Just some updates...

First, potty training has started!! Jayden has been repeatedly waking up dry in the mornings which they say is the prime sign of readiness because that means they can control their bladder. The only issue is that Jayden is NOT a morning person and I can never convince him to use the potty in the morning when he's a grouch...even if I bribe him. He waits until he has a diaper on and then he just pees in it. So, he's not all that great about PT while he's at home. However, at daycare he's doing really well! He's starting to assert his independence a lot more. He used to tell his DCP when he had to go potty and so she'd go in there to help him. Now he just goes and does it himself and just asks her to put his diaper back on! Granted he's not doing that every time he has to go, but it is becoming more routine so I'm very happy and impressed. For only being 2.5 years old and a boy...that's pretty impressive. Boys usually take much longer than girls. Still no interest in going #2 on the potty, but that's usually always the last thing to happen so I'm pretty content for now. Yay for Jayden!!! He makes his mother proud. :)

Second, Aaron got a call yesterday from Comcast (the one just down from our place---on the same street!). He submitted his resume to them a few weeks back for a Project Manager position and has been pretty hopeful about it. Not to mention, if he got a job working for them it would be amazing because of the proximity to our house (he could walk, take the bus, or I could drop him off---gas saver!), because it's still in the realm of what he wants to do, and because it's a successful and larger company that promotes from within. It would look so good on his resume to have Comcast listed as an employer especially since the work experience he does have are from smaller, no-name companies who laid him off because of the poor economy. Anyway, so he got a call last night from someone who wanted to set up a phone interview with him. She called at like 5:00 last night and Aaron didn't see the call in time so he called her back later that night and left a message saying he was interested and available. We both assumed she'd call back to set up a time to do the interview, but it looks like she just decided to interview him today instead.

Aaron called me right after to tell me that the phone interview went really well (or seemed to) and that the lady seemed very impressed with him---they even chatted it up regarding non-work related things (which in my opinion is a good sign if you can also impress people with everyday chatter---means you are personable). So... they asked him to come in for a face-to-face interview!! She said that they won't start the interviews until the week of June 7th, which is just a week to two weeks out. But this is a step in the right direction!!! This would be AMAZING for us, moreso for my husband, but also for our family so that we can both be working and saving money. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well. I don't know how long the whole interview process will take before they select someone but I'd imagine that we'd know something within a month.

And for the other update... the one in regards to yesterday's post. Well, really there's nothing new and that's driving me crazy. I'm a planner and I'm impatient so this whole "not knowing" thing bugs the crap out of me. I went to have my levels drawn yesterday. I won't know about my Vitamin D levels for 10 days because they have to send those out, but they are overtreating me for my thyroid so they have to adjust my levels yet again.

About the pregnancy test?? Yeah, I know... I'm getting to it. No one gives a crap about Vitamin D or thyroid levels, right? Just "are you pregnant or not?". Well, I can't tell you for sure and neither can my doctor. I called this morning to get my numbers but the nurse didn't know how to interpret them so I had to wait for the doctor to call me back herself. My number was 8mIU/ml. What does that mean? Essentially, I'm in limbo. Either I am pregnant and it's still to early to tell, or I'm not pregnant but my levels are higher than normal.

This is what I've gathered from doctors, nurses, bloggers, and other moms (or hopefuls) who know lots about charting and betas: the "standard" quantitative beta (hCG hormone in blood) for a non-pregnant female is less than 5mIU/ml. Anything above that could indicate pregnancy. For a pregnant woman who is around 3-4 weeks gestation, which I would be if I am indeed pregnant, is anywhere from 5mIU/ml up to somewhere in the hundreds range. The average is around 47mIU/ml. So, I could be pregnant but at this point we are treating it as a "not likely" scenario. If it was even just a bit higher, I'm sure they'd just tell me I am pregnant. Also, it's not so much the number that is important, but whether or not it doubles.

hCG levels in a pregnant woman are supposed to double every 48-72 hours. So, my doctor has asked me to take the pregnancy test I have left on Sunday or Monday with FMU (first morning urine---it's the most potent) and then regardless of the result, I need to have another beta on Tuesday to see if my levels have changed and by how much. If the result is pregnant from the test, then they will just want to make sure my levels are doubling. If the result is not pregnant and I still haven't had my period, they will probably just want to see what is happening. They aren't too worried if I skip one period, but if I skip two in a row that will be a BIG red flag. I've never had that happen. So, we wait...

