Thursday, July 30, 2009

Thursday Continued A Pregnancy Update

Around 2:00ish I decided to take the kids out to do a couple errands & get ice cream.

So, we went to Lowe's and I was going to get a bag of cement (to make stepping stones) and before we got to the cement aisle I had another contraction.

It seriously knocked me off my feet. I had to grab onto a display case & bunch over to get through it. It lasted a minute or so & then I could just breathe through the pain. We hobbled to the cement aisle, got someone to load it up & out to the truck. (The guy in the store did all the moving, not me.)

I called my doc then, I had tears in my eyes & my stomach was still aching! I explained to them about the 2 last night & that basically any time I got up to do housework today (dishes, make the bed, fix lunch) I had another one & how painful they were. They said to go to Labor and Delivery.

So, I made phone calls (Tim, Mandy, my mom, the daycare kids' dad) and headed to the hospital. The kids got their ice creams, but I didn't get one b/c I can't eat it & drive.

We got to the hosp & I was getting checked in at L & D when the doctor called me back & said to just walk to his office instead of being seen in L&D.

So, we left there & walked through the medical complex to my doctor's office. I had to wait a bit while they cleared out the rest of the afternoon patients. Mandy showed up to keep the kids & Tim showed up to sit with me.

They took me back & put me on a monitor. They were able to get Luke on there for a few minutes before he squirmed out of the way. I didn't have any contrax. while we were there (but I didn't expect to, b/c I'd been sitting or laying for 30 mins.+ at that point).

Dr. M came in & did a fetal fibronectin to test for preterm labor. He said most likely it's BH, and my cervix wasn't dilated at all, but b/c they were so strong/painful, he wants to be sure.

I'm supposed to be on bedrest until I hear from him, so I'm going to go back to reading Harry Potter in bed here pretty soon!

So, that was my fun & eventful afternoon. I'm pretty sure they're BH like everyone said, but they are SO painful, maybe I'm just a wimp! But, I had to be sure and I'll feel better when Dr. M calls tomorrow to tell me I'm fine & to quit being a wimp!

Wednesday & Thursday

Hmm, let's see.

Yesterday the kids didn't get here until 8:00 am, which was nice but annoying at the same time.

My current set-up is, as soon as the kids get here, I set them up w/ a movie/toys & then I eat breakfast. I've tried eating while I wait for them, but then they show up & my cereal gets soggy. So, I was sitting here WAITING to eat my breakfast for a long time.

Anyway, they spent the morning reading & playing in the playroom. I gave them the materials & directions to make home-made crayons & they worked on that for a while.

When the crayons were done I gave them the materials & directions to make "coasters" for their cups, so they could remember which one was theirs.

After that I fixed them lunch & talked on the phone w/ a friend of a friend who is interested in part-time day-care!

After lunch, we headed to Cinema Cafe to catch "Escape to Witch Mountain". It was good, but I had to pee 3 times during it!

When we got home, the kids played in the playroom & I sat in there on the floor & worked on going through pictures for the frames I have around the house.

Melanie called & asked if she could come by & of course I said sure. Tim got home, the kids left, and Melanie arrived all in a matter of 10 minutes around 5:30 or 6ish.

Tim had work stuff to do (and balanced the checkbook I think) and Melanie knitted while I worked on making a picture frame for Carolynn. It's darling!

Tim cooked tacos for dinner. We ate (Melanie worked on her knitting, she doesn't eat beef) and then I finished my frame before Melanie headed home.

After she left, we spent about 5 minutes on our computers & then headed to bed.

While I was cleaning up from dinner I had a couple cramps, that I now believe were actually Braxton Hicks contractions. They were low & in front & knocked the wind of me. They also left me with an achy feeling in my abdominal muscles.

This morning, I got up & didn't feel so hot. I had a couple more cramps/contractions while cleaning up the kitchen & getting the kids breakfast, so I cancelled our plans of going bowling.

I pretty much laid on the couch until about 12:10, reading Harry Potter 7 and drinking tea (decaff) or water. The kids read or played in the playroom.

I just fed them lunch & now they're back in the playroom. I think I'm going to go look for a craft for them to do and get them started on that for a while. Then I think we'll watch a movie (I made popcorn for my lunch.)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Monday & Tuesday


Yesterday was nice, I slept in but only until 8:30, I'd had a crap-tastic night of sleep & just couldn't stay in bed any longer.

I putzed around, did some housework, did some crafting, attempted to sew, ate McDonald's and generally enjoyed my day off!

Today I had the day-care kids bright & early but I slept better last night, so it wasn't too bad.

We left the house around 10:30 to go run errands & run we did! I managed to get all of the Bunco prizes (just a couple dollars over budget) and an "anniversary present" for Tim & I.

The third anni is supposed to be leather & Target had the leather baby shoes (normally $20) on sale for $6.50! So I got Luke a cute little pair of blue tennies!

The kids & I attempted to go see Escape to Witch Mountain but it was sold out, so we'll try again tomorrow. Instead we walked around the mall.

