Okay, so its been a while again. And today I had a brilliant idea to come to my mom's house even though they're in California, to post a few stories and read up on a few things. I also planned to make a postcard to send to my mom and Ralph in California. So, I dragged the two kids to town and my effort has been somewhat pointless. I downloaded my new digital camera yesterday and only left pictures that I needed to print off to scrap book. So, I have one crappy picture that I could share and now a crying baby. But, I think she'll fall back asleep so here's an update.

First off, out of nowhere, my mom's computer is playing music and I have nothing open... weird!

Tebbe's Visit
One of my best buddies came out for a weekend visit. She brought her daughter is who is just a few months younger than SCott. They played wonderfully together and I was so glad to spend a few quality hours with my friend. It rained when we wanted to play outside and was really beautiful weather otherwise. Our kids visited the nature center. Scott was scared to death of the live turtles and wouldn't get close to the stuffed bear or moose while Drew loved everything, even the turtle that pee'd all over the place twice. We also visited the local trout hatchery. I work with these guys all the time but in five years here had never actually been to the hatchery. The kids were spoiled with a bucket of food to feed the fish rather than paying a quarter for a few morsels. They fed the brood trout and loved every minute of it. That afternoon we stopped at my moms where the kids went swimming in Scott's little pool. That was the only thing that didn't go over so well. When both kids got out, the water was dirty and I quickly learned that it wasn't from them getting in and out but rather from MY kid pooping in his little swimmy! Yeah, that was a fun diaper to clean!!!! We did find a few minutes to go out and take pictures in the wild flowers of the rolling hills just down the road from my house. (pictures to come, hopefully)

6 week check up
I had my regular check up with the doctor. I was cleared to do everything I want to do :) She also gave me another 10 days off because my mom (aka daycare provider) is on an emergency trip to California. So, instead of finding someone to pawn my kids off on when Bethany still isn't taking a bottle so well, I get to stay home with them.

Leaving the check up was drama
(okay baby is crying again and Scott has climbed upstairs and is hollering down at me... we'll see what I get typed) It was a quick trip to Dtown for a check up. I took one of the HS girls with me to watch Scott during the appt. As I was stopped at the clinic drive to turn out on the highway, my car leaped forward even though I hadn't taken my foot off the gas. Long story short, my car died in the turn lane of the highway. It was hot, I had two kids in the car and didn't know who to call. With a little help from a friend, a toy truck was on the way. Can you say that you've ever ridden in your car on the back of the tow truck? After suggesting I sit and wait with two kids, a HS girl and an emotional me, they gave me a loaner car. Why would I be emotional anyway, I did just have a kid, right? I also didn't have my credit card, had one check in my check book and was over tired. To top it off, my mom called me while I was on the tow truck to tell me she missed me already. I was so frustrated I cried. And the drama didn't end there, that night I jumped out of the loaner car to drop off some squash to a friend. I returned to a LOCKED car! Yes, I was freaking out. A 40 minute drive, 630pm and the doors were locked. Scott was asleep but Bethany was crying her head off. I said a quick prayer and grabbed the handle on the back door to find that it was open. THANK YOU GOD! After all that, I picked up my car two days later and upon paying the dealership $690 (thank you retirement account), I drove my little Cavalier home. Whew-wee.

Two Days, Two Kids, Too Much Crying
Who knows what Bethany's deal is. I kinda think that she's just spoiled. But she's been whiny and crying the past few days. And that's manageable. But when my two year old is doing the same thing, it's a bit much. Scott has had a snotty nose and had his fingers in his mouth; maybe its his two-year molars? All I know is those two days were not fun-filled and I was thankful when my husband came home and could help with the crying babies. Now, a few days later, Scott's nose isn't as bad and its not teeth. He must have had a cold.

Oh, Tomorrow
Tomorrow is a new day. I may have to go into the office for a bit, which is fine. And then tomorrow night is girls night out. Of course, I'll take my attachment which is easier than pumping at this point. But Scott, he'll stay with his dad. I'm excited.

