Momma's appointment

As much as I LOVE going in for these (and I really do), it's kind of annoying because I wait and wait and then the actual appt is like 3 min long. Seriously. But, all was good. The heartbeat was great (love that sound), my belly is measuring right on track, my BP was 106/68 (woohoo)....and my weight....well....gulp....it is up 20# (it varies so much, and on my home scale, it's more like 15-20#, depending on the day). Either way, I compared that to my weight at this point in my last pregnancy, and last time, I was only up 11-12# at this point. That being said, I did start this one off 20# lighter, but still, I was hoping for the same 30# result in the end. All in all, the weight doesn't really matter. All that matters is a healthy baby. I can handle/deal with the weight gain later.

I did my glucose tolerance test that day too. Had to drink that "yummy" sugar drink and have my blood drawn an hour later. Should have the results back next week. They usually won't call unless there is a problem, but I like to know the actual number, so I'll call later and get that. I'm hoping that this was good. Last pregnancy, I had no trouble, but this time around, I was having some low blood sugars early on, so I'm kinda worried about the results of this test. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for sure.

My next appt is Jan 26th. That is the start of my WEEKLY u/s. Now, I knew this was coming....I AM old, afterall (not that I really consider 35 all that old), but when she said weekly u/s, I envisioned a quick u/s right there in her office. Yah, not so much. Each and every week from then on out, I will be seeing the specialist (in the clinic upstairs from her) for a full anatomy scan (like the one they did at 20 weeks for all of the measurements and gender), and then I'll have a f/u visit with her. That's 2 hours of missed work EACH WEEK!! I'm not gonna have any time left for maternity leave!!! They are planning them as late in the day as possible to help, but I'm sure to still miss some work. I'm lucky that I have the option of flexing my time and coming in a bit earlier so I can leave earlier, but it just usually doesn't work out (I can't take Jake to daycare until a certain time anyway). But, whatever comes, I'll just deal with it. I just kinda felt like it was overkill to go in for WEEKLY appts!!! But, I also want a healthy baby, so I'll listen to my OB.

This pregnancy has definitely not been as easy on me as the last one. Granted, I'm 3 years older, and "of advanced maternal age"....but I was really hoping to enjoy it since it will be my last. With Jacob, I LOVED being pregnant. And, don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying it, but this one is definitely accompanied by more pains. Probably because I'm still having to chase a very active 3-year old around, eh?!

Christmas

This was such a fun Christmas for us. This was the first year Jacob really "got it". He was all about opening his presents (and helping mommy and daddy open their's too). He asked about Santa (and still is a month later). He loved helping decorate the tree and was the first to plug in the lights each time we came home. He even went up to our nativity set and pointed out baby Jesus. It was a great time!

Some fun things that happened:
Christmas Eve, we went to our church candlelight service. We just assumed that childcare would be provided, but it wasn't. So that meant taking a 3-year old that had not napped into the service with us. Not too many worries because everyone else had their kids there too, but somehow, our's seemed loudest...haha.

Jacob has this thing about people singing. For whatever reason, he doesn't like it. He usually shushes me if I'm singing along with the radio. For a while, I thought it was just my singing (ha), but then I noticed that he does this to everyone. Well, he was no different Christmas Eve. As the congregation started singing, he was shushing them. I could hear the laughs from behind us. Finally, he gave up and tried to join in. It was actually pretty cute.

So.. good, we make it through the first song. Maybe the coast is clear. Nope. As soon as the song finishes, Jacob loudly askes, "done?....Done???" Again, we hear the snickers from behind us. Several songs later, he is still doing this after each song!!!

So, here's the clencher. We make it to the sermon part of the program. No music to drown out Jacob's ramblings. During what had to be the most quiet part of the program, Jacob proceeds to tell me (and everyone within a 10-ft radius) that he had pee'd in his pull-up. I actually snickered at that one, so I missed the laughs from behind us.

All in all, we didn't really get to enjoy the service, mostly because we was trying to contain our child and keep him from ruining the experience for everyone else. But, at least we got a few laughs.....haha.

And out of all of the BIG gifts he got, his favorite was a toss up between the harmonica that he got in his stocking and the packing peanuts that were in one of his gifts.....LOL. So, it really is true that they go for the box vs the actual toy, huh?




Here's a few more pics from our Christmas!



In honor of Dad and his favorite sweet, we all enjoyed a chocolate covered cherry



Jacob's new dump truck



Christmas morning



Jacob starting the opening frenzy

Jake's appointment

Today was Jacob's 3-yr check up.