I'm having a lazy evening home alone, Tim went to church only to find out that they didn't have practice. I took a LONG bath & read Harry Potter, then showered, and now I'm thinking I might just go set myself up in bed & lay on my heating pad for awhile. I know Luke doesn't like the heat, but my back & legs are killing me!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Excused!

Yay! I just found out I was excused from my jury duty! Yay! No more worries about that!

Morning Sickness

Well, here's a FUN update for ya!

My morning sickness is back. I'm not 100% sure when it started but if I'm truly honest with myself I'm going to go with about 2 weeks ago.

I thought it was just because my belly is all kinds of squished that I couldn't/didn't feel like eating big/decent meals...but within the last 4-5 days I've noticed that gaggy feeling when I'm trying to force myself to eat.

I just took another Zofran & called in my refill for it (because I only have 1 left) and I'm hoping that it helps. I got dehyrdated yesterday & that hasn't happened in a while. I was seeing spots for a bit this morning too, but I guzzled some water/tea and took a tylenol & away they went.

I also had a migraine last night that I had to take a couple tylenol for.

So, morning sickness & not eating are REALLY bad right now. I've got to put on or at least maintain my weight for my next appointment & I can barely eat.

I've been up since 8:30 & all I've had is rice krispy treats. Someone come FORCE food down my throat. Maybe I'll run out & get some McD's w/ the last few dollars cash I have. I bet I could eat that!

Anyway, I just wanted to get this on here, so I can make sure it goes in the baby book.

26 Weeks!


26 Weeks!

Your baby is as tall as an English hothouse cucumber and weighs about 1 2/3 pounds. (Length: 14 inches, head to heel.)

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Stuff for Luke

Well, I've been SEVERELY behind in posting these pictures!

Luke is due on Nov. 3 so here's his ages by month: (This is information I have to constantly figure out in my head & it'll be nice to have it here so as I'm doing this post & future ones like it, I'll know that a 6-9 months shorts out fit is ok, because he'll be that ages between April & August.)

Oct/Nov-0 months
Nov/Dec.-1 month
Dec/Jan.-2 months
Jan/Feb.-3 months
Feb./March-4 months
March/April- 5 months
April/May-6 months
May/June-7 months
June/July-8 months
July/Aug.- 9 months
Aug./Sept.-10 months
Sept./Oct.-11 months
Oct./Nov.-1 year

From Great Grams 6-9 months overall shorts set
From Great Grams 6-9 months Overall Shorts Set
From Great Grams, 3 piece set in 6-9 months (has a soft baseball style hat)


From Great Grams, 2 piece 9 months set (has a soft baseball style hat)



From Great Grams, 2 piece 12 months set (has a soft baseball style hat)

From Great Grams 3-6 months overalls shorts set

From Great Grams 18 months pj set



Close up of design

From Great Grams 2 piece 6-9 months set


From Great Grams 3 piece 6-9 months set (has a soft baseball style hat)

From Great Grams 2 piece 6-9 months set

From Great Grams 6-12 months overalls

From Great Grams 2/3T Swimsuit (For anyone interested, this is the style swimwear we'd like for Luke, we're going to try to be proactive in the fight against skin cancer!)

From Great Grams 9 months pjs (sorry for the blurry pic)

From Grandma Baby Socks and mits

From Great Grams a three pack of baby gowns


From Kathy (who works w/ Amanda) a baby sleep sack for the car


From Grandmom 4 crib sheets
From Grandmom

From Grandmom (handmade w/ love!) Close up of the crochet work


From Great Grams 5 pack of onesies (newborn)

That's all folks!

Some pictures of Carolynn (who's 2 now!)

Auntie, I wanna SPIN!Why not? Spinning's FUN!


Playing "Got your nose" w/ Uncle Tim at Hardee's






Sunday Update!

Sunday July 19

This Sunday was a pretty awesome day. We went to church in the morning for the “Voices of Youth” service. After that we went to A.C. Moore and bought the L and K for Luke’s name letters in the nursery.

Then we went to McDonald’s and got some lunch. From there we headed to Norfolk to go to the Masonic Lodge of Norfolk. One of Tim’s friends, Gene, is in a quartet & the Commodore Chorus. (He’s one of the ones who came to sing for me on Valentine’s Day, remember?) He had invited us to an Ice Cream Social and concert, so away we went.

It was a good time. The music was great and entertaining. They had Cold Stone Ice Cream too!
Afterwards, we headed home. I took a nap for about an hour. When I got up it was time to go to Melanie’s to babysit.

We had pizza rolls for dinner and watched the kids. It was late when Melanie got home, so we headed straight home & to bed.

Monday July 20

Monday was my first day of day-care! The kids showed up right around 7:15 am and I got them breakfast. I made a million phone calls about insurance and other things. Then after lunch, we headed to the Chesapeake City Park and to pick up an Incrediblock from Freecycle. (I have one but the sound doesn’t work on it & this one works, so now I have two!)

When we got back to the house, Tim got home a little bit later, and then we all played Guitar Hero & Rock Band until the kids’ dad showed up.

