My Three Sons

Owen Isaiah Andresen

2011-02-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

There's only one reason for my long absence, as I'm sure you can guess, and yes... it's because OWEN IS HERE!!

Usually I'd be totally on top of posting his arrival to the world but, to be honest, it's been crazy here with three kids even having my husband and the grandparents here to help. Plus, it's been nice to just have some time to soak him all in and spend time as a new family of five. But, I still wanted to get around to blogging about his arrival when I had the chance and now seems as good of a time as any (considering he's now a week old!). So, without further ado...

Owen Isaiah Andresen
Thursday, January 27, 2011
11:45pm
6 lbs. 8 oz. & 18.75 in.
born via natural waterbirth

So, the day of his arrival goes something like this: I started out the day working from home as my last day was supposed to be Friday, January 28th. I'd been spotting, cramping, and losing big chunks of my plug since Wednesday (the 26th) when my midwife stripped my membranes. Around noon on Thursday, I started to get stomach cramps and contractions so bad that I couldn't focus on my work and told my boss that I was taking the rest of the day off due to not feeling good. I laid down for a little while and that seemed to help me feel slightly better so then I decided to get up and go for a walk. My sister in law, Samantha, invited me over to her place so I went over there for a couple hours and we decided to do some more "baby boot camp" so she invited her friend, Stacy, over to help. We went for a really long walk, did some jogging, sprints, squats, lunges, jogged up stairs, and did the elliptical. I got some good contractions, but it didn't seem like it was working.

Exhausted and sweaty, I came home and took a shower before heading out to pick Jayden up from daycare around 5:30pm. I got home shortly after 6:00pm with both boys and Joan took off to go home. Aaron was at a project management dinner party for his work in downtown Seattle at the time so I was on my own for the night. Around 6:30 I noticed I was having some mild contractions followed by excruciating pains to my cervix. Unsure of what was going on and definitely in no state to be chasing after 2 boys all by myself, I called my mom for help with the kids and also to be with me in case this was labor starting. By the time she arrived, we noticed that I was indeed having contractions and that they were about 6-7 minutes apart so we called my midwife and I called Aaron saying he needed to come home ASAP. My midwife, Ali, said that I could come into the birth center once my contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart which wasn't long after the initial phone call. Aaron arrived home and we called Ali back around 8:00pm saying that the contractions were 5 minutes apart so she asked us to meet her at the birth center at quarter to 9:00.

We arrived at the birth center at 8:40, checked into Birth Suite #3, and they checked me. I was 4-5cm. My blood pressure was borderline high and so they wanted to see what my blood pressure would do before deciding if I needed a hospital transfer or not. Luckily, it dipped back into the safe zone so they decided I could stay at the birth center and have my waterbirth. My contractions got down to 2 minutes apart and we decided to break my water. My water was broken at 6cm and the contractions immediately got super intense. I'm sure all of Kirkland could hear me screaming from my room... and I'm sure it sounded like something from a horror movie, but frankly I could have cared less. Anyone who can do a "silent birth" is either insanely strong or completely crazy... I haven't decided which.

After they broke my water, I got into the jacuzzi tub which helped to alleviate some of the pain from the contractions, but they were still really intense and at one point I found myself starting to push with the contractions, but since I was unsure of whether or not I should be pushing I asked them to check me for dilation. I was only 7cm and my cervix was still posterior (towards the back of Owen's head instead of the front). They said his head was so low and that's why I felt the need to push. They decided to have me get out of the tub and labor in the bed for a little bit on either side to hopefully get him into position and push my cervix forward. After 2 contractions, I felt Owen wiggle and then I had 3 of the most intense contractions ever. So intense and painful that I was literally begging for medication. I didn't want an epi, but I was praying they had something to take the edge off. The two student midwives told me this was a great sign as it's usually right about pushing time when most women start begging for the medication, so they asked me to get back into the tub instead. I labored in there for a little while longer before I again felt the need to push with my contractions. This time it actually felt better to push with my contractions so I kept doing it, but I was still afraid I wasn't fully dilated yet especially since I thought I felt the need to push when I was only 7cm. I asked them to check me again, but the contractions were on top of one another and I just couldn't bear the thought of an internal exam when I was in so much pain already.

At one point I felt pressure and a bit of burning, so I put my hand down there and reached up a bit and hit something with my fingers. I was like, "Oh my gosh... I think that's his head!" and I asked Ali if she could feel what I was feeling and if it was his head. She felt it and said "Yes, that's his head" so I immediately knew that I was fully dilated and he was crowning already. So, with that I had renewed determination and pushed as hard as I was able to with each contraction. I started to feel the intense burning and I knew his head was coming out so I pushed as hard as I could through all the pain and before I knew it, I felt relief from his head coming out and my midwife team asked me to give a couple gentle pushes. I gave a couple small pushes and Owen came sliding right out and was placed up on my chest at 11:45pm... after a total of 5.5 hours of active labor & 22 minutes of pushing.

As soon as he emerged from under the water, it was like instant tears for everyone. My mom, mother in law, sister in law, and aunt were all in the room in addition to Aaron and I (my dad was at our house with the boys) and we were all crying happy tears. Owen let out a small little whimper and I just held him close on my chest. I can't even describe how surreal that moment was. I just wanted nothing more than my son in my arms, crying tears of joy that he was finally here...and just how perfect he was. After getting cleaned up, I crawled into bed with my little guy and he immediately latched and fed for a good hour.

They weighed him (6 lbs. 8 oz.) and measured him (18.75 in.) during his newborn exam as well as gave him his Vitamin K shot, which he slept through, and gave him a clean bill of health. He scored a 9 and 10 on his APGARs and is just perfect. :) I, on the other hand, was showing signs of preeclampsia right after birth because my blood pressure was high, and again talk of a hospital transfer for me emerged. Luckily, it went down again and I was given the okay to go home with my new little boy within hours of his birth. We arrived home around 3:30 am on Friday morning and settled in as a new family.

It's amazing how after all those months of hoping for a girl to finding out how to welcome yet another son to the bunch just doesn't seem to matter. I had an epiphany in that moment... and thank God that He knew better than me as to what I needed. I needed Owen. My son. I stared down at my beautiful little boy and in that moment I knew he was meant for me and I for him. This was how it was meant to be. He was perfect and exactly what I needed. My heart and my life was (and still is) filled with complete love and joy and happiness. I wouldn't trade him for anything in this world and he's the piece of the puzzle that was missing and that fits perfectly. I'm so in love.

The boys both love him, especially Jayden. He asks multiple times a day to hold baby Owen and is very protective of him. He tells people to be careful and that they cannot hurt his baby. It's so cute to see him stroke Owen's head and sneak kisses onto his cheeks when he thinks no one is looking. He's so gentle and nurturing and has really taken on the role of the loving, doting big brother. Jaxson seems relatively uninterested most of the time but will come over and point at him with a simple exclamation of "Baby!" before running off to play with his cars again. He's still wrestling with the idea that Owen's binkies and blankets aren't for him to steal and sharing Mommy is a bit of a challenge, but he's getting better. :)

He looks almost exactly like Jaxson only a little smaller and with a pretty full head of DARK hair. It will be interesting to see if his hair stays dark or if it lightens up like Jayden's and Jaxson's did. He's also such a sweet baby. He sleeps and nurses like a champion and rarely ever cries. The only time he ever fusses is when he's hungry or cold (he doesn't like diaper changes or the transition of being dressed). He's his most content when being snuggled all warm in his blanket. He's enriched our lives so much in the short week that he's been here and I know he will continue to make our lives so much more meaningful. He's the perfect addition to our family. :)

Time for me to wrap this up... my little peanut is crying for his Mommy. It's lunch time. :) Because he's such a tiny guy and he lost 10% of his body weight by his checkup (he was 5 lbs. 14 oz. on Sunday) they want me to make sure that I feed him around the clock every 2-3 hours until he reaches his birth weight. He's back up to 6 lbs. 2 oz. so we are getting there. Yay! Only 6 more ounces to go!

Big Brother Tees!

2011-01-24T15:01:00.000-08:00

To go along with their brand new big boy/big brother haircuts, I also ordered some really neat shirts for the boys. I started the tradition when Jaxson was born by ordering Big Brother/Baby Brother tees for Jayden & Jaxson to wear. So, now that we are adding another baby to the bunch we needed new shirts...seeing as Jax is no longer going to be the "baby brother".

I went onto Etsy and found a local gal who does tees and we ordered matching sock monkey themed Big Brother/Middle Brother/Little Brother shirts. :)

Here they are! Can't wait to see all THREE of my boys in them! :)

38 Weeks

2011-01-24T11:49:00.001-08:00

How far along?: 38w0d
Total weight gain: About 32-33 pounds
How big is baby?: Approximately 6.8 pounds & 19.5 inches... the size of a leek.
Maternity clothes?: Yes... mainly pajamas and the comfortable pants & tee shirts.
Stretch marks?: Same as last week. No change really.
Sleep?: Not too bad. Jaxson's been sleeping through the night mostly, so that means I have too.
Best moment this week?: Just being able to relax at home and not be stressed about possibly going into labor at the office.
Movement?: Same as last week. Lots of head butting and sucker punching. My cervix hurts. :(
Food cravings?: Nothing really. I just eat what is available.
Labor signs?: Yes. Lots of false labor, menstrual cramping, pressure, losing bits of mucus, in the bathroom all the time (your body kinda naturally cleans itself out pre-delivery). Pretty much everything other than labor itself. :(
Belly button in or out? Mostly flat.
What I miss: Not having a miniature human's head in my hoo-ha.
What I'm looking forward to: Just anticipating all the upcoming events... his birth (I'm so excited for my drug-free waterbirth!!), meeting him & seeing who he looks like, our upcoming move & setting up his nursery, etc. I'm excited for the moment where Jayden & Jaxson get to meet him for the first time. I'm also looking forward to us moving onward & upward into a new home and getting settled as a family of five.
Weekly Wisdom: Cherish your kids... there are so many precious moments and memories to be had... even in utero.
Milestone: Not much other than all the organs are fully matured and ready to go... it's just a waiting game at this point!! I've started natural induction methods this week.

No appointment notes yet as I'm still waiting for my next appointment (assuming he's not born today or tomorrow). They will be stripping my membranes on Wednesday though, so I'm excited about that and to see if I've made any more progress from last week. I've tried long walks, nipple stimulation, clary sage oil, bouncing on my Pilates ball, etc. All have given me contractions, but not enough to send me into labor. He's close though... just like I was with Jaxson at this point, I'm just teetering on the edge. It could be any day now.

Today I'm also starting "baby boot camp" with my sister in law. We are going to go walk the mall with the kids tonight after work and then come back to my place where we have an indoor basketball court and she's going to make me do the gauntlet like her sister & best friend did with her when she was pregnant with Alexis. We are going to do sprints, squats, lunges, etc. It sent her into labor within an hour and she had Alexis the next morning, so maybe I'll have the same luck. :)

Cuddles :)

2011-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

Just some pictures of a recent cuddle session. :) Both boys wanted to lay down with Mommy the other day and so all three of us squeezed on to the tiny loveseat. It was uncomfortable having like 60 pounds of child laying on me, but it was too sweet for me to resist. Daddy decided to join us too. :P

Big Boy Haircuts!

2011-01-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

Jayden is no stranger to haircuts. He's had plenty in his three short years. I blame his daddy for that as he follows in the same footsteps by having hair that grows at an unprecedented rate and therefore it's about a monthly occcurrence in this house... one that Jayden dreads every single time. I mean, he HATES it. He complains about how it itches him and it scares him. I think he's afraid I will cut him. Many tears are shed, lots of screaming & drooling... but by the time he rinses off in the bath, he's a completely different kid and his hair always looks great.

Jaxson on the other hand has never really had his hair cut. He had a small trim back in October, but I've been really reluctant to trim his hair really short. I LOVE his long blond locks. Jaxson has been able to get away with having longer hair whereas Jayden cannot, but lately Jaxson's hair has been getting so long in back that it looked like he was starting to sport a mullet. I'm not a fan of mullets at all, so I knew something that had to be done. I decided a hair cut was in order, but I was still so nervous about it. I want both boys to look perfect for when they meet their brother... what if I screwed it up and then just totally hated his new cut? He looks so cute with long hair... what if he didn't look so cute with short hair? After agonizing over it, I decided to cut it, but I used the longest guard available for the shears. Good thing I did as his hair is thinner than Jayden's so it looks like I took a lot more hair off.

The good news? It looks super cute! My fears were put to rest and he totally looks like a bigger little boy! Definitely a "big brother" haircut. He doesn't look like my little baby anymore, but it's adorable as ever. :) Also, he was a little skeptical of the shears at first, but as soon as Grandma Debbi picked him up, he tucked his head down onto her shoulder and just laid there and let me cut it.

I didn't get before pictures (even though I have many of them) but here are the after pictures of my two big boys with their big boy haircuts... ever so ready to meet their baby brother, Owen, any day now!!

37 Weeks

2011-01-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 37w3d
Total weight gain: About 32 pounds
How big is baby?: Approximately 6.3 pounds & 19 inches... the size of a stalk of Swiss chard.
Maternity clothes?: Yes... that and pajamas since I'm working from home now. Comfort is key. :)
Stretch marks?: Mainly just the old ones being irritated, but it looks like I'm getting one above where my old belly button piercing is.
Sleep?: Eh, okay I guess. Depends on the night really.
Best moment this week?: Being told that I should work from home "just in case". I've been so nervous and uncomfortable at work.
Movement?: He doesn't have much room, but yes. It consists of head butts and sucker punches to my bladder and cervix. It's painful.
Food cravings?: Not that I can think of. I gravitate towards sweets though.
Labor signs?: Yup. Lots of false labor, cramping, & losing bits of my plug. Still only 3cm & 75% though.
Belly button in or out? Mostly flat.
What I miss: Not feeling like I am going to pee or poop my pants & then have nothing come out. Gotta love having no capacity for anything anymore. :( My bladder's like the size of a pea.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my son--- duh!!
Weekly Wisdom: I always have a problem thinking of something for this section... must tell you something about me. I'm not wise by nature, lol. To be honest, I have too much other crap on my mind to go into pregnancy musings.
Milestone: I'm officially "full term"!! Owen can come anytime & he should be okay! This also means that I can deliver at the birth center since they won't let you deliver there before 37 weeks due to the baby's prematurity.

Appointment notes:
Not much has changed since last visit. My GBS test came back negative so I won't need antibiotics during labor... yay! I'm still 3cm & 75% but my cervix isn't as posterior & he dropped from a -1 station to a 0 station so he's fully engaged in my pelvis. It sounds like the general consensus is that he will be here next week sometime. I've asked them to strip my membranes at my next visit on the 26th and they agreed. I had Jaxson 2 days after my membranes were stripped with him, so maybe I will have the same luck with Owen. :)

Owen's Nursery Bedding

2011-01-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

A while back I had posted about ideas for Owen's nursery... boy have things changed! Aaron and I found some bedding on Babies R Us's website that we loved, but they didn't have it in stock and it wasn't in the store. I went to the manufacturer's webpage and still was unable to find it anywhere. It wasn't listed as discontinued but it may as well have been. I put myself on lists to be notified when it came back in stock, which was supposed to be in November, and still nothing. Seeing as we knew that Owen wasn't going to have an actual nursery until our February move, we weren't stressing about it.

Now, it's January and Owen's arrival could be any day now. We have our new apartment lined up and things are starting to come together quite swimmingly. About a month ago, I had pretty much given up on the pirate-themed bedding that we loved so much, and while walking through Jo Ann Fabrics to get some last minute Christmas ornaments on sale, I passed by rows of fabric for baby quilts and got the bright idea to MAKE Owen's bedding instead.

I'm not entirely sewing-savvy or at least enough to feel comfortable taking on this feat by myself (even though I made both my prom dresses back in the day among some other things), so I recruited my mom to help me. A couple weeks ago, I brought up the idea again and found out that they were having a fantastic New Year's sale so my mom and I found ourselves at Jo Ann's again, this time picking out monkey-themed fabric. I am not an avid coupon clipper, but I definitely love a great deal and I picked the PERFECT time to buy everything I needed. The pattern for his bedding, which was usually $16 was on sale... for 99 cents. Yup, 99 cents. I just saved myself $15. Then, all of the fabrics that we needed were on sale for 30% off! And then there was an additional 20% off your entire purchase available at checkout. SCORE!!

We bought enough fabric (which turned out to be more than enough as we have extras now for other nursery-related DIY projects) and the pattern to make his crib quilt, 3 crib sheets, & a dust ruffle (we don't use the fluffy bumpers as we have a baby-safe breathable bumper instead) for a grand total of $86!! The original pirate bedding, just a 4 piece set with a bumper we never would have used, was $160 alone not including the extras so we totally saved! And even better than the savings is knowing that his bedding is unique... no one else will ever have the exact same bedding and the fact that it was made especially for him by his grandma & mom is just something else equally as special.

So, last Saturday my hubby was gracious enough to watch the kids for me ALL DAY( I was over at my mom's for 12 hours) so I could go to my mom's house to work on his bedding. I cut out all of the fabric pieces while my mom pinned them and sewed them. I spent 5 hours alone just cutting out all the pieces on her living room floor...which is not easy when you are 37 weeks pregnant. My back was KILLING me by the end of the night! We didn't quite finish everything that night, but my mom was gracious enough to spend some time on Sunday & Monday finishing up what we didn't get through.

It turned out so nice and I'm super excited to put together his nursery when we move to our new place in mid February. Once we move, we still will have some painting to do along with A LOT of DIY projects (Not just for the nursery, but for the entire place as well), so I won't be able to post pictures of the finished nursery for at least another month, but for now here are the pictures of his bedding!!

Crib sheets:

Unfinished crib quilt (my mom tacked the layers together & added the finishing ribbon later):

FINISHED crib quilt:

Dust ruffle:

...and, for good measure, a picture of the crib that our friends are selling us for his nursery:

I'm so DONE!!

2011-01-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

As of today, I'm officially 37 weeks which means that Baby Owen is "full term" (if you go off of my dates & ultrasound dates, I technically should be like 37w3d or 37w4d, but whatever...).

While I'm not necessarily wishing that my baby be born now since I know it's better for him to cook as long as possible, can I just say that I'm done? My body is just done. I'm supposed to work this week, but being in the office is like torture. Here I am sitting in my very uncomfortable desk chair alternating between that and the birthing ball & getting NO relief. Because he's completely dropped now, I can't even wear my maternity pants comfortably because they apply too much pressure so I have them completely unzipped and my shoes off because my feet hurt like hell... heaven forbid I have to get up when someone comes to my desk. What am I supposed to say? "Um, excuse me for a minute while I zip up my pants & put my shoes back on". I can't walk down the hallway without waddling & being punched in the cervix. I'm EXHAUSTED. I'm having hot flashes. My back hurts & my ass hurts. Even my legs.

