Birth Story

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this. Having a newborn and a three year old takes up quite a bit of my time, not to mention my brain function required for writing. So, here's a quick recap of how my little guy came into this world.

A few months into my pregnancy, my iron level started to drop. I had been treated for anemia in the past, so I wasn't really all that surprised. But even with eating more iron-rich foods and taking iron supplements, my iron level kept dropping. Eventually, my anemia got so bad that I was sent to L&D triage for IV iron infusions twice a week for two weeks. On the day of my last scheduled infusion (8/13), while I was getting my non-stress test and iron IV, my blood pressure was a bit high, so the nurse told my OB, and he ordered urine and blood tests to check for pre-eclampsia (since I had it last time). Well, my urine came back clean, but my blood showed that my potassium level was "critically low." It also showed that the iron infusions had done absolutely nothing to improve my iron levels.

So, I was admitted to the Antepartum unit so I could be given potassium in my IV. Let me tell you that if you've never had that done, the potassium burns like hell going into your veins. While I was getting that done, my OB ordered a 24-hour urine collection to test for pre-eclampsia since a single urine sample may not show that there really is protein being thrown out. The potassium didn't increase my levels like the docs wanted, so they had to keep giving me more and more of it (and I pigged out on bananas the whole time, too).

Eventually, my 24-hour urine results came back and showed that I did indeed have pre-eclampsia, though it was not nearly as severe as it had been when I was pregnant with Katie, so my doc decided that they would induce my labor when I reached 37 weeks on Tuesday, the 18th. My potassium level did eventually get back to normal, and my BP didn't go completely crazy, so everything looked like it would be smooth sailing when the time came.

We were all completely WRONG about that! Apparently, my body just did not want to cooperate with anything. Even though I delivered my last two babies within two hours of my water breaking, this time, my cervix just didn't want to cooperate at all. And my epidurals (that's right - plural because I had more than one) did absolutely nothing to relieve the excruciating pain I was in. I had never felt pain like that in my entire life, and I was literally begging for death. That is, when I wasn't passed out and not breathing - scary, I know.

Anyhow, the pain was so horrible that I was vomiting, or really mostly dry-heaving, from it with just about every contraction. When I finally got fully dilated, the nurses told me not to push because we had to wait for the OB to get there. (The one who was supposed to be delivering was stuck in a c-section, so they had to call another one from the office down the block.) But, once they got me turned onto my back so I could get into position to push, I started vomiting uncontrollably. And the force of my vomiting pushed my baby's head right on out. Since he was already half way out, I had to go ahead and push him the rest of the way out before the doc ever got there, and thankfully, it only took one actually push to do that.

As soon as he was out, the pain was almost 100% gone. I was amazed at the difference it made. I instantly felt human again. I was thoroughly exhausted and quite a bit in shock from the whole experience, but felt so much better than I had been feeling.

David Christopher was born, thus relieving my misery, at 1:39 pm on Tuesday, August 18th, and is perfect in every way.

Oh, and my iron level was back to normal before we left the hospital the next day, thus confirming my theory that the baby was actually sucking the life out of me.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I give you the official hospital photos of my gorgeous baby boy.

The Wait is Over

I'm sure you've all been holding your breath, just waiting for an update to my blog.

What's that? You haven't been sitting at your computers waiting on little ole me? You've actually moved on with your lives? Well, um, okay then.

I guess I can forgive you. But will you forgive me? For holding out on you like this? Yeah, I've been a total slacker. I had my baby three weeks ago, and I'm just now getting around to updating my blog.

And honestly, I'm too tired right now (and my house is currently in total chaos) to do a proper update, so I'm just going to give you the basic info and a few pics from the first days.

David Christopher was born on Tuesday, August 18, 2009, at 1:39 in the afternoon. He weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces, and measured 20 inches long.






Stay tuned for the exciting story of Davie's birth...

Dead End

I think it's time to call it quits with this whole blogging thing. I used to love it, but now it seems like just another neglected chore. I am so incredibly busy right now. You would think that being busy would provide me with some nice blog fodder, but instead, it has just kept me from having the time to actually blog.

Maybe I will return someday, when my life has slowed down a bit. With a new baby on the way, though, I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Thanks to the ability to type out quick little updates every now and then, I will be sticking with Facebook, though I can't guarantee a daily status update. If you're on Facebook, and would like to be my "friend," please let me know how to find you there. If you are one of my regular readers, and I feel there is no threat that you will stalk me, I'll add you to my friends list, and you can keep up with me there.

Where Did the Time Go?

I can't believe that it's been two weeks since I last updated this blog! I guess I've just been really busy doing completely boring stuff. What was I doing?

