...yet again...

2011-02-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

I took myself off BCP's. I was having issues with them anyways. I don't think my cycle was ever where it should have been even when I was on them. That's definitely not a good thing I don't think. I informed my Dr. of this back in August, but he didn't seem to be too concerned about it. We switched my pill at that point since I was pretty much done breastfeeding (yes, my cycle started way before I stopped bf'ing). I was still having issues. Lots of spotting throughout my cycle and then when it came time for AF to show, it lasted only about a day.

At this point, I haven't had AF since December. And of course, pregnancy tests show BFN. Hubby is pretty much convinced I am pregnant, even though I keep telling him that I am not. But there is always that little bit of, 'but what if I am' looming in the back of my head. It makes me a little nervous because A just turned a year old a month ago, but I know that we need to be thinking about number two now. Heck, my Dr. wanted me to start trying again back in August! (that thought just scared me a little too much..lol)

I keep thinking, what if we have to go through all of the pain yet again. What if I have to go through another surgery (it's quite possible)? I'm not sure if I am up for all of it again. I have someone else to think about now other than myself and hubby. And he is my everything. Definitely the light of my life. He makes me smile even when he decides his new wake up time is 5:50am (all weekend...).

It's nervewracking. Hubby is ready. I'm still undecided because all of the pain and struggle is still fresh in my mind. But we aren't preventing it. If it happens, it happens and I will be ecstatic. Lord only knows what the future will hold...

A year old....

2011-01-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow....the 5th....my baby turns a year old. My little man. And what the little man he is becoming :)

The Word "No"

2010-11-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

Is apparently the funniest word in our household at this moment. A is into EVERYTHING at this point and even though we have baby proofed most things, there are still items that I feel he needs to learn not to touch. I mean, I can't put protective barriers around everything. Especially since our house really isn't that big.

A is learning the word "no". However, when you tell him no, he literally thinks it's hilarious and will crinkle his nose up and start giggling and then go right back at what he was doing. Whether it be trying to pull up on the trash can, playing with the dog food bowl, or sticking the dog's ball in his mouth (yummy, I know). However, the other night we had a little bit of a breakthrough. While at Nana and Papa's house, he was messing with something on the coffee table (a decoration) and Nana and I both told him "no" at the same time. He looked at me and immediately got tears in his eyes and stuck his bottom lip out. Of course, it literally lasted all of 2 seconds and then he was back at it and decided the word "no" was funny again.

Oh well, I am sure it will sink in one of these days. I have tried yuck and ouch also to try to get his attention, but they don't seem to work either. Like I said, I am sure we will figure it out one of these days.

On another note....A refuses his sippy cup while at home. He will drink from it at the sitter's, but will not at home. I also don't think we have any desire for juice. I have been trying and trying and trying and he just isn't having it. I have tried several different sippy cups too. The one that he seems to respond to the best is the N.u.by. Any suggestions?

I am ready for the Holidays. Basically I am just excited to be able to see family and for A to see family he hasn't seen in a really long time. And, we downgraded our vehicle this weekend. We will be saving quite a bit on our monthly payment and also our insurance! Yay!! We needed the little bit that we are saving. Times are tough and they don't seem to be getting any better at this point. It's literally one thing after another...but we are making it! And enjoying every minute with our little man!

A's First Halloween!

2010-11-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! I know we enjoyed every bit of it with camping and lots of trick or treating!

I'm pretty sure my little Scarecrow enjoyed himself too :)

Planning

2010-10-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am trying to start planning for A's 1st birthday. I am at a loss! I can't make up my mind what kind of theme I want to go with or even where we are going to have it! Our house is not nearly big enough to have a party in. I'm sure we will be inviting several people, which means they will not all fit in our little house :)

Some of the themes I am thinking are zoo animals or maybe tractors (our family is big in farming and has been since before I was born). A hasn't really shown any interest in one specific thing just yet. We just enjoy getting into whatever we can right now :)

The other thing that makes his birthday hard, it is literally only 2 weeks after Christmas! Can we say crazy?!?! We are going to have sooo much going on once December/January hit. It will be unreal. I guess things will start to fall into place once I decide what type of theme I am going to go with. Decisions, decisions!!

Ear Infections...

2010-10-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

We have them....again. Mind you, A just got done with an antibiotic for the last double ear infection this past Saturday. Not cool. This is the third time in just 3 months that A has been diagnosed with an ear infection (or two). Things are not looking so well for my little man.

The first one, I picked him up from the sitter and thought that he had an ear full of baby food that for whatever reason, they missed. Yea, that definitely wasn't baby food the more I got to looking. So, of course, by that time I couldn't go to our Pediatrician and we had to go to Urgent Care (which means you sit for a couple hours just to see the Dr. and then sit in the room for about an hour to see him again...pretty much like the ER).

A kept getting colds through September and then developed a nasty cough a few weeks ago. When I took him in to our Pediatrician, we were told he had a double ear infection and was put on a little bit stronger dose of Am.ox.i.cillen. Went back to the Dr. last Thursday and was told that the infection was definitely pretty much gone. We finished the antibiotic on Saturday.

Which brings us to Tuesday evening. I had to run to the store and A was not having it being in his stroller and immediately had tears when he started fussing. Of course, this was not normal. When we got home I took his temp and gave him some tylenol. He wanted to go to sleep by 6:15 (again, not normal) Of course, I thought it had to be that he was getting more teeth (remember we just finished antibiotic). Had a fever through the night but was then better the next morning. Wednesday was a good day. Thursday (yesterday) I noticed after he woke up that we had a nice full ear....again. So, hubby got the pleasure of heading to the Dr. again. And we are diagnosed with another, wonderful, double ear infection. And back on antibiotic.

My poor little man. I wish there was more that I could do for him. I wish the dang infections would just go away. I really don't want to have to put tubes in his ears, but it looks like we might be heading that direction. Bummer.

On a brighter note, my hubby is on vacation starting tomorrow all the way through Halloween. Should be a good week! My living room/dining room/hallway is getting painted! Yay! And I plan to put him to work doing lots of cleaning that I can't seem to EVER get done :) Oh, and we will be camping over Halloween weekend. It should be a really nice weekend! A is going as the scarecrow from Wizard of Oz because my neice is going as Dorothy! I will post pictures later!

9 Month Checkup

2010-10-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

......was today :) Little man is getting way too big for his britches! He weighs just over 21lbs and is in the 72nd percentile. And is in the 76th percentile for his height. Not sure the exact measurement for that, but he is tall for his age.

He had to get 2 shots today. One for the first round of flu vaccine and the other for the final Hep B vaccine. He usually does pretty well with the shots and only cries a little bit and today was not any different than normal. It probably helped that he was ready for a bottle when he was done too. Ah, comfort food! We all have it. lol

And...we are finally crawling! Well, when we really, really, want something or are removed from something that we don't need to have. He is still trying to figure it out fully. He has been trying to pull up on everything too. He can get to his knees, but not all the way to his feet without some extra help.

He has become so interactive and I am absolutely loving this age! My little man is full of smiles and giggles almost constantly. You tell him no, and he giggles...you make a funny noise and he giggles...and so on. I love it!

We have been battling a couple ear infections for the past couple months. He had one in August and then had a double ear infection just this past week, but with the follow up today things are looking much better. Which is fantastic. However, his Dr. is already on his toes considering it's not even ear infection season (if there is such a thing?? because according to the Pediatrician there is).

My little man is really growing up now. I wish that time would just stand still for a little bit so that I can keep him little for as long as possible. Like I said, I am loving this stage right now :)

Almost to the 9 month mark!!

2010-10-04T08:06:00.001-07:00

A will be 9 months old tomorrow! I really can't believe it! We go back to the Dr. on the 14th, so we will know then how much he has grown since his 6 month checkup. I am going to venture to guess that my son is now around 21lb. We are starting to fit into 12 mos. clothing. We are still wearing some 9 mos items, but our sleepers are definitely getting too short in the sleeves and legs. We have bought some 12mos pj's, but not sleepers. The sleepers just look sooo big. :( I want my baby to slow down a little bit haha.

So, some of A's accomplishments recently...

1. We finally started sitting ourself up from laying on our belly yesterday. He had been doing it in his crib for a couple nights before yesterday, but finally started doing it more throughout the day.

2. We still aren't quite crawling. He is so close right now! He is rocking on his hands and knees like crazy and starting to get the motions of moving his arms, but he just scoots his legs. Or if something is out of his reach, he will literally launch himself toward it from his hands and knees and land on his belly just within reach of it.

3. We now have 4 teeth! His top two teeth came in just last week and he has decided that it's really fun to grit them together. For me, not so much. I hate the sound that it makes and it makes me cringe every time he does it.

4. We love spitting. We are constantly spitting. It makes it really hard to feed him when all he wants to do is spit as soon as he takes a bite. I think I usually end up wearing more of it than he actually eats. He had actually figured out the spitting a few months ago, but has recently decided that it's really a lot of fun again. I know this is just a phase, but it gets a little frustrating at meal times...lol.

5. We are trying all kinds of new foods! We had dinner at Nana and Papa's last week and he got to try some meatloaf. I figured it was soft enough that he could figure out what to do with it and he did. He LOVED it. And of course, he enjoys pieces of biscuits and rolls. And has had some scrambled egg. I don't think we have found anything that he will not eat. Which is awesome! I have a really good eater on my hands. I'm hoping that will make me start to eat a little bit better once he really starts eating more than just baby food.

I think that's it. I am sure there is more, but that's it for now! My mom mentioned to me yesterday that I needed to start planning A's 1st birthday soon. Especially since it's literally right after Christmas and only 3 months away! I can't believe it...it makes me sad.

And by the way...hubby is already talking about baby #2. Yikes! My Dr. actually told me at my August appointment that yes, we needed to really start seriously thinking about #2 soon. That really scares me as money is really tight right now and I'm not sure I am ready for #2. I want to enjoy my little man and all his milestones for now. We shall see. Until next time!

Weaning... :(

2010-09-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

So my supply has been slowly dwindling down for the past couple of months. I am not really sure what caused it to do this. The only thing I can think of, my body was not responding well to me having to pump. I haven't been able to keep up with A's intake for quite some time now and we have had to supplement with formula at least one bottle a day throughout the week. Of course, on the weekends, I would try to breastfeed as often as possible to try to get my supply back up, but it just isn't happening.

This, of course, makes me incredibly sad because I was really hoping to breastfeed through this whole first year. So, I have started to wean my little man slowly. I am now down to pumping only once during the day and then I breastfeed him right before he goes to bed and then throughout the night and for his first feeding in the morning. I will soon be taking out either the morning feeding or the right before bedtime feeding. I am leaning toward the right before bedtime feeding in hopes that he will stop waking up every night at midnight for a snack...lol. That would at least cut out one time of waking up (hopefully). He still wakes up at least 2 or 3 times a night for a little snack. Anyone have any suggestions as to which feeding would be the best to stop next?

I think I have done really well getting to the 8 month mark (this sunday...oh. my.) especially given how much trouble we had in the beginning. And maybe that's why I have never really been able to keep up with how much my little man consumes from a bottle. I don't know. I just know that this is really hard for me right now because I love the bonding time we get. But I will make it through :)

P.S. We are loving our new daycare!!! It's so nice to have a happy baby when he gets dropped off and when he gets picked up!

For your enjoyment....pictures!

2010-08-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

So these are definitely late considering A is 7 1/2 months old and these were taken at 6 months, but the photographer did such an awesome job and I absolutely love them!! I have also been extremely busy and my internet time has been next to nothing when I am home...so therefore, you are just now getting to see the product of 6 mos pics/family pics :) But here they are!! Enjoy!

We couldn't get Blaze to cooperate for the family picture where we are sitting, but the ones that he took with A turned out awesome! They both did so well that day!

Hopefully I can start posting and commenting more since A has started to go to sleep a little bit earlier and I can get some things done in the evenings now! However, we are battling our first ear infection right now. Doesn't seem to be too bad of one. We had a rough night Sunday night, with mommy only getting about 3 1/2 hours of sleep, but we made it through and we both slept much better last night...thankfully! It's a little challenging to function on 3 hours of sleep with an 8 hour work day...

Oh, you mean you actually entertain the babies?!? They don't just lay there?

2010-08-06T12:13:00.001-07:00

I have found a sitter!!!!! Whoo hoo!!!!!! And she is FANTASTIC!!! Absolutely wonderful! When I left from meeting with her, I wanted to cry I was so happy. She even got down on the floor and played with Aiden while she met with me. She took the time to speak with me for over an hour and let me know all the wonderful activities they do with their kids/infants throughout the day. I am so excited about sending A to her facility that I can not wait to see how he responds! He will be going from noon to 5 every day which will give my hubby, G, a little time before he goes to work at 2 to do whatever he needs to do. I am so incredibly excited with this lady. She sounds phenomenal, her facility is fantastic and clean :). I am so glad that I was able to find her. Yay!!!

A little update about A. He has a nice little cold right now. Which, is why he had been so fussy and not wanting to sleep at night. Last night he finally slept for a good chunk of time. He is not wanting to nurse right now because I think he is too stopped up to do it. So, I had to pump at 3:30 this morning while he sat and waited for me to feed him. Poor little guy. Then, of course, he didn't want to go back to sleep after he ate. Normally during the night he will nurse right back to sleep after about 10 minutes and I can lay him back down, but not last night.

These last couple of days not being able to nurse have made me really miss that precious time we have together. Not sure what I will do when it's time to start weening him from me. It makes me a little sad because I know it will be coming sooner than later. I guess I will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Teething Troubles

2010-08-04T12:10:00.001-07:00

A is going through one heck of a time with getting his teeth right now. We had one pop up last Thursday, which my mom found, and I noticed a couple looser stools and a slight fever. Then, just the other day (Monday), the sitter I have for right now informed me that he was very fussy for her (extremely unusual) and was chewing on everything he could get his hands on. That evening, I noticed the top of another tooth. Both of these teeth are on the bottom.

