Date night....What is that?! Since having kids date night has not existed with Ryan and I. Which has been WAY TO LONG! We might go out here or there (probably less than 5 times since Carter was born), but now we are to the point where we NEED date night. So I turned to other women with kids the same ages as mine for some advice. And what I found is GENIUS! Project 52 Date Night. A date night once a week with dear hubby. This doesn't mean that we go out to an extravagant dinner every single week or spend a ton of money (that we don't have), but instead commit to time together even if it's at home after the kiddos go to bed.
Here is the link that was passed along to me: http://www.simplymodernmom.com/2009/12/project-52-date-nights/
We probably can't jump into a night every week right now so we'll try every 2 weeks first. So with the new year starting up, this will definitely be on the new year's resolution list. My list is small, I like to keep it simple and realistic. So my resolutions are:
1. Project 26 Date Night
2. Pay off all debt! (I am so close!)
3. Stay healthy (Work out when I can and eat healthy. I am not putting a number on weight loss here, that never works. I just want to feel great.)
3 simple goals this year. With working full time, being a Mom, a wife, and housekeeper I would hate to overload myself. 2011 is going to be a great year and maybe a year where we can settle into life a little bit and take a break from getting married, have 2 babies and buying a house in 3 years! We've loved every second of it (OK...most of them anyway), but I know I would love to take it easy for a year. Maybe go on vacation and enjoy a beach somewhere! :)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Avery's 2 month check up
Wow! 2 months already!
Avery's check up went really good. He is a big boy weighing in at 13.5 lbs! Which is in the 90th percentile. He is also a long baby 24", which is in the 75th percentile. This all explains why he is already fitting into 6 month clothes and even some 9 month! He got 4 vaccinations (3 shots and 1 oral), poor baby! We are going to be working harder at tummy time to strengthen his neck. Right now he absolutely hates it. I have to break it up into 3 or 4 mini sessions a day lasting only about 5 minutes each. We are also working on getting him on a schedule. Right now he eats and sleeps whenever, which doesn't work for me. He is really good at waking only once at night, but during the day he is a cat-napper. So we have started to do bath time, pajamas, and a feeding before bed time. The goal is that he catches on to this little routine and the rest of the day falls into place.
Everything else is going very well. Carter absolutely loves Avery and is a big helper. I can hardly wait until Avery is more aware and can interact with Carter. They are going to be best buds.
Avery's check up went really good. He is a big boy weighing in at 13.5 lbs! Which is in the 90th percentile. He is also a long baby 24", which is in the 75th percentile. This all explains why he is already fitting into 6 month clothes and even some 9 month! He got 4 vaccinations (3 shots and 1 oral), poor baby! We are going to be working harder at tummy time to strengthen his neck. Right now he absolutely hates it. I have to break it up into 3 or 4 mini sessions a day lasting only about 5 minutes each. We are also working on getting him on a schedule. Right now he eats and sleeps whenever, which doesn't work for me. He is really good at waking only once at night, but during the day he is a cat-napper. So we have started to do bath time, pajamas, and a feeding before bed time. The goal is that he catches on to this little routine and the rest of the day falls into place.
Everything else is going very well. Carter absolutely loves Avery and is a big helper. I can hardly wait until Avery is more aware and can interact with Carter. They are going to be best buds.
Friday, November 19, 2010
What have we been up to lately?
Well the past (almost) 2 months have been crazy around here. All in a good way though. Avery is a great baby, he does the normal eat, poop, sleep routine. Lately he has become more aware of everything around him. He is staying awake for longer periods and has started smiling. I just love his gummy grin it makes my day every time I see him smile. He gets up once during the night to eat, which isn't too bad. Right now he is still sleeping in mine and Ryan's room, but this weekend we will be moving him to his room and crib. I hope it's a smooth transition, fingers crossed!
Carter and Avery are doing well together. Carter absolutely loves "baby" (Carter will only call him baby, not Avery) and tries to hug and kiss him ALL the time. We have to remind him often not to kiss him on the face, but only on the top of his head. Carter has kind of tried to pick Avery up, but acts like Avery is too heavy and doesn't bother actually picking him up....the thought of him picking Avery up just freaks me out! Carter is learning all kinds of words these days and has even started putting some phrases together. His most popular phrases are: baby eating, baby crying, mommy milk (my cup regardless of what's actually in it), more milk please, big truck, and bye-bye big truck. His newest phrase (and most annoying to me) is "I want that." He is so smart and catches on very quick.
My hope for the last month of my maternity leave from work is that we can all get back on some sort of routine. We have been all over the place trying to adjust to life with 2 kids. It's been awesome having the time off and being able to spend the holidays at home. It will definitely be hard to go back at the end of December. That's one things I am NOT looking forward to...so as much as I would love for it to be Thanksgiving and Christmas, they can both take their time getting here!
Carter and Avery are doing well together. Carter absolutely loves "baby" (Carter will only call him baby, not Avery) and tries to hug and kiss him ALL the time. We have to remind him often not to kiss him on the face, but only on the top of his head. Carter has kind of tried to pick Avery up, but acts like Avery is too heavy and doesn't bother actually picking him up....the thought of him picking Avery up just freaks me out! Carter is learning all kinds of words these days and has even started putting some phrases together. His most popular phrases are: baby eating, baby crying, mommy milk (my cup regardless of what's actually in it), more milk please, big truck, and bye-bye big truck. His newest phrase (and most annoying to me) is "I want that." He is so smart and catches on very quick.
My hope for the last month of my maternity leave from work is that we can all get back on some sort of routine. We have been all over the place trying to adjust to life with 2 kids. It's been awesome having the time off and being able to spend the holidays at home. It will definitely be hard to go back at the end of December. That's one things I am NOT looking forward to...so as much as I would love for it to be Thanksgiving and Christmas, they can both take their time getting here!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Avery 2 weeks old
Thank you Danielle for your great work! I love the pictures you took of Avery. They came out perfect!