Well, I had a garage sale, for one. The turnout wasn't great, but I did make a little more than $200. Of course, between dinner out and shopping for new clothes for Katie, there wasn't much leftover. And, we still have so much stuff to get rid of. I'm going to go through all of the clothes again, and figure out what to just donate and what to list on eBay.

My garage sale completely wore me out, and I was still too exhausted to attempt to fight the crowds for the Grand Opening of the new IKEA in town on Wednesday. I had been looking forward to being there on opening day ever since I heard they were building one here. I still haven't been yet, but since it's not opening day anymore, there's really no point in going until Phil gets his bonus check and I have money to spend.

Thursday, Emily came home from school complaining of pain in her appendix area, and she also had a bit of a fever (only 99.6). Since she didn't have any of the other symptoms of appendicitis, I decided to wait until the morning to see how she was feeling. Friday morning came, and she said the pain was worse, though her fever was completely gone.

So, I took her to the pediatrician just to be sure that I wasn't just ignoring a case of appendicitis. The pediatrician sent Emily for a CT scan, which took forever to get done because she had to drink this nasty contrast drink over an hour before they could scan her. After waiting impatiently all afternoon, we finally found out that she did not have appendicitis, but she does have ovarian cysts, with the one on her right side being much larger than the one on the left.

Saturday was spent trying to convince Katie to take a nap before the birthday party she was to attend in the afternoon, shopping for a gift for the birthday boy, and then actually attending the party. Katie had a great time at the party, and I had a good time, too. They rented a bouncy house, and now Katie is intent on having a bouncy house for her party, too.

After the party, I had to take Sarah shopping for her 8th grade dance dress. I attempted to do this on Friday night, but she was extremely uncooperative, so I just took her home. She had changed her tune by Saturday morning, so I decided to give her one more chance after the party. She wasn't extremely helpful in picking out a dress for herself, but we eventually found a couple of dresses for her - one for the dance and one for her confirmation that's coming up in June. Thank GOD I don't have to take her dress shopping again now!

I had a pretty decent Mothers' Day on Sunday. It was nothing spectacular, but I wasn't at all stressed out and I was able to relax most of the day. That's really all I ever want anyway.

The chaos started back up first thing Monday morning, though. At 7:40am, Sarah informed me that I needed to drive her to school because she had to be there by 8:00am for an NJHS event. When I demanded to see the information from school that stated this, I also found out that the NJHS induction/awards ceremony was that very morning. So, I had to rush to get myself and Katie ready and drive Sarah to school. When we got there, I found out that the ceremony wasn't going to start until 9:30am, so Katie and I left to go have breakfast at Dunkin Donuts before going back to the school. Later that afternoon, I got a phone call from Sarah that she had left her money for her dance ticket on her bed, so I had to drive back to the school to take it to her since it was the last day to purchase tickets.

So, I'm exhausted from all of the running around, to say the least, and I really only have today to relax because the rest of my week is jam packed again.


ETA: I just got a call from Emily. She's feeling sick, so I have to go pick her back up from school. Oh, Joy!

Lost a Week

I had another appointment with my OB this morning. Everything went well; the baby is fine, I'm fine, blah, blah, blah. This was my first OB appointment since my Level 2 ultrasound with the perinatologist, though, and my OB doesn't feel that my due date needs to be changed to what the perinatologist says it is. So, we're going back to September 8th as my due date. I don't like that idea one bit. I'm now back to only being 21 weeks 1 day pregnant.

My mother kept Katie for me this morning, so I thought I'd take advantage of her absence and hit the mall after my appointment. I first went to Children's Place to get some cute new duds for my little guy. I had picked a couple of outfits out on-line, one for a girl and one for a boy, and just hadn't had the chance (or money or energy) to go get the boy outfit yet.

After TCP, I hit Motherhood Maternity to look for pants. Up until this point, I had just been making my pre-pregnancy pants work by using a Bella Band. But that was getting tight, and I was getting sick of constantly adjusting it, so I knew I needed to give in and get some actual maternity pants. Take a look at what I got.


Both the capris and the shorts have the Secret Fit Bellys. This wasn't around when I was pregnant with Katie, and I am in love with it. It is so comfy and versatile. I don't have to worry about constantly pulling my pants back up when my belly pushes them down, and it's not as cumbersome as the old-fashioned full-belly panels because the belly material is super thin and comfortable.

I also picked up this super cute and comfy outfit.


Being able to finally get some cute and comfy maternity pants sort of balanced out my disappointment in my due date. I may have to be pregnant a week longer, but at least I'll have cute clothes to wear!

Progress?