After that Tim and I ate leftovers for dinner and watched “Dexter” until bedtime.

Tuesday July 21

On Tuesday the daycare kids and I went to Melanie’s to swim. It was about 11 when we left the house & about 2:40 when we got back to the house. The kids ate a quick prepacked lunch & then we raced to Cinema Café for the 3:00 showing of “Monsters Vs. Aliens”.

It was cute & I think it’s worth buying someday. When we got home, we only had a little while to kill before their dad showed up.

I can’t remember what Tim and I did or ate so it must not have been noteworthy! I think this is the night I saw Luke moving & that really was the highlight of the night.

Wednesday July 22

Wednesday morning I did some housework while the kids played/watched a movie and then we headed out around 9:10 for the 10 am “free” movie at Greenbrier 13. We met up, unexpectedly, with Ms. Moose and her girls, so I quickly changed our movie-pick from Kung Fu Panda (which all 3 of us had seen) to Everyone’s Hero which none of us had seen. It was also cute & I really think Mandy & J.C. would get a kick out of it, since it’s all about the Yankees.

On the way home, we drove past the bank & the library. I let the kids get a book each and I got 7 all about breastfeeding/pregnancy/delivery/newborn care.

Then we went home and ate lunch and the kids played for a bit.

Around 2:15 we headed out to Virginia Beach to go to A.C. Moore for their Arts & Crafts make and take. Both kids enjoyed that & I used my 3 50% off coupons to buy the rest of Luke’s nursery letters & a rocking chair for Great Grandmom to gift to Carolynn.

When we got home the kids went and played in the playroom, while I started cooking dinner. Amanda and Tim both were home & wanted to eat around 6, so Tim could go to church for sound practice.

After the kids, Tim, and Amanda left I enjoyed a couple of quiet hour’s home alone, oh how I miss my home alone time!

Thursday July 23

Thursday morning the kids and I headed out bright and early (around 9) to Chesapeake City Park. I let them play for about 2 ½ hours and then we headed home for lunch.

Ms. Moose called around 12:45 and said she was up for swimming, so we made plans to meet at Amanda’s work at 2:15. I fed the kids lunch & then we all got dressed & headed to the pool.
We stayed there until almost 5:00 and when we left the kids’ dad was already at the house! So, we got home as quickly as we could & the kids headed out!

I again don’t remember what Tim & I did for the rest of the night!

Friday July 24

On Friday we didn’t have any concrete plans so the kids spent the morning playing and watching movies while I did housework.

Melanie e-mailed that we could come swimming so I got them fed & changed & sunscreened & headed over to her house. Unfortunately, during that time she got hit w/ a pretty bad migraine, and had to change our plans. We understood (at least I did having suffered them myself for so long) and quickly got the kids back into their regular clothes & out the door to be less of a bother to her!

We headed first to Tabitha’s house to see little miss Lily and to pick up a Discovery Toys catalog. We can’t afford any of the toys right now, but she’s starting out as a salesperson so I’ll try to support her if I can! We stayed there for about an hour.

After that we headed to 7-11 to get some drinks & then to Mt. Trashmore. The kids played on Kids Cove for about 2 hours while I sweltered in the heat!

We left there just in time to head to Cheeseburger in Paradise & get Grayson and Spencer.
I rearranged the car & got all 4 kids safely buckled in & then we began the almost hour long trek home.

When we got home, J.C. pulled in right behind us to pick up the boys.

The daycare kids entertained themselves in the guest room until their dad showed up.

Around 7:45 Chrissy showed up w/ Little Miss Carolynn Rose and we got her cleaned up & dressed to go out. We headed to Hardee’s where we all shared 1 combo meal & a pack of nasty nuggets. I ended up ordering an extra order of fries b/c the nuggets were gross.

On a pregnancy related front, I think I’m having a touch of morning sickness again. Nothing seems to taste good to me & I sometimes feel like I’m going to puke on what I’m eating. So, I’m going to break out the nausea pills & see if that helps me eat more tomorrow, because I HAVE to gain some weight! I’ve been trying to make sure I eat at least 3 times a day, but sometimes it’s just a couple hard boiled eggs & that’s just not enough for a 26 week pregnant mama!

After Hardee’s we went to the Food Lion for chocolate syrup. I CRAVE milk. I’m pretty sure it’s because of that Vitamin D deficiency & the fact that I suck at taking my prenatals. So, we got the syrup, so I could start drinking milk again & between Caro & I we drank almost a whole gallon in 24 hours! We also got 2 more boxes of Rice Krispies for BOGO.

When we got home it was Carolynn’s bedtime so I put her down & Tim and I putzed on our computers before heading to bed.

Saturday July 25

On Saturday morning Tim got up and mowed the grass. We had noticed Friday night that my fish weren’t doing so well, so I got their tank cleaned and a 25% water change done. I also set up a hospital tank for the sick fishie. I think he has Dropsy. (It’s where the swim bladder gets infected & they can’t swim correctly.) I also got Carolynn fed, dressed, and made pancakes for breakfast.

Tim fixed a lamp and Carolynn and I did some housework. Then Tim and I got showered & we headed out to run a couple errands.

