"Elliot, may I have a kiss?"
This is one of my favorite questions to ask my mini-man. For a couple months now he's been giving 'kisses' away with no resistance. We're still working on hugs but he LOVES giving kisses & Mommy loves taking them :)
Of course his kisses aren't like yours or mine. When asked for a kiss he leans his forehead towards your mouth for YOU to kiss him - I'm pretty sure he has no idea how to give kisses in the traditional sense but I love it anyway!
He's so sweet with his little sister. Several times a day he puts his forehead on her head and gives her 'kisses'. We didn't teach him this at all - it's just something he started doing suddenly a couple weeks ago. It's just one of the many sweet things he does to & for her but it melts my heart everytime!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Hadley's story (finally)
HA! I said I was going to be better about this blogging business. HA! I did have very good intentions and for the record I have been back here to write another entry, but didn't get it finished so it is sitting in my 'drafts'. One day I may resurrect it and post it but if I were you I wouldn't hold your breath!
Anyway....last time I mentioned Hadley's birth story. I have written out most of it on a message board I frequent but since she's nearly 2 months old (OMG!) I probably should get it down once more. I never really did this with Elliot and wish I would have although I do still recall a fair amount about my labor and delivery with him.
So, here it goes folks: (it could be quite lengthy!)
For the last few weeks before Hadley was born I had been feeling miserable. M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E. I didn't even know it was possible for a person to feel so crappy and to get so little sleep. Most people looked at me like I was a lunatic when I said I was looking forward to having a newborn & getting MORE sleep. They just didn't get that I could not move and was not sleeping at all.
So with that said I thought nothing of the discomfort I was feeling on October 19. Sure I'd have some more braxton hicks contractions but they had been going on for quite awhile and nothing had come of them. Dr. Shaw had given me hope at my 37 week appointment that I wouldn't make it to 38 weeks. What a cruel joke that was! I was nearly 39 weeks pregnant and literally begging my ever bulging belly to release my baby! Petey & I went to bed around 11 that night like usual but I could NOT get even the slightest bit comfortable. It was even worse than normal which I didn't think was possible but apparently it was. Petey was also snoring like a crazy man which was not helping as I find that to be one the most annoying sounds known to man so I got up & laid down in our office which also has a spare bed. I FINALLY was able to fall asleep some time after 1 o'clock but I noticed that I kept waking up ALL the time. I didn't realize until 4:25ish that I had been waking up about every 20 minutes & then I put together that I had probably been having contractions. (With Elliot all I felt was back labor for the longest time so this was new to me.)
I got up a little before 5 and called my mom to tell her she should probably head to Ames. I also took a shower which felt so incredibly fantastic but the contractions just kept coming and at that point I KNEW I was in labor. Surprisingly I wasn't as ecstatic as I though I would be considering the amount of complaining and begging I'd done leading up to that day! Don't get me wrong I was excited - just not jumping for joy! Petey heard the shower when he got up to use the bathroom & once I told him I was in labor he was definitely awake! I used an online contraction timer to keep track of how long and how far apart my contractions were. It was such a great idea & took the pressure off of us having to do it and keep track. Plus it was very easy to look back & see that things were definitely progressing. A couple of times I thought the contractions were easing up & that it wasn't actually going to happen but sure enough they would always pick up in intensity again.
My mom got here around 7 - just in time to see Elliot getting out of bed. I had a lot of mixed emotions at that point. It really hit me that this was his last day as an only child and my last day "alone" with my little boy. He wasn't going to be my only baby anymore even though he was still a baby. I don't know how to correctly verbalize what I was feeling at the moment. I remember almost breaking down in tears when I said good-bye to him before leaving for the hospital. He had absolutely no clue that the next time he saw Mommy she would have a new baby. He just couldn't comprehend how much his life was going to change & I didn't really feel that that was fair to him but there was nothing I could do to fix it. Talk about a moment of mommy guilt!
We got to the hospital a little after 8:30 & they put me in triage. I was only dilated to 3cm & about 90% effaced. I was utterly disappointed & couldn't believe that that was it. Petey & I walked around for 45 minutes - hour. I had to stop, breathe and rock my way through a lot of contractions. The pediatricians were in the nursery checking babies out so it was really cool to see a lot of new babies. It definitely made us excited to get this show moving along a little faster!
When I was checked again I was about a 4 but still only 90%. Again I was SO disappointed because I felt like those contractions HAD to be accomplishing something more than that. They decided that I was indeed in labor & that they could admit me which was good because there was NO way I was leaving! I didn't actually get to my room until closer to noon. I finally had 'my' nurses too since I'd been shuffling through whoever was free during the morning. Their names were Ann & Andrea & they were fantastic! They had a lot to live up to after my experience in Minnesota & all the wonderful people who take care of me. Before they admitted me Hadley wasn't staying on the fetal monitors long enough for them to get a good reading so I was in a completely uncomfortable position on a terribly uncomfortable bed. I was starting to have a hard time breathing through the contractions & Petey wasn't really able to rub my back like I needed him to.
In my room the excitement of the IV started. I'm terribly hard to poke and actually get a good vein. After a few tries in Minnesota the nurses quit trying & would just call the IV resource team. They even had problems a couple times. Really I need a 20 gauge but they say I HAVE to have an 18 in case I would need blood or whatever. Ugh...I can't even count how many times the stupid 18 blew my vein when it would get flushed during my last pregnancy. I told them all this & that their best bed was to hot pack my arms since there was no IV resource team. They did & still ended up poking me 3 or 4 times before finding a vein that would work. By this time I had been messed with long enough & not able to do what I needed to do to work through contractions so I was exhausted. They offered me IV drugs but I refused. I had them last time & was not interested in them again. Actually I had intended to do this birth as naturally as possible & I had hoped to not use any pain meds. *sigh* that was just one of many things that didn't go quite as I had envisioned ;) My nurses tried to tell me I was doing such a great job at breathing through contractions which I admit I was still at the time but I could tell I was almost done with it. So, I requested the epidural but very reluctantly. It didn't work last time & it SUCKED. I was stuck in a terrible position on my back but still feeling everything & I didn't want that to happen again.
Before all of this happened Dr. Gisi, whom I had never met, came in to break my water in hopes of getting things moving along. At that point I was ready for things to speed up so I didn't argue. What I didn't know was how painful that was! It hurt almost worse than actually giving birth which is saying something. He checked me & gave the go ahead for the epidural since that is what I wanted.
I was about a 5 and still 90% right before the epidural went in. When the anesthesiologist got to my room I told her all of my concerns & she assured me it would work & I would be happy this time. I chose to go with it and trust her. I got really nervous about this decision while it was going in - it hurt SOOOOOO bad. I hadn't had any pain last time but this time I was almost screaming. She gave me some more numbing stuff but I still felt a lot of it going in. However, this one worked! It was the most wonderful feeling in the world :) I got the best sleep I had gotten in months that afternoon as did Petey.
Around 3:30-4 (a few hours after the epidural) my nurses checked me again & I still hadn't made it to 6. At this point I remember being scared & afraid they would mention a c-section. Nothing against c-sections but that is NOT what I wanted. I've never had a surgery & the last thing I wanted was having my 'normal' delivery taken from me AGAIN. Fortunately they only suggested pitocin which didn't surprise me & I agreed it was a good idea especially since I already had my epidural. Last time I stalled at the same point in labor but hadn't gotten my epidural yet. I will NEVER go through a labor with pitocin without an epidural! The nurses also said my contractions weren't as close together or intense as they like to see them.
The pitocin was started & right away I could feel the contractions despite my epidural but they weren't overly painful. I used my 'magic button' to give me more of the numbing meds as often as it would let me! We turned it up once and an hour after the pitocin was started Dr. Gisi came to check me & surprised us all when he announced I was fully dilated and effaced. I was shocked at how fast it happened!! Petey & I had just started playing a game of cribbage but we were too excited to concentrate on it anymore. Dr. Gisi said Hadley was still up pretty high so we agreed that as long as I was comfortable we would just let her 'labor down' and when I felt ready to push then we would. Ann, the older of the two nurses, thought Hadley was sitting at a funny angle so she had me try a position she had seen a lot of midwives use called a Texas Roll. It looked completely ridiculous but it did the trick & in no time I felt the pressure and was ready to push! I had been told many times that my pushing would likely last a lot longer than it did with Elliot (10 minutes) and that it would be a lot harder this time around.
I started pusing a little before 6 o'clock. Fortunately I was able to move my legs really well and feel a lot. Just like last time my epidural had all but worn off but I really didn't mind because I was able to have a lot more control. The nurses were impressed with how well the pushing progressed and told me that we HAD to have this baby out before 7 when their shift ended. I ended up doing my most effective pushing on my side. I thought it was going to be completely awkward but it actually worked really well. Ann called Dr. Gisi once and told him he needed to be there soon as Hadley was nearly crowning. Well, she actually did crown with the next set of pushes which was surprising to all of us. I moved onto my back again which caused Hadley to slip back in but it wasn't hard to get her to crown again. At this point Ann was on the phone telling Dr. Gisi to "GET HERE NOW OR I'M DELIVERING THIS BABY!" hahaha....cracks me up to remember it. I was told not to push which was laughable at that point. My body was doing it all on his own & by the time the doctor got there he was only able to barely get one glove on and catch her. Hadley essentially delivered herself & Mommy was so relieved to not have to try and not push anymore! This also helped keep Mommy from tearing at all - I didn't even need a single stitch which was much different than last time!
This time I got to hold my baby immediately. I got to kiss her, check her out, hold her, love and most importantly bond. It was incredible. I had no idea it could be that wonderful to have a baby. I now knew that my fears about not bonding well with Elliot for a long time were true. I firmly believe it had a lot to do with him being taken away immediately and not being held much at all for his first two weeks. It was heartbreaking for me at the time and still is when I think of how much was 'robbed' from me and the most frustrating part is that no one knows why. NO ONE. Nobody can tell me it won't happen again because no one knows why it happened in the first place. It made those first moments with my precious daughter that much more special and oh so precious In fact my nickname for her is 'Precious'. I didn't want to let her go at all for the longest time. I didn't want to miss a single second of her first moments in this world. I only have pictures of Elliot's first moments & they look incredibly painful and stressful. Hadley's first moments were anything but.
We were able to work on breastfeeding right away which I was so excited about. I had every intention of making it work this time and had invested in things I wish I had had last time. I read so many books, articles, personal stories to get ready because of the difficulties last time but it was to no avail. We are not breastfeeding this time & while I'm a bit sad about that I'm ok with it. I refused to be stressed out about something that seemed so trivial in my mind. I was not going to project that stress on my newborn or put her through it too. I had a stressed newborn last time & I was a stressed mommy. It wasn't going to repeat itself and it hasn't and things have been SO much better!
There were so many things about Hadley's arrival that did not go according to 'plan'. Well, not according to my plan at least but in the end I wouldn't trade any of it. She's here, she's healthy, she's perfect and she captures my heart more and more everyday. How in the world could I ever be disappointed in that?!
Anyway...this has gotten too long. I must bring it to an end!
Anyway....last time I mentioned Hadley's birth story. I have written out most of it on a message board I frequent but since she's nearly 2 months old (OMG!) I probably should get it down once more. I never really did this with Elliot and wish I would have although I do still recall a fair amount about my labor and delivery with him.
So, here it goes folks: (it could be quite lengthy!)
For the last few weeks before Hadley was born I had been feeling miserable. M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E. I didn't even know it was possible for a person to feel so crappy and to get so little sleep. Most people looked at me like I was a lunatic when I said I was looking forward to having a newborn & getting MORE sleep. They just didn't get that I could not move and was not sleeping at all.
So with that said I thought nothing of the discomfort I was feeling on October 19. Sure I'd have some more braxton hicks contractions but they had been going on for quite awhile and nothing had come of them. Dr. Shaw had given me hope at my 37 week appointment that I wouldn't make it to 38 weeks. What a cruel joke that was! I was nearly 39 weeks pregnant and literally begging my ever bulging belly to release my baby! Petey & I went to bed around 11 that night like usual but I could NOT get even the slightest bit comfortable. It was even worse than normal which I didn't think was possible but apparently it was. Petey was also snoring like a crazy man which was not helping as I find that to be one the most annoying sounds known to man so I got up & laid down in our office which also has a spare bed. I FINALLY was able to fall asleep some time after 1 o'clock but I noticed that I kept waking up ALL the time. I didn't realize until 4:25ish that I had been waking up about every 20 minutes & then I put together that I had probably been having contractions. (With Elliot all I felt was back labor for the longest time so this was new to me.)
I got up a little before 5 and called my mom to tell her she should probably head to Ames. I also took a shower which felt so incredibly fantastic but the contractions just kept coming and at that point I KNEW I was in labor. Surprisingly I wasn't as ecstatic as I though I would be considering the amount of complaining and begging I'd done leading up to that day! Don't get me wrong I was excited - just not jumping for joy! Petey heard the shower when he got up to use the bathroom & once I told him I was in labor he was definitely awake! I used an online contraction timer to keep track of how long and how far apart my contractions were. It was such a great idea & took the pressure off of us having to do it and keep track. Plus it was very easy to look back & see that things were definitely progressing. A couple of times I thought the contractions were easing up & that it wasn't actually going to happen but sure enough they would always pick up in intensity again.
My mom got here around 7 - just in time to see Elliot getting out of bed. I had a lot of mixed emotions at that point. It really hit me that this was his last day as an only child and my last day "alone" with my little boy. He wasn't going to be my only baby anymore even though he was still a baby. I don't know how to correctly verbalize what I was feeling at the moment. I remember almost breaking down in tears when I said good-bye to him before leaving for the hospital. He had absolutely no clue that the next time he saw Mommy she would have a new baby. He just couldn't comprehend how much his life was going to change & I didn't really feel that that was fair to him but there was nothing I could do to fix it. Talk about a moment of mommy guilt!
We got to the hospital a little after 8:30 & they put me in triage. I was only dilated to 3cm & about 90% effaced. I was utterly disappointed & couldn't believe that that was it. Petey & I walked around for 45 minutes - hour. I had to stop, breathe and rock my way through a lot of contractions. The pediatricians were in the nursery checking babies out so it was really cool to see a lot of new babies. It definitely made us excited to get this show moving along a little faster!
