Prego Update

We had a days worth of appointments yesterday:
- Met with the surgeon. Surgery is scheduled for June 27th @ 7am. We have to be there at 515am - its a 45 minute drive. But, I'll be awake for this c-section!
- Met with the OB doc. I couldn't beg her either to let me go earlier!
- Registered at the hospital, visited with the nurses about what to expect, etc. Got a little tour. I like the hospital Scott was born at better.
- Stopped at the farm Keller (deaf mini aussie) came from. She has cute pups that are ready to go. I knew not to beg in front of the owner but did so in the car. Scheming on working a deal with the owner. She really likes her vet (my hubby) and said she'd work a deal with us.

We made it home by 4pm, Ryan headed back to the clinic for one more appointment. I began preparing supper for the "new people" in town. We had them out for burgers with guacamole (my favorite - the guacamole that is) and strawberry shortcakes for dessert. Their two boys were quite fun for my little guy to play with. Their 3 week old daughter was as adorable as could be too.

Okay, my hungry belly is calling!

Weekend at a Glance

Saturday morning we honored our fallen by helping the American Legion place crosses and flags on all the veterans grave sites. It was really neat to give back to the community in such a way. Of course, we forgot our camera and missed some priceless photo ops with Scott placing flags on the crosses. We met a half hour early and Ryan shared with our friends who also joined in the activity. He shared a speech written by RushLimbaugh's dad and then read the constitution before we spent a few minutes in prayer. It was very cool.

That afternoon, we picked up Kristin at the airport for a short but nice weekend of hanging out. We introduced her to life in the sticks as we know it. Of course, we made a quick stop while in civilization for a caramel frappuccinno and some new shoes for the little guy. We took the scenic route home (which means that we weren't on the interstate at all, not even the typical 20 mile stretch). On the way, we stopped several times which was good for my aching back and whiny attitude. One stop was for a potty break/tour of my office building. The next place was for a famous burger. But it was more than that. We also drove through the cemetary where we'd earlier placed flags and then stopped by the site of the Centre. The Centre has yet to be built but we drove around the location which meant it was an "over the river and through the woods" experience in a 4-cylinder, 2 wheel drive little car!

There is so much more to the sticks experience though. After Sunday church, we ventured off to a great little place for Chinese. However, that meant crossing state lines and crossing the Mississippi River too. On the way home, we stopped at the mansion on the hill, once home to Iowa Governor William Larrabee. Only by this point, I was too tired to tour the mansion. I know I'm horrible but I just couldn't do it. Instead, we walked the grounds, snapped a few pictures and got back in the car. Back at home, we piddled around the house. Of course, the "sticks" experience couldn't be complete without shooting something, right? The boys took Kristin out to experience the potato gun. Yes, a potato gun. She shot and aimed a PVC pipe contraption that fired a potato after filling a barrel with a something flammable. And knowing that she was willing to shoot that, I figured she'd also be willing to shoot a 20-gauge shotgun. The boys (Ben had been with us all day making up for the 4 weeks we hadn't seen him) got out the clay pigeons, the thrower, some shells and the gun. They proceeded with the rural experience. Of course, I had to try to hit a clay pigeon too. And of course, Kristin got a picture of it. It is the BIGGEST WHITE TRASH picture ever! After that, I asked the boys to put the toys away since we still had yet to hit the graduation party that started 5 hours earlier. A quick trip to that and then we stopped at the vet clinic where Kristin got a quick tour. Okay, FYI to everyone, Ryan has NEVER worked on a penguin in case any one else is wondering.

Monday was a lazy day. We hung out around the house, in our pj's most of the morning. Scott went outside with Ryan to work on the swing set thing. And while out there, Scott fell from 7' high, did a flip and landed on his back! Ryan brought him inside and he was crying. I thought he was just whining about having to come inside. Nope, he had reason to be crying this time. The poor kid had just been scared to death but otherwise seemed normal. He wasn't sure what he wanted - inside or outside, have mommy hold him or get down. After a shot of Tylenol and some time playing in the floor with Kristin, I was a bit apprehensive but put him down for a nap before we left to head back to the airport. We stopped for one more "sticks" experience at a local drive-in burger joint.