What I wouldn't give right now to be curled up at home in my pajamas working from my laptop. I keep telling myself that I just need to make it until Friday and then I don't care if he decides to come or not because at least I will be in the comfort of my own home and in way more comfortable clothes if something does happen. But it's Monday...and Friday seems decades away. You know it's bad when you are sitting here at 3cm dilated & 75% effaced and you are so nervous to be at work thinking it could happen anytime so you pack an emergency bag with a spare change of clothes, a towel, maxi pads, & Chux pads (you know the little "piddle pads" for dogs) just in case of an "emergency" aka my water breaking in my office chair. You know it's bad when almost every single person you come into contact with has some quip or comment about your status like, "You are still here??" or "You don't look like you are going to last the week!" or something about how I'm on the verge of having the baby as I'm waddling my ass to the bathroom for the 50th time since 8:00. I see the looks and it just confirms my own worry... "What the hell am I still doing here?". I made it up to a week of each baby's birth with no problems, but why am I, at 37 weeks, so damn DONE with this baby when I wasn't with the others? Does it mean that his arrival is sooner than I anticipate. I don't know.

All I know is I'm feeling really tired and bitchy today. I want my freaking pajamas and a blanket... screw corporate policy. Blech. I'm just so done...

36 Weeks

2011-01-13T10:53:00.001-08:00

How far along?: 36w3d

Total weight gain: 30 pounds

How big is baby?: Approximately 6 pounds & 18.5 inches (the size of a Crenshaw melon).

Maternity clothes?: Yeah, and even those are seemingly too small & uncomfortable... wth??!!
Stretch marks?: They look irritated at the tops but don't seem to be stretching.

Sleep?: Last night was fantastic, but it varies. I wake up a lot.

Best moment this week?: Lots actually... it was a good & productive week! We have everything ready for Owen's arrival (car seat in car, bassinet & clothes ready, hospital bag packed, etc.) except for buying a few last minute items this weekend. We also found a new apartment complex we like and they have availability for February so we know where our next place & Owen's real first home will be... YAY!

Movement?: Yeah, he moves when he has the room. And it's not so comfortable for me... :(

Food cravings?: Does food in general count as a craving? :) I'm surprised I haven't gained more weight!!

Labor signs?: Yup, some. Some of my contractions are starting to feel like the real deal but they don't last long enough. There's also some other signs I'm having but I'm not as honest as Jenny McCarthy is about the not-so-lovely things of pregnancy. I'll spare you. :)

Belly button in or out?: Flat for the most part. It's not really popping out anywhere.

What I miss: My body. I feel like a beached whale.

What I'm looking forward to: Lots! Owen's birth, moving to our new home & decorating it, finishing Owen's bedding/nursery, getting our cars fixed (bumper of the van, alternator in the Taurus)... oh, and a mini "vacation" from work. :)

Weekly Wisdom: Checklists are awesome... especially when you complete them. I feel so much more prepared & less stressed than even a few weeks ago. Amazing what just a few things can do for getting ready for baby.

Milestone: See my appointment notes below for more details. Biggest one that comes to mind is that I will be full-term (37 weeks) on Monday! Amazing to think he could possibly be here next week! I'm so excited to meet him!! I'm also down to weekly appointments. Oh, and I officially cannot wear my wedding rings anymore since my fingers are too fat now... boo! As far as development, he should be gaining weight at the rate of about an ounce a day & "he's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement."

Appointment notes:

I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and it was all pretty standard. I did my Group B Strep test & should have the results of that along with my follow up thyroid bloodwork next week. They talked a little bit about my labor signs and basically just said I need to lay low the next 4 days and I'm fine. Since I will be full term on Monday, they will not stop my labor if he decides to come past that point. The most exciting part of the visit (for me, anyway) was checking my progress. Because of the cramps & contractions, they thought it would be a good idea to see what it's doing to me. I'm currently 3-4 centimeters dilated (she guessed closer to 3cm) and about 70-75% effaced. My cervix is still more posterior than anterior so it still needs to move forward and it's high, but not as high as the last time they checked me. Also, he's at about a -1 presentation which means he's almost fully engaged into my pelvis (aka: he's dropped). It's not necessarily an indicator of anything, but seeing as I went into labor with both Jayden & Jaxson by the time I hit 3cm and 80-90% effaced, it just makes me think that Owen's arrival could be closer than I originally thought. This is the soonest I've ever dilated like that. I'm losing mucus and I'm having a lot of pressure from his head so it really could be anytime... They said my belly was measuring between 38-39 weeks which explains why my clothes aren't fitting and I feel so huge. Oy!!

Owen's Maternity Photos

2011-01-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

We had our maternity pictures done on Saturday. I had to keep up the tradition of getting them done for Owen just as we had them done for the other boys and I've been running short on time lately. Luckily it didn't snow as the forecast said it would, so we had no problems in getting to the studio to have them done. Actually getting them taken is a completely different story, though. The boys are GREAT about taking pictures at home... they love the digital camera and are more than willing to stop what they are doing, look at the camera, and make cheesy faces. In fact sometimes they beg me to take their pictures... but put them in a setting where they have to behave & pose and you come out with a different result. Every professional picture session turns into a nightmare--- sure, we come out with some good pictures in ways that we hadn't previously expected, but getting to the end result leaves us with doubt that we will get good shots.

Both boys were cranky & uncooperative and just wanted to run around in circles and jump all over the backdrops repeatedly even after we told them to behave like something other than apes. Getting Jaxson to hold still was a chore and, of course, the couple moments that he did want to pose, Jayden wanted to run around and not listen, so we didn't really get pictures with both of them together. :( We got some pictures, most of which Jaxson cried through, and while they will make for good stories later I'm still holding out hope that one of these days I can get all my kids to sit down at once and take a picture with all smiles. Ha! Anyway, here are our favorites...

The whole family. Oddly enough, my belly looks really small despite the fact I feel huge for 36 weeks. Anyway, this was the best shot we could get... and you can tell Jaxson was NOT happy about sitting still for even a second.

Now this one is hilarious... The truth behind this picture is that Jayden's upset because Dad yelled at him to stop running around the expensive equipment and Jaxson's mad that he has to pose for a picture. The running joke & story we will tell?? Apparently, they just don't want a little brother. Ha! I can just see the captions for this one... "Can you take him back, Mom? We don't want him to come & play!!" or "But we wanted a little SISTER!!". Classic photo... and I'm just smiling through the chaos. :)

The only kissy picture we got. Jayden is very proud of his big brother status and loves to give Baby Owen kisses. He actually asked me the other day, out of the blue, if he could give me a hug and kiss... then proceeded to ask if it was okay to give Baby Owen a hug and kiss too. Rambunctious and aggressive as this one can be, he's also very much the loving, doting, & caring big brother. :)

Me: "Where's Baby Owen??" Jayden: "Right there, Mom!"

This is the ONLY picture we could get of Jaxson standing remotely close to the belly on his own accord. He wouldn't kiss or touch the belly even though he does it no problem at home. He did proudly stand there with his "cheese!" face and it was too hilarious for us not to get a copy of. How he contorts his mouth like that, I just don't know...

Picture of the hubs and I... it doesn't scream "maternity" as he's not really doing anything with the belly that you can see, but it turned out to be a cute one of the both of us nonetheless.

Posing with the wall letters for his room. I thought this was cool to incorporate his name into one of the pictures... and I think it will be a great addition to put in his nursery. :)

I'd been looking for a reason to wear this dress again (it was my wedding dress) and the red seemed fitting as Owen is due in February and is therefore our (early) Valentine. :) The first picture is my favorite.

The Miscellaneous Ramblings of a Pregnant Woman

2011-01-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't really do the typical "New Year" post where I reflected on the year that passed and focused on what is to come in the New Year, resolutions (which I don't ever do because I never stick to them), etc. This is the closest I'll get to a New Year post for 2011 since it does contain a checklist of sorts... mostly just the random thoughts that have been pouring in and out of my brain since the New Year started. So here it goes...

When I first started thinking about writing this post about a week ago, I have to admit that I was in a completely different frame of mind than I am now after putting this post on hold. To be honest, I was a basket case... and now that I've had some time to sort myself out, I'm in a better state of mind and can clearly reflect and move forward. Very indicative of a "New Year" type of post, right? So, call this a "stream of consciousness" if you will as really there's no order to it and I'm just going to type about the things that pop into my head.

Once 2011 rolled around, I have to admit that I had a "holy shit!" moment. Not just because it's a new year, which in the most immediate future that means a new baby for our family, but because it's January... and as I've noted before, January could easily be Owen's birth month. Not to mention, that in addition to our new addition, we have a big move coming up and with that means a lot of leg work. January has so far proven to be a very goal-driven month chock full of prep work in the small amount of time we have spent in this month and, to be quite honest, it's made me a little crazy. If there's one thing I know to be true, it's this: There are 2 very big and very special occasions (and the time leading up to those occasions) in a woman's life where she is "allowed" to be a stressed-out, bitchy, hormonal wreck of a person without needing to worry facing massive recourse or being labeled a complete diva or psycho: her wedding day & the birth(s) of her child(ren). While I'm fairly certain I escaped the "bridezilla" label on my wedding day as it was very simple & relaxed (yay for courthouse weddings!), both my husband and I can attest to me being a "preggozilla" as of late. I call it nesting, however my husband would tend to disagree... he cringes at the mere mention of the word and huffs out in a tone laden with major scoffing, "Why do they call it nesting?? It's stupid... you're not a bird.". Call it what you will (I call it pregnancy hormones), but I've had my moments where I'm close to being certifiably crazy and I feel terrible not only because I'm fully aware that I'm being semi-ridiculous and making a mountain from a molehill, but mostly because even though I know that these feelings are all "normal" I hate the fact that I cannot control them... and that it not only affects me, but those around me. I'm a partial control freak... but it's just my Type A, organized, don't-wait-til-the-last-minute-or-do-anything-half-assed personality. Reminds me of the movie, "Knocked Up" where Katherine Heigl kicks Seth Rogen out of the car in the middle of the road for something really stupid and he shows up later to her doctor's appointment and says "Fuck you, hormones! You are a bitch, hormones!". Pretty much sums it up. I wish I could tell my hormones to take a hike. I mean, I literally spent Tuesday at my desk bawling over stuff that I couldn't control...and I felt like a prize idiot even though I simply couldn't help myself.

What has brought all of this on? What did I make into such a big deal? Enter the checklist; the chatterbox of thoughts my brain has become lately.

1. Prepare for baby--- there are many steps to this process, but the main ones include: set up bassinet, get car seat in car, pack hospital bag, buy last minute items, pull clothes our of storage to wash, fold, and put in bassinet's storage, get maternity pictures, make last minute calls for clarification on Owen's hearing test & other newborn tests as well as circumcision, & make a plan for daycare for the boys during labor.

2. Go apartment hunting--- we need to secure an apartment that both Aaron and I like by the end of the month for a mid-February move.

3. Finish last minute baby projects--- Make Owen's crib bedding & wall letters (which I did finish and pictures will follow at bottom of post)

4. Finances/maternity leave--- how long can we afford for me to be out? Will we have enough money between Aaron's income, my short term disability, savings, and our tax return to cover all our expenses & still have money to move into our new place & get some needed furniture & items for baby & the new apartment? What will daycare be like since Nana Joan will likely be out around the same time as me for her knee replacement surgery? When will she recover? Since I most likely cannot return to work until her recovery is done, it throws a lot up in the air.

5. Weather concerns--- Thanks to us living in the "convergent zone", we have a tendency to get just cold enough temperatures to turn the decent amount of rain we get into snow. Then when it's warm enough not to snow but not warm enough to melt, all the residual stuff on the roads turns to ice & stays that way for weeks. Given that we have hills around here and no one seems to know how to properly sand them, it makes for a hell of a time to do anything that requires travel. With all the above said prep needing to take place before Owen's (hopeful) arrival at the end of this month and with weekends being the only time Aaron and I have to do this stuff, I was majorly stressing about the possibility of being stuck at home with no way to get out to accomplish these things. Luckily, the weather people are (hopefully) full of shit, and the original forecast of snow, snow, and more snow over the next two weeks has been converted to a forecast of rain, rain, and more rain due to the rising temperatures. Let's hope that this forecast is more accurate than the original one. I can deal with rain and temps in the 40's. 30's and 20's? Not so much... and especially when I have much needed weekly midwife appointments on the horizon.

Which brings me to my next thought as if all the others weren't enough to confuse you. So, I have officially been placed on "pelvic rest". This means no sex, minimal bending & lifting, and lots of relaxation. I've been having some signs of pre-term labor (I'll find out on the 12th if it's causing changes to my cervix) and since I'm not quite full term, they want me to "take it easy". Hahahahahaha... are they aware that I have two young children at home? It's much easier said than done, trust me. I've also been given the clearance for warm baths and a nightly glass of wine. I'm not a wine drinker, and especially not a red wine drinker, but I'm tempted to see if it really helps me relax. I might have to try it on Monday night while I curl up and watch "The Bachelor". :)

So, it's been a rough few weeks for me both physically and emotionally as of late. And I'm sure there are a quite a few more ahead, but I suppose that just comes with the territory of preparing for a baby, having a baby, dealing with a new baby in the house with other children, and then moving apartments. I'm tired and uncomfortable from contracting and feeling as huge as a house, not sleeping well due to massive heartburn & indigestion, numb sides, and a toddler refusing bedtime, not to mention that Owen has dropped and his head is firmly balanced on my cervix (which he likes to sucker punch)... in addition to all the thoughts circling in my brain, I'm pretty sure that's enough to make anyone completely imbalanced. I guess I just have to pace myself and bask in the momentary lulls that come from achieving the smaller goals. I know for each item on my checklist that I complete, I will feel that much more prepared and therefore not as much of a crazy, hormonal pregnant woman. So here's to itty bitty baby steps... first mine, and then Owen's. :) Oh, how I can't wait to meet him (and not just because I'm tired of being pregnant, although I'm sure that's a completely valid reason at this stage).

Aren't you glad you decided to read this blog & take a glimpse into my brain? If you are spinning in circles then now you know what it's like to be in the shoes of a very hormonal & very pregnant woman and this entry has served it's purpose... and for that I'm sorry. Ha!

Oh, and as promised, here are the pictures of two things I was able to complete: buying the fabric to make Owen's bedding (we were going to do a pirate theme but just couldn't locate the bedding to buy anywhere, so now we are going with a homemade monkey theme) & making his wall letters.

Above: My mom and I will be tag-teaming on his bedding over the next few weekends. We bought an assortment of fabric to make 3 crib sheets, the dust ruffle, & the quilt. We will use a breathable, baby-safe bumper so we aren't making a padded bumper to match. In the future, I may buy more accent fabrics to make his valance, curtains, & basket covers for his nursery. I have to admit I feel awesome about this... they were having a New Year's sale, so we got all the fabric at 30% off and the pattern which was normally $16 was only 99 cents!! The bedding that we were going to buy not including all the extras we were going to buy was $170 alone, but we got everything we needed for his bedding for a whopping total of $86!! Score!!

Below: Wall letters. They were pre-cut, white painted letters. I just added the stripes & polka dot in the accent colors to match his bedding. I think they turned out pretty good, don't you?

35 Weeks

2011-01-05T10:57:00.001-08:00

How far along?: 35w2d
Total weight gain: 29 pounds... boo!
How big is baby?: BBC says about the size of a honeydew or 5.25 pounds & over 18 inches long.
Maternity clothes?: Yes, and even some of my maternity pants are terribly uncomfortable. I think that he's dropping by the week which makes it worse. :(
Stretch marks?: No change since last week even though my belly feels like it's being stretched to the max.
Sleep?: Depends on the night, but it sucks for the most part. I just deal with it.
Best moment this week?: My girls' day out & shopping for material for Owen's bedding as well as finishing his wall letters.
Movement?: Still moving, but it's difficult for him and his bony body parts hurt like hell. There's no more room!!
Food cravings?: Nothing particular. My appetite has grown in recent weeks so I just eat. Ha!
Labor signs?: None that I can tell other than the usual Braxton Hicks & occasional real ones. I know I'm getting closer though... I can feel it!
Belly button in or out?: Flat. The top part of it sometimes pops out though.
What I miss: Not having heartburn with every meal and having my belly feel like it's being torn to shreds. Ugh, I'm so uncomfortable these days. :(
What I'm looking forward to: Getting our ducks in a row... finding an apartment & moving to our new place and making it "home" for all my boys. Also, not being pregnant anymore so I can start dieting & working out. I've got at least 50 pounds to lose!!
Weekly Wisdom: Sleep is golden. Too bad you don't get much while pregnant and/or with young kids in the house. :( Therefore you should take as much time to rest as possible when you can!!
Milestone: This could easily be Owen's birth month... eek!! Developmentally, his kidneys are fully functional and his liver is able to process waste. Most of his basic physical development is complete & he'll spend the next few weeks just putting on weight.

Girls Day Out

2011-01-04T17:08:00.001-08:00

As part of my mom's Christmas present to my sister & I, we both got complimentary pedicures at Casabella Spa & Nail down by my place on New Year's Eve. With me being terribly uncomfortable and extremely pregnant (along with everything that comes with it) I definitely needed a day to myself sans hubby or kids. Aaron was gracious enough to watch the boys all day for me so I could have a break and hang out with my best friends and favorite lady relatives: my mom, sister, and aunt.

The day started off with a trip to Starbucks before heading out to my mom's place where she colored my hair. A couple months ago, I had my sister put blond highlights in my hair because, at the time, I needed a change and wanted a new look but with Owen's arrival coming soon & our maternity pictures coming, I decided I needed another change and that I actually really like having my hair darker now that I'm older moreso than having it lighter, so I decided to go back to my dark roots & have my hair cut.

Then we got dolled up and went out to lunch at Red Robin where we met up with my sister & aunt. My mom and I split my favorite meal at Red Robin: the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. After finishing our meal, we all simultaneously pulled out our chapstick/lipstick to reapply and my aunt started laughing about how we must be related. You really would have had to be there to understand the comedy behind this, but it led to us emptying out our purses and we all had a plethora of lipsticks, pens, and miscellaneous items. It had us all in an uproar because we had no idea that we were all so similar... even down to having the same color of lipstick or what not. My sister at one point was like, "I bet you don't have one of these in your purse..." and pulled out a Matchbox car belonging to my nephew. And I was like, "No, I don't have a car, but I do have these..." as I pulled out Jayden's toy motorcycle and Thomas the Train figures. More laughter ensued. Can you tell we are both moms to young boys? Like I said, you'd have had to have been there to understand, but it was really funny.

Then after our meal we headed over to the theater to watch Little Fockers, which was pretty cute by the way. Lastly, we capped off the night with our trip to the spa/nail salon for pedicures. Can I just say that pedicures are easily one of my favorite things ever? I love having my feet massaged and being totally pampered. Again, my mom, sister, and I are absolutely related... we all had to get sparkles on our toes. In fact, my mom liked the sparkles I picked out so much that she ended up using the same ones on her toes. Aren't I just a trendsetter?? :)

Here are some pictures from our day together... All I know is that I have to do this more often because I really had a fun day. :)

Our Last Christmas Adventure

2011-01-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

I was really delayed having the boys open their stockings this year. To be honest, in the hustle and bustle of our Christmas festivities, Aaron and I just completely forgot about them. We kept saying we'd let them open them and then we'd get sidetracked, so after the new year rolled around, I was more than ready to take down our Christmas stuff and free up wall space for more family pictures and make room in the living room for the plethora of toys that our boys have.

Since I had to take everything down anyway, it seemed like a good time to have them rummage through their stockings so we sat them down and let them have at it. There wasn't much in them and it was all candy & goodies anyway, but they had fun "reliving" some of the Christmas unwrapping festivities.