I am 21 weeks 4 days pregnant today. This morning, for the very first time during this pregnancy, the number on my scale was higher than it was when I got pregnant.


I've only exceeded my pre-pregnancy weight by .2 pounds, so the above chart really just looks like I'm only back up to where I started, but I am hoping to continue on an upward pattern. I figure that if I can gain between 3/4 and 1 pound per week for the rest of my pregnancy, I'll end up hitting my target weight gain (15 pounds). Wish me luck!

Neighbor News

Do you remember the lovely house next door to mine? It's been vacant since those nasty people got foreclosed on. Well, the house finally sold, and we'll be getting new neighbors as soon as they finish renovating the house. (They are completely gutting the inside of the house and redoing everything.) This is both good news and bad news.

The bad news is that these neighbors do not have young children. Their children are all grown and out of the house. So, that means there will be no new little playmates for Katie.

The good news is that they don't have any punk-ass little teenagers who will want to break in to or vandalize my house. Also, since they are putting so much work and money into renovating the house, they'll probably take better care of the yard than the last people who lived there. Of course, it wouldn't take much effort to do a better job than before, would it?

Facebook v. Blogger

I've been noticing something lately. Some of my favorite bloggers have not been posting very often lately. These same bloggers have been posting updates on Facebook quite a bit, though, so I know they have not disappeared from the face of the earth. So, it makes me wonder if Facebook will be the end of blogging for some people. What do you think?

Total Liquidation

Due to my pregnancy and my upcoming re-entry into the world of babies, I have come to the realization that I just don't have the time required to devote to my Mary Kay business. Therefore, I am having a Going Out of Business Sale to try to recoup my losses on my current stock. EVERYTHING in stock is now 40% off regular price. I have lots of Miracle Sets, Microdermabrasion Sets, Color Products (lips, eyes, cheeks), and specialty items in stock. I can also still get any out-of-stock items for you, if you wish. Check out my website and call or email me today!

For those of you out-of-town readers, YES, I will ship your items (US addresses only) to you.

Oh, and please do not take this action as any indication that I don't love Mary Kay. I still LOVE my Mary Kay products and will continue to use them myself.

Easter

Even though I prayed it wouldn't happen, I ended up pretty sick on Easter. I had actually felt almost good a few days before hand, so good that my asthma doctor said I didn't need to be seen again for three months. That was Tuesday. Wednesday, Katie and I braved the cold and wind for an Easter play date with my moms group. By Wednesday night, I started to get sick again, and it just went down hill from there.

We never made it to church on Sunday morning, which really upset Katie, but we did make it to my dad's house for a small family get-together. I pretty much rested on the love seat the entire time we were there because I felt so ill. And another side effect of my illness was the fact that I didn't take very many photos on Easter, but I'll share what I do have.

On Saturday night, Phil and Katie dyed eggs. I didn't get a pic of the dying process or of the finished products, but I did snap a pick of Katie eating one of the eggs they didn't dye.


This next pic is one of Katie and her Easter basket. The bunny is the only piece of candy it contained. She also got some Yo Gabba Gabba toys, gardening gloves, and gardening tools.


This final pic was taken at my dad's house while we were waiting for everyone to come back from the neighbor's house where their neighborhood Easter egg hunt was held. I found Katie's dress a month or so ago at Old Navy and fell in love with it. I usually go a bit fancier with Katie's Easter dresses, but I just couldn't resist the adorable sundress. As it turned out, the dress was the perfect choice because the pattern completely hid the Hawaiian Punch and blackberry-raspberry pie that Katie got on it that day.


I hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your families!

Ultrasound #3

This morning was my big appointment with the perinatal specialist at the hospital where I'll be delivering my baby. The first part of the appointment was genetic counseling, because I'm old. That was really fun, having to explain my mother's crazy family and their medical history as I know it. They also had my test results that I didn't get last week. When all was said and done, they gave me 1 in 5000 chance of having a baby with Downs Syndrome, which is much lower than my 1 in 330 chance based on my age.

Next up was the level 2 ultrasound. I was really excited about it, especially after finding out that my baby is most likely healthy. The ultrasound took a really long time because they check and measure every little thing on the baby. A little more than half-way through the ultrasound, my entire world was rocked. There was a penis on the screen, and I just wasn't prepared for it. I'll admit I cried. A lot.


Eventually, the ultrasound was finished, and the doctor came in to go over the results. He was really nice. He asked me how old I was, because he said I didn't look like I could possibly be over 29. He basically told us that my baby looks perfect, and that because they could find no signs of any chromosomal abnormalities, I could go ahead and cut my chances in half, to 1 in 10,000. He recommended against the amniocentesis because the chances of losing the pregnancy from that is much higher (1 in 300) than my baby having any issues.