Waiting sucks. Ha, haven't I said THAT before?

I'm not sure what to make of the "symptoms" I have either. I do have some of the yellow CM that I had with both of the boys and I've noticed I'm more hungry than usual but really nothing else. I am having mild cramps, but those can go either way. It could mean I'm trying to start my period or it could mean I'm pregnant. The ambiguity is killing me. So, hopefully I will know something by next Wednesday when my 2nd beta results are back.

As soon as I know something definite, I'll post it. Otherwise we will just... wait.

What's going on with me?

I'm giving you a fair warning that there may be some TMI encapsulated in this stream of consciousness, so if you don't like reading about womanly tidbits I'd turn away here...

Ok, so here's my shtick: This is my first real cycle of charting & NFP. I did chart on FertilityFriend (FF) for the two cycles prior just so I could get an idea of what I was supposed to be doing and what to look for, but I was on BC those two months so it wasn't really the same. Anyway...

So, my cycles are usually 28 days. I started that lovely womanly time back in 6th grade. I was 11. From 11 to about 16 (when I first started using BC) my cycles were 30-35 days. From 16 on, even including the times I wasn't on BC, my cycles were 28 days. Sure, I might have had maybe one cycle a year that differed by a day or two, but nothing past 30 days. I've only ever skipped a period 3 times... and 2 of those times I was pregnant.

Well, I've been off birth control for about a month and a half and this is my first cycle completely BC free. I'm now at 31 days. Even on the months where I had gotten off BC, I still had regular cycles so this is just not like me. The information on my chart shows I ovulated on CD 12. Aaron and I waited 6 days past when I supposedly ovulated before being intimate since my "fertile window" should have been long gone. Everything shows that I should be on AF right now... and she's nowhere in sight.

I took a pregnancy test yesterday afternoon and it was negative. So what is wrong with me? Is my body still adjusting to being off birth control? Did I ovulate later which means I could possibly be pregnant? All signs point to me not being PG but where is AF? Then I have thoughts swirling through my head about wondering if the different kinds of birth control messed with my fertility. I know that's a long shot, but seeing how my sister had difficulty getting pregnant after her 2nd and after birth control, it's made me wonder if I'm not immune from that too. I know I just need to chill and not let it stress me out but it's driving me nuts not knowing either way what is going on with me.

My hope is that this is some freak, rogue cycle and that once I get AF again my body will stabilize and my charting will be pinpointed more...and thus more reliable. I hope that everything is okay with my fertility, that I AM ovulating still, and that I'm not pregnant right now. Don't get me wrong, Aaron and I would LOVE another child and we are trying to patiently count down the next 6 months, but getting pregnant right now would not be a good idea. My parents and sister would probably die, and honestly, I think Aaron would be pretty upset. I'd be scared, too. We are not yet in a position to have another one yet. We are well on our way to getting our ducks in a row, but an unplanned pregnancy would completely derail us.

So, I'm going in this afternoon for some routine bloodwork in regards to my thyroid and Vitamin D levels and they are adding a blood pregnancy test on top of it just to rule that possibility out... or confirm it. If for some reason I am pregnant, they will need to know as my thyroid and Vitamin D levels will need to be stabilized accordingly. I should know the results by tomorrow. My doctor said that she thinks that my body is just trying to regulate itself after being on BC, and I'm inclined to believe her as I truly don't think there's any way in Hades I could be pregnant, but there's still always that little nagging voice of doubt hanging in limbo. Fingers crossed for tomorrow that they find out everything is okay and that Baby Andresen #3 is still just a thought at this moment in time.