Here are some pictures!

34 Weeks

2010-12-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 34w3d
Total weight gain: 25 pounds... my appetite has been huge lately!
How big is baby?: Approximately the size of a cantaloupe (4.75 pounds & 18 inches long).
Maternity clothes?: Yes, but even some of those are uncomfortable or don't fit. :(
Stretch marks?: No new ones, old ones are irritated but don't appear to be stretching.
Sleep?: Always interrupted by something (heartburn, a toddler, the urge to pee, contractions, etc). I've learned a lack of sleep is inevitable.
Best moment this week?: Christmas with family. :)
Movement?: Depends on the day. He's cramped in there now.
Food cravings?: Sweets have been on the menu lately. Thank you, Christmas.
Labor signs?: Regular contractions have slowed. Braxton Hicks continue but nothing abnormal.
Belly button in or out?: Top half is flat to poking out. Bottom half is still in.
What I miss: Sleep, among other things.
What I'm looking forward to: My girls' pamper day tomorrow. Mom is coloring my hair and then we are going out with my sister & aunt for a movie, lunch, coffee, & pedicures!! :) Oh and having a 4 day weekend! :)
Weekly Wisdom: In light of my pamper day tomorrow... I'd say to take some time for yourself. The last few weeks of pregnancy are taxing as it is and some much needed relaxation should definitely be awarded!!
Milestone: Knowing that I'll be full term in 2.5 weeks is pretty cool. Oh, and I've finally hit a very scary number on my scale that I hope never to see again in any future pregnancies or otherwise. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run they usually do as well as full-term babies.

I had my appointment with my midwife yesterday and everything is going just fine. I told her about my increase in heartburn and how the Tums are pretty much rendered ineffective at this point, so it looks like I will be switching to Zantac here soon as it's now waking me out of sleep. Owen checked out beautifully--- heartbeat was completely normal as was my blood pressure & urine analysis. We discussed birth stuff as I'm getting closer to the end and I was informed that once 37 weeks rolls around (January 17th), they will not stop my labor if I end up going that soon, which is only about 2.5 weeks away. Pretty crazy to think I could have a baby in 2-3 weeks not that they expect him to come that early. We are guessing he will be early, but more in the 38-39 week range which isn't really abnormal.

They haven't said whether or not I've "dropped", but just from last week he's more engaged in the pelvis. At my last appointment they were able to pop his head up and down a little bit. They can't do that anymore, but they can wiggle it a little bit from side to side. She said he's definitely down in my pelvis, though, so I expect he'll probably be fully engaged by my next appointment. I'm not dilating from what they can tell, but I'm effacing slightly which isn't unusual. Depending on my symptoms, they could start cervical checks as early as 36 weeks although they typically won't do them unless I request them. Once I hit full term, I may ask that they start just so I can monitor my progress & get a feel for where I'm at.

Next appointment is January 12th and I will be 36.5 weeks. I get to do the lovely Group B strep culture & have more bloodwork done for my thyroid.

Christmas (Part 2)

2010-12-27T15:06:00.001-08:00

Our last Christmas celebration culminated over at my Dad's house. After our celebration with just us & our kids (and a semi-successful napping session this time), we made the trek to my Dad's for Christmas dinner with the whole family & another round of gift giving & unwrapping. I was in charge of making green bean casserole (my first time--- and it was actually pretty tasty!!) and bringing rolls, which for approximately 10-15 hungry people was an expensive endeavor and I still ended up with a ton of leftovers. Oh well, you live & you learn, right? Despite having a decent nap, both boys were just crazy. Jaxson was excessively whiny & Jayden was excessively ornery & defiant... trust me, he suffered the wrath of Grandpa a few times because Grandpa doesn't put up with crap. Despite the chaos that is our children, it was a fun night and it was good to see all my siblings & their significant others.

Jayden & Jaxson scored more Matchbox cars, some cool trucks, and a really big rug that they can drive their cars on (so now we have the big one in our living room and the smaller one in their room). In addition, Aaron and I got some nice things for our house like picture frames, a new knife set (yes!!) and bath towels among other things like gift cards & cash.

After calling it an earlier night than we expected (we thought we'd be there until between 9-10pm) due to the boys' crankiness & crazy behavior, we started to pack everything up and take it to our car around 8:00. While putting our stash in the trunk of our NEW van, I just so happened to notice this...

Yeah, you guessed it. What I thought at first just looked like some paint that had mysteriously chipped off the back bumper turned out to be more than we expected. Someone crashed into the back of our new van, purchased only 9 days earlier. Didn't even leave so much as a note or anything. A hit and run on Christmas day... and nothing we can do about it. We aren't sure when exactly on Christmas it happened as we were busy & weren't around when it happened and we obviously don't know who did it as the person responsible didn't come forward & there were no witnesses to our knowledge. Merry freaking Christmas. :( It's a good thing that Aaron and I have insurance, but pretty pathetic that we would be responsible for footing even part of a bill for something we were not responsible for while the person who caused the damages just walks away. Like a coward. We filed a claim to our insurance for the damages and, because it's a hit and run, it will not count against us but we still are responsible for paying $300 for the deductible. The police were no help because we have a lack of information as to where it happened and who did it, so they basically told us they wouldn't waste their time investigating it at all, even though a hit and run is a serious offense. Nice, right? Glad to know that they are here to protect and serve... ha ha.

I have to take the van to the claims shop tomorrow so they can document the damage and give us an estimate. A claims adjuster should call me within 48 hours and then we can see about getting it fixed as soon as we have the money. Not a good note to end Christmas on, but after getting extremely pissed about it for a couple days, I've realized that shit happens and I really can't do much else about it, so whining really isn't going to help me. Moving on... All I can pray for is that karma is a bitch and whoever did it gets what's coming to them. What goes around, comes around. :)

**12/28 Update: Just got back from the claims shop appointment and they confirmed that we are only responsible for the $300 deductible, it won't count against us, & that they will in fact have to replace the entire bumper. In addition to the bumper being cracked, there is paint chipped and cracked in multiple places, dents & scrapes curving around to the driver's side, and they pushed the entire bumper out on the driver's side. Luckily there is no structural damage & the van is drivable, but it's still going to cost at least $700 (most likely more) to fix AND it will take them a few days so we will more than likely need a rental car unless we are able to have it fixed before Owen is born. Our insurance covers the rental, so that's of no additional cost to us, but it still sucks. Not something I wanted to deal with right before the birth of our baby. Blah.

Christmas (Part 1)

2010-12-27T15:05:00.002-08:00

Part one of Christmas starts off with our family Christmas celebration just the four (soon to be five) of us. Even though our kids are still young enough to not fully comprehend all that comes with Christmas, Jayden is most definitely getting there so it's important to us to start now with things that will help hold up the facade that Santa is real. Although I didn't bust out the cookies & milk & note to Santa (and I definitely won't go as all out as my dad who, up until this year, dressed up as Santa and the whole nine for my younger brothers), we made a point of not filling stockings or putting gifts under the tree until after the kids were snug in their beds. Soon will be the days of separate wrapping paper and disguised handwriting to fool the kids, but I think I have a year or two left before I have to jump over that small hurdle. Most importantly, I want them to be home on Christmas morning. I want them to be able to wake up each Christmas morning and be excited to see the plethora of gifts under the tree and relive the wonder and excitement of being a kid on Christmas without worrying about being shuffled around to see various family.

It was nice to just relax and let the kids go hog wild opening their gifts, watching our cramped living room turn into a war zone riddled with wrapping paper shrapnel, and eventually having them bust out all their new toys to play with. It was not a Christmas to disappoint that's for sure. Our kids were pretty spoiled with action figures, trucks, cars, motorcycles, toy guns, clothes, goodies, & more. They are still thoroughly enjoying their toys and Aaron and I have found it funny that some of the things that Jayden really wanted have become Jaxson's favorites (the Handy Manny tool set & fireman "guys") while some of Jaxson's toys (the Iron Man action figure--- since they always fought over the ones Jayden has) have become Jayden's favorites.

The boys could have cared less about opening the clothing items for the most part, so Aaron and I got to partake in some unwrapping (we gave our presents to each other early). Please excuse the obligatory Christmas pictures of my less-than-glowing pregnant self. I think we mainly have some pictures of me to prove I actually do exist (since I'm usually on the other, and safer as of late, side of the lens) but they are less than flattering as I'm now about as huge as a house and in definite need of some coffee...or something. Anyway, here are some of the pictures from our Christmas together, just our little (but growing) clan...

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T15:05:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve started out with my sister & her kids, as well as my mom, coming over to our place to open presents. My mom came over early and we had a nice breakfast of pancakes, eggs, & bacon, and then my sister followed mid-morning with her clan. I have to say that it was actually really nice having people come to us because we usually are the ones running around from house to house in all different directions on Christmas and the days on either side. My sister lives in Gold Bar, my dad in Sammamish, and Aaron's family in Gig Harbor, so pretty much anywhere we go leaves us with at least a 40 minute drive in any direction. This also allowed us to *try* and give our kids a good nap before our evening trip to Aaron's brother's place not too far from where we are (I say *try* because despite the fact that we put the kids down with hours to spare, our oldest never went to sleep and then proceeded to go in and wake his younger brother up even though we told him not to...fun night, let me tell ya!).

Anyway, the kids had a great time. It was a bit of a rush as my sister had to meet up with her in-laws from the other side of the water, so they didn't stay long, but it was nice getting to see them if even just for a little bit. As usual, Grandma spoiled the boys with lots of Matchbox cars & motorcycles (mainly for Jayden although both boys play with them) and Barney DVD's for Jaxson. My sister & clan got Jayden a Nerf gun (which both him and Daddy love) and a shakeable Elmo toy for Jaxson (we have the same thing except it's Cookie Monster and Jaxson loves that one too). We got presents for my sister's family from their list, but my all-time favorite was getting the Snuggie for my sister. She was dead serious about getting a Snuggie and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity (she actually broke it out that night and sent me a picture of her hanging out in it, hehe).

Next up after our kids' failed attempt at a nap was Christmas Eve dinner with Tommy & Samantha. Since they were doing Christmas morning with Samantha's family, we wanted to do something just us (Nana Joan also came along). It turned out to be a relatively good night despite Jayden's crazy attitude & spending lots of time in "time out" for tackling his cousin & being overly defiant (hmmm... maybe because he didn't get his nap??). The boys all lined up in the living room to play/watch basketball on the TV while the girls finished dinner & played Scrabble. We had a wonderful dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, & rolls with pumpkin pie & cookies for dessert. It was a feast! :)

After dinner, the kids opened presents...and this time Jaxson actually surprised us by getting into it. We got Brayden Cars on Blu-Ray & a pink fleece blanket for Lexi. Our boys got Wall-E on Blu-Ray & Toy Story/Cars plastic bowling ball/pin sets. We hung out for a little while afterwards before taking our cranky kids home to sleep... and sleep they did since they slept so soundly that Aaron and I were able to play Santa without any awareness from them and they didn't wake up until about 8:30 Christmas morning. :)

Early Christmas with Nana Joan

2010-12-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

Our Christmases always last for days--- between all of my family and Aaron's, there's just no way we can fit everyone in on one day. Since we spent Thanksgiving with Aaron's family this year, we decided to stick around and do Christmas with my family. Because we are the only family on this side of the water that Nana Joan really has, she decided to pack up to visit Aaron's aunt, uncle, & cousin in Gig Harbor on Christmas Day, so we had an early Christmas celebration with her last Monday night where we exchanged gifts with her and some from Aaron's aunt, uncle, & cousin. In addition to this "Christmas week kickoff", Jayden also had 2 celebrations at daycare & preschool as well as 4 family celebrations on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. Not to mention that, in the hustle & bustle, we forgot to let them do their stockings, so they get to tear into those this weekend when I finally have the energy to take our Christmas decor down.

Jaxson wasn't really interested in unwrapping the presents too much-- he just wanted to play with them after they had been opened. Where he lacked, his big brother more than made up for it by tearing into everything as if it were an assembly line at a car factory. If a speed record could be set, I'm pretty sure he'd make it into the Guinness Book of World Records. :)

Seeing as both boys love anything with wheels, their new car toy and Cars-themed play rug were huge hits. Jaxson also fell in love with the new Buzz Lightyear kids' "laptop" and both boys received toy phones from their Great Grandma & Grandpa B (my grandparents). Nana Joan also got the food processor she'd been wanting for quite some time. :)

33 Weeks

2010-12-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 33w3d

Total weight gain: Not sure, but I think it's somewhere around 23 pounds. I've been getting into the holiday eating spirit lately... ugh.

How big is baby?: A little over 4 pounds (the size of a pineapple) and 17 inches long.

Maternity clothes?: Yup.

Stretch marks?: About the same as last week. Old ones are itchy and irritated, but no new ones.

Sleep?: Same as last week... pretty close to non-existant due to frequent bathroom trips and overall discomfort.

Best moment this week?: Watching my kiddos opening their early Christmas presents from Nana Joan.

Movement?: Still depends on the day. He's running out of room so his movements are terribly uncomfortable to me. Rolling elbows and knees...not fun. :(

Food cravings?: Lately I've been stocking up on holiday sweets. I'm going to regret it later.

Labor signs?: Still about the same. Just lots of BH & some "real" contractions thrown in.

Belly button in or out?: Mostly in, but parts pop out on occasion.

What I miss: Being comfortable. I can't sit, eat, sleep (and definitely can't wrap Christmas presents) without wanting to curl up and die.

What I'm looking forward to: Being comfortable. I miss my non-pregnant body.

Weekly Wisdom: Get as much help as you can. Not that I use pregnancy as an excuse to be lazy, but I definitely cannot do it all myself and being huge & pregnant is a tiring daily task all on its own.

Milestone: According to BabyCenter, he's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal.

Our New "Baby"

2010-12-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

No, Owen isn't here yet despite the fact that I feel like he's going to burst out of me at any second. We just wanted to introduce you to the newest member of our family... our MINIVAN!

We've known for a while that we needed to buy a larger family vehicle because there's just no way we'd be able to fit three car seats comfortably or safely in the back of our Ford Taurus. Not to mention that when we travel, which we seem to do quite frequently as we can't host family in our tiny apartment, we have lots of luggage and our double stroller (and sometimes an additional passenger) which leaves our car packed to the gills. We tried to wait as long as possible to save as much money as we could and not be saddled with a car payment needlessly, but we are definitely running out of time and with holiday travel approaching, it seemed like as good as it was going to get. We decided on a Kia because of the fact that we know that they have good warranties & good safety ratings. My sister has a 2006 Kia Sedona and says it's the best car she's had and highly recommended it. So, out of curiosity we drove to a Kia dealer and tested out a 2008 Kia Sedona. Aaron and I both liked it and it suited our needs, but despite the fact that we told the sales guy that we had a strict budget and not to show us anything outside our price range, we come to find out that the van (even though it was in good condition with great mileage) was outside of our price range. Hesitant to get ourselves in over our heads, we haggled with the dealership for HOURS. While he did try to help us get our monthly payments lower, he took advantage of us being first-time buyers and tried to get us to switch our financing to an outside lender with a higher percentage rate & longer term. We liked the van, but ultimately we were frustrated and felt like they weren't as willing to work with us to lower the price due to how much money was in it for them. Both of us were just exhausted and wanted to go home.

We knew that we needed to buy before Christmas because we wouldn't have opportunities until mid-January to find a van otherwise and that was cutting it close to Owen's arrival, and with our pre-approval running out we needed to buy by this past weekend. So, we started looking elsewhere and I called around to a few places. On Thursday we visited a local Hyundai dealership, and armed with more knowledge about how car sales work, I had a very don't-dick-around-with-me, cut and dry, this-is-what-we-are-looking-for-and-nothing-else approach & attitude. This guy was most friendly and generous despite my grouchiness and pulled together some ideas for us to look at. When we pulled in and parked, we just so happened to pull in next to a silver van. Aaron got out and looked at it saying it was nice but betted the price was really high. When we walked in, we were warmly greeted by our sales guy, Michael, and he explained that he'd looked over the vans that I'd found online, one of which was sold and the other he wasn't able to get from the other dealer, but he'd searched all their lots with the specifications I'd given him and he'd found this van he thought was going to be great for us.

Must have been fate. That silver van we parked right next to? Yup, that was the one he'd pulled aside for us. As soon as Aaron and I sat down inside, we just smiled at each other. It was almost like we just "knew"...and I didn't think I'd feel that way about a car ever. Even though the other van at the other dealership was "nice", this was just a completely different feeling. We just fell in love with this van (which for Aaron was an especially tall order as he's been really hesitant to be a man driving a minivan because it's for moms or something...).

Best part about it? It's a 2009 Kia Sedona, so a year newer than the last one, in better condition, AND with almost 20,000 miles LESS than the other van... at what we thought was the same price or less. Turns out it was a little more expensive, but this dealer was willing to work with us because they are less about making a commission and more about sustaining business & making their customers happy. Michael worked and worked with the sales manager to lower the price and despite the fact that it still was a little more than we wanted to spend, we loved this van enough and knew that it was a fantastic deal that we couldn't pass up. Plus they didn't try to sell us on a bunch of crap and weasel us out of using a different lender for our financing. In the end... we ended up walking out of there the proud and scared shitless owners of a new-to-us minivan.

I'll be honest, we haven't received the first payment yet and we are already sweating just knowing we will have a car payment--- a first for both of us as we've owned both our prior cars outright. It's scary making a big purchase like that!! That and it's so new that it's taking time to sink in that it's our car to keep. Now that I've had a few more days to drive it and have hooked up the boys' car seats in it, it's starting to feel more like "home" so to speak... but this is definitely a huge endeavor... the culmination of dipping our toes in the water for a while to finally deciding to take the plunge.

The boys also love the new car and are more than willing to go for rides in it. Jayden spent the first few days telling everyone about his new "silver van". He goes back and forth now saying that sometimes he wants to ride in his van and other times he wants his "red car" (we still have the Taurus). I think it's just going to be an adjustment for all, but we are really enjoying it so far.

Without further ado... here's our new car!!

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after Aaron and I did all of our Christmas shopping (yes, we are those people who always wait until the last minute to do our Christmas shopping), we stopped back at my mom's house and picked up the boys to take them to the Alderwood Mall as part of tradition to see Santa. Being that Jayden is three now, he's getting the whole "idea" of Santa and so he was excited to see Santa and tell him what he wanted for Christmas. Jaxson was none the wiser this year versus last, but the hype over who this oddly dressed man with a beard is was definitely present.

Last year was mayhem and we waited for over an hour, the boys were cranky and, despite the fact that the picture turned out rather funny, Jayden screamed his head off because he was afraid of Santa. We halfway expected the same this year, but to our surprise the lines weren't bad and the kids were really patient in waiting their turn. Best of all? No screams or cries from our kids while sitting on Santa's lap. Not that they really smiled either...more like a dazed, lets-get-this-over-with-and-where-is-my-candy-cane? look.

The only thing I wasn't thrilled about? Paying $32.85 for a 5x7 and a USB drive with my picture on it. I miss the whole $25 CD that they've had in past years. Oh well, it may be pricey to me but it's worth it for the tradition of it all. Maybe next year I'll just stick with the 5x7 and get really close and personal with Kinko's photo printing machines though. :)

So, coupled with some wintery shots from Leavenworth and my favorite 3D shot of Owen, I compiled our virtual Christmas card to send around to our family & friends.