I had a great weekend visiting even though I was exhausted and very pregnant/whiny. My son seems to be a bit "off" the last few days. He doesn't exhibit any pain, has a little bruise on his hand and one on his back. Otherwise, he won't go up the stairs now without someone holding his hand and is a bit quiet the past few days. But, he still runs around like crazy for the most part. I tried to call the chiropractor about getting him in but they close at noon today. So, maybe the small fry can have my appointment for tomorrow and have a quick fix on the little guy. I hope its nothing else but we shall see.

Yesterday

Monday was a rough day for both of us. I was lacking sleep which made my attitude worse. Ryan had a bad afternoon at the clinic. We were both pissy. But Tuesday was better. I had 1 1/2 hours at home alone to get a few things accomplished. My spare bedroom is clean, the nursery is clean and stacked with boxes of clothes from Scott. Ryan came home tired and unmotivated but I was okay with that since Tuesday is his one night to veg in front of the TV. Mom showed up around 7pm and we visited while Scott entertained everyone.
Ryan's 8pm show wasn't on so I mentioned that it would be a good time for him to help me clean. yeah, didn't happen! I asked him to bathe Scott but I ended up taking the kiddo upstairs and starting the bath. WHen Ryan came up, he stood in the bathroom for a minute (long enough for me to nag him about cleaning it before company arrives) and then headed to Scott's room to build him a log house. Not sure why he did that rather than bathe the kid. So, instead, here I am, fat momma, bending over bathing my kid and being ticked that my husband was "playing" rather than bathing his kid. I put Scott to bed, we prayed with him and then Ryan headed to bed as I went back downstairs. I spent a half hour cleaning before I sat on the couch to read for a while. It was nice, quiet and I was all by myself. Even though I was steaming mad that I didn't have help, I understood that hubby has been working hard and needed some rest. It felt so good to have my living room picked up, dishes put away and the dining room picked up.
The rest of the week will be busy. I really think there's something going on tonight but can't remember it. Tomorrow night is anniversary and we start dog sitting for the weekend. Friday night we have graduation parties to go to. Saturday morning we will honor out fallen soldiers by placing memorial flags and pray for those serving. Saturday afternoon we pick up K at the airport and hang out with her for the rest of the weekend. Of course, we'll drag her to a few more graduation parties, etc. I'm excited for a long weekend with a clean house :)

CUTE

He's such a smart little guy. He puts on his sunglasses and instantly lets you know that he's "cute". I must agree, he is absolutely adorable! The following pictures were taken last weekend when the little man was outside helping his dad put together the swing.

Whiny and Pissy

I've really enjoyed my shorter work days. Its been nice to have energy to go home and get some things done. Unfortunately, I think I was too motivated and had too much time. Between having my kiddo home more and just being home, my days have been much more physical work. And carrying my 30+ pound kid around and carrying laundry from the 2nd story to the basement did me in. I think I pulled a muscle in my abdomen! Friday night I felt like I'd already had another c-section. It hurt to move, breathe, cough, etc. I was okay with it at first as it was a great reminder to what I will be feeling in a few weeks. But when things were still hurting on Sunday, I called urgent care. They suggested I go see my doctor which I wasn't willing to do. Instead, I opted to lay low all weekend. And that would be okay except I have 5 million things to do:
- Birthday/Graduation cards to make and gifts to wrap
- Laundry
- Finish cleaning up in the baby room
- Clean house for company that's coming over Memorial Weekend
- Fresh sheets on all the beds
- Water the garden
- Replant the garden that had to be moved
- Play with son who's dying to be outside ALL the time
- Oh, and let's not forget work
I'm sure there's more to do. My anniversary is on Thursday. I've already told my husband that we'll have to play it by ear as I don't know where my energy/comfort level will be. Dinner and a movie would be fun but sitting through a movie in a theatre just won't work at this point. Sadly, I need Thursday to finish cleaning before K arrives.