When I was checked again I was about a 4 but still only 90%. Again I was SO disappointed because I felt like those contractions HAD to be accomplishing something more than that. They decided that I was indeed in labor & that they could admit me which was good because there was NO way I was leaving! I didn't actually get to my room until closer to noon. I finally had 'my' nurses too since I'd been shuffling through whoever was free during the morning. Their names were Ann & Andrea & they were fantastic! They had a lot to live up to after my experience in Minnesota & all the wonderful people who take care of me. Before they admitted me Hadley wasn't staying on the fetal monitors long enough for them to get a good reading so I was in a completely uncomfortable position on a terribly uncomfortable bed. I was starting to have a hard time breathing through the contractions & Petey wasn't really able to rub my back like I needed him to.
In my room the excitement of the IV started. I'm terribly hard to poke and actually get a good vein. After a few tries in Minnesota the nurses quit trying & would just call the IV resource team. They even had problems a couple times. Really I need a 20 gauge but they say I HAVE to have an 18 in case I would need blood or whatever. Ugh...I can't even count how many times the stupid 18 blew my vein when it would get flushed during my last pregnancy. I told them all this & that their best bed was to hot pack my arms since there was no IV resource team. They did & still ended up poking me 3 or 4 times before finding a vein that would work. By this time I had been messed with long enough & not able to do what I needed to do to work through contractions so I was exhausted. They offered me IV drugs but I refused. I had them last time & was not interested in them again. Actually I had intended to do this birth as naturally as possible & I had hoped to not use any pain meds. *sigh* that was just one of many things that didn't go quite as I had envisioned ;) My nurses tried to tell me I was doing such a great job at breathing through contractions which I admit I was still at the time but I could tell I was almost done with it. So, I requested the epidural but very reluctantly. It didn't work last time & it SUCKED. I was stuck in a terrible position on my back but still feeling everything & I didn't want that to happen again.
Before all of this happened Dr. Gisi, whom I had never met, came in to break my water in hopes of getting things moving along. At that point I was ready for things to speed up so I didn't argue. What I didn't know was how painful that was! It hurt almost worse than actually giving birth which is saying something. He checked me & gave the go ahead for the epidural since that is what I wanted.
I was about a 5 and still 90% right before the epidural went in. When the anesthesiologist got to my room I told her all of my concerns & she assured me it would work & I would be happy this time. I chose to go with it and trust her. I got really nervous about this decision while it was going in - it hurt SOOOOOO bad. I hadn't had any pain last time but this time I was almost screaming. She gave me some more numbing stuff but I still felt a lot of it going in. However, this one worked! It was the most wonderful feeling in the world :) I got the best sleep I had gotten in months that afternoon as did Petey.
Around 3:30-4 (a few hours after the epidural) my nurses checked me again & I still hadn't made it to 6. At this point I remember being scared & afraid they would mention a c-section. Nothing against c-sections but that is NOT what I wanted. I've never had a surgery & the last thing I wanted was having my 'normal' delivery taken from me AGAIN. Fortunately they only suggested pitocin which didn't surprise me & I agreed it was a good idea especially since I already had my epidural. Last time I stalled at the same point in labor but hadn't gotten my epidural yet. I will NEVER go through a labor with pitocin without an epidural! The nurses also said my contractions weren't as close together or intense as they like to see them.
The pitocin was started & right away I could feel the contractions despite my epidural but they weren't overly painful. I used my 'magic button' to give me more of the numbing meds as often as it would let me! We turned it up once and an hour after the pitocin was started Dr. Gisi came to check me & surprised us all when he announced I was fully dilated and effaced. I was shocked at how fast it happened!! Petey & I had just started playing a game of cribbage but we were too excited to concentrate on it anymore. Dr. Gisi said Hadley was still up pretty high so we agreed that as long as I was comfortable we would just let her 'labor down' and when I felt ready to push then we would. Ann, the older of the two nurses, thought Hadley was sitting at a funny angle so she had me try a position she had seen a lot of midwives use called a Texas Roll. It looked completely ridiculous but it did the trick & in no time I felt the pressure and was ready to push! I had been told many times that my pushing would likely last a lot longer than it did with Elliot (10 minutes) and that it would be a lot harder this time around.
I started pusing a little before 6 o'clock. Fortunately I was able to move my legs really well and feel a lot. Just like last time my epidural had all but worn off but I really didn't mind because I was able to have a lot more control. The nurses were impressed with how well the pushing progressed and told me that we HAD to have this baby out before 7 when their shift ended. I ended up doing my most effective pushing on my side. I thought it was going to be completely awkward but it actually worked really well. Ann called Dr. Gisi once and told him he needed to be there soon as Hadley was nearly crowning. Well, she actually did crown with the next set of pushes which was surprising to all of us. I moved onto my back again which caused Hadley to slip back in but it wasn't hard to get her to crown again. At this point Ann was on the phone telling Dr. Gisi to "GET HERE NOW OR I'M DELIVERING THIS BABY!" hahaha....cracks me up to remember it. I was told not to push which was laughable at that point. My body was doing it all on his own & by the time the doctor got there he was only able to barely get one glove on and catch her. Hadley essentially delivered herself & Mommy was so relieved to not have to try and not push anymore! This also helped keep Mommy from tearing at all - I didn't even need a single stitch which was much different than last time!
This time I got to hold my baby immediately. I got to kiss her, check her out, hold her, love and most importantly bond. It was incredible. I had no idea it could be that wonderful to have a baby. I now knew that my fears about not bonding well with Elliot for a long time were true. I firmly believe it had a lot to do with him being taken away immediately and not being held much at all for his first two weeks. It was heartbreaking for me at the time and still is when I think of how much was 'robbed' from me and the most frustrating part is that no one knows why. NO ONE. Nobody can tell me it won't happen again because no one knows why it happened in the first place. It made those first moments with my precious daughter that much more special and oh so precious In fact my nickname for her is 'Precious'. I didn't want to let her go at all for the longest time. I didn't want to miss a single second of her first moments in this world. I only have pictures of Elliot's first moments & they look incredibly painful and stressful. Hadley's first moments were anything but.
We were able to work on breastfeeding right away which I was so excited about. I had every intention of making it work this time and had invested in things I wish I had had last time. I read so many books, articles, personal stories to get ready because of the difficulties last time but it was to no avail. We are not breastfeeding this time & while I'm a bit sad about that I'm ok with it. I refused to be stressed out about something that seemed so trivial in my mind. I was not going to project that stress on my newborn or put her through it too. I had a stressed newborn last time & I was a stressed mommy. It wasn't going to repeat itself and it hasn't and things have been SO much better!
There were so many things about Hadley's arrival that did not go according to 'plan'. Well, not according to my plan at least but in the end I wouldn't trade any of it. She's here, she's healthy, she's perfect and she captures my heart more and more everyday. How in the world could I ever be disappointed in that?!
Anyway...this has gotten too long. I must bring it to an end!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Time to get serious....
I must preface this by saying this may be a short one as Elliot should be waking up any minute. Should.
I need to get serious on this blog thing. I remember creating it thinking it would be a great way to keep up on all that's happening in our life and all that Elliot was doing and discovering. Then I thought it would be a great way to keep track of my pregnancy and how all that was going. Yeah...not so much. Big.Fat.Fail on all of the above.
BUT I'm ready to turn over a new leaf. Get back into jumping on here and updating this blog. I don't really care if anyone else reads it. I want it for reference for those days down the road when I look back and can't remember everything. To be honest I can't even remember everything about yesterday.....which just proves how much I REALLY need to do this!
Someday very soon I need to fully record Hadley's birth story. Not necessarily the gruesome details although it really wasn't gruesome. I just want to have a record of it. I never really wrote Elliot's down & now I know there are things that I can't necessarily remember the best. Luckily I did start Hadley's soon after she was born so it just needs to be finished. That may be a lengthy post...sorry folks ;)
I need to get serious on this blog thing. I remember creating it thinking it would be a great way to keep up on all that's happening in our life and all that Elliot was doing and discovering. Then I thought it would be a great way to keep track of my pregnancy and how all that was going. Yeah...not so much. Big.Fat.Fail on all of the above.
BUT I'm ready to turn over a new leaf. Get back into jumping on here and updating this blog. I don't really care if anyone else reads it. I want it for reference for those days down the road when I look back and can't remember everything. To be honest I can't even remember everything about yesterday.....which just proves how much I REALLY need to do this!
Someday very soon I need to fully record Hadley's birth story. Not necessarily the gruesome details although it really wasn't gruesome. I just want to have a record of it. I never really wrote Elliot's down & now I know there are things that I can't necessarily remember the best. Luckily I did start Hadley's soon after she was born so it just needs to be finished. That may be a lengthy post...sorry folks ;)
Friday, September 4, 2009
The "whines"
Elliot has officially hit that frustrating phase of tantrums and whines, whines, whiiiiiiiines. There have been countless moments this week where I feel like I'm going to pull my hair out and I've shamelessly begged my husband to hurry home from school so I can have a few moments of peace (aka a nap). He has been fantastic with Elliot which I'm so thankful for and he's been so patient with me this week as I've been exhausted - absolutely exhausted. I'm not really sure why I've been so tired (oh wait, I'm pregnant!) but if I don't get a nap I'm ready for bed before Mr. Elliot which is not a good combination.
I also never realized just how hard it is to just leave Elliot alone when he's in the midst of a tantrum. It is so tempting to do whatever we can to make it stop and make him realize that it won't get him anything. BUT the best way, that we know of, to get him to realize it won't get him anything is the hardest thing for us to do. *sigh* We're getting better at it though and fortunately his tantrums are mostly short lived. Actually the mere mention of 'Teddy Grahams' can clear up almost any tantrum but we try not to resort to that ;) He does get them as a snack and if he's particularly well behaved he even gets to hold the bowl to eat them out of.
Despite all the whines Elliot has been such a sweet little guy. He is becoming more and more cuddly and I LOVE it. I love when he's getting sleepy & he comes to me & asks to be picked up and then promply lays his head on my shoulder. It is the sweetest thing and I cherish those moments. I also cherish those moments where we get to read his favorite books together and seeing his face light up or watching him bounce around in excitement. It's adorable.
Elliot and Miss Cupcake are booked on their first flight! Yesterday my mom bought our tickets for our family's Great California Adventure. I'm so excited although a bit nervous about flying with two little kids especially with all the hype about this Swine Flu business. I don't even know what to think or believe anymore...argh. Anyway 17 of us are flying out of Kansas City on the morning of Christmas Eve. We hadn't all planned to go together but it should be a fun time as long as the plane doesn't go down of course. It may be an irrational fear but it is one that I have! I've already been doing a lot of reading and plotting as to how we're going to get ourselves and all of the stuff we need out there without costing a bazillion dollars. It's something that I'll probably research to death & stress over but in the end it won't end up being nearly the big deal I think it is which is a good thing I guess. At least I'll be prepared!!
I also never realized just how hard it is to just leave Elliot alone when he's in the midst of a tantrum. It is so tempting to do whatever we can to make it stop and make him realize that it won't get him anything. BUT the best way, that we know of, to get him to realize it won't get him anything is the hardest thing for us to do. *sigh* We're getting better at it though and fortunately his tantrums are mostly short lived. Actually the mere mention of 'Teddy Grahams' can clear up almost any tantrum but we try not to resort to that ;) He does get them as a snack and if he's particularly well behaved he even gets to hold the bowl to eat them out of.
Despite all the whines Elliot has been such a sweet little guy. He is becoming more and more cuddly and I LOVE it. I love when he's getting sleepy & he comes to me & asks to be picked up and then promply lays his head on my shoulder. It is the sweetest thing and I cherish those moments. I also cherish those moments where we get to read his favorite books together and seeing his face light up or watching him bounce around in excitement. It's adorable.
Elliot and Miss Cupcake are booked on their first flight! Yesterday my mom bought our tickets for our family's Great California Adventure. I'm so excited although a bit nervous about flying with two little kids especially with all the hype about this Swine Flu business. I don't even know what to think or believe anymore...argh. Anyway 17 of us are flying out of Kansas City on the morning of Christmas Eve. We hadn't all planned to go together but it should be a fun time as long as the plane doesn't go down of course. It may be an irrational fear but it is one that I have! I've already been doing a lot of reading and plotting as to how we're going to get ourselves and all of the stuff we need out there without costing a bazillion dollars. It's something that I'll probably research to death & stress over but in the end it won't end up being nearly the big deal I think it is which is a good thing I guess. At least I'll be prepared!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
SURPRISE!!!!!!!
Have I mentioned before that I married an absolutely amazing man? Possibly the most amazing man there is - too bad for the rest of you ladies out there!
Yes, I may be biased a bit but I'm allowed and it's fun to brag about how great my hubby is sometimes. This weekend he pulled off a feat I didn't know he could do - he surprised the heck out of me. I mean seriously this surprise came completely out of the blue but it was AWESOME!
With the help of a few other sneaky people in my life he pulled off a surprise baby shower for me :) Saturday my mom watched Elliot for us so we could have a nice lunch and do some shopping. I didn't think anything of that & really enjoyed some adult conversation & not having to wrangle Elliot in a restaurant. The only strange thing was that our sliding door was locked when we came home but I didn't give it too much thought & Petey seriously gave NOTHING up. How he kept such a straight face is beyond me.....
So, I come in our front door & VOILA - baby shower! It wasn't a large gathering but it was awesome to have everyone there to surprise me. It was also great to get some new things for Cupcake. Most of her stuff is super nice but from garage sales or consignment shops. This has given us the chance to get her a LOT of stuff but I was starting to feel a bit bummed out that she wasn't going to get new stuff that was all her own. I know it may sound silly but that's how I was feeling so it was great to know that she had some things that are solely HERS & not hand-me-downs from her brother or other items from someone else. I had a fantastic time and felt really special especially because I wasn't in the hospital this time and this shower actually got to happen. Petey apparently had tried to plan a small shower last time when I was pregnant with Elliot but I ended up in the hospital two days before it - OOPS!
(I'll post some pictures on Facebook for your viewing pleasure.)