Happy Holidays everyone... from our family to yours!

32 Weeks

2010-12-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 32w3d

Total weight gain: 21-22 pounds

How big is baby?: About the size of a squash or large jicama (approx. 3.5 pounds & 16.7 inches)

Maternity clothes?: Yes, anything to increase my comfort level at this point is welcomed. :)

Stretch marks?: No new ones, but the old ones are stretching a tiny bit.

Sleep?: Horrendous. I'm so uncomfortable, I'm peeing all the time, and having contractions strong enough to wake me up and keep me up. :(

Best moment this week? Having the whole family at Owen's checkup appointment. Hubby came... that's a first (or second this pregnancy actually...)

Movement?: Depends on the day. Sometimes he's really quiet and other times he's all over the place.

Food cravings?: Not really cravings. I only eat when I'm hungry and pretty much stick to the same foods every day.

Labor signs?: Yes and no. I have had a lot of contractions starting this week and they are strong enough to me that they don't feel like Braxton Hicks. They did a fetal fibronectin test on me yesterday to make sure I'm not at risk to go into labor within the next 2 weeks. Hoping no news is good news.

Belly button in or out?: Mostly in, but part of it is starting to puff out a little.

What I miss: Sleep... and unswollen feet.

What I'm looking forward to: Preparing for Owen and getting our ducks in a row before he gets here (yes, I'm nesting...). In addition to the obvious of giving birth and meeting him...

Weekly Wisdom: Do kick counts and keep an eye on contractions. If you have more than you think you should, try drinking more water & emptying your bladder first. Or go for a walk. If none of those work and you are still concerned, call your doctor.

Milestone: See more in the details of my midwife appointment below. BBC says that I'll be gaining about a pound a week and around half of that will be going straight to the baby. The baby will gain about half it's body weight over the next 7 weeks. Fingernails, toenails, and hair are present. In addition, I started lactating this week... yeah, really??

I had my visit with my midwife yesterday for this 2 week period. Everything looks good as far as Owen is concerned. He's growing right on track, I'm measuring at about 29-30 weeks right now according to her measurements, and his heartrate was a steady 150-ish BPM. I also had my first cervical check this week. Normally they are not performed this early, but I've had a lot of strong contractions with a mild pattern in addition to lots of discharge and all around tightness & discomfort in my belly over the last week. It was enough to slightly alarm them though not out of the normal realm, but with the fact that I'm still 5 weeks from being considered "full term", they felt that for my peace of mind and theirs that it was a warranted check. I'm luckily not dilated and my cervix is still relatively high, but I am thinning out. She said I have about 1cm of thickness left. They also performed a fetal fibronectin (FFN) test on me to check if I'm at an elevated risk for pre-term labor within the next 2 weeks. I'm assuming that no news is good news and I've not heard anything back yet. Despite not being terribly concerned at this point, I do need to keep an eye on my contractions (I'm getting them every day/night) and continue to report to them. In addition, they are putting me on 1000mg of calcium magnesium daily to help keep the contractions at a minimum and have also told me that I need to take it easy and rest more. Obviously it will be hard with two kids so we all need my hubby and others to step up and help as much as possible. Bedrest isn't in the equation yet, but we all know how unpredictable things can be so you never know what it could be like next week. Other than that, everything is going along well and we are counting down the days until I'm full-term on January 17th. Obviously we would like him to cook longer than that, but at least at that point if he does come it will be a lot safer.

In addition to the contractions, or maybe it's just in conjunction with them, I started lactating this week. Weird, right? It may be completely normal for some, but for me it's just not. I never had that issue with either of my previous pregnancies despite my attempts with Jayden at natural methods to bring on labor after 38 weeks, one of which being nipple stimulation. Even then I couldn't get anything out of my boobs. Now? I have a contraction and they are like leaky faucets! WTF?? This has been going on for at least the last week... I woke up due to a really strong contraction and had this tingly feeling in my breasts like my milk was letting down, so I got up and went into the bathroom and, sure enough, I'm leaking from both sides! I know that it could still be many weeks before Owen comes, but all these weird symptoms are making me second guess things and make me nervous about him coming before he's truly ready. I just pray he keeps baking!!

Motorcycles & A Mouse

2010-12-14T13:48:00.001-08:00

Jayden had his 3rd birthday party last Saturday, December 11th. Ever since his daycare friend, Jerilynn, had her party there back in May, Jayden has been BEGGING us to have his birthday there and play. I always told myself that once he got to the age where he could tell me that he wanted to do something specific for his birthday party (venue, theme, whatever...) that we would listen and try our hardest to deliver. He LOVED his party as did the other kids. We tried to keep it small due to the cost especially around Christmas, but he's got lots of family and lots of friends so we ended up having quite a few people there both adults and children alike. His Harley Davidson motorcycle theme was a definite hit with him as he LOVES motorcycles right now. We had lots of pizza, soda, cake, & ice cream in addition to a show birthday show with Chuck E Cheese and lots of playtime for the kids. Jayden even got to go in their "Ticket Blaster" since he was the "birthday boy"... now there's a story there if you want one.

They shut you in this tube thing and there's tickets that blow upwards from the floor that you can catch. You then can "cash" the tickets in for goodies & prizes. They put the goggles on for Jayden and started it up... he just sat there with a blank look on his face like "What the heck am I supposed to be doing??". We kept telling him to grab at the tickets but he was still unsure. Then all of a sudden he just got totally freaked out, slammed himself up against the plexiglass, and started crying. Obviously they let him out but I have to say that it was actually kind of funny. Aaron got it on video on his phone so if I can ever get my hands on it, I'll share it with you. He got some "courtesy" tickets and then went back to his business... as did everyone else. Trying to open gifts was crazy and at one point we just decided we'd take them home and open them there as people were leaving or off playing and we just couldn't track them down. Jayden apparently had something else in mind and started right in to the presents anyway. He's definitely got the whole opening gifts thing down so Christmas should be a sight to see. :)

Let me just say this... as nice as it was not worrying about it being at my place or someone else's home where we need to clean and decorate, I'm not sure I'm ready for another party at Chuck E Cheese anytime soon. Trying to organize and corral a bunch of kids to do cake & presents when I'm 8 months pregnant is a disaster and I know I turned into an evil, hormonal basket-case at some point. Not to mention that Aaron and I dropped over $200 on his party. My advice?? Unless you have a small group of people, I'd wait until the kids are a little older for a Chuck E Cheese party. I'd be more than happy to host a party at my place to save myself a few hundred bucks and some gray hairs around the holidays. :)

Despite it not being as enjoyable for me, Jayden loved it and that's all that matters. Here are some pictures from our chaos-filled birthday adventure...

Miscellaneous party pictures

Jayden in the now "infamous" Ticket Blaster

His Harley cake

PRESENTS!!

Jay & Jax Updates

2010-12-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today I had to take both boys to the doctor. Primarily for Jayden's planned 3 year old well child check-up with a secondary check on some GI issues for Jaxson.

Ever since Jaxson weaned himself from the breast at 4 months old, he's had issues with constipation. We've tried everything!! When he was a baby, he was having episodes almost every month or two. There's nothing more wrenching than watching your baby writhe around in pain while you helplessly try to find a magic cure-all for his/her pain. It's absolutely terrible. We tried Miralax, assorted juices, enemas, laxatives, etc. Everything you can think of. Then we decided to take him off of regular cow's milk and switch to soy. That worked for a while and then soy gave him diarrhea, so we switched to almond milk. Everything was temporary. Just when we thought something was working, he'd have another episode and throw our thinking off.

Over the last 3-4 days, Jaxson has been unable to have a bowel movement. He'd have a like a skid mark here or there in his diaper, but no real poos. Just last week, he had diarrhea so bad it was leaking out of his diaper and running down his legs. I mean...one extreme to another. It's like some magic equation of trying to figure out how to get this kid to poop normal. It started getting really bad on Saturday... his belly was bloated, he was semi-lethargic, and he'd whimper and whine because of the pain. He'd try to go and... nothing. Yesterday, my mom came over to watch the boys while Aaron and I went shopping for our new minivan (that will be another story once we actually find one we want to purchase which we may have, but car sales are a b*tch to say the least...). The next thing I know, I have a barrage of phone calls from my mom and my MIL who was summoned over to help out an ailing Jaxson. Later that afternoon I got home and both grandmas were terribly worried, telling Aaron and I horror stories about family history of colon issues, GI issues, allergies, etc. Moms are good at worrying excessively and it was obvious that both were extremely stressed out and worried about Jaxson's condition, especially since Aaron had spent a lot of time at Children's Hospital as a child due to various ailments and my own grandmother died from a bowel/intestinal obstruction which caused septic shock. I even remember a conversation I'd had on the day that she passed with the nurse that the pain from the intestinal issues is one of the most painful ways to go. Imagining my not-even-two-year-old going through something similar on repeated occasions made me feel ill. While I seemed cool and collected on the outside, I was also internally freaking out. Despite telling them that I'd called the doctor Saturday night and would ask again at today's appointment, we all just had a nagging feeling something just wasn't right. It wasn't normal. He just wanted to be held, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, and had a slight fever. Not long after my MIL and mom had left to go home, Jaxson started having more episodes. An "episode" for Jaxson consists of becoming completely rigid, falling to the ground while curling up into a fetal position, crying and screaming. Hearing my child wail back at me, "Mama! Mama! It hurts! It hurts!" is enough to make me want to cry, scoop him up in my arms, and tap him with a magic wand to make it go away. But it doesn't work that way. Everything we'd been told to try would take days to help him pass the blockage. Days. How could I let him suffer like that for days?

Finally after having fits every 15-20 minutes for close to 2 hours and numerous calls to the doctor in addition to 16 ounces of prune & apple juice mixed with Miralax, he had one last fit (followed by spontaneous, flood gate vomiting down both him and my husband 15 minutes later). Let's just say that it isn't "normal" and it's just not okay for your child to strain so hard to poop that he turns bright red, breaks out in a sweat all over his body, and vomits while crying for his mama. I scooped him up and rocked him... his body just so exhausted from something as simple as going to the bathroom. I'll tell you, though, that I've never been so relieved to see poop in my life. I won't describe what it looked like, how much there was or anything like that, but suffice it to say that it wasn't "normal". After another call to worried grandmas (who were both in tears) and the doctor we were assured that despite what seemed really severe, he'd finally gotten over the worst and didn't need an ER visit, but needed prompt follow up in the morning. So, this morning we took him in and I demanded that something needed to be done. This whole "slow transit constipation" thing is complete crap (no pun intended). It may be normal for kids to be constipated occasionally, but at this point we were all in agreement that there's nothing "normal" about the severity of Jaxson's condition, especially the fact that he can now physically tell us that he's in pain. So, we now have a referral to a GI specialist at Children's Hospital in Seattle. We are waiting for the referral to be approved so that we can set up an appointment soon. As for today, he's finally over this hurdle and back to his regular self. We've been told to cut all dairy from his diet (he's not going to like giving up cheese), keep him on apple juice & prune juice, and try to increase fiber wherever we can to keep recurrences down to a minimum. I just pray that they can figure out what it is that's causing this and what we can do to fix it. To think this could be a lifelong problem for our little boy is just so sad...

On a lighter note, we had Jayden checked for his normal 3 year visit and, as usual, the kid is a tank!! They checked all his vitals (he got his blood pressure taken for the first time and was not too excited about it until they did it to me first... then he thought that it was pretty cool). All is good on that front. He's a normal, healthy 3 year old! Yay! :) Next hurdle is, hopefully, potty training. I got the A-okay to start bribing him with candy so he will go in the toilet. I've tried everything else and except for the occasional decision to run to the potty, he seems to be content to do his business in a diaper. Ugh.

Anyway, here are Jayden's 3 year stats:
Weight: 39 pounds (95th percentile)
Height: 42.5 inches (99th percentile)

...yes, you read that right. My just turned 3 year old is almost 3 feet & 7 inches tall. He's completely outgrown all 3T clothing and is in 4T and 5T depending on style/brand. And just because I've been asked this all of 50 times in the last week... YES, I swear on my life that he truly is only 3 years old. I'd know. I gave birth to him. :)

Three.

2010-12-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Three years. Three. Already? It's crazy and unfathomable to look back on today and realize that three years ago I was, at this hour, almost 11 hours into my 17+ hour labor and getting ready to leave for the hospital in order to have my first baby.

Every birth is important and special in its own way, but the birth of my firstborn is something I reflect on heavily. I remember like yesterday how significant this moment was for me. How long I had waited for this day...all my dreams from childhood about becoming a mom, playing pretend with my dollies, and how I had anticipated what this day would really be like for me. Everything just culminating from a dream into reality. I was excited, nervous, probably screaming for pain relief and praying that they would admit me to the hospital this time instead of sending me home like they'd done once before. I was ready. I wanted to meet my baby. I'd spent the last 40 weeks and 4 days nurturing my unborn child in my womb, feeling his kicks & hiccups; connecting to him in ways I'd previously thought impossible to experience. This was finally my moment. And in just a few short hours, I'd get the chance to nurture him on the outside, to see his precious face and comb over every detail: Did he look like me or Aaron? How big would he be at birth? Did he have all ten fingers and ten toes?

At 5:51pm on December 8, 2007, three years ago today, I laid eyes on my son for the first time. I remember the feeling of reaching down to help my doctor deliver him and lay him-- warm, wet, and screaming-- on my bare chest. I remember kissing the top of his cute blond-fuzzed head, happy tears streaming down my cheeks, telling him how much I loved him and just how handsome he was. I remember his big blue eyes staring back into mine like he knew in that instant that I was his mother. That moment could have lasted forever... and in ways it still does. I still remember exactly how I felt. I remember the first words out of my mouth as I first touched and held him. I remember the newborn baby smell. I still feel the warmth from his body clutched against mine & my lips firmly placed on his cute baby cheeks.

Three years. Three. I will never forget this moment... My first picture as a mother. My first picture holding my precious son. Just looking at this picture and reliving the pride, joy, & love I felt brings tears to my eyes.

I also remember this moment: bringing our new baby home for the first time. I remember the desire & impulse to buy that baby outfit with Aaron while we were in college because I couldn't get over how cute it was. I just held onto it for when we'd have a baby to put it on and thought of how adorable my baby would look in it... and cute he was (and still is). I remember how he snuggled quietly in my arms until the exact moment I placed him in the bassinet to take his newborn pictures and then he screamed and cried from being put down and having lights flash in his face. Not that I blame him...

Over the years it has been such a joy to watch him learn and grow. It's amazing to me to think that, in what seems like the blink of an eye, he's gone from a newborn to an independent toddler. He's my all boy, rough & tough, motorcycle-loving, pretend superhero who is currently scared of the dark and has to "hide" from the monsters under the covers. A textbook Daddy's Boy who still reserves Mom for special occasions like when he's sick or wants big hugs & eskimo kisses at bedtime and who likes to blow raspberries on and talk to his "Baby Owen" growing in my belly. The same boy who likes to inspire his younger brother to run around the house naked with him while having Nerf sword fights and jumping off couches. From the days of singing sweet lullabies like "You Are My Sunshine" while rocking him, often staring at him in his peaceful slumber with a smile on my face to reading "Pout Pout Fish" and alphabet books before tucking him in to his sports themed "big boy" bed. So much has changed in three short years and I know that so much more will change in three more.

From his first birthday...

...to his second...

...and now his third.

Three years old. Three. So hard to believe. My ever so handsome baby boy growing up before my eyes so fast that I have to constantly remind myself to stop and cherish each moment so I don't forget.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jayden Ezra. You don't even know how much love & joy you have brought to my life-- how much more meaning you have given my existence. I'm so glad that God knows best and blessed me with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being your Mother. I am so proud of the big boy you are becoming and I am excited to continue watching you grow. No matter how big you get, though, you will always hold my heart and you will always be my beautiful blue-eyed "Punky" baby-- my firstborn child, my firstborn son. It's truly a place that can't be replaced by anyone. Thank you for making dreams come true that I never knew existed.

I love you to the moon and back...

31 Weeks

2010-12-07T12:02:00.001-08:00

How far along?: 31w1d

Total weight gain: About 21-22 pounds. I gained a lot this week. :(

How big is baby?: About the size of a squash & weight of 4 navel oranges (16 inches & 3.5 pounds).

Maternity clothes?: Not today, but yes on most days. Depending on the outfit, it's interchangable.

Stretch marks?: No new ones, but the old ones are red & starting to stretch. :( Boo!

Sleep?: Eh. It's overrated, right? It would be better without my sides going numb.

Best moment this week?: Uh... best was also the worst. Vacationing with 2 toddlers? Enough said.

Movement?: He's been practicing his kickboxing today apparently.

Food cravings?: Daily menu is ham, bacon & grilled pepper breakfast burrito. Lunch is PB&J and a Wild Cherry Pepsi. Dinner is Tums... lol.

Labor signs?: I had some really, really strong BH today but nothing consistent.

Belly button in or out?: In, but definitely flattening.

What I miss: Sleep.

What I'm looking forward to: Sleep. And being past the holidays. This time of year is too chaotic for me... add looking for a new place & new car to the mix along with nesting?? Yeah, I'm absolutely batty.

Weekly Wisdom: I'll get back to you on this one. I'm fresh out of wisdom this week.

Milestone: I broke out my Pilates ball this week... I need some relief from the sciatica. BabyCenter says that Owen should be hitting a growth spurt this week... hopefully that explains why my scale hates me all of a sudden. :/

The Newest Obsession...

2010-12-06T16:02:00.001-08:00

...for my kids, that is. Jaxson, especially, needed a distraction quite a bit of the time on our vacation as he was just cranky half the time. I'm not sure how my younger brother, Ramzani, found these videos on YouTube but once he did it was instant entertainment for hours. Needless to say we listened to it on Aaron's Droid phone half the trip and it has now been converted to being watched on our computer...

Quite catchy actually, but definitely obnoxious after the 50th time...

The Gummy Bear Song
Nuki Nuki

Leavenworth

2010-12-06T16:01:00.001-08:00

We had our almost yearly trip (seems we really only get up to going every other year, really) to Leavenworth this past weekend. My dad has made it somewhat of a tradition to get as much family together as possible for the tree lighting festival in Leavenworth the first weekend of December. I went once before having kids in 2006 and then again in 2008 with Aaron and Jayden as a "wedding present" from my dad (he gifted us his standing room reservation for our wedding that year). This year was a special occasion as my stepmom, Lisa, celebrated her 50th birthday yesterday and so we were using this year's vacation as a birthday celebration for her. It was the first time in years that we were able to get the entire family together along with significant others and we were all able to stay in the same bed & breakfast in the heart of Leavenworth.