Otherwise a good weekend. Some friends came over and hung out. And it wasn't a rush over, eat a meal, visit quick and head home kind of deal. They came, the boys worked on putting together the jungle gym thing while us wives played with the kiddos, sat in lawn chairs outside, bathed the filthy kids, etc. It was nice and also nice for Ryan to have help with the project he's working on. He said he's on step 44 of 100+ steps. Its a slow process.

During that though, I was asked exactly where I wanted the thing to go. At this point, I had to share with my husband that I wanted it moved. And unless I justified my reasoning, it wasn't going to happen. So, I had to let him know that I was scheming on something. He's sure I'm having a patio poured for him but I'm not giving up any of the details. The thing got moved to the opposite side of the house. The new location is where our septic system got put in last fall, where hubby just finished dragging it last week and where I had planted the garden last Wednesday. So, not only did the thing get moved, but J dug up all my garden plants that had to be moved for the set. Then hubby re-planted the garden for me yesterday and cut up some rhubarb after he missed church for an emergency call and got back home before I did.

So, lots going on that I don't have the energy for. I'm eager for #2 to arrive!!!

Lots of Little Things

OB visit yesterday:
- I'm still pregnant
- Waited over an hour to see the doc (she had an emergency at the hospital)
- I actually had my kid & mom with me yesterday so they had to endure the wait too.
- Doc limited me to 5 hour work days - WOO HOO!

Scheming
I have a great husband so I'm working up something for him but can't mention any of the details here just in case he peeks in here.

Little Man is Organized
He's a riot, where do I even begin with him. Funny story from yesterday. He went to put his shoes away but the other shoes on the rug weren't lined up just right. I stood there and watched him for at least two minutes while he straightened out shoes, got them lined up perfectly and made room for all the shoes to fit. Finally I told him to just toss them on the rug and leave them there. The kid isn't even 2 yet and already he's portraying some habits of being neat and organized. I can only hope that continues to be a character trait that he develops. Oh and one more quick story... he loves to be outside ALL the time. But lately, his outside means running in and out of the dog kennel and shutting and opening the kennel gate. I know he likes to open/close doors but this obsession has been taken to a whole new level. I'm sure the dog wonders why in the world the kid would voluntarily go in there! Even the mention of "kennel" gets him all excited!

Little Man, is he Sick?
He had a "sick" weekend. I thought it was just allergies since he was outside for a few hours Friday night and a few hours again Saturday morning. On our way to Iowa City, the sickness was starting to rear its ugly head and I was realizing it was more than allergies. Not sure if it was croup or strep throat (he's had both at least 4 times each), I tried to limit the contact with his 10 month old and 90 year old family members. That's hard to do when its Mother's Day and you want him to socialize with family he rarely sees. He got Pediacare for the next few days straight. On Tuesday morning he woke up like a champ. No runny nose, no coughing, etc. But he had a sty on his eyelid. Yesterday while at the doctor's office, he rubbed his eye, breaking open the sty, it bled/oozed a little and looks much better now.

Thank you Mom & Papa
They usually keep Scott on Thursday night which allows us to socialize late with our bible study group. But tonight he's going with us to socialize so mom kept him last night. It was so nice to have a "free" night at home with a few less things to do. I was able to grill burgers & potatoes with sauteed onions for supper without having to feed Scott, bathe him, etc. And prior to that, I planted some of my garden without having to keep an eye on the wild man. No doubt, I love my child but it was nice to have a night off last night.

Alright I know I'm forgetting something... it will have to wait till later I guess.

Feeling Old

One of the girls turns 30 today. Wow, what a milestone, or is it? I remember the "younger" years when milestones were:
15 (permit to drive)
16 (driver's license),
18 (supposed adult, gamble, buy cigarettes)
21 (drinking)
But honestly, none of those were huge milestones for me. Granted, I was able to get my license when I turned 16 (mom's rule was you had to have straight A's) but it wasn't like I had my own car. And what did it matter, I lived right behind the high school anyway. At 18 and 21, I wasn't interested in the things the law now legally allowed me to do so they were no big deal either. But 30, I'm thinking that might be a milestone for me.