He was just plain hateful today. Not sure if he wasn't feeling well (he's had this monster cold for 3 weeks now) or if it was because he got his nap interupted. Probably both. Whatever it was, he was showing his true 3-year old colors. It was kinda funny. When his pedi walked in, right away she said, "Well, I see he's a normal 3 year old"...lol (she had heard him before even coming into the room...yikes!). We had delayed a few of his vaccines and were going to go ahead and get them taken care of that day, but due to his hatefulness (that's a word, right?!), the pedi recommended that we wait until next year. Fine by me. He refused to get on the scale or stand up to be measured, so our best guess (with him wiggling around and protesting the entire time) was that he is 38 inches tall and 32#. Both of those measurements put him in the 60th %'ile. His head...well, that's a whole other story. His head measured 52 cm, which is in the 95th %'ile. I believe we have a walking stick figure on our hands.

The pedi actually said, "I don't know how he doesn't fall over more"...as she was laughing.....HAHA! I think it's funny (does that make me a bad mom?!). And, um, I have the lovely c/s scar to prove it!! But, I just say, "more room for all those brains!". I know he'll grow into it, so that's why we joke. But yeah, both Kyle and I measured our heads and poor lil Jake's head is only 2 inches smaller!

All in all, he's growing normally and she had no concerns. Even his speech is dramatcially improving!!! Yay for a healthy boy!!!

Jacob's 3rd Birthday

So, our baby is no longer a baby.....sniffle. Our lil' man turned 3 this past weekend. Seriously, I know that everyone says this, but, "Man, where has the time gone?". Seems like just yesterday I was changing his diaper. Oh wait, I was. LOL, yah, we're still potty training. Anyway, you know what I'm talking about. A co-worker said it best...."Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster is goes". Well, hopefully we're not that close to the end, but it's definitely moving at lightening speed.

To sum up the 3-day event......
Friday: I made cupcakes for him to take to daycare. He chose the cake and frosting, so it was funfetti cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting and sprinkles, of course. He had a fantastic day there and was given a Diego backpack by his teacher, Anna. He loves it, obviously..it's Diego.

Saturday: He woke up singing "happy birthday".....LOL. I'd say he definitely "gets it" this year. This was the day we held his party at our house. We had family and a few friends over to celebrate with appetizers, cake and ice cream. I say that he "got it" this year, but that also means that his friends did too. So, he had some help opening his presents and blowing out his candle. He actually did ok with that, much to my surprise. He is very into trains this year and got a very cool train table from his Mema and Papa, and a train set from momma and daddy. He got another train and some games. Overall, he had a ton of fun and behaved himself pretty well, even with no nap.

Sunday: This was the actual day of his birthday. We took him out to McDonalds for a chicken nugget happy meal. Hey, kids are easy. HA!

So, his BIG day was stretched out over 3 days. Not too shabby for a 3-yr old. Especially when you consider that he'll be doing this again next week for Christmas (he'll probably have 4 Christmas's with all of the family stuff we have to go to). Oh, what a fun time of year.

Here's a few pics from the party......


Prior to the party, Jake wanted to put on make-up like momma



Family



Jake and his uncle Randy




The cake



Jake and his cake



Blowing out his candle



Cake face



Kinder with a mouth full of cake



Jackson



Opening presents...with help



The train and train table



Daddy and Jake working on the train



Chloe

Half way there.....

Well, we are officially over the hump. We're over 1/2 way "cooked" and we're on the downhill slide. The next 4 months are going to fly by and before we know it, we will be a family of 4. Tuesday 12/2/09 was our 21 week ultrasound. This was the BIG one. This is the one that measures everything. And, this was the one where we found out whether Jacob was going to have a baby brother or baby sister.

All was perfect!! Baby measured right on track...to the day!! Baby was very active, kicking and waving at us. Got some great pics. They estimated the baby to be 15oz...right on track. Heart rate was 146... normal. My cervix was "very long" and closed...good! Placenta was great. My wt is up ~12#...average. However, my current weight at 21 weeks pregnant is actually just about the same weight I was when I first got pregnant with Jacob, so that's REALLY good...my running before I got pregnant really paid off.

All PERFECT and we couldn't be happier!!
We are so blessed.

Here's our beautiful LADY bug.....