Avery's arrival
We welcomed Avery Jackson into the world on Sept. 26th. He decided that October just was not the month for him and to make his debut 1 week and 3 days early. We were all at home watching the Broncos game when I thought I felt my water leak or maybe I peed my pants! (Who knows when you're pregnant! Those kinds of things can happen!) I told Ryan about it and didn't think too much of it, until it happened again. Ryan said if it happened again maybe we should call the doctor. Of course right after that it happened again. So I started getting my bag ready and packing up a bag for Carter while Ryan called the doctor. Sure enough they sent us to Labor and Delivery at the hospital to get checked out. On the way to the hospital we dropped Carter and the dogs off with my Brother and Sister-In-Law. Once we got to the hospital they examined things and sure enough my water was leaking. I was not having consistent contractions which is not good once your water breaks. (They like for you to deliver the baby within 24 hours of your water breaking otherwise it can possibly lead to infection) The doctor ordered an ultrasound to ensure the baby was head down (even though the day before we had a ultrasound at our doctor appt and he was), once they determined that he was head down they decided to induce me with Pitocin to get the contractions going consistently. All of this happened around 6:00 p.m. I told the doctor that I would like to go without any medication for as long as possible, but the contractions started getting hard really fast.
Around 9:00 p.m. I asked for the epidural, I was about 4 cm dilated so I had a long way to go. The Anesthesiologist was available right away and came in to start the epidural. The first time he inserted it it hit a vein and caused the whole right side of my body to be very tingly. He said it would be less effective unless he re-did it! So he did it all over and things worked much better. About 9:30 p.m. I started feeling much better, only really feeling pressure not pain. Then around 10:00 I felt a lot of pressure and things just didn't feel right so I called the nurse. She examined things and sure enough I was at 9 cm and almost ready to push. She called the doctor and about 10:20 the doctor determined I was fully dilated and ready to have the baby. It took about 3 sets of pushes and Avery was born. In the process of Avery coming down the birth canal he got stuck for a moment. His arm was in front of his face and bruised it pretty badly. His eyes were purple and blue along with the bridge of his nose, his upper lip and his cheek bones.
We were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday the 28th. With all the bruising the doctors were very concerned with his Bilirubin levels (Jaundice). When bruises heal the blood cells are absorbed back into the body, in babies this can be difficult for their new little livers and kidneys to process and can cause very high levels of jaundice. In order to treat this the doctor ordered a UV bed for Avery to spend time in. We had the bed for 1 day and Avery's levels immediately started improving. He had his 2 week check up this past week and they tested his jaundice levels again and they were significantly lower than the first week of his life (6.9 compared to 16.6). He now weighs 8lbs. 15 oz. and is 22" tall which is also fantastic! I really can't believe that it has been almost 3 weeks since his arrival. I am enjoying my time off with him and Carter. I love that my time off is during the holidays...wish I never had to go back to work, but for now I will enjoy the time with my boys.
Carter is doing amazingly well with Avery. He still doesn't quite understand why Mommy spends so much time with the baby or how to be very gentle some times, but we are working on that. Carter loves giving him kisses and rubbing his head. Every morning he has to see the baby and give him kisses. He also tells the baby bye when he goes to daycare and "night night" when going to bed. They are going to be best friends, I just know it. :)
Around 9:00 p.m. I asked for the epidural, I was about 4 cm dilated so I had a long way to go. The Anesthesiologist was available right away and came in to start the epidural. The first time he inserted it it hit a vein and caused the whole right side of my body to be very tingly. He said it would be less effective unless he re-did it! So he did it all over and things worked much better. About 9:30 p.m. I started feeling much better, only really feeling pressure not pain. Then around 10:00 I felt a lot of pressure and things just didn't feel right so I called the nurse. She examined things and sure enough I was at 9 cm and almost ready to push. She called the doctor and about 10:20 the doctor determined I was fully dilated and ready to have the baby. It took about 3 sets of pushes and Avery was born. In the process of Avery coming down the birth canal he got stuck for a moment. His arm was in front of his face and bruised it pretty badly. His eyes were purple and blue along with the bridge of his nose, his upper lip and his cheek bones.
We were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday the 28th. With all the bruising the doctors were very concerned with his Bilirubin levels (Jaundice). When bruises heal the blood cells are absorbed back into the body, in babies this can be difficult for their new little livers and kidneys to process and can cause very high levels of jaundice. In order to treat this the doctor ordered a UV bed for Avery to spend time in. We had the bed for 1 day and Avery's levels immediately started improving. He had his 2 week check up this past week and they tested his jaundice levels again and they were significantly lower than the first week of his life (6.9 compared to 16.6). He now weighs 8lbs. 15 oz. and is 22" tall which is also fantastic! I really can't believe that it has been almost 3 weeks since his arrival. I am enjoying my time off with him and Carter. I love that my time off is during the holidays...wish I never had to go back to work, but for now I will enjoy the time with my boys.
Carter is doing amazingly well with Avery. He still doesn't quite understand why Mommy spends so much time with the baby or how to be very gentle some times, but we are working on that. Carter loves giving him kisses and rubbing his head. Every morning he has to see the baby and give him kisses. He also tells the baby bye when he goes to daycare and "night night" when going to bed. They are going to be best friends, I just know it. :)
Monday, September 20, 2010
About 2 weeks to go....
Reality check! About 2 weeks left and if this little guy is anything like Carter he may be here sooner than that! I have my fingers crossed that he at least makes it until October. We had a Dr. appointment a few days ago. She said everything looked really good. She did a quick ultrasound to make sure the baby is head down, which he is, and to check on his size. She estimated that he is about 8lbs! Ha! I REALLY don't think that is accurate and neither does she, so we will be re-checking his weight at my Dr. appointment this Friday. If he was 8lbs he would weigh half of what I have gained so far! That's a lot of baby! We are thinking he is closer to 7lbs, which is still pretty big considering he has 2 weeks to grow. If he is going to be large then she said we could discuss what we want to do in terms of inducing. So I guess we will see what happens Friday...if I make it until then! :)
Maternity Pictures
About a month ago my Sister-In-Law, Danielle, was kind enough to take some maternity pictures for us. I love them and am very thankful she was able to get such great shots of us! Thank you again Danielle!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A month to go!!!
Can you believe it? I know I sure can't!