The doc also mentioned that their ultrasound measurements gave them an EDD for me, so I asked him what they had gotten, since I had an idea that I might be a bit further along than the 17 weeks 6 days my current EDD (9/8) made me. According to my previous ultrasound results that my OB sent them, I was due 9/3, and according to the ultrasound this morning, I am now due 08/31. So, the fact that I got pregnant in the first place, and am having a boy, makes a lot more sense now, knowing that I ovulated a lot earlier than I should have.

So, now we are faced with the daunting task of coming up with a name for this little guy. You'd think that it would be a lot easier than picking a girl's name, since we have already used so many, but really, it's not. I already had a girl's name picked out. And I am completely clueless about boys' names. I can't seem to locate my baby names book, either.

Doctor Visit #4

Yesterday was my fourth OB appointment. It was really no big deal, just your standard pee-in-a-cup, have blood pressure and weight checked, and listen to baby's heart beat appointment.

As expected, my test results from last Tuesday were not in yet, so I didn't get any answers on that front. The OB said that they won't call me if the news wasn't bad, so to call on Friday if I haven't heard anything just to make sure the results are in before my appointment on Monday with the high-risk specialist.

I got all of my other questions answered, too.

Q: Will the ultrasound on Monday be my last, or will they give me the standard 20 weeker at the regular OB office?
A: If the high-risk specialist wants to do more ultrasounds, they'll schedule them there. If they don't want anymore and I want the standard 20 weeker, I can request it at the regular OB office and have it done there.

Q: What about the amnio? Will I have my test results back in time to have that done if I need to?
A: They can do the amnio up to 20 weeks, so I should definitely have my test results back in plenty of time to do it if I need it.

So, while I still don't have my test results, I do feel a lot better about having my other questions all answered.

Oh, and by the way, according to the OB's scales, I am still down four pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Not that I want to gain a bunch of weight with this baby, but it would be nice to gain a little something. The doctors haven't said anything to me about it yet, but I'm sure if I don't start gaining soon, they will.

Picture Post

I just realized that my posts recently have been severely lacking in the photo department. So, I thought I'd share with you a few photos of our recent trip to Sea World. Enjoy!

Time to Relay

Today is the day! Phil just left to take Sarah to her friend's house to get ready for the ACS Relay for Life. The event doesn't actually begin until 1:00 this afternoon, but the team is meeting at one girl's house so they can get all of their equipment they've been storing there and get it to the event site to get set up.

It's not too late to make a tax-deductible donation, so if you'd like to, but just haven't gotten around to it yet, please click on the Relay for Life link over there >>> in my side bar.

Waiting Game

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I am not a patient person. Granted, I've mellowed out a bit since having children, but I'm still not the most patient person. That's why I'm so stressed out right now.

Yesterday, I had blood drawn for the second part of the Nuchal Translucency Test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities like Downs Syndrome. This is now standard protocol for geriatric maternity patients like myself. Anyhow, I asked the nurse if they would have my results back in time for my appointment next Monday, and she said, "Probably not."

WTH?! This is important information we're waiting on here. My OB already told me that my measurements from my ultrasound were "a little high" and that they were waiting for the second round of blood tests to make any determinations about my likelihood of having a baby with chromosomal abnormalities. I am already 16 weeks (and 1 day today) pregnant, and the window for an amniocentesis is supposed to be 16 to 18 weeks. I'll be one day shy of 17 weeks at my next appointment, so I really wanted to have my results and be able to discuss with my doctor whether or not I needed to have the amniocentesis.

I guess I'll at least have the results in time for my big appointment at the hospital on April 6th. If my test results show a high likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities, then they can take extra care to look for the signs on the ultrasound. Hopefully, everything will be just fine and the most information I'll receive at that appointment will be the gender of my baby.

Scary

Yesterday, we took a drive up to Land O'Lakes to pick up my step-son. It's a long drive, usually about an hour each way, and we had already been in the Jeep for about an hour before we started the trip because we had to drop Sarah and Emily each off at friends' houses for sleepovers.

On the way there, I realized that I needed to use the bathroom, and there was no way that I'd be able to hold it until we made it all the way home. I knew that using the bathroom at the step-son's trailer would not be happening, because even if his psycho-bitch mother would let me in, I would probably die from breathing in all of the smoke.

I decided to stop at a McDonald's on the way there to use the bathroom. On my way back out to the Jeep, I lost my balance in the parking lot and fell straight forward to the ground. It all happened so quickly, but from the way I ended up laying on the ground in the parking lot, and from the looks of my injuries, I must have tried to protect my belly by turning sideways a bit.