We bought medicine & dog food at Petsmart & paint & a brush at Michael’s (for the nursery letters.)

When we got home we had lunch and then put Carolynn down for her nap.

While she napped Tim and I putzed around and did much of nothing.

When she got up, we got dressed & ready to go to Amanda’s pool at 6:00. We met Amanda, Grayson, and Spencer there and had a blast watching the babies swim!

When we got home (around 8:00) I made tuna casserole for dinner & then bathed Carolynn. I got her put down & then shortly after Tim and I headed to bed to read for a couple hours.

Sunday July 26, 2009

This morning Tim and I got up early and got ready for church. Carolynn woke up on her own around 8:30 (like normal) and I got her dressed and set up eating oatmeal and then hopped in the shower.

We headed to church, Tim had to run sound for 9:45, so Caro & I sat in the cry room.
Then we all three went to the 11:15 service. Afterwards we dropped a sleepy Carolynn off at home & Tim put together the rocking chair from Great Grandmom.

When we left there, we headed to I-Hop for some late lunch. I ate and ate and ate!

After I-Hop we came home. It was around 3:15 when I decided to take a nap, since Tim wasn’t in the mood to watch “Knowing” (our current Netflix movie).

I slept until 6:00 and since then I’ve just been working on this blog! I’ve got a bad headache & I’m a bit dehydrated (all I had at lunch was soda, bad me!) and so I’m chugging some water while I type.

We’re having hamburger helper for dinner & MAYBE we’ll watch the movie tonight!
I got great news this evening too, my daycare kids won’t be here tomorrow! So I’ll have the house to myself to sleep in, get housework done, paint, work on my invites, and more! Oh what fun I’ll have!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Luke is MOVING!

Hee hee...so yea, he's been moving for weeks. BUT, about 3-4 days ago, he started kicking hard enough that you don't have to apply any pressure. You can just rest your hand on my belly & feel him move/kick all over the place.

If you do put a little pressure on him, then he'll move to your hand and kick you wherever you are!

BUT, the best-est ever thing happened tonight! While I was at the pool with Ms. Moose (Debbi) she said she had seen the baby moving!

So, when I got home & out of my swimsuit I laid on the bed & watched & I could SEE him moving too! He kicked a couple times & we could really see the kicks and we also could see him bopping around in there! Tim even saw it, so I know it wasn't my imagination!

Anyway, this is exciting & I'm so in love!

Monday, July 20, 2009

25 Weeks!

I'm uploading the picture from my favorite "baby size" webpage, so you can see it! Baby Luke is getting BIG! By 25 weeks he should be about 13 1/2 inches and 1.5 lbs! WOW!


I can't wait to meet our little guy but I definitely want him to stay in there til he's ready to come out! You can see we've still got a ways to go!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

"Sunday Update"

Hey Folks, You're going to find my Sunday Update posts a bit akward this week. Since I had so much to say I posted it in 2 day incremenets & I posted them in reverse order, so if you read from the top of the blog DOWN you'll read them in order. If you read them on a Reader, they may be in backwards order, hop over to the blog to see them correctly! Thanks!

Update Post 1

Saturday July 11, 2009
Saturday I slept in. Amanda and I went to the craft store and bought some stuff for working on the invitations. Tim and I went to Virginia Beach and waited on Beth to get home. Then we all went to Taco Bell. After dinner at Taco Bell Tim and I went home. I don’t remember much, this is what I have on my chit-chat thread from Diaper Swappers!

Sunday July 12, 2009
Sunday Tim got up and went to the 8:30 service at church, he had to run sound. I made it to church in time for the 9:45 service, for which I was the liturgist. After church we went to WaWa to get some chocolate milk. I was seriously craving some milk & we didn’t have any!
Then we went to Toys R Us. We wandered all over looking for something for Carolynn’s birthday.
When we left TRU we went to CiCi’s across the street for lunch with the Johnson’s. It was their treat, which was nice. We sat and visited for a long time with them.
After lunch, we headed to Wal-Mart to get a bunch of stuff. We got a gift for Loren, cups for the house and a few other things. Then we headed (tired as all get out) over to Tom and Peggy’s house. There we waited several hours for Beth to get home.
Right about the time they started cooking dinner, Mandy called. There had been tornado damage at her apartment complex & she needed to go in and help with surveying the damage & do what bosses do. The only problem was she had Grayson and Spencer and didn’t want to leave them home alone with J.C.
So, Tim and I went to the church and picked up the truck and then I headed out to Amanda’s house. Tim stayed behind to finish celebrating Loren’s birthday and to eat dinner.
I got home around 8:30 and Tim was right behind me with all of Chrissy’s kids.
We got everyone settled and a bunch of stuff moved around in the house & then we sent the kids to bed.