Yes, we are alive

It's been a long time since I've sat at the computer. So much so, that I had to cut my nails to be able to type without hitting multiple keys at once. I've been home for 5 weeks now and it's been wonderful but fast. Little Miss Bethany is growing like a weed. She is sleeping through the night like a champ. Only, I still wake up fearing that she's not breathing because it's been so long. By this time, her food supply is overflowing and I'm more than ready to pump before she can eat.



My inlaws have been here for a few weeks now and we've thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. Its been good having them near yet not under the same roof. They are wonderful, don't get me wrong, it's just good to have a few hours here and there to do my own thing. I really appreciate their understanding. They leave tomorrow and as they leave, we head down to pick up one of my best buds at the airport for a long weekend. I'm super excited to have her here as well as her daughter who's the same age as Scott.



We just got done with our "play day" at the park. It's fun but man, those benches are rough on my hiney! I really enjoy being able to do the mommy thing and might have to consider taking off early on a regular basis on Wednesdays so I can "play" with my buddies too.



I'm currently copying pictures to a disk for Ryan's folks. The time remaining is 20 minutes. Yup, its tons of pictures. I might as well run to the grocery store while it copies! But, nah, I think I'll take a quick visit by some of your sites because I miss my internet friends. In the mean time, here's a picture:

Update

Bethany
Yes, she is keeping us busy. Not because she's bothersome, but because she's beautiful. No, seriously, she's a doll and we're enjoying her immensely. She sleeps amazingly well, isn't whiny, doesn't cry too often and eats fairly well. At her 10 day check up, she had gained 15 oz. from the time she left the hospital. Yes, she's a good eater and gets fed well. Although, she does prefer to sleep and we have to wake her to eat. Last Friday (day 17 for Bethany), I had my check up with the surgeon and out of curiosity, had her weighed. She had lost an ounce. Now, we all know there's a margin of error, etc, but the fact of the matter is that she should have gained weight and hadn't. So, the doc's office called this morning and she's scheduled to stop in for another visit tomorrow. Otherwise, we're doing great. All of us are loving our little girl!

Scott
Scott turned 2 on Saturday. It was a blast. Ryan's folks and his paternal grandparents came up on Friday. We all (my folks included) got to celebrate together. Scott loved the ice cream, didn't care much for the cake and hadn't to be talked into opening the remainder of his gifts after the first one caught his full attention. He loves his little sister and LOVES to give her lots of kisses. He also tries to snuggle her, tickle her and other stuff which doesn't always work out so well. He's a good big brother - so far!

Life in General
Life is good. Bethany sleeps about 5 hours at a time during the night. So, we're getting decent sleep at night. Mocha, the toy Aussie, frustrates us a bit at times during the night. She thinks she needs out of her kennel at 430am. And since I'm up with the baby for an hour during "feeding" time, I opt to let Ryan deal with my puppy. He's not appreciating her at all! Good thing she's cute!

In-laws
My in-laws are here for a few weeks. Kind of weird though, they have their own home and so they don't stay with us. But, its an hours drive from here so no one just runs over for a quick visit. I'm glad to have them here, as usual and have appreciated finding a short cut to their house.

Okay, so I've totally been out of the blogging world for several weeks now. I look forward to catching up with a few of you ladies again in the near future. But for now, I must get back to my kiddo - who I left at mom's while I ran "real quick" to the vet clinic. For those of you interested in seeing videos of little Bethany, check out youtube.com and search my last name.

It was supposed to rotate and didn't. So, cock your head to the side to get a good view...

Baby GIRL

Real quick update:

Bethany Lynn was born on June 27th @ 736am
8lbs, 14oz
21 inches long

Short, dark hair and a bundle of joy. She latched on right away, sleeps wonderfully (so far) and is such a blessing to us. Big brother likes her and runs around saying her name although at this point he's still the center of attention. We're home today and doing well!!! More later

I'm still here

Just an FYI that I'm still here. Yesterday was my last day at the office and it was nice to get the loose ends tied up.

Hubby is gone for the weekend camping with the guys. Although its not the best time for this kind of trip, I was glad for him to have a "guys" weekend. He's been good to call several times already to check on me and the little man. I hope he enjoys his time relaxing on a sand bar on the Mississippi.