After Phil helped me up from the ground and I made it back into the Jeep, I noticed that my lower belly felt tight and a little achy. I wasn't having any sharp pains, but it was still worrisome. When we finally made it home, I went to bed and called my OB. I really didn't want to go to the ER, so my OB told me to just take it easy and to go to the ER if I started having sharp pains or bleeding.

Thankfully, everything seems to be just fine now. I'm still a little achy in my lower belly, but that's it. Oh, and my right knee is pretty messed up, too. I'm pretty sure my baby is okay in there, too, because last night she was quite active. It was almost like she was trying to reassure me.

Finally!

The people who live directly behind my house are FINALLY cleaning their swimming pool. It's been over two years since they've done so. I guess all of those calls to code enforcement and mosquito control are finally paying off. Now, maybe we'll be able to let Katie go out into the backyard to play without slathering her in insect repellant.

Job

I have what feels like a full-time job now. No, I'm not talking about Katie, though she does take quite a bit of work. What I'm talking about is taking my medicine. Seriously, I feel like that's all I do anymore.

Obviously, I'm still sick. I went back to the doctor yesterday, and I am now taking an antibiotic in addition to everything I was already taking. And some of these pills I have to take are SO HUGE that I just can't take them all at the same time. Or on an empty stomach. So, I have to space them out and schedule them around my meals.

I'm also taking a couple of inhaled meds on top of all of the pills. It's such a pain! And, yes, I know I'm whining, but at this point, I think I've earned the right to whine.

Just a Reminder

Sarah will be walking in the local American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in just two short weeks. If you haven't already donated to this wonderful cause, or if you'd like to donate more, please click on the link over in my side bar and do so.

Cancer is a bitch, and we need to kick its butt hard!

Crazy Katie

Katie has needed a haircut for a while now. Her hair grows very fast, so I decided that I would just let her bangs grow out instead of getting then cut all of the time. The only problem with that is the fact that Katie refuses to keep any sort of hair clip or ponytail holder in her hair for any length of time.

This morning, since I had an hour to kill while waiting for my prescription to be filled, I decided to bite the bullet and get Katie's hair cut. Here's a lovely "before" picture.


Here's a picture that I took of her this afternoon before we left to take Katie to the doctor.


And just a little while ago, Katie decided to highlight her face.


And one more picture for your viewing pleasure. Katie decided to put on a pair of Sarah's socks and shoes a few days ago.


You may have noticed that Katie is only wearing clothes in one of those pictures. She has decided that wearing clothes is beneath her. Actually, the only reason that Katie has clothes on in the "after" picture is because we were about to leave for the pediatrician. Katie has her first ear infection, by the way.

Another Week Sick

Here we are. It's been another week since I've posted anything, and I'm still sick. I think I may have had the flu last week, but I'm not 100% sure about that since since not everyone in my house got it. Whatever it was, though, it has left me with a lingering nasty cough.

So, I went back to the doctor this morning to get checked out. I saw my asthma doctor today, since my problems seem to be located in my lungs. First, they checked my lung function, and it was pretty low. Amazingly, though, my oxygen levels in my blood weren't that bad. They weren't great, but they could have been worse. After a breathing treatment, my lung function improved slightly, but it still wasn't good. Now, I get to get pumped up on steroids for the next ten days.

Backtracking a little bit now, I saw my OB last Monday morning for my regular monthly check-up. Because of my illness, I had lost two pounds at that point. But we listened to the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler, and it was nice and strong.

Then, I asked my OB about my test results. I figured that everything was okay since they hadn't already told me that there was a problem. However, after looking through my chart, I was told that the measurements from my ultrasound for my nuchal translucency test were "a little high." My doc said that he wasn't going to worry about it now, though, that they were going to wait until after they get the results from my second round of blood tests before they make any conclusions. I will be having my blood drawn for the second round of tests in two more weeks, so I have at least that long to keep worrying about this stuff.

I also got a phone call last week from my OB's office to let me know when my Level 2 ultrasound at the hospital was scheduled for. I will be having that done on April 6th, and I will be one day less than 18 weeks pregnant then, which means we should have confirmation on the sex of the baby then. Less than one more month to wait for that. I'm pretty excited about it.

In other news, I've been having a very difficult time with Sarah recently. One of the things that has been causing me (and Phil) a lot of headaches has been the fact that Sarah has been going around telling lies about me and our family. It's made for some very stressful times in my house, and I'm at my wit's end about what to do about it. I sent her to stay with her bio-dad last night to see if he could make any headway with her. I'm hoping that she'll come home from school today with a better attitude, but I know that it's not likely that she'll change her attitude overnight. Please pray for us.