I swear I have complete faith in NFP, but I wish my body would cooperate!! It's so perplexing to have no idea what the heck is going on with you... Argh!

Alexis Marie

This weekend was eventful. :) And especially Saturday turned out to be a busy day for the Andresen family. On top of it being Aaron's 25th birthday and Jayden having a friend's birthday party to go to, Tommy and Samantha also had their baby girl!! How cool of a birthday present is that?


We got a call around 7:30am on Friday (the 21st) that Samantha was having contractions, but they weren't consistent. From there on out we were on baby watch. I thought for sure Friday would be the day and I was hoping that she would be born on the 21st since that's the day I picked in the family poll. Plus, I thought it would be cool for her to have her "own day" as a birthday and not have to "share" with another family member.


Samantha's labor didn't ramp up until late Friday night, so by then we pretty much knew she wouldn't arrive until Saturday. I finally settled into bed with Jaxson around 11:30 and 45 minutes later we got a call from Tommy saying to come to the hospital-- Samantha was 9cm dilated. Being as we live about 45 minutes from where they delivered, we were in a mad dash to get there in time (especially with 2 tired kiddos in tow). We were minutes away from the hospital when we got the text saying she was pushing...and made it within 5-10 minutes of the birth of our niece.


Samantha's sister came out to share the news of her birth which was bittersweet at first--- she was here and mostly healthy, but she came out "sunny side up" which meant an episiotomy for Samantha, the use of the vacuum to help deliver (which they wanted to avoid as that happened with Brayden as well), and for a brief moment the oxygen was cut off to baby Lexi which caused her heart rate to decel and she was almost whisked off to the NICU. Again that was all too familiar for Tommy and Samantha and something they had hoped to avoid this time around. Luckily, when Sam's sister returned moments later, we got the thumbs up that Lexi was okay.


We got to see her briefly before returning home to get some sleep, but we did spend some time with the new family at home yesterday. She looks really similar to her big brother (who takes after his mom) but she also has some of her own unique features. She seems to have more of the Andresen genes than Brayden does. Jayden loves his new cousin and gave her a bunch of kisses. Jaxson was off in la-la land as he didn't really take any notice. As for me? I forget how small they are!! This also has amplified the fact that Aaron would really love a baby girl too.

Without further ado...here she is!! Welcome to the world, Baby Lexi!

Alexis Marie Andresen

May 22, 2010

1:09 am

7 lbs. 12 oz.

20.5 in

Two new nieces in one week... how cool is that?? :)

I think it's time...

... to REALLY, seriously start potty training Jayden.

And not because I hate changing and spending money on diapers, which I do, but because he is giving us signs he's ready. He's been interested in the potty for a while and he will go pee in it on occasion (he's even gone at daycare and public restrooms). And over the last few months, he's been doing this annoying thing of taking off his diaper when he poops and then getting it everywhere. He HATES being dirty... on most occasions he will tell us when he's gone so that we can change him.

We have even had a few occasions where he's woken up dry. Once it was like 2-3 days in a row!Well, this morning I got up and saw Jayden asleep on the couch next to Aaron (yes, Aaron still sleeps on the couch by his choice since we are trying to transition Jaxson out of our bed and into his own...) and I went to wake him up to change him and get him dressed for daycare. I noticed that his diaper was dry. I didn't think anything of it and just assumed that Aaron had changed him in the middle of the night when he came out to sleep on the couch. So, I got him dressed, got him in the car, and drove the 10 minutes to daycare. I got him out of the car and we walked into daycare where his DCP said, "Oh my, he's completely soaked through his pants!". How did I not notice?? Sure enough...soaked. I was astonished and I said, "But I just checked him! He was dry!".