Last night and today have been BAD. Last night, my poor little man was up nearly every 3o-60 minutes fussing. We tried the pacifier (sometimes helps when he chews on it), nursing, teething tablets, and tylenol. My hubby finally took him to the la-z-boy and they fell asleep for the rest of the morning (from about 5-6). Hubby has been reporting to me most of today that A has been pretty much non-stop fussing. He did take about a 2 hour nap late morning, but was fussy again when he woke up and was running a little bit of a fever. So, hubby gave him some more tylenol and teething tablets.

I told him to put a wet washcloth in the freezer for a little bit and then give it to him later to chew on. Hopefully that will help a little bit. We have teethers that he has been chewing on. Any other suggestions?? I hope he sleeps better tonight...it makes me wanna cry when my baby boy is not feeling well and I don't have an immediate solution. I just hope he starts feeling better soon.

We had some late pictures taken of our family and Aiden. I will post some as soon as I get the cd mailed to me. From what I have seen so far, they are awesome! I love them! Can't wait to see the rest!

6 months already?!?! Where has the time gone??

2010-07-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Wow....it has been a long time since my last post. A lot has happened since then too! Where the heck do I begin??

We are 6 months now!!! A turned 6 months on the 5th of July! He finally decided that he could roll from his belly to his back before getting too ticked off for being on his belly. However, once he is on his back, he is perfectly content to just stay there. He will roll to either side, but has yet to go from his back to his belly. He will get there one of these days!! :)

We have begun solid foods. We started these around 5 months. He is very interested in everything that mommy and daddy are eating and drinking, so he is enjoying having something else to taste other than breastmilk throughout the day! He has enjoyed carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, and peaches so far. My child is not much on the cereal front, but he is getting better!

The newest development...we are starting to sit up unassisted. Well, in the tripod position. This includes making sure his arms are helping to keep him stable in between his legs when sitting up, but we are getting there! I can't believe it!

We had our 6 month checkup today. Here are our stats:
Weight - 18lb. .5oz - 57th percentile
Height - 27in. - 67th percentile
And of course, we had to get a few more shots. My heart breaks every time! I can't hardly bear to see him cry after the shots.

And lastly...my son has managed to, at 6 months old, get kicked out of the sitter's. How you may ask? First off, lets keep in mind the sitter only had to watch him 3 hours a day 4 days a week. The rest of the time he is with my husband and on Fridays, my MIL watches him. Well, the friday before the 4th, I am informed by my sitter than she "just can't do it anymore". She said that he required way too much of her attention and wanted to be held too much and it wasn't fair to the other kids. Lets also keep in mind that she had no other children under the age of 18 months. All are able to walk and feed themselves and pretty much keep themselves entertained, for the most part. So, since my son required a little bit of extra attention, he was ousted.

I, of course, decided that I really don't want my son going there anyway if she felt that a 6 month old (who actually wasnt even 6 mos yet) required too much attention. I don't know about you guys, but I don't really want my child laying in a pack and play the entire time he is at the sitter's. So, I now have someone coming into our home, whom I trust dearly, giving him all the attention he could possibly want for the time being :) This is until she has to go back to college in the fall. Which means I have to continue looking for a more permanent solution. But, it got my son out of the old sitter's house quickly!

Sorry I have not updated in such a long time. I also have to mention that I had a recent job change. As in, the 6th of July, started with another agency. Still doing social work, case management, but with another agency. Hoping this will be a nice change for a while :) Until next time!

The teeth...they are coming...

2010-05-19T08:17:00.001-07:00

I would just like to say.....I believe we have begun the teething process. The last 3 nights have been, wonderful *sarcasm* :) A has gone back to being up every 2-3 hours and then when he falls asleep, wakes up as soon as his head lays on the mattress. I blame my hubby for this by the way....the whole waking up as soon as he is laid down part. Hubby likes to sleep with him in the la-z-boy pretty much every morning. I think he has gotten used to it. Which makes it incredibly hard for me to put him down at night and throughout the night. Any sudden move wakes him up immediately.

So, on with the whole teething thing...yea, I do believe that is what is happening. I know that at this stage everything goes to the mouth as soon as it's in his hands anyway, but instead of sucking on his pacifier, we are now literally gnawing the dang thing. There is no more sucking, it's all out going to town gumming.

I ended up getting, oh, about 4 hours of sleep last night. He was literally awake for about a 2 1/2 hour stretch at one point. Let me just say, almost all of last week, we were getting anywhere from 5-7 hour stretches at night. It was heavenly! This all came crashing down Sunday night.

So, last night, we went for the infant tylenol, baby orajel, and a teether. It worked for the most part. He at least slept for another hour and a half.

Are there any other suggestions?? Something I might be missing? I have been told to get teething tablets. Not exactly sure what these are, but dang it, I am heading to T.ar.get tonight to get some! :)

Lots to report!

2010-05-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

We have hit a milestone! My son has been sleeping for 5 to 6 hour stretches during the night! It's absolutely fantastic! It makes me feel much more rested when I get up for that early morning feeding. And puts me in a much better mood the rest of the day :)

A has discovered his hands! This actually happened about a week ago. Every chance he gets, those babies are in his mouth and he is just gumming away and slobbering them up! :) I love it!

He is getting so much more vocal now too. He will let out a little scream if no one is paying attention to him to let us know "Hey, I'm still here!". He coos and babbles like crazy! I am still waiting for the giggles, but we get lots and lots of smiles now. His smile lights up the room!

A is also lifting his legs every chance he gets and really working his muscles. He is also really starting to hold up his head much more steady. We still have the occasional bobble, but for the most part, we have got it!

I really can not believe how much he has grown just in 4 months. I swear he changes daily! :)

We have both had a rough past week or so because we have been sick. A has actually gotten hoarse from crying :( That is not fun...I hope he is not like his momma and end up getting sick every time the weather changes. We shall see. I just hope he gets to feeling better soon!

Wanna win a really cool prize?!?!

2010-04-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am reaching out to my fellow blog readers! Bon is needing assistance in raising money to help with the adoption of their little girl in Africa. Currently, they are working on turning in their second payment to their agency, which assists with their daughter getting into a safe foster home in Africa, working on getting the adoption going through the African government, visa, passport and many other items to get them that much closer to getting their little one here safe and sound in their arms!

Every week Bon has been giving away cool prizes here. If you click on this link, you will see the extra awesome prize that is being given away through May 2nd!! An Apple iPod Touch!! Everybody loves iPods! You can do so many things with an iPod Touch....play games, listen to music, check your facebook, and the list goes on and on! So, please, please, please, if you are reading this, check her raffle out and chip in! If you want to enter to win, each entry is $5. Each entry is given a number and when they are ready to draw for the prize they pick a number through random number generator. It's for an excellent cause!! Lets help Bon get their little girl home quickly!!

Also, you can help in other ways too! Check out the sidebar and you can purchase plants through a site that is also assisting them with their adoption. There is only 5 days left if you are wanting to purchase some beautiful plants/flowers to put out for late spring and early summer! So go check it out!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Brotherly Love

2010-03-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

I imagine A saying in this picture..."What do you think you're doing in my picture? Dad! He's in my picture!" Blaze..."Would you stop crying about it already. "

A...."Okay, lets act like we like each other so we can get this over with."

Really, I do think Blaze is finally figuring out what this is all about. He still gets a little jealous at times and we have to watch his big feet, but all in all he is doing really well :) They will definitely be best friends before we know it!

Helping out a friend :)

2010-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

For anyone who is interested....head on over to B&K's adoption fundraiser!! She gives away great prizes every week for just $5/entry :) Of course it's for a great cause to bring home their little girl from Africa! In order to do this, they need your help!

They also have a fundraiser for ordering flowers that you should check out! If you love gardening and planting flowers, check it out! There is a button to click on her sidebar to head over to the site! I plan on making a few purchases here really soon! Thanks everyone!

Pictures! :)

2010-03-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Wanted to post a few pictures of my little man! Enjoy!

My sister got him this little outfit :) And here is the back...

(sorry the picture didnt rotate) If you can't tell, the exclamation mark is actually a little sword :)

This is a few days after he turned 2 months old :) Getting so big!

And I caught a smile!!

2 month update!

2010-03-11T07:13:00.001-08:00

We have hit the 2 month mark! Well, we actually hit the 2 month mark on the 5th, so I am a little behind on posting updates :)

Our little man is doing so well!! Since he was 5 weeks early, developmentally, we are supposed to add a month and a half to the normal, full-term milestones, which makes him only around 3 weeks or so. So...we are finally cooing a lot more and just getting ready to start smiling at mommy when she makes funny faces. I can get little smirks out of him occasionally, which works for me! I know it's just right around the corner.

He is also doing really well with lifting his head. He looks like a little drunk man most of the time, but is really working on those neck muscles! Mommy is so proud :) We also love our tummy time when we are wide awake and will sigh and coo like crazy! It's so stinking adorable!

Blaze update...he is getting better at not being quite so jealous. There for a while, as soon as I would start feeding A, he would decide that he needed a drink from the sink (yea, I know...the In-laws started that), go outside even just to stand and not do anything, or play. And by the way, when he wants something, he will just keep barking at you until he gets it. And...his bark is incredibly loud given how large he is. So, he is getting better at understanding that this little thing that cries and poops and disturbs his sleep, takes a little more priority. I know that one day he will be so incredibly protective of A and they will have the best relationship. He is already to the point where he will come running when A is really crying and make sure that I am not doing anything to hurt his baby. It's pretty cute :)

So back to my little man...we had our 2 month check up yesterday. He now weighs 10lb. 15.5oz and is 23 inches long! He is growing so much!! I just can't believe it! We also got a couple shots, which almost made mommy cry because he was crying so much. But we made it through and do not have to go back until he is 4 months! Pictures to come soon!!

Lots to report!

2010-03-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

Ah, I have so much to update!! I truly am finding it impossible to blog while I am at home...so now that I am back to work, I will try to update as much as I can :)

Which brings me to my first topic....I am back to work. It sucks. I wish I could stay at home with my little man. However, the hospital bills on top of all of our regular bills are pounding at my doorstep. So, back to work I had to go. This is my second week back. My first day back didn't go too bad, it was just super long. Each day slowly got better. As long as I am keeping myself busy, I am okay :) Even though, I miss my little man like crazy! I rush out the door at 5 so that I can pick him up from the sitter as soon as possible.

He is doing really well at the sitter's. She only has him for a total of 3 hours a day. The rest of the day he is with his daddy. They are getting along great too :) I am so proud of my hubby!

We have made a breakthrough!! I am pleased to report that he is now fully nursing from me! (well, when I am home from work) This Saturday was the first day it happened. I was so excited!! And, he has decided that he does not have an issue with my right side anymore, which makes me very happy! No more having to use the nipple shield to get him to nurse!! Yay! It's exciting stuff I tell you...

And I am not really sure where the time has gone, but my little man will be 2 months old this Friday! He is getting really good at holding his head up (we still wobble a little, but he is getting steadier) and he is starting to make a couple more little sighs. He is also starting to notice things more. I can't believe how much he has changed since we brought him home from the hospital.

We go for our 2 month checkup on Monday...he is getting more shots and I think I might cry at this one. The nurse warned us that the shots this time are much worse than any of the others he has had. I am definitely not looking forward to it. I don't like to hear my little man crying.

I think that's all for now! I am trying to catch up on blogs and send comments...so please don't think I am not reading, because I definitely am!

One Month old!!

2010-02-09T18:08:00.001-08:00

I havent updated for a while now, so I figured I better let everyone know how things are going over here! We are doing well so far :) Aiden is growing like a weed! We had his 1 month check up this past Friday and he now weighs 7lb 14oz and is 20 1/2 inches long! I am amazed at how he is changing with each passing week!

We are still having nursing issues. I am still supplementing with a bottle after he nurses. And, I am still pumping away every 3-4 hours. It's very time consuming. He has also decided that for whatever reason, he does not like my right side. I have been using a nipple shield to help with this because it seemed as though he was not able to latch on like he should. It has been helping, but when I take it off, we are back at square one. Definitely a little frustrating.

It's tiring. We have somewhat of a schedule right now...he usually eats about every 3 hours and sleeps great! He is a snuggler. So, sometimes he won't even think about sleep unless he is cuddled on mine or his daddy's chest.

I have two more weeks until I have to go back to work. I am not liking that fact. I can't stand the thought of leaving my little man with a complete stranger while I am at work and DH is at work. Luckily, it will only be for about 3 hours a day. And he will be with his grandma on Friday afternoons.

Someone is getting fussy :) I apologize for not commenting on blogs lately...I promise there will come a time when I can do that again! lol

***One Month***

We are home!!

2010-01-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

Now that we are finally home and getting settled...I am going to do a quick post. I will try to get caught up on everyone's blogs here before too long. I think I am starting to get in the hang of things...

However, I am a little frustrated. I have been breastfeeding since day 1. He will occasionally have a good run, but then yesterday, he would not nurse from me at all. Now, I have been pumping since the day he was born and I am going to be completely honest, it's getting old. I know he is premature and small, but it would be nice to not have to spend an extra 15 minutes pumping after I have spent at least 30 minutes with him either trying to nurse, or taking a bottle (of course, it's all from me via bottle...but still). I am at a loss of what to do. And it's frustrating. And by the time I get done with all of that, I have maybe an hour to relax before we have to start it all over again. Sorry, I have to vent.

I know that he is eating well, I would just like for him to start taking more from just me and cutting out the bottle. I know it's going to take time, but it's hard when one time he will go for 30 minutes with me and the next wont even latch at all.

So, other than that, things are going great. I can't believe he is actually here! I am definitely enjoying every minute that I get with him because I know our time together is going to fly by. :(

Oh yes, we came home on Friday afternoon from the NICU :) Yay!! And I leave you with a picture...

We have our little man safe and sound :)

2010-01-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

Well...it has definitely been a whirlwind of craziness!! Let's get started shall we?? A little rundown...

Dr. appointment last Tuesday my BP was up too high. My Dr. checked my cervix and I was dilated 1-2cm. He sent me down to Triage to be monitored for up to 24 hours. (This was around 9:30am). I was going to be put on bedrest after my monitoring for the rest of my pregnancy. I was showing major signs of pre-eclampsia.