Yes, I may be biased a bit but I'm allowed and it's fun to brag about how great my hubby is sometimes. This weekend he pulled off a feat I didn't know he could do - he surprised the heck out of me. I mean seriously this surprise came completely out of the blue but it was AWESOME!
With the help of a few other sneaky people in my life he pulled off a surprise baby shower for me :) Saturday my mom watched Elliot for us so we could have a nice lunch and do some shopping. I didn't think anything of that & really enjoyed some adult conversation & not having to wrangle Elliot in a restaurant. The only strange thing was that our sliding door was locked when we came home but I didn't give it too much thought & Petey seriously gave NOTHING up. How he kept such a straight face is beyond me.....
So, I come in our front door & VOILA - baby shower! It wasn't a large gathering but it was awesome to have everyone there to surprise me. It was also great to get some new things for Cupcake. Most of her stuff is super nice but from garage sales or consignment shops. This has given us the chance to get her a LOT of stuff but I was starting to feel a bit bummed out that she wasn't going to get new stuff that was all her own. I know it may sound silly but that's how I was feeling so it was great to know that she had some things that are solely HERS & not hand-me-downs from her brother or other items from someone else. I had a fantastic time and felt really special especially because I wasn't in the hospital this time and this shower actually got to happen. Petey apparently had tried to plan a small shower last time when I was pregnant with Elliot but I ended up in the hospital two days before it - OOPS!
(I'll post some pictures on Facebook for your viewing pleasure.)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Woohooooooooo
Woohoo for two posts in ONE week! I would love to say that this is the beginning of a great new trend, but I must admit that would be a bit for me to promise at the moment!
I also must admit, sheepishly, that today was "one of those days". One of those days where I seriously question myself and my ability to be a mom. One of those days where I ask myself what the heck I think I'm doing raising a child. One of those days where I find myself wishing to be anywhere but here. I know that sounds absolutely horrible & trust me it horrifies me to actually type that out and realize that is what I was thinking and feeling but it's the cold, hard truth.
Now, before you make any snap judgements and think horrible thoughts about me let me say that I love Elliot and Miss Cupcake more than anything else in this world and would give up anything and everything for them but toddlers can be so trying on one's patience! Plus, Miss Cupcake has decided to practice her acrobatics once again so when you add in Elliot's extra clinginess & screaming Mommy was literally "touched" out. I've never been so happy to see Petey come home before! He was awesome though and took over Elliot duty, made & fed him lunch which was his first PB&J sandwish!!!
Just getting that break for a little bit was fantastic, BUT it doesn't end there. I was having incredible pain in my back so I sat down with some ice water to see if it would stop. Petey not only entertained Elliot (for the most part) but he cleaned up a bunch of the kitchen AND all the toys in the living room. He even put Elliot down for his nap & I took one of my own :) Fortunately my backache DID go away which is good otherwise I probably would have ended up in Labor & Delivery getting checked out. My labor with Elliot started in my back like that so it sort of freaked me out.
I also must admit, sheepishly, that today was "one of those days". One of those days where I seriously question myself and my ability to be a mom. One of those days where I ask myself what the heck I think I'm doing raising a child. One of those days where I find myself wishing to be anywhere but here. I know that sounds absolutely horrible & trust me it horrifies me to actually type that out and realize that is what I was thinking and feeling but it's the cold, hard truth.
Now, before you make any snap judgements and think horrible thoughts about me let me say that I love Elliot and Miss Cupcake more than anything else in this world and would give up anything and everything for them but toddlers can be so trying on one's patience! Plus, Miss Cupcake has decided to practice her acrobatics once again so when you add in Elliot's extra clinginess & screaming Mommy was literally "touched" out. I've never been so happy to see Petey come home before! He was awesome though and took over Elliot duty, made & fed him lunch which was his first PB&J sandwish!!!
Just getting that break for a little bit was fantastic, BUT it doesn't end there. I was having incredible pain in my back so I sat down with some ice water to see if it would stop. Petey not only entertained Elliot (for the most part) but he cleaned up a bunch of the kitchen AND all the toys in the living room. He even put Elliot down for his nap & I took one of my own :) Fortunately my backache DID go away which is good otherwise I probably would have ended up in Labor & Delivery getting checked out. My labor with Elliot started in my back like that so it sort of freaked me out.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
August
It's been awhile. There has been so much I intended to chronicle on here but I keep getting distracted or pulled away from the computer before I can get a post written!
So, in one post I'll hopefully be able to summarize most of the past month. Haha...this should be fun!
Well, the month started off with us moving to a new place across town. We were SO ready to get out of our old place. There was just no room for Elliot and we couldn't stand one of our neighbors. Where we are now seems to suit us MUCH better. We are with a lot of college kids so they keep different hours than us but it really has been pretty quiet around here. There's an apartment of guys above us who seem to enjoy wrestling or something. Usually I just chuckle and wait for it stop. One morning I did have to go upstairs & get one of them to come down and get their cat who jumped off the balcony & after coming in my apartment hid so that I couldn't find it.
This pregnancy has continued to progress without much excitement which is actually quite exciting to me. At my last appointment Dr. Mintzer declared me "boring" which is a very good thing. Dr. Drake also has me coming monthly now for ultrasounds instead of every two weeks. Cupcake has looked awesome on the ultrasound everytime so that is another huge relief. However, I'm getting to the point of being ready for her to be here. She is sitting so low & I am in pain a good deal of the time. It doesn't help that I'm working on unpacking a new home and hauling a toddler around for a good part of the day. I try to take it as easy as I can but some days I probably do way too much.
My Petey & I celebrated our second anniversary this month. It's hard to believe that we've been married for TWO years already. It can't possibly have gone this fast could it?!?!?! I'm still working on finishing my scrapbook although it is getting closer to being done. It's crazy to think of all that we've gone through and accomplished in this short amount of time. We took advantage of Elliot's obsession of being with his grandparents and at the farm to get away for a few days. We headed to Minneapolis where we had scored an amazing deal at the Marquette Hotel in downtown. We went to a Twins game, spent some time back in our stomping grounds, played at Dave & Buster's & got to see one of our good friends we went to NWC with. Before we came home we hit Ikea & scored a great deal on a new desk for Petey. On a whim we checked out the as-is section & found the desk we wanted for half price!! It was a shade darker than the one we were going to get but it was a sacrifice we were willing to make! Unfortunately it didn't fit in the car so we had to strap it to the top. LOL - that was an adventure but it worked and it's set up & works great for Petey now.
Elliot has been growing up too fast! He looks and acts like a little boy now instead of a baby & it makes me so sad. I miss my little chubby man with the huge cheeks!! :) He is so much fun now and I love seeing him discover things and learning how the world works. He LOVES to play peek-a-boo & each time he picks up his Lego lid we spend several minutes playing this game. It's awesome! He also really loves my hairbrush so we "brush" his hair several times a day. I'm pretty sure he just likes to have his head massaged (like his momma!) because it usually calms him down when he gets really worked up. He's also a much more cuddly little guy than he used to be. Just this month he's really started to cuddle & actually initiate the cuddle. I don't feel like I need to pin him down for a hug or some kisses since most of the time he really wants to sit on my lap. Today he was pretty worn out & sleepy so I took advantage and snuggled with him on the couch for a looooooong time. It was fantastic even though there were several other things I had hoped to accomplish but there's always tomorrow for all of that.
Petey and I made a very hard decision in regards to Elliot's sleep habits. Since he is going to have a little sister in about 2 months or less (YIKES!) we are both in agreement that he needs to learn how to sleep. Specifically he needs to learn how to put himself BACK to sleep. We have a good routine for bedtime & he is usually very ready to go to sleep so that isn't a problem & naptimes usually aren't either. Sometimes he protests naps but he knows it's time to sleep &, again, he's almost always in great need of a nap. We know he can make it all night without having to eat but that he relies on that bottle to fall back to sleep. We have tried SO many different ideas and methods and none of it has worked so I've had to bite my tongue and do something I swore we'd never resort to - crying it out. I hate it and so does Petey but it's for the best and I have to think of it as giving him a skill he needs instead of being a mean parent. Last night was the first night & it took him an hour to fall back to sleep the first time. It was an excruciatingly LONG hour & I cried just as much as he did I think. It was AWFUL to listen to him & to think that he was waiting for me to come just broke my heart. We ended up getting out of bed & tried to keep ourselves busy until about 1a.m. when he went back to sleep. The second time he woke up only took about 20-25 minutes which was nothing in comparison to the first time. We're giving him 3-5 days & hoping that it is clear to us whether or not we should keep going or stop and attempt to find another alternative.....we definitely need some prayers for this. Fortunately this morning he was quite happy to see us so he must not be holding it against us & he seemed much happier so hopefully getting him some more sleep at night will do some good stuff!
Another change around here is our switch to cloth diapers. We haven't gone to them 100% of the time & odds are we'll be sticking to disposables at night for awhile since Elliot is a HUGE wetter at night. We're using one size diapers with pockets so that we can control how absorbent they are. The first day or so we had some leaks but that was due to user error I'm pretty sure! We're still learning and experimenting but so far things have gone well and I'm quickly becoming a cloth diaper addict! I haven't tried my luck at prefolds yet but I ordered a cover Sunday so we'll see how it goes! Those would be the cheapest option but even if we spend more money on the pocket diapers we'll still be money ahead in the long run which is an awesome feeling. Both kids should be able to wear these diapers plus any other kids we have in the future. There are so many adorable patterns that I could easily go broke stocking up.....I have to be careful when I'm online shopping ;)
So, in one post I'll hopefully be able to summarize most of the past month. Haha...this should be fun!
Well, the month started off with us moving to a new place across town. We were SO ready to get out of our old place. There was just no room for Elliot and we couldn't stand one of our neighbors. Where we are now seems to suit us MUCH better. We are with a lot of college kids so they keep different hours than us but it really has been pretty quiet around here. There's an apartment of guys above us who seem to enjoy wrestling or something. Usually I just chuckle and wait for it stop. One morning I did have to go upstairs & get one of them to come down and get their cat who jumped off the balcony & after coming in my apartment hid so that I couldn't find it.
This pregnancy has continued to progress without much excitement which is actually quite exciting to me. At my last appointment Dr. Mintzer declared me "boring" which is a very good thing. Dr. Drake also has me coming monthly now for ultrasounds instead of every two weeks. Cupcake has looked awesome on the ultrasound everytime so that is another huge relief. However, I'm getting to the point of being ready for her to be here. She is sitting so low & I am in pain a good deal of the time. It doesn't help that I'm working on unpacking a new home and hauling a toddler around for a good part of the day. I try to take it as easy as I can but some days I probably do way too much.
My Petey & I celebrated our second anniversary this month. It's hard to believe that we've been married for TWO years already. It can't possibly have gone this fast could it?!?!?! I'm still working on finishing my scrapbook although it is getting closer to being done. It's crazy to think of all that we've gone through and accomplished in this short amount of time. We took advantage of Elliot's obsession of being with his grandparents and at the farm to get away for a few days. We headed to Minneapolis where we had scored an amazing deal at the Marquette Hotel in downtown. We went to a Twins game, spent some time back in our stomping grounds, played at Dave & Buster's & got to see one of our good friends we went to NWC with. Before we came home we hit Ikea & scored a great deal on a new desk for Petey. On a whim we checked out the as-is section & found the desk we wanted for half price!! It was a shade darker than the one we were going to get but it was a sacrifice we were willing to make! Unfortunately it didn't fit in the car so we had to strap it to the top. LOL - that was an adventure but it worked and it's set up & works great for Petey now.
Elliot has been growing up too fast! He looks and acts like a little boy now instead of a baby & it makes me so sad. I miss my little chubby man with the huge cheeks!! :) He is so much fun now and I love seeing him discover things and learning how the world works. He LOVES to play peek-a-boo & each time he picks up his Lego lid we spend several minutes playing this game. It's awesome! He also really loves my hairbrush so we "brush" his hair several times a day. I'm pretty sure he just likes to have his head massaged (like his momma!) because it usually calms him down when he gets really worked up. He's also a much more cuddly little guy than he used to be. Just this month he's really started to cuddle & actually initiate the cuddle. I don't feel like I need to pin him down for a hug or some kisses since most of the time he really wants to sit on my lap. Today he was pretty worn out & sleepy so I took advantage and snuggled with him on the couch for a looooooong time. It was fantastic even though there were several other things I had hoped to accomplish but there's always tomorrow for all of that.
Petey and I made a very hard decision in regards to Elliot's sleep habits. Since he is going to have a little sister in about 2 months or less (YIKES!) we are both in agreement that he needs to learn how to sleep. Specifically he needs to learn how to put himself BACK to sleep. We have a good routine for bedtime & he is usually very ready to go to sleep so that isn't a problem & naptimes usually aren't either. Sometimes he protests naps but he knows it's time to sleep &, again, he's almost always in great need of a nap. We know he can make it all night without having to eat but that he relies on that bottle to fall back to sleep. We have tried SO many different ideas and methods and none of it has worked so I've had to bite my tongue and do something I swore we'd never resort to - crying it out. I hate it and so does Petey but it's for the best and I have to think of it as giving him a skill he needs instead of being a mean parent. Last night was the first night & it took him an hour to fall back to sleep the first time. It was an excruciatingly LONG hour & I cried just as much as he did I think. It was AWFUL to listen to him & to think that he was waiting for me to come just broke my heart. We ended up getting out of bed & tried to keep ourselves busy until about 1a.m. when he went back to sleep. The second time he woke up only took about 20-25 minutes which was nothing in comparison to the first time. We're giving him 3-5 days & hoping that it is clear to us whether or not we should keep going or stop and attempt to find another alternative.....we definitely need some prayers for this. Fortunately this morning he was quite happy to see us so he must not be holding it against us & he seemed much happier so hopefully getting him some more sleep at night will do some good stuff!