About 1 month until we get to meet our newest little family member. I am SOOOO excited. What does he look like? Who does he look like? What will his personality be like? How much will he weigh? What day will he decide to come? So many questions and so much to look forward to. There is definitely still the scariest question of all that is always in the back of my mind....will Carter like him? I hope so. Poor little guy has no idea that his world his going to be turned upside down. There is going to be this baby that takes all of Mommy's time. How ever will I be able to satisfy both babies needs? No idea. We'll just take it one little step at a time.
I am feeling good these days. After my car accident/hospital stay things have been good. I am so glad that the accident wasn't very bad and the no one was hurt. The upside to me having to be monitored for 24 hours in the hospital was that I got an ultrasound and got to peek in on the little guy. They say he is measuring a week ahead and was weighing in at 5 1/2 lbs. On average he should gain about 1/2 lb. a week. So it looks like we will have another 7 3/4 lbs. baby! I also have not gained anymore weight, I am still 11 lbs. up from my pre-pregnancy weight. I have another appointment in a week and then they will be weekly until the baby is born. To be honest, I really don't like these appointments. It seems like more often than not I am sitting in a waiting room for 30 minutes before even being seen, then once the nurse takes me back to the exam room I have to wait another 15 minutes. So 45 minutes of waiting for a 5 minute appointment. It's always the same thing, weight, blood pressure (which is always amazingly good, that I am grateful for!), measure belly, listen to heartbeat, then I am out there. Since I have had such a good pregnancy you would think they would let me continue to only go in every 2 weeks.
Other than our same boring routine not too much has been happening at home. Carter had a 16 month check up. He weighs about 25 lbs and is about 34" tall. He is a little small in the weight department (24th percentile), but very tall for his age (90th percentile). He got a couple shots, which made him mad as heck. He is learning all kinds of stuff and has become quite the chatter box. You would never be able to tell because he shuts down when around other people. He tries very hard to say new words and even have conversation with you. It's pretty funny sometimes.
Lately we have noticed that he is showing signs of potty training (Perhaps? I don't want to jinx anything, but this may be the beginning). He will tell us pee or poop when he has a dirty diaper and he will sit on his potty. We haven't had any successful eliminations in the potty, but we try to talk about it and show him what to do. We aren't forcing anything, but it's a start.
Anyway, that's the update! I will be sure to post some maternity pictures that my sister-in-law, Danielle, took for us soon! :)
About 1 month until we get to meet our newest little family member. I am SOOOO excited. What does he look like? Who does he look like? What will his personality be like? How much will he weigh? What day will he decide to come? So many questions and so much to look forward to. There is definitely still the scariest question of all that is always in the back of my mind....will Carter like him? I hope so. Poor little guy has no idea that his world his going to be turned upside down. There is going to be this baby that takes all of Mommy's time. How ever will I be able to satisfy both babies needs? No idea. We'll just take it one little step at a time.
I am feeling good these days. After my car accident/hospital stay things have been good. I am so glad that the accident wasn't very bad and the no one was hurt. The upside to me having to be monitored for 24 hours in the hospital was that I got an ultrasound and got to peek in on the little guy. They say he is measuring a week ahead and was weighing in at 5 1/2 lbs. On average he should gain about 1/2 lb. a week. So it looks like we will have another 7 3/4 lbs. baby! I also have not gained anymore weight, I am still 11 lbs. up from my pre-pregnancy weight. I have another appointment in a week and then they will be weekly until the baby is born. To be honest, I really don't like these appointments. It seems like more often than not I am sitting in a waiting room for 30 minutes before even being seen, then once the nurse takes me back to the exam room I have to wait another 15 minutes. So 45 minutes of waiting for a 5 minute appointment. It's always the same thing, weight, blood pressure (which is always amazingly good, that I am grateful for!), measure belly, listen to heartbeat, then I am out there. Since I have had such a good pregnancy you would think they would let me continue to only go in every 2 weeks.
Other than our same boring routine not too much has been happening at home. Carter had a 16 month check up. He weighs about 25 lbs and is about 34" tall. He is a little small in the weight department (24th percentile), but very tall for his age (90th percentile). He got a couple shots, which made him mad as heck. He is learning all kinds of stuff and has become quite the chatter box. You would never be able to tell because he shuts down when around other people. He tries very hard to say new words and even have conversation with you. It's pretty funny sometimes.
Lately we have noticed that he is showing signs of potty training (Perhaps? I don't want to jinx anything, but this may be the beginning). He will tell us pee or poop when he has a dirty diaper and he will sit on his potty. We haven't had any successful eliminations in the potty, but we try to talk about it and show him what to do. We aren't forcing anything, but it's a start.
Anyway, that's the update! I will be sure to post some maternity pictures that my sister-in-law, Danielle, took for us soon! :)
Monday, August 9, 2010
8 months pregnant
Since posting monthly updates seems to be my thing lately...here we go...
I will be 32 weeks pregnant this week, which puts me at about 8 months. Only 2 more months before we get to meet our tiny man. We are excited, anxious and nervous. I, of course, have a million what ifs that run through my head daily. What if he comes early? What if he comes late? What if Carter doesn't like him? What if I go crazy trying to take care of 2 kids? I know in the end it will all be great. I just have to remind myself of that every once in a while.
My last Dr.s appt went really good. So far I am up 11lbs. I gained 5 in two weeks! I try not to let the weight gain bother me....after all...I am having a baby! It's the one time in your life when it's a good thing to gain weight, right? Next appt. is this Friday. I am sure I'll have gained another 5lbs. (Oh well) Nothing has changed so the appt. should go good. We don't get another ultra sound until around 37 weeks. The Dr. will then check to make sure the baby is head down. With Carter we had a few ultra sounds the last half of the pregnancy, but with the new Dr. we are seeing they do things a little different. If there is no medical reason for it, then you don't get one. Bummer! I want to check in on him and see how he is doing!
Last Saturday my Sister-In-Law, Sarah, threw me a baby shower. It was definitely nice to have a little celebration for the baby. It was very small, but she cooked enough yummy food to feed 50 people! :) It was all delicious. The new baby received several handmade things. Aunt Danielle made him a very cute taggie blanket, a friend, Stephanie, made him the most adorable hat and Aunt Sarah made some awesome burp clothes. He also got a few new outfits and other baby necessities.