I, on the other hand, am home. Last night my buddy Meg came over to make me supper. We had a lovely spaghetti, sugar snap peas, garlic cheese bread and strawberries. I hit the sack early to "snuggle" with Scott. After an hour of him playing in my bed, he went to his own and I found myself watching the clock. It was a restless night.

Just a few more days till baby #2. In the mean time, I'm dealing with being miserably uncomfortable. Each time I woke up for a potty break during the night on Thursday, my eyes were matted shut. I thought it was allergies at first. My veterinarian husband said it was pink eye. Great, I have pink eye in both eyes just days before having a baby! As Friday progressed, the eye issue got better. Last night they weren't quite matted shut, although still a little yucky. Today has just been uncomfortable all the way around. [yes, this is my blog and I'll whine if I want too!!!!] I'm not sure if its allergies or what. But my dry throat has gotten worse and now my throat hurts on one side and I'm coughing. So, it might be a cold. And a cold for me, always means an ear infection too. Who in the world gets this drama right before they have a baby??? All I'm saying is that I better be done coughing by time I get my stomach muscles cut open!!!

Okay, enough of the whining. I'm at my folks tonight. They're fixing me fresh fish for supper which is one of my favorites. And then I'm just gonna stay here tonight and they can help me get the little man ready for church in the morning if I'm still whiny :)

Finally got my GIRL

Yes, I finally got my baby girl!!! Here's a picture:

No, we haven't had our baby yet. But this little girl was born on April 8th and I brought her home on Friday. She's a Toy Aussie which means she won't get more than 13" tall. She's a brown tri-colored. A definite cutie with quite a personality!!! These pups run ~$1200 and there's no way I'd pay that kind of money for a dog. However, my hubby (their vet) told me that if I worked a deal with the breeders, I could have one. He was quite surprised when I came home with one on Friday. I got a deal alright; paid ZERO for her. Yes, no money changed hands. The "deal" I worked was to give the breeder one puppy of her choice out of the first litter. What a deal!!!

I know, I know, I don't need another something right before the baby but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. This puppy, unlike Keller, can hear. Its so cool!!!

Haircut

Okay, this isn't at all a good picture but it gets the point across...

I had it "fixed" on Friday. I came home and could have cried (yes, I'm emotional right now). I don't like it and neither does Ryan. I'm getting used to it though and it will hopefully grow out soon!

This picture also doubles as a belly update. I meant to measure this morning but didn't get that done.

Chopped Off

After much debate, I finally scheduled an appointment. And even up to the moment I had to leave for my appointment, I debated the whole thing. But, alas, I finally did it! Yes, I chopped my hair off. Since I found out I was pregnant (September), I've been growing my hair out. I didn't want to have a fat face and short hair. And, I also wanted to be able to put my hair back while breastfeeding the baby. But, with two short weeks left till baby, I just couldn't stand my hair anymore. I don't have the time or energy to blowdry it straight (not that that does a whole lot of good when its humid), nor do I have the time and energy to put tons of product in it and blow dry it with a diffuser to get it curly. I tried putting just mousse and letting it air dry but it looked horrible. So, I cut about 6" off and its right at my chin. I went to a new lady in town. She was lovely BUT I have one issue with her. I don't like how she did my layers. They're not obvious enough and on the sides it doesn't look like I have layers. It just makes me think of an old lady "bowl" cut. I think I'll stop by today and ask her to re-do the layers on the side so its not so full looking right behind my ears.

I can imagine that in 3 weeks I'll be ticked off at myself for cutting my hair and not being able to put it up when baby is eating!

Two calves

You know you live in the sticks when you're driving along the road and see two young calves taking a stroll down the road together and think nothing of it.

You really know you live in a small town when you're about 10 miles from your home but you still know who's cattle they are and try to call and let them know they have calves out.