We had an ultrasound done to see how the little man was measuring and we couldnt get a great reading. We were told around 5lb. 12oz. Back to the room to be monitored. Went to the bathroom....and my water broke. 34 weeks and 5 days. We checked to make sure that was what happened and of course, it was. I was checked into a room and labor was starting. I was upset. This was not how I had foreseen things to happen. But, like it or not, he was coming.

They started me on Pitocin to get things going. My contractions started to be right on top of the other and I was given my epidural just in time. They actually took me off the Pitocin to put more space between contractions. About an hour or two later I was dilating quickly on my own.

Aiden was born at 9:13pm on the 5th of January. Just a few short hours before my 26th birthday. What a birthday present huh?? :) He weighed 6lb 7oz and was 19 inches long. He is beautiful.

We are in the NICU as I write this. We will be in here until at least Friday. Things are going well, just have to be monitored a little more. He is a little jaundice, so he has to be under the bilirubin blanket most all times. They are also giving him caffeine for a couple episodes of apnea that he has had. They have to monitor him for that.

I will post more later....this is the first time I have been able to do anything!

And what will tomorrow bring??

2010-01-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

I have another Dr. appointment tomorrow in the AM. I am really hoping that things will be looking better at this one...however, I am not so sure that will happen. I think my blood pressure was up a little bit today. Also, a lot of my coworkers noticed that my face is definitely a little puffy :( Not cool.

My feet are still swollen pretty badly and all I can really wear are my slip-on beaver creeks. Even those are a little tight. And it scares me to wear them because they tend to be a little slippery on the bottoms...I had a pair on when I busted my butt at work before Christmas.

I will be updating tomorrow sometime after my Dr. appointment. Again, really hoping that things look a little better! I know they weren't horrible last week, but the Dr. definitely did not like my results...so we shall see! Until tomorrow...

More Nursery Pics!

2010-01-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

As promised...some updated pictures of the nursery. We are still working on it, but it's pretty much done for the most part :) I would like to get something hanging above the crib because the wall is a little bare, but we will see!

Blaze decided that he wanted to be in the first picture...Of course, there are still things that I would like to get put somewhere. But it's definitely much neater than what it was a few days ago. I still need to make a shelf in our kitchen for bottles and cups and all things baby :) Also, I still have lots of clothing items that need to be washed. And I still need another valance. Hopefully they will get more in soon!

Yay for getting more and more organized!

A new year!

2010-01-02T11:20:00.001-08:00

Things are starting to come together with getting ready for our little man!! I have washed all of our blankets, socks, bibs, sleepers, and some other things. Now, I just have to start washing actual clothes.

I am still making my list of things we still need to have by the time he gets here, but it's coming along! His bag is pretty much packed...minus the outfit we are bringing him home in. Now, I just have to start packing mine! I got some comfy new PJ's from my Mom to take with me (they are nursing ones!) to the hospital, now I just need to get some comfy new slippers!

I have still been swelling quite a bit in my feet. My hands are getting worse too. I have to wear a brace at night on my right hand, which helps some, but not totally. I go back to the Dr. Tuesday morning. We will see if my BP is still up or not and whether I still have protein in my urine or not. If so, I will be seeing him weekly until this baby comes out on his own, or the Dr. decides that it's time for him to come out.

My 26th birthday is Wednesday. Wow. It's craziness. I will probably be spending the evening at home by myself because hubby will be working...oh well. :) I am sure I will be doing more laundry!

Hope everyone enjoyed their New Year. Hubby and I spent the evening on the couch watching a movie in our PJ's and went to bed shortly after the ball dropped. It was nice. And uneventful :) A fantastic evening.

2010 is going to be a great year for us :) I am really excited to get things going. Lots of changes are in store for our family!! I will be posting more pictures of our nursery before too long. We finally got new blinds and are now waiting to get our other valance (currently out of stock in store and online) to make it complete. Car seat bases are in both vehicles and ready to go and everything that needed to be assembled is also ready to go :) I can't believe how close we are getting!

The Nesting Phase

2009-12-30T08:07:00.001-08:00

I think my Nesting phase has finally begun...

Yesterday, hubby and I took down all of our curtains in the living/dining room and washed them. While doing this, I did dishes, cleaned the actual inside of the windows (thanks to Blaze for his wonderful slobbers), hubby pulled out the couch and end tables and vacuumed and dusted. Now, I am ready to start washing all of the baby clothes, blankets, towels, etc. that we have. Also, I have lots of things that need to go to Go.od.wil.l so we can get them out of our office.

The next step....clean my refrigerator. My shelves are pretty much disgusting. I mean, there is no reason for them to be as dirty as they are. I also would like to go through hubby's part of the closet and get rid of clothes that he does not wear anymore. I am sure he would love me for this...lol.

Yes, I am supposed to be taking it semi-easy right now, but seriously, I have a lot of sh*t to do before I can't do it anymore! Hopefully, that time will not come and my blood pressure and protein issues will control themselves a bit more, but until then, I need to get as much done as I possibly can before I can't. And that's honestly my fear...that I am not going to be ready for this baby when he decides to make an appearance. Or, the Dr. decides for him.

We still have a lot of things we need to get. There are a lot of things that need to be organized in the nursery. Car seats need to be installed in the vehicles. Which, by the way, can now be done because hubby was adament about having seat protectors in both of our vehicles before the car seat bases were installed. :) We purchased those this weekend.

I also did not have one receiving blanket in my possession. Lots and lots of regular blankets, but none that were receiving blankets, so I purchased a couple packages with about 4 in each at K.oh.l's yesterday with my mom, so we have a good amount to get us going now. There are still other items that I need to get, but I have got to make me a list. I think that will be my task for the rest of this week. Going through everything to wash and making a list of what we still need.

I am definitely starting to get nervous. We have "possibly" 6 weeks left. Yikes!!

34 Week Dr. Appt....

2009-12-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

So I had my Dr. appt for, well, almost 34 weeks. I will be 34 weeks on Thursday. It did not go so well. Not horribly, but not the greatest either.

I have been having quite a bit of swelling in my feet and during the night my right hand/arm falls asleep and when I wake up, I have the carpal tunnel type feelings. Well, today was my Dr. appointment. I am measuring right around 34/35cm and have gained a total of 30lbs. (Im totally thinking some of that is due to the swelling...lol)

My blood pressure was a little bit higher than it ever has been. I was around 142/86. This apparently did not make my Dr. very happy. He informed me that I have to come back next week. We will be monitoring a little more closely. I was supposed to have one more 2 week interval, but oh well. I would rather be safe than sorry. I also had some protein in my urine and he did not like that too much either.

I was also told that I needed to inform my boss that I very well might be off work before I actually go into labor. We will be playing it by ear. I am sure she will love that...lol. Oh well! I would rather have a healthy, happy baby than anything else. It will all work out!

I am still looking for a sitter. I refuse to pay for a full-time daycare when we only need part-time...it's a little frustrating.

33 weeks and counting :)

2009-12-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Christmas has been here and already passed!! It seriously just seems like yesterday we found out we were pregnant...now, we are right around the corner from getting to meet our little man!

We have had a truly blessed Christmas this year. We truly did not want/need anything really for ourselves, we had told everyone that we just wanted things for the baby. Well, of course, you know that never flies! So, our two big gifts for us this year were a video camera from FIL and MIL and Glider with Ottoman from my mom and dad. Fantastic!

I will be working on doing some deep cleaning in the house this week while I have a few days off from work. I am also going to start washing baby clothes, socks, blankets, towels/washcloths, etc.

I have started packing a bag for him, but need to start one for me now too :) I still can't believe how close we are getting! 6 1/2 weeks is going to fly by I am sure.

Wait...you have what??

2009-12-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

I totally thought that I was going to be one of those lucky few who gets to skip this whole part of pregnancy. However, that is of course too good to be true. I have cankles. You know, when your ankles look like part of your calves?? Yea, I have them. Of course, not as bad in the mornings, but by the time I get off work, man oh man are they huge. The swelling pretty much just started Monday. Merry Christmas to me!

This definitely puts a damper on my evenings at the present. I am trying to get my Christmas shopping done (yes, I am a procrastinator) and it isn't going too well. I was pretty much hobbling around everywhere last night and gave up after just getting a few gift cards. I am going to try to go again tonight since I get off work an hour earlier on Fridays. Hopefully I will be able to move my ankles and not look like I am waddling too bad :)

I am sure that I will have to finish my shopping over the weekend, but that's okay. If I have to start early in the morning before the ankles swell, that's what I will do :)

Hands aren't swelling too bad. I stopped wearing my wedding ring the day after my shower in fear that we would have to cut it off my finger. It started to get a little tight, so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. I feel naked without it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Enjoy!!

Oh, Im supposed to stay on two feet??

2009-12-16T08:54:00.001-08:00

So...I have decided that I am going to try to get to know all of the other Dr's in my normal OB's office before this baby comes. Of course, this is not by choice. However, my body seems to think that it's a necessity. I disagree!

Yesterday we were celebrating Christmas with our work. We were setting all of the food up that everyone brought in and I was heading around the little island to set up my cheese ball. As I walked around the corner my feet flew out from underneath me and I landed on my back/hip. I think it knocked the breath out of me a little bit and of course it scared the crap out of me.

I called the Dr. shortly after (which of course, Tuesdays are my Dr.'s day off) and the nurse that was covering phone calls told me I needed to come in and do a Non-Stress test just to make sure all is well.

Non-stress test was fine for the most part. He was moving around pretty good and his heartbeat was normal range. However, those darn contractions were back. I honestly did not feel these one bit! Of course, they wanted to check my cervix. All is well in cervical land other than every single Dr. or nurse who messes with my cervix has to hunt for it for a couple minutes until they finally find it. I am still all closed up (phew!) so they sent me home and told me to make sure I rested.

Man am I sore today. My back is killing me and my left butt cheek is hurting pretty badly too. I went to see my Dr. for a regular 2 week appointment and the baby's heartbeat is still going strong. I am only measuring 1 week ahead this week, so he didn't seem too worried about that. I have now gained a total of 25lbs. And everything else seems to be a-ok!

I have completed one task for this week...I found a pediatrician! Hooray! Mark one off the list. Now, if I could just get my dang Christmas shopping done!! I still have so much to do! The swollen feet at the end of the day are not helping this situation :(

Weekend of Childbirth Class!

2009-12-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I had an absolutely wonderful weekend! It was fantastic! Our Prepared Childbirth class went exceptionally well. The instructor we had was hilarious and we got a lot of great information to help us prepare for Aiden's upcoming arrival!

I was really excited with hubby's reaction to everything. Everytime we watched a video with cute little babies, his face lit up so much and I could just see him out of the corner of my eye grinning from ear to ear! I think that was the highlight of my weekend. :)

Saturday night, we did a little more shuffling of things in closets to help make room for Aiden's things. Moved clothes we had been storing back into our closet space, sheets into the top of the office closet, cleaned out the toy box (full of sheets...) and put all of the toys we received from the shower in there. We are getting closer to being a little more prepared for his arrival. We even bought a package of diapers yesterday to get going. We are going to try to start buying every time we go to the store. I have some coupons, so that makes it a little better.

I have another Dr. appointment this week, on Wednesday. He told me last time that since I measured 2cm ahead, he would keep an eye on me and make sure I dont keep measuring bigger than what I should be. If I do, we will have to do an ultrasound just to make sure he is not getting too big :) Yay for another ultrasound! I would like to get another peak at him before we see him come into the world. We shall see!

My goal for this week, is to find a pediatrician and call some sitters. These are the two things that I really need to get going on. It makes me nervous not knowing who will be watching my baby once I have to go back to work :( I would rather it be me, but that is just not financially possible at this point. He would only have to go part-time. No more than 3 hours a day M-F, so that's good. Hubby is on 2nds, so he has agreed that he will be keeping him with him until he has to go to work :) Fantastic! Saves some money I guess!

Oh what fun!

2009-12-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

It should be a fun-filled weekend for hubby and I. I am sure he is just super ecstatic to be doing what we are going to be doing.

..................................................Prepared Childbirth Classes!!!.........................

Haha! I for one am actually pretty excited. I want to get as much information as I can possibly obtain before little Aiden graces us with his presence. Yes, we still have a little while, but that is beside the point. I want to be prepared. Well, as prepared as I can be given every situation is different. I think hubby is actually excited, no matter how much he doesn't want to admit it :) We will see how it goes. We get to be at the hospital from 12-5 on Saturday and Sunday both.

And has anyone ever attended any LaLeche League meetings? I am thinking about attending one in my area and wanted some input. I need to get as much information about breastfeeding as I possibly can. Because dangit, I want it to work for us! There is a meeting coming up Tuesday evening that I am thinking about going to. I think it will be beneficial for me.

On another note.....I need to get my Christmas shopping done! I have four of my nieces and nephews done, but other than that, nada. I have several people that I need to buy for. Maybe we can get some of that done this weekend now that we actually have a little bit of extra money. We shall see!

So much to do with so little time!! I started a list for things that I think I might need before the baby gets here. Oh and by the way....Dreft....that shit is expensive!! I need to find me some coupons! Has anyone used anything else that works just as well? Possibly for a better price?

Well, I will update after the weekend on how our classes went! Until then, everyone enjoy your weekend!!!

Belly shots and Baby Shower!

2009-12-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

So I said that I would post them....a long time ago it seems. When my computer crashed, I lost a few pictures, so what you see is what you get at this point :) The wonderful belly shots are here! (there's only two of them, so dont get too excited...lol)

I am only around 19 weeks in this picture. But there is definitely a nice little bump :) The next picture was taken this past Sunday at my baby shower. Sorry I dont have one by myself with a side view, so this one will have to do :)
I am of course 30 weeks and 3 days in this picture. Feeling pretty good at this point! I've gained 18 lbs so far. Not too bad of a weight gain :) It's definitely all in the belly region!

And now, here are a couple more pictures from the shower on Sunday.