We started painting the nursery this weekend. We are just about done, only another coat along the border, then I can put the final decorations up. I have all his clothes washed and ready to go. And his furniture is assembled and ready. There really isn't much more we need except him!
In other news...Carter is doing great. He is learning new words everyday like ouwie (as in when you get hurt), hamburger, all kinds of animal noises, and banana (he actually says nananana). He loves to point(or should I say poke)out eyes and noses. Recently every time he sees me in a picture he yells out "Mommy!". He goes crazy over balloons and Elmo. We are also teaching him what a baby is, so now every time he sees one (even on T.V.,in a magazine or on a box) he points and says "Baby". He is definitely becoming more of a little person all the time. We love that kiddo. :)
I will be 32 weeks pregnant this week, which puts me at about 8 months. Only 2 more months before we get to meet our tiny man. We are excited, anxious and nervous. I, of course, have a million what ifs that run through my head daily. What if he comes early? What if he comes late? What if Carter doesn't like him? What if I go crazy trying to take care of 2 kids? I know in the end it will all be great. I just have to remind myself of that every once in a while.
My last Dr.s appt went really good. So far I am up 11lbs. I gained 5 in two weeks! I try not to let the weight gain bother me....after all...I am having a baby! It's the one time in your life when it's a good thing to gain weight, right? Next appt. is this Friday. I am sure I'll have gained another 5lbs. (Oh well) Nothing has changed so the appt. should go good. We don't get another ultra sound until around 37 weeks. The Dr. will then check to make sure the baby is head down. With Carter we had a few ultra sounds the last half of the pregnancy, but with the new Dr. we are seeing they do things a little different. If there is no medical reason for it, then you don't get one. Bummer! I want to check in on him and see how he is doing!
Last Saturday my Sister-In-Law, Sarah, threw me a baby shower. It was definitely nice to have a little celebration for the baby. It was very small, but she cooked enough yummy food to feed 50 people! :) It was all delicious. The new baby received several handmade things. Aunt Danielle made him a very cute taggie blanket, a friend, Stephanie, made him the most adorable hat and Aunt Sarah made some awesome burp clothes. He also got a few new outfits and other baby necessities.
We started painting the nursery this weekend. We are just about done, only another coat along the border, then I can put the final decorations up. I have all his clothes washed and ready to go. And his furniture is assembled and ready. There really isn't much more we need except him!
In other news...Carter is doing great. He is learning new words everyday like ouwie (as in when you get hurt), hamburger, all kinds of animal noises, and banana (he actually says nananana). He loves to point(or should I say poke)out eyes and noses. Recently every time he sees me in a picture he yells out "Mommy!". He goes crazy over balloons and Elmo. We are also teaching him what a baby is, so now every time he sees one (even on T.V.,in a magazine or on a box) he points and says "Baby". He is definitely becoming more of a little person all the time. We love that kiddo. :)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
7 months pregnant!
Yep, that's right folks.....7 months! I just hit the 28 week mark today which puts me in the third trimester. So far the pregnancy has been uneventful, which is a really good thing. I am having a textbook pregnancy and I don't think it could really be going any better. Today I had a doctor appointment. At this one they test for Gestational Diabetes and Anemia. They test your glucose levels by having you drink a really sugary drink and then they draw your blood for testing an hour later. Mine was orange flavored, same as with Carter, and it was very gross, same as last time. I got to choose from a few different kinds, but tropical punch and cola didn't sound very appealing. Hopefully the results come in tomorrow and everything looks good. The doctor also said I am measuring perfect, my belly that is, and I have gained 5 pounds so far. Now we start seeing the doctor every 2 weeks for the next 2 months.
In other news, Carter is becoming a funny little character. He is very smart too, he tries to say all kinds of words. He mostly just gets the number of syllables out, but he tries really hard to get the right sounds of the word too. He also is very good at pointing out his nose, mouth, tongue, teeth, eyes, hair, toes, fingers, and ears. He is doing well with his new in home daycare, I do think he misses all the interaction with the kids he used to be around. It would be typical to have 5-10 toddlers in the same room at his old daycare, so he would have a lot of kids his age. I guess it's just something he has to adjust to.
We hope everyone is enjoying these lazy dog days of summer! Take advantage of the nice hot weather while you can! :)
In other news, Carter is becoming a funny little character. He is very smart too, he tries to say all kinds of words. He mostly just gets the number of syllables out, but he tries really hard to get the right sounds of the word too. He also is very good at pointing out his nose, mouth, tongue, teeth, eyes, hair, toes, fingers, and ears. He is doing well with his new in home daycare, I do think he misses all the interaction with the kids he used to be around. It would be typical to have 5-10 toddlers in the same room at his old daycare, so he would have a lot of kids his age. I guess it's just something he has to adjust to.
We hope everyone is enjoying these lazy dog days of summer! Take advantage of the nice hot weather while you can! :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
6 months pregnant
I had a reality check the other day. I am 6 months pregnant and baby #2 will be here in 3.5 months! REALLY?! How is it possible that time has gone by so fast? I have definitely not been as worried this time around about having everything ready for his arrival. Maybe it's because we have most of what we need for him and don't need to buy much? Well, the reality check changed that and made me start thinking about getting it all out and fresh for him. So to start, I ordered his furniture yesterday and I am so excited for it to arrive!
Here is a picture of the crib. We decided to go with an oak finish instead of a dark cherry finish like most of our other house furniture.
I haven't decided what we are going to do about bedding yet. Since bedding sets are so useless, I was thinking of just getting a few sets of sheets. I am thinking of going with a turtles and snails theme for his room. I can't wait to start decorating! :)
I had my 24 week doctor appointment Friday and things are going well. His heart sounds good and I am measuring average. The baby is about 1.5 pounds and about 12 inches long! I have gained 2 pounds so far and the doctor seemed to be a little concerned about it. I am not all that concerned though, especially with the appetite I have had lately. I could eat ALL day long, seriously ALL day. I eat a meal and then 10 minutes later I feel like I could eat a whole other one! I thought I would have gained 10 pounds in the last month, but nope, only 2. I feel really good these days. Not nearly as tired as when I was pregnant with Carter which is weird because I am so busy chasing him around. But no complaints here, I'll take all the energy I can get! The slow, tired, achy third trimester is right around the corner and I am hoping it doesn't hit me too hard! :)
Here is a 24 week belly picture.
