Blogging in Bed

It looks like I might have a new post from which I will be blogging, at least for the next few days... my bed.

I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday and we started out with the ultrasound which was wonderful, Colin was sticking his tongue in and out, we got to see a great foot print and profile and the most exciting was that he finally let us see some hair! It looks like a little buzz cut. He's healthy and head down, getting ready to make his debut.

After the ultrasound I was so happy and got a big slap in the face when they sat me down to have my blood pressure taken. When I looked at the machine I uttered an "oh no" because I knew it was bad. Then I was sent over to the testing room to have my non stress test. After about 10 minutes Dr. Hashad came in to see how Colin was reacting and when she opened the door she looked at me and immediately said, "You look really swollen, how are you feeling?" I wish I had the words to explain how her face looked when she saw me. It was very clear that she didn't like what she saw, always a great way to have someone look at you when you're feeling huge and pregnant haha. Of course, Colin was asleep again (he thinks testing time is nap time) so I had to guzzle some apple juice- gross. When we were finally done with the test we met the doctor in a room. When she saw my blood pressure reading, weight gain (6 lbs in a week HOLY COW! I was happy that she let me know she thought it was mostly water retention. It doesn't make the clothes fit better but it made me feel a little better) and the fact that there was protein in my urine sample she immediately kicked into a different mode. I felt like within 5 minutes I had orders to rest in bed, a STAT lab order and I was having my blood pressure taken again. Then we talked about what needed to be done and I asked for the best and worst case scenario, I was told the worst case scenario would be an induction before the weekend, but then she remembered who she was talking to and said my worst case scenario would be admitting me into the hospital for a week or more before being induced. After she told me that I kind of tuned out and didn't hear much about the best case scenario. I left for the lab after booking an appointment for Thursday morning and felt like I was in a daze.

When Ashley and I walked into the lab the waiting room was pretty full and this kid that had been in the doctor's office was there too (I recognized him by the shrilling scream he felt the need to belt out every 5 minutes). I pulled out Ashley's bag of entertainment and we started practicing writing Colin, Mom and Dad until the kid started ripping the pen and paper out of Ashley's hand. One would think his mom would stop him and switch seats but I guess that's too much to ask. I can't stand it when parents make it someone else's responsibility to tell their kid no. At that point I wanted to hide in a hole and stick my arm out when they were ready to draw my blood. As the room started to clear out I was on the phone with Jason to give him an update and I just burst out in tears looking really cool in the waiting room. Luckily the lady that checked everyone in was really nice and brought me a glass of water, tissue and just talked to me for a minute to comfort me. When it was time for me to have my blood drawn I was feeling better and done crying but the check in lady insisted on bringing me back and staying with me (how sweet!). My daughter was so sweet, she always finds a way to make a hard time so precious. As I sat in the chair Ashley held my left hand and said, "Now mom, if you get scared or it hurts, I'm right here and I love you." Then she kissed my hand and hugged my arm. My heart melts just thinking about it again.

When we left the building I was so overwhelmed. I went from having such a great pregnancy compared to my first to having very similar worries and too much running through my head. I can't imagine being in the hospital for a week away from Ashley. I know I would be able to see her, but I wouldn't be able to be her mom, to be there when she wakes up, make her meals, plan something fun and watch her smile and to put her to bed. I've never been away from her for that long and I kind of felt like I was getting robbed of the last week of just her and me. Then I started thinking about being on bed rest at home and the difficulties that come with that. I just started to worry about EVERYTHING and this time I didn't just have Jason, myself and the baby to worry about, I also had Ashley and it felt really complicated. So, last night Jason and I had to have a "talk" to figure out what our decisions would be with different scenarios, that resulted in quite a few tears.

I got my lab results this morning and my blood work was all within the normal ranges and I was told to stay on bed rest until my Thursday morning appointment. That was good news but at the same time we feel like we're in limbo and just waiting to see what life will be like for the next few weeks. God was really good to me today and gave me a cuddly girl that wanted nothing more than to cuddle and watch cartoons and movies with me, which made things easier. I received a call this afternoon and my doctor's schedule was changed because of a c-section so I'll be meeting with the nurse for all of my testing tomorrow and then get a call from the doctor to see where we're at and what she wants to do. I have a feeling I'll be on bed rest for a week (sigh, really, really big sigh) and probably be induced at the end of next week, but we'll see what happens. So, I guess I'll just take advantage of this time to rest before the sleepless nights begin and make the best of it. It's not my first choice but if I only have to put in a week or so of bed rest to end up with a healthy baby he's worth it.

