35 weeks 3 days (Baby Girl)

I did get confirmation that it was a girl when the Dr. did an us yesterday.. I am always skeptical until I actually see her though. Fluid is now normal, weight is same (good thing, I dont think this belly could get any tighter), only 4 more days of meds!!, and I got an antibiotic for this rediculous sinus infection that keeps me up all night. They are working already.
I was, however, kept up by contractions instead... I think my BraxHix are getting more powerful (great). But, I really dont want to have this baby early. I know with Al, I just couldnt wait and I wanted him to come early so bad, but I seriously could put up with this for a few more weeks if it means she doesn come til closer to due date. My reasoning is two fold; I want to see how big she would be at full term and I want my maternity leave to last through April so I can have some nice weather to get out in while Im off. Silly, both of them, but I am serious. I just think the anticipation of what is to come is one of the hardest parts about the end of pregnancy.
Happy New Year everyone! Here's to hope and a happy, healthy, enjoyable 2010.

Christmas 2009

I must preface all of this with, "I cant believe I left my camera at the farm!". So, I didnt have the camera on Christmas morning! But, I can recap... Al got his very own kitchen (thank you Great Grandma and Grampi) and a battery opperated 4-Wheeler (thanks Santa). When he walked into the living room he went immediatey to the kitchen and started playing... he was so excited, making all kinds of screaming noises. he then realized there was a car truck there, so Dad helped him on and he went riding away.. he hasnt quite gotten the hang of steering yet, but he can push the "go" button like a champ. (See video) We had so much fun spending our first Christmas morning in our own house opening gifts together and spending some quality time. Beau made the comment that he will look forward to this every year, and I completely agree. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas...
Doesnt he look so preppy.. such a juxtaposition to the typical 4-wheeler attire

I thought this was a great pic with Grandma and Grandpa...


Below are a couple of pictures of Al opening gifts on Christmas Eve at the farm. He got a motorcycle and the first picture is him screaming when he opened it.. you can see the creases in his eyes. It was so great because this is the first time he has really been interested in opening gifts. Even at his first birthday he could care less, but now he is really getting into it!

Oh! Christmas Tree.

This is the first year that we have had a REAL Christmas tree so I wanted to capture the inagural tree for posterity. We have hesitated in past years for fear that the cats would ruin it like they to our fake tree, however, turns out that cats have virtually NO interest in real trees! So glad, because I love real trees. Still cant do too many ornaments because that attracts the attention of all (cats and boys included), but the lights and few balls were pretty none the less.

Al is attempting to make off with one of the presents. Caught in the act!

He loved the lights... we counted 1..2..3.. before everytime we turned on the tree.

Papa! and Baby Girl News...

My Dad, Papa, came in town on Sunday because it was his turn to spend time with little Al. It was great timing bc my baby sitter is off this week so I needed help with Al. Papa took him to Target and the grocery store on Monday all by himself; I was pretty impressed. Then on Tuesday we hung around the house and they made pancakes and opened a box of gifts from Nonni. (A couple of which were not wrapped which meant we got some early Christmas presents.)

This was an opportune moment for a picture... we dont get many of Al looking straight at the camera these days.

This is said gun and the box that the gifts came in... almost as fun as the gifts themselves.

Papa and Al playing with the gun

Later that day we went to "the bar" for dinner and one of the regulars dressed up as Santa just for Al. Pretty special, thanks Jim! Everything has been working out so well... in that I mean that I was not able to take him to see a Santa this year, and it just so happened that there was a man from Gregg's that regularly dresses as Santa for fun during the holidays!

This was Al's reaction when Santa walked throught the door. He looks like such a big boy here!

Santa gave him a bell when he first got there, but this is about as close as Al would get to Santa without screaming. Please disregard how fat I look in this picture (I swear I have not gained all my weight in my face!) Oh, and nothing like Budweiser making an appearance in your first picture with Santa. So Saint Louis

I went to the Dr. today and had another US to check weight and position of Baby Girl. She is still frank breech; I have a great picture of her feet and hands peeking out over her head. Her legs are still WAY long measuring 37w 1D ( I am 34w 1 d..) and she is weighing in at 5lb 15oz, which is the 90th percentile. I have a hard time believing that she is that BIG, but I am really hungry these days and she feels as big as Al did when I had him (could be the different positions that they are in, but there is NO more room for getting bigger.. in my opinion anyway) My fluid looked a little low (low end of normal) so the Dr. is going to keep an eye on that, but other than that all is well. I suppose I am going to read up and prep myself for a c-section (yuck and probably my worst nightmare right now) but I am going to pray that she either flips on her own, or the external version works!

merry Christmas everyone!!