If you look closely, you can tell that the "roses" are actually little socks. The washcloth suckers are between the mints and nuts and then of course, MIL had to make personalized candy bar wrappers for each place :)

As I said earlier, it was a great shower and I am so thankful for everyone who came to celebrate with us! We are truly blessed :)

Baby Shower!!

2009-12-07T06:37:00.000-08:00

I have had a fabulous weekend! My college roommate from my freshman year, who was also my Maid of Honor at my wedding, was in for the weekend. She is from Northern Indiana, so therefore it was quite a drive for her to get here. We had an excellent weekend shopping and just spending time together. She is fabulous!

But of course, she was down here for a specific reason. My baby shower! Yay! I'm not going to lie. It was a bit awkward being the center of attention after going through so much just to get to this point. However, it was fantastic! There were so many people who came to help us celebrate! We have been blessed with lots of outfits and blankets and all things baby to get us started! :)

I have already begun putting things in their proper places. Clothes in the closet, blankets on the shelves, booties and onesies in the drawers. And I still have lots of items to put away! I am so incredibly thankful for everything!

My MIL and SIL were the ones who threw the shower for me. They did a fantastic job with everything. Sock bouquets were made for each table along with washcloth suckers :) Blue punch and a wonderful cake! I will try to post pictures tonight.

We have started to put things together now too. Hubby is super anxious to get everything together as soon as possible. This would include things like the high chair (which won't be needed for quite some time), the swing/infant seat/rocker combo we got, and our wonderful travel system. All have been put together now because he just can't wait to get his hands on that stuff :) His eyes have lit up every time we get something else put together. We are running out of room for this stuff in the nursery because I still have things that I need to go through and put away.

Next project....washing the bedding and putting it all in the crib! :) And then washing lots of blankets and clothes. Anyone have any advice as to what is truly needed for that first little bit of time with a new baby? I am wanting to get a list put together so we can start marking things off. Thanks!

Words cannot express my sorrow

2009-12-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

My heart is breaking right now for a certain person in the blogging world. She and her husband received some horrible news this week in regards to their adoption they had been looking forward to and anticipating. Words can not express how much I feel for them right now.

I would link her blog, but it is definitely not the appropriate time for that. Especially since we know each other personally and not just through blogland.

If you know who I am talking about, please keep her and her husband in your prayers as they fight through this situation. I can not even imagine what they are going through right now.

**B, I am thinking about you and K. I am so incredibly sorry. Words can not express how much my heart is breaking for you. We love you.

No GD! No GD! No GD!

2009-12-02T09:06:00.001-08:00

I am in the clear for the time being. My Dr. is not worried about me having Gestational Diabetes, which is really good. That means that I really dont have to watch what I eat!! Mmmmm apple pie! (that has been my craving for months now and I have only enjoyed it a couple of times)

However, I do kind of have to watch that I am not eating foods that are high in fat. My Dr. seems to think that it really is my gull bladder that has been acting up, especially since the Pro.ton.ix has not done anything for my pain on my right side below my rib cage. I am supposed to just keep monitoring it for the time being. I guess there really isn't a whole lot they can do at this point. So his only suggestion was to watch the foods that are high in fat at this point.

I have only gained about 18 lbs at this point, which is good, because it's all baby :) and uterus, and probably amniotic fluid, etc. However, today I am measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule. So instead of measuring 30 weeks, I am measuring 32 weeks. This is the first occurence for this, so again, we will keep monitoring and if I keep measuring ahead then we will get another ultrasound of our little man to make sure all is well and he isnt getting too big in there! Of course, hubby is all proud of the fact that "his boy is getting big" while I waddle around and need help getting up off the couch and he laughs at me. (He's a turd like that)

So, things are going well. I can't believe there are only about 10 weeks left of this pregnancy! It blows my mind. Looking forward to spending time with friends and family on Sunday at my shower!! :)

Time to Get Down to Business

2009-11-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know that hubby and I did :) I was able to enjoy all of the good food that comes along with it without feeling guilty too!! It was great to be able to see family that we hadn't seen in a long time also. We had a lot to be thankful for this year also.

I can't believe how fast my due date is approaching. We will soon be in the single digits for weeks away from my due date. Right now we are just about at 10 weeks left! It's crazy and I can't hardly believe it!

I feel like we have so much left to do. I still need to find daycare, a pediatrician, rearrange closets, take the childbirth class, wash clothes, etc. It's a lot to take in once I really sit down and start thinking about it. However, I will have lots of free time now that I am not trying to write a winterguard program. Maybe I could even get my mother to come and help me out with some things one evening? ;)

I am definitely getting nervous about our little man's arrival. Hubby is playing it all cool and calm and I really think that he is handling it a little better than I am right now. I just keep thinking that within the next 10 weeks there will be a new addition to our home and are we going to be prepared? I am definitely very excited, but still nervous.

The baby shower is happening on Sunday. I can't believe this one is finally for me. I will take lots of pictures! My MIL was showing me last night all of her table decorations and how she found a recipe for blue punch. She is so excited!

I am anxiously awaiting news from Bon about their new baby who should be here any time now!! So excited for them!!! :) yay!!

Glucose #2

2009-11-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

So I have some good news I think! I only failed one of my blood draws from my second glucose screening yesterday! Yay!! Now, it is up to my Dr. to decide where we go from here. Of course, he is out of the office until Monday due to the holidays, but that's alright. I can pretty much enjoy whatever I want to eat tomorrow! Whoo hoo!!

I have been feeling much better than I was on Sunday. I still have my pain, but not like it was when I went to the hospital. I am still having some contractions, but nothing to be worried about. I am counting kicks and enjoying every minute of them :) He is an active little booger!

Last night, we decided that we were not going to be able to go through with our winterguard program. It sucks for my seniors. And it breaks my heart that we fought for the program and now really can't make it happen. We have lost a couple girls, which makes the rest of the kids have to do more fundraisers, which requires more time. And, we can not afford to hire someone to write our show for us. I, of course, can not physically do it on my own. Especially after Sunday's hospital visit. I wanted to cry for my two seniors whom I have taught all four years. :(

My baby shower is coming up on the 6th. I am really excited about this. I can't wait to see all of my friends and family that I do not get to see very often and celebrate our little miracle.

Will be getting my computer back tonight. However, Windows had to be reinstalled, so I have lost a whole lot of things that will now have to be put back on. Yuck! That sucks...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!! Here is a short list of the things that I am thankful for this year...

~First and foremost...the little miracle that is currently residing in my uterus :)
~My husband, who is my best friend and has been absolutely wonderful through everything!
~My family who is always there for me.
~My furbaby Blaze :) He will always be our spoiled little man!
~My job. As much as I may not enjoy some of it, I am thankful to have one.
~My healthy and happy pregnancy

I know there are more things that I could name, but this is the basic list :) Again, I really hope that everyone has a happy thanksgiving!! Be safe if you are travelling!

The week from HELL!!!

2009-11-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

And I am not exaggerating when I say that it has literally been the week from Hell! I mean, I think that everything that could possibly happen within the past 7 days, has happened. Let me begin...

Sunday 11/15 - Computer crashes. There are so many viruses on the thing, our antivirus software won't even take care of them. We tried everything. Literally, everything. It's no good. So, I'm waiting to hear back from C.omp.uters Pl.us as to what they were able to do about it.

Monday 11/16 - Literally get cussed out on the phone for about 30 minutes. The first 10 minutes were by the person herself because she was informed that she would not be eligible for our program. The other 20, she was screaming and yelling in the background with every other word out of her mouth being F* this and that while I am trying to explain to her calm husband why they are not currently eligible for the program. Yes, I got short with her because she was screaming at me. I do not have to put up with people talking to me like that. Ever. Period. And I won't.

Tuesday 11/17 - Glucose screening. Didn't know my results yet, so that wasn't such an issue. However, met with our band boosters that evening and they pretty much told me that they were refusing to support our winterguard program. That we would have to open our own account and run all of our money through that. Oh yea, and I needed to apologize to the rest of the organization for apparently something that I said. Which I did not.

Wednesday 11/18 - Find out the results of my Glucose screening. Again, big fat F. Have to schedule for the extended screening. Oh yea, and I manage to get cussed out again because someone is not eligible for our program. And, did I mention there is not anything I can do about that??

Thursday 11/19 - Get hung up on due to someone not being eligible for our program and I honestly can not explain to her why she did not qualify after the online assessment. I did not understand it myself, but, again there is nothing that I can do about it.

Friday 11/20 - My supervisor informs me that I need to watch the way that I talk to people on the phone. Excuse me??? She said that she received a few complaints about me being short on the phone. However, would not give me any examples or tell me whether it was just possible clients or what. So, I explained that the only people that I have been "short" with are the ones who cuss me out over the phone. She actually led into this by asking me if I was stressed and how I was handling my transition from the Outreach Team to this program. I was not a happy camper the rest of the day.

Saturday went well, no issues here. Thankfully. I needed a reprieve from my crappy work week. So, I spent most of my day relaxing and had lunch with a friend whom I had not seen in a really long time.

Sunday 11/22 - Woke up at around 5am with sharp stabbing pains under my rib cage. I hadn't had that much pain for this spot ever, so of course I was worried. Called the hospital and they told me that I needed to come in for some labs. While hooked up to the monitor, they noticed that I was having contractions anywhere from every 2 to 5 minutes. Not cool. They did labwork and everything came back normal. They checked my cervix...closed (whew). They did a Fetal Fibronectin test which came back negative, so that meant that I was not going to go into labor anytime soon (thank God). So, they first gave me Procardia to stop the contractions, but that did nothing. Then, they gave me a shot to make them stop. Definitely helped. After all this, I am informed that they do not know what is causing my pain under my rib cage, so I am given a GI cocktail to drink and wait some more. It did nothing. So, they sent me home with a prescription for Protonix. And might I tell you that is some expensive medicine! So, basically, the Dr. thinks it might be something with my stomach....yea, not sure about that one. This of course, is not my normal Dr. She was the Dr. on call at the time. Im just glad that my contractions stopped and things are starting to look up!

So...since this is a short week, I'm thinking that things can't get much worse. Only three days of actual work. Yay! And then hopefully I can enjoy all the great food that Thanksgiving has to offer :) We shall see.

It's a Big Fat "F"

2009-11-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

And what does "F" stand for? That's right ladies, FAIL. You said it, I failed my first glucose screening. They didn't really say how bad, they just said that I had to come back in next week and do the 3 hour screening. So, I will be back in the lab on Tuesday at 8am doing the test. Oh what fun.

I also spoke with my Dr. about the pain I have had right below my rib cage on my right side and in my back on my right side. He told me to keep an eye on it because 1. it could be nothing at all other than the baby in an uncomfortable position 2. the possibility of a toxic pregnancy, which is actually still too early to have. He said this usually occurs around 36 weeks or so. And it has to do with your liver enzymes, or 3. it could be my gull bladder. So, I am supposed to pay attention to what happens after I eat a meal, does it get worse? stay the same? etc. Here's to hoping that it isnt anything serious :( I mean, we had a hell of a time getting pregnant, of course the actual pregnancy can't happen without issues right? We shall see. The pain can be pretty intense at times and the spot under my rib cage and the spot in my back usually hurt at the same time. It definitely makes me a little worried.

I now start to see my Dr. every 2 weeks. As of today, we are around 12 weeks from seeing our little man come into this world! We are extremely excited and I am beginning to get a little nervous. I am worrying about whether I have put enough things on my registry to help us get by. I am worrying we wont have enough daipers, clothes, wipes, etc to keep us going for a little bit. And of course, I am worried that something else is going on with my body outside of this little man growing inside me. I hate worrying. It sucks.

And Chelle, yes, Marching season is over! Whoo hoo! :) We ended up placing 5th in Class D in the State of Indiana. It was a great season. We are now beginning our winterguard season :) Oh joy! lol

Dr. Appt, crappy computer...

2009-11-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Went in today for my Post Glucola test. Had to drink the orange drink. It wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was just really, really sweet. So, drinking it as quickly as possible was probably the best thing to do for myself. But all in all, it wasnt too bad.

So, once I was done with that, I was to head over to my Dr. for an appointment. After I sign in, they call me up and inform me that my appointment was not for today, but for tomorrow. Excuse? She apologized and said that my Dr. was not even in today, otherwise she would have tried to get me in. So, I have to go back tomorrow for my actual Dr. appointment. The bright side? I get out of another morning of work :) lol. Hubby was not very happy though, having to wait around for an hour before I could actually get my blood drawn. Oh well.

There will be no uploading of pictures anytime soon. My computer at home has pretty much crashed. My antivirus software expired and I hadnt had the time to update it. So, guess what happened? It became infected. I mean, crazy infected. It kind of blew my mind how much crap was coming up. So, in trying to upgrade our antivirus, something else happened and our computer pretty much shut down. So, now I have to call and see about getting it fixed, since we have done everything possible to fix it ourselves! Grrr!!

Well, I will find out tomorrow sometime whether or not I might have the diabetes. I'm hoping it's all good and I won't have to worry about it. We shall see. I will let you know!

Sleeping...What is that again?

2009-11-13T06:41:00.001-08:00

So I have not been sleeping well...pretty much at all. Last night, sucked. Plain and simple. My back has a certain spot that has been hurting for nearly a month. Mostly, it's when I have sat for long periods of time. Which, coincidentally, happens on a daily basis.

Last night, I was able to sleep for a couple hours before hubby got home from work pretty comfortably. However, it was becoming very clear that a new part of my back was going to keep me from sleeping. I had hubby literally rub my back for about 15 min before I couldnt even stand laying down anymore. I had to eventually get up and move to the recliner with my pillow and a blanket. It helped for a little bit, so I tried to move back to bed. As soon as my body hit the mattress, my back began to ache yet again. So, I laid there for about a minute and then decided to walk my happy butt back to the recliner. And there I slept for the rest of my 3 hours until I had to get up and get ready for work.

Here I sit, my back still killing, but not in the place that it was last night. Anyone have any suggestions? I have used the heating pad at night when I get home from work, I walk around at my job every so often so that I am not sitting all dang day. I think I will talk to my Dr. on Tuesday just to make sure this is all normal and ok. I'm sure it is, but I want to be sure.