Here is a picture of the crib. We decided to go with an oak finish instead of a dark cherry finish like most of our other house furniture.
I haven't decided what we are going to do about bedding yet. Since bedding sets are so useless, I was thinking of just getting a few sets of sheets. I am thinking of going with a turtles and snails theme for his room. I can't wait to start decorating! :)
I had my 24 week doctor appointment Friday and things are going well. His heart sounds good and I am measuring average. The baby is about 1.5 pounds and about 12 inches long! I have gained 2 pounds so far and the doctor seemed to be a little concerned about it. I am not all that concerned though, especially with the appetite I have had lately. I could eat ALL day long, seriously ALL day. I eat a meal and then 10 minutes later I feel like I could eat a whole other one! I thought I would have gained 10 pounds in the last month, but nope, only 2. I feel really good these days. Not nearly as tired as when I was pregnant with Carter which is weird because I am so busy chasing him around. But no complaints here, I'll take all the energy I can get! The slow, tired, achy third trimester is right around the corner and I am hoping it doesn't hit me too hard! :)
Here is a 24 week belly picture.
What's new over here....
Things over at the Martin House have been very busy lately. The house is coming along great. I actually think we might be to the point where we can start decorating and maybe even paint a little bit, just to add some color. The garden is growing really well and we are SLOWLY getting rid of some of the weeds in the yard. The dog's also love the yard, so much in fact, that they dig holes all over, eat the red wood chips and dig up the grass seed we just laid. But that's another story...
On another note, Carter has been having fun in his swim class. Last week we introduced dunking under water. He did very well! It was a little surprising for him, but in general he doesn't mind at all. I think we might have a water baby on our hands.
Last week we also changed his daycare. He has been at La Petite since he was 3 months old and we really liked it, but with the new baby coming it is too costly to have them both there (try $2100 a month, that's almost double our mortgage!). So Sarah, my Sister-In-Law, recommended someone who does in home daycare. So far it has worked out very well, but you can tell it is a huge adjustment for Carter. He has never known anything but La Petite, so it has been stressful. He does fine all day while he is there, but it's the dropping him off part that is hard. It doesn't help that he is going through an extremely clingy, to ONLY Mommy, stage. (I really don't mind, if I could spend all day holding, carrying and hugging him I would. But with my pregnant aches it has proven to be a little difficult lately.) I am sure that after another week or two it will be part of his routine and he will be more comfortable with it. At least that's what I hope for. Maybe he is just really sad to have left his daycare girl friends. He was having lots of fun kissing all the girls in his toddler class. :) He is so lovable.
On another note, Carter has been having fun in his swim class. Last week we introduced dunking under water. He did very well! It was a little surprising for him, but in general he doesn't mind at all. I think we might have a water baby on our hands.
Last week we also changed his daycare. He has been at La Petite since he was 3 months old and we really liked it, but with the new baby coming it is too costly to have them both there (try $2100 a month, that's almost double our mortgage!). So Sarah, my Sister-In-Law, recommended someone who does in home daycare. So far it has worked out very well, but you can tell it is a huge adjustment for Carter. He has never known anything but La Petite, so it has been stressful. He does fine all day while he is there, but it's the dropping him off part that is hard. It doesn't help that he is going through an extremely clingy, to ONLY Mommy, stage. (I really don't mind, if I could spend all day holding, carrying and hugging him I would. But with my pregnant aches it has proven to be a little difficult lately.) I am sure that after another week or two it will be part of his routine and he will be more comfortable with it. At least that's what I hope for. Maybe he is just really sad to have left his daycare girl friends. He was having lots of fun kissing all the girls in his toddler class. :) He is so lovable.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The things a Mom goes through....
So I had to share with someone! It's a little graphic...sorry!
So this evening was very eventful at our house. I went to change Carter's diaper. I took it off and was letting him "air dry" for a min (Basically he was walking around naked). While he was drying he wanted to throw the diaper in the trash. So I walk over and open the trash for him to throw it away. I walk away back into the living room, thinking he was following me. I turn around and he is squatting next to the trash peeing and grunting. I run over to stop him, yeah right, he stands up to run away and a piece of poop falls out of his butt. His foot steps in the pee puddle and he slips and smacks his head into the ground. I MUST be a horrible Mom. As if all that wasn't bad enough I pick him up and carry him to the sink so I can wipe him off, turn around and Aston, the dog, is eating the poop! LOL! I didn't know what to do or think. All I could do was laugh. Oh gee...the things a Mom goes through. :)
So this evening was very eventful at our house. I went to change Carter's diaper. I took it off and was letting him "air dry" for a min (Basically he was walking around naked). While he was drying he wanted to throw the diaper in the trash. So I walk over and open the trash for him to throw it away. I walk away back into the living room, thinking he was following me. I turn around and he is squatting next to the trash peeing and grunting. I run over to stop him, yeah right, he stands up to run away and a piece of poop falls out of his butt. His foot steps in the pee puddle and he slips and smacks his head into the ground. I MUST be a horrible Mom. As if all that wasn't bad enough I pick him up and carry him to the sink so I can wipe him off, turn around and Aston, the dog, is eating the poop! LOL! I didn't know what to do or think. All I could do was laugh. Oh gee...the things a Mom goes through. :)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
It's a.....BOY!
We are very excited to announce we will have another baby BOY join our family in October! Hurray for team blue! We had our 20 week appointment and anatomy ultrasound. They look at the baby's heart, head, facial features and all kinds of other stuff to make sure he is growing properly. He was measuring 11 oz. which is perfect. Everything looked great and I am doing well. I actually haven't gained any weight, which I am not sure how that's possibly with the amount of chocolate bars and milk shakes I have been consuming, but from here on out I should gain about a pound a week. When I was pregnant with Carter I gained about 33 lbs. total so I have a ways to go!