Update Post 2

Monday July 13, 2009
I had Chrissy’s kids to take care of on Monday. All four kids is a ridiculous mess and I can’t imagine ever having 4 children. I spent the day getting them bathed, dressed, fed, and trying to keep them from killing each other or one of my dogs. Brianna annoyed me A LOT. Carolynn was as sweet as ever and made me smile. Tony managed to stay to himself most of the day.
The afternoon was spent searching for Carolynn’s practically brand new sandals which may or may not have been thrown away. Tony says he saw them in the trash but didn’t bother to take them out. WTF?
Anyway, Chrissy came to get them around 3:30 or 4 and I was happy to see them go!
When Tim got home, we went for a bike ride and then came home and ate salad. After dinner we ran to Food Lion to get a couple things we needed.
When we got home, I played SIMS 3 and then we went to bed.


Tuesday July 14, 2009
I had my first day of jury duty on Tuesday. I got up super early and headed over to the Chesapeake Court House. We sat around in a big room at first. Then, we watched a “how to be a juror” movie. After that we were lined up in our groups and escorted to the court room. The case I was on was a Civil case and I was Juror Number 1. The judge asked a few questions of all of us, and then the lawyer asked us all a few questions. I got to answer one, because I was sued when I was 17 years old for $100,000!
After the voir dire (questioning) the lawyer & the other guy (he was representing himself) narrowed down our group of 18 to a group of 7 jurors. Those of us who weren’t chosen were then allowed to leave! It was about 11 when I got out of there. I rushed home and started on the housework. I still had a lot to do before Mom and Dad got into town.
I also drove to VB around 2 and picked up the kids, because Chrissy was SUPPOSED to have an evening job. But, lo and behold, she called around 3:30 and said she’d be at the house around 6:30 to meet Mom and Dad. Um, WTF? I only went and got the kids b/c her babysitter won’t watch them after 6:00. Then she didn’t even have work. Oh boy I was LIVID. So, then I had to deal with the kids, feed them dinner (tuna casserole), and all while getting the house clean enough for Mom and Dad.
When Chrissy found out how late they were going to be, she went ahead and took the kids home rather than waiting on them.
It ended up being after 8 before they got to the house but we had all the work done that HAD to be done. We helped them unload the truck and then just sat around visiting until bedtime.

Update Post 3

Wednesday July 15, 2009
Wednesday was the first and only day Mom and Dad spent here. I had to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to go to Chrissy’s and get the kids. Frankie went with me & got us breakfast at Hardee’s. Do not go there for breakfast. It wasn’t even great & 2 chicken biscuits w/ one drink was $8! When we got to Chrissy’s he and I both planned on laying on the couch & going back to sleep/reading, but Chrissy let the kids sleep downstairs so there was no place for it, not to mention as soon as the door closed they all got up! ARGH. Of course, Brianna and Ashley woke Carolynn up and so we had all four kids eat and get ready to go. We headed home and the kids were OK on the ride.
When we got home, we spent a little while getting things ready/planning our day. Then we all loaded up and headed to Amanda’s work around 11:30. We spent quite some time swimming, Carolynn got all freaked out when Mom tried to hold her and then we ended up putting her down for a nap in Amanda’s office. Mom and I sat in the shade while she crocheted & the kids played/fought. The pool was dirty & I just wasn’t feeling it. Around 2:15ish, we headed home with the kids.
When we got home, I let the big kids play on the Wii and Carolynn played with Dad while Mom and I showered. I fed the kids lunch (PB & J) Then, Mom and Dad went out birthday shopping for Carolynn and I rested on the couch while Frankie watched Caro.
When Mom and Dad got back we got all the birthday presents wrapped and started getting ready for the big dinner we were making.
Getting dinner prepared was a fiasco, as it always is, but the bigger fiasco started during dinner. Chrissy decided to pick a fight w/ Dad about why she couldn’t have a pager when she was 16 but Frankie got a cell phone without even asking. Then she started ranting about how we were all raised differently, her same old crap. Dad got upset (rightfully so) and started yelling and cursing. Amanda got involved a bit too and I stayed out of it. It all ended w/ Dad attempting to take Frankie & leave (but Frank couldn’t find his shoes) and so Dad just went out to let off steam.
We went on and did Carolynn’s birthday and then Chrissy left. Amanda left with Grayson and Spencer and then me, mom, and Frankie were left to stare at each other. We predicted correctly that Dad would want to leave the next day and discussed what we were going to do. We watched “Bananas-Comedy Show” on DVD and just sat around until Dad finally came home after 9:00.
By 11, we were all in bed for the night.