Some New Scenery

I have been wanting to change things up a bit, but did not have the inclination or trust in my web skills enough to do so...until now! Let me know if you cant read the font colors and I will change them.

Al is doing well and talking so much.. I can actually have somewaht of a conversation with him. I mean his responses may be in jibberish, but he talks back at me! His "waddle" aka waffle, is actually starting to sound like waffle and he says mommie now. "Bye bite" is now just a very clear and loud Byeeee. If we ask him who his best friend is, he will either say "Weewee" meaning Winnie or "Beabe" meaning Brady depending on if he was just next door or at day care (aka school).

I am now 33 weeks as you could see from the ticker... weird bc my nausea from the frist trimester cam back for a few days, but I feel good now. Same ole, same ole! My dad comes in on Sunday to help with Al until Wednesday and we are so excited. We video Skyped with Nana and Papa last night and Al was way into it... he said their names and gave them kisses on the screen, so cute.

Ok, that's all for now! have a great weekend everyone!

The Adventures of Winnie and Al

During the families stay here in November Winnie and Al got a glimpse of what it would be like to see each other... ALOT. They are very sweet to eachother, kind of like a husband and wife... Winnie bossing him around and trying to tell him what to do and Al ignoring her or yelling "NO!" when she does it. haha

No, most of the time they enjoy eachothers company. Here are some pictures to prove it.

So fun... we cant wait 'til my maternity leave when we can have more "getting out of the house" adventures!

Why am I in a bad mood?

I have been in one of my moods since about 5pm yesterday. I dont like being mad, but man I cant shake it. We made cookies with Christina, Hunter, and Grandma. I was up too much and feeling very uncomfortable, but it was overall a very enjoyable experience that should not put me in a bad mood. I went to the Dr. after this and I have gained 4lbs in two weeks! (this is good)
Everything seems to be virtually the same, so all is well. She still cant verify if baby is head up or down.. it is making me crazy bc I just need to KNOW! I then went to work to pick up some stuff and talked with everyone for about an hour... that was nice to see everyone in the office again!
When I got home Al had just woken up and he is just so active these days, which I am hoping that under normal circumstances wouldnt bother me as much as it did yesterday.... it was one thing after the other and I was already soo uncomfortable with the contractions all day that him getting into EVERYTHING was making me insane. He wants what he wants these days and he tries so hard to make you understand (he is getting quite clear in his speech). But he opens the front door and runs into the hallway, he throws tantrums, he dropped my tv remote in the toilet, he insists on rumaging through our bathroom drawers and getting in the trash, and he hates to put clothes on...all of which I had NO patience for yesterday. All those things sound bad, but he is such a sweet boy most of the time.
Here is my theory...
I am uncomfortable. (I know every pregnant woman is, I just need my time to vent). I hate contractions. It makes my back hurt and I cant move. I feel like my medication is getting less and less effective as the days go on and that scares me. I dont think I am going to go into labor, but I do think I will have so many contractions and be miserable once I reach 36 weeks and am off all my meds. I woke up at 3:16 am this morning and was having back pain and contractions again. The baby girl is kicking my upper right ribs and lower right hip all at the same time. I made Beau feel it at 4 am so he could understand what I was trying to sleep through! Mainly I just want to feel sorry for myself... pitty party for Aaron.

Things to be thankful for...
God's watch over my life
Healthy babies
Loving husband
Wonderful help from family and friends during this time in our lives and always

In the words of Dave Matthews..

So much to say..

First of all, please do not decorate your mantle with sillouettes of your family members or give them as gifts for that matter; thank you Today Show experts.

Second, there is nothing like cranberry butter and pimento cheese sandwiches for breakfast. I am also totally obsessed with making sweet tea right now. I probably drink a gallon a day.

Third, I am now 32 weeks! Yeay. I really wanted to at least make it to this point. I am sure I will make it to 45 weeks.. haha. I had to up my terb dose last week bc I was contracting through the meds... and now I am starting to have more contractions despite the increase... we will see what they dr says tomorrow. I think these meds are worthless.

November is over and family have come and gone.. a few last pictures...Making Cranberry Butter with Nonni. Thanks for the delicious recipe aunt Amiee! (1 bag fresh cranberries, 1 box powdered sugar, and 1 lb butter! blended together, yummm)

And now some adorable pictures of Al sleeping..