In other news, we are getting settled into out new home very nicely. We are ALMOST completely unpacked! Woo hoo! We also have the yard looking half way decent and...drum roll please....we got our garden going!! Yes! I am so excited to watch my little tiny plants grow. We planted herbs, peppers, tomatoes (thank you Chris for the tomato plants!), squash, onion, cantaloupe and strawberries. I am a little concerned about the strawberry plants getting eaten by birds and squirrels, but we'll see how it goes. I saw one squirrel checking out the garden the other day...I just know he's going to be trouble!
One last thing I must add....Happy 2nd Birthday Aston Poop! His birthday was Sunday. :) He still is cute, but was such a cute puppy.
In other news, we are getting settled into out new home very nicely. We are ALMOST completely unpacked! Woo hoo! We also have the yard looking half way decent and...drum roll please....we got our garden going!! Yes! I am so excited to watch my little tiny plants grow. We planted herbs, peppers, tomatoes (thank you Chris for the tomato plants!), squash, onion, cantaloupe and strawberries. I am a little concerned about the strawberry plants getting eaten by birds and squirrels, but we'll see how it goes. I saw one squirrel checking out the garden the other day...I just know he's going to be trouble!
One last thing I must add....Happy 2nd Birthday Aston Poop! His birthday was Sunday. :) He still is cute, but was such a cute puppy.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Happy Dance!
Happy dance *singing and dancing* la la la!
WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE!!!! Woo hoo!! I am so excited I just had to share with someone! Finally a house to call our own! This is a huge milestone for us. I always thought we would have a house before growing our family, but it didn't work out that way. The down payment is what has always held us back. We were looking at buying a house when we found out we were pregnant with Carter, but the timing and money just wasn't right. Since the government extended the new home buyers tax credit last year we knew we had to take advantage! It seems as though buying a house is a lot harder than you think. There is so much that goes into it. First you have to find the *perfect* house, then comes the long, stressed out, agony filled 30 day closing. Lock in an interest rate, get the inspection, get the seller to fix up the little (or big) issues, get the appraisal....it's hell. But now that's it all behind us it was so worth it!
Our new home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The kitchen and all bathrooms are remodeled. New appliances, including washer and dryer make it that much more perfect. It has a nice sized backyard, not too big and not too small. The dogs are going to love it! It is near Quincy Reservoir and in Cherry Creek School District. I am not sure if we will be in this house by the time that Carter starts school, but it's nice to know that he would be in Cherry Creek Schools if we are.
Here's a picture of our beauty....many, many more pictures to come!
WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE!!!! Woo hoo!! I am so excited I just had to share with someone! Finally a house to call our own! This is a huge milestone for us. I always thought we would have a house before growing our family, but it didn't work out that way. The down payment is what has always held us back. We were looking at buying a house when we found out we were pregnant with Carter, but the timing and money just wasn't right. Since the government extended the new home buyers tax credit last year we knew we had to take advantage! It seems as though buying a house is a lot harder than you think. There is so much that goes into it. First you have to find the *perfect* house, then comes the long, stressed out, agony filled 30 day closing. Lock in an interest rate, get the inspection, get the seller to fix up the little (or big) issues, get the appraisal....it's hell. But now that's it all behind us it was so worth it!
Our new home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The kitchen and all bathrooms are remodeled. New appliances, including washer and dryer make it that much more perfect. It has a nice sized backyard, not too big and not too small. The dogs are going to love it! It is near Quincy Reservoir and in Cherry Creek School District. I am not sure if we will be in this house by the time that Carter starts school, but it's nice to know that he would be in Cherry Creek Schools if we are.
Here's a picture of our beauty....many, many more pictures to come!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Randomness
So this past weekend I made pancakes. The 1 question I must ask is, why is it so hard for me to make pancakes?! It frustrates me to no end! I can never get them to come out in nice little circles and I can never get them to cook properly. They either come out burned on the outside and not cook completely on the inside or cooked on the inside and barley on the outside. I think a griddle might help out my dilemma....but seriously it can't be that hard! Can it?
In other randomness, on Friday I had a customer ask for the first time if I was expecting. Oh man could that have gone really wrong for the lady who asked me. Sometimes the sarcastic side of me wants to come out in those situations and say "No, I am not expecting." Just so I can see her reaction. But of course I did not say that. She had a million questions for me. "Is it your first?" "How old is your other child?" "Is it a boy or girl?" "When are you due?" "Will your 1 year old be out of diapers when this one arrives?" GEE! I felt like I was being interrogated! When I was pregnant with Carter I got a lot of questions, but not nearly this many. I guess people are just really curious. Now that I am wearing maternity shirts I am sure I'll get a lot of questions.
In other randomness, on Friday I had a customer ask for the first time if I was expecting. Oh man could that have gone really wrong for the lady who asked me. Sometimes the sarcastic side of me wants to come out in those situations and say "No, I am not expecting." Just so I can see her reaction. But of course I did not say that. She had a million questions for me. "Is it your first?" "How old is your other child?" "Is it a boy or girl?" "When are you due?" "Will your 1 year old be out of diapers when this one arrives?" GEE! I felt like I was being interrogated! When I was pregnant with Carter I got a lot of questions, but not nearly this many. I guess people are just really curious. Now that I am wearing maternity shirts I am sure I'll get a lot of questions.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
16 weeks prego
Hard to believe we are already this far along. Things have been going really well though. This pregnancy has been a mirror image of my pregnancy with Carter. I did have about 2 weeks of random nausea, which I didn't have with Carter, but other than that it's the exact same. I hope that it stays this way because that pregnancy was AWESOME and I loved every minute of it.
We had our monthly doctor appt. Friday and things are going well. I am measuring perfectly and the baby's heart sounds great. They did some blood work to test for genetic disorders. It's the second half of the testing they do for that sort of thing. The first half came back all in normal range, which is always good news. Next appt. is in about a month and if baby cooperates we will find out if Carter will have a brother or sister! :)
Lately I have had a really hard time with clothing. I am in between sizes right now and that is the most annoying thing! I swear I have maybe 2 outfits that fit me right now and...well...I can't really wear the same 2 outfits to work every week! I am either looking like a stuffed sausage in my non-maternity clothes or I am swimming in the giant maternity clothes I have. It's a losing battle every single morning when I am getting ready for work. I guess only time will fix this one....