16 more days (and counting)

We have just 16 more days till the scheduled c-section!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a wild week last week. I didn't get to my weekly OB appointment. My scheduled appt was interrupted as Dr. Ryan was delivering another baby. My rescheduled appt was cancelled because Dr. Ryan was sick. I would not reschedule for Wednesday because I had a massage scheduled. And anything after that would be way too close to today's scheduled appt.

My massage was wonderful. My friend, Kelly, gave it to me as a belated birthday gift. She's such a sweetie. I had been complaining to her about my aches and pains and wanting a massage. I was by no means hinting to her but she's got a giving heart and within an hour of me complaining, emailed me saying "schedule your appt. It's paid for. Happy belated birthday!" It was great! I wish I could get a massage on a regular basis.

I had a good day working around the house on Saturday. Unfortunately, in doing so, I missed a buddy's wedding. I knew that the hour drive to the wedding would be rough on my aching hips and back. So, I opted to stay home and get things done. I had to lay down for a while after my shower because my hip was hurting so bad. I almost didn't go to the reception either. But we made that, visited with friends, dealt with a tired child and left.

Made it back to town just as the band was getting through their set before the message started. It was the summer kick-off event for our local contemporary church service. My son had a blast in the park. He ran around in the back and played with Chi-Chi (7 mos) during the message and then rocked out to the songs at the end. It was so stinkin' cute! Afterwards, he even had to go up to the lead singer who he knows real well and keep singing the last song to him. It was precious!

I slept almost 10 hours on Saturday night. 10 hours! It was glorious! And to top it off, I even took a nap yesterday during the baseball game. Go Cardinals!

Scott is finally feeling better. Coughing occassionally and a bit of a runny nose but otherwise back to normal. He played on the swing set that his dad finally finished (there was over 100 steps to putting it together), climbed the stairs and did all kinds of little boy things without incident this weekend! The two fun stories must be included of course:
1. He was watching a baby blue jay when my mini Aussie grabbed it up in his mouth and ran off with it. Scott was quite surprised and fortunately doesn't understand the end result.
2. He tried to change the diaper of his little stuffed animal cow yesterday. He had the wipes out and was trying to figure them out, had the cow sprawled open on his back in the window sill and was asking for a diaper. It was too cute. Maybe he will take to this big brother idea fairly well.

Thoughts of the Day

I wish, I wish, I wish I was in California [as I tap my heels together which apparently only works with ruby slippers]. Cori is getting married in just 10 days and I really wish I was there to celebrate with her and help her get ready. I'm making my sad pouty face right now! Cori, I thought of you today when I grabbed change out of my desk drawer and went to buy a candy - totally a trip down memory lane when we worked together.

Ryan's vet clinic is having an open house today. Hasn't happened in a LONG time. I'm not sure that he's getting much support from the other employees or the owner. I'm really hoping that he gets a big turnout today. He's put a lot of hard work into preparing for this and could use the encouragement of people stopping by. I could only imagine the crap he'll get if it doesn't get a good turnout.

Mixed feelings... we were supposed to have company tonight. A few visitors from Mongolia who are at the nearby college. Ryan has done veterinary mission work in Mongolia and we were really looking forward to visiting with some "local" people. I did hear last night at 11pm that they aren't staying with us after all based on their schedule. Whew! I was a bit nervous about hosting people, getting my living room cleaned up before they arrive. I have a packed day and no energy so I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. THankfully, Ryan met them last night when he was gone setting up for the open house.

Iowa's Rank in Agriculture

Having grown up in the central valley of California, I saw a huge variety in agriculture. Now, living in Iowa, there is some variety although in comparison to what I grew up with, there isn't much variety. My buddy, Cori, and I like to share statistics (maybe because we have the same line of work or maybe because were both stubborn). Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the statistics dealing with Iowa Agriculture. The information is ranked by the top ten states for several categories:
- Number of farms - ranks #3
- Cash receipts for farm marketing - ranks #3
- Ranks #1 in 6 of 11 categories based on crops (ie: Corn and Soybeans for grain production)
- Also ranks #1 in several livestock categories (ie: all hogs and pigs, Commercial hog slaughter, Value of hogs on farms [do you see a trend here] and surprisingly #1 in egg production)

With all that in mind, it really makes me think about where I live. Yes, we have lots of farms and I understand that to translate to small family farms which I appreciate. Yes, we have lots of corn and beans too - yipee! And the hogs, well apparently the state has lots of those too. Fortunately I live in a part of the state where the topography and geology help play a limiting factor in having millions of hog farms around. Sure, we have them, but they're not every farm you pass by. Okay, enough of that.