Thursday July 16, 2009
Thursday sucked major-big-time. Mom and Dad got up and Dad decided that because Mom and Frankie were going home with him, that they were just going to leave early in the morning and he wasn’t going to go visit his friends. I had figured we’d have at least a little time to visit before they left.
So, we got their stuff all packed up and loaded and then they left at 9:30. Honestly from about 9:30 until at least 1:00 I was a mess. Crying, bawling, just laying in bed staring at the wall, and over all just feeling miserable. A lot of my feelings were from the RAGE I was feeling towards Chrissy, the injustice that I felt towards Dad, and the poor-me-pity-party I was having because I put SO much work into getting the house ready for them & then we spent so much on groceries just for dad and Frankie.
Around 1:00 I decided to get moving and got a tiny bit of housework done, showered, and got headed to Virginia Beach. I had to go to the YMCA in Virginia Beach to drop off the kids’ swim suits and then I headed to Norfolk to go to my 24 week check-up. It was just a check-up, nothing exciting but I was disappointed even further when we left.
I weighed in at 189 lbs. down 1 lb from last week’s Bunco! My blood pressure was normal/perfect. Then Doctor M. checked my fundal height, or the size of my uterus, and it was measuring “23 almost 24 centimeters”, which I know is a little behind. I should have been 24 almost 25 cms. He checked on Luke’s heart rate and said it was fine but didn’t tell me what it was, just that it was nice and strong and the baby is healthy.
When we went into his office he asked me about my eating habits and why I was now -8 lbs since getting pregnant. (According to him) I told him I was trying and that I was eating, it’s not MS anymore. He asked what I had for lunch & of course I hadn’t eaten because I was feeling miserable. He said ok, how about breakfast, which I had ICE CREAM for breakfast! I was upset. But, I told him that wasn’t normal and that I normally have a big glass of milk & cereal for breakfast. He said it’s time to start gaining some weight and if I need to drink Boost or add protein mix to my drinks to do that.
So, I was feeling thoroughly chastised when we left there to head home. I stopped at 7-11 and bought $8 worth of comfort food, including a Twinkie which was just as gross as I knew it would be, but it LOOKED so darn good! I ate my munchies on the ride home and when I got home started a pot of sauce with Mom’s meatballs for dinner. It was super yummy, even though we didn’t get to eat until after 8:00!
Tim and I just putzed on our computers for the evening until dinner time and we watched some Dexter. Then we went to bed.

Update Post 4

Friday July 17, 2009
I had jury duty on Friday. I got up early enough and decided to skip my shower so I could just relax before heading in. I still managed to get there 5 minutes early and then we ended up just sitting around doing nothing until 11:30. Then they let us know that the person had decided to make a plea and no longer wanted a jury trial, so we were free to go! Yay! I left there and headed to Greenbrier Mall to get my glasses adjusted. I also scheduled eye exams for Tim and I.
When I got home, I ate, and putzed around on the computer. I got a shower and eventually got super busy cleaning the house. I did a lot of the ‘deep cleaning’ projects I’d been meaning to do, like clearing off the water heater, washer, dryer, and windowsill. I also scrubbed the fish tank, dusted the t.v., and set up some big-kid toys in the guest room.
At 6:30 the dad that I’m going to be doing day-care for showed up. He’s very nice, extremely soft-spoken, and if his certifications say anything, quite smart. Tim was HIGHLY impressed with one of the certs the guy had. His kids are a 9 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. I’m going to have the kids probably from 7:15-6:00 each day and he’s going to pay $200 a week. I’m only going to be responsible for feeding them breakfast, lunch, and a couple snacks, and he said it’s ok to take them on field trips! Yay! The only hang-up is I haven’t ACTUALLY figured out if I can get out of jury duty! Eeks! I know I can probably get out of it on Tuesday (if they even call me) but I’ not sure if I can get the rest of my term excused/delayed.
After he left, Tim and I made grilled turkey & cheese sandwiches and soup and watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I’ve decided the Harry Potter movies kind of suck. They don’t do the books justice at all! They leave SO many of the important/fun details out for the sake of time but then add in dumb/irrelevant details which just TAKE up time! Anyway, I made popcorn and rice krispy treats while we were watching that & then fell asleep before it was over, so I didn’t see all of it!


Saturday July 18, 2009 <--TODAY!
I’m not feeling so hot today. I slept well last night, only getting up once to go to the bathroom, but today I’m feeling yucky.
I’ve got a stomachache, gas, constipation, a cramp, leg cramps, head congestion, and my GOD this kid is kicking the living day-lights out of my gut.
Tim is working on money and getting increasingly frustrated. So far today, we’ve cut the bandwidth on our internet, cancelled Direct TV (we didn’t watch it anyway) and are planning on cancelling Banfield (dog plans), changing our car insurance and asking for a “financial hardships” deferment on my student loans. I need to get more day-care kids and Tim needs to get paid more, plain and simple!
Later today, Tim has church and I’ll be home alone feeling sick. He’s doing sound for tonight’s service and then he’ll be home around 7.
Tomorrow, we’re going to church and then we have a Mason’s Ice Cream Social and A-Capella show to go to and then I’m babysitting for Melanie.
Monday I start my day-care!

A Poem

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,Lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peek-a-boo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullaby, rockaby lullaby loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Friday, July 17, 2009

Wow...just wow.

I can't believe it's been an entire week since I blogged. I've had a LOT going on & tons to blog about! Right now I MUST get into the shower & get some basic cleaning done in my house, maybe I'll be back tonight to blog, blog, blog! If not, I should have lots of time tomorrow! I'm still alive, Luke is still alive (yea, the name is out of the bag), and Tim is getting by!

-Steph

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Strained...