Okay, so seriously, I need to post some pictures of my belly :) I will try to do that tonight. I have a couple from earlier, but I dont have any that are recent. I will have to try to take a good picture of myself if possible :) lol.

Oh and please don't think that I am complaining about my pregnancy. Believe me, I am not! I would not trade this for the world! It has been the most amazing experience I have ever been through. I just want to make sure this whole back thing is a natural thing and should be expected. I am scared shitless about the impending third trimester...lol.

A fabulous weekend!

2009-11-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the most fabulous weekend I have had in a really long time. I honestly did not have ANYTHING that I had to do!! Can we just say fantastic! :)

Saturday, I was able to sleep in for the first time since probably the beginning of August, not having to be up by 4am to be at the school to do guard girls hair. Hubby fixed french toast for breakfast. We took Blaze for a nice long walk around our neighborhood. Had a late lunch. Then, we actually were able to have a "date" night. Which, only consisted of going to the mall, out to eat, and then to Sears to price deep freezes, but still, it was fabulous! We then went home and spent the rest of the evening watching Fred Claus, which by the way, is a cute movie. My hubby is ate up with Christmas. He gets so excited way before it's even close to being here. So, his excitement starts around August or so.

Sunday, we slept in again, which was nice. And then I spent the day with my mom and my grandma. We had lunch and then we perused all the Christmas open houses at the local gift shops. I got to pick out my Vera Bradley diaper bag that I have been wanting since we first started trying :) This is the pattern that I picked out. I'm super excited! :)

So, all in all, a great weekend! And very relaxing I might add! We got our light put up in A's room and the shelves that need to go in there painted navy blue. Now, we just need shades, which will have to wait until the bedding comes after my shower on Dec. 6th. Yay!! Only 94 days left!! ish...lol

Down to the double digits!

2009-11-05T11:31:00.001-08:00

Okay...does everyone see that ticker over there???? That's right, I'm in the double-digits!!! Whoo hoo!! Time is flying by so fast!! I can't believe it.

I stood in line for the H1N1 vaccine for 3 1/2 hours yesterday. Well, I brought a chair and my coworker (who falls into the chronic illness category) brought a blanket. The clinic started at 2, so we were there by noon :) I finally got the vaccine at 3:30pm. I feel much better now. Especially after hearing that my neice tested positive for it just yesterday. Really glad I was able to get the vaccine.

I go back to the Dr. on the 17th for a Post-Glucose test and my next OB appt. I'm really hoping that I do not have to go back for the more extensive test. After this next appointment, I will start seeing my Dr. every 2 weeks. Which, by the way, is craziness!! Because that means we are getting so much closer to the end! Wow...it's truly amazing.

I have one big baby shower coming up the first weekend in December. I'm excited, but I think I will have mixed emotions. Happy, of course, but I will always remember what it took to get to this point. Oh, the journey.

Nursery Pics!!

2009-11-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

Please keep in mind that the blinds that are up are probably from like the 1970s or something, so they will be changing :) Haha...also, we do not have a light fixture yet, so the lighting is a little different too. The colors of the room are tan and burnt orange. It looks really good so far! :)

After the crazy weekend...

2009-11-02T14:07:00.001-08:00

I am so incredibly tired today! It was a crazy weekend! We went camping starting on Friday night (it poured the whole night) and then Saturday was Marching Band State Finals. We ended up finishing 5th place! The kids had an excellent show and I couldn't have asked for a better performance from the girls. I then headed back to our campsite (3 hours away) to settle in for the evening. We came home from camping on Sunday afternoon.

The one thing I do not enjoy after a weekend of camping is the laundry when we get home. I swear it is never ending. Especially since it was a wet weekend. I will probably be doing laundry until the middle of the week. Yuck!

On another note...I found out that the cousin of hubby's who is due in March will be having a girl! So no worries about having another boy in the family with the same name as our son! :)

I am beginning to feel the joys of pregnancy. I can no longer sleep comfortably through the night and all throughout the day my back (right below my shoulder blade) kills me. Especially if I sit for too long. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being pregnant, but I think I need to go and get a nice massage somewhere :) Sound like a plan?? I think so! lol

I will be posting pictures of Baby Aiden's room here soon! I now have time to actually take some pictures :) so they will be up here as soon as possible! Maybe this evening, so stay tuned!!

25 Weeks Today!

2009-10-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast time is going by! Pretty soon I will be in the double digits!! :) I am so excited about this whole experience. It has been absolutely fantastic. I think I have been pretty blessed feeling as good as I have.

Baby K's room is all painted!! I can't wait until we have our shower and can get everything else set up. We still need to get blinds and a new light fixture for the room, but other than that, we are set to go! I can't wait until all the baby stuff starts rolling in! I had been holding off on buying anything, but I think I am going to start shopping the sale racks for clothes (especially for next fall and winter). Of course, the one thing that hubby has already made sure the baby has, is a Colts warmup suit. Go figure :) Who knows, we might have a Super Bowl baby! lol.

I will post pics of the nursery as soon as I can. This week has been busy with getting things ready for Marching Band State Finals. I know that Saturday is going to be an emotional day for me and my Seniors. I started instructing them when they were just little freshmen :( They have grown so much in four years!

I still can't believe how fast time has gone. Here in the next few months we will be holding our son in our arms. Wow.

The Most Amazing Experience

2009-10-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hubby was finally able to feel our little peanut on Saturday!! We were waiting for the band to start heading to warm-up and Baby K started doing a little dance. So, I hurriedly opened my coat and had him stick his hand to my belly. At that exact moment, Baby K kicked a few times. Hubby's face lit up! You would have thought it was Christmas (he goes nuts for Christmas Day). His exact words "that is the coolest thing ever!!" It was so awesome for him to finally get to feel our little boy.

We don't see each other a whole lot, so times together are extra special right now. He is on vacay this week :) We picked out our paint for the nursery and he was going to start on it today! He is so excited about it too.

I think I am going to have a soccer player too by the way. I feel like he has already bruised one of my ribs from kicking. Especially since it's around the same area where he is normally kicking up a storm. I absolutely love the feeling though. It makes me smile every time I feel him kick.

On another note....our band is going to State Finals!!!! Yay!!! I am so proud of the kids for working so hard the past couple weeks. We were 2nd coming out of our Semi-State compared to the Top 20 bands in Indiana. Only 10 move on to State Finals. So exciting!!! One more week of practicing and perfecting what we already have!! :)

23 week 5 day Appointment!

2009-10-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

We had another Dr. appointment yesterday :) Everything went great. However, the nurse was concerned again that I had some sugar in my urine (could have been from that grape jelly I had for breakfast...), but my Dr. did not seem too concerned.

I am measuring right at 24 weeks, which is great because that means I am right on target! When my Dr. was searching for the heartbeat, Baby K decided he wanted nothing to do with that. He definitely tried to kick the doppler away a couple different times, but we finally got a good read and he has a nice strong heartbeat! He's gonna be a feisty little one ;)

Last night, the indigestion kicked in, and it was bad. It probably did not help that I did not get home until after 10 and then ate something (because I am always starving). I regret eating those spaghettios. I didn't think it was ever going to go away. Anyone have any suggestions on what foods you can eat that won't cause indigestion? I need all the advice I can get! :)

Lastly...I was going to go get the dreaded H1N1 shot yesterday at our local health department, but found out that people were getting there 3 hours in advance of when the clinic actually started, therefore by 2pm (when it was supposed to start) they were already out of all the vaccines they had. Over 500 people in line, but only 330 doses? That's all they were shipped. No telling when they will get more in. I was very leary of getting the vaccine, but after speaking with my Dr., he said that the risks of not getting the vaccine are much worse than getting the vaccine. Pregnant women are more susceptible to being hospitalized and the mortality rate is really flipping high. That definitely scares the sh*t out of me at this point. I just wish they were getting more of the vaccine out there. Well, hopefully I will get it one of these days, sooner than later.

That's all I have right now. Oh, the band made it to Semi-State after Regionals last weekend! So, hopefully there will be a whole other week of practicing for State after this weekend! The kids are really working hard right now! Until next time!

Name Wars...

2009-10-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Okay...I have to vent. I am a little perterbed at the moment with one of hubby's cousins. Hubby and I have had a name picked out pretty much since we were married for a boy. So, as luck would have it, we are being blessed with a boy. Well, I have the joy of finding out through FB that a cousin, who is not due until March (mid-late) has decided to use the exact same name as us. Upon mentioning the fact that hubby and I had decided on that name also, I am basically told that they will not be changing the name, with a nice little non-chalant "sorry Meg".

Call me a bitch and a little selfish, but I'm ticked. I guess the good thing is that our little bundle of joy will be born at least a month ahead of theirs. Really, I did not think we were going to have to worry about something like this. Lucky me huh?? So...any suggestions? Because the name we have picked out hubby and I have been set on FOREVER. I mean, 3 years, seriously.

Need I say more?? Other than, we worked our asses off to get pregnant, literally, and they get an "oops! now we need to get married sooner". Yea, I'm a bitch, I know :) lol. But it's justified right??

Update!! :)

2009-10-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

I am really slacking in the posting department!! So sorry about that!! Things are moving along so fast around here and I have been so incredibly busy, it's been crazy!

I began a new job on October 1 with the same agency that I have been with since May of 2006. It has been ridiculous! It's a brand new program so therefore we have been bombarded with phone calls to get people in to determine their eligibility. It's a great program, but when people hear "free" money, they come out of the woodwork.

So, not only have I started this new job, but marching band has taken over my life outside of my normal work week. We are practicing at least 3 nights a week now and we are getting into the final weeks, which are usually the most intense since we have to cram changes in so quickly. I feel like my time is literally flying by!!

I have another Dr. appointment on Tuesday morning :) I will be getting close to 24 weeks! Which means, I will have to do a glucose test before too long. I am getting bigger, finally :) lol. I have noticed within the past week or so a difference. And...he is kicking. They are getting stronger, but you can't always feel them from the outside just yet. Every so often I can, but hubby has yet to be able to feel them. I can't wait for that day! Hopefully here before too long!

We finally started to register a couple weeks ago. We spent an hour and a half in B.ab.ies R. U.s and only got through maybe half of the store. We still have so much to register for and I have no idea when we are going to finish!! I would really like to finish soon, but with hubby on 2nds, we can't go through the week. I also would really like for us to take some classes through the hospital so that we are a little more prepared for this baby to come :) however, I have no idea when we are going to have time to do that! I really want to take the breastfeeding class, so i am thinking that will have to be done on my own. Ah!

Well, need to get back to my busy crazy job! Will update again soon!!

It's A.........

2009-09-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

BABY!!!!!! hehe :) You know I am going to have to keep you in suspense until closer to the end right?? Sorry it's so late that I am updating, but today has been crazy!!! Left our training in Indy around 1:30, got home about 5:30 (had to stop to eat and potty), got home home 5:45, put my stuff down and headed to the school for band practice. I probably should have just stayed home, but of course, that would have been the sensible thing to do! Well, without further ado, I now introduce to you Baby K!! Baby K was very cooperative and photogenic for the ultrasound tech :)

The tech was able to get all of the measurements that she was needing for the entire Anatomy Scan. Baby K weighs 13 oz right now with a nice strong heartbeat of 142 bpm. I found out that I gained 5 more lbs in the last 4 weeks making a total of 6 lbs. I have really popped out again the last week and a half. I know, I need to post some progress pictures. If I had some, I would...but I don't. I need to take some :)

So, as I said, Baby K was being very cooperative for the tech and she decided that she was going to take all kinds of pictures. Really wish she would have given me a few more than what she did, but oh well! Needless to say, hubby was really excited when she scanned to this...

It's a boy!!! I wish everyone could have seen hubby's face :) it was priceless. He was grinning from ear to ear! And yes, I am super happy too! I honestly just wanted to make sure the baby is healthy and he seems to be doing really well in there!! After the tech got all the measurements she was needing, he decided that he had enough and started kicking up a storm :)

I have definitely been able to feel him a lot more within the past few days. He is getting stronger by the day. He really starts to get wound up when I lay down to go to sleep (of course) and after I have a full belly. So, here is one more shot of his cute little profile! Oh yea, and I am now at the 20 week mark!!

It's Finally here!!!!!

2009-09-21T08:26:00.001-07:00

Today is the day!!!! We will "hopefully" get to find out what our little peanut will be!!! Boy or girl?? Ah, it's so exciting!! I won't be able to update my blog until Thursday evening though...I'm sorry :( I will be out of town for work starting this evening until Thursday evening. It makes me a little sad, because hubby had taken a personal day in order to celebrate, but we can't. Oh well, there will be plenty of time for celebrating the rest of the pregnancy!

Hubby picked up our crib on Saturday! Yay! We spent maybe 45 minutes yesterday afternoon putting it together :) It's beautiful! Now, we just need a mattress. Oh yea, and our chest and dresser :) It's so pretty!! I can't wait to start painting the nursery and putting things up, what little we have so far...lol.

I think that Blaze is starting to sense that things are changing in our house. Just since yesterday, while putting up the crib, he has decided that the nursery is a nice place to be. We found him a couple times later in the evening just laying on the floor (very unusual for him) in the room. Then this morning while I was getting ready for work, he decided that he would lay in there on the floor again. Yes, this is odd. One, he very rarely lays on the floor. If he is laying down it's either on the couch or our bed. Two, he very rarely goes in the spare bedroom (nursery) unless he has lost his ball or we are in there for something.

The other thing that I have noticed, he has been following me around the house like crazy. It doesn't matter where I go or what I am doing, he is right there. Not only is he following me, but he is wanting to have his head pressed against my belly if I am standing still. This has all begun within the past week or so. He is a very smart Great Dane, so I know he senses something. It is just amazing to me :)

And lastly, the marching band and my guard girls are doing so awesome!! We have been 1st place at all three contests the past two Saturdays and Best Guard at two of them! :) I am so proud of these kids! It's going to be a great season! One of my girls took a baby bump picture, so I will have to try to post it if possible sometime.