One Wet Weekend

Did I mention Scott's appointment from last week yet?
Trying to make a long, frustrating story short... I asked the doctor about Scott's seizure medicine when there about Scott falling out of the tree house. I had him look at it because we were told it was medicine and they even set it to the correct dose. But, we recently saw a sticker on it that identifies it as not being real medicine. Doctor said that the medicine was empty. And I'm not so sure of that so I double check with the pharmacist. But what he noticed that outraged me was the dosage. It was set for an adult dose. When I candidly mentioned that we didn't want to knock him out for several days as the medicine is Valium and his reply was "or permanently". Are you kidding??? For the past almost 3 months, we've either been carrying around an empty medicine container or a medicine container set at a dose that could be lethal!!! I'm so irritated with that whole situation!

Poor child is accident prone lately
Just 6 days after falling out of his play thing and wimping around for 4 days, Scott had another minor incident yesterday. Ryan almost has the swing set ready for use. Because we've had lots of rain lately and because the area is bare ground right now, Ryan opted to leave Scott's infant swing on the tree instead of moving it to the new set where its really muddy. My child loves to swing really high and Ryan pushes him as high as he can. Well, the rope finally rubbed through and broke. Here's my kid, mid way through the air swinging backwards and the rope breaks. The swing falls, stays suspended in mid-air by the other side and Scott stays secured in the little harness straps. Meanwhile I freak out, Scott starts crying and Ryan is helping calm him down. He caught a little rope burn on the back of his neck which was gone in a few hours. I held him in my arms on the ground and when he was done being scared, he continued to cry because he was mad that he couldn't swing any more. So, Ryan got out his tools and moved the swing to the new swing set. We spent some time stomping around in the mud, pushing Scott on his new and improved swing!

Rain, it's lovely!
We've had over 2 inches of rain this weekend. The storms have been short but beautiful. It pours for a few minutes, then goes back to a light rain for a while and then pours again for a few minutes. I like the rain.

Baby bird
Scott has this book called Are You My Mother that he really likes for us to read. It talks about a baby bird. Saturday when I was getting ready to mow, I saw a baby bird and about 15 feet away found the nest. Scott got quite the kick out of it while I held back the cat who also wanted to play with it. Come to find out, it was a grackel (what hubby calls them) and they're a pain. Rum Tum the cat took care of the baby bird for us and Ryan attempted to take care of the mother in the tree but she flew away before he came back out with a gun.

Last night
Yesterday my kid started coughing and sounded congested. It got progressively worse. By time I put him to bed, I'd given him pediacare. I listened to him wheeze and whine and toss and turn till midnight when he woke up crying. That was the beginning of a long, sleepless night. After a second dose of Tylenol and pediacare, it was some time between 3 and 4am when I finally got to sleep. At 5am, I made it back to my own bed where I found some comfort (as if that's possible for me at this point). The morning came way too fast and I'm looking forward to a shorter than "normal" day today.

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!!!

My Back Hurts...

and its only Monday. It wasn't even 11am this morning and I was thinking that my back was really bothering me. This is not good. I have too much time left to already be having this much back pain.

.... Just got interrupted and had almost an hour conversation with a guy on some interesting things not at all related to work... Must go home now

Belly Update

After being asked a million times yesterday when my due date is and hearing their responses, I was definitely feeling like I have a protruding belly:

By the way, I'm due July 1st and hoping for a c-section during the last week of June. And everything I eat lately, and I mean EVERYTHING, gives me heartburn and makes my tummy uncomfortable. Diet, Caffeine Free Coke has been my companion lately! It's not fun. Otherwise, I feel pretty good so long as I don't spend too much time on my feet.