Another change around here is our switch to cloth diapers. We haven't gone to them 100% of the time & odds are we'll be sticking to disposables at night for awhile since Elliot is a HUGE wetter at night. We're using one size diapers with pockets so that we can control how absorbent they are. The first day or so we had some leaks but that was due to user error I'm pretty sure! We're still learning and experimenting but so far things have gone well and I'm quickly becoming a cloth diaper addict! I haven't tried my luck at prefolds yet but I ordered a cover Sunday so we'll see how it goes! Those would be the cheapest option but even if we spend more money on the pocket diapers we'll still be money ahead in the long run which is an awesome feeling. Both kids should be able to wear these diapers plus any other kids we have in the future. There are so many adorable patterns that I could easily go broke stocking up.....I have to be careful when I'm online shopping ;)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Today is THE day
MOVING DAY!!!
My mom is off to her radiation treatments at the moment & Elliot is sleeping so I'm taking the chance to rest a bit even though there is still much to be done around here. My back is already hurting pretty bad & this sciatic nerve thing is really putting a hitch in my giddy-up.
I really thought I was going to be sad when today came but the opposite seems to be true. I am so excited to get out of here - or maybe that is just excitement that my husband is coming home!! He's leaving Dubuque in about an hour - wahoo!!
We have several moving fairies coming today too which is awesome!! My cousin Dawn will be here as will Charlie & Linda & Paul & Emily. Hopefully we can get the bulk of the stuff moved today & only have to worry about our beds & the last few odds & ends tomorrow.
This is also 27 weeks for Cupcake and myself!! I'm so happy to have made it this far & be at home and actually get to "help" in this move. At least this time I'll have a clue as to what is packed in which box or tote. I've also been trying to label most boxes with their content so when that tired preggo brain kicks in I won't have to work too hard to remember. It should also help things get in the right room at the new place especially since a lot of stuff isn't coming out of the right room here!
My mom is off to her radiation treatments at the moment & Elliot is sleeping so I'm taking the chance to rest a bit even though there is still much to be done around here. My back is already hurting pretty bad & this sciatic nerve thing is really putting a hitch in my giddy-up.
I really thought I was going to be sad when today came but the opposite seems to be true. I am so excited to get out of here - or maybe that is just excitement that my husband is coming home!! He's leaving Dubuque in about an hour - wahoo!!
We have several moving fairies coming today too which is awesome!! My cousin Dawn will be here as will Charlie & Linda & Paul & Emily. Hopefully we can get the bulk of the stuff moved today & only have to worry about our beds & the last few odds & ends tomorrow.
This is also 27 weeks for Cupcake and myself!! I'm so happy to have made it this far & be at home and actually get to "help" in this move. At least this time I'll have a clue as to what is packed in which box or tote. I've also been trying to label most boxes with their content so when that tired preggo brain kicks in I won't have to work too hard to remember. It should also help things get in the right room at the new place especially since a lot of stuff isn't coming out of the right room here!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Ahhhh.....
I love having the internet back. Granted, it's not MY internet but it's a connection and I'm online and right now that is all that matters! It was getting really old constantly straining to read things on my phone or waiting for the pages to upload. It's awesome that I was able to check things if I needed to on there but not nearly as nice as having an actual BIG screen to look at. (not that my computer screen is overly large.....)
Last week I was REALLY stressed out. I made it to 25 weeks and then spent most of the week anxiously awaiting the "crisis" day of my last pregnancy. Fortunately it was a very uneventful day & here I sit at nearly 27 weeks with no bleeding and AT HOME! I have felt a few contractions but nothing consistent or too bothersome. I just make sure I drink lots of water and take it easy when I need to. This has really hindered my packing progress but that's a small price to pay. When I hit 26 weeks it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders & I felt much less tense and apprehensive. Of course 26 weeks is not an ideal time for Cupcake to make her appearance so I plan to keep baking her for a bit longer but it's still nice to know I was able to make it to this point without any problems. I have a feeling I'll have a bit of anxiety when 33 weeks rolls around as well but I'll deal with that then.
Packing. Is what I *should* be doing BUT as I said before having the internet back is SO glorious that I'm spending the entirety of Elliot's nap using the computer - doh! We are picking our keys up on Thursday before Haverkamp closes & I am SO excited. I was a bit sad at first about leaving this place as it is Elliot's first home but I really think our new place will be great for us. It is smaller which once in awhile makes me panic a bit but we are planning on having a storage unit for those things we don't need to keep our closets all clogged up with. The most interesting room to set up is going to be our bedroom as it's MUCH smaller than it is here AND we have to fit Cupcake in there somehow.....
My mom has been the garage sale queen this summer & has scored some great deals. We found a great bassinet that we'll use for Cupcake when she's still little & that will help save on some space. This little girl already has quite the wardrobe though! We thought Elliot had a lot of clothes but her selection may put his to shame which is really saying something! Fortunately we've been able to get a lot of this stuff in excellent condition at garage sales & consignment stores. She may have more stuff than Elliot but her wardrobe will probably come cheaper. I have a feeling we won't be able to say that for long though! It's awesome to know we're getting some great stuff while still saving money. I'm pretty sure that is the only reason Petey puts up with it, too!!
We've decided on another way to save ourselves some money in the long run. We are going to cloth diaper Elliot and Cupcake. We've done our research & have decided to use mostly one size pocket diapers. These are diapers that should fit BOTH of our kiddos at the same time as they are rated to fit kids from 7-35lbs. There are so many choices out there that it has been mind boggling to decide which ones to try. I really love all the cute patterns you are able to get but those tend to be more expensive so we probably won't have too many in our stash..... I finally did some ordering last week & the three I ordered got her fast & since then I've been even more addicted to reading stuff online & finding new ones to try. As of next weeks sometime we should have a stash of about 11 cloth diapers and we plan to grow that substantially over the next few months. We figured that for the amount of money we had spent on Elliot's diapers in his first year we could buy a sizable stash of cloth diapers that would last both of our kids through potty training & many of those diapers should be good to go for any other future children we may be blessed with. Needless to say those savings add up to somewhere in the 1000's of dollars even after factoring in laundry detergent, energy & water use and consumption. Plus, it's better for their little bottoms & ultimately better for the earth. I'm not one to get very "crunchy" & environmental but I have to admit it feels decent to know that my kid's diaper won't be sitting in a landfill forever.
In other news - I miss my husband. His internship has been awesome and he was so lucky to find this place or be found by this place. (depends how you look at it I guess) It's funny how things turn out! We thought for sure that he was going to be working some non-engineering job here in Ames or Des Moines & not making all that great of money but sure enough just when we had about given up any hope of internships being left he had an interview with Mark that went exceptionally well. Mark is a great guy - from what I can tell of my limited time with him - & Petey meshes really well with everyone there. He's also gotten some incredible experience & been able to work on stuff he probably wouldn't have been able to at many other internships. Plus, the pay is fantastic AND he will get to continue working for them over the school year! Obviously he won't work as many hours but there is no where in Ames that would pay him that much for his time & he most likely will get to bring a company computer back with him to run all of his engineering stuffs on. We're pretty excited about this if you couldn't tell. Two & a half more weeks until he's done living in Dubuque though & I get him back AND we get to go on our anniversary trip to the Twin Cities. Nothing too exciting - just a baseball game & Dave & Buster's & sleeping in! We're excited to relax & spend some downtime together without Elliot before the craziness of the school year begins & Cupcake makes her appearance.
Last week I was REALLY stressed out. I made it to 25 weeks and then spent most of the week anxiously awaiting the "crisis" day of my last pregnancy. Fortunately it was a very uneventful day & here I sit at nearly 27 weeks with no bleeding and AT HOME! I have felt a few contractions but nothing consistent or too bothersome. I just make sure I drink lots of water and take it easy when I need to. This has really hindered my packing progress but that's a small price to pay. When I hit 26 weeks it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders & I felt much less tense and apprehensive. Of course 26 weeks is not an ideal time for Cupcake to make her appearance so I plan to keep baking her for a bit longer but it's still nice to know I was able to make it to this point without any problems. I have a feeling I'll have a bit of anxiety when 33 weeks rolls around as well but I'll deal with that then.
Packing. Is what I *should* be doing BUT as I said before having the internet back is SO glorious that I'm spending the entirety of Elliot's nap using the computer - doh! We are picking our keys up on Thursday before Haverkamp closes & I am SO excited. I was a bit sad at first about leaving this place as it is Elliot's first home but I really think our new place will be great for us. It is smaller which once in awhile makes me panic a bit but we are planning on having a storage unit for those things we don't need to keep our closets all clogged up with. The most interesting room to set up is going to be our bedroom as it's MUCH smaller than it is here AND we have to fit Cupcake in there somehow.....
My mom has been the garage sale queen this summer & has scored some great deals. We found a great bassinet that we'll use for Cupcake when she's still little & that will help save on some space. This little girl already has quite the wardrobe though! We thought Elliot had a lot of clothes but her selection may put his to shame which is really saying something! Fortunately we've been able to get a lot of this stuff in excellent condition at garage sales & consignment stores. She may have more stuff than Elliot but her wardrobe will probably come cheaper. I have a feeling we won't be able to say that for long though! It's awesome to know we're getting some great stuff while still saving money. I'm pretty sure that is the only reason Petey puts up with it, too!!
We've decided on another way to save ourselves some money in the long run. We are going to cloth diaper Elliot and Cupcake. We've done our research & have decided to use mostly one size pocket diapers. These are diapers that should fit BOTH of our kiddos at the same time as they are rated to fit kids from 7-35lbs. There are so many choices out there that it has been mind boggling to decide which ones to try. I really love all the cute patterns you are able to get but those tend to be more expensive so we probably won't have too many in our stash..... I finally did some ordering last week & the three I ordered got her fast & since then I've been even more addicted to reading stuff online & finding new ones to try. As of next weeks sometime we should have a stash of about 11 cloth diapers and we plan to grow that substantially over the next few months. We figured that for the amount of money we had spent on Elliot's diapers in his first year we could buy a sizable stash of cloth diapers that would last both of our kids through potty training & many of those diapers should be good to go for any other future children we may be blessed with. Needless to say those savings add up to somewhere in the 1000's of dollars even after factoring in laundry detergent, energy & water use and consumption. Plus, it's better for their little bottoms & ultimately better for the earth. I'm not one to get very "crunchy" & environmental but I have to admit it feels decent to know that my kid's diaper won't be sitting in a landfill forever.
In other news - I miss my husband. His internship has been awesome and he was so lucky to find this place or be found by this place. (depends how you look at it I guess) It's funny how things turn out! We thought for sure that he was going to be working some non-engineering job here in Ames or Des Moines & not making all that great of money but sure enough just when we had about given up any hope of internships being left he had an interview with Mark that went exceptionally well. Mark is a great guy - from what I can tell of my limited time with him - & Petey meshes really well with everyone there. He's also gotten some incredible experience & been able to work on stuff he probably wouldn't have been able to at many other internships. Plus, the pay is fantastic AND he will get to continue working for them over the school year! Obviously he won't work as many hours but there is no where in Ames that would pay him that much for his time & he most likely will get to bring a company computer back with him to run all of his engineering stuffs on. We're pretty excited about this if you couldn't tell. Two & a half more weeks until he's done living in Dubuque though & I get him back AND we get to go on our anniversary trip to the Twin Cities. Nothing too exciting - just a baseball game & Dave & Buster's & sleeping in! We're excited to relax & spend some downtime together without Elliot before the craziness of the school year begins & Cupcake makes her appearance.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Boo-Boo
Elliot got his first real boo-boo tonight. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that it has taken him this long to really do something to himself especially considering how un-coordinated his parents have both proven themselves to be in the past..... His boo-boo isn't very bad but I still feel bad for the poor little guy. It happened while we were all playing on the playground equipment right outside of our place tonight. Elliot LOVES to go down the slide & he's learned how to climb up the steps which is what he was doing when he face-planted & cut open his lower lip. He was quite upset & had his head buried in one of our shoulders for awhile so we didn't even know he had been bleeding at first. When people say that kids are resilient they really aren't joking! We walked to get the mail and by the time we came back & he saw the the playground equipment he was soooo excited ;) No more playing for him tonight though as it was getting close to bedtime. We gave him a cold icy-pop thing to suck on which he wasn't so sure about at first. He really does NOT like cold stuff but once he figured out it was sweet he was all for it. It was so funny!
Yesterday we reached 25 weeks. Monday will be 25 weeks, 4 days - the day everything started falling apart. To say that I am nervous, anxious and plain scared out of mind is an understatement. I try not to think about it and push it as far from my mind as I can but it's still there, lingering in the background & ready to consume my mind if I let it. Elliot has been a good distraction & aside from today (when he was really whiny) he's been such a big boy & cracked me up quite a few times. It's like he knows Mommy needs a break but apparently today he thought that break should be over or he forgot..... Cupcake has looked perfect on all of my ultrasounds so far and as of last Friday was weighing 1lb. 12oz which is the 59%. I was pretty happy with that size - not too small & not too huge - perfect. She's usually very stubborn & puts herself into all sorts of positions that keep the techs from getting the right measurements but last week they finally got all of the stuff they had been looking for. As always she was moving and grooving all over the place & I kept having to roll from side to side to try to get her to move in the right direction. If you were there you probably would have found it funny! The lady who did my ultrasound commented on how much she was moving her lips as if she was trying to suck on something. I had to laugh because that is EXACTLY what Elliot did in every ultrasound I had with him. At my 20 weeks ultrasound with Cupcake she actually managed to get her thumb in that little mouth :)
We're supposed to be moving in about two weeks. Our stuff is not packed and ready. Well, some of it is but not nearly as much as I hoped we'd have done. I never imagined how difficult it was going to be to pack with a 13 month old following behind and unpacking everything I just packed. Tomorrow my goal is to attack my scrapbook stuff & get it packed FINALLY. I've been putting this off in the hopes of being able to work on some stuff but it hasn't really happened. I think sitting down & pouring some creativity into my scrapbooks would help me de-stress a little but there is no time for that right now.
Speaking of stress.....we have no idea HOW we're moving our stuff to our new place. As of right now we're supposed to be out of here on July 31st & we also get our keys to our new place that day between 3 & 6. There are ZERO rental trucks available for the amount of time we would need or want them. We're starting to really worry about what is going to happen & how we're going to get everything across town.