We left to meet up with my dad on Friday morning to drive over there. Jaxson had it in his head that he was going to be the one driving and refused to give up the driver's seat to Mommy. His new obsession is "beep beep" or driving and pressing the horn. As an almost "terrible two", he's definitely asserting some independence and will absolutely let you know when he doesn't agree with you... which he did when I promptly removed him from the driver's seat and made him sit securely strapped in his car seat in the back. I know... I'm such a bad mommy. Shame on me for being such a killjoy. :)

After a quick meet-up with my dad and family at their house in Sammamish, we set off for Leavenworth. The passes were great and, even though there was snow in the mountains, the roads were clear so my chionophobia (fear of snow... or just driving in it) was alleviated for the time being. Traveling with two small kids is just crazy, mind you. Both times (there and back) our drive cut into nap time, which Jayden promptly refused to do, and Jaxson screamed when he wasn't sleeping. Then Jayden wanted to talk (ahem, whisper) to us the whole time and couldn't understand why we wouldn't answer him (we couldn't hear what he was saying half the time) for like 2-3 hours straight. Makes for an interesting "soundtrack" between the two. In addition to my terrible sciatica which then leaves me stiff & numb from the waist down... I cannot tell you how glad I was to get out of the car.

Once we got in to town, we checked into Mrs. Anderson's Lodge Bed & Breakfast (the oldest standing building in Leavenworth). After a room mixup (they expected all 4 of us to fit in a queen bed...ha!) we were moved into Room 5 which gave us a lot more room to move around.

After settling in with our luggage, the kids automatically wanted to go play in the snow, so off to the "sledding hill" we went. This, my readers & friends, is where we spent most of our holiday. Jayden lived on this hill along with my two younger brothers and his dad (who is pretty much a big kid himself). Jaxson went down a few times, but was more of an observer... and then he wanted to run around in the gazebo.

After the sledding hill, we we went to Ducks and Drakes to get a large and overpriced basket of french fries (which my kids cannot get enough of) while Aaron was stuck back at the B&B on a work call. This is what happens when you are a project manager and your clients are lawyers--- they don't give a crap if you are on vacation with your family...

Then we went back to the B&B to warm the boys up with some hot cocoa and they had fun running around in our room and jumping on the bed. Soon after, the crankies set in and since Jayden hadn't had a nap and Jaxson only had a short one, we tried to get the boys to sleep a little early. Ha! It took me 3-4 hours to get Jaxson to sleep that first night. He was overtired, overstimulated, and in an unfamiliar place. We all took turns trying to calm him down unsuccessfully, and he finally crashed after I was at my wit's end around 9:00pm. Then, because of his recent bout of night terrors, he would scream and cry in his sleep every hour until about 7 or 8 the next morning.

Saturday was a day of a lot more sledding & some overpriced shopping. We stopped at the Taffy Shop to get some fabulous salt water taffy & also walked out with some expensive toy laser guns for the boys to annoy everyone at the B&B with (they did come in handy at bedtime with Jayden as he's afraid of the dark and thinks monsters are out to get him--- now he can protect himself and "get" the monsters with his gun. Boys.).

We then took the boys back to the B&B to take a nap which was like pulling teeth again, but was successful. Aaron was able to have lunch with a friend who was visiting and then I was able to go out and walk the town & take pictures of the festival before meeting up with my dad, brothers, & family friends, the Mahoskeys, at the riverside park for a snowball fight & giant cookies from the Gingerbread House. Then I stopped to get a Leavenworth-famous bratwurst topped with caramelized onions and ketchup before heading back to pick all my boys up for the tree lighting.

We perused around some more and finally found Santa and took a picture with him before heading out to Los Camperos with our entire crew for Lisa's birthday dinner. We feasted on beans & rice and chips & salsa (Jaxson wore more than he ate) before heading back to the B&B for cake and gifts. After that, the crew dispersed to do their own thing--- Aaron and I stayed behind to let the boys watch cartoons before putting them in bed for the night (which, again, was nothing short of a huge challenge). After the boys were in bed, Aaron went to play card games with my brothers & the Mahoskeys while the rest of us made a makeshift theater upstairs with a projector and a sheet and watched Love Actually. Or most of it until Jaxson woke up screaming. I settled into bed around 11:00...and was then promptly woken up by both boys at 4:30am.

Needless to say that Aaron and I didn't get much sleep the entire time and we were cranky with each other and wondered how in the hell we were insane enough to think that a vacation with two small kids with agendas of their own was even a remote possibility. In the end it was worth it because the boys had fun, but it makes us rethink whether or not we want to press our luck in the near future.

On Sunday morning, we got up and had bagels, juice, & cereal for breakfast downstairs. The boys asked just once more to go outside to the sledding hill to play. Before making our way there, they were entranced by the icicles (which they promptly named "ice swords") and had to carry one. So after packing up & checking out, with their ice swords in hand we made our way to the sledding hill to play before saying our final farewells to family and friends and heading back home.

Home. Oh boy, I don't think Aaron and I have ever been so happy to be back in familiar territory! It was the most fabulous feeling to be able to turn on the heat and curl up on my own couch. Despite the pure chaos of vacationing with small kids, it was still a fun (and expensive!-- just ask Aaron about his $15 nachos!!) vacation. I can only hope the next one will be smoother and sleep-filled so I don't feel like a pregnant zombie.

Say Hello to Owen! (Update Included)

2010-12-02T08:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had both a regular check-up with my midwife and an elective, volunteer 3D/4D ultrasound. It was really cool to see Owen again and see how much he's changed within the last month. :) The scan went really well and I got a bunch of videos and pictures of my little guy and I thought I would share them with all of you.

It was difficult at times because, in typical Owen style, he was NOT in the mood to show off. He had his hands and feet in his face quite a bit, in addition to the fact that he apparently likes to nestle himself right up against my uterine wall which doesn't provide many good pictures. We were able to get some pictures though and some fantastic shots of him smiling, grinning, and yawning. We also got to see him blink his eyes and drink amniotic fluid which I thought was pretty neat. It will be interesting to see who he looks like. From the first scan he looked a lot like Jaxson but now that he's packing on some fat, I'm starting to see a lot of Jayden in him too, so maybe he will end up being a fair mix of his two brothers, who are like night and day from each other (Jax takes after my side while Jay takes after Daddy).

So, without further ado, I would like to show off the latest pictures of our son. Say hello to Owen Isaiah Andresen!!

Here are a few pictures of his face...

Grinning and smiling :)

2D profile

Apparently he has some hair (my mom will be happy to hear that!)

I had them check to make sure he was still a boy. Not that I was holding out any hope for it magically changing, but just call me curious. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was curious because when the tech went to scan, her first comment was, "Well, it must be a boy because I cannot see anything. He's grabbing his penis." Ha! A true boy I guess. Not even outside the womb and he's already rocking a Michael Jackson-esque "crotch grab". :) He'll fit right in with both of his brothers who are currently going through a booty obsessed "run-around-the-house-naked-and-grab-my-penis-because-I-think-it's-hilarious" phase. The things you have to look forward to with sons... Anyway, she did get a partial shot of his "turtle" during the millisecond he released his death grip.

In addition to the still photos, here are some various links to the short clips of video we captured.

Moving & Waving Hands

Smiling

Swallowing Amniotic Fluid (2D) -- This might be hard to make out, but his mouth is already open at the beginning of the video but you should see him close it towards the end.

They estimated that he's pretty much right on track. I was 30w2d and he was measuring at 30w5d--- which is closer to an EDD of 2/4, which is also consistent with where he's measured at all other ultrasounds. They think he's roughly 3 pounds & 6 ounces on average plus or minus 8 ounces on either side which is also consistent with his gestation.

On to the midwife visit... again, she thinks he's right on track. I'm measuring at 32 weeks, but it's possible Owen just hit another growth spurt. He's still head down on my left side, face turned to the right, and his head is engaged pretty low for 30 weeks. His heartbeat was fantastic and everything is going along swimmingly. I'm exhausted because I'm not sleeping as well as I used to. My sciatica is here in full force and so if I am in one position for too long I get stiff, my side goes numb, and I can barely move. It sucks. It looks like it's back to the Pilates ball and prenatal massage for me. :)

Lastly, I finally added the link to my sidebar to guess Owen's birth stats. I would love your input on what you think will be Owen's birthday, time of birth, weight, & length. It's completely free and absolutely for fun. It will be interesting to see who guesses the closest. Aaron and I both think he will come on January 29th. We'll see!! The link in my sidebar should work, but just in case it doesn't, you can also go to www.expectnet.com and type the game name in the top left corner: owenisaiah.

Picture Randomness

2010-12-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share some pictures. :)

First up are pictures that I took a few weeks back of the boys during bath time. Their new favorite thing is the bubble bath. Everytime they see bubbles in the bathtub they get absolutely giddy with excitement and squeal, "BUBBLES!!!" and then proceed to eat them or put them on their faces to create a Santa-like beard and mustache.

Next up are Jayden's annual preschool pictures. I was thinking of using these as his 3 year pictures as well, but I may get a few shots later this month as we will be doing Owen's professional belly shots either this month or very early next. Jaxson also happened to be at daycare/preschool with Jayden on this year's picture day due to a last minute hiccup with our daycare situation so they also took one picture of the two boys together. I cannot tell if I like it or not as Jax has his mouth halfway open. It's kinda cute in a funny way. :)

30 Weeks

2010-11-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 30w1d

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

How big is baby?: Just shy of 16 inches and approximately 3 pounds (or about the size of a head of cabbage).

Maternity clothes?: Yes, but I can still wear non-maternity shirts & pants (with the help of a "belly band").

Stretch marks?: Yeah, it looks like some of my old ones are stretching a bit. Not too bad.

Sleep?: Eh, I could be getting more. I'm way too uncomfortable these days and I have to pee a lot.

Best moment this week?: Spending Thanksgiving with family and eating some good food. :)

Movement?: Yup, this week he's been a squirmer. It's not comfortable for me though.

Food cravings?: Not really. Just the soda...same as last week.

Labor signs?: Not yet. Just Braxton Hicks.

Belly button in or out?: Still in.

What I miss: Sleep and not having back pain.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Owen again (and for the last time) in 3D/4D tomorrow and then our family vacation to Leavenworth this weekend.

Weekly Wisdom: Using a Pilates ball & getting prenatal massages works wonders for sciatica pain!!

Milestone: I'm officially 75% done with the pregnancy (even more if he comes early like I'm hoping!) Baby's eyesight will continue to develop but will only be about 20/400 at birth which means he won't be able to see things more than a few inches from his face.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2010-11-29T11:15:00.004-08:00

I couldn't pass up the Black Friday weekend sales (usually I steer clear of shopping due to the crowds) but I was tempted by JoAnn Fabrics' pre-lit Christmas tree sales (they were offering 7 foot trees for $35 that were normally $120) and 70% off ornaments so I at least made a trip for that and came back with a ton of stuff. I'd been wanting to get a new tree for a while since the one we had been given by my grandma was falling apart, old, and a total PITA to put together (not to mention half the ornaments were probably used when my mom was a kid...). Naturally, when I came home Jayden was curious about what I had bought so when I told him about the tree he just couldn't help but want to put it up.

Knowing full well that our holiday season this year (as is the case with every year, but even more so this year) is hectic I knew I wouldn't otherwise be able to get around to decorating until the week before Christmas and I wanted the kids to have more time to enjoy the whole Christmas spirit so I decided to put together our new tree yesterday and have the kids help me decorate. The tree is much thinner than it looked and it's not the greatest but for $35 and the lack of space in our apartment it works. The kids don't seem to mind and once you add the bazillion ornaments we have it fills in the gaps and doesn't look so wimpy.

Seeing as my hubby is not a decorator and I'm 7 months pregnant and just not in the mood to decorate a ton in addition to having an extremely curious toddler, I didn't decorate much. We have our tree, stockings, some lights, & a stuffed decoration thing. I'm debating on putting up our Christmas village, but seeing as our tree has already been attacked by flying basketballs and almost every ornament has been licked or re-arranged courtesy of Jaxson, I'm a little nervous to put out the ceramic village I've had since I was a child celebrating Christmas. I'm not quite ready to test the waters with his level of curiosity just yet. Hopefully the tree is still standing with the ornaments intact by the time I get home. :)

Both boys wanted to get a picture in front of the tree. Jaxson cracks me up because when we take pictures we tell the boys, "Say cheese!" and Jaxson lifts his chin, smiles a toothy smile, and squints his eyes (we call it his "Cheese Face"... hilarious every time!)

Looks like we will need new stockings next year as Owen will be here and we now only have our one cat, Kimahri. :)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T11:15:00.003-08:00

With the snowfall we had we were skeptical at first that we would even make it out of our parking lot for Thanksgiving, but despite the crappy conditions at our apartment, the roads were just fine and we were able to drive to Gig Harbor like we had planned to spend Thanksgiving with Aaron's family. It was pretty low key for the most part with the tiny exception of Jaxson's fever & moodiness due to teething (yes, he's already getting one of his 2 year molars and he won't be 2 until April!!). Because of that, he was pretty much attached to me in tears the whole time screaming, "Mama! Mama!".

I didn't get a chance to actually take pictures of the festivities and the meal (which was delicious, by the way) but I did get some candids of the boys just playing while we were there. Us adults got to play some board games while our boys were entertained by Aaron's cousin's boys & little girl. I even did some Black Friday shopping for the first time since the boys needed some winter gear for our Leavenworth trip.

Enjoy! Hope you had/have as much to be thankful for as we do!!

Snow Day

2010-11-29T11:15:00.001-08:00

Despite my aversion to snow (or at least being out in it for long periods of time or driving in it), I was not about to deprive my kids of a "snow day". I was interested to see how they would like it since Jaxson's never seen snow to my knowledge and the last time we took Jayden out in it he cried and wanted to go back inside because he didn't like the cold & wet.

This year, Jayden had a blast and was SO EXCITED about the snow. The kid was even eating it off the car. No joke. Jaxson seemed to like it too, so we let them romp around in it last Monday night when we were completely dumped on. They geared up with jackets, boots, hats, and gloves and ran around in it for what seemed like an eternity to me. We had to bribe them to come back inside with the promise of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows... and even at that Jaxson was not happy with me bringing him back inside.

This just gives us a taste of what we will be experiencing this weekend when we take our Leavenworth vacation with my dad & family for my stepmom's 50th birthday celebration. Jayden is already counting down the days until he can play in the snow again. :)

29 Weeks

2010-11-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 29w2d
Total weight gain: Still around 18-19 pounds.
How big is baby?: Baby is about 2.5 pounds and 15 inches long... about the size of a butternut squash.
Maternity clothes?: Yeah, but they are mostly maternity clothes that could double as regular clothes. Long t-shirts, casual pants, etc.
Stretch marks?: Still about the same. I can't really tell if my old ones are stretching or not. My belly itches sometimes though.
Sleep?: Pretty good other than the fact that Jaxson thinks that 6:00am is an appropriate wake-up time.
Best moment this week?: Best moment(s) are also the worst... Watching the kids play in the snow despite my aversion to snow and being able to work from home in my pajamas this week despite the chaos of working from home with 2 young kids running around trying to play with my laptop. Oh, and another good moment this week was finding out that I passed my GD test...yay!
Movement?: Still about the same. He's still moving, but it's slowed down as he runs out of room. Instead of feeling gentle movements, I'm getting harsh elbows, fists, and knees now.
Food cravings?: Oddly enough I'm craving Wild Cherry Pepsi lately. I usually don't drink soda, especially caffeinated soda, but I just cannot help myself lately.
Labor signs?: No, just the usual (but very strong) Braxton Hicks.
Belly button in or out?: Still in.
What I miss: Eating a normal meal that isn't followed by gobbling Tums. I swear that EVERYTHING gives me heartburn and it's awful. :(
What I'm looking forward to: Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!! I'm really looking forward to spending quality time with family and eating some delicious food. :)
Weekly Wisdom: Think safety first in this weather. It's not easy being pregnant in the middle of winter. Make sure that you wear warm clothes, shoes with good tread for grip & stability, watch where you walk, & don't drive in conditions you are uncomfortable with or may compromise your safety.
Milestone: Muscles and lungs are continuing to mature as the head grows bigger to allow more room for baby's growing brain. Baby's bones are soaking up a lot of calcium this trimester as well.

Chionophobia

2010-11-22T09:32:00.003-08:00

What is chionophobia, might you ask? Chionophobia is the fear of snow.

...and I have it. Or to be more precise, I have the fear of driving in it. I don't actually fear the idea of snow; in fact, I love walking in it, playing in it (which we took the boys to do for the "first" time and they loved it--- pics to follow in separate post), and even admiring watching it fall from the comfort and warmth of my couch with a large cup of hot cocoa in hand.

I can remember many a time where, as a kid, I prayed and prayed for the typical "White Christmas", but rarely ever got them. Seattle gets rainy Christmases. However, now that I am an adult and I have responsibilities like working mostly outside of the home and toting kids to daycare, buying groceries, etc I've realized that I'm quite alright without a White Christmas... or a white anything. Even the thought of driving out in the mess we are now experiencing outside sends shivers down my spine...and not from the cold. It's pure fear. I hate it. Hate it. It's days like this, beautiful to look at while treacherous to navigate through, that make me want to move somewhere that is warm all the time...like Arizona.

Maybe it's because we are ill-equipped to deal with even 2 inches of snow (yes, please laugh at us if you are on the East Coast or wherever else you get tons of snow) or because the last time I drove in it, I slid off the road, jumped a ditch, and hit a sign while 6 months pregnant & with my newly turned one year old in the backseat... but I fear for my safety and that of my children (both born and unborn) and I refuse to drive in it. Plus, it doesn't help that the weather here is so odd with wavering temperatures that we get lots and lots of ice... and in a place with lots of hills, that's just a bad combination.

So, until the snow dissipates, I am officially a hermit. I have clearance to work from home until conditions improve and people actually get around to sanding the roads & parking lots. I'll be sitting on my couch with a blanket & in my PJ's while admiring the beauty of the snow without actually being out in it. And maybe we will venture out to let the kids make snow angels, go sledding, or eat the snow as Jayden has discovered is really fun. And inside, I'm secretly hoping it melts by Thursday so that I don't miss Turkey Day because this preggo really wants some turkey, mashed potatoes w/gravy, and lots of pumpkin pie. :)

A Daughter

2010-11-22T09:32:00.001-08:00

Call this a stream of consciousness if you will... I've had a lot on my mind lately, a recurring thought, an internal conflicting sense of deja vu.

First let me preface this whole disjointed thought by saying that I am proud to be a mother of all boys, I am extremely grateful for my boys---and for many other things including the fact that I am physically able to bear children, have had relatively healthy pregnancies, & easy deliveries, etc. I wouldn't trade my boys for anything in this world and I have faith that God understand my purpose and direction in life better than I do. I trust in His judgment, but I still feel like there's something missing from my life: a daughter. While this may just sound silly, selfish, and stupid to some it is a valid feeling regardless that I have a desire to express. I don't care if anyone reads this or not. Honestly, I think it's theraputic for me just to get it all out somewhere versus internally dwelling on it.

I've always wanted to have a larger family, even since I was a little girl. I love children and I always imagined myself with quite the brood of my own. I'm not talking along the lines of the Duggars and having 20 kids, but 4,5, or 6 was totally fine with me. In addition to that, I always envisioned myself with a daughter. Maybe it's because I have such a close relationship with my mom mixed with the girly-girl side of me, but I always wanted to experience those moments in life my mom experienced with me with my own daughter. When I met Aaron, we both had a "deal breaker" for the two of us; he couldn't be with someone who wouldn't allow him to play video games & computer games... and I couldn't be with someone who didn't want and/or support having a larger family. I wanted 4 kids at least, more was negotiable, but 4 was my minimum. We both agreed to each other's deal breakers, but here we are now 7 years and 3 kids later and while I still have the desire to have one more child, my husband does not... or at least he isn't sure he wants any more. To be honest, this has been a constant sore spot in our relationship, which isn't completely on the best of terms right now because of our disagreements, and I'm sure it will continue to be.