Sickness

I realize that it has been a while since I have posted anything new. I also went to the doctor yesterday and should probably update you all on how that went, too. But, I am just WAY to sick right now to blog about anything, so you're just going to have to wait a little while longer. Sorry.

Ultrasound #2

Wow! What a difference a couple of weeks makes, huh? My little blob has turned into a baby! Okay, sure, she was a baby before, too, but you can really tell now.

So, obviously, I had another ultrasound this afternoon. This ultrasound was for my nuchal translucency test that looks for signs of chromosomal abnormalities like Downs Syndrome.

I made sure the ultrasound tech knew to look for that subchorionic bleed she found last time, and she said that she couldn't find any bleeds this time. She said that she could clearly see where it was last time, but that everything is cleared up now. That's great news for Phil, if you know what I mean.

We also got to hear the baby's heartbeat this time instead of just seeing it. The heart rate was a good 168 bpm, so we're still thinking she's a girl. Fingers crossed!

Illness Update

They're all sick now. All of my girls are sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching - basically they are walking advertisements for Ny-Quil. Emily never returned to school this week, and Sarah decided to stay home today, too. I took them to my mother's house near Ocala so Phil and I could get a break and a little bit of rest ourselves this weekend. Hopefully, they'll all be feeling better when we get them back on Sunday.

Dedication

Now that I am finally starting to feel better, it seems that all of my girls have come down with their own illnesses. For Katie, it's just a cold. I took Sarah to the doctor last Thursday, but even though she's been on antibiotics since then, she seems to be getting worse.

Then there's Emily. Emily started throwing up sometime Sunday evening, and it continued all day and night on Monday. And even though she was still feeling pretty miserable, she went to school yesterday anyway. Why would my child who felt so sick choose to go to school when I told her she didn't have to? Soccer.

You see, the middle school soccer teams around here have to have a minimum number of sixth graders on their teams or they can't play. Emily's team has the exact minimum number of sixth graders. Since Emily didn't want to be the cause of her team having to forfeit the game due to a lack of sixth graders, she forced herself to go to school so that she could play in the game last night. That's dedication!

By the way, she's home with me and Katie today. She really needs to rest for a while.

Back to Life

My computer has been on life support for a few weeks now. That made life pretty difficult for me since I have come to rely on this particular piece of technology. But, she is back to normal now, and I am, for the time being, happy.

During my computer's down time, I was without my beloved MSN, which really screwed my daily life up. First of all, I didn't have access to my calendar that I have come to rely on so much. It's the only way that I can keep all of my girls' and my schedules coordinated.

I was also without my favorites. Which meant that I was unable to visit some of my daily blog reads. For some reason, there are some blogs that I visit that aren't listed on my blog roll and I'm also not following them. I should probably try to take care of that situation some time soon.

Anyhow, I got caught up on all of my blog reading today. I may not have left comments on all of them, though, since I was trying to cram a few weeks worth of reading into a couple of hours. I'm sorry if I neglected to leave you a comment during my catch-up reading.

So, there are a couple of things that I got from other blogs that I am going to share with my readers because I said I would. The first comes from Queenie Jeanie. It's a Purse Meme. Here are the rules:

1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!

2. I want to know how much it costs =). And this is not to judge. It is for entertainment purposes only. So, spill it. And, if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.

3. Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you're showing everyone your bag.

Since my camera needs new batteries, I'm using a stock photo of my bag.


This is my Vera Bradley "Betsey" bag in "Java Blue." It retails for $63. This bag used to belong to my mother. She said that my stepfather didn't like it and asked me to put it on eBay for her. I told her that she should just give it to me instead, and so she did. (I also own this same bag in the "Mod Floral Pink" pattern.)

As for what's in my bag, well, surprisingly little, actually. I've only been carrying this bag for a couple of days, and the bulk of my "purse stuff" is still in my other bag. The current contents of this bag are as follows: cell phone, car keys, one check book (there are still two in the regular bag), business cards, one planner (yep, there's a second one still in my other bag), albuterol inhaler, hand sanitizer, one pen (I usually have several), my sunglasses, two Mary Kay compacts (one with eye shadow, blush, and a lipstick, and one with powder and a lipstick), my Vera Bradley wallet (that matches my other bag), two Mary Kay Look Books, and a half-empty container of Tic-Tacs.

This next item comes from Tattooed Minivan Mom. What kind of dog am I? Apparently, I'm a Pyrenean Shepherd. Go here to find out what kind of dog you are.