Yesterday we reached 25 weeks. Monday will be 25 weeks, 4 days - the day everything started falling apart. To say that I am nervous, anxious and plain scared out of mind is an understatement. I try not to think about it and push it as far from my mind as I can but it's still there, lingering in the background & ready to consume my mind if I let it. Elliot has been a good distraction & aside from today (when he was really whiny) he's been such a big boy & cracked me up quite a few times. It's like he knows Mommy needs a break but apparently today he thought that break should be over or he forgot..... Cupcake has looked perfect on all of my ultrasounds so far and as of last Friday was weighing 1lb. 12oz which is the 59%. I was pretty happy with that size - not too small & not too huge - perfect. She's usually very stubborn & puts herself into all sorts of positions that keep the techs from getting the right measurements but last week they finally got all of the stuff they had been looking for. As always she was moving and grooving all over the place & I kept having to roll from side to side to try to get her to move in the right direction. If you were there you probably would have found it funny! The lady who did my ultrasound commented on how much she was moving her lips as if she was trying to suck on something. I had to laugh because that is EXACTLY what Elliot did in every ultrasound I had with him. At my 20 weeks ultrasound with Cupcake she actually managed to get her thumb in that little mouth :)
We're supposed to be moving in about two weeks. Our stuff is not packed and ready. Well, some of it is but not nearly as much as I hoped we'd have done. I never imagined how difficult it was going to be to pack with a 13 month old following behind and unpacking everything I just packed. Tomorrow my goal is to attack my scrapbook stuff & get it packed FINALLY. I've been putting this off in the hopes of being able to work on some stuff but it hasn't really happened. I think sitting down & pouring some creativity into my scrapbooks would help me de-stress a little but there is no time for that right now.
Speaking of stress.....we have no idea HOW we're moving our stuff to our new place. As of right now we're supposed to be out of here on July 31st & we also get our keys to our new place that day between 3 & 6. There are ZERO rental trucks available for the amount of time we would need or want them. We're starting to really worry about what is going to happen & how we're going to get everything across town.
Monday, June 29, 2009
24
I suppose if this is going to get updated I need to do it today before I'm without internet for most of the week.
The big news around here is that I'm officially older! Saturday I turned 24 - it feels just like 23 which I suppose is a good thing. My friend Amy & I were both commenting about the fact that 25 sounds old while 24 doesn't - strange, huh? She hits that mark before me in December ;) In 5-10 years we'll probably look back and say 'What were we thinking?! We were sooooo young back then!'
Elliot spent his first night away from home at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I've looked through the pictures and it looks like he had one heck of a time! I'm glad he does so well with his Grammy & Grampy & enjoys being with them. He got to ride around the drive-way on the lawn mower, took a stroller ride, played with the cats, got to swing in his new swing and is not best friends with Lucky. Apparently Lucky had a grand time licking his feet and Elliot was soaking it all up & giggling his head off.
Petey & I went to a wedding for some of our friends - Zeke & Abby. It was nice to be able to relax & not have to corral or quiet down a little one. We were BOTH able to have an actual conversation at the same time which has been rare lately. Elliot is an active little man & likes to be on the go all the time!
Sunday Amy came over to hang out & eat at The Cafe with us. It was delicious as always - YUM!! We made a random trip to Wal-Mart for caramel & light bulbs & then hung out at our place. We watch some Arrested Development and built stuff with Elliot's legos. Petey dug out some of our games so we played Blokus & Life - it was a great time. I even ended up winning Life!! That doesn't happen all that often........
Anndee came to see us too & it was great to sit & relax for awhile with her. My parents met us at Pizza Ranch for supper. Elliot was excited to see us although he wasn't sure who he wanted to see first: Mommy, Auntie Anndew or Daddy.....decisions, decisions. Mommy won though ;) We had a good meal & then PeteyPie had to head out. It was a little later than usual but he still made it to Dubuque by 10.
Elliot and I are taking off today. When, is still up for discussion ;) Our clothes are ready & most of his stuff is too but there are a few of the smaller details I've got to finish first.....
The big news around here is that I'm officially older! Saturday I turned 24 - it feels just like 23 which I suppose is a good thing. My friend Amy & I were both commenting about the fact that 25 sounds old while 24 doesn't - strange, huh? She hits that mark before me in December ;) In 5-10 years we'll probably look back and say 'What were we thinking?! We were sooooo young back then!'
Elliot spent his first night away from home at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I've looked through the pictures and it looks like he had one heck of a time! I'm glad he does so well with his Grammy & Grampy & enjoys being with them. He got to ride around the drive-way on the lawn mower, took a stroller ride, played with the cats, got to swing in his new swing and is not best friends with Lucky. Apparently Lucky had a grand time licking his feet and Elliot was soaking it all up & giggling his head off.
Petey & I went to a wedding for some of our friends - Zeke & Abby. It was nice to be able to relax & not have to corral or quiet down a little one. We were BOTH able to have an actual conversation at the same time which has been rare lately. Elliot is an active little man & likes to be on the go all the time!
Sunday Amy came over to hang out & eat at The Cafe with us. It was delicious as always - YUM!! We made a random trip to Wal-Mart for caramel & light bulbs & then hung out at our place. We watch some Arrested Development and built stuff with Elliot's legos. Petey dug out some of our games so we played Blokus & Life - it was a great time. I even ended up winning Life!! That doesn't happen all that often........
Anndee came to see us too & it was great to sit & relax for awhile with her. My parents met us at Pizza Ranch for supper. Elliot was excited to see us although he wasn't sure who he wanted to see first: Mommy, Auntie Anndew or Daddy.....decisions, decisions. Mommy won though ;) We had a good meal & then PeteyPie had to head out. It was a little later than usual but he still made it to Dubuque by 10.
Elliot and I are taking off today. When, is still up for discussion ;) Our clothes are ready & most of his stuff is too but there are a few of the smaller details I've got to finish first.....
Thursday, June 25, 2009
22 weeks!
I was struggling to think of a title for today when I suddenly realized that today marks 22 weeks!! Haha...you'd think I'd be more on top of stuff like this.
Cupcake is as active as ever today. I think her daddy will even be able to feel her when he's home this weekend which I'm excited about. I'm waiting for the day that she gets Elliot when he's trying to climb me ;) That ought to be quite entertaining as he seems to think my rounded belly is a GREAT step to get where he wants.
I'm SO excited for tomorrow. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen my husband and I know Elliot misses his daddy, too. I'm so ready for someone else to be here to help me keep track of what he's getting into it. This past week he has really taken off on an adventurous streak which I knew was coming & it shouldn't surprise me but it's still annoying at times. This place isn't baby-proofed nearly as well as it should be. That will be our first order of business at our new place in August. Until then we'll just have to keep track of where and what he's getting himself into. Right now he's making it really hard to do anything on the computer because of his fascination with electrical cords - he keeps trying to yank out the power cord & now he's using my phone as a hammer to hit the back of the computer. You would never guess my son is into electronics would you? ;) He is truly his father's son!
I've been itching to get some scrapbooking done which means I've been putting off packing all of my stuff. I am so behind and I'm beginning to think I'll NEVER get caught up! I went into the office today with the hopes of getting something packed or at least get stuff organized enough to pack but Elliot was having none of that. He tried climbing on a chair but instead slipped and bonked his head which I'm sure didn't feel so hot but when he fell he noticed the power strip under the computer desk. *sigh* He was then determined to get to that which meant I spent more time keeping him away from electrocution than accomplishing anything. So once again another day is going to pass without me getting much of anything truly accomplished. I am really struggling because I'm not allowed and don't feel good enough (usually) to get much of anything done around here. I spend most of my time with Elliot but there is SO much that needs to be packed & the time is going by way too fast! We've really got to get our butts in gear so we can get out of here at the end of July!
I think Elliot is going to have his first night away from Mommy & Daddy this weekend. This is a big step for me as I've kept him so close this past year. A lot of it had to do with him being early & the need to keep him away from germs & what not. But, it's time for a break BIG time! He's been driving me nuts lately and I'm exhausted which is not a happy combination. My parents have agreed to take him for a night for us this weekend. It will be so strange to actually sleep through the night except for those times I have to pee ;) He LOVES his Grammy & Grampy though & I'm sure he'll do just fine & have a BLAST! He probably won't even notice Petey or I aren't there......haha.
Cupcake is as active as ever today. I think her daddy will even be able to feel her when he's home this weekend which I'm excited about. I'm waiting for the day that she gets Elliot when he's trying to climb me ;) That ought to be quite entertaining as he seems to think my rounded belly is a GREAT step to get where he wants.
I'm SO excited for tomorrow. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen my husband and I know Elliot misses his daddy, too. I'm so ready for someone else to be here to help me keep track of what he's getting into it. This past week he has really taken off on an adventurous streak which I knew was coming & it shouldn't surprise me but it's still annoying at times. This place isn't baby-proofed nearly as well as it should be. That will be our first order of business at our new place in August. Until then we'll just have to keep track of where and what he's getting himself into. Right now he's making it really hard to do anything on the computer because of his fascination with electrical cords - he keeps trying to yank out the power cord & now he's using my phone as a hammer to hit the back of the computer. You would never guess my son is into electronics would you? ;) He is truly his father's son!
I've been itching to get some scrapbooking done which means I've been putting off packing all of my stuff. I am so behind and I'm beginning to think I'll NEVER get caught up! I went into the office today with the hopes of getting something packed or at least get stuff organized enough to pack but Elliot was having none of that. He tried climbing on a chair but instead slipped and bonked his head which I'm sure didn't feel so hot but when he fell he noticed the power strip under the computer desk. *sigh* He was then determined to get to that which meant I spent more time keeping him away from electrocution than accomplishing anything. So once again another day is going to pass without me getting much of anything truly accomplished. I am really struggling because I'm not allowed and don't feel good enough (usually) to get much of anything done around here. I spend most of my time with Elliot but there is SO much that needs to be packed & the time is going by way too fast! We've really got to get our butts in gear so we can get out of here at the end of July!
I think Elliot is going to have his first night away from Mommy & Daddy this weekend. This is a big step for me as I've kept him so close this past year. A lot of it had to do with him being early & the need to keep him away from germs & what not. But, it's time for a break BIG time! He's been driving me nuts lately and I'm exhausted which is not a happy combination. My parents have agreed to take him for a night for us this weekend. It will be so strange to actually sleep through the night except for those times I have to pee ;) He LOVES his Grammy & Grampy though & I'm sure he'll do just fine & have a BLAST! He probably won't even notice Petey or I aren't there......haha.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Stress.................
is the word of the day. Or better yet it's the word of the summer. Some days I find it really hard to believe that I'm dreaming about those days at camp when I thought I was stressed. Those days now seem like an eternity ago & I realize how good (& easy) life really was then. Hopefully in a few years I can look back at this summer and think the same thing - only time will tell though I suppose.
We celebrated Elliot's 1st birthday on the 14th at Brookside Park here in Ames. We had a great time with lots of family and some friends and he got some awesome new toys. Since then he's been busy hopping from one toy to the next & "dancing" along with anything that plays music. We were fortunate to have great weather that day, too. That was a big relief as we had no back up plan if we got rained out. The thought of fitting over 40 people in our tiny apartment made me shudder!
On June 11 we found out we are having a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Petey & I had a hunch that that is what we were carrying but it has been confirmed. She was not shy in showing off what she was but we didn't get a great look at her face. Already she's acting like her brother in that regard..... She's an active little monkey though & I feel her moving almost ALL the time. She's also a strong one and can already pack quite a punch which makes me worried for how strong and hard those punches & kicks will be in a few weeks! I had another ultrasound yesterday and her head is still parked near my belly button and her feet are way down low which makes for some fun places to be kicked..... I have at least two more ultrasounds with the perinatologist's office & if everything is looking really good I probably will be able to just see my OB. I'm a little bummed about this - well more than a little - because I REALLY like Dr. Drake and her office in general. If she could be my doctor & I didn't have to worry about seeing anyone else I would be perfectly happy.
In other news:
-I miss my husband.
-I hate that we're living in two different places.
-Elliot still isn't sleepting through the night & he had a terrible night last night.
-My mom is doing radiation treatments daily in Ames which means they stay here every night.
-I feel queasy/nauseous after almost every meal. Some days are much better than others but I hate this feeling.
-October can't come fast enough - I'm ready for Cupcake to be here already.
-We won't be sharing our name choice before she is born - so DON'T ask!
-This heat could go away at any time and be replaced with 60-70 degree days - that would be fantastic!
- I really wish Bean lived with me. Since Bean can't I'd take almost any other cuddly cat/dog. I keep dropping hints that my birthday is Saturday & that I think this would be great - I'm not getting my hopes up though.
We celebrated Elliot's 1st birthday on the 14th at Brookside Park here in Ames. We had a great time with lots of family and some friends and he got some awesome new toys. Since then he's been busy hopping from one toy to the next & "dancing" along with anything that plays music. We were fortunate to have great weather that day, too. That was a big relief as we had no back up plan if we got rained out. The thought of fitting over 40 people in our tiny apartment made me shudder!
On June 11 we found out we are having a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Petey & I had a hunch that that is what we were carrying but it has been confirmed. She was not shy in showing off what she was but we didn't get a great look at her face. Already she's acting like her brother in that regard..... She's an active little monkey though & I feel her moving almost ALL the time. She's also a strong one and can already pack quite a punch which makes me worried for how strong and hard those punches & kicks will be in a few weeks! I had another ultrasound yesterday and her head is still parked near my belly button and her feet are way down low which makes for some fun places to be kicked..... I have at least two more ultrasounds with the perinatologist's office & if everything is looking really good I probably will be able to just see my OB. I'm a little bummed about this - well more than a little - because I REALLY like Dr. Drake and her office in general. If she could be my doctor & I didn't have to worry about seeing anyone else I would be perfectly happy.
In other news:
-I miss my husband.
-I hate that we're living in two different places.
-Elliot still isn't sleepting through the night & he had a terrible night last night.
-My mom is doing radiation treatments daily in Ames which means they stay here every night.
-I feel queasy/nauseous after almost every meal. Some days are much better than others but I hate this feeling.
-October can't come fast enough - I'm ready for Cupcake to be here already.
-We won't be sharing our name choice before she is born - so DON'T ask!
-This heat could go away at any time and be replaced with 60-70 degree days - that would be fantastic!