Yep, folks, that's me today. I can't elaborate here...call & ask or send an e-mail, maybe I'll tell you. Just know I lost sleep over it (which is never good when your 24 weeks pregnant) and I'm still thinking about it this morning. And, there's REALLY nothing I can or should do about it.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Boring Ole Update Post

Tuesday July 7-
I did housework. Then I met Amanda at Michael's. We got the paper for the invitations to the baby shower! Fun stuff!

Wednesday July 8- I did housework, including steam cleaning the carpets in the office. Then I had Bunco. I stayed out late & won 2 prizes. I got to play with/snuggle little miss Lily and that was great!

Thursday July 9-I got a TON of housework done, including re-doing the center of the office carpet, steam cleaning the hall way twice, cleaning the entire living room (remember the mess?), and moving my desk across the office.

Friday July 10- Not much going on today, I ran a few errands this morning and haven't done much more than the basic housework that I do everyday. (dishes, laundry, vacuum)
Tonight the census lady will be back to do her report with Tim.
I'm super tired & sore from yesterday, so I don' t have high hopes for today!

Upcoming Plans:

Saturday July 11- We'll hopefully do housework/garage cleaning, including a trip to the dump for Tim & his dad.

Sunday July 12-Tim's running sound for the 8:30 service & I'm the liturgist for the 9:45 service, so we have to make it to church this weekend.

Monday July 13-I'll have Chrissy's kids, because Mom & Dad are driving down. I don't know what I'll do with them, but it will probably involve cleaning house!

Tuesday July 14-Possibly jury duty, Mom plans on taking the kids to the pool at Amanda's work so if no jury duty that's where we'll be

Wednesday July 15- Free movie day at Greenbrier 13 w/ the kids & maybe Ms. Moose & her daughters

Thursday July 16- Beach day! We're planning on going to the beach with the kids & maybe Melanie & her kids. I have my doctor's appointment at 3:45 and we'll all go to that. (We'll probably go to Chrissy's shower/change & then go to my appointment after the beach.)

Friday July 17-Corn picking w/ Mom & the kids (I don't go in the fields, but we'll go along to help mom carry stuff & shuck the corn.)

Saturday July 18-If Mom and Dad are still here, we'll probably go swimming or do something fun. If Mom & Dad leave, Tim and I will probably do housework or relax!

Sunday July 19- Church in the morning & babysitting in the afternoon

Local folks, if you see something you want to come along with, just let me know!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Update & Calendar

Sunday was a pretty good day! We got rudely awoken by Lindsey dropping off the boys. We forgot to set the alarm & waking up to Wazowski's barks is not fun! (That was around 8:40.)

So, Tim made homemade pancakes & scrambled eggs for breakfast, I bathed the boys & straightened up the house and we ate breakfast. Shortly after breakfast it was nap time for the boys. They went down around 11:15.

While they slept Tim and I relaxed and played around on our computers.

When they got up, we had lunch, showers, and then rushed out of the house to go to James & Missy's house.

We were late, as usual, but they didn't mind. Tim and James headed out to pick up & move a refrigerator. Missy and I kept the three boys at home & had a grand-old-time chasing them around & attempting to make them be nice to each other.

Missy went out for pizza and that was a good dinner followed by brownies, I had baked during the day.

After dinner the boys started their melt-downs so it was time to head home & to bed. We put the boys to bed & then Tim went to bed around 10 & I went to bed around 11.

Lindsey showed up at 1:45 (way later than expected) and picked the boys up.

Next 2 Weeks So Far:

Monday July 6-Housework & Tim's going to Melanie's after work
Tuesday July 7-Housework & Tim's going to James & Missy's after work (and me & Amanda are going to Michael's)
Wednesday July 8-Housework & Bunco at Melanie's
(Tim has an important meeting at work)
Thursday July 9-Housework
Friday July 10-Jury Duty (Because I report on Tues & Friday I don't start on Thursday like I thought.)
Saturday July 11-Housework
Sunday July 12-Tim running sound for 8:30 service

Monday July 13-
Tuesday July 14-
Wednesday July 15-
Thursday July 16- Dr. Appointment
Friday July 17-
Saturday July 18-
Sunday July 19-Babysitting

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Thursday July 2

Thursday turned out to be a wasted day too...I slept until 10 and then the stupid "Sears Home Improvement" robo-caller called and woke me up.

I didn't get much of anything constructive done the house.

When Tim got home we drove by the Auto Auction to see if they had any Mazdas but we were too late to go out onto the lot.

We went home and got the dogs and then took them to the dog park. That was nice and they had a good time.

When we got home we had a lazy dinner of ice cream, popcorn, and I don't know what else.


Friday July 3
Yesterday was a busy/lazy day. Tim got the grass cut & fixed the steam cleaner. He also took a long nap. I did some dishes and a tiny bit of housework but mostly didn't do anything until after 6 at night.

Then I decided to get moving on the office & really got quite a bit done, while watching "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

We read a little bit and then Tim started watching "Dexter" on Netflix & I went to sleep. It was a crummy night's sleep though.

Saturday July 4
So far today, Tim has done some work in the yard and garage, as well as installed a ceiling fan in our bedroom. He's my hero. Such a hard worker!