Nothing But Phelgm

So, I'm still sick. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get over this nasty sinus cold. I'm just glad that I don't have morning sickness on top of all of this.

Last Wednesday night was Emily's first school soccer game, and I had to miss it because I was so sick. It was also the coldest night of the year, so it was really a good thing that I didn't go out. Emily's team ended up winning the game 3-0, though I really feel that the other team should have had to forfeit the game since they showed up a half-hour late.

In other news, Katie is completely and totally potty-trained now. We've been putting her in pull-ups at night, but she has woken up completely dry every day for more than a week now, and has even gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom on a couple of occasions. She is so proud of herself, and we are proud of her, too.

As for Sarah, there's not a whole lot of exciting news there. She's just working hard at school and getting great grades. She's been really enjoying her science class lately, as they have been working on lots of fun projects. A couple of weeks ago, she and a friend had to design and build a self-propelled car for class. Over this past weekend, Sarah had to build a container that would keep an egg from breaking after being dropped from the second story of the school. They dropped their eggs today, and Sarah's egg did not break.

That's pretty much all that's been going on in my household. I'll be going back to the OB office next Friday for my next ultrasound, which is part of my nuchal translucency testing. I can't wait to see my baby again!

Oh, and I dyed my hair today. No, I don't have any photos to show you what it looks like, but it is definitely more red than my last attempt.

Baby Pic

So, here's the long awaited ultrasound pic.


Isn't she cute? Yes, we're calling the baby a "she," and until someone tells us otherwise, that's what we're going with.

Ultrasound

I had my second OB visit this morning. Because I have been having some mild spotting, the doctor decided to do an ultrasound to check everything out. So, I got to see my baby this morning. The baby is right on schedule as far as size and development goes, so my due date will not be changed at this point. The ultrasound did show that I do have a small subchorionic bleed, so my doctor put me on pelvic rest and wants me to take it easy for a while. We're hoping that it will be reabsorbed into the placenta by the time I have my next ultrasound on the 20th of this month.

I did get a pic of the baby from the ultrasound, but until Phil gets all of my programs back on my computer, I can't scan it to upload it. I will make sure to post it as soon as I can.

Date Night

Phil and I went out tonight! We caught a great show and still made it home by 10:30 pm. Here's a really cool video from the band that we saw tonight.

Procrastination

I have a confession to make. I just sent away for Katie's birth certificate. She's almost two and a half years old.

I don't know why I've put this off for so long. I honestly intended to order the birth certificate within a few days of coming home from the hospital. But when we came home, I was still so sick, so I didn't want to deal with anything that wasn't absolutely urgent.

After that, there's never really been any urgency about ordering it. It's been in my "to do" pile on my desk for more than two years now, but there has always been something else that needed to be taken care of "right away" that took precedence.

So, now Katie is almost two and a half years old, and I still have no birth certificate for her. I'm thinking that I may need one if I decide to sign her up for preschool next year when she turns three. I will definitely need one for VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten provided by the state) when she turns four.

Oh, well. At least it's finally taken care of.

Potty Talk

I've been a bit hesitant to blog about this because I didn't want to jinx myself, but I'm pretty sure that Katie is completely daytime potty trained. Katie has worn panties every day since Tuesday, and hasn't had any accidents at all. She has even been taking her two-hour afternoon naps in her panties. We've been putting a pull-up on her at night, but that's it as far as diapers go.

I'm so happy about this! Now, I can use the money we won't be spending on diapers for Katie to start stocking up on diapers for the new baby. And since it will be months before the new baby is here, there shouldn't be any regressing for Katie because she'll be so far past the diaper stage.

Here's a pic I took of Katie last night dancing around in her panties and Daddy's boots. Sorry if it's a little blurry.

Happy New Hair

Since I couldn't stand for that awful photo from my previous post to be at the top of my blog anymore, I thought I'd share with you a photo of Sarah's new hair cut. Phil took her to get it done yesterday, so I had absolutely no say in the matter. It was all her decision.

So, what do you think?

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Does this look like a person who can honestly state in court papers, under penalty of perjury, that he does not drink?


What if he also has the following listed on his Facebook profile:
"Activities: Fishing, Camping, Drinking, Relaxing
Interests: Football, Cigars, Beer, Politics, firearms, Cars"?

Yeah, I didn't think so either.


Oh, and to the blog-stalking child-bride: If you think you're going to send this to your attorney claiming that I've done something wrong, you're an idiot. All of the above information, as well as the photo, were taken from a public website that the deadbeat in question posted himself.

I Feel So Special

The wonderful Queenie Jeannie has bestowed upon me another award. She is just too sweet for words.