RESTING HER HEAD ON HER ARM


CROSSED LEGS--BEING LADY-LIKE ALREADY


A FOOT


AN ARM


PROFILE PIC


Oh, and on a side note, Jacob told me that he wanted a baby sister. When I asked him what we should name her, he said, "Diego". LOL!

A dose of fall.....and H1N1

Well, over the weekend, we got a good dose of fall. It was so gorgeous out that I insisted that we do SOMETHING outside. Kyle was actually off work for once and it was just way too nice to be inside. Kyle suggested one last seasonal hike. We made it back to our favorite lil' spot, a nature trail in Hartsburg. Kyle always says, "Welcome to Mayberry" when we drive through. You can still see people out sitting on porches, kids riding bikes and people wave when you drive by. Very cute. We also took Chloe because she's been a little stir crazy lately. The first time we went here, Jake did great. He walked nearly all of the 3.3 miles. The next two times, not so much. Saturday, he started off right away wanting to be carried. This trail is fairly uneven, hilly and not the best for a prego to be carrying a 30# 3-year old!! And daddy refused....LOL. So, after a mile of temper-tantrums and refusals, Jake decided to give up and just walk. Of course, daddy showing him how to kick the leaves and race with Chloe helped too.

It was pefect. This place is apparently not well known and we've never run into anyone while there. Chloe was free to wander and chase whatever animal her heart desired. She stayed pretty close, but was LOVING the freedom of no leash.


















Daddy FINALLY carried him











So that was great, but I wasn't too sure our weekend was going to turn out this way back on Friday. Kyle was home sick. Come to find out, he had H1N1. WHAT?!?! Um, that's not good. However, the doc said it was the weakened version that he got thanks to the nasal mist vaccination the week prior. OK, so I guess we tested out the effectiveness of MY vaccine. It was the weirdest thing though, he ran a fever Friday from about noon to 6pm and then was ok. Well, he still felt like poop and was still congested and snotty, but no fever. They said that this was actually a GOOD thing. He had the weakened version and would be building up immunity to it. So, then we were worried about Jake. He got the (live) nasal mist vaccine the same day as daddy. I thought we might be in for a bumpy weekend, but he was/is fine. He never displayed any symptoms. Me, on the otherhand.....not sure if I have the "weakened version" or just a common cold. Either way, I'm fighting something.

So, I guess we've fought (and won) against H1N1...or so it seems.

Halloween

This was Jacob's true first Halloween. We tried last year, but he really was not happy having his costume on, so we didn't push the issue. This year, however, we had been really playing up the candy bit, hoping he'd get excited. His costume was a dragon, and we let him try it one several weeks ahead of time. All good. He loved it and went around saying, "ROAR". However, as Halloween approached, and we mentioned the dragon again, he would scream and say, "NO!" We were getting a little worried that he might repeat last year.

So Halloween arrives. Daddy had to work, so mommy planned on taking him to Ashland so that we could trick-or-treat with Aunt Beth and Grandma. He woke up from his afternoon nap and as soon as I mentioned the dragon, he screamed. I was thinking there was no way that this was going to work. But, I didn't give up. I piled him, his costume, and Chloe (in her costume) into the car. We headed to Anna's house (daycare). As we pulled up in front of her house, I asked Jacob if he would put on the dragon for Anna (he does everything for Anna...lil' stinker). He happily agreed. So, his first trick-or-treating experience was underway. Once he saw the fruits of his labor....ie. CANDY....he was more than happy to wear the costume. In fact, he didn't want to take it off....haha. Next stop...daddy's work. We went by to see daddy so he could see Jake in dragon-form. Daddy gave him a cookie. Next, we were off to Ashland. We got there just as it was getting dark. We trick-or-treated aunt Beth's house and we were on our way. He LOVED it and got the hang of it very quickly. He was even very polite and said, "Thank you" after he got the candy, and "Bye" as he was walking away. Momma was proud.

Chloe went with us as well, and I think she was just about as happy to wear her costume as Jake was originally. All in all, it was a great night. A bit chilly, but clear and not windy. I think next year we won't get nearly the protests....


JAKE AND MILA (friend from daycare)


MY LITTLE DRAGON


LOTS OF DECORATED HOUSES


DOESN'T SHE LOOK HAPPY?!?!