I'll keep you updated when I find anything out tomorrow.

I'm Ready

I'm ready to have this little boy. Not only does my rib cage feel like it's slowly being broken open but I'm just ready to meet our little man. I've been around too many babies lately and I've got the baby bug. I told Jason on the way to swim lessons today that at least when you have a baby and are up every few hours at night you have that little bambino to hold and love. Right now, I just wake up every hour to go potty and have no baby in my arms. I am so excited to see what he looks like, what his personality is like and I am DYING to see my sweet girl fall in love with her brother. Whenever we've been around babies lately she just wants to stand by them and check them out, they seem much more fascinating than big kids right now. I know seeing the love between the two of them will be so cool and I just can't wait. I've been excited for him to arrive but a little nervous until now. Now, I'm just ready, I'm ready to fall in love and watch our family grow in size and love.

Reality Check

Over the last 24 hours I've had some reality checks- reminding me that a baby is about to be born and it's going to be a boy!

Last night Jason and I FINALLY started getting Colin's room together. Reality check #1- I'm really pregnant, normally I would help but instead I sat in the rocker or was sprawled out on the floor pointing and directing (not Jason's favorite).

After dinner I ran (more like hobbled) upstairs to change the laundry and just caught a glimpse of the boyishness oozing out of his room and smiled. Reality Check #2: This kid is a boy!

When we were working on Colin's room we (actually Jason) moved the bassinet into the Master bedroom. I never went into our room until it was time for bed and I immediately stopped and took a little leap back because I was shocked to see the bassinet in our room. Reality Check #3: There really is going to be a baby coming SOON!

This morning while I was picking up the house before we met Celina, Maddy, Brody and Greyson at the park (not sure how you did that walk home C- you are super woman!) Ashley decided to put a surprise in the bassinet. When she showed me the "surprise!" there was a baby doll wearing nothing but little diapers. Reality Check #4: that bassinet isn't just a new piece of furniture, a baby will be sleeping in there.

It's so strange how I've felt this little guy squirming around in my belly all day long and I've definitly KNOWN I was pregnant but I guess my useless prego brain couldn't connect the dots that a baby was coming out of this pregnancy, it's all starting to feel so real and exciting. After holding Brody at the park today I can't wait to have my arms filled with a little ball of testosterone while listening to princess Ashley tell him how cute he is- that will be amazing!

What comes first? The chicken or the babe?

I was given a hanging flower pot at the end of the school year and I kept it alive for almost a month (very good for me, so far the only plants that like me are orchids). Then we had some super hot days and I think I forgot to water it for a whole week. OOPS! I noticed what is now an unsightly pot of dead flowers hanging off our balcony the other day and asked Jason if he could take it down before the end of the weekend. We both remembered about it last night so he went out and as soon as he opened the door a bird flew away. He took the plant off the hook and then noticed two tiny, precious eggs and walked in the house with the most guilty look on his face. I figured he dropped the pot and there was a mess on the patio below but then he told me to come out and see something and there they were. We both felt horrible and decided we had to hang the plant back up so the mama bird could take care of her babies. Now I'm in a fierce competition with this bird to have my child first, but I think the odds are against me. I looked online and most eggs that size only take 2-3 weeks to hatch, 4 at the most. It probably wouldn't be such a good thing if Colin arrived in 2 weeks but I'd take 4 :-)

It's kind of fun because now Ashley and I get to watch the eggs and hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) they WILL hatch and I wont have to figure out how to get rid of them, the thought of that makes my stomach hurt.

If you look really closely at the nest you can see all the time and care mama bird spent making a cozy home for her eggs. While she is nesting with her eggs I'll be nesting in prep for my babe. We'll see who wins the race.