- I really wish Bean lived with me. Since Bean can't I'd take almost any other cuddly cat/dog. I keep dropping hints that my birthday is Saturday & that I think this would be great - I'm not getting my hopes up though.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
It's been awhile
I realize and admit this blog has been ignored and put on the back burner lately. Life feels as if it has taken off and is pulling me in every possible direction which has taught me how un-stretchy I am! ;)
My little boy is 1! I can hardly believe it's been more than a year since he was born, more than a year since I spent all that time in the hospital, and more than a year since that NICU journey began. He truly is amazing and is a huge blessing although some days it's hard to remember that all the time. Being a mommy is tough but I do love it & I can't imagine him not being here and not being mine. Elliot is crawling like a pro all over the place and is walking along furniture with more and more bravery everyday. Soon he'll be running all over the place and I know I'm not ready for that! Last week he learned how to do stairs out of the blue & gave me a near heartattack! I had gone to the bathroom & when I came back he was up to the 4th or 5th step - whoa!
I am currently 20 weeks pregnant and will be heading for an ultrasound later this afternoon. Fortunately Petey will actually get to be there with me as his boss gave him half of today & all of tomorrow off. We're both excited and hopeful that we'll be able to find out what we're having. Today will also be the start of serial ultrasounds - these will happen every two weeks unless my doctor feels they need to be more frequent. I've been feeling pretty good this time around although some things have definitely been different. I've already been a bit uncomfortable at night and I know it will only continue to get worse.
Breast cancer has struck close to home again. My grandma dealt with it about 7 years ago & came out on top :) Last month my mom was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ which is actually a pre-cancerous condition but must be treated as though it is cancer or it will become cancer. After meeting with her doctor's in Fort Dodge her & my dad decided to get a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN which is one of the best medical centers in this part of the country. Before heading up there she was planning on having a double mastectomy to stop this nasty business from growing anymore. But, after meeting with a team of doctors they have decided that radiation & tamoxifin are the best course of action right now. She will be doing her radiation treatments in Ames so we'll get to see more of her & my dad.
BC has also struck a woman I respect very much named Julie. We have gotten to know each other through iVillage. She was also on bedrest & had her son about two weeks after Elliot. She's amazingly strong and, like my mom, will kick this disease to the curb.
Petey's internship is going well and he seems to enjoy it. Elliot and I went to see him at work & met his boss. Elliot loved it there once he found some toys to play with ;) The next day we went back for lunch with him and Elliot was much happier since there were women there. He really is a ladies man!
I would love to update more on our lives and could probably type all day but Mr. Elliot has an appointment I must get ready to go to. If I have a chance I'll be back tonight to update on what we're having!!!
My little boy is 1! I can hardly believe it's been more than a year since he was born, more than a year since I spent all that time in the hospital, and more than a year since that NICU journey began. He truly is amazing and is a huge blessing although some days it's hard to remember that all the time. Being a mommy is tough but I do love it & I can't imagine him not being here and not being mine. Elliot is crawling like a pro all over the place and is walking along furniture with more and more bravery everyday. Soon he'll be running all over the place and I know I'm not ready for that! Last week he learned how to do stairs out of the blue & gave me a near heartattack! I had gone to the bathroom & when I came back he was up to the 4th or 5th step - whoa!
I am currently 20 weeks pregnant and will be heading for an ultrasound later this afternoon. Fortunately Petey will actually get to be there with me as his boss gave him half of today & all of tomorrow off. We're both excited and hopeful that we'll be able to find out what we're having. Today will also be the start of serial ultrasounds - these will happen every two weeks unless my doctor feels they need to be more frequent. I've been feeling pretty good this time around although some things have definitely been different. I've already been a bit uncomfortable at night and I know it will only continue to get worse.
Breast cancer has struck close to home again. My grandma dealt with it about 7 years ago & came out on top :) Last month my mom was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ which is actually a pre-cancerous condition but must be treated as though it is cancer or it will become cancer. After meeting with her doctor's in Fort Dodge her & my dad decided to get a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN which is one of the best medical centers in this part of the country. Before heading up there she was planning on having a double mastectomy to stop this nasty business from growing anymore. But, after meeting with a team of doctors they have decided that radiation & tamoxifin are the best course of action right now. She will be doing her radiation treatments in Ames so we'll get to see more of her & my dad.
BC has also struck a woman I respect very much named Julie. We have gotten to know each other through iVillage. She was also on bedrest & had her son about two weeks after Elliot. She's amazingly strong and, like my mom, will kick this disease to the curb.
Petey's internship is going well and he seems to enjoy it. Elliot and I went to see him at work & met his boss. Elliot loved it there once he found some toys to play with ;) The next day we went back for lunch with him and Elliot was much happier since there were women there. He really is a ladies man!
I would love to update more on our lives and could probably type all day but Mr. Elliot has an appointment I must get ready to go to. If I have a chance I'll be back tonight to update on what we're having!!!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
16 weeks!
I am officially 16 weeks pregnant as of today. This pregnancy seems to be going soooo slow. I just want this new little one to be here already although I have a feeling I'll be eating my words in a few months when he/she actually IS here ;)
Life has really taken off and gotten completely crazy in the last week and a half or so. Petey is finished with finals which was a huge relief. This was one of his hardest semesters and he did SO well - all A's!!!!!!!! I'm so proud of my hubby and glad he has the brain to do the stuff he does because I certainly do not.
For the better part of this semester we've been stressing and worried about him getting an internship. Apparently being a brainiac doesn't necessarily translate into being wanted by lots of people. I was disappointed for him although I'm not really sure what/how he was thinking or feeling.
During finals week he was contacted by a small company in Dubuque. He had a phone interview & was told he would need to have another one with the electrical engineer but the EE that consults for these people was satisfied with the initial interview & his resume. On Friday, the last day of finals, he was actually offered the position! It was an AWESOME day :) We were in Dubuque that night to try to find some places to live this summer. We didn't have too much luck so we went back Monday. That was a lot of driving and being in the car for Mr. Elliot but he was a pretty good liitle trooper. Monday was one of the most stressful days we've ever dealt with but we think we found a place to live for 3 months. It is only an efficiency apartment so it will be VERY cozy & it will be interesting with Elliot being on a different slep schedule than us but we think we can make it work. Odds are Elliot and I will be spending a lot of time in Ames during May/June but July will mostly be spent in Dubuque hopefully.
In other news we signed a new lease on a place for this fall. We can officially get our keys on July 31 at 3 p.m. We made the decision to move out of our current place & get away from our smoking, loud, obnoxious neighbors. I think it will be a bit bittersweet as this was Elliot's first home but I'll get over it. Our new place isn't a lot bigger but the layout is nicer & it's all on one floor so we won't be losing square footage with the stairs. It's also a 1st floor unit which means NO stairs for my big ol' pregnant self when I get farther along :) So, we'll have a lot of shuffling stuff around this summer but hopefully it will be worth it in the end!
Tuesday I had another appt. with my OB practice. I got to meet Dr. Bellaire this time & while I did like her I must admit that I liked Dr. Shaw even better. Everything checked out fine though which was a relief. Blood pressure was 118/72 & I had lost 3lb. Baby is doing great too with a heartrate of 160 b.p.m. & is measuring two weeks ahead already. I hope this doesn't mean that we'll be having a GIANT baby........
I did my first glucose tolerance test to test for gestational diabetes. Dr. Shaw wanted me to do it early since I had gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy. I actually got a choice this time on what to drink which was awesome. I passed on the nasty orange drink & went with lemon-lime - definitely a good choice! Last time it didn't make me feel sick but this time I felt a bit queasy after a bit. BUT....I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to score under 140 and the nurse called yesterday & told me my number was 117. I was SO stoked :) Petey & I went out to celebrate with a blizzard from DQ but now it's back to my diet so that I can hopefully avoid the diagnosis at 24 or 28 weeks when they have me repeat the test. At least now I can cheat a little bit and not feel too guilty.
Life has really taken off and gotten completely crazy in the last week and a half or so. Petey is finished with finals which was a huge relief. This was one of his hardest semesters and he did SO well - all A's!!!!!!!! I'm so proud of my hubby and glad he has the brain to do the stuff he does because I certainly do not.
For the better part of this semester we've been stressing and worried about him getting an internship. Apparently being a brainiac doesn't necessarily translate into being wanted by lots of people. I was disappointed for him although I'm not really sure what/how he was thinking or feeling.
During finals week he was contacted by a small company in Dubuque. He had a phone interview & was told he would need to have another one with the electrical engineer but the EE that consults for these people was satisfied with the initial interview & his resume. On Friday, the last day of finals, he was actually offered the position! It was an AWESOME day :) We were in Dubuque that night to try to find some places to live this summer. We didn't have too much luck so we went back Monday. That was a lot of driving and being in the car for Mr. Elliot but he was a pretty good liitle trooper. Monday was one of the most stressful days we've ever dealt with but we think we found a place to live for 3 months. It is only an efficiency apartment so it will be VERY cozy & it will be interesting with Elliot being on a different slep schedule than us but we think we can make it work. Odds are Elliot and I will be spending a lot of time in Ames during May/June but July will mostly be spent in Dubuque hopefully.
In other news we signed a new lease on a place for this fall. We can officially get our keys on July 31 at 3 p.m. We made the decision to move out of our current place & get away from our smoking, loud, obnoxious neighbors. I think it will be a bit bittersweet as this was Elliot's first home but I'll get over it. Our new place isn't a lot bigger but the layout is nicer & it's all on one floor so we won't be losing square footage with the stairs. It's also a 1st floor unit which means NO stairs for my big ol' pregnant self when I get farther along :) So, we'll have a lot of shuffling stuff around this summer but hopefully it will be worth it in the end!
Tuesday I had another appt. with my OB practice. I got to meet Dr. Bellaire this time & while I did like her I must admit that I liked Dr. Shaw even better. Everything checked out fine though which was a relief. Blood pressure was 118/72 & I had lost 3lb. Baby is doing great too with a heartrate of 160 b.p.m. & is measuring two weeks ahead already. I hope this doesn't mean that we'll be having a GIANT baby........
I did my first glucose tolerance test to test for gestational diabetes. Dr. Shaw wanted me to do it early since I had gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy. I actually got a choice this time on what to drink which was awesome. I passed on the nasty orange drink & went with lemon-lime - definitely a good choice! Last time it didn't make me feel sick but this time I felt a bit queasy after a bit. BUT....I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to score under 140 and the nurse called yesterday & told me my number was 117. I was SO stoked :) Petey & I went out to celebrate with a blizzard from DQ but now it's back to my diet so that I can hopefully avoid the diagnosis at 24 or 28 weeks when they have me repeat the test. At least now I can cheat a little bit and not feel too guilty.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Just Another Day in Paradise :)
Elliot and I spent most of the day together while Daddy was on campus studying and taking a final. Elliot is still in love with electrical cords which is a nasty little habit we have been trying to break for awhile. I think we will be trying to break this habit for a long time to come because he is SO proud of himself when he gets a hold of one.
Elliot is ALL over the place. Today he really started actually crawling. He's been getting up on all fours for a good 1.5-2 months now. For the past couple/few weeks he's been scooting around. The other day he used his elbows to drag the rest of his body around - SO FUNNY! But now he seems to have figured out how to coordinate those arms & legs together. He is also pulling himself up on anything he can reach and grabbing whatever is within his sticky little grasp. He also knows how to manipulate Mommy into picking him up when she's using the computer (another favorite). He'll pull himself up to the couch & give me his 'I'm SOOO cute' face or just smile and giggle until I pick him up so he can watch what I'm doing. Tonight he started licking his Daddy's leg when the same tricks didn't work on him.
Yogurt is the latest hit as far as food goes in this house for Elliot. Mommy has been sticking to her diabetic diet pretty well although it feels like it's been longer than a week. Seriously, how many different ways can you cook eggs in the morning? ;) I'm making some egg bake tonight or tomorrow so that will switch things up a bit.
I can't believe I'm almost 15 weeks - CRAZY! Nine more weeks until we hit the viability stage and 18 weeks until I hit the point were I delivered last time. Or on the most positive of notes 22 weeks until I reach full term status (37 weeks!) I've been feeling good for the most part lately although I'm still dealing with nausea and food aversions which are pretty strong at times. I also can't handle certain smells which is why I no longer do the dishes - not that I did them all that often before to be honest ;) Sometimes I'm not sure how I make it through some of Elliot's diaper changes - yuck, that kid sure can make a stench.
Petey had an interview this afternoon with a small company in Dubuque. The phone interview lasted quite awhile and he said it went really well so there is still hope for an internship this summer! Thursday night he is supposed to have another interview with an electrical engineer and then he'll hopefully hear more positive news from them after that. The project he would work on sounds pretty cool & right up his alley
Elliot is ALL over the place. Today he really started actually crawling. He's been getting up on all fours for a good 1.5-2 months now. For the past couple/few weeks he's been scooting around. The other day he used his elbows to drag the rest of his body around - SO FUNNY! But now he seems to have figured out how to coordinate those arms & legs together. He is also pulling himself up on anything he can reach and grabbing whatever is within his sticky little grasp. He also knows how to manipulate Mommy into picking him up when she's using the computer (another favorite). He'll pull himself up to the couch & give me his 'I'm SOOO cute' face or just smile and giggle until I pick him up so he can watch what I'm doing. Tonight he started licking his Daddy's leg when the same tricks didn't work on him.
Yogurt is the latest hit as far as food goes in this house for Elliot. Mommy has been sticking to her diabetic diet pretty well although it feels like it's been longer than a week. Seriously, how many different ways can you cook eggs in the morning? ;) I'm making some egg bake tonight or tomorrow so that will switch things up a bit.
I can't believe I'm almost 15 weeks - CRAZY! Nine more weeks until we hit the viability stage and 18 weeks until I hit the point were I delivered last time. Or on the most positive of notes 22 weeks until I reach full term status (37 weeks!) I've been feeling good for the most part lately although I'm still dealing with nausea and food aversions which are pretty strong at times. I also can't handle certain smells which is why I no longer do the dishes - not that I did them all that often before to be honest ;) Sometimes I'm not sure how I make it through some of Elliot's diaper changes - yuck, that kid sure can make a stench.
