10 weeks to go!

So, yesterday was a good, albeit busy day for me. I had my first ever massage therapy appointment and it was FANTASTIC!! I highly recommend massage to anyone: male, female, pregnant or not. It was fabulous to just lay there for an hour, relax, and have a nice massage. My masseuse, Wendy, was really cool too. We spent the time just talking about raising kids in this society, life in the Seattle area, etc. It was nice to have some pleasant and engaging conversation. The room was very warm and the aroma was great. I had these nice fleece blankets and tons of pillows to just relax on. There was "mood music" in the background...just an overall inviting atmosphere.

Then I returned to the chaos of work (which STILL hasn't let up yet...TGIF!!) for a couple hours before slipping out again for my doctor's appointment. Got there and did the usual...pee in a cup, weight, heartbeat, blood pressure, measure the belly....yadda yadda yadda. All is just well here in preggo-land. I've only gained a total of 13 pounds this pregnancy (I'm 30 weeks today) and although it alarmed me (I always think I'm not gaining enough) my doctor was just fine with it and answered with her typical "As long as you aren't starving yourself, you are fine...". So, I'm trying to teach myself to not worry about the lack of weight gain. She apparently seems to think I'm just one of those lucky ladies who doesn't gain much during pregnancy. Fine by me because it's less that I have to lose later! :) Blood pressure was just fine. The nurse had a little trouble finding Jax's heart rate, but when she did it was a healthy 168 which is actually high for him. He likes to hover in the 140's...or sometimes even 130's. They said it's normal so I'm not worried. I feel him squirming as we speak, so that's a good sign. Belly is back to measuring pretty on track at 29 weeks (or 29 cm) so there's no need for another ultrasound at this point. Jax is still transverse, but my doctor assures me that he still has time to turn and she's not going to view it as a concern for the next 6 weeks.

However, if the little stinker doesn't turn by 36 weeks then they will start bringing up talk of trying to turn him manually. If that doesn't work and he still won't turn, then I'll have to have a c-section within a week of my due date. Really, really, REALLY hoping I don't have to even view that as a possibility. It freaks me out to no end.

Other than that I can't think of much else to report. I made the rest of my appointments so I'm penciled in through the rest of my pregnancy. I go back in 2 weeks on Feb. 12th for my 32 week appointment where they get to poke me yet again to check my thyroid levels. Yippy skippy. :(

10 more weeks to go...so close yet still so far away! I'm getting anxious!!

Happy Friday everyone!

Quick praise and update!

So, I spoke with Aaron last night after his doctor did an EKG on him and apparently everything is normal. She said he may have been experiencing some heart palpitations, but everything looked normal. And the dizziness is probably due to him standing up too quickly. Praise God for he is good!

Jayden is doing a little better today as well. He still has that horribly mucousy cough and his nose is still runny, but it looks like it's getting slightly better. Now if I could just get him to sleep in his crib all night long now! He goes through phases where he wakes in the middle of the night and will only fall back asleep in bed with us. Poor Aaron can't sleep in the bed with both of us because Jayden tosses and turns too much... he actually kicked Aaron in the face last night! Not to mention I sleep like total crap. How I'm even functioning enough to type this is beyond my knowledge...

I have my appointment tomorrow for Jaxson and I, so we will see what the little man's status is shortly. I also have a massage therapy session tomorrow that I am sooooo looking forward to. I hope it helps with my sciatica as I'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

On a side note, Jayden's daycare provider, Vicki, has a new granddaughter. Her daughter, Mellisa (yes, she spells it differently), gave birth to her little girl, Isabella Rae, last night sometime shortly after 8pm. She was 7 lbs. 4oz., but other than that I don't have any details. She's a cutie though!! So congrats to Mellisa and family! The two of us have been commiserating about our pregnancies the last few months. Also, my friend Rachel is due on Sunday to have her little boy, Graham. Poor thing has been placed on bedrest due to preeclampsia and I'm sure she's anxious for it to be all over with as she's told me she's bored out of her mind! I don't blame her as I'd be the same way. It's literally IMPOSSIBLE for me to sit still. I told Aaron if that ever happens to me that he'd better be prepared to buy me LOTS of movies, a laptop, and scrapbooking materials otherwise I'll be up finding things to do.