He is pretending here.. favorite thing to do at the end of his bath.. haha

The Adventures of Al, Nonnie and Friends

What a fun week it has been so far with Nonni in town. I am having to do a lot of work at night because so much has gone on during the day and Al has decided he likes to "help" me work. Mom and Linda painted my bathroom, Mom hung my tree lights and all of my family pictures. I think I am going to have another "picture wall" in our bedroom with our wedding pictures in it bc the one in the entry is getting quite full! We are about to watch the 2 hr episode of Private Practice, which I am so excited about so I am going to stop typing now...!

Nonni and Al are wrestling and playing "Airplane"

Abby and Cuevas brought the babes over for lunchtime fun on Wednesday.. here is the best picture we could take. Caroline had just had a complete breakdown, hence the face.

Al got a popsicle at 10am.. thanks Nonni

Al finally discovers Sesame Street.. prior to this week he would never sit still long enough to watch, but he seems to really enjoy it now.

We close each night with story time... Apparently Al really likes the Baby Animals

More pictures of the last couple days...for Leah

Leah thought I needed more pictures up, so here they are...

I thought Baby Girl could make her debut today... she is a little camera shy... 31 weeks.

Lee Lee gave him a bath ...and a mohawk

He is starting to become slightly more mellow and by that I mean he will sit still for 5 minutes with cartoons on.

We really enjoyed our visit with Poppi... he and Al hung out and cooked together... seen lounging yet again here. Miracle.

When Aunt Kristi was here he became obsessed with putting her Ugs on... he is getting pretty good with walking in bigger shoes. Really funny to watch though! (I have a video I will post at some point)

Al's First Hair Cut

Al was starting to sport the EuroMullet, so we decided it was time. I dont think I could have heard ONE more comment on his hair. I didnt get to go, but I have pictures to re-cap... Natalie (who cuts both mine and Beau's hair) is now the family hair dresser. He is a real boy now!
Check out that mullet Al is waiting with Dad... ignore the creepy poster guy in the background Excited to be in the chair Looks so cute getting ready to start! Nonni has to step in and help... but look how short the back is now!

So many visitors!

I need to put a few pictures up of Al's visit with Nana Carlene a week ago. He had so much fun with her! I was waiting to get this video she took, but we are having a hard time getting it downloaded so we will have to settle for pictures... Al and Nana started the day like most, in bed drinking a bottle and watching cartoons.

Which, shortly after the bottle time is completed turns into breakfast prep usually consisting of "watlers" aka waffles.

Nana took him to the park and he got to do the see-saw all by himself for the first time..scary!

Nana was also the chauffeur for Winnie and Al in their cute red wagon. That is the video I want to download because she would bump into things and say "crash" and the two of them would just roll with laughter.

This was just to highlight Al's new obcession with putting on boots. I will download another video soon of Al in Aunt Kristi's Ugg Boots. he cant get enough of them and continues to get better walking in these giant shoes.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sleepless nights

Arent you supposed to get all the sleep you can BEFORE baby comes? The medication I am taking is making this very hard. It is 3:56am, I have been awake since 2:42 and I just ate a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. If this continues, I may gain 50 lbs and feel like a walking zombie when baby girl arrives.. ha ha. The terbutaline makes my heart race and the steriods are giving me uncontrollable tremors. I am about to take my last dose of steroids at 4:15 am, so hopefully that will decrease some of the side effects of insomnia. I know, why 4:15 am? Ok, so these meds are required to be taken q 6hrs which inevitably puts a does due in the middle of the night. Weird. Its okay though, I am usually awake about an hour before my dose is due, so I havent had to use my alarm except for one night this week.
Please do not think I am complaining because I know this is what is best for Baby Girl. I am just merely sharing my journey :).

Four down, Nana, and other Baby Girl news

Fourth Book: A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming. This one is intriguing. I wouldnt say it is my favorite, and parts of it I had to skip, but some really great motivational words for mothers. She also has great activity ideas for kids. The parts I dont like are the uber-Christian oriented methods... it gets a little hokie in my opinion. I do think that bringing God into you and your childs relationship is important; she just goes a LITTLE overboard. The book increase my desire to stay at home with my kids and I am a little sad that it is not a possibility for us right now, but it opens my eyes as a reminder to be present in their lives in the time I do have with them... and by them I mean Al and Baby Girl... which brings me to my next news.



