Remlinger Farms

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

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!

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

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!!

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

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...

... that they gotta wear shades. :)

Owen's Nursery & More!

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... :)