All these new and impending arrivals are making me so anxious to have my little guy. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE being pregnant (despite hating certain parts of it), but I'm down to the homestretch now and I know I'm so close yet still so far away. It sucks. I'm tired, uncomfortable, and just done. April cannot get here soon enough!! Hurry up April!! Oh well, it's practically February right?? :)

Cheers and God Bless! Happy "hump" day...only 2.5 more days of work until the weekend. Yay!

Prayers and other random thoughts...

Today has been a rather weird day. Not necessarily for me personally since my days are always pretty hectic, but it's just been an interesting day all around.

First, I'd like to ask for prayer for one of my fellow April 2009 Babycenter Moms and Blogspot blogger, Kelli. She was due a week after me and is a member of my birth board at babycenter.com. Her sweet daughter, Magdalyn Grace, was born by C-Section this morning at 8:53am. They took Maggie early due to issues with her heart and fluid in her abdomen and the doctors (along with Kelli) felt they could better provide for her on the outside rather than continue Kelli's pregnancy. Unfortunately, miss Maggie passed away just a few short hours later before they could perform surgery on her heart from organ failure. You can visit her blog for Magdalyn here at http://magdalyngrace.blogspot.com. Please keep Kelli and her family uplifted in prayer for peace and comfort during this hard time. As a mother I cannot imagine the pain, grief, and immense sense of loss that she must be feeling right now. Please pray that God will continue by her side as she navigates this new path of mourning for her sweet little angel Maggie. I feel awful that it's times like these that really make me appreciate the gift I've been given even more. I've been blessed with a handsome and healthy 13 month old son and another equally handsome and healthy baby boy growing inside of me. I'm truly grateful to have been given the gift of motherhood without having to experience this sense of loss. My heart pours out for women like Kelli who have had to suffer the loss of a child or who have encountered health issues with their children.

Secondly, please pray for good health for my boys. My poor little "Punky", Jayden, has been ill for over a week now with the bug going around. He's been plagued with a nose so runny that it's now raw and a horrible cough. He's a tough little tyke and has been in relatively good spirits (with the exception of yesterday) but you can tell he's miserable no matter what I do to help him feel better...which then makes me feel even more helpless. I was told to bring him in early next week if he still has not seen any improvement. Please pray that he will get to feeling better soon and that his symptoms will start to subside. Also, keep Jax and I in your thoughts for Thursday. At this time we have no reason to think anything is wrong, but I am measuring behind schedule (which is typical for me) so my OB may order another ultrasound to make sure he's growing appropriately. Again, we've had absolutely no red flags and we've been assured that all his organs are healthy and functioning properly, but with me being the worry-wart I am I like the extra assurance that it's just how my body is built and that he's right on track. I probably wouldn't think anything of it except for I have had an inability to gain weight this pregnancy despite indulging my sweet tooth and carb cravings almost daily (I'm only up maybe 13 pounds) and that I'm hypothyroid (although it's being monitored and controlled).

Also, if you could also keep the other man in my life, my husband, in your prayers and thoughts I'm sure we'd both be appreciative. He e-mailed me this morning saying that he was having a pain in his chest and he got really light-headed. It scared him immensely. He has had issues on and off since college with his blood pressure (he's been told it's genetic) and his doctor just recently put him back on his blood pressure medication within the last week. He was told to come in to the clinic right away so I imagine he's either there now or on his way. I have no idea what is going on yet and I'm waiting for an update. My immediate thought was a reaction to his BP medication... so please pray that everything turns out okay and that the doctors are able to figure out what caused this episode. Other than that he seems to be in good spirits, but he tends to worry and stress about his health a lot. It doesn't help that he's constantly stressed at work either with the current situation there.

Thank you very much for your prayers and thoughts! Despite my somewhat downer of a post, have a happy Tuesday! Oh how the weekend cannot get here soon enough!!! Ugh... 4 more days.

A peek at Baby Jaxson!!

So, we went in for our 3D/4D ultrasound today and it went pretty well. They started the ultrasound in 2D and we found out that Jax is still transverse. His head is over on my right side and his feet are on my left. I was hoping that he would be head down like his brother was by 28 weeks, but I'm confident he'll turn in time. Oh well. We invited all the grandparents (my dad and little brothers weren't able to make it) and our soon to be sister in law to view it with us. The room was really nice. Big comfortable bed-like table for me to relax on and a big couch and chairs for the visitors right in front of the big screen.