In other news, I signed Carter up for swim lessons! I am so excited to get him in the water. We signed up for a 5 week class that is 30 minutes every Saturday morning. If we like it we might sign him up for the next round in July. It's at Utah Pool and the best part is that it was only $20! Can't beat that! I tried....other places cost about $75! Looks like I'll have to get a maternity swim suit so I can get in the water with him. Not really looking forward to that...
Anyway, stay tuned for more updates. :)
We had our monthly doctor appt. Friday and things are going well. I am measuring perfectly and the baby's heart sounds great. They did some blood work to test for genetic disorders. It's the second half of the testing they do for that sort of thing. The first half came back all in normal range, which is always good news. Next appt. is in about a month and if baby cooperates we will find out if Carter will have a brother or sister! :)
Lately I have had a really hard time with clothing. I am in between sizes right now and that is the most annoying thing! I swear I have maybe 2 outfits that fit me right now and...well...I can't really wear the same 2 outfits to work every week! I am either looking like a stuffed sausage in my non-maternity clothes or I am swimming in the giant maternity clothes I have. It's a losing battle every single morning when I am getting ready for work. I guess only time will fix this one....
In other news, I signed Carter up for swim lessons! I am so excited to get him in the water. We signed up for a 5 week class that is 30 minutes every Saturday morning. If we like it we might sign him up for the next round in July. It's at Utah Pool and the best part is that it was only $20! Can't beat that! I tried....other places cost about $75! Looks like I'll have to get a maternity swim suit so I can get in the water with him. Not really looking forward to that...
Anyway, stay tuned for more updates. :)
Monday, April 19, 2010
What!? My little baby is 1? Who said that could happen?
Surely not me! Why can't they just stay little forever?
Well the time came...and went. Carter turned 1 on April 2nd. We had a great get together with our friends and family. It was a little crazy and I wasn't able to visit with everyone as long as I wanted, but it was so nice that we were all able to share Carter's special day with him. He got A TON of clothes and toys! So a BIG THANK YOU to everyone!! He loves all the toys he got and looks so handsome in his new outfits. :)
Here are some pictures from the party.
Well the time came...and went. Carter turned 1 on April 2nd. We had a great get together with our friends and family. It was a little crazy and I wasn't able to visit with everyone as long as I wanted, but it was so nice that we were all able to share Carter's special day with him. He got A TON of clothes and toys! So a BIG THANK YOU to everyone!! He loves all the toys he got and looks so handsome in his new outfits. :)
Here are some pictures from the party.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
12 weeks pregnant!
I must say that the little bit of nausea I did have is definitely disappearing. Next week I enter the second trimester and that typically means more energy, no more nausea and in general feeling much better. Time seems to be cruising right along.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Planning time!
Who would have thought that planning a 1 year old birthday party would involve so much! I LOVE it! I am a planner so things like this make me happy. :) I am slowly getting everything checked off the list. Club House is reserved, invitations are mailed, some party decorations ordered, and birthday present bought. Now all we have left is to pick up a few more decorations, party goodies, and order the cake! I have no idea what kind of cake to get, but I want it to taste awesome and look great. A few friends recommended Child's Bakery....so I think I'll start there. I really hope our little man has a great time. Can't wait! It's only a few weeks away.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Carter's post-op appt and our adventure to Texas
Last Friday we had Carter's post-op appointment. They looked at the tubes in his ears and said that they looked great. The placement was good and the healing was good. On average they will fall out on their own in about a year. Until then we will go back every 6 months to have them checked out. They also performed a hearing test, they put him in a sound proof room that has speakers in the corners which different noises at different volumes come out. Depending on how he reacts determines how well his hearing is. He responded very well to the different sounds and his ear drums responded well to vibrations. His hearing is now in the normal range for his age, which is great news! Now fingers crossed that he doesn't get anymore ear infections. Though, with the tubes in place an ear infection would be much easier to treat. We have special ear drops that can be put in his ears and will drain directly into the ear drum area to cure the infection rather than taking oral antibiotics, which can take a big toll on the digestive system.
Right after the appointment we made our way to Texas......and about 9 1/2 hours later we arrived! It was a very long drive there and back, but Carter did surprisingly well. He now officially hates his car seat though. We made a few stops along the way to get gas, food and stretch our legs. Our mission was to visit family (on my Dad's side), my Great Grandpa, his wife and a bunch of cousins. It was really great to see everyone, I believe the last time that we saw some of this family had to be a good 10 plus years ago.
I am very grateful that my Grandpa was able to meet Carter. Everyday we went to his house to visit and he would light up when he saw Carter. He can only speak a few words because of the strokes he has had in the past few years, but you could tell exactly what he was thinking and feeling when Carter was around. Carter laughed and played with him, ate Cheerios from his hand and "uched" (touched) his nose. I don't think many people can say they have meet their Great Great Grandpa and even though Carter won't remember it I know I will and we have many pictures to cherish. Saying goodbye was really hard, knowing that it may be the last time we see him made it very emotional. I hope that it won't be the last, but no one knows what tomorrow holds. El Paso is such a dirty old little place :) I can't say I miss it much but I definitely miss the people we left behind.
Right after the appointment we made our way to Texas......and about 9 1/2 hours later we arrived! It was a very long drive there and back, but Carter did surprisingly well. He now officially hates his car seat though. We made a few stops along the way to get gas, food and stretch our legs. Our mission was to visit family (on my Dad's side), my Great Grandpa, his wife and a bunch of cousins. It was really great to see everyone, I believe the last time that we saw some of this family had to be a good 10 plus years ago.
I am very grateful that my Grandpa was able to meet Carter. Everyday we went to his house to visit and he would light up when he saw Carter. He can only speak a few words because of the strokes he has had in the past few years, but you could tell exactly what he was thinking and feeling when Carter was around. Carter laughed and played with him, ate Cheerios from his hand and "uched" (touched) his nose. I don't think many people can say they have meet their Great Great Grandpa and even though Carter won't remember it I know I will and we have many pictures to cherish. Saying goodbye was really hard, knowing that it may be the last time we see him made it very emotional. I hope that it won't be the last, but no one knows what tomorrow holds. El Paso is such a dirty old little place :) I can't say I miss it much but I definitely miss the people we left behind.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
We're PREGNANT!