So, sorry I will be keeping everyone in suspense until Thursday...but I promise I will let you know then what we are having!!

Only one week!!

2009-09-14T12:14:00.001-07:00

At exactly one week from today, almost to the minute we will be "hopefully" finding out whether we are having a boy or a girl. I am so excited, I can't hardly contain myself!!

Also...I am switching programs in my agency! It's fabulous news, because I have been wanting to head in a different direction for a while now, but jobs are so few and far between down here that I hadn't been able to find anything. At least I will be exploring a different avenue. Still working with homeless, but no longer the ones who are extremely hard to deal with (which puts a lot of stress on me at times). So I am excited about that!

We had our first day of Marching Band contests on Saturday! The kids did fantastic!!! We were at two different local high schools. We placed 1st at both, winning Best Drum Major in the morning and then Best Percussion and Best Colorguard in the evening!! I am so proud of my girls! Granted, it's the beginning of the season, and we still have LOTS to do, but they did a fantastic job! I think threatening them in the morning that they were going to make me go into early labor if they didn't get with the program may have worked ;) (of course, I was only kidding!)

I was so exhausted by the end of the day on Saturday that I passed out when I went to bed. I was up at 4 am and didnt get to bed until about 11:30 that evening. Talk about a long day! But it was worth it at the end :) I will post some pics when I get a chance!

18 week update!

2009-09-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm still not quite totally positive, but I think that it may have happened. At least most of the day yesterday (wednesday). I mean, it could be something else, but I have never felt this sensation before and as often as I have the past couple of days. Yes, that's right, I believe that I am finally feeling Baby K's little flutters!! I think I felt them a lot yesterday because I was at my desk for most of the day working on paperwork and not out and about moving around.

It's truly amazing. I have been trying to concentrate as much as I can on every little thing happening, but it's hard to distinguish at first if I really did feel the baby or if it's just something I ate for lunch. I am almost positive that I am feeling the little peanut :) Really and truly awesome.

So we only have a little over a week before we get to see Baby K again. I can't wait!!! We are both so excited!! Today marks 18 weeks, so we are almost halfway there. It's craziness.

Back to the work week...with lots to update!

2009-09-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

Just a little update to start off the week. I know it's Tuesday, but it feels like Monday with it having been a long weekend. Of course, they are never long enough though are they?? I actually was able to have a 4 day weekend, which was nice. We went camping at a local park. Had some pretty crazy storms, but overall managed to not get too soaked :) Yay for that!

I am FINALLY wearing maternity pants! Yes, I am excited about this because I was miserable most of the weekend having to keep my pants partially unbuttoned and wear a bellaband. Those things really are not that comfortable to me. So, yay for being able to wear pants! And, I actually found some that are long enough for my long legs! Whoo hoo! Always a plus!

Hubby and I ventured into B.ab.y's .R. U.s yesterday after getting home and unpacking. We ordered baby furniture!! So exciting!! I finally found some that I really, really like! We only ordered two pieces for now, but plan to order the final one here in a month or so. A sneak peak?? Oh sure...please go here to see the crib and go here to see the dresser. We will be ordering the other dresser/changer in the near future. I am so excited!! I love it!! We should be good to go with the furniture. There will be plenty of dresser drawers for baby's clothes and I am sure other items!

Also, my MIL is on the ball with planning my shower. She already has a date booked with their church in December. And can you believe how close that actually is?? Hubby keeps talking about Christmas (it's, of course, his favorite holiday) and how it's all about the baby this year. And I totally agree. I think when I start getting asked what I would like for Christmas, I am going to say, "Please see our Registry at..." or "Size...diapers" lol. It works for me! :)

So...there is lots to start thinking about soon! We will find out (hopefully) in two weeks what we are having! Two weeks from today to be exact! Then we will be able to start registering. Yay!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week. I am gearing up for our first contests on Saturday. We still have lots to accomplish before then...I feel like we are really far behind right now. Busy week ahead!

A little survey! :) Thought it looked fun

2009-09-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

For your viewing pleasure and in light of the 17 week marker, I am posting a little survey/questionnaire. I have seen this done on several other pregnancy blogs and it's really cute, so here is a little bit of info for your viewing pleasure!!

How far along? 17 weeks today!!!
Total weight gain/loss: As of my last appointment, I had only gained 1 lb. I am pretty sure that will change with the next appointment!
Maternity clothes? I am only wearing tops so far, but I probably should be wearing pants. I have a bellaband that I am currently wearing with my pants and it's working alright. I'm not sure that I really like it though. I just haven't been able to find any pants that fit me well. I don't have that much of a butt and I have long legs....so it makes it a little challenging.
Sleep: Well...with my husband and 140lb Great Dane in bed, it isn't going so well. I bought a body pillow and the one night that Blaze stayed at his Grandma and Grandpa's (we were getting our new carpet) I slept wonderfully!! I am always tossing and turning and trying to make sure I don't sleep on my back (not cool). It's a process.
Best moment this week: I think I have finally found baby furniture that I like!! Whoo hoo!! and it's not crazy expensive! :)
Movement: I am not really sure yet. I am thinking that I have felt something, but I'm not sure. And I usually only notice it in the evenings when I have settled down and when I am just laying down to go to sleep. I think I am doing too much during the day to notice anything yet :) I am getting so excited!!
Gender: We hope to be finding out at our Anatomy Scan! Which is scheduled for September 21st. Everyone keeps calling it a boy, so my guard girls and I are calling it a girl :)
Labor signs: Um, nada. Definitely too early...and lets keep it that way!
What I miss: Sunkist the best orange soda ever!!
What I am looking forward to: September 21, purchasing baby furniture, registering!
Weekly wisdom: Naps are fantastic when you actually get to take them!! :)
Milestones: I am in the 2nd trimester! Yay!! And almost to the halfway point!!

My hubby...is going to be a wonderful daddy

2009-08-31T08:54:00.001-07:00

We only have 3 more weeks until our Anatomy scan!! I can't wait to see our beautiful baby on the screen again :) And, of course, we will hopefully be finding out the sex!! I am soo excited for the day to come! I am sure the three weeks are going to drag, but then again, things will be picking up at work (I am hopefully moving into a new position! yay!) and Marching Band contests begin on the 12th! So, I am sure it will actually end up coming really quickly.

We spent the afternoon over at my mom and dad's yesterday. I love my mom's home cooked meals. We had beef roast with potatoes, cooked carrots, green beans, rolls, and one of my faves, cottage cheese :) lol. Yum, it was delicious! My mom and dad were watching my brother's kids (my neice, 5, and nephew, 2). My nephew had fallen asleep on the way home from church, so arrived to the table late after a nap. When told that he had to eat before going outside, he only wanted to sit on his Uncle's lap and eat. And of course, decided that his Uncle G needed to help him eat his carrots, so he decided to shove one in his mouth :)

After lunch, we took the kiddos to the park down the street from my parents. My nephew, again, only wanted to hold his uncle G's hand walking down the street. It's a beautiful sight, seeing a grown man pretty much do anything for a little one. Hubby was like a big kid playing with my neice and nephew. One main comment that was made, from hubby, " I can't wait til our baby gets here and I can do all of this with him/her as he/she gets older." My response, "You are going to be an awesome daddy".

I was literally teary-eyed a couple times watching him play with my niece and nephew. It was fabulous. Now, if we can just make a decision on baby furniture ;).

15 week Dr. appointment

2009-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

I had my Dr. appointment this morning. Not much more to update. I have only gained 1 lb. My Dr. doesn't seem to worried about it at this point. I had a little bit of sugar in my urine, but he didn't seem too concerned about that right now either. I guess they will monitor me every appointment just to make sure until my Glucose test is done.

We got to hear the heartbeat again, which was at a steady 150 bpm. I breathed a sigh of relief when he finally found it. The baby is up a little higher than what he had thought when he was first trying to listen.

We go back on the 21st of September for the Anatomy Scan!! Yay!! The next four weeks are going to creep by soooo slowly! We are really ready to find out what we are having. Come on September!! :)

A little background for ICLW

2009-08-23T18:06:00.001-07:00

I'm thinking that maybe I should give a little background in case people dont want to search for it on my blog :) I know we are already a couple days into ICLW, but I feel like I need to let you all in (for those who don't normally read) on our "little journey".

It's obviously been a rough ride. There are parts that I hope I never have to go back to. I know that our journey has not been as rough as others, but we have faced our own battles. We are all, unfortunately, in this together at some point or another. I am sure that I have lost a few readers along the way now that I have crossed that rickety old bridge and made it to the other side. However, I know that I will NEVER be a normal pregnant woman. I will have that fear throughout my whole pregnancy of 'what if'. So, on with our journey.

Hubby and I started TTC about 2 months after we were married. Looking back, I am sooo glad we started when we did, because we would have never discovered our issues as soon as we did.

My Gynecologist first put me on the Clomid challenge after having me chart my BBT for a few months. When that didn't work, I was referred to my RE. My RE did the basic testing and sent me for an HSG. Which, ended up being not so successful. I was then scheduled for a Laparoscopy/Hysteroscopy where I was diagnosed with Endometriosis (March 08). The plan? IUI cycles. We were only able to do two cycles because our Insurance did not cover IF. We then found that hubby had abnormal morphology. One more thing to add to our list.

Since we were out of funds, we could not move on to IVF. We decided to take a break. Of course, my cycle decided to be a pain in the butt again in April. I was put on Prometrium to get things back on track. Two weeks later, still nothing. Prometrium for a second time. Positive blood test on June 26th. Really? Yea, we were in total shock.

So, here we are today. In the middle of my 15th week and still so extremely excited and blessed. Honestly, I still can't believe that it finally happened for us, after 2 1/2 years. As I said earlier, I know that 2 1/2 years is not that long, but it was a struggle. A struggle to deal, to get out of bed and face the day sometimes. I will always be IF. I have been there, I understand. And it sucks. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It takes you through Hell and back and sometimes you are there several different times. I am still fighting for everyone else who is fighting their own battle.

15 weeks!!

2009-08-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

We have another week under our belts! Whoo hoo!!! It feels good to say that we are almost to the point of knowing what we will be having and also to the point of feeling my little peanut give some little flutters :) I am pretty excited about that.

Dr. appointment on Tuesday. I have absolutely no idea what they are going to do. It would be really nice to get an ultrasound, but I'm not sure they will be doing one. We will see!

The constant financial worrying

2009-08-19T07:12:00.001-07:00

I am getting to the point where I am starting to worry a little bit. My worry mostly comes about when I am dealing with our finances. Shocking right? I think we all worry about finances at some time or another in our lives.

It feels like things just keep adding up and our savings just keeps slowly dwindling down. And of course, we decided that we needed to get new carpet in most of the house, so that is taking a nice little chunk of our money out of savings. I don't like that feeling.

I have always had a fear of not being able to make ends meet and end up where my parents did my freshman year of college. Losing our home. I know that we just need to start saving a little bit more and we will be fine, but it is a constant fear that I have. It's hard to shake when you have lived through losing your childhood home and everything you thought was safe.

Hubby and I have worked hard to make sure we are living the life that we wanted. I want to start working even harder because now we have to prepare for this little one to enter our lives. I am excited about the new carpet :) I know that it is something we needed to do before the baby arrives. It will be in next Wednesday!

We received an unexpected check in the mail from hubby's life insurance the other day, which was nice because we are going to use that toward baby furniture. We also have been saving up our change and are going to put that toward the furniture also. So, that will be less that will have to come out of our paychecks and/or savings! That makes me really happy.

Now, if I can just start giving my hubby an allowance every week, we might be able to save a little bit more money. You think I can get away with that?? ;)

14 Weeks Today!

2009-08-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

If you have looked at my ticker, you will see that today marks my 14 weeks. The end of the first trimester and on to the second :) I'm excited. I'm ready for that time when everyone says you get a second wind once the second trimester starts. Hmm....day one and I am not feeling it yet...lol. We shall see!

I still get super hungry in between meals. I have been drinking lots of milk and orange juice (yay for me!) and eating lots of fruit. I need to work on eating a little bit healthier at meal times. Im trying...but it's hard when you have a limited amount of time to fix something at most meals.

I received a notice in the mail Tuesday that my appointment for the 19th was cancelled due to my Dr. not being in the office. So of course, when I call, they have nothing left for the rest of the week and now I have to wait until the 25th to see him again. I just want to know that the little guy/girl is doing alright.

We are putting in new carpet in the house. I had a family friend come out and do measurements and prices for me last night and it's really not too bad. I'm actually kind of excited that hopefully we wont have to worry about Blaze's nails getting caught in the loops and making any more snags :) Whoo hoo! We have had a huge run in the middle of our living room floor (covered by an area rug) for at least 2 1/2 years now made from Blaze having fun with a snag. And the carpet we have right now is almost white. So, of course, stains show up waaaaay too easily. Yay for a new project!!

We had two more pregnancy announcements over the weekend on DH's side of the family. However, both are apparently only a few weeks along. And Sunday night, when we got home, we found out that one has already lost hers. She's just now a senior in high school...my thoughts will stay to myself on that one.

So...this Christmas will be super busy for DH's dad's side of the family. B will have her baby!!!! (Ah, soooo excited for them!!!) We have one that was born about 2 months ago and then three of us will be expecting. It will be a madhouse, but in a good way, hopefully! :)

Not much else to report...colorguard is keeping me busy yet again! Our practices are in full swing now and the show is coming along pretty well! It's definitely giving me exercise!

Anxiously awaiting the next appointment...

2009-08-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Life has been a little crazy around here lately. Sorry I haven't updated for a while! Last week I was consumed with teaching colorguard for our band camp the entire week. Every night that I came home, I was so exhausted I didn't even hardly get on the internet.

Things are staying about the same. I made sure to not overdue it last week in the warm sun and the booster parents were pretty good about making sure I was taking care of myself.

Hubby is ready to start buying our furniture. Me? I'm still a little hesitant. He was adament about going to T.ar.get yesterday and getting at least a crib, well, it didn't happen. They have run out of the furniture that we had picked out and are discontinuing it. I still would like to wait a little bit longer before we make any big purchases of baby things. It makes me nervous and very anxious.