Petey had an interview this afternoon with a small company in Dubuque. The phone interview lasted quite awhile and he said it went really well so there is still hope for an internship this summer! Thursday night he is supposed to have another interview with an electrical engineer and then he'll hopefully hear more positive news from them after that. The project he would work on sounds pretty cool & right up his alley
Friday, May 1, 2009
ANTHEM
Last night Petey and I took Elliot to ANTHEM at Cornerstone church. We weren't sure if he would be ok with it since we knew it would be loud but he LOVED it! It was also pretty close to his bedtime but he took super long naps yesterday so he was ready to go! There was a lady behind us with three kids so when he got bored with the music he would watch them and was so excited. Elliot was dancing around and kicking to the beat and he had this huge smile on his face :) He loved the drums the most and we think we might have a future rock-star on our hands. He was also super persnickety about which one of us held him. Apparently I didn't hold him up high enough to be able to see anything so Daddy had to keep him up on his shoulder ;) Our friend Mish was there but we missed my cousin Jess. Our friend Jesse was in the band so it was great to see him playing/singing again - he has an AMAZING voice!
This weekend we're headed to my parents place for a big garage sale this weekend. My mom, LeAnn & LaVonne are having one at my grandparent's house but I'm hoping we'll be able to sneak away and do some shopping of our own and maybe we'll find some awesome bargains!
This weekend we're headed to my parents place for a big garage sale this weekend. My mom, LeAnn & LaVonne are having one at my grandparent's house but I'm hoping we'll be able to sneak away and do some shopping of our own and maybe we'll find some awesome bargains!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I LOVE my perinatologist :)
Yesterday I had my first perinatologist appointment. My mom went with me so that I would have someone to corral and entertain Elliot.
First of all we had an interesting time finding the correct place to go. We got to the parking ramp just fine and fortunately a nice old man with a limo of a golfcart offered us a ride to the elevator. He directed us to right place. Of course we then went to the wrong floor before finally finding the doctor's office - it was an adventure!
Elliot was doing some serious flirting in the office. EVERY woman there came to say hello to him and he was soaking up every ounce of their attention. He was super well behaved so I can't complain and I love his smile as much as anyone else.
I had an ultrasound before meeting with my doctor. We did get a guess at the gender but I won't be divulging that information for a few more weeks when it is either confirmed or we switch teams. Baby was SUPER active though doing somersaults, waving, kicking, etc. It was a lot of fun to watch him/her being so squirmy. Baby was moving so much the tech had a hard time getting the heartrate and had to have me come back into the room so she could get it ;)
I LOVED Dr. Drake. She is awesome! We had a good discussion about my risks with this pregnancy. She is going to continue to see me along with my regular OB office. She said she is going to consider me high risk for three reasons: 1) my previous pregnancy complications & the fact they are unexplained, 2) having two pregnancies so close together and 3) my high probability of having gestational diabetes again.
I am on a diabetic diet to try and fool my body into thinking it won't happen again. I can only hope that it will work! I'm also supposed to keep my body from getting stressed out and I'm not allowed to push anything or pick up anything more than Elliot.
It's a little scary to realize how dangerous being pregnant really is. Growing up and thinking about having a family no little girl thinks she'll have problems or worries about her baby coming early and being stuck in the hospital.
Dr. Drake guaranteed me I will not be going overdue which is totally fine with me! She also told me that our goal is to get us a "take home baby". I almost starting crying - that is what I want almost more than anything else. I want to know what it's like to be discharged with a healthy baby that I can take home with me when I go home.
First of all we had an interesting time finding the correct place to go. We got to the parking ramp just fine and fortunately a nice old man with a limo of a golfcart offered us a ride to the elevator. He directed us to right place. Of course we then went to the wrong floor before finally finding the doctor's office - it was an adventure!
Elliot was doing some serious flirting in the office. EVERY woman there came to say hello to him and he was soaking up every ounce of their attention. He was super well behaved so I can't complain and I love his smile as much as anyone else.
I had an ultrasound before meeting with my doctor. We did get a guess at the gender but I won't be divulging that information for a few more weeks when it is either confirmed or we switch teams. Baby was SUPER active though doing somersaults, waving, kicking, etc. It was a lot of fun to watch him/her being so squirmy. Baby was moving so much the tech had a hard time getting the heartrate and had to have me come back into the room so she could get it ;)
I LOVED Dr. Drake. She is awesome! We had a good discussion about my risks with this pregnancy. She is going to continue to see me along with my regular OB office. She said she is going to consider me high risk for three reasons: 1) my previous pregnancy complications & the fact they are unexplained, 2) having two pregnancies so close together and 3) my high probability of having gestational diabetes again.
I am on a diabetic diet to try and fool my body into thinking it won't happen again. I can only hope that it will work! I'm also supposed to keep my body from getting stressed out and I'm not allowed to push anything or pick up anything more than Elliot.
It's a little scary to realize how dangerous being pregnant really is. Growing up and thinking about having a family no little girl thinks she'll have problems or worries about her baby coming early and being stuck in the hospital.
Dr. Drake guaranteed me I will not be going overdue which is totally fine with me! She also told me that our goal is to get us a "take home baby". I almost starting crying - that is what I want almost more than anything else. I want to know what it's like to be discharged with a healthy baby that I can take home with me when I go home.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Catch-Up
I need to play catch-up with my blog ;)
This past weekend we actually got to be at home! It was awesome to not be super busy and to be in our own space. My mom did come Friday night and stayed until Saturday afternoon. We went through a TON of stuff and got rid of a lot for the big garage sale the first weekend of May. We both agreed that whatever left this house was NOT allowed to come back in! Our closet has so much more room now and we can actually store some of that stuff that has been taking up much needed living space.
But all this space will probably be short lived as we have another little person that will be living her in October. We're still trying to figure out the best way to re-arrange our bedroom to fit the crib. I want to be able to "do up" a corner for him/her. I feel bad that this new baby won't get their own room all decorated and personalized. Not that he/she will necessarily care but I do ;)
I'm still flip-flopping on what I want more: another boy or a little girl. Of course I have zero say in what it is as that is already decided but I still have my thoughts on the issue. ;)
Friday Petey & I went to the Electrical & Computer Engineering Awards Gala. It was the 100th anniversary so it was a pretty big deal. I met a few of his professors and some of his friends so now I can at least put a name to a face when he talks about these people. Some of the professors were at our table so we were able to talk some more with them. Petey was given a scholarship - I can't remember off the top of my head which one though...... They also had a former electrical engineer turned comedian there to wrap up the night. He was HILARIOUS!!
Saturday we finally made it back to Cornerstone. The last couple months we've been going to church wherever we happened to be for the weekend. It was Elliot's first time in the nursery, too. We've avoided putting him in the nursery, especially during cold/flu season, because of his higher risk of picking up germs. It paid off as he hasn't been sick this winter! Anyway, he LOVED it & had zero separation anxiety. He was so excited that mommy was actually letting him go with the lady he was flirting with! He was happy to see us afterward but he really didn't want to leave. He kept trying to climb over Petey's shoulder & see what was going on back there....it was pretty funny! He also got to eat some Cheerios while he was with them & apparently he LOVED them :) (we told them it was ok beforehand - no worries!)
Sunday morning Petey got up with Elliot - what a great hubby! Anyway, I woke up at 8 & freaked out because I thought Petey was going to have to leave for school. I rushed downstairs to find him lounging on the couch half dressed. Turns out I was convinced it was Monday & that he had to go to school BUT it was only Sunday. As soon as I realized that I trekked right back up to bed until 11:30 - it was FANTASTIC. We spent the rest of the day watching Lord of the Rings and vegging out. It POURED buckets here and I got soaked leaving Target - oh well. Elliot slept through the thunderstorms though so I can't complain too much!
Whew...sorry this got super duper long. Oh well.
This past weekend we actually got to be at home! It was awesome to not be super busy and to be in our own space. My mom did come Friday night and stayed until Saturday afternoon. We went through a TON of stuff and got rid of a lot for the big garage sale the first weekend of May. We both agreed that whatever left this house was NOT allowed to come back in! Our closet has so much more room now and we can actually store some of that stuff that has been taking up much needed living space.
But all this space will probably be short lived as we have another little person that will be living her in October. We're still trying to figure out the best way to re-arrange our bedroom to fit the crib. I want to be able to "do up" a corner for him/her. I feel bad that this new baby won't get their own room all decorated and personalized. Not that he/she will necessarily care but I do ;)
I'm still flip-flopping on what I want more: another boy or a little girl. Of course I have zero say in what it is as that is already decided but I still have my thoughts on the issue. ;)
Friday Petey & I went to the Electrical & Computer Engineering Awards Gala. It was the 100th anniversary so it was a pretty big deal. I met a few of his professors and some of his friends so now I can at least put a name to a face when he talks about these people. Some of the professors were at our table so we were able to talk some more with them. Petey was given a scholarship - I can't remember off the top of my head which one though...... They also had a former electrical engineer turned comedian there to wrap up the night. He was HILARIOUS!!
Saturday we finally made it back to Cornerstone. The last couple months we've been going to church wherever we happened to be for the weekend. It was Elliot's first time in the nursery, too. We've avoided putting him in the nursery, especially during cold/flu season, because of his higher risk of picking up germs. It paid off as he hasn't been sick this winter! Anyway, he LOVED it & had zero separation anxiety. He was so excited that mommy was actually letting him go with the lady he was flirting with! He was happy to see us afterward but he really didn't want to leave. He kept trying to climb over Petey's shoulder & see what was going on back there....it was pretty funny! He also got to eat some Cheerios while he was with them & apparently he LOVED them :) (we told them it was ok beforehand - no worries!)
Sunday morning Petey got up with Elliot - what a great hubby! Anyway, I woke up at 8 & freaked out because I thought Petey was going to have to leave for school. I rushed downstairs to find him lounging on the couch half dressed. Turns out I was convinced it was Monday & that he had to go to school BUT it was only Sunday. As soon as I realized that I trekked right back up to bed until 11:30 - it was FANTASTIC. We spent the rest of the day watching Lord of the Rings and vegging out. It POURED buckets here and I got soaked leaving Target - oh well. Elliot slept through the thunderstorms though so I can't complain too much!
Whew...sorry this got super duper long. Oh well.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Half-way
I am halfway to the point of where I entered the hospital last time. Crazy to think that this could be the halfway point for some women. Just when you are starting to feel and look more pregnant. It's crazy and awesome and wonderful how far modern medicine has come that a baby can survive and thrive even when born at such an early point in pregnancy. Of course this time I am planning to make it past 26 weeks. In fact I'm planning to make it past 28, 30, 34, 36 weeks of pregnancy.
BUT, I also know that the even the best laid plans can be squashed almost instantly. Kids, and babies in particular, can change things SO fast. The quote from Charles Osgood that reads "Babies are more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful." is soooooo true. Despite all the trouble with being pregnant with Elliot and those long, stressful days since he's been born he's worth ALL of it. I love to hold him & cuddle him while he sleeps. I know I should lay him down but he's so peaceful & he loves cuddling with mommy so much that I don't have the heart to put him down all alone. Call me a pushover if you must but he's too darn precious! ;)
I had my first prenatal appointment with Dr. Shaw on April 14. Cracker's heartrate was 164 b.p.m. Dr. Shaw tried to scare me into thinking we'd have problems with my blood pressure since I'm heavier than the average gal. I almost laughed at her though. My b.p. was 122/80 - kind of high for me actually but I was nervous & what not since it was my first time there & I had the dreaded pap smear forthcoming. We had a very frank discussion about my risks this time around. She makes it sound as if I am at a MUCH higher risk of having these complications happen again whereas most other doctors have told me that my risk is higher but the odds of it happening twice are still low. I guess we just wait to see......
At my next appointment I will do my first glucose tolerance test (yuck) and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully I pass. I don't want to deal with that diet for a super long time although being out of the hospital I will have much more options for meals AND I'll be able to exercise! I was referred to a perinatologist for a consultation. That appointment is April 28. I'm kind of looking forward to it so I can hear what he/she has to say and what the plan is. I have no idea if I'll continue to go there throughout this pregnancy or it this is just a consultation. I guess we'll have to see.
Elliot is keeping us busier than ever! He's rolling all over the room to get what he wants and getting into everything he shouldn't. He LOVES electrical cords which is scary so we have to keep our eyes on him all the time! He also loves cell phones & the remote. Elliot is almost crawling - SO CLOSE! He's also pulling himself up on whatever he can get his paws on. This morning he kept standing up in his crib & giving me a very pleased, proud look ;) He broke two new teeth through this past weekend but he's still working on more.....oy!
BUT, I also know that the even the best laid plans can be squashed almost instantly. Kids, and babies in particular, can change things SO fast. The quote from Charles Osgood that reads "Babies are more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful." is soooooo true. Despite all the trouble with being pregnant with Elliot and those long, stressful days since he's been born he's worth ALL of it. I love to hold him & cuddle him while he sleeps. I know I should lay him down but he's so peaceful & he loves cuddling with mommy so much that I don't have the heart to put him down all alone. Call me a pushover if you must but he's too darn precious! ;)
I had my first prenatal appointment with Dr. Shaw on April 14. Cracker's heartrate was 164 b.p.m. Dr. Shaw tried to scare me into thinking we'd have problems with my blood pressure since I'm heavier than the average gal. I almost laughed at her though. My b.p. was 122/80 - kind of high for me actually but I was nervous & what not since it was my first time there & I had the dreaded pap smear forthcoming. We had a very frank discussion about my risks this time around. She makes it sound as if I am at a MUCH higher risk of having these complications happen again whereas most other doctors have told me that my risk is higher but the odds of it happening twice are still low. I guess we just wait to see......
At my next appointment I will do my first glucose tolerance test (yuck) and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully I pass. I don't want to deal with that diet for a super long time although being out of the hospital I will have much more options for meals AND I'll be able to exercise! I was referred to a perinatologist for a consultation. That appointment is April 28. I'm kind of looking forward to it so I can hear what he/she has to say and what the plan is. I have no idea if I'll continue to go there throughout this pregnancy or it this is just a consultation. I guess we'll have to see.