On 2 main levels, I feel let down. I feel like I was lied to or betrayed on one end because I feel like if you make a promise and agree to something, you should keep your word... not sugar coat or tell me something you think you are okay with or that you want me to hear to keep me complacent. Be honest and stick to your guns. My family is one thing I am terribly passionate about and it's hard to let go of what I always wanted as far as family size. In addition, I had not mentally prepared myself for this to be my last pregnancy, and at 25 years old, I feel somewhat sad at realizing that my childbearing years are already almost at an end when most of my friends haven't even started. I'm still so young, and frankly just not ready to be done. We also unintentionally had our kids so close in age that I feel like I haven't really been able to enjoy pregnancy to the fullest because I feel like I've practically been pregnant for the last 3 years. And we never really tried to get pregnant. While that would be a huge blessing for some, and I'm grateful we can conceive without difficulty, there's also just something about trying and anticipating that positive test instead of being completely blindsided about it. I feel like I sort of missed that experience.

On the other side, with this being our third (and most likely last) child, and third boy... I'm also sort of mourning the loss of the daughter I most likely will never have. That little girl I dreamed of since I was little is no more than a figment of my imagination. I'll never buy frilly dresses or cute hair bows, nor will I be there to help her pick out her wedding dress, or be the person she can talk to about her first boyfriend or about when she starts blossoming into a woman. I won't be there to hold her hand and tell her how wonderful of a job she's doing as she welcomes her first (or 2nd or 3rd) child into the world, or tell her she is absolutely radiant as a pregnant woman. Raising a son (or three) is a whole different ballgame... one I will get to experience in spades. And while I am grateful for all the things I will or may experience with my boys, there are still fundamental differences. Yes, I will get many a mother-son dance at their weddings (and will hopefully have some wonderful daughters-in-law to take under my wing as my own), and I will proudly be cheering from the sidelines when my sons score their first touchdown or hit their first home run... and as proud as I am and as much as I love my boys, there's still that imaginary daughter that ceases to exist.

I am trying my hardest to allow myself to feel the way I feel, praying and hoping that with time it will dissipate, while at the same time reminding myself how blessed I am to be a mother of boys and just how much joy they truly do bring me. Thinking of all of the things that are still to come in their lives that I get to experience along with them brings a smile to my face. I love them all so much individually and as a collective that I feel like my heart could just burst. I would never love a daughter more than my sons, despite my deep desire to have one, as I love all my children equally and could never love one over the other. My children are my world. I just am trying to find that delicate balance between allowing myself to feel the loss of my "dream" while savoring every moment of the reality that I have been grateful to live. A part of me feels silly, selfish, and just plain awful about feeling "incomplete" because I know that my children do complete me no matter what. I don't want to ever feel or have them feel inadequate because it couldn't be farther from the truth. At the same time, I know I am not the first or last person to feel this way and I need to go through the motions and emotions of this in order to overcome it once and for all. But why is it that a common and natural emotion feels so unnatural to feel? Why do I feel ashamed yet justified at the same time? Someday I will look back on this all and realize how silly I was, but for now it's real and in the moment.

And who knows? Maybe there is another child in our future, but that is up to my husband and God if that is something in the cards for us. And while there's no guarantee that any future child would be the daughter I dreamed of so long ago, it does give me a small sliver of hope. But for now, I am the mother of 3 beautiful and wonderful little boys and with each passing day I will continue to remind myself just how great life is with sons and how grateful I am that I was blessed to be here in their journey from little boys to young men and beyond. I am glad that I can be called their mother and guide them through life, no matter how they may need me. I embrace the role I have to play in their lives and I do not want to miss out on any single moment, and despite my current state of mind, I certainly don't want this feeling to take any more time or focus off of the three most wonderful and amazing sons I could have been blessed with. They deserve all of me... and all of me they shall have.

28 Weeks

2010-11-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 28w2d

Total weight gain: About 18-19 pounds

How big is baby?: About the size of a Chinese cabbage (2.25 pounds & 14.8 inches long from head to heel).

Maternity clothes?: Yes, for the most part.

Stretch marks?: Still about the same. The old ones might be starting to stretch but I cannot tell. No new ones though.

Movement?: Yes, but less movement than before. He's running out of room! Now it's starting to hurt because I'm feeling hard body parts pushing, not gentle kicks.

Food cravings?: None really. Still like my tuna & gouda sandwiches. Breakfast burritos for breakfast are yummy too.

Labor signs?: Nope. Just normal, albeit strong Braxton Hicks.

Belly button in or out?: Still in but flattening.

What I miss: Non-swollen feet, not having cankles by the end of the day, & being able to sneeze without peeing my pants (yes, I actually did that the other day... ugh!)

What I'm looking forward to: Hopefully getting another 3D/4D ultrasound to see Owen again. I'm really just anxious to meet him in person though!

Weekly Wisdom: I'd probably have some for you if I didn't feel like Owen was eating all my brain cells for breakfast (and lunch and dinner...he better be one smart kid!).

Milestone: I officially start going to my midwife for appointments every 2 weeks starting today (I have to do my glucose tolerance test today...gag!). Developmentally, Owen should be able to blink his eyes (which now have lashes). Because of eye development, lights from the outside world may be visible in the womb. He's also continuing to pack on body fat to prepare for birth.

27 Weeks

2010-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

How far along?: 27w2d

Total weight gain: 18 pounds. :(

How big is baby?: Weighs about 2 pounds (the size of a head of cauliflower) and is approximately 14.5 inches long fully extended head to toe.

Maternity clothes?: Yup! And lots of pajama pants & t-shirts around the house. :)

Stretch marks?: Old ones will probably start stretching soon, but no new ones.

Sleep?: Eh, okay. Jaxson has been having night terrors lately so he wakes me up a couple times per night.

Best moment this week?: Not sure about the best, but the worst was falling down half a flight of stairs on Monday and spraining my ankle. :( Owen's okay though... no worries!

Movement?: Still a fair amount but I'm guessing that he's running out of room. He has no problems with punching my cervix though. :(

Food cravings?: Nothing really stands out. I just eat whatever is put in front of me.

Labor signs?: Nope. Still just the normal Braxton Hicks. They are strong with this pregnancy though.

Belly button in or out?: Still in, but flattening.

What I miss: Feeling comfortable. I'm at that awkward, uncomfortable, restless stage now. Ugh... Oh, and a normal center of gravity (hence my fall this week).

What I'm looking forward to: Taking this damn boot off my ankle so I can walk normal again.

Weekly Wisdom: Make your hubby/SO help you. Pregnant women taking trash to the dumpster downstairs = falling down stairs and spraining ankles. Not fun.

Milestone: I'm officially in my THIRD TRIMESTER!! Woo hoo! Just shy of 12 weeks to my due date! I also started my daily regimen on Red Raspberry Leaf tea... yum yum! As for Owen's development, he can sleep & wake at regular intervals, open & close his eyes, and even suck on his fingers. His lungs are developing rapidly---enough so that he could possibly function outside the womb (stay in there, Owen!), and hiccups will become extremely noticeable at this stage (um, yup... I'd agree with that one!).

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

Say cheese!!

Owen's Sneak Preview!!

2010-11-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I received a call from a local place who sells ultrasound machines and they need "models" to help them create the best settings for their machines before selling them. It's not sketchy at all and the machines are completely safe & FDA approved, but they need people willing to have scans done in order to test their software. The scans are done by a trained sonographer and there's no risk--- it's the same as going to your OB's office and being scanned there. They pay you $80 to volunteer for these scans and I had signed up a few weeks ago but didn't think I'd get a call.

Needless to say, they called me and asked if I would be willing to come in this morning and have an ultrasound done so I said yes. I was there for an hour and they got some great shots of Owen. He's head down with his face pointing to my right side, just as he has been since 20 weeks but he turned his face so she could get some cute pictures--- the only drawback is that when they were scanned to the CD, they were saved as video images & not pictures. So, I have a total of 4 videos each about 5 seconds in length of our 3rd boy. I have to say that it seems that he looks a lot like Jaxson... but only time will tell. It will be interesting to see how much he resembles Jaxson when he's born.

If I can convert those videos to pictures I will post them, but for right now it looks like they aren't wanting to transfer at all, so at least I will show you the videos. Oh, and Owen was such a good sport that they may call me back in a few weeks before Owen gets too big to scan. The sonographer was very pleased at how cooperative he was and said she'd love to scan him anytime. :) What a fun way to make $80 and see your baby!! Can't beat that!

Here are the videos:

If for some reason the images are small and/or don't work, you can also view them here, here, here, and here.

26 Weeks

2010-11-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 26w3d

Total weight gain: 16-17 pounds

How big is baby?: About the size of an eggplant or an English hothouse cucumber (or approximately 1.66 pounds & 14 inches long).

Maternity clothes: Yes, definitely maternity pants for sure. I'm HUGE!

Stretch marks?: Some of my old ones are getting pink, but they don't seem to be stretching yet.

Sleep?: Eh, I've been restless lately. I can't seem to get comfortable from the belly down... and I'm always really hot so it makes sleep challenging.

Best moment this week?: Tomorrow I get to see Owen in 3D/4D... and get paid $80 to do it! Yes!

Movement?: Yup, a lot. And lots of hiccups.

Food cravings?: None that I can think of.

Labor signs?: Not really, but I did have some pretty strong Braxton Hicks over the weekend... every 4-5 minutes for 3 hours. They finally went away though. Midwife says it's normal.

Belly button in or out?: Still in for now.

What I miss: My stamina. I feel like a fat cow these days.

What I'm looking forward to: Tomorrow's ultrasound! Can't wait to see who Owen looks like!

Weekly Wisdom: Call your doctor if you ever suspect something is wrong or you are unsure of something. There is no such thing as a stupid question especially when you are pregnant. It's better to be safe than sorry!!

Milestone: I'm officially in the double digits for my countdown... only 95 days until my due date!! Also, baby's ears are more developed and sensitive-- they can recognize voices now. He is also starting to inhale small amounts of amniotic fluid, referred to as "practice breathing movements".

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

Last night ended up being really fun... it sure brought back flashbacks for Aaron and I when we were kids. After watching the Seahawks lose to the Raiders terribly, we woke the kids up from their nap to get them ready for the night's festivities. We were originally going to take them to the mall for trick-or-treating but everything for kids 12 and under is terribly early and Aaron and I both agreed that part of "Halloween" is that you do things later at night. Good thing we didn't go because Tommy & Samantha did and said the mall was pure mayhem and the kids really didn't get any treats.

So, we decided to start off the night at a "Fall Festival" that a local church was hosting for the community. Tommy and Samantha joined us with Brayden and Alexis. It was pretty crazy there as well and not really all that fun for anyone so after letting the boys bounce in the bouncy house for about 10 minutes and then shoot some basketballs for candy, we left. By then, it was starting to get semi-dark so we decided to start trick-or-treating at a nearby neighborhood.

It was really cute seeing the kids dressed up and get excited. This was the first year for both boys actually going door-to-door and it took them a while to get the hang of it---especially Jax. He wanted to run in the street or be carried by me most of the time. But, he knows candy really well and so he was more than happy to grab some at any chance. At the first house we went to, Jayden first tried to just open their door and then once the lady opened the door, Jayden walked right in her house. Apparently, us coaching him through what he was supposed to do didn't work. After that embarrassing, yet funny start to the night he finally realized that he was supposed to stay outside and say "Trick or Treat!" and then say "Thank you!" after he got candy. Jaxson wanted to eat his candy as we were going along... so I think he had half-eaten candy in one hand while grabbing more candy with the other the whole time. Rinse and repeat that whole ritual... after about an hour we were all tired, cold, and ready to go home. Needless to say that even in that one hour, both boys made out like bandits (half the houses were giving out full size candy bars it seemed) and we now have a plethora of sugary goodness at our house that we plan to ration out. I'm pretty sure it will last us until next Halloween at this rate. :)

Oh, and in case I didn't mention, Jayden was dressed up as Buzz Lightyear (he's in love with his costume and has worn it every day for almost the last week!) and Jaxson was Woody. Brayden also dressed up as Buzz Lightyear and Alexis was a ladybug. :)

Here are the pictures from our fun night as well as the pictures from the pumpkin painting on Saturday (although I think the kids painted themselves and ate more than what got on the pumpkins---thank goodness for Crayola's non-toxic paint!!).

Picking out our pumpkins at the store...

(he wanted to try on his costume early...)

Remlinger Farms

2010-10-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took the boys to Remlinger Farms (and we were joined by Aaron's friend, Pete, too!) to do the "fall festival" and pumpkin picking. It started out cool, but sunny...and then turned to rain. We were there for 4 hours and the kids had a blast, but the weather definitely put a damper on things. The kids got to do all sorts of rides and fun fall stuff, but the odd thing is that we ended up not getting pumpkins while we were there! Poor Jaxson has been sick (we recently found out he has a double ear infection & viral cold as the first round of antibiotics didn't fix it) and we didn't want the kids to be out in the rain so we went home and just got our pumpkins at the store. Hopefully next year the weather will be better, the kids won't be sick, and I'll actually get pictures of the kids at the pumpkin patch!

I am lazy this year and don't feel like carving so we are going to paint our pumpkins. I wanted the kids to be able to get into it and this way they can and I don't have to worry about them stabbing things (or themselves) with pumpkin carving tools. I'll post pictures of the pumpkin painting extravaganza later, but for now I do have the pictures from Remlinger.

Enjoy!

25 Weeks

2010-10-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 25w2d

Total weight gain: 15 pounds

How big is baby?: Baby is approximately 13.5 inches long and weighs 1.5 pounds-- about the size of a rutabaga.

Maternity clothes: Yup, but still a mix of maternity and non-maternity. Maternity pants are definitely a must... the shirts are negotiable.

Stretch marks?: Noticed some are a little pinkish in color but not stretching, so I don't think I have any new ones yet.

Sleep?: Eh... I'm getting increasingly uncomfortable so it's harder. Plus Jax has a double ear infection right now so he's not sleeping well which means I'm not either.

Best moment this week?: Uh... nothing pregnancy related really. But we went to the pumpkin farm over the weekend & Aaron and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary yesterday!!

Movement?: Yup! I can tell certain body parts now and hiccups are a daily occurrence.

Food cravings: I really wanted authentic Mexican tacos from the corner store by our house. They aggravate my heartburn but they are delicious!!

Labor signs?: Just a fair amount of Braxton Hicks depending on the day.

Belly button in or out?: In still, but it's not as deep because it's flattening.

What I miss: Not peeing myself when I sneeze or cough. Thank goodness for pantyliners!!

What I'm looking forward to: Buying our new family car in a couple weeks!! I think we are going to get a Ford Freestyle (Aaron's choice but it's actually pretty nice). We just need to get our financing in order this weekend and then we get to shop early next month... wahoo!

Weekly Wisdom: Practice your Kegels as much as possible to help strengthen your pelvic floor! I keep forgetting to do mine regularly, but they will help you not to "peeze" yourself (pee when you sneeze) and will help for a more effective labor. Also, start drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea as soon as you can. It also strengthens your uterine muscles. I love me a cup a day of that stuff!!

Milestone: Baby fat is continuing to pile on, therefore baby's wrinkled skin will start to smooth out. Baby is growing more hair now-- if it could be seen, both color & texture could be discerned.

Oh, and I followed up with my regular doctor regarding my thyroid. I do not have Hashimoto's, but they do need to increase my medication since my thyroid is pretty much depleted and cannot make as much hormone as it used to. So, additional supplementation is needed and I have to have my blood levels rechecked every month until I am stable again.

New Pictures!

2010-10-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

We had a photo shoot at JC Penney's on Saturday. We were actually supposed to go in last Saturday, but that turned out to be the worst thing ever. I usually never have anything bad to say about their pictures or service but I about had it after last week's attempt. I had made an appointment for 10:50 and did so to work around nap schedules as the primary purpose was Jaxson's 18 month pictures. When we arrived, the studio was PACKED!! The gal at the front desk informed me that they were running 15 minutes behind and they would be with me shortly. I told them that wasn't a problem and waited... and waited... and waited. 40 minutes later they finally got us back there. Needless to say that Jaxson would not cooperate as it was right in the middle of his nap time so he was cranky and screaming. We got nothing. No pictures. I raised hell as it practically wasted our entire morning and we are only available for things like this on Saturdays as our Sundays are packed.

So we rescheduled for this past Saturday in hopes we'd have a better session. The morning started off with a cranky Jaxson which left my hopes of a good session low, but luckily he cooperated. We had to get creative to keep him cooperating and entertained as he had a short entertainment span but we got some good pictures and our photographer, Kemle, was really gracious in helping us capture some of his good candid moments as we couldn't get him to hold still. We even got some of the two boys together for fall as well as some of our whole family & some updated ones of just Aaron and I in honor of our upcoming anniversary since the most current ones we have are almost 3 years old. We couldn't get the boys to both hold still for their fall picture together, but with the help of some fake leaves & straw, we got a pretty good one of both boys. We tried to get more, but Jaxson just wanted to run around. Jayden, on the other hand, had a great time playing peek-a-boo with the fake straw so we got a cute picture of him too.

Here's a sneak preview of the pictures from our session! Enjoy!

Updates

2010-10-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

I'll post some pictures shortly when I have time from our recent trip to Remlinger Farms for pumpkin picking as well as our photo shoot on Saturday, but right now I'm in the middle of something much different that I thought I'd update you on.

I got my thyroid levels back from last week's blood draw and they are still extremely abnormal. I've still been having frequent headaches (about 2-3 a week) but they have been able to be treated with Tylenol. They also tested my thyroid antibodies and those are high as well.

My TSH level went down to 37.772 from 40.495 and my T3 level is still low at 1.6. My T4 level is fine. They also tested 2 thyroid antibodies (Anti-TG and Anti-TPO), both of which are supposed to be under 60. The Anti-TG is fine, but my Anti-TPO is at 149. My midwife thinks it could be an auto-immune disorder called Hashimoto's but I haven't been diagnosed with anything yet.

I faxed my results to my doctor and they want me to come in at 9:20 tomorrow... unless after my doctor's review she feels I need to come in sooner for a visit today. No word on if any of this is affecting Owen. From what I can tell, everything seems fine. He's moving around like normal and from the last ultrasound, he's on track... but I really won't have any answers until I have more tests done.

... On a good note, my 2 year marriage anniversary with my hubby is TOMORROW!! And we celebrate 7 years together on Friday. Yippee!!

24 Weeks aka 6 Months!!

2010-10-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 24w3d according to EDD.

Total weight gain: 14 pounds

How big is baby?: According to my midwife, we are measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule, so 26.5 weeks. BabyCenter says Owen is the size of an ear of corn... anywhere between a pound to a pound and a half and over a foot long--- based on 24 week measurements.

Maternity clothes?: Yup.

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones.

Sleep?: Depends on the night. Between being uncomfortable, peeing, an almost 3 year old who is afraid of the dark, and an 18 month old who wakes once a night... it really just depends.

Best moment this week?: Taking Jayden to hear baby Owen's heartbeat yesterday. He thought that was pretty cool.