Toilet Paper

Last week at work, another "boss" in the building mentioned to me while I was washing my hands in the bathroom about the paper towels. They were your typical brown, rough-as-sandpaper paper towels. I'd gotten used to them just fine in the last few years. Anyway, this lady requested to the building owner that he purchase us "nicer" paper towels. Now, I didn't realize that there was a quality to crappy paper towels. But apparently there is and now we have white paper towels that must be softer. I haven't really noticed that big of a difference.

Anyway, today I was taking my potty break #4 of the morning (gotta love being pregnant) and got irritated with the whole situation. I honestly care less about the paper towels. And since the change, we've also had a change in toilet paper. The stuff wasn't nice to begin with but now its worthless thin white stuff. You honestly have to roll out over 12 inches of paper just to get anything decently thick. Okay, I'm not a TP snob and I don't have to have Charmin or whatever other brand, but seriously, this new stuff is Crap!

Okay, enough griping for the day...

Mini-Martha

Preface: I am NOT the old-style "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" house wife. I don't wait on my husband all the time. I don't prepare all the meals. When I do prepare meals, they're generally pretty basic. I also no longer work out 3 days a week or get enough exercise. I spend my days at the office and my evenings chasing a little one. With that said, this is an interesting read:

I totally felt like a little housewife last night. After work, I went for a 30-minute walk with the little guy and then home to make supper. Ryan was outside shoveling dirt and when I had supper ready I yelled at him to come in. I somehow even managed to make two meals last night without burning anything, melting anything or any other major catastrophes! Anyway, after I yelled at Ryan out the door, Scott proceeded to stand in the doorway and yell at Ryan to come in for supper just like his mommy had done. It was too cute. Ryan came in for a quick meal where we actually sat at the table together to eat. It was unusual. Then the phone rang and the two Ryans chatted. I felt no obligation to stay at the table so I got up and cleaned up from supper. Okay, let me just say that I'm not so good at keeping up with dishes sometimes but I've been on a role lately. My kitchen has been clean for over a week now. My laundry has been kept up and the living areas aren't too bad either. By time I was done in the kitchen, I headed upstairs with a load of laundry which my husband even helped to put away. Finally, I headed to bed - swollen legs and all. I couldn't believe I'd been on my feet from 5-9 last night. I was dying by time I crawled in bed! And this morning, my legs still ache and my knee (the one I had surgery on in college) is in pain. Oh, this was supposed to be a fun day at work, one where I could spend a good amount of time out of the office and in the field but now I'm not so sure. I guess my pregnant and lazy body just can't go-go-go like I used to when I was 20!

Poor Keller

It's finally "warm" here. Its warm enough that I'm not looking at airline tickets anymore! Anyway, with the warm weather comes the annual haircut for Keller, my mini Aussie. Last year was quite the event so this year we were a little more prepared. Being married to a veterinarian, he had the wise idea to sedate the wild and hyper dog first. Last year it took two of us - one to hold and one to shave all the while hoping the kiddo would stay napping in his bedroom. This year was significantly better. Here's how my Sunday afternoon entertainment played out:

The doc sedated him and initially he ran around like wild - the opposite affect! Within minutes, Keller went to lay down near the edge of the porch after chasing a cat and fell right off the porch. It was a sad sight but definitely funny too. I was afraid he was going to start a seizure (my kiddo isn't the only one I've seen have a seizure, the dog did it when we first got him and he fell off the couch). Anyway, I picked up the seemingly drunk dog and carried him onto the lawn where he fell asleep. Okay, let me just say that Australian shepherds have LOTS of THICK hair. Getting started was no easy task. [Imagine this extremely pale person begging for a tan wearing shorts and a sports bra with a massive belly protruding out trying to shave a dog.] So, I got things started and was moving along slowly at first when I found a tick. And then another one. So, I ran into the house and interrupted the vet watching his Cardinals baseball game to have him get me some rubbing alcohol in a cup and tweezers. As I continued shaving, I made it a point to let the clippers cool every little bit while I picked off a few ticks. And then I got to his back hip and found a grouping of ticks. As if that's not nasty enough, it looked like there was something else on him - maybe a pussy substance but it actually looked like a piece of plastic and was the size of my pinkie fingernail (think 0.5 by 0.25 inches). I took a closer look to realize it was a FAT tick and I had nicked him with the clippers. Of course, I had to run in the house and get Ryan to come look at my huge find. It was so big I couldn't use the tweezers to pull it off and wasn't about to touch it. By now, it had lost some size in the blood that dripped out. I managed to get the tick off with a few sticks and into the alcohol.