In or Out

Wednesday night Jason and I were enjoying Wipeout and another show which had us laughing pretty hard. I was laying down on the couch with my feet on Jason's lap. At one point during a good laugh I looked over at Jason and noticed a lump moving up and down on my stomach. I lifted up my shirt and was immediately intrigued yet slightly grossed out. Every time I laughed or flexed my stomach muscles my belly button tried to go from an innie to an outie, it gets about 1/2 way to 2/3 of the way there. I'm just afraid that I'm going to laugh really hard and have it pop out and not want to go back in, then I'll get to walk around with a little nub hanging off my stomach- oh joy! Ya gotta love being pregnant and all the crazy stuff your body does.

Evening at the Beach

Last night Jason got home from work in the early evening and wanted to go surfing. Ash and I decided we'd tag along and build some sand castles. What a nice way to end the day. The weather was incredible, it was beautiful and we all had fun. Ashley and Jason got to surf together for a little bit which ate up all of Ashley's energy causing her to fall asleep in her carseat before we drove away from the beach. My favorite part of the trip was after Jas and Ash were done surfing, Ashley was wrapped up in a towel laying down on her surf board to "take a rest", Jason was in Ashley's beach chair (that made me laugh) and I was in mine and we just watched the waves and talked about our future (mostly the impending arrival of our little man).










Talking about the waves with Daddy


Trying to get the seagull to let her pet him



Playing in the big hole daddy dug

Colin update

I had yet another doctor appointment today and everything looks great. Colin is a beast, he's already weighing 5lb 11oz according to the ultra sounds YIKES! But that was all good news since they've been monitoring him so closely to make sure he is not too small. He's head down, "way down" according to the ultrasound tech which is another good thing. We had a non stress test (tests to see how his vitals react to contractions and fetal movement) everything came out perfect.

I have been blessed with a case of pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome (oh the joys of being pregnant). With the mild swelling you get at the end of pregnancy the carpal tunnel nerve can easily get pinched causing the pain so now I get to practice being 90 years old while being pregnant. The problem should be gone within 6 weeks after the delivery but it still stinks and makes me feel like a big dork.

Here are two pictures of Colin today, both are profile pictures and he looks so cute- like a real baby this time! In the first one it's just his profile and in the second one he's sucking his thumb- so sweet. Ashley was never a thumb sucker but she did blow bubbles when she was in my belly. I still haven't seen any hair on Colin's head, which is very strange to me but he's still got time.

We'll be going back to the doctor every week now to have an ultrasound and non-stress test so there will be lots more pictures to come :-)

4th of July

We started our morning enjoying a dorky but fun 4th of July parade. It was nice because it made me feel like we lived in a smaller city, dare I say town, it had all the charm of a small town parade which I loved. After the parade we got ready to have my family over to celebrate my mom's birthday with some ping pong and BBQ. Ping pong was fun to watch but a little roasty toasty for me. I was happy to be in the air conditioned house getting dinner ready. Jason grilled some of the best steaks we've ever had- yum yum. Then we walked over to the park where our blankets and chairs were waiting for us and we saw the most spectacular fireworks show ever. First off, the park was covered with blankets and chairs, there were about 10,000 people according to the announcer yet it still managed to have a homey feel. Once the sky was dark the music started to play and the firework show was like one long finale it was so cool. It was also really neat to be so close to the fireworks. The center of the park was roped off and that's where they were sent up so you were literally right under the sparkles. At one point I whispered to Jason that this reminded me of the Sandlot. For those of you that don't know the sandlot is a movie set in the 50's about boys playing baseball together in the summer (if you haven't seen it, watch it, it's just a cute family movie). Right after I said that they started to play the song from that movie when the boys are running home on the 4th of July, yes, I will admit it brought a couple of prego tears to my eyes. Jason, Ash and I were laying down on the blanket all snuggled up and I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate such a wonderful holiday. We're more than looking forward to doing it all again next year with Colin. He reminded me that he was around during the fireworks with a few kicks here and there when there were bone shaking booms. We hope you had a wonderful holiday and thanks to all the men and women that protect and serve our country so we can enjoy such special times and freedoms.