Vicki, his DCP (which stands for day care provider), said that holding your urine and waking up dry in the morning is the prime sign of potty training readiness. Then it hit me, "Wow, he held it all night long! He made it through a whole night without going potty!". It shouldn't surprise me as he's done it before, but something made me think that this was different. So, we are going to start getting really diligent about having him go potty in the morning when he wakes up and really anytime that we are with him...even in public. At home, to start out, we are going to try the "naked method" also known as the "375" method... 3 days of strict potty training while running around naked...and $75 to steam clean the carpets afterwards! Ha! Our carpet is shot anyway.

So, here's to a new adventure. We had planned on having Jayden potty trained by his 3rd birthday in December (or at least that was MY goal, anyway), so it looks like we are on track for now. Wish us luck... we are really going to do it this time and I hope that Jayden truly is ready!

Little Miss Natalie!

Here are some pictures of the newest Andresen addition, little miss Natalie Louise Andresen born on Monday night to my brother in law, Robert, and his wife, Melanie. Natalie is their third child and first girl. They have two boys: Matthew, who is 4 (I believe...), and Eli, who is 2. I cannot believe how much hair Natalie has...and it's so dark!! She's very cute and she definitely looks like an Andresen! I can't say for sure who she looks like, but at first glance I think she looks more like her dad.

Enjoy the pictures of my sweet, new niece!







Stay tuned for another Andresen family update within the next few weeks... Tommy and Samantha are due to have their little girl any day!! My bet was for either tomorrow or Monday, but it looks like Lexi is really comfortable so it might be later than that!

Natalie Louise Andresen

Congratulations to my brother in law Robert, his wife Melanie, and their two boys Matthew and Eli on the birth of their daughter/sister!! We have a new Andresen in the family; a new niece and cousin!!

Welcome to the world...

Natalie Louise Andresen
May 17, 2010
8:09pm

6 pounds 12 ounces

20 inches

This is all I know of little Natalie at this point. Once I get pictures, I will post them. :)

New Hair

I decided to do something different with my hair just because so I asked my sister if she could put highlights in my hair. It turned out really good!! I don't have a "before" picture, but if you look at the previous post with all of the Mother's Day pictures, you'll see what it looked like before.

Here is the after:

It looks WAY better in person, but I am bad at taking pictures of myself and the lighting and angle make this look completely different.

I've had a lot of compliments though, and I absolutely love the new me. :) Now I just have to lose those last 18-23 pounds and I'll be so happy!!

Mother's Day 2010

Here are some pictures from Mother's Day. It was a good, relaxing day. We started off Friday with a pre-Mom's Day dinner in which I had an entire glass of water dumped on my pants thanks to my one year old, Saturday we had a wedding reception (which I would have taken pictures of had I not been so busy making sure my kids weren't jumping in the dirt, running in the street, or trying to swim in the koi pond...), and then finally Sunday.

Sunday started off with breakfast at Shari's with the fam and Aaron's mom, Nana Joan. Jayden, as usual, climbed all over the seats, and Jaxson tried to crawl on the table...but it turned out to be really nice. And it was well worth everything watching Jaxson try to eat a lemon. Sadly, he liked it.

Then my mom and I went out for pedicures before heading to the cemetary with my aunt to pay respects and wish my late grandmother a happy Mom's Day. After that, my mom & our crew drove out to my sister's place for a big family dinner. Despite all the driving around, it was a great day.

Checking Back In

So, I made it through most of my Wordless Week that started 2 weeks ago, but I missed my Silent Saturday and Speechless Sunday...proof that I rarely am on my computer at home and on weekends. I get so busy that it's virtually unrealistic for me to think I'll have enough quiet time to sit down and upload pictures. :)

I've also been so busy with work (and I'm still swamped!) that it's been hard to find time during the week either.

I'm going to post some pictures from Mother's Day as well as my new 'do in a separate post.

...Ok. Back to pounding the pavement here at work! Ugh!

Chatter Free Friday

No Talk Thursday

Video (sorry... it's dark!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fFOT7W5T50

Wordless Wednesday

Tacid Tuesday

Mute Monday