At first everything was working well and then the screen went blank. For some reason they were having technical difficulties and the connection from the ultrasound machine to the big screen wasn't working correctly so everyone had to gather in front of the machine to see the ultrasound that way. It wasn't ideal but it worked. So, they continued the ultrasound and she did segments in both 2D and 3D. Unfortunately, Jax had his hands up in front of his face and over his head so she had to turn me at some pretty tricky angles in order to get good pictures of his face. Then we saw him in 3D for the first time and I have to say that it brought tears to my eyes. He's so precious!!! That was my little boy!! And he looks so much like his big brother! The tech said that he's a baldie (doesn't surprise me...I was!) and that everything looks great. She couldn't technically do any diagnosis since the ultrasound is mainly for entertainment purposes, but since she does do diagnostic ultrasounds as her primary job she did assure us that everything looks completely normal and all of his organs are functioning perfectly. We also had her check to make sure he is still a "he"...no doubts there. We got yet another great picture of his "turtle" so I'm not concerned about having to go out and buy any pink. :) We could see him open and close his eyes and move his hands around by his face and suck on the fluid. He even stuck his tongue out at one point. He's just so handsome! I can't wait to meet him! He looks so much like Jayden. His nose is a little bigger than Jayden's and so far his cheeks are less chubby. He has dimples like me, and he has the pointy "Farley" chin. He also likes to grab on to things. At the beginning of the ultrasound he was actually grabbing at his feet!!

So, because of the technical issues that we had with not being able to watch it on the big screen as originally planned and not having the DVD work as it was supposed to (it's not set to music as it should be), they are giving us a complimentary redo ultrasound in 3 weeks on Valentine's Day! I have a date with one of the other boys in my life...what a special gift!!! Hopefully everything will work better then AND Jax will not be as shy and stubborn like his Mommy... :) The tech was really great though... she snuck us extra pictures, so I feel extra grateful and blessed on top of all that to be able to get another scan. They've been very accommodating to us.

I took pictures of the color 3D pictures they gave us, but they are blurry because we don't have a scanner at home. I had to take pictures on my phone and email them to myself. They actually were a lot more clear in person. So, without further adieu, please enjoy the pictures of our handsome little boy, Jaxson Robert, at the top of the post.

More updates to come soon... I have an appointment on the 29th.

My back is singing praises!

Ok, so I went to the chiropractor on Monday thinking that I was going to get an adjustment, and sadly they only did a consultation and told me what I already knew...I have sciatica. Apparently, it's being pinched in two places and it's fixable. He said it could be a lot worse, but given the fact that those shooting surges I get never even go past my knee that it's a good sign. People with major sciatica problems have the pain go all the way down into their toes. But, he also told me a couple other things about my back and body that I didn't already know, yet somehow I don't find them too surprising. One, my spine has a curve to it (I think he said that it's curving to the right) and also that my pelvis is slightly tilted or "off". So he basically has to try to realign me so I'm straight.

Per his request, I went back in yesterday for my adjustment since he wanted to consult with the other chiropractor as to the best course of action for me. So I had the adjustment done and it was fabulous! He tilted me to the sides and "cracked" my back in about 6 different places. He also pulled on my right leg to help elongate the bones and give them room to line up straighter since they were compressed. Also the joint from my femur to my pelvis was compressed, so he said by doing that pulling maneuver that the fluid would flow back into the socket and rehydrate the joint. Then he said he was going to do some "massage". Ok...not so much the massage I was thinking of. First tool didn't hurt too much, but it sounded like a massive human hole puncher. Then the second one sounded like a power sander...and felt about the same too. In some places it felt great, and in others it felt as if he was popping every blood vessel possible while ripping my skin off! He said it was to help the blood flow to my muscles. Oh well, it gave me the ability to practice my Hypno-breathing and try to relax myself. I'm going to have to get used to that if I plan on having a natural birth.

Anyway, afterwards I felt great! They put me on a "roller table" for massage afterwards and that was really relaxing. He wants to see me every 2 weeks for an adjustment and then on my off weeks I go back in for massage therapy. So, I'll be there every Thursday for either a one-hour massage (yes please!) or another adjustment. I hate the fact that I have to pay $25 every time I go, but if my back feels better and it helps me with labor and delivery then I'll gladly pay the price.