As it is, I feel old. Not that I think I'm wrinkly, old and dying or anything. But feeling like I need to be a responsible adult ALL the time. Sometimes though, I forget and let my hair down. One of those times, more recently, my husband pointed it out to me. We were leaving and I had to run back in the house for something. On my way up the walk, I very sarcastically dropped the back of my pants and mooned my husband. His response was something along the lines of "one of these days your child is going to be very embarrassed when he sees his mom do that". And then it hit me... not only am I an adult, I'm a mom and wife and need to act appropriately. Although, I couldn't help but think two things in that instant. My child will either think his mom is still humorous and fun or he'll be embarrassed - it might depend on if his friends are nearby to see it too.

So, once again I'm feeling like an adult. No more up all night conversations with the girls, no more midnight tanning sessions, no more random trips to the lake with the guys, no more college life. I'm married. I have two children (one of which is still kicking at my from the inside). I have a career. What did I do, what did I give up and Why? Honestly, I love it. I have a husband who loves me and tries to do things to express that love to me. I have a son who has the biggest and best smile that melts my heart constantly. I have a life that although crazy at times, is exactly perfect for me. Sure, I miss my friends back home but life here is wonderful and I'm glad to be home here!

Belly Size

I got an email from a buddy last week who measured her belly at 38" and she's due 2 weeks after me. Well, the competitive side of me (since that's how the two of us were all growing up) had to also measure. I measured multiple times when I was due with Scott but had not done so with #2. This weekend, while staying with Ryan's cousin, we got out the tape measure to check. My belly was 40+ inches around. Comparing to this time with Scott, it's about the same. Only this time I think I was a little bigger around the center to start with. I still hadn't quite lost all my belly size from pregnancy #1 and although I may never lose it, I sure would like to think that I will.

Story of the Day

After a long day at the office, followed by a "town meeting" with a child who didn't have an afternoon nap, it was more than time to get my kiddo home, bathed and in bed. We left the meeting a bit early but the fun-loving mom I am, I was sure that my kid needed some "play" time. So, a quick trip to the "pond" and we found grammy&papa out fishing. Each caught fish while there and Scott had some fun reactions. The first bass mom caught flipped its tail up splashing Scott in the face. His expression was priceless. The second bass she caught, he would NOT touch. And he cried as I tried to stretch his hand out to help him touch the fish. Instead, he asked grammy to put the fish in the water and then sat there and called fish: "here fishy, fishy, fishy".

But, that's not the story of the day... we left the pond and headed home where we did go right up stairs to the bath. The kid loves the bath and was playing with a few toys while I sat and watched from my seat on the toilet while making a quick phone call. It was during the call that I looked down to see that Scott had pooped in the tub. Yes, he pooped in the tub - 2 big brown things. Okay, the last 4 days have been diarrhea and this could have been really nasty! Fortunately, it wasn't a diarrhea tub. I drained the water, grabbed some TP and picked out the chunks all the while trying to keep Scott from playing with it. It was a fun experience.

In other news

Kid updates... well my husband has this cute video and pictures of Scott driving the "tractor" of his grandpas. Yes, my son truly is adorable!!! Here are a few things:
1. When asked his name, he'll say the whole thing: first, middle and last (6 syllables)
2. His favorite word is "no" and he has complete attitude when saying it even though I don't think he realizes what/how he's saying. We're working on disciplining that.
3. He's a food thief. If your plate is within reach, he does help himself to what he wants.
4. He likes fruit salad with "yogurt" which isn't actually yogurt but instead a concoction of cream cheese, marshmallow cream, milk, etc. His favorite fruit right now is grapes and otherwise strawberries.
5. He still has a fetish with shoes, vehicles and tractors.