There are no real "rules" that go along with this award. I can give it to as many or as few people as I want. So, if you don't see yourself on the list of awardees below, and you would like the award anyway, please go ahead and take it. Just let me know that you did so that I can check out your post about it and see who you are passing it along to.

Andrea - We have very similar senses of humor and I think that helps us to get along pretty well. Plus, one day we'll be family when our children wed. You can visit her blog to get a preview of what my grandchildren will look like.

Kelsey - She reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age. She's WAY mature beyond her years, but still likes to have fun like the teenager that she is.

Kaycee - She also reminds me of when I was younger, when I was a young mother of two little girls. She has no idea how much more "fun" she's in for in about ten years!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

You may have noticed I've been MIA lately. There really hasn't been much going on around here. I've been sick, which has kept me from doing much. No, I'm not sick because of my pregnancy. I got a nasty cold shortly after finding out I was pregnant, and not being able to take any good OTC meds for it made it get out of control.

After a trip to see my asthma doctor - yes, I'm already having issues with that - I am now on some new meds and an antibiotic for my now infection. I'm starting to feel better, but I'm not 100% yet.

Katie is potty training off and on. We're not pushing her to train, so we just let her work on her own schedule. Yesterday was a great day on that front. Even though Katie wore a pull-up all day, she kept it dry all day. She even pooped in the potty at least two times. Maybe she's really ready for this now. As long as she's out of diapers by the time the new baby arrives, I'm cool with it.

Emily begins practice this afternoon for the school soccer team. She's been looking forward to this all year. I hope she enjoys it.

First OB Visit

I had my first OB visit this afternoon. I know it may seem a little soon since I'm supposedly only five weeks along, but I have been freaking out about all sorts of things since finding out I am pregnant, so I really needed to get in right away.

One of the main things I have been worrying about is how far along I really am. Because if you go by my LMP*, I'm exactly five weeks today. But, I also should not have been ovulating early enough for me to have gotten pregnant in the first place, so who knows when I ovulated? When I talked to my OB about it today, she said that since I had just come off of the birth control pill, I could have ovulated just about anytime.

When she did my pelvic exam, she also checked the size of my uterus to see if I was about where I should be based on my current due date, and she said that I felt more like six to seven weeks instead of five weeks. Oy! She said it was possible that I ovulated earlier than I thought or that I had a fibroid. Either, or both, are possible. I was "bigger" than I should have been with Sarah, and it turned out that I was about six days further along AND I had a fibroid. I'm just glad she didn't mention the "T" word!

So, now I've got more stuff to worry about. If I ovulated earlier than I thought, my chances of having a boy increase. I am really hoping that this baby is not a boy. Sure, I would love a boy just as much as I love my girls, but logistically, a boy would be much more difficult for us. We are currently planning to have this child share Katie's room with her, and pretty much everything in there is pink. The crib bedding I have is pink. Most of Katie's toys are pink. And of course, hand-me-downs from Katie are a LOT less expensive than brand new boy clothes.

So, please say a little prayer for me and my baby, if you're the praying type. Pray that no matter what, this little one is healthy. Pray that I can get through this pregnancy without any complications like I've had in the past. And please pray that this baby is a girl. Please.


*last menstrual period

First Award of 2009

I have just received my very first blog award of the new year. Woo-hoo! Feather K has just given me this very prestigious award.


This award is pretty self explanatory.. it is given to those whose blog is entertaining and fun to read... one you get excited about when you notice a new entry!

I hereby pass this lovely award on to the following blogs:

One Day My Pond Will Come
K... is Not Your Average Girl
The Scattered Mind of a Tattooed Minivan Mom
Where Are My Angels

I would have given this award to Queenie Jeannie, too, but someone else already beat me to it.

New Year, New Game Plan

Happy New Year! I am looking forward to a lot of changes taking place this year.

The first change will involve this blog. No, I am not calling it quits, but I will not be blogging on a daily basis anymore. I started off 2008 by entering a blogging contest with some of my friends. After the contest was over, I decided to continue blogging daily for the rest of the year as a challenge for myself. Now that I have successfully completed that challenge, I have decided to cut back on my blogging because I have so much more going on in my life now.

The second change I am looking forward to is building up my Mary Kay business. I haven't gotten off to the greatest start, and I'm hoping to change that soon. I could really use a little extra income, especially considering change number three.

In case you don't already know about it, change number three is a pretty big deal. This upcoming change is something that took me completely by surprise, but it's absolutely wonderful. This summer, we are expecting a new addition to the family. That's right - I'm pregnant with baby number four.


So, yeah, lot's of changes to come this year. BIG changes!