I just can't seem to get over the nervous feeling. Also, the anxiety that something I have done or not done has caused something to go wrong and I just don't know it yet. It's a constant nagging fear that I do not enjoy. I will never be a normal fertile person. I don't think it's possible. As many others have said, even though we move on to pregnancy we never forget where we came from and everything we have been through. It's still extremely scary and nerve wrecking not knowing from appointment to appointment what is going on.

I don't go back to my OB until August 19th. That's a long way away. I will be almost 15 weeks by then. Only one day shy. I got the impression that we won't find out what we are having until I go in for the 20 week Anatomy scan.

I am still wearing my normal clothes. I really need to take pictures of my belly because it has grown, but not a whole lot. Still just a little bit of a pooch. Nothing major.

Well, I do believe that is it for now. I'm trying to make sure that I have as little stress as possible in my life at this point. I am now back to my regular big kid job today...blah! I still need a change. We shall see...

First OB Appt

2009-07-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Was extremely uneventful...I totally thought that he would check on the baby with an ultrasound since he had never actually seen or heard it just to make sure everything is coming along swimmingly...but apparently not. I hadn't had my yearly exam since last July, so he of course had to do one. He said that he wouldn't be able to hear the heartbeat without the actual ultrasound, so he didn't even try.

I got lots of new Mom information about the hospital and insurance stuff (ugh!) and another book to read through, but other than that, uneventful. I was definitely disappointed that nothing more was done. It makes me really worried because I don't go back for another 4 weeks. Am I worrying over nothing? Am I just being selfish because I wanted to see our baby again and make sure he/she is growing like he/she is supposed to? Maybe I should have a little more confidence in my OB, but after all that we have been through, I can't keep from having that worried feeling constantly there.

It looks like my weeks actually change on Thursdays now too. My OB looked at his little calendar and said that I will be 11 weeks on this Thursday. So...trying to keep the worrying at bay until August 19th, where hopefully we will actually get to see our little one again.

10 Weeks!!

2009-07-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right....I am 10 weeks today! I need to start posting some pictures of my belly just so I can document the changes. There hasnt been a whole lot, but I can notice a little bit of a pooch. I'm still getting sick on occasion, but usually it's not too bad. I think I might have to start looking at bras...lol. I am about to overflow the ones I have right now :)

We have my first OB appointment on Monday at 3:50pm. And it turns out, hubby is able to get off work for a few hours to go with me! Yay!! He has a pretty understanding boss, which is really nice.

And...we have already been thumbing through baby names in our book :) I told hubby last night that I would like for both of us to come up with 5 girls names and 5 boys names. That way we will have a nice variety to look at and narrow it down from there. I am sure it will take us a while to get them together, which is alright! I just want some ideas to go off of.

Okay...hopefully pictures will be coming soon, even though there isnt really a whole lot to see! :)

9 weeks 3 days :)

2009-07-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a whole lot to write about recently. Things are moving along as far as I know :) I don't go back to the Dr. until Monday afternoon. Hubby won't be able to go with me this time, but I think I might actually have my Mom meet me there. I am going to venture to guess that they will be doing another ultrasound considering this is the first appointment with my OB. I am sure he will want to get a good look at everything. Well, at least I would hope. And of course, I would really like to see our little peanut again :) I am sure the growth will just be amazing!

I was given several books this weekend on pregnancy. The "What to Expect When You're Expecting", "Your pregnancy week by week", Baby Name Wizard, Belly Laughs with Jenny McCarthy (by the way, it's hilarious!!!!), and "The Expectant Father". It's great to not have to buy these for one. And, honestly I have been getting a lot of good information out of them. And as I said, the Belly Laughs book is flipping hilarious! I love it. It cracks me up :)

Hubby started reading "The Expectant Father" the night we brought it home. I was super impressed. He read all the way up to the third month. He said that it is all really interesting and was asking me all kinds of questions about the things I am feeling. He is so excited.

I have been feeling pretty good. Got sick Monday morning before I was able to eat anything, but have been alright since. When I get home from work I just want to crash on the couch for the rest of the night because I am pretty worn out. All of my pants are still fitting alright for the most part. Now, my tops on the other hand are slowly dwindling down. Not that there's anything really noticable yet, but I am not a fan of tight tops, and a lot of them are starting to get a little snug. I'm keeping my eye out for tops that arent maternity, but are cheap and hide the middle :) at least somewhat for a little bit.

8 weeks 5 days!!! And my 3 year Anniversary!

2009-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

The ultrasound went fantastic today!! The baby is measuring 8 weeks 5 days. We got to hear the nice strong heartbeat again at 187bpm. My RE told me it was time to head out the door and graduated me to my OB (who is just right down the hall). We also got to see the baby move!!!!! It was so incredibly awesome!!! It was just a tiny flicker of where the leg buds and the rear are, but we got to see it!! Ah!!

I have been given a due date of February 11th. A little Valentine baby :) I had an appointment for my yearly exam already scheduled for the 20th of July, so I was able to head down there and let them know the good news and just switch the yearly to an OB! It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders for the time being. By then, I will be a few days past 10 weeks.

I have also figured out that if I don't let myself get too hungry, I can keep the nausea down to a minimum. I think that's why I didn't have any issues over the weekend because there was always food available and I was almost always snacking on something. I am going to try to keep food with me at all times from now on. That means I need to find more healthy foods that I can snack on. I have been snacking on a peanut butter sandwich throughout today and it seems to have helped.

Hubby and I have been married for 3 years today! He is my best friend and I love him so much! We couldn't have asked for a better anniversary gift!! :)

Losing my cookies....again :)

2009-07-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

I was doing so well!! And then I think I jinxed myself. I have been feeling pretty sick since yesterday late morning. Couldn't even eat breakfast this morning because too much time was spent in the bathroom...so I am eating Honey Nut Cheerios as we speak :) It's actually nice to have the sickness back because it makes me feel a little bit better about the baby. The other thing that I noticed yesterday was how exhausted I was. I had to cut guard practice an hour short because I really just was not up to being there for 3 hours. I feel pretty rested so far today, so we shall see how the rest of the day goes :)

I have been itching to put up a ticker of some kind that says how far along I am, but I don't think I am ready to do that yet. Maybe after this week's appointment? Eh, we'll see. Anyone have any thoughts on this??

Hubby and I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary tomorrow (Wednesday)!!!!!! Yay!!!!! And, our next ultrasound is tomorrow :) It should make for a decent day. At least we will get to have lunch together somewhere!

Back from Camping!

2009-07-06T07:43:00.001-07:00

Well, we are back from a long weekend of camping. We did a lot of relaxing. We only went on one long trail walk, but it wasnt too bad. I was pretty worn out by the end, but other than that, felt pretty good. I took lots of naps midafternoon. And...huge accomplishment, I didn't get sick all weekend! Whoo hoo!!

The weekend was pretty good, other than on the 4th when it rained for most of the day. That was not so much fun. My two oldest nephews stayed the night with us Friday night, which was fun and amusing. They played in the rain for most of the morning Saturday. My in-laws got them all hyped up on sugar and then we took them home to my Mom and Dad :) Hehe.

As of today, I should be around 8 weeks pregnant. I am extremely nervous for this week's appointment on Wednesday. There is always a fear in the back of my mind now. I try to keep praying that all will be alright, but with everything that we have gone through, it's really hard. So, if everyone could just keep praying with me, that would be awesome. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!!!

Whoo hoo!!! A four day weekend!!

2009-07-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

So, I am officially taking off work tomorrow. I will be sleeping in (hopefully) and getting ready for our camping trip. Hubby and I will be able to go early and set everything up and then enjoy the rest of the day. I am ready for this 4 day weekend! It should be great. It's been in the lower 80's here, which is fantastic because it will make for a great weekend with the weather not being very hot.

My "morning" sickness is back. I can't really refer to it as morning sickness though, because it hits me at different times of the day. It hit me last night and I now know to stay away from Cheeseburgers. It also hit me this morning right after taking my vitamin. However, there will be no complaints from this blog!! I welcome all the symptoms! Now, if I can just finish a meal! I can only make it about halfway through and then I can't eat any more, even though I am pretty much starving by meal time. Its a little strange actually...

Well, this will probably be the last post until we get back from camping on Sunday. Then we will only have a few more days before our next ultrasound!! I can't wait!! Until then...everyone have a fun and safe 4th of July!!!!

4th of July

2009-06-30T06:36:00.001-07:00

I am excited about this weekend. It will be our first camping trip this year. I love camping. We are heading over there Thursday night and staying until Sunday. It should be a nice long weekend and I am excited to get away for a little bit. I also love the fact that it's a short week...and I'm thinking about taking a Personal day on Thursday so we can get set up early and relax the rest of the day.

I am extremely exhausted right now. I pretty much slept through my alarm this morning, not realizing that I had turned it off a couple of times :) Oops! I have been feeling pretty good otherwise. Again.....bring on the symptoms!

I am going to take it easy as much as I can the rest of this week until next week's ultrasound. We go back on Wednesday and I was told that we might be able to see the baby actually moving on the screen next week :) Right now the pictures that I have make the baby look like a little bean. Ah! We are so excited right now...

Our First Ultrasound

2009-06-29T07:51:00.001-07:00

We arrived promptly at 8am this morning to Dr. B's office. Of course, we are all smiles :) The ultrasound went really well. As of today, I am measuring 7 weeks. So, we got to see the strong little heartbeat at 147 bpm. Yay :) I am sooo excited!! I have another ultrasound next Wednesday at 11:30 and we will actually get to see my Dr. while we are there. The next ultrasound also falls on our 3 year Anniversary. I am still in complete shock.

Can someone please tell me what this is??

2009-06-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

I have never seen it before and I was just curious if anyone knew what to make of this....

I AM PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my freaking goodness!!! I am so excited I could pee my pants at this point. I am in total shock and disbelief. I got a wild hair up the rear Friday morning when I woke up because I had been noticing the past few days that I have not been feeling well. I was getting nauseous for certain hours of the day and then it would come and go throughout the rest of the day and my boobs have been pretty tender. I mean, I never would have thought this in a million years. It was my last HPT, so I figured what the hey. Seriously...is this real?

I called the Dr.'s office as soon as 8am rolled around and told them that I really needed to come in for a blood test. I went in around 10am and they called me back around 12:30pm confirming that yes, I am pregnant. I cried. Lots and lots of tears. What is my beta you might ask? Well, as of Friday it was 32,040. Wow! The nurse said she thinks that I am probably about 5 or 6 weeks along. She said since everything was so confusing we would have to see on Monday at my first ultrasound!!!

So, hubby and I go in at 8am Monday morning. Is this really happening??? Is this really it for us??? Man I hope so. We decided that we are only going to tell both of our parents at this point and make them swear to secrecy. I definitely want to give it a little bit before we tell anyone else. Well, the people who know me IRL and read my blog will know, but please, please, please don't tell anyone. I had to tell blogland because I am still in total shock.

Hubby is so funny :) He was literally shaking Friday morning when he saw the pee stick on the counter. We are sooo incredibly thankful for this. I would have posted sooner, but life has been a whirlwind the past couple days. I'm still feeling a little nauseous throughout the day and the boobs are still sore, but other than that, I am good! Bring on the symptoms!!!!!!

Sleeping like a log?

2009-06-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

So lets all say it together now....This F-ing Sucks!! Did I grab your attention? Good! And if not, well, sorry. Keep reading. You might find something interesting about this post :)

Quick update from the other day. I had to go in to the Dr.'s office yesterday and have some more bloodwork done. Imagine that one. I finally heard back from their office late this afternoon close to their quitting time of 4pm. The verdict? Back on Prometrium at 200mg for 7 days this time (it was 5 days 2 weeks ago). Bleh! This stuff makes me extremely tired. I mean, I have no idea my husband has climbed in bed with me when he gets home around 12amish. Nope. He talks to me and apparently I talk back, but have absolutely no recollection of said conversation. I even smacked his face away from me one night (hmm....lol).

I guess the positive is that I sleep really, really well and actually feel rested when I wake in the mornings. The negative is it makes me feel extremely bloated, almost like I did when I was injecting Gonal-F. And of course, the abuse of hubby. Again, bleh!

My Dr. (or nurse) doesn't seem to be too alarmed with this all of a sudden issue I am having. My estradiol level seems to be too high for me to start a period, yet again, but they seem to not be concerned at all. I, on the other hand, am concerned. NEVER have I gone almost 70 days without having a period. It's not cool. Especially when I am getting the occasional every other day to couple days menstrual cramping. It's very frustrating.

So, its off to the meds I go. Even after I get done with these it could still take up to a week and a half to get the 'Flow'. Just bring on the damn period already!!!

Waiting for the Dr.

2009-06-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here waiting for my Dr.'s office to call me back. Yesterday marked two weeks of being done with the Prometrium and still nothing. Nothing at all. I should have started by now. I was told that it would take at the most a week and a half to get the ball rolling. So, now, I sit and wait for the phone call to tell me what has to be done next. I hate waiting.

I had a wonderful weekend though :) It was nice to be able to enjoy it without having AF in the way. Hubby, Blaze, and I participated in the annual Homeward Bound Walk, to raise awareness for the Homeless, on Saturday morning. We then headed out to L.ow.e's to pick up a new outdoor high dining table and bar stool set. We cleaned out our camper on Sunday in preperation for our July 4th outing. We were then able to grill out and enjoy our new dining set for the evening. It was nice to be able to just relax for most of the weekend.

I am looking forward to having company this coming weekend! My roommate and best friend from college is coming down with her fiance' and it should be a wonderful weekend! Now, I just have to get my house cleaned up before they get here....lol.

On with the waiting...

Weezer, the crotchity one who always seems to ruin the party

2009-06-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Okay...I mean really. 63 days?? Who does that?? Who literally goes 63 days without having a period?!?! I know, I know, I'm preaching to the choir with some of you, so forgive me because this is just a little abnormal for me. I have been cramping off and on for the past week now, thinking that she is on her way, but nooooo. You know, as I mock her, she will probably be the biggest bitch in the world and show up at my doorstep hotter and heavier than she has ever been before. If this occurs, there WILL be a sick day involved. Sorry work, Aunt Flow decided to be the biggest bitch ever and not allow me to be able to walk today so I will be in my bed with some heavy duty painkillers and a heating pad over my aching uterus and it probably still won't do the trick. I might be in tomorrow, if you're lucky. Oh wait...she does have to get here first, right?