Baby clothes... what drama. Because we don't know what we're having, I dug out Scott's clothes this weekend. What I found was that you truly can NOT store clothes in airtight bags or they discolor. yes, the look like someone pee'd on them. Its gross! So, I spent several hours sorting the gobs of clothes into stained v. not stained. And then sorted them in gender neutral v. boy clothes. I began washing them yesterday. And last night when my husband saw the massive piles of clothes, I think he was a bit disgusted. Our son has TONS of clothes! Wow, I can't even begin to imagine the money we spent on clothes. I so need hand-me-downs this next go round!

Tax return... more drama. We're buying a swing set for SCott. And of course, nothing simple or cheap if we want it to last. Because we have a somewhat frugal budget, we're using our tax return to pay for it. Fortunately there should be some cash left over. Hubby thinks it needs to go to bills. I told him I had other plans for it and wasn't giving any other details. I'm sure that went over well. Hopefully he's smart enough to realize I'm doing something for him and doesn't ask any more about it.

Obsessive Whiner

I feel like all I did this weekend was whine about aches and pains. When I think about the big picture, I feel pretty decent. But when I break down all the little things, there's a ton of pregnancy irritations:
- major back pain - like as soon as I wake up and then all day long yesterday.
- Tight muscles - last evening I had a massive headache and my jaw hurt. There was no reason for my jaw to hurt so I knew it was related to tight muscles in my neck.
- Heart burn - this royally sucks. I ate fruit last night and had such bad heart burn that I thought I was going to puke
- Achy muscles - yes, my whole body aches. I hate getting up in the morning knowing that my feet ache before they hit the floor.
Yes, I've whined and whined about it. I feel bad for my husband. He has to listen (or at least hear) me complain. He gets zero attention for his aches, long days at work, etc. And the mini-martha stage is gone as I've not made one meal lately unless you count honey bran muffins (from a mix) and chocolate milk as a meal. And then my poor child gets to have a lazy mom who isn't eager to take him upstairs to bathe him, outside to play or even get down in the floor to play. I just tell him that mommy is getting too old and fat at this point.

Oh Lord, please make these next few weeks go by incredibly fast and somewhat comfortably. Help me hold my whining to a minimum as it does no good to anyone. Amen!

Time flies...

...when you're having fun, not sleeping enough and uncomfortable!
I can't believe how quickly my days have passed this week. My week has been great as I started each day off on the right foot. Several of us are getting together for what we're calling "extreme week". We started on Sunday after church with a brief meeting. And now we're meeting from 615-7am each morning this week to focus a little more on prayer and listening. Wow, it has been an interesting few days with a variety of challenges and experiences.

We spent 10 minutes on Monday just listening. Have you ever sat in silence for 10 minutes? I know that I don't do that often and it was so hard to sit quietly and not let my "to do" list and other thoughts take over. What a good day. In that time, I really thought about loving and respecting my husband. Now, of course I love him and respect him for the most part. but, I could be doing so much better. And I need to do those two things in ways that he will comprehend and appreciate!

Tuesday was very interesting and encouraging. We challenged each other and ourselves to pray at the times of the day that Muslims pray. Making myself available to set aside the things I was doing for six different prayer times during the day was interesting and challenging. I had to manipulate some of the scheduled times because of prior commitments and interruptions. But, it was awesome to try to understand the effort and commitment of a Muslim person who does the scheduled prayers every day! It also brought up some very interesting conversation with a guy who was sitting at my desk and looked at my palm pilot when the "prayer time" reminder popped up on the screen.

And this morning, I was just glad to be up and meeting at 615 as I was super sore and tired this morning. I was in the field yesterday walking on uneven ground, up and down hills while flagging waterways for a guy. Let me just say that I was whipped!!! I even stopped twice and sat in the field for a few minutes while gaining my energy back and talking myself into finishing the job. I think I was asleep on the couch sometime around 730pm! I did wake back up to eat some fruit and dip before I headed upstairs, put the kiddo in bed, journaled a little and went to sleep. My legs are still tired and achy this morning and I think I'm done with the field work for the season unless its a small job in a flat field!!!