So, that's my big chiropractor update. Nothing else really to post except for maybe the fact that we get to see Jaxson again in 3 days!! I was having a lot of Braxton Hicks ("pressure waves") last night...maybe he liked the chiropractor?? He was a squirmy little worm too...hopefully he'll practice that on Saturday so we get good pictures.

Well, it's back to work for me... I have org charts, seating charts, and Excel spreadsheets shouting my name. Oh goody. What I really want is a nap... nothing like having your one year old not want to sleep from about 1-3 in the morning. Fabulous...

Happy Hump Day! The weekend is almost in sight...

Monday Musings...

Nothing really big to report. It's Monday...and it's back to work for me. Usually Mondays are hectic, but I'm assuming that maybe because it's a "holiday" (for some anyway...ha!) that it's more tame. Fine by me.

I'm excited because today I get to go to my very first chiropractor appointment. I'm the worst at slouching and I know how terrible my posture is even pre-pregnancy. I've been told by all those free clinics we have here at work that I'm definitely out of alignment. But, due to pregnancy I also have sciatica. Granted it's not nearly as bad as it was when I was pregnant with Jayden (I spent 8 weeks in physical therapy and had to walk with a cane. Yes, Aaron made many jokes at my expense), it still hurts to walk sometimes with shooting pains from my lower back, down my butt, and into my legs. So, I'm really looking forward to them working some much needed magic to tune my poor, slumped, and oddly misshapen body up. :) Besides, they throw in some nice massage action too...and I surely cannot find anything to complain about that. Yes, please...I'll take a double helping of that goodness. :)

Also, this Saturday we get to sneak a peek at Jaxson again!! Aaron and I are paying for an elective 3D ultrasound (you don't want to know how much those suckers cost in Seattle) because we figured it would be our last chance to see our son before his April debut and who doesn't want to see cute chubby cheeks in 3D?? I mean, hello!!? So, the last few weeks have been spent in a countdown mode and Aaron and I find ourselves giddily asking each other who we think he'll look like or if he'll look like Jayden. I'm hoping Jax takes after me more because if it wasn't for the fact that I pushed him out of my body, you'd think Jayden wasn't mine. He might be a Mommy's boy at heart, but he looks just like his Daddy (minus my contribution of his stunning blue eyes). Not that I mind...I may be biased, but he's one darn good looking kid! Ladies, beware! So, stay tuned for new pictures of our little guy (and maybe a video if I can ever learn how to post the dang things!) by sometime next week.

Funny thing about all of this is, at my last appointment I was measuring 2-3 weeks behind. Not that it made me horribly nervous since I was the same way with Jayden... Apparently because I'm tall and have a long torso, I've got lots of hiding space for the baby. But, it was enough for my doctor to note in my chart and recommend that if I'm still measuring behind at my next appointment that I be possibly scheduled for a 3rd trimester ultrasound to check his growth. He moves enough for me to get kick counts daily (which I have to do now), but he's a quiet baby in comparison to his big bro, and he definitely feels smaller and higher than Jayden was. I don't feel as much pressure or movement so that does put me a little on edge. I'm still erring on the side of "Ok, this is all just normal pregnancy stuff..." but it's always nice to have that extra reassurance. Plus, with my thyroid issues, it's just something to keep an eye on. So, I may get to see Jaxson twice more before he arrives, and that's fine by me. I love getting to peek at my little guy and see how adorable he is.

So, that's all I've got on this Monday morning... just looking forward to getting off early and getting pampered today. I'm sure I'll be singing praises tomorrow...

'Til then, have a happy Monday! Cheers!

Introduction to our family and our lives!

I used to be really good about blogging, especially on my MySpace page, but with my still relatively new mommy status I find that my arms are usually never empty enough to be able to find the time to type. So, you'll probably find me posting a lot when I actually have downtime at work...which can be hit or miss depending on the day. Anyway, I find it theraputic and I like to share and I thought that it would be as good of a time as any to pick it up again especially with it being a new year and all. Start fresh and new, right? :)

So, my name is Shannon. I'm 23 years old and currently reside in the suburbs of bustling and urban Seattle, WA. I've been a resident Washingtonian all my life and my roots are strong. I'm not going anywhere! I'm married to my soulmate, Aaron, since October 26, 2008. We have had a very crazy journey over the last 5 years that we have been together, and as unfortunate as some of our experiences have been they truly have only made us stronger and more mature. I'm very grateful for everything we have gone through. We both share a strong desire for Jesus Christ in our lives and we are members of a very wonderful and welcoming church which is like our second home. Our faith in God has truly helped us stay on course and follow our true hearts.