I am back on weekly appointments because I had another episode of long contractions. I am now on terbutaline which gives me an all day underlying shakiness similar to parkinsons and I feel a little like I am on speed, but other than that it is making my contractions better. I am fingertip dilated and about 50-60% effaced, so still a slightly more strict bedrest. But GOOD NEWS is... as of Wednesday's apt, Dr.Patel thinks she flipped into a head first position (she was frank breech). I am Soooo relieved, she better stay that way.. I seriously do NOT want to have a c-section!! On another note, I am getting so much help and lots of companionship this week because...



Nana Carlene is here! I will post pictures as soon as she sends them too me this weekend. She is being so helpful.. here is what she has done for me so far... dusted my entire house including fans, bought us all of our necessities from Target and the grocery store, got us our bassinett and stroller as an early Christmas present, cleaned and mopped our floors, did the laundry, cooked dinner, let Beau and I have date night at the Movies... you can see where I am going here, she has been awesome! Not to say the regular help we get from Grandma Linda isnt amazing too and we love her company... so props and thanks to all of our helpers!



Finally sunny, so I think Al and Nana are going to go to the park this afternoon!

Three down and other thoughts

I finished last weekend that Allie sent me for an easy read, and I loved it! "Remember Me?" by Sophie Kinsella, the author of all the Shopaholic books (which I happen to despise, but this one is totally different). It is a funny, light hearted story about a girl who loses 3 years of her memory.

In other news, Al was the biggest sour puss last night, pretty funny to watch. Nothing could make him happy and he just looked miserable. He would storm from one room to the next, just crying and then laying on the ground and throwing tantrums.. he probably threw about 7 tantrums in a row. It was all over nothing, he didnt want to eat, play, watch us cook, nothing... we should have taken a video. Joan said he was the same way all afternoon, poor Joan. To his defense, he is getting the last two teeth on the bottom right side, so I gave him some Tylenol. He now has 16 teeth!! he is a real boy
Al is also seeming much more grown up lately. When we lay him in bed with us in the morning he points to the TV immediately and says "watch?!", more of a demand than a question. He also says "Tant Tuu" and "Pease" and pronounces Winnie's name quite well. Still refuses to say mommy when we ask him, though I know he can say it bc he cries it if Beau takes him in the other room and I dont come too. He can use a spoon without turning it over in his mouth, and climb into his chair all by himself. I think we are ready for a booster.
Nana comes next week and Al is getting so excited!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Things that I have felt during this pregnancy so far...

1. totally dumbfounded
2. "oh yeah, I am pregnant", I forget sometimes
3. angry about all the contractions
4. scared that I might lose the baby girl
5. a complete distaste for granola, ewe I hate even writing the word
6. a feeling of peace and calm in when I think about having two kids
7. anxiety about the sleeping arrangement
8. back pain
9. happiness that I have a husband who can stay calm in stressful situations, and who is so excited about having a little girl
10. a feeling of hope because God has given us something great to look forward to

Trick or Treat!

Yes you can carve pumpkins in a loft, but I thought it would be more fun to do it outside in the alley! It has been raining so much lately, I felt like Al needed to get outside.

Nonnie found this costume for Al this year... he is Roo from Winnie the Poo... no, its not a mouseI couldnt help myself.. Parker looked so cute on Halloween! He is a black cat...Hunter showed Al how to eat his first sucker. He ate the entire thing.. the tootsie pop too.His first house to trick or treat at... Hunter leads the way... so cute from behind!

Fun at the Farm

We had so much fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house yesterday! So nice to have a yard to play in and large spaces to run around in... Beau and Hunter show Al how to take a dive in the leave pile

Grandpa and Al feed the horse... Al loved this!

Grandpa and Al take a drive up the fields.. notice Al's little hands on the wheel. They stayed there the whole drive. He loves his Grandpa so much.. he calls him "pompa t". He puts a T on the end of everything right now.. wish I had a video with sound so you could hear it bc it is so cute!

This is a video of Al and Grandma sliding. Notice at the end of every slide he claps for himself.

Manly Man

We may live in a loft surrounded by a sea of concrete, but my man still knows how to get back to his roots. Driving a brush hog, cutting down trees with a 3 foot chain saw and hauling wood... just another day at the farm. Take a look...

"Heh, I spit on City Boys".. wait, is that a latte Beau is holding? ;)

Al got to ride the tractor for the first time too, and he was not amused... nor was I as I imagined him sliding off the back and getting run over by the back mower! They all survived.