Movement?: All. The. Freaking. Time. I get feet on my right, butt on my left, hands & head on my cervix, and hiccups in my butt. It's getting to the point where it's enough already, lol!! Oy, the next 15-16 weeks are going to be fabulous...

Food cravings?: I really want one of my tuna & smoked gouda melts again. I haven't had one in almost 2 weeks. Boo!!

Labor signs?: Just Braxton Hicks. Although sometimes Owen hits my cervix with his head so hard, I'm just waiting for him to fly out.

Belly button in or out?: In.

What I miss: Being able to bend over comfortably or see certain "parts" to shave them. Or normal lung & bladder capacity. Or not feeling like I'm an overinflated balloon. It's really a toss up. :)

What I'm looking forward to: Reaching my 3rd trimester... just under 3 weeks left!

Weekly Wisdom: Yeah, make sure to take any medicine, vitamins, etc. daily... keep yourself in great shape & healthy!! Oh, and if you have kids already, include them in the pregnancy as much as possible. It was such a treasure seeing Jayden learn about his baby brother yesterday. They catch on more than you might realize!

Milestone: This week is the "week of viability" meaning if I was to deliver, his chances of survival are much better (but I want him to stay in for at least another 14 weeks!!). According to BBC, baby is pretty lean right now but will start packing on fat soon & filling out, brain is growing quickly & taste buds are continuing to develop. The lungs are developing "branches" as well as cells that produce surfectant, which helps the air sacs to inflate once baby is born.

Owen Update & Lesson in Thyroid Management

2010-10-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe I am 6 months into this pregnancy!! It's weird because in some ways it seems as if this pregnancy is just flying by, but at the same time this has been my most physically challenging pregnancy to date and sometimes it feels like it cannot go by fast enough! I'm splitting this post up into two parts because this first one is extra long and correlates to my appointment with my midwife. For those of you only interested in the short story version of my 24 week update via the picture & survey... that's part two. I'll spare you the rest.

Anyway, I had my 24 week checkup with my midwife yesterday and everything looks great for the most part. I was shocked to learn when I went in that my thyroid levels from my previous visit weren't normal like I'd assumed they were. Apparently my results were faxed to my primary care doctor, but no one from their office called me and so I assumed no news was good news. However, when I met with Sunita yesterday I found out that was hardly the case.

Remember last month when I blogged about my week from hell? I had been hospitalized twice for a migraine lasting nine days. I was barely eating or drinking and I was vomiting from the pain so bad that I was dehydrated and in excruciating pain? Well, I had been without my thyroid medication for about a week due to some mishaps with the pharmacy and, while usually it's not significant enough to cause health problems, it caused some issues this time. Combined with the fact that I am pregnant and Owen sucks up my stores of thyroid hormone for himself completely depleted my levels and caused a major imbalance--- one they now think is the cause of that catastrophic headache I had.

I am hypothyroid. I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease in February 2004 and had an ablation done on my thyroid that summer, rendering it inoperable. The organ itself is there, but doesn't function and so I will be on an artificial hormone replacement for the rest of my life. It is vitally important to take your medication every day and continually be monitored as your thyroid is responsible for many bodily functions, one including directing your metabolism. Headaches are common for those who suffer from thyroid imbalances among other more serious complications. Hypothyroidism especially during pregnancy needs to be monitored as your unborn child relies solely on the mother's stores of T3 and T4 (the thyroid hormone secreted in the bloodstream) to help with all areas of growth and development until 24 weeks, when the baby's thyroid is fully functionable and able to secrete it's own stores of T3 & T4 at which the dependence on the mother's hormone decreases. How does a thyroid function work? Well, it starts in the brain actually. Your pituitary gland releases a hormone called "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone", referred to as TSH to tell your thyroid to release the its hormones, T3 & T4, into the bloodstream to carry out their various functions. People who are hypothyroid typically have an overactive pituitary and underactive thyroid...meaning that an abnormal amount of TSH is being pushed out to the thyroid but the thyroid is still unable to produce enough of its hormones. The pituitary recognizes the lack of T3 & T4 and therefore overworks itself trying to stimulate the thyroid into action. This is what happens with me and especially without the introduction of medication.

A normal TSH level for someone like me is between 0.3-2.5 uIU/mL which should result in a T3 level between 2.3-4.2 and a T4 level of 0.75-1.76.

My levels looked like this from my 9/22 blood draw (a week after the onset of my nine-day migraine):

TSH: 40.495 (abnormally high)
T4: 0.88 (normal)
T3: 1.6 (low)

Yes, you read that right. At the highest level, my TSH should have only been 2.5. It was 40.495!!! That's over 16 times as high as it should be at it's highest!

Seeing as I haven't had an episode like that since, they think that most likely my headache was caused by this imbalance. However, they drew my blood again to recheck my levels to see if they are still elevated or if they've regulated themselves. If they are normal or still a bit out of normal range, I assume that they will either keep me on my current dose of medication or increase it just a bit, but I am already on a pretty high dose that is consistent for patients like me that essentially need full thyroid replacement. However, if my dose is still extremely elevated there might be something else they are missing that needs to be addressed. They have also checked my antibodies to see if I might be suffering from an auto-immune disorder, especially one related to hypothyroid patients called Hashimoto's (which is essentially the extreme opposite of Graves' Disease which is for patients who suffer from extreme hyperthyroidism like I did back in 2004 before my ablation). I should get my test results back tomorrow so hopefully I will have some answers then.

Aside from all of the thyroid issues, everything else looks great. I am currently measuring 2.5 weeks ahead of schedule (I'm 24 weeks measuring at 26.5) and that could be because Owen is a big boy, I'm stretched out from having kids close together, or I'm farther along than originally thought. I already knew that my EDD was off at least by 3-4 days as the cycle I conceived was an awkward one so who knows. My LMP was 4/27 which would have given me an EDD of 1/31 or 2/1, but based on when I know for a fact I conceived, I should be due around 2/3 or 2/4, which is where Owen's measurements are tracking for the most part... but they gave me a 2/7 due date for some reason. It's only a matter of days anyway, but my midwife seems to think that I actually ovulated twice in my cycle and got pregnant during the 2nd ovulation cycle and it's that difference that is throwing off my due date. Either way, coupled with the fact that I'm on baby #3, my due date is a few days off, and Owen is measuring ahead of schedule, I'm most likely looking at a late January delivery.

In addition to all of those factors, Owen is a "low rider", haha. At our 20 week ultrasound he was shown in the head down position. Babies at this stage are still small enough to move and turn (although most babies start traveling head down by around 28 weeks on average) so there was no guarantee that he'd stay that way, but I'm fairly certain he hasn't moved from his head down position. I told my midwife that I'm feeling a combination of sharp pains and "flickering" by my cervix which I think is being caused by him pushing down with his head and movements from his hands/fingers when he moves them by his face. I feel something large that occasionally bulges on my left side which I assumed to be his back and butt and then the "kicking" sensations I feel are over on my right side or up by my rib cage (yes, already... this kid is crazy!). While palpating externally, they were able to confirm my assumptions: Owen is more than likely head down, he's already very low in my pelvis from what they can tell, his back & butt are on my left and his legs & feet are curled off to my right.

Heartbeat was nice and strong and everything else is just tracking right on schedule. I go back November 17th for my 28 week visit and then I start going every 2 weeks after that. I may be doing that lovely glucose test for Gestational Diabetes at my next visit, but I'm undecided. They urge most moms to do it, but I am generally very low risk and my midwife says that she cannot definitively recommend that I do the test and, from a medical standpoint, it would be completely feasible for me to decline it. The jury's still out on that one...

Ok, next up is the survey & belly picture!!

The Future's So Bright...

2010-10-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

... that they gotta wear shades. :)

Owen's Nursery & More!

2010-10-15T11:31:00.001-07:00

Because our lease isn't up until the end of February, as Owen's impending arrival was not planned and we had just signed a 9 month lease versus a 6 month lease so we didn't have to move during the holidays just 2 weeks before our BFP, we will be stuck moving with a newborn. Currently we have a 2 bedroom apartment and so Owen won't technically have a nursery until about a month after he's born. Being the planner I am, it kills me that he won't have a nursery to come home to, but then again he would probably spend most of his time in our room in the co-sleeper or pack & play bassinet anyway, so it really doesn't matter that much (I'm just OCD about organization so the thought it won't be done before he gets here is what gets me the most...oh well).

Anyway, just because I can't actually physically put together a nursery before he gets here, doesn't mean I still can't plan for what we intend to do... and trust me, I've already got tons of ideas and have made a spreadsheet of all the things we need to buy for his nursery. It's all planned in my head, but I just have to wait until February/March to turn those ideas into fruition (I have plans for our entire house too, but you don't want to hear about all that craziness... :)).

So, I thought I'd share some pictures of what we intend to do with his nursery for now, and then when the real deal is put together, I'll post some more pictures.

First, we do have a crib picked out but don't have a picture. We got rid of our old crib as it was pretty flimsy and had a drop side which has been deemed unsafe for the most part. Because of this, we are going with a stationary side crib and something more sturdy. My friend, Rachel, has 2 boys who are around the same age as Jayden & Jaxson and they are done having kids and are selling off their baby items. She has a crib, which from what I can remember is a really nice crib with a dark finish (she says it's a cherry finish) and it cost her around $800 originally. Well, she is selling it to us for $250!!

To match the finish on the crib, we are also getting these coordinating items for his nursery in a cherry finish:

Glider (as Aaron just recently broke our old one by accident--- it gets a lot of use!!)

Changing Table (I love this design as it will function as toy storage once we stop using it as a changing table)

Nightstand

We also plan to get a lamp to put on the nightstand next to the glider for those late night feedings or for story time as he gets older...

As for his "dresser" I am trying a different approach which I've found to be cheaper as well. We think we are going to buy these wooden frames from IKEA and stain them with a cherry finish and then get these tubs to function as drawers to put his clothes in. ** We may not use this approach if we can find a dresser that's big enough and isn't horribly expensive that doesn't look like crap.

We have decided on a pirate theme for his room and found the most adorable bedding!! His walls will be painted a shade of green to coordinate with the green in the bedding. Most likely it will be a medium shade of green...not too light & not too dark. Maybe something like a sage??

It has a matching valance...

...which we plan to pair with these curtains from IKEA.
There is also some matching wall art...

...and the letters to spell out his name.

I'll also be adding other personal touches like photographs & shelving and other DIY projects because I love to do those. I have some other DIY projects scheduled for Jayden & Jaxson's room and the main rooms of the house. Eventually I'd like to do some really cool things with our master bedroom too, but I'll have to pace myself and do one thing at a time. Winning a lottery would be fabulous right now as I'd love to go all out and really turn my house into a home with personal touches. I could totally be an interior decorator with my passion!!

Also, non-nursery related:

We bought Owen's first blanket which we plan to have his name embroidered on...

...as well as his "coming home" outfit. The colors in this picture are really bright, but the colors IRL are actually more muted which makes the outfit cuter in my opinion.

I'm currently searching for a cute knitted hat to go with his outfit as well as some fun hats for his newborn pictures. Etsy is the coolest site ever and I could get lost there for days looking at all the adorable baby things they have. I found a ton of hats that I like and I frankly can't choose between them all. I'll probably end up getting all of these at some point.

Here are the two that I am going back and forth over for his "coming home" outfit:

This one I know for sure I am getting (with the matching diaper cover) for his newborn pictures:

And then I think I will get this one for his newborn pictures as well...

...and then save this one for his 3 month pictures as frogs remind me of spring, and he'll be 3 months old anywhere between late April & early May. My sister would be proud. I had her on the brain when I saw this as she has an addiction to frogs. :)
Ha, and if you think this is the end of my baby shopping/planning insanity, you are wrong. I have so many ideas swirling in my head for Owen, Jayden, Jaxson, & our new home that it's a wonder I sleep at night (which by the way, I didn't sleep last night but that was due to Jayden puking 4 times since about 2:30am... fun times). I also plan to get matching "Big Brother/Middle Brother/Little Brother" t-shirts for each of them from someone on Etsy, but I'm still fiddling with a design. But even that doesn't scratch the surface.

There will be tons more to come... :)

23 Weeks

2010-10-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 23w2d

Total weight gain: 13 pounds

How big is baby?: BabyCenter says that the baby is about the size of a large mango--- or roughly 11-12 inches long and weighs just over a pound.

Maternity clothes?: Yup!! My regular pants (with the exception of one pair) are collecting dust right now. I can still wear some of my shirts though.

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones that I've noticed... just the ones from Jay & Jax which aren't that many.

Sleep?: Depends on the night. Last night was a good one. :)

Best moment this week?: Browsing through items I want to buy for Owen... Etsy has some darn cute hats I'm going to buy for Owen's newborn pictures. I love shopping & planning for babies. :)

Movement?: Multiple times every day. I'm fairly positive that Owen is still head down because I feel occasional grinding on my cervix which usually comes from something large (like a head) and I feel his hiccups down near my butt (as weird & embarrassing as that is to say).

Food cravings?: Nothing out of the ordinary. Still like my tuna sandwiches. :)

Labor signs?: No, but I did have a ton of Braxton Hicks yesterday... more than what I'm usually used to.

Belly button in or out?: Still in, but I noticed that it seems to be getting flatter by the week.

What I miss: Seeing my feet or anything below the waist. Or being able to bend over comfortably. Oy... and I still have a long way before 40 weeks. Owen's gonna be HUGE!

What I'm looking forward to: Lots of things. I'm wishing February was here so I can decorate his nursery & pull out all the cute baby outfits again. I like nesting in a weird way. I like being prepared & anticipating the arrival of a new baby. :)

Weekly Wisdom: Get your flu shot...especially if you are preggo with young kids already in the house and you are due during flu season!! I cannot imagine having the flu or having sick kids with the flu & a newborn around (nor do I want to!!).

Milestone: Almost 6 months pregnant! WOW! Fetal movement can be seen on the outside of the belly (I've seen mine jiggle a couple times), blood vessels are developing in the lungs to aid with breathing, and the baby is starting to be able to pick up sounds from the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar to baby now (like kids screaming, vacuum cleaners, etc) probably won't faze him/her outside the womb.

Also, I've set up a "baby pool" game for Owen as I have done in the past for Jayden & Jaxson. It's just something super fun to do to pass the time and guess baby's stats at birth. I will have to set up the direct link to the game once I'm at home as the site for it is blocked by my work for some random reason, but if you want to leave your guess in the meantime, I think you can try it by following these simple instructions:

1. Go to http://www.expectnet.com/

2. There should be a box on the left side of the page that will prompt you to enter in a game name. Our game name is: owenisaiah

3. My guess will probably be the only one there, but if you see a game for "Shannon and Aaron"--- that's us.

4. Feel free to enter your FREE guess of Owen's birthday, time of birth, weight, & length!!

Also, here's this week's picture (nevermind the fact that my hubby chopped my head off, lol).

18 Months

2010-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took off work early to take Jaxson to the doctor for his 18 month well-child checkup. It's crazy to think he's already a year and a half old... and even crazier to think he's only 6 months away from being TWO! Wow! I remember Jayden turning two (not that it was that long ago) and it seemed like it took him longer to get to two years old than it's taking Jaxson. Just more proof that the more children you have and the busier your life gets, the faster time seems to just pass right by you.

Anyway, the appointment went pretty well. Jax has been sick lately so going to the doctor was actually good timing. He's been constipated because Nana had to give him some regular milk a couple times last week until we could make it to the grocery store (Jax is lactose sensitive and drinks primarily almond milk---sometimes soy on occasion), but he's also had no interest in eating, he threw up from coughing & gagging so hard on Monday night & he was starting to run a fever. He's been super cranky and tired--- and it turns out that he has an ear infection in his right ear so now he's on Amoxicillin. I was weary to put him on the Amoxicillin as Jayden has an allergy so I figured Jax might too, but so far he's fine so I guess we will see how it goes.

He's still a small little guy, but his doctor isn't concerned at all since he's growing along his curve just fine. Here are his 18 month stats:

Weight: 24 pounds, 2 ounces (25%)
Length: 32.5 inches (25%)
Head circumference: 19 in. (25%)

He's a growing little boy for sure and according to the sheet I was given at his appointment, he's meeting his "milestones" or surpassing them with flying colors. One thing I am truly amazed at is his vocabulary... he LOVES to read and wants me to read books to him every night and so now he's repeating the words from his books. I'm proud of my smart little cookie. :)

Next steps: Phase out the bottle & binky completely!! We've gotten him down to just a bottle before bed and sippy cups during the day, but I want to get it out of the way completely. I have a feeling the binky is going to take us a while though... that thing is like his lifeline! I never had this problem with Jayden so this is all new territory for me.

Also, while we were there at the doctor's office the boys and I got our flu shots. I brought Jayden with me because I had to talk to the doctor about Jayden's biting & behavior (all of which she said is normal for a kid this age but frustrating for the parents) so we all got them done while we were there. The kids both screamed bloody murder as usual... no wonder they hate coming to the doctor!! They always get shots when we are there! Hopefully this will help keep the flu out of our house especially this season as I've heard that this is going to be the worst & coldest winter we've had in 50 years (boy, I sure hope they are wrong!!) and so sickness is going to run amok... just in time for Owen to be born! Yay for having winter babies, lol. Ok, so technically Jayden is a fall baby since his birthday is before December 21st, but still... December is winter.

Last, but not least, we are getting pictures this weekend so look for some new updated shots of Jaxson at 18 months old!! He gets to show off his newly trimmed hair (he got his first hair "trim" on Sunday since he had some shag growing over his ears and in the back---the length on top is still the same though). He's getting so big!

22 Weeks

2010-10-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 22w2d

Total weight gain: Not really sure as I didn't weigh myself this week but I'm guessing between 10-12 pounds total.

How big is baby?: About the size of a papaya or spaghetti squash (about 11 inches & around 1 pound).

Maternity clothes?: Yes, and some regular ones as well.

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones that I can tell.

Sleep?: About the same as usual. 8-9 hours of broken sleep...

Best moment this week?: It's not the first time I've felt it, but I can feel Owen hiccuping so that's pretty cool. :)

Movement?: Yeah, he moves a good amount. I've noticed more hiccups lately than kicks & thumps.

Food cravings?: Grilled tuna sandwiches on sourdough with Gouda cheese. Yum! I have 2 a week. :)

Labor signs?: Nope, still having the Braxton Hicks though. I feel them a couple times daily.

Belly button in or out?: Still in.

What I miss: Being able to see normal body parts.

What I'm looking forward to: Honestly? Trading in our car for a minivan next month... I'm upgrading my "mom status". Ha! That and buying things/making room for Owen.

Weekly Wisdom: Cherish every moment of pregnancy. This might be my last pregnancy and it's crazy how fast it has gone. I feel like I keep missing things or can't truly savor each moment.

Milestone: According to BBC, Owen is "starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums". Eyes are formed but the irises still have no pigment. Lanugo covers his body & you could even see wrinkles on the skin (until layers of fat form) if you were to see inside the womb.

Potty Time

2010-10-05T10:43:00.001-07:00

Oh how I wish I could say I have one potty trained child and another on his way, but it seems that my children think that the potty is just another fun toy. One I encourage them to use, but the concept of actually using it for a specific purpose just isn't quite there yet... Looks like it will be my destiny to have THREE in diapers (ugh...) at this point unless one of them has a major potty epiphany, but for now I do have some pictures of Jaxson experimenting with his new toy as it was too funny not to get pictures of. He tells us he wants to "pee", which means he wants to sit on the potty (and not actually pee) and then wipe himself with toilet paper before hopping down and flushing.