Together, Aaron and I are blessed beyond any measure to have our wonderful son, Jayden Ezra, who was born on December 8, 2007. He's now a very busy and curious 13 month old boy and he brightens up our world immensely. I've always loved children, and I had an idea of what it would be like to love a child through my interactions with my nieces and nephews, but it only strengthened and deepened from the moment I first saw my son both in utero and in my arms. It's a love that grows like a wildfire...more and more every day. I revel in every little milestone he hits. Current one is expanding his vocabulary and the amount of teeth he has to bite things with! Ha! He can now say "Mama", "cat", "bye bye" (and then proceeds to "wave" with his entire arm), and "baby". I've had to teach him the latter of those a lot lately as Jayden gears up to step into his "Big Brother" role in the spring. I'll ask him where "his baby" is and he typically proceeds to stab me in the belly button, but then returns for a very loving and slobbery kiss for "his baby". Too precious.

That brings me to the next member of the family... our currently incubating son, Jaxson Robert. I'm 28 weeks pregnant as of today, and he's set to join our family around April 10, 2009. Yes, if you do the math you'll know our kids will be 16 months apart. It wasn't planned that way and there were plenty of "Oh Crap!" moments when we found out (we were on not one, but TWO forms of birth control) but now I wouldn't see it any other way. It's a complete blessing in disguise. God had a different plan for us than we did and I'm so glad that Jax is a part of it. I'm hoping he makes his debut a little sooner so that I can go back to breathing normally and not waddling like a duck, but I'll allow him as much time as he needs to cook. :) We are trying for a natural birthing experience through HypnoBabies. I usually fall asleep in the middle of my nightly hypnosis routine, but it is helping me to stay very calm and view pregnancy and birth positively and without any fear. I had an 18 hour labor with Jayden, and as a first-timer I was proud of my ability to handle 13 hours of my birthing experience without any medical interventions. Anyway, this whole pregnancy I just knew we were having a boy, and secretly I was hoping for a little brother for Jayden, plus we already have everything we need for a little boy...which is great considering how bad the economy is right now.

We are very excited to be the proud parents of two little boys and cannot wait to see the two of them together and to see how our family continues to grow.

As for our jobs... Aaron currently works as an account manager for a WAN (wide area network) provider in Seattle. The status of his job is a little shaky right now considering it's a small, family-run business that just laid off 25% of its workers. Luckily, since they now only have 2 AM's and Aaron is the best one they've got, he does have SOME job security. We still aren't taking any chances though, and I'm sure he's out looking for some greener pastures... and some that will bring in more green for us.

I've been at my company for almost 2.5 years now. I work for a major, non-profit, healthcare company in the area. I started out as an operator (which made me feel like a robot), then went on to be a receptionist, and now (since August 2008) I'm an administrative assistant for one of the Vice Presidents of the IT department as well as an admin for all his direct reports. Yes, now the lack of downtime makes sense, right?? To be honest, it's not all that bad. My boss is very relaxed and down to earth. He's seriously one of the greatest guys to work for and I'm very lucky for that...and I've got great job security to boot! Eventually when we can afford it, which I'm sure will be many years down the road, we'd like to have me stay at home with the kids, but for now it's still financially more sound for us to both be working. Lucky for me my son LOVES daycare, so he doesn't seem to mind. I wish my wallet could sympathize...

Hobbies: Well, I LOVE to scrapbook when I have the time and I take lots of pictures of our family. I'm a novice cook, thanks to all the Food Network I watch, but rarely get the time to experiment. Aaron likes to play video games and watch sports (mainly football), and we try to squeeze in some movie nights occasionally. Most of our weekends are spent just relaxing at home or spending time with our family. Sundays are church days for us as I do a fair amount of volunteering there as well.

So, that's pretty much who we are in a nutshell. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check us out! Come back for regular updates on our progress. I'll be posting a lot especially about the boys. I'll have Jaxson updates every 2 weeks or so since I practically live at the doctor's office now. :)

Cheers and God Bless!