Yep, you read that correctly. We are expecting baby #2! We are feeling a lot of different emotions right now, excited, nervous, nervous, excited. We are very thankful for the little miracle though.
We had our first appointment today and the baby looks really good, it is measuring the size of a Kidney Bean! We are due the first week of October, October 6th to be exact. In general I have been feeling pretty good, I have the usual tired, no appetite but hungry and a little nauseous. Thank God they make medication for the nausea! It's very hard to work customer service when you feel at any moment you may just puke all over the place! Sorry to be so graphic, but that's what I have felt like! :) Lucky for everyone it hasn't happened yet. :)
We had our first appointment today and the baby looks really good, it is measuring the size of a Kidney Bean! We are due the first week of October, October 6th to be exact. In general I have been feeling pretty good, I have the usual tired, no appetite but hungry and a little nauseous. Thank God they make medication for the nausea! It's very hard to work customer service when you feel at any moment you may just puke all over the place! Sorry to be so graphic, but that's what I have felt like! :) Lucky for everyone it hasn't happened yet. :)
Next appointment is in a month, we'll have another ultrasound and a Down's Syndrome screening.
Carter's Surgery
Yesterday was Carter's surgery to get tubes put in his ears to help drain the fluid built up behind the ear drum. He has had about 6 ear infections in the past 6 months and sometimes that was in both ears. The most effective treatment to help prevent this from happening again and from disabling his hearing his to get tubes. So we checked into the hospital at 7 am, we got taken to the back waiting area where they took all Carter's stats and we changed him into his little hospital gown. While we waited, we met the Anesthesiologist and Nurse that were going to help in his surgery. The Anesthesiologist explained that the general anesthesia they use for this procedure is a gas. They didn't have to use any sort of I.V., which was awesome. They were all very nice people and made us feel very comfortable about the procedure. (This is one reason why I absolutely love Sky Ridge Hospital. We have always had great experiences there and everyone that helps us is so nice.) At about 8:40 am the Doctor came into our little waiting room and gave us an overview of what was going to happen next. Before we knew it, the Nurse came in a swiped up Carter and took him away. He was pretty calm and didn't cry. We went back to the front waiting room and patiently waited with my Mom, Nana. It was about 30 minutes and the Anesthesiologist and Doctor came out to tell us that everything had gone great. The Doctor said there was a lot of fluid and gunk behind his ear drum that they sucked out, so it was definitely a good thing we did the procedure. He took me back with him to be with Carter when he woke up. When I got back there he was crying, but mostly because he was disoriented from waking up from the anesthesia. After about 10 minutes of getting him to calm down Ryan came back and we were able to feed him a bottle. We were in recovery for about 40 minutes while Carter slowly woke up. After that we were discharged and headed straight home. He was sleepy for most of the day, but we tried to keep him on his normal schedule as much as possible. For the most part he was his normal crazy baby self. Crawling around, eating well, taking naps, it was like it never even happened.
We go back at the end of the month for his follow up. I think they will also do a hearing test too. I am glad we went through with everything and hope it helps my little man. :) We can already tell that he is more aware of noises around him. I can only imagine that he feels so much better without his world sounding like it is under water.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
6 months since our last post?
Really?! Half a year? I can't believe that time has gone so fast!So much has happened that I don't even know where to start. Carter is almost 10 months old. His last check up went really well. He weighs about 22.5 lbs and is about 30" tall! It's crazy to think that in a couple months he will be turning 1. At his check up they also noticed he has ANOTHER ear infection. So the pediatrician recommended an ENT specialist to us. We had an appointment yesterday and the ENT wants Carter to get tubes put in his ear to drain fluid and pressure. This will help decrease the amount of fluid that accumulates in his ears and cause less ear infections to develop. Both Ryan and I agree that he needs the procedure and he is scheduled to have it in about a week. The fluid in his ears is also causing some hearing loss and in the long run could cause speech development issues if not taken care of. We are relieved that this will help Carter and relieve him of the pain of ear infections. Other than that, he is crawling ALL OVER the house. He loves the door stoppers attached to the bottom of doors. He just hits them over and over while they make their "boing" noise. We removed most of them, but for some reason he always finds the ones we haven't taken off! He also likes to pull himself up on the couch, chairs or coffee table and walk around them while holding on. My prediction is that he will be walking by his birthday.
Carter has also found amusement in many random things like zippers and the "shwsh" noise that I made once while pretending to slice an imaginary sword through the air. He finds the two pretty hysterical and laughs so hard when hearing them. Last week I also bought some bubbles from Target and both Carter and the dogs LOVE them. Carter waves his arms in the air frantically at them while the dogs jump up and eat them. I think next time I go shopping I need to pick up a bigger bottle of bubbles and a bigger wand. Such a cheap fun thing!
As far as work goes... I just crossed the 6 month mark in my new position! All of my team members still consider me the "new boss". I have definitely have had some challenges in the past few weeks, but it has only made me a stronger manager. I only hope that the next 6 months go as well as the first.
Ryan's work is about the same. Busy with budgets, meetings, conference calls and the usual. His boss and boss's boss recognize Ryan's great work and have recommended him for a double promotion to HR. Unfortunately at this time, his company (like many companies) is not giving out too many promotions. So we will have to wait a little while to see where it takes him. It's still good to know and hear that the work he does is appreciated. His neck is pretty much completely healed. He has an achy day here or there, but nothing that causes severe pain.
We are still trying to plan a summer vacation. We were talking about a road trip to see Ryan's Dad or maybe a camping trip (I wouldn't mind heading up to Yellow Stone). Considering we didn't travel last, I think a summer vacation is well deserved! But, I guess we'll see what happens.
I'll try to blog again after Carter's surgery to keep everyone up to date! Until then...here is a quote I found and love. I put it in a book I made Ryan for Christmas about Carter's life thus far.
"A boy is a magical creature you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can't lock him out of your heart. You can get him out of your study, but you can't get him out of your mind. Might as well give up he is your captor, your jailer, your boss and your master a freckled-faced, pint-sized, cat-chasing bundle of noise. But when you come home at night with only the shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words Hi, Dad!"
-Alan Marshall Beck
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)