For the next hour or so, I would shave a little and pick off a few ticks. [Yes, I'm married to a vet but don't manage to care enough about my outside dog to keep up with his flea/tick preventative stuff]. I had just flipped the dog to his other side when he seemed to start waking up. So for the next little bit, I hurried with the clippers, threw ticks in alcohol, lots my tweezers a few times in the grass, cut out the cockleburs that were matted in near his ears, wiped the slobber away and continued shaving. By time I was clipping up near his head, he was awake but still in the very groggy and seemingly drunk stage. When finished, Keller was nodding his head around trying to wake up. He looked like a whole new dog. No more ticks, no cockleburs matted in and his hind end was shaven clean with no matted yucky/stinky stuff. I picked Keller up and took him to his kennel where he woke up the rest of the way and proceeded to bark for the next half hour.

Of course, as soon as I was done, I headed in the house to take a shower stopping only briefly to check the score of the baseball game. Of course, just then I saw a tick crawling on my arm. I HATE TICKS and can't stand to see them near me let alone on me. I destroyed the tick and went straight to the shower. The job was done. And now, I will make sure that Ryan will be bringing home his flea/tick preventative medicine. Ryan kept my tick collection to use as a visual when he asks people if they're using the flea/tick stuff. He counted them up... 60 ticks!!! Poor neglected dog. By the way, he was so easy to clip while sedated that I think I'll do it once more this summer :)

Tips of the Day

I was just reading my Iowa Outdoors magazine and found some interesting tidbits to share:
1. Keep your minnows breathing easy with a little H2O2. Add a capful of hydrogen peroxide to your bait bucket.
2. Dutch oven liner. Line the dutch oven with a disposable aluminum foil cake pan for easy clea-up. When done, throw the liner in the trash. Check out Byron's website for lots of handy information and recipes for your dutch oven.
3. For those of who love fish, that bluegill your husband fried up last night that looked like it'd had pepper shaken on it was actually grubs in the fish. DOn't worry, its harmless. The grubs are common and won't hurt you but make sure you freeze it first or cooking it properly (to 145 degrees internal temp) kills the parasites. Okay, I've totally experienced this one and NEVER got sick from it!!!

And then from my same reading experience, a few myths busted:
1. Lightning can strike the same place twice. For those of us who love to watch Sweet Home Alabama, we know the little kids in the movie lead us to believe that it can't strike the same place twice. This is not true.
2. Toads can't cause warts. Warts are caused by HPV (a human virus). So, kiss them all you want girls but you must know that so far research suggests that kissing toads won't turn them into princes either.

Have a happy Friday!

Prego

10 more weeks and counting.
I suppose we should start talking a little more seriously about names.

A few names I like for a boy are:
Derek, Jake, Justice... haven't put much thought into boy names. Hubby would like for John to be a middle name since it runs in both families but that makes the name picking more difficult. I don't really like the sound of "Jake John" or even "Jacob John"

A few names I like for a girl are:
Kate, Danni, Sue... haven't put much thought into girl names either.

I really need to start considering baby names!

Rockstar Husband

It's amazing how Ryan doing things for me makes me want to return the favor. I love doing for my husband but sometimes my attitude really sucks about it. It's horrible and I know that I'm not supposed to keep score but sometimes I don't want to do for him because he hasn't ... (fill in the blank). I don't want to be selfish but sometimes I just can't force myself to do for him simply because there's 2 weeks worth of trash that hasn't been taken to town yet. But that's me and I'm still learning!
Regardless of how selfish I can be, Ryan continues to serve me by cooking meals, etc. Sunday night was