I've tended to the dishes, gone to the grocery store, and made grilled turkey & cheese sandwiches for lunch.

We still have to drive out to Amanda's house and get the boys' things and then drive to Virginia Beach. We are going to pick Spence & Grayson up at 3:40 and then head to church. After church we might go to see fireworks at Mt. Trashmore. (We're still working out the details on that one...OR Loren & Beth might come out here for steaks....)

Friday, July 3, 2009

23 Weeks

Wow,
Can I just say that being pregnant is awesome and I love it and I want more kids, BUT, it is not easy, it is not fun, and it is sometimes a pain in the butt! (Literally!)

So, Tuesday I'll be 23 weeks pregnant, Baby G will have good odds of surviving if anything were to happen to us and he's definitely starting to make himself known.

Tim and I have a name that we're feeling out and even using around the house, but we're not 100% so don't go getting anything monogrammed! It MIGHT be the one, but we're reserving the right to change it up until we sign the paperwork!

I have this webpage bookmarked in my favorites and came across it again today. I think it is so cool. You start out with an 8 week old itty bitty fetus & then when you move the slider, the baby grows. It is so cool. I play with it A LOT. I find it amazing how BIG Baby G is getting in there. I still don't look pregnant from the outside & many of my pre-preg. shirts still fit! I am down to one pair of shorts but it's ok, since I don't really go anywhere.

Anyway, when I was putting my anti-stretch mark lotion on my belly & boobs today, I was playing around & pulled my flabby layers up towards my boobs. When I did that you could CLEARLY see that I do indeed have a baby bump, it's just covered by plenty of flesh. (Which means Baby G is nice & safe in there!) I have big ambitions of actually getting some stomach toning exercises done to try to build up some muscles there to help w/ delivery but, actually having the time/energy to do them right now, is not happening. Maybe once the house is taken care of.
Baby G kicks a lot. I can feel him all the time. Even when I'm vacuuming and moving around the house. For the most part it's not uncomfortable, sometimes it's not when I'd like it to be but hey, I wanted this. This stage of pregnancy is DEFINITELY better than the first trimester when I was SO sick & tired.
However, I would never tell a newly pregnant woman "just wait till the 2nd trimest, it'll all get better" because that's just not true. Sure, I have SLIGHTLY more energy (I also have more time to sleep though...) and I'm no longer nauseaus. BUT, my back aches constantly. I have a HARD time sleeping & if I was still working full-time I'd still be exhausted. I can sleep in until 10:30 am if I was up all night getting kicked in the bladder. Some women can't. The kicking, even at this stage, can be painful and when I'm trying to sleep or read or do anything relaxing, it's pretty much the only thing I can focus on. Baby G doesn't like me to lay on my stomach at all. He doesn't care for laying on my back either. Oh and he USED to like it when I slept on my left side, but suddenly that doesn't work & now I'm sleeping on my right side. So, although the 2nd trimester is easier than the first (and funner b/c I get to feel my baby moving & have the knowledge that he can hear my voice, AWW!) it's not like being pregnant is suddenly EASY.
I'm starting to read and research delivery and breastfeeding. Any tips, book suggestions, webpages, what-not are highly appreciated though I won't guarantee that I'll take all advice I receive. (Such as being told to toughen up my nipples...women this is NOT happening. Those ladies hurt enough as it is!) But I will APPRECIATE all advice.
I want to have the basics of my birth plan in my place by my 28 week doctor appointment. (My next appointment is my 24 week appointment can you believe that? It's on: July 16 @ 3:45. Then my next appointment after that will be the 28 weeks, which is the week of: August 10th. Wowzie!)
So, anyway, that's your pregnancy update for today!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Wasted Day




Well, today was a complete wash-out. I woke up at 2 am last night, thirsty & needing to potty. Did that & thought I'd go back to sleep. Yea, right.




I ended up being awake until after 4...closer to 5. I was itchy & hot & cold & Baby G was kicking and doing the hokey-pokey AGAIN. So, I laid in bed for a long time & tried to fall asleep. I took a bath & read some Harry Potter. Finally I got back to sleep. I stole all the covers & pillows and made a little nest & was just SO comfortable until the phone woke me at 11:15.




It was Chrissy. She had court for missed child-support payments at 1:00 & could I come babysit. WTH? So, I got up & dressed & out of the house. I spent the first hour or so laying on the couch reading/resting while Brianna, Ashley, and Ange's son Jarred played on the Nintendo. Then, when Caro woke up, we went to McDonald's for fries & coke (mmm mmm good!) and then to Rock A Bye Baby. I got 3 books on pregnancy & breastfeeding & 8 long sleeved onesies. I'm going to dye them with the next batch of diapers I dye!




When I got home, I took pictures of my diapers & flipped through the new books. I should read them cover-to-cover but I'm not up to it tonight. I've got a tiny headache & just don't feel like doing anything.




I think I'm going to go cut up meat to make rice and gravy for dinner & get that started. That way Tim and I can eat when he gets home from church.