(the look on his face in this one makes me giggle every time...)

...Oh and then he wants to wash his hands and eat a vitamin. :)

21 Weeks

2010-09-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 21w2d
Total weight gain: I gained & then actually lost 1.5 pounds this week (no idea how) so I think I'm still around 10 pounds gained.
How big is baby?: About the size of a banana or carrot (about 12-13 ounces & 10.5 inches long).
Maternity clothes?: Most days yes, but I do have some regular clothes that work...
Stretch marks?: Still no new ones that I can tell.
Sleep?: Eh, about the same. I wake up a few times at night.
Best moment this week?: Buying Owen's coming home outfit & first blanky. :)
Movement?: Yup, he's a wiggler!
Food cravings?: Nope. No cravings really.
Labor signs?: Nope. I might feel an occasional Braxton Hicks, but they are few & far between.
Belly button in or out?: Still in. Probably will stay that way too.
What I miss: Not really sure... Sleeping through the whole night??
What I'm looking forward to: Shopping for Owen. I have a feeling that nesting will hit early and I am anal about being prepared. Moving with a baby a few weeks old with everything in boxes will flip my insanity switch!!
Weekly Wisdom: After my bout with a little bit of gender shock/disappointment that at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. I'm just grateful he's happy & healthy. The disappointment is temporary...loving your child is always and forever. At the same time, preggo hormones make us run the gamut of emotions and it's okay to feel whatever you are feeling. No one should make you feel bad for crying over anything, even if it's just for a minute.
Milestone: Baby's eyebrows & lids are present now & movements will change to full-fledged kicks & nudges.

Ultrasound & Big Gender Reveal!!

2010-09-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

So, we had our 20 week ultrasound last Wednesday. I told the technician that we did want to know the sex, but not to tell us. I came prepared with an envelope to put everything in so it could be sealed up and given to my sister for safekeeping until our gender reveal party that we held last Saturday. Inside the envelope was another envelope for the pictures & video they gave us along with a slip of paper for the technician to mark the gender on.

Anyway, I watched most of the scan with the exception of the parts where I could get a glimpse of gender. Little Sprout was being difficult as he/she wanted to move around the whole time so it took many tries to get just the right angles for the shots they needed. We got to see lots of LS's kidneys, heart, and brain. We were able to get some pictures of LS's face, but I was told that he/she is already head down with the face turned to the side so it was difficult. The good news is that Little Sprout is very healthy and is measuring on track, if not bigger than gestational age. They aren't concerned that some measurements are off as they are less accurate the farther along you are, but it looks like I'm measuring closer to an EDD of February 3rd as a general rule. They are still keeping my date at the 7th though. Baby already has a big head like Daddy (Aaron thought that it was funny that LS's head was measuring a week over my EDD, but me not so much as I have to push it out of my body...). And they were able to capture Little Sprout's mystery genetalia. At that point I got anxious... someone officially knew the sex of my baby and it wasn't me.

All I was sent out with was this...

...and had to wait until Saturday. I was a good girl and didn't peek at all. I wasn't even really all that tempted although the thought of knowing that the answer was two feet from my face for hours before my sister came to pick the envelope up was enough to drive me crazy.

...and I waited. And pondered. Boy or girl? Girl everyone said. I swore we were having a girl. Was my mom's intuition right? Was Jayden's prediction of a "baby sister" right?

Finally Saturday came. The party was not all that I expected. Had I known that people were going to bail last minute, I would have done something smaller. Note to self: IF there is a next time and a next baby, there will not be a reveal party. It was fun to an extent, but I hyped it up so much and was disappointed. At least I found out those who really cared enough to be there. Everyone else can just bite me if they didn't have a reason to show up, or said they would be there and then didn't come. Heck, I could have used the money I'd spent on the party to buy my baby's crib or bedding...or lots of clothes. For those that did show up, it was fun. Even if they came an hour late. We ate food and played baby bingo... which failed miserably but was hilarious.

And then came the moment we all were waiting for... The BIG reveal!! Everyone said girl except my dad. Aaron, Jayden, and I dug into the gender neutral bag to reveal our baby's sex.

Pink or blue?? Well, THIS is what we pulled out...

Yup!!! IT'S A BOY!!! All of those wives' tales and gender predictors were wrong. Everything said girl. The only one that was right on the money was the scientific study about placental placement which can be deciphered at your first scan between 6-8 weeks. It was the only one to say boy (and it was right with my other two as well).

Then my sister said, "Just wait... the cake is even better!". Being the prankster my sister can be at times, Aaron thought that the blue was a joke and the cake was pink for a girl.

No pranks this time. Just one awesome cake from the Monroe Fred Meyer's bakery with our THIRD SON'S face shown to the world. Just awesome. :)

And if that wasn't enough to convince everyone, we pulled out the pictures from the envelope I gave my sister to find these:

The profile shot (also shown on the cake):

His face:

And the "money" shot (and, oh boy, have I seen lots of those in my house):

Yeah, there's no mistaking that. :) I gotta be honest that we were all a bit disappointed even if it didn't show on the outside. Jayden still says he wants a baby sister, I know Aaron wants a girl, and I even cried on Sunday mourning the daughter I'll never have. All is well now though, as I know that God knows better than I do, and I'm very happy and proud that I have yet another healthy little boy to love.

... and who knows, there may be room for a fourth child yet. We haven't decided for sure, and it will be YEARS before we cross that bridge if we do, but this may not be the last of them according to my husband. So there is still a chance to have that one little princess who will be Daddy's little girl, Mommy's best friend, & loved and protected by her THREE older brothers... or we will just have to start our own basketball team with another boy. :)

For now, we are proud to announce the impending arrival of our third prince, Owen Isaiah Andresen.

19 & 20 Weeks

2010-09-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm actually 21 weeks today, but I'm a bit behind schedule because of being sick 2 weeks ago and then trying to scramble to get back on my feet last week with work in addition to my ultrasound & planning two parties!! Luckily this week is back to normal (or as normal as things get!) so I'm going to do my 19 & 20 week surveys with pictures, and then once my hubby takes my picture for this week, I'll post my 21 week survey.

Also to come in a separate post is information about the ultrasound, gender reveal party, and what Little Sprout is!!

19 Weeks

How far along?: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: I gained a few pounds then lost it so I still think around 8-9 pounds.

How big is baby?: About the size of a mango or heirloom tomato (6 inches & 8.5 ounces)

Maternity clothes?: Yup, still a must.

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones that I can tell.

Sleep?: Thanks to the Vicodin and narcotics for the migraine, yes. Otherwise, no.

Movement?: Still wiggling. Even Vicodin doesn't slow this one down.

Food cravings?: Yea, anything would be great. Can't keep down food & nothing sounds good.

Labor signs?: No, but I'd rather be in labor than deal with this migraine another day.

Belly button in or out?: In.

What I miss: My family (quarantined away from them), my sanity, and not having a migraine.

What I'm looking forward to: The day I'm not in pain anymore.

Weekly wisdom: Ha, yeah... don't get migraines for over a week. They suck and lead to big medical bills.

Milestone: No clue... I'm still about halfway.

20 Weeks

How far along?: 20 weeks

Total weight gain: Back up to around 10-11 pounds gained or so.

How big is baby?: According to the ultrasound, right on track. Babycenter says that it's about the size of a cantaloupe or length of a banana (6.5 inches & 10.5 ounces)

Maternity clothes?: Yup.

Stretch marks: Same as last week.

Sleep?: Much better. Still need Vicodin some days, but almost back to normal.

Best moment this week?: The relief from the headaches & seeing Little Sprout again.

Movement?: Still shakin' & groovin' all day long...

Food cravings?: No. Just being able to eat without puking is a blessing.

Labor signs?: No, but I did have my first Braxton Hicks this week that I could feel.

Belly button in or out?: Still in.

What I miss: Being able to go up a flight of stairs without huffing.

What I'm looking forward to: Gender reveal party on Saturday!

Weekly Wisdom: I think I'm fresh out of wisdom this week... not enough time to think I'm so busy!!

Milestone: Halfway done... yay!!

The week from HELL!

2010-09-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

I had all intentions of posting last week but it ended up becoming a week of pure craziness out of my control.

I have had a sinus infection since Labor Day but my doctor didn't give me antibiotics when I first called because she said that it's typical for pregnant women to be sicker for longer because of a suppressed immune system and she figured I'd get over it on my own. It wasn't too terrible, but I was definitely miserable. Fast forward to last Monday...

I woke up between 6:30-7am with a MASSIVE headache. I am prone to getting headaches, and especially painful ones, but they had never been classified as anything particular. Turns out it was the start of a migraine. Little did I know how long it would last... I went to work that morning as usual, but because of my headache, lights, sound, & movement all made it worse. I ended up going home that afternoon to sleep it off because the Extra Strength Tylenol wasn't working. By that evening, and at my doctor's advisement, I went to Evergreen's ER department. By the time I was admitted, the pain was so immense that I was reduced to tears. Even after having a natural birth, I've never seen pain like this in my life. They gave me fluids and a narcotic called Dilotid along with anti-nausea medicine. I was sent home early Tuesday morning with the request I follow up with my doctor.

Tuesday I went to my PCP and I was a mess. She said I'm chronically sleep deprived, overworked, and that my condition was worsened by pregnancy hormones ( I have an estrogen overload) and my sinus infection. She gave me a shot of Phenergan for nausea, a shot of Demerol for the pain, and sent me home with more oral Phenergan, Vicodin, and Amoxicillin. I was already sick and lost it in the elevator. I got outside and started vomiting everywhere. From then on, I was unable to eat for 3-4 days and could barely even hold down water. I was told I'd be better in a day or two.

Wednesday continued with no pain relief, constant vomiting, no food, and lots of pain meds. By Wednesday night I was in so much pain that I was again reduced to tears and begging for the ER. So, my husband (who had come by to see me since I was staying at my mom's in a dark, quiet environment) drove me down the street to Providence and I was admitted. Providence has the worst waiting room ever. The lights were so bright, every child in Everett was there, people loudly talking on their phones, and TWO TV's turned up at full blast. I almost tossed my cookies again from all the agitation. They had only one bed in a quiet, dark room and it was in use so I was left to suffer in the waiting room for 3 hours, laying on a blanket on the hard tile floor while they let everyone else back but me. I was pale, obviously dehydrated (My tongue was bone dry and my lips were white)... it was terrible. I was seriously contemplating death. I wanted to be shot. I literally would have rather been in labor for days on end than go through what I was. They finally got me in a shared room next to a foul-mouthed groaning man, but the nurse and doctor were at my side within minutes with more Dilotid and some Zofran. They did do an MRI to make sure there were no blood clots or tumors (it came back clean) and discharged me around 4am Thursday.

Thursday and Friday were a rollercoaster. One minute I felt better, the next worse. I went to the chiropractor on Friday which helped my neck pain and leg pain, but my back and head still killed. I threw up again, but was able to at least keep hydrated.

Saturday I felt well enough to go rest at home with my family and I missed my children terribly. I hadn't seen them all week long and even though I was not completely well, Saturday was the first day I felt any relief or saw any light at the end of the tunnel. I was well enough to brave the chaos but I didn't get much rest because my husband wasn't as helpful, compassionate, or understanding as he could have been. That's another subject all together, but I won't talk about it for fear my migraine will return. :)

Sunday was worse than Saturday because Sunday is "Football Day" for my husband which means that everything else takes a backseat including your kids, the house chores (which I was supposed to be on bedrest and not doing), and your sick, pregnant wife. Yes, you heard me right... I ended up on my feet all day carrying around & carrying my children and doing at least 80% of the housework while my husband ignored everyone and ranted about how much the Seahawks sucked. I was not happy to say the least. Then, on top of it all, my 2 year old, Jayden, started jumping on his bed against our attempts to stop him. I went in to use the bathroom and heard a loud crack and Jayden started screaming. Aaron was too wrapped up in football and didn't bother to check on him even though he heard him screaming and crying. I washed my hands and went to check on Jayden since usually he stops crying... but this time he didn't. I walk in to see my son's face, bed, clothes, carpet, and wall splattered with his blood. His face and hands were dripping. I screamed for Aaron and started bawling and panicking... and hyperventilating which made me extremely dizzy in my already weakened state. We checked him and cleaned off the blood to see a gash on the bridge of his nose from side to side. I knew right away by looking that he needed medical attention, so I was luckily able to find ONE walk-in clinic open on a Sunday evening that does stitches. I rushed him to Providence at Mill Creek and got in right away. His gash was still bleeding after an hour, he was swollen & lethargic, but such a trooper for a little guy. Luckily there was no head trauma and, even though it was deep enough to not stop bleeding completely, it wasn't deep enough to require stitches. They used a glue to glue the tissue back together. So he's got a good size gash on his nose and it's swollen and bruised, but he's otherwise fine.

What a week!!!

I'm back at work today and while my headache is pretty much gone, my body is still sore and I feel weak. I feel a little nauseated still and I'm dizzy (the lights and computer are bothering me) but I'm surviving. Little Sprout is well despite kicking my ass this week... one active baby who is already able to kick my cervix (which hurts like hell) and is giving me Braxton Hicks. I'm 20 weeks today and we have our ultrasound on Wednesday and find out Saturday what LS is. After all of this that has happened, we have decided 100% that this is our last baby. I couldn't survive another week like this. I'm excited to see who is in there beating the crap out of me, though. :) Hopefully once I get over the trauma of this past week, I can get back to enjoying the pregnancy since it is my last, but to be honest I'm ready to find out who this little one is and then make a fast track to February.

I'll update as I can and as my workload allows since I'm playing catch up, but I will soon get out my 19 & 20 week updates as well as an ultrasound update & the BIG announcement over the weekend. :)

Pregnancy & Little Sprout

2010-09-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've journaled a little bit about my pregnancy, especially in the earlier stages, but it's been awhile since I've really done any updates (unless preggo brain has gotten the best of me, which is entirely possible). So, I decided to start doing weekly updates as long as I can remember. I have a book I fill in every week called "The Belly Book" that you journal in along with weekly belly photos, update with appointments, cravings, etc. I remember finding this book at Barnes and Noble shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Jayden back in 2007 and it's become a "tradition" for me to do one with each child after him. It's definitely fun to look back on, and maybe one day my kids will enjoy looking at it like I do. I've been doing really good about taking belly pictures, but I haven't actually been posting them anywhere. Eventually I'll send them in to Snapfish to print for "The Belly Book", the baby's scrapbook, and probably some for the baby book, but until then I suppose I could post the electronic versions here.

An aquaintence of mine, and fellow blogger, did a really neat weekly survey when she was pregnant with her son that I thought was cool, so I'm actually snatching that idea and using that along with my belly pictures to do an online "belly book" so to speak. So, starting now at 18 weeks pregnant, here are all of my past belly pictures and this week's survey. **I'm giving you fair warning that some of these preggo pictures are absolutely hideous!! I'm not the prettiest girl to look at as it is, but couple that with the late night "frumpy, pregnant mom" look and well, it'll scare you. This pregnancy has taken what beauty I did have and threw it out the window, so bear with me... and if your retinas are scarred for life after seeing these, I sincerely apologize (hey, at least I didn't take bare belly or half naked pics in my underwear and scare you off with my stretch marks!!). **

4 weeks

5 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

...oh and here is a picture of the red cabbage test I took a week or two ago. There's a lot of those wives tales about the pH of your urine depicting the sex of the baby. Last time I spent $30 on the Intelligender test which said Jaxson was a boy (which he obviously was), but I didn't want to spend that much money again knowing that the stats for the Intelligender test yield a lot of false boy results, especially on something that was just meant for fun. So, instead I did the much cheaper and safer red cabbage test and just bought a cabbage at the store and boiled it to get the juice. You mix equal parts red cabbage juice with urine and if it turns red or pink... it's a boy. Purple? It's a girl. What were my results?

Purple. Or at least that's what it looks like to me. We will know for sure in about 2 weeks!!

And... for the weekly survey:

How far along?: 18w1d today.

Total weight gain: About 7-8 pounds.

How big is baby?: According to BabyCenter, the baby is about the size of a sweet potato or bell pepper (5.6 inches & 6.7 ounces)

Maternity clothes?: Oh yes, with this being my third baby they are a must (and more comfy!)

Stretch marks?: Yes, but all from my prior pregnancies. No new ones...yet.

Sleep?: It's okay... except for when I have to get up and pee at 4am.

Best moment this week?: Baby's movement has progressed from wiggles & squirms to actual thumps and kicks. I can feel them both internally & externally now.

Movement?: Ha, see above. Lots of thumps & kicks. This baby is really reactive to food & loud noises. Aaron and I were playing a video game last night and baby was going WILD!!

Food cravings?: Nothing that stands out. I like to have eggs, hash browns, and toast for breakfast almost every day though.

Labor signs?: Nope, too early for that. I don't even have any Braxton Hicks at this point.

Belly button in or out?: In.

What I miss: Not peeing my pants when I cough, sneeze, or laugh. Babies destroy bladders.

What I'm looking forward to: Our next ultrasound on the 22nd and then our gender party on the 25th!

Weekly Wisdom: Make sure to document your pregnancies. Take lots of pictures and journal. It might sound corny at the time, but years afterwards you will be happy and grateful that you did...and it gives you something to share with your kids when they are older.

Milestone: I'm almost halfway there...woo hoo! Developmentally for Little Sprout, he/she is moving and flexing more often, blood vessels are visible through the skin, his/her ears are in their final position and all genetalia are completely formed & visible regardless of boy or girl.

1st Motorcycle Ride

2010-08-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this by saying that Jayden LOVES motorcycles! I can't say that it's a "new" fetish as he's always seemed to like anything that moves, but in the last 6 months or so he's become obsessed with motorcycles. If he sees any on the road, he gets so excited and calls them by color... "Look, Mama! Black motorcycle!! See it?". He's like a kid in a candy store. He knows each and every motorcycle at our apartment complex and if one is missing from its parking space, he'll ask me where it went. Any time we go to a toy store or Target, he'll ask if he can get a motorcycle. Luckily the little Matchbox ones suffice and it's great since they are inexpensive...and let me tell you that he's got quite the collection now. I think it's his mission to at least have one in every color available and then some.

So, when we went to visit my friend Rachel and her family for their oldest son's 3rd birthday party last weekend and he saw her husband, Brandon, come inside with his helmet and gloves on, he flipped! I think Brandon became his new best friend instantaneously. He was gracious enough to let Jayden walk around wearing his helmet and gloves (which I wish I would have gotten pictures of as it was hilarious!!)... and he even took us down to his motorcycle and let Jayden have a "ride" on it (no, he didn't actually drive anywhere on it). Jayden got to turn it on and give it some gas, he got to turn the lights on, and pretend to drive. To say that he was in heaven was an understatement. I don't think I've ever seen him so purely happy ever. He was like a kid at Christmas... but even better. Jaxson even got to sit on the motorcycle which he thought was pretty cool too.

Needless to say I think that Jayden is going to have motorcycles on the brain for a while... he already has mentioned that he wants a motorcycle birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. Haha!