I'm thinking if she does not make an appearance tomorrow, Dr. B's office will be receiving a phone call. I mean, is there any other way we can force her to come for a visit? How often do we really want to see our mean old Aunty F anyway? I for one, would like to not see her for the next 9 months if it meant only one thing. And apparently you do not have to have a visit every month, but I like to keep her coming so I know what I have to work with in the end. I do not like surprises. Well, most of the time. Unless it comes in a little white stick with two little pink lines showing in the fun little window. You know, I would also take a nice + sign. Or heck, why don't you just go ahead and throw in the PREGNANT digital one. But damnit, those things are ex-pen-sive. So if you're paying, count me in ;). No? Well....damn you Aunty Flow.

Do you know who I picture when I think about Aunt Flow? The lady off of Steel Magnolias (great movie by the way). I do believe her name is Weezer? Please correct me if I am wrong. That is the face that always seems to show up when I think of Aunt Flow. Old and crotchity.

Okay, I'm done mocking her now. I seriously believe that she is going to come back and make my life a living hell. Only time will tell...

Happy Blogoversary!!!

2009-06-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

So....as I was thinking...today is a special day! Today is my one year blogoversary!!

Lobster anyone??

2009-06-08T08:39:00.001-07:00

I. am. sore. My legs are burnt to a crisp. They seriously are almost Lobster red. I did everything in my power to not get this way, but apparently it was not enough. Sunscreen was NOT my friend yesterday. My poor hubby is Lobster red all over. Not really sure he will be able to get out of bed today...however, I do not have much sympathy for him. He refused to put sunscreen on for most of the day. He only put it on twice.

The important thing is, we had fun. We spent some quality time with some friends out on a boat on the river. It was a really nice day, but we will both be paying dearly for the next few days. I am half tempted to head home on my lunch and put on some sweatpants :) I am in the office all day today doing notes, so it probably wouldn't be a big deal. The thought is VERY tempting.

On another note....AF is nowhere to be seen. I'm starting to get a little pissy. Okay, that started when I had to take the Prometrium to get her to come around. Now, I'm almost fuming. Literally, 60 days. This scares the crap out of me! I could be overreacting, but oh well. I'm wondering if this is a sign that my endo is back. I don't know, but it sucks.

What's that you say?? How long?? Oh you HAVE to be pregnant! No?

2009-06-02T19:48:00.001-07:00

This has been the longest cycle that I have ever had in my life!! I'm pretty sure that I have never gone 54 days without having my period start. Maybe in like Junior High, but I am pretty sure that even with my endo I have been pretty regular. Granted there were a couple months where I was about 2 weeks late, but never have I gone this long. It's a little weird to me...

My last two Prometrium pills were taken Sunday night, so AF should be coming along any day now. I feel and look bloated, so I wish she would just get her bitchy self here already!! Or am I the bitchy one? I'm pretty sure it goes both ways, right ladies? :)

We dog sat all last week for my in-laws. She is known as the little Princess by my MIL. Let me introduce to you, Miss Chloe Lynn, AKA "Little Shit".

In all of her 6 lbs of Ocherese fury, she will put my 140 lb Great Dane in his place. Whether this involves grabbing his lip while they are playing or kicking him out of bed for the entire week because she needs her space under the covers (I kid you not, Blaze slept on the couch alllllll week long). She ate HIS food all week underneath the kitchen table. She is given water via Dixie cups and will inform you when she would like some fresh with continuous barking and growling.

Lets just say, she is high maintenance. She is my MIL's pride and joy. No offense to little dog lovers, but I for one, will NEVER have a small dog in my household :)

On to other news...oh wait, there isnt any other news. Life is just plugging along over here in Southern Indiana. Oh yes, while at a wedding, one of the guys that I grew up with and his wife informed me that they will be trying to start their family this fall. I have a feeling we will be getting another announcement really soon.....

The results are in

2009-05-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that the tests for my thyroid came back in the normal range. This, is in fact good news. My sister has Hypothyroidism and I was really hoping that I did not have another issue to add to our list of problems. So, all is clear at this time.

Now, I sit and wait until we either get pregnant on our own or come up with enough money to get us through an IVF cycle. That, could be a long time waiting.

Driving home last night from picking up my Prometrium from T.ar.get I started thinking. And you know what thinking leads to? Tears. It was the first time in a long time that I had cried over our circumstance. I quickly brushed it away and drove on.

She's still a No-Show

2009-05-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well...as of today, there is still no AF. This would make it somewhere around 47ish days? I have it written down at home (Im at work). I called my Doctor yesterday because I was out of town from Wednesday til Saturday last week and they got me in for some b/w this morning first thing.

Received a phone call back around 1:15 and was told that no, I am definitely not pregnant and that my estradiol level was definitely higher than they would like to see it. So...I have to go and pick up some prometrium tonight so that we can get my cycle rolling. This will be the first time that I have taken prometrium. The last time they prescribed it, my period started the next day :) tricky little shit she is.

When my nurse called back, I informed her that we may need to check out my thyroid, just in case. My sister has a history of Hypothyroidism (which Im pretty sure I told them last year at my initial visit), but I never had any baseline lab work done. Hmmm??? So, I am supposed to be receiving a phone call back for that. They had enough blood from my draw today to be able to run the thyroid test(s) without needing more. So...Im guessing they will give me a call tomorrow.

I just want to make sure we are checking everything just in case. Which, it should have been done from the get go. Oh well. Is it Friday yet????

Well....

2009-05-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

I did as I was told. I tested Saturday morning. Sorry I didn't post sooner, but I was extremely lazy last night :) It's still a Big Fat Freaking Negative (BFFN). That's what I am going to start using from now on. I think it's fun. And you know, when you are really super, duper pissed off you can always change out the Freaking with, well, you know. And really, if I have to spell it out for you, you obviously have not been mad enough to utter that four letter word. We all know that I have because it has shown up on my blog several different times.

So...I am asking for advice now. I have absolutely no signs that AF will be showing. I am thinking that a phone call to the Dr. if she does not show up tomorrow would probably be a good thing. Then, they can at least have that in their records, yet again. Not that it will make much of a difference in anything.

Today was b-e-a-utiful. We got some landscaping done. Always fun! The front of our house went from blah to ooooh pretty :) Now I just need to figure out what else I want to add to spruce up the color a bit. I absolutely love this time of year because I get to landscape. I plan on planting Hydrangea's on the side of our garage next. Next year, landscaping around the deck. If you would like to see pics from last year, please click here.

Did you miss me?!?!

2009-05-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure you probably didn't. I mean, my life has just been so incredibly thrilling lately (note: sarcasm). I am a week late with AF. My red light is going off in my head. Do I think I'm pregnant? HAHAHAHAHAHA.....no. The last time that I was late having a period was before my surgery over a year ago. As I said, the emergency red light is flashing in the back of my mind. Is my endo back? Did I stop ovulating regularly again because my endo is back? It's probably partially my own fault. I am not taking BCP's like I am supposed to. I'm stubborn.

You know that I can't be anywhere near optimistic because lets face it, I suck at getting pregnant. Is that a shocker to anyone? Nope, not me. Hubby? He is filled with optimism. Damn him. He's the one that puts that little bit of hope in the back of my head when I have been trying over and over again to get it out. Again, damn him and his optimism. I guess that one of us has to have that quality though right?

We put our deposit down on the cruise we are taking next March. I am sooooo ready for a vacation! I am actually taking a few days off next week and going with my mom and grandma to Quantico, Virginia to see my brother-in-law graduate from his Officer Training. That will be a nice get-a-way. However, hubby will not be able to join, which makes me sad.

My one year blogoversary is coming up on June 8th! Whoo hoo!! Exciting stuff ;)

I'm sick. life is boring, taking a hiatus

2009-04-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

I dont have a whole lot to blog about at the moment. Things have been normal around here other than this flipping sinus infection that I have. My nose is so raw that it has bled at times when I blow it...yuck! And ouch!!

There are so many of you out there that I keep up with daily who are doing IVF. Truthfully, I'm a little jealous. I wish that we could be going through IVF right now, but considering our lack of coverage, it's impossible. Oh well. I'm rooting for all of you.

I'm a little perterbed at the moment. My sister told me that I could borrow her 3 children at any time...on Fac.ebo.ok...for all the world to see. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even read my blog anymore, if so, sorry. I took a stupid little quiz that predicts how many children you are going to have, mine came out with 4, so my response was 'lets get #1 out first', which was not to imply that we are having issues with fertility. I get a comment from my sister for all of my 'friends' to see, that it will happen when it's the right time and that I can borrow 1,2,or 3 of her children anytime. Thanks, D, for letting everyone know my problems.

I think I am going to take a break from blogging for a while. There isn't much to write about considering we are not going through any treatments at the present. I will be reading everyone else's blogs that are on my list and commenting, but there won't be much activity for a while over here, unless we happen to win the lottery. Fat chance.

Those clients say the darndest things

2009-04-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

I mean really...they crack me up sometimes. Well...long story short... Has anyone ever heard the term "Boobin it"? Because when I first heard it, I about peed my pants. It's not called breastfeeding anymore kids, it's called "boobin it", "boobin him/her", etc. and so on. Hehe. Maybe Im just the only one who gets a kick out of this, but I found it quite hilarious and it still cracks me up every time I hear this girl say it. Because she "boobed" her 2 month old for a little while. Oh goodness.

I am in baby heaven, but trying not to overstep any boundaries with my client and her new baby. It's a fine line I have to walk because I hear the comments that she makes about others when they handle the baby and it isnt to her liking. She is a very, very, very protective mother right now, which I do not think is a bad thing. She lives in a shelter with about 15 other women and children, so Im glad that she is setting rules/guidelines. I am always itching to snatch her up and hold her any chance that I get :) she is an absolutely beautiful baby.

I am so incredibly jealous.

Endometriosis Study

2009-04-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

I came across this study with Juneau Biosciences through the LFCA yesterday. It's a study for those of us who have been surgically diagnosed with Endometriosis. It's really simple and it's for a great cause! Hopefully, they will be able to come up with a diagnostic test that can tell women whether or not they have Endometriosis without having to go through surgery.

If you are interested, or know of someone who might be, please tell them to go to this site to fill out the information. I did it and received a phone call last night from the group. It only took about 5 minutes on the phone answering a couple questions. They will be sending a kit for the genetic testing and all I have to do is give them a little saliva :). Yay for Endometriosis research!! Glad that someone is taking the initiative to help those of us suffering with this horrible disease.

**Juneau Biosciences also has a page on facebook, so go join them!!

Just how strong do you think I am?!?

2009-04-18T20:08:00.001-07:00

Pretty damn strong it would seem! I kid you not, I am amazing myself these days! Please tell me if I am being a turd :)

I received a phone call Friday morning from one of my coworkers while on our weekly Outreach. We go under the bridges and through the woods, but not to Grandma's house. Nope, we find our clients/possible clients who are staying out on the streets on Friday mornings to make sure they are doing alright. So on with it...

The phone call that I had been waiting to get for a couple of weeks. My client was in the hospital in labor. She didn't call me (how dare her), but it's all good. So...after Outreach I headed to the hospital. She had already been given an epidural and had stopped dilating at 5cm. The doctor came in to explain her options (she had been in labor since about 11 the night before and her water had broke around midnight). He suggested they prep for a c-section, so they did. The baby was born around 1:30ish. I had left and then went back after work.

The baby is b-e-a-utiful. Absolutely adorable. She wanted me to come back today, yes, on the weekend (gasp), so I did. I was only the second person to visit her today, which is really sad. Her crazy mother (whom she didnt want to be there) was there after she had the baby. I swear she would not put that baby down and kept making her cry...not cool.

The nurses have been wonderful with my client. The ones from the nursery even brought her an adorable diaper bag filled with LOTS of goodies. And of course, I was asked if I would come back again tomorrow. How can I say no? The baby has stolen my heart with her little chubby cheeks and full head of black hair :)

**of course, it has me dreaming about the day that I will be the one with the brand new baby in the hospital... maybe one of these days.

It's what I do

2009-04-16T17:04:00.001-07:00

I feel like I am living vicariously through my clients at the present moment. And I tell you what, it really flipping sucks! I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I am SURROUNDED by pregnant women and all things baby when I am at work. I currently have two clients who are pregnant. One client is 7 months and the other is due on Saturday. Yes, that's right, Saturday. Then, to top it off, I have another client who has 3 children and the youngest is only 2 months.

Bleh, bleh, bleh!!! I mean really. Remember that fragile little place I was talking about? Oh, it is slowly crumbling and almost burst into flames today, but it is still hanging in there. I am actually kind of proud of myself.

Since my clients do not have ANYONE else to count on, I get the job :) which, you know, is what I am there for. So guess what that means? Oh yes, Doctor office visits, WIC appointments, breastfeeding classes, handing out vouchers when we meet so they can redeem them at the Little Lambs office for cool baby things, and so on and so forth. (See, surrounded)

Today was a challenge. My client who is due on Saturday went to the Doctor and wanted me to come back with her. At the end of the appointment, they wanted to monitor the baby for a while to make sure her heartrate was good and she was moving around well. The nurse asks me if I had ever seen one of these before. I, of course, answered no. When she put the bands around my clients stomach, there it was, that little heartbeat. The tears started to well up in my eyes, but amazingly I pushed them back. And of course they had to monitor the baby for over 3o minutes, so I had to sit there and listen to that little heartbeat the whole time.

The sad part, this client has no one to be there with her when she has the baby. She is scared and rightly so. I can't even imagine being all by myself and giving birth. My other client is the same way and is really scared about having the baby by herself also. Of course, I will be there if they want me to be. That's what I do. I guess I will have to keep living vicariously through them....which, by the way, kind of sucks.