MOMMA'S PUMPKIN

H1N1

As most of you know, the H1N1 flu is going around and seems to be EVERYWHERE. Seems as though I'm at the top of the "high risk" list being pregnant (yeah, I picked a great time to be pregnant!). I debated for a very long time as to whether or not to get the vaccine. So many people were skeptical because it's such a new vaccine (this year!) and the long term effects on the mother and baby were unknown. However, after MUCH research, I made the best educated decision I could. I got the vaccine last week when it became available through my work. From all of the research I've done, it appears that this new vaccine was created in the same way and even by the same companies, as the normal flu vaccine. The H1N1 is just a different strain of flu. In fact, rumor has it that if the H1N1 flu had been wider spread earlier this year, it would have been the normal flu shot.

The thing that finally pushed me over to the "get it" side was when I found out that by me getting the vaccine while pregnant, I would be protecting my baby once he/she was born. During the first several months, a baby is at higher risk of contracting illnesses due a new/immature immune system. They can't have any vaccines for the first several months. So, now, through me, my baby will be protected. And even though it is a new vaccine, after all of my research, I felt fairly safe taking it.

So, that covered me. But what about Jacob and Kyle. Kyle wasn't going to get either flu shot, but because Jacob and I were both "high risk", he decided it would be a good idea so that he didn't bring it home to us (thanks, honey)! And with Jacob, I always hate putting things in his body that are just so unknown. But after hearing about so many deaths in young kids, we opted to vaccinate him as well. Of course, we decide this and then there is the shortage. Our pediatrician isn't even getting a supply this season. Her nurse recommended that we try some of our local urgent care centers. I think we got extemely lucky because one place had several of the nasal mist vaccines the day I called. That is the live version of the virus. YIKES! But, again, everything I've read says they are just as safe as the shot (killed version). So yesterday, Kyle and Jacob got vaccinated. Jacob will have to go back for a second dose in a month (assuming it's available then). But I feel better just knowing that he's at least somewhat covered.

I was a little worried that Jacob wouldn't do well with the nasal version. They have to shoot it up your nose while you are inhaling. We let him watch daddy go first, then we practiced sniffing. He did really good. He jerked his head back a bit with the first bit, and it ran down his lip, but he let them put it in both sides and didn't cry. He's such a trooper. We watched him closely for signs of side effects, which were reported more in the nasal version, but he did great. No fever, no coughing (or no more than usual right now). And so far today, we're good (knock on wood).

All in all, I feel like we did the right thing for our family. We just hope and pray that we can ward off any and all illnesses this winter (although, we're not starting out so hot with strep and croup last week).

17 years ago today

This time of year...the fall air, the changing leaves....it always brings back memories...some good, some bad. Today is one of the bad days. Today, 17 years ago, my father died. He was probably the most important man in my life. My dad was my hero. Y'know that they say that time heals all wounds. I beg to differ. It may lessen the pain, only because it's harder to remember how he sounded or what he looked like, or how his hugs felt, but the pain is still there. I miss him terribly every day.

I was 18 years old, in my first semester of college. I remember that morning so clearly. He was up when I was leaving for my classes. We had breakfast together. He hugged me goodbye. When I came home after lunch, he was lying on the kitchen floor. I called the ambulance and attempted CPR, but I knew he was gone. That day haunted me for a very long time. I had nightmares. Finally, one night, in a dream or some kind of weird subconscious state, he came to me, hugged me and said goodbye. From then on, the dreams stopped and I was at peace. The hurt still lingered, but I knew he was safe. And I knew that he loved me.

This day....this horrible day 17 years ago rocked my world. Someone so important to me was taken far too early. The only thing that eases my mind is to know that he was SO important, that God needed him for something bigger and better than he could do on this earth. So, on this day 17 years later, I honor my dad with a HUGE thank you. Thank you daddy, for being the World's Best Dad. I miss you.