My little surfer boy

I've had a hard time finding any clothes that I love for Colin. I feel like there is a million cute little girl things no matter where you go and for boys...let's just say it's much more of a struggle. Most companies don't start making really cute stuff for boys until they are 6 months old but I want cute stuff before then, is that really too much to ask?? From most everything I've seen this little guy is going to look like he's wearing pajamas no matter what time of day it is until he's 6 months old and that makes me sad (that's another strange thing- Ash was a winter baby so she was always bundled up in outfits and blankets and I feel like Colin will look naked sporting nothing but a onesie, but it's just so hot!).

Anyways, Jas and I were running errands last night, picking up prego necessities like a fan for downstairs so I will not melt every night :-) I walked into a baby store really quick and again, they had tons of fleece, long sleeves and footed stuff which just sounds like the equivelant to wearing one of those sweat suits made out of plastic to help you lose water weight. Then, I found the jackpot, I cute little onesie and a little surfer boy hat. A moment of excitement in the baby boy's clothing department! I put a pic below, you can expect to see the little man wearing these a LOT for the first three months :-)

Crib Envy

I'm a slacker and haven't gotten around to packing up one of the portable cribs I used for babysitting. Bad Idea! Ashley can climb in it and thinks it's the coolest place ever, she just stands in it and talks to herself or imaginary things and it seems like she would be happy being in there for hours. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to catch her in Colin's crib one of these days and if she's going to want to hang out in there with him? I'm trying to think of things I can say that will make her think her bed is SO much cooler and the pack-n-play and crib are no fun...we'll see how that goes.

Pinkies up

Ashley, my sister Erin and I had our first REAL tea party on Tuesday. It was nothing fancy, just some PBJ's cut up tiny and Ashley's favorite rolled up tortillas with peanut butter inside. Since it was about 85 degrees with 50% humidity we opted not to kill ourselves with hot tea and chose cold drinks instead. Ashley had a cup of chocolate milk and Erin and I had a cup of caffeine free diet Dr. Pepper. While I made the food Ash and Erin set the table and got all dolled up in princess jewelry. When it was time to sit down like ladies I showed Ashley how to drink tea- pinkies up of course! She thought it was so fun and ate a TON! There must be something extra yummy about PBJ sandwiches when they're cut extra small. I'd have to say the highlight of the tea party was when Ashley was staring at me with a huge grin and I asked her why she was smiling and she said, "My heart is sooo happy!" I asked why her heart was happy and she said, "My heart gets really happy when I have tea parties with you." I felt like I had just been handed the greatest gift in the world. At that moment I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. Since then, my uneasiness about having no income has vanished; my job is to be Ashley and Colin's mom and Jason's wife and the little "tea party moments" are more than fair compensation.

Our daughter and infomercials

Ashley has taken a strange liking to infomercials, she loves them and she loves and wants every product she sees on them. About a month ago she was watching cartoons and a commercial came on for Bumpits. For those of you that don't get mesmerized by as seen on tv ads you may not be familiar with the Bumpit. A Bumpit is a plastic arch that you place on your head and cover with hair so you get that bump on the back of your head. Well, everytime Ashley sees that commercial she looks at me with puppy dog eyes and says, "Mom, I totally want bumpits, I love them!" Everytime she does it I'm shocked and think high school should be a whole lot of fun.

This morning a commercial for Cindy Crawford's skin care line, Meaningful Beauty, was on. Ashley looked at me and said, "I've seen that meaningful beauty in a magazine. It's a great lotion and makes you pretty" AYAYAYAY! A 3 year old, gulp, a 3 1/2 year old should not be capable of sales pitches all on her own!

And finally when we were in Target last weekend she saw a lady with a broom and told me we should get a shark steam mop. I asked why and she said, "They work better than brooms mom." Silly me.

Now, I have to say if it was a commercial for the ever so dorky Snuggy I wouldn't care but beauty products to make you pretty??? Something about that just bothers me, she's too young to think anything will make her pretty or that she needs anything to make her pretty. Of course I'm her mom and think she's gorgeous even when she has monster hair in the morning and dry drool on her cheak. I guess I also would have expected her to gravitate more towards the cleaning products, like Oxy clean, since she has such a love affair with cleanliness.

So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised if Ash grows up selling things like the magic bullet, sham wow and the ab rocker.