Elliot is keeping us busier than ever! He's rolling all over the room to get what he wants and getting into everything he shouldn't. He LOVES electrical cords which is scary so we have to keep our eyes on him all the time! He also loves cell phones & the remote. Elliot is almost crawling - SO CLOSE! He's also pulling himself up on whatever he can get his paws on. This morning he kept standing up in his crib & giving me a very pleased, proud look ;) He broke two new teeth through this past weekend but he's still working on more.....oy!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Wow!
Whoa....two posts in ONE day?! Who would have thought....it's definitely a record for me!
I spent a good chunk of time reading through our CaringBridge site today. It was a bit emotional at times especially reading those posts about those really rocky nights when we weren't sure whether or not Elliot was going to make his appearance. Sometimes I find it hard to believe it was actually ME that went through all of that and that it was my son who was poked, prodded and hooked up to all those machines.
It made me realize how truly and completely blessed I am. I have a beautiful little boy who shows no sign of being effected by his preemie status or the conditions he developed in in utero. I have a wonderful, dedicated husband who I love with all my heart. He thinks I'm a bit nutty now but I can't say as though I blame him ;) We're also expecting our second blessing this fall - who could ask for anything better? I've realized how lucky I am to be able to get pregnant and to have babies. After spending time on iVillage and getting to know several ladies who have spent YEARS trying to conceive I no longer take for granted my...ummm...gift of fertility. (not sure how else to say that!)
We heard some very sad news tonight though. Alex & Wanda emailed us and told us that they had to put Timmy to sleep today. His cancer had really taken over and he was suffering pretty badly. I know he's not hurting anymore and that that is a good thing BUT it's still really sad that he will no longer be a part of our family. He was a great dog and we will all miss him very much!
I hope everyone has had a great April Fool's Day but that you weren't "gotten" by anyone! I heard some of the tricks people played and I was surprised at how cruel and evil some of them were. I always thought this day was supposed to be for light-hearted jokes on people - not mean stuff! I guess I'm just naive though but as far as this day goes I'd like to stay that way!
I spent a good chunk of time reading through our CaringBridge site today. It was a bit emotional at times especially reading those posts about those really rocky nights when we weren't sure whether or not Elliot was going to make his appearance. Sometimes I find it hard to believe it was actually ME that went through all of that and that it was my son who was poked, prodded and hooked up to all those machines.
It made me realize how truly and completely blessed I am. I have a beautiful little boy who shows no sign of being effected by his preemie status or the conditions he developed in in utero. I have a wonderful, dedicated husband who I love with all my heart. He thinks I'm a bit nutty now but I can't say as though I blame him ;) We're also expecting our second blessing this fall - who could ask for anything better? I've realized how lucky I am to be able to get pregnant and to have babies. After spending time on iVillage and getting to know several ladies who have spent YEARS trying to conceive I no longer take for granted my...ummm...gift of fertility. (not sure how else to say that!)
We heard some very sad news tonight though. Alex & Wanda emailed us and told us that they had to put Timmy to sleep today. His cancer had really taken over and he was suffering pretty badly. I know he's not hurting anymore and that that is a good thing BUT it's still really sad that he will no longer be a part of our family. He was a great dog and we will all miss him very much!
I hope everyone has had a great April Fool's Day but that you weren't "gotten" by anyone! I heard some of the tricks people played and I was surprised at how cruel and evil some of them were. I always thought this day was supposed to be for light-hearted jokes on people - not mean stuff! I guess I'm just naive though but as far as this day goes I'd like to stay that way!
10 Weeks
Wow! I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since we found out we were expecting again. If the swiftness of the past few weeks is any indicator this pregnancy is going to FLY by! And to be honest that is just fine with me. With Elliot I was so excited to experience everything related to pregnancy even the uncomfortable parts. This time I just want the healthy baby at the end - I can do without the morning sickness, sciatic pain, fatigue, moodiness, etc. I am enjoying being pregnant though especially since I seem to have skipped the looking fat stage and went straight to having a belly! I just hope this belly doesn't keep growing and growing and growing at the rate it currently has....
On another note, I am going scrapbooking this weekend! I haven't been able to work on my scrapbooks much lately which is disappointing. I have SO much to catch up on. Our wedding album is nearing completion but I'm taking a break from that this weekend and starting on Elliot's book. I'm excited to scrapbook my precious little guy & remember all those special times from when he was super small. My mom apparently has the flu though so hopefully she can shake that so she isn't sick this weekend!
I would love to ramble and write some more but Elliot is finally asleep and there are some things that need my attention!
On another note, I am going scrapbooking this weekend! I haven't been able to work on my scrapbooks much lately which is disappointing. I have SO much to catch up on. Our wedding album is nearing completion but I'm taking a break from that this weekend and starting on Elliot's book. I'm excited to scrapbook my precious little guy & remember all those special times from when he was super small. My mom apparently has the flu though so hopefully she can shake that so she isn't sick this weekend!
I would love to ramble and write some more but Elliot is finally asleep and there are some things that need my attention!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Facebook Official
Tonight I made the fact that I'm pregnant 'Facebook Official' ;)
For some reason this seemed like a big deal to me - probably because it is a way to mass communicate and I knew that once it was out there there was no hiding it anymore. Not that I could hide this much longer anyway....I'm already HUGE or at least I feel that way. I'm 9 weeks today but I've already been wearing maternity pants for a couple weeks. My old pants did indeed fit but they were no where near as comfortable as my maternity pants! Why wear uncomfortable ones when the comfy ones are staring me in the face?!
Last Tuesday (3/17) we had our first prenatal appt. with a nurse. I had an ultrasound which was AWESOME! We saw a healthy little baby measuring EXACTLY where it should with a heartbeat of 170 beautiful b.p.m. :) Elliot was all about the machine though. He LOVED the keyboard that lit up and it beeped which made it seem like an even greater toy. When his daddy dashed those dreams he moved onto a nearby computer monitor. That dream was quickly dashed too - I'm pretty sure he thinks he has the meanest parents EVER! ;) Elliot really loved the nurse though so she kept him busy. It took us F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to get out of the office because he was too busy flirting and all the ladies were giving it right back to him.
Our due date is October 28. I am VERY nervous about this pregnancy and having complications again. I know they aren't guaranteed and that there is a good chance I will get through this home-free but I still worry! I've felt much, much sicker with this little one than I ever did with Elliot. Usually I'll feel hungry, crave something, eat something, feel incredibly sick afterward and then not be able to talk about the something for a couple days! I NEEDED bacon-cheeseburger pizza everyday the first couple weeks after I found out but now I can hardly mention it without feeling queasy. I feel like I've had about evey symptom I never felt with Elliot: metal mouth, nausea, SUPER frequent bathroom trips, the NEED to eat NOW, exhaustion like I never imagned possible...... But at least I can't forget I'm pregnant right?!
I'm a bit miffed that no one told me I could take Flinstone's vitamins last time. If I had known that I would not have spent 7 months chewing and choking down those NASTY prenatal vitamins. As soon as I found out we promptly bought a nice supply of YUMMY Flinstone vitamins. Now I don't cringe or need a pep talk to take my vitamins. I also don't have to make sure I have a strong chaser to cover the taste of the nasty ones ;)
Life is good now. Good-night and sorry for the rambly post.
For some reason this seemed like a big deal to me - probably because it is a way to mass communicate and I knew that once it was out there there was no hiding it anymore. Not that I could hide this much longer anyway....I'm already HUGE or at least I feel that way. I'm 9 weeks today but I've already been wearing maternity pants for a couple weeks. My old pants did indeed fit but they were no where near as comfortable as my maternity pants! Why wear uncomfortable ones when the comfy ones are staring me in the face?!
Last Tuesday (3/17) we had our first prenatal appt. with a nurse. I had an ultrasound which was AWESOME! We saw a healthy little baby measuring EXACTLY where it should with a heartbeat of 170 beautiful b.p.m. :) Elliot was all about the machine though. He LOVED the keyboard that lit up and it beeped which made it seem like an even greater toy. When his daddy dashed those dreams he moved onto a nearby computer monitor. That dream was quickly dashed too - I'm pretty sure he thinks he has the meanest parents EVER! ;) Elliot really loved the nurse though so she kept him busy. It took us F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to get out of the office because he was too busy flirting and all the ladies were giving it right back to him.
Our due date is October 28. I am VERY nervous about this pregnancy and having complications again. I know they aren't guaranteed and that there is a good chance I will get through this home-free but I still worry! I've felt much, much sicker with this little one than I ever did with Elliot. Usually I'll feel hungry, crave something, eat something, feel incredibly sick afterward and then not be able to talk about the something for a couple days! I NEEDED bacon-cheeseburger pizza everyday the first couple weeks after I found out but now I can hardly mention it without feeling queasy. I feel like I've had about evey symptom I never felt with Elliot: metal mouth, nausea, SUPER frequent bathroom trips, the NEED to eat NOW, exhaustion like I never imagned possible...... But at least I can't forget I'm pregnant right?!
I'm a bit miffed that no one told me I could take Flinstone's vitamins last time. If I had known that I would not have spent 7 months chewing and choking down those NASTY prenatal vitamins. As soon as I found out we promptly bought a nice supply of YUMMY Flinstone vitamins. Now I don't cringe or need a pep talk to take my vitamins. I also don't have to make sure I have a strong chaser to cover the taste of the nasty ones ;)
Life is good now. Good-night and sorry for the rambly post.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Another Day
That's what today has been....another day. It's actually been a pretty good day. I felt like I was back in the world of the living and Elliot was pretty happy, too. I was actually able to get down on the floor and play with him without feeling super sick or having to lunge after the box of kleenex to catch my nose!
I need to take some pictures of him being 9 months old - I've been a naughty mommy lately and haven't taken too many pictures mostly because I've felt so crappy. There are a LOT of stuff that we need to get done around here though in the next couple days. Petey is really busy finishing stuff up and working before spring break starts.
On the list of stuff to get done:
- Finish laundry (including folding it!)
- Put said laundry away
- Wash dishes and put those away
- De-clutter, de-clutter, DE-CLUTTER
- Figure out our plans for next week
- Clean bathrooms and kitchen again
I know most of this sounds like normal everyday stuff that should be done around a home but after being sick for over a week NOTHING got done so we've got a lot of catching up to do. Petey's parents will be here at the end of spring break so we would like our place to be clean and look nice for when they get here but we'll most likely be gone/busy a majority of the week so it needs to be done now. As long as Elliot is cooperative I know it will all be accomplished.
I need to take some pictures of him being 9 months old - I've been a naughty mommy lately and haven't taken too many pictures mostly because I've felt so crappy. There are a LOT of stuff that we need to get done around here though in the next couple days. Petey is really busy finishing stuff up and working before spring break starts.
On the list of stuff to get done:
- Finish laundry (including folding it!)
- Put said laundry away
- Wash dishes and put those away
- De-clutter, de-clutter, DE-CLUTTER
- Figure out our plans for next week
- Clean bathrooms and kitchen again
I know most of this sounds like normal everyday stuff that should be done around a home but after being sick for over a week NOTHING got done so we've got a lot of catching up to do. Petey's parents will be here at the end of spring break so we would like our place to be clean and look nice for when they get here but we'll most likely be gone/busy a majority of the week so it needs to be done now. As long as Elliot is cooperative I know it will all be accomplished.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Been awhile
Wow...it's been a while since I've showed my face on our blog. Shame shame, right? ;)
I've spent most of today on the couch with Mr. Elliot. I'm still battling this nasty crud I picked up from somewhere (ahem, Dad). Fortunately Elliot seems to have missed out on the flu/crud stuff Petey and I passed around last week. I'm glad the really nasty stuff only lasted about a day for each of us but it was bad while it lasted.
Elliot has been in a super clingy, must-have-mommy-at-all-times phase lately. He's getting used to the phrase "Mommy has to go potty" & then I tap on the bathroom door. He doesn't freak out when I do that but if I leave without saying that or saying anything else he gets upset even if he can still hear me. Silly boy.
Elliot has learned to pull himself up on his music table. He seems to really enjoy being on his knees but he's not so coordinated so once in awhile he bonks his head on it. He also really enjoys the 'page' that he can turn or chew on. He's also getting much, much better at being on all fours. He used to H.A.T.E. it so we're definitely happy with this turn of events. This past week he's even put himself there once or twice. Maybe there is hope of him crawling! ;)
Four more days of classes and then Petey is on SPRING BREAK! I'm so excited for him to have a break and to get to have some time together. We're hoping to get to Minnesota for a couple days to see some friends and relax. I really want to take Elliot to the zoo. I think he would love seeing all the animals in real life since he likes them in his books so much.
Elliot's been saying "ma ma ma ma ma" all the time now too. I can't decide if he knows that he's calling for me or if he's just talking to himself. Either way it's a lot of fun to hear!
I've spent most of today on the couch with Mr. Elliot. I'm still battling this nasty crud I picked up from somewhere (ahem, Dad). Fortunately Elliot seems to have missed out on the flu/crud stuff Petey and I passed around last week. I'm glad the really nasty stuff only lasted about a day for each of us but it was bad while it lasted.
Elliot has been in a super clingy, must-have-mommy-at-all-times phase lately. He's getting used to the phrase "Mommy has to go potty" & then I tap on the bathroom door. He doesn't freak out when I do that but if I leave without saying that or saying anything else he gets upset even if he can still hear me. Silly boy.
Elliot has learned to pull himself up on his music table. He seems to really enjoy being on his knees but he's not so coordinated so once in awhile he bonks his head on it. He also really enjoys the 'page' that he can turn or chew on. He's also getting much, much better at being on all fours. He used to H.A.T.E. it so we're definitely happy with this turn of events. This past week he's even put himself there once or twice. Maybe there is hope of him crawling! ;)
Four more days of classes and then Petey is on SPRING BREAK! I'm so excited for him to have a break and to get to have some time together. We're hoping to get to Minnesota for a couple days to see some friends and relax. I really want to take Elliot to the zoo. I think he would love seeing all the animals in real life since he likes them in his books so much.
Elliot's been saying "ma ma ma ma ma" all the time now too. I can't decide if he knows that he's calling for me or if he's just talking to himself. Either way it's a lot of fun to hear!
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