A night in the ER

Last week was really rough. Jacob was diagnosed with strep throat Wednesday afternoon and we started his antibiotics so I thought he might start feeling better quickly. However, he woke up 3 times during his nap that afternoon and I could tell he was just miserable! Every time he coughed he just cringed. Poor fella. He perked up with Motrin, so I was hopeful that he might sleep at least 3 hour stretches overnight. Well, at 10:30, he was up coughing and crying and he scared us to death. He was having such a hard time breathing. He was struggling so much that his chest was heaving with each breath. Then he threw up a big ball of phlem. Uck! I was so scared to put him back down. So, we called the on-call pedi, which just happened to be our pedi (the one that diagnosed strep). We told her what was going on and basically, she suggested that we take him to the ER. So we did. Spent 3 hours there. I was sitting in the waiting room just feeling the germs closing in on me.....ewwww. Swine flu anyone?! Anyway, his fever was back up to 101 and he wouldn't take the Tylenol, so that won him a suppository. Yeah, didn't like that much. Can't say that I blame him. His O2 sats were in the low 90's, which they didn't really seem too worried about, but I'm thinking that can't be good. The term pneumonia came up, but his lungs still sounded clear, so he was just diagnosed with croup. So, he got a nebulizer treatment, a dose of steroids and a popsicle (used to bribe him to take the steroids). Oh, and the "best" part....they tested him for both flus. This involved sticking a tube about 3-4 inches up his nose, shooting some saline up there and then taking it back out (to get a sample of mucous)....He did NOT like that at all. It took 3 of us to hold him down....and it just broke my heart. He was negative for both, thank goodness! All in all, he was such a trooper and did very well. Probably better than I did. Thank God Kyle was there! We got home at 2:00am and he went on to bed pretty quickly. But, he was up at 7:00, ready to get up. I guess 5 hours straight is really good though, considering. He's definitely doing better now. The seal bark is gone and it's more of a normal cough now. He just took his last dose of antibiotics today. Thank goodness he's better. That was scarey and I don't want to go that again anytime soon.....or EVER!!

Pumpkin Time

Next weekend is Halloween. We're excited this year because I think this is the first year Jacob will really "get it". I think he'll be very excited to see all the candy that people put in his bag. I made the mistake of mentioning pumpkins last week, and then we went to the Pumpkin Farm, and he has not forgotten since. All week, he's been talking about picking out his pumpkin and painting it. Finally, last night, we got to pick out his pumpkin. Momma also got one. Daddy is at work all weekend, so Momma and Jacob got to do this project ourselves. Jacob's pumpkin is a rainbow of colors, just like his little personality. I'm planning on carving my pumpkin alone (while he's sleeping). I'm not quite ready to try to manage a "helping" toddler with a giant knife in my hand. Anyway, here's some pictures of our projects.

Here we grow again.......

I figured this would be an easy way for family and friends to keep up with our lives. So, here goes. Welcome to our world. Most of you know by now, but we are expecting baby #2. The official due date is April 12, 2010, however, a c-section is planned, so it's likely that it will happen a bit before the due date. I'm expecting somewhere around April 8th or so, but we'll see.

Things have been going really well. We've had a great summer. The weather has been so mild that we have been able to do a lot of outdoor activities. We've discovered that Jacob is a little hiker. He's been on several hikes with us, and believe it or not, he generally keeps up with us. His record so far is 1.5 miles. Not too bad for a 2, almost 3-year old, eh? Of course, the willingness to walk varies day to day, and while he might do the 1.5 miles one day, the next week, he might only do 0.5 miles. Of course, I don't always feel like walking either, so I understand. LOL.

Kyle and I are really hoping for a girl this time, but of course, we will be ecstatic with another boy. At our 12-week u/s, the tech got a pretty good between-the-legs shot and said in her professional opinion, she thought it was a girl. That's still very early and a lot of times they can't really tell until much later, so we're not holding our breath, but needless to say, we were both very happy with her "professional opinion". I've told Kyle that if this baby is a girl, LOOK OUT, she's gonna be pink, ruffles and frills.....girl all the way. Watch her be a tomboy like I was....LOL.

This will be our last child and I am planning on having my tubes tied at delivery. We both love kids and if we'd started earlier, we would have had more. But at my "advanced maternal age" (that's what they call it since I'm 35), I've noticed that I get tired pretty easily. And chasing after a very active 2-year old pretty much wears us down (I guess that makes Kyle of "advanced paternal age"....haha). We're kind of hoping that a sibling will help occupy some of Jacob's time. Right now, he pretty much wants momma or daddy with him all the time. He hasn't quite got the whole playing-by-himself thing down just yet. That will change in about 5 months.

Our hopes are to have Jacob potty trained before the baby gets here. He's been displaying several signs that he's ready for quite a while, but when we've tried it, it's a no-go. We're keeping our fingers crossed that in the next 5 months he'll decide it's time to wear some big-boy underwear. We already got the supply of Spongebob and Thomas the Train underwear ready to go.

So, that's just a brief review of where we are now. I'll try to update this often. Check back weekly for updates.

Oh, here's a picture of me at 13 weeks pregnant. I guess it's true...you really do "pop" much more quickly the second time around. This is about how big I looked at 6 months with Jacob. Oh man, it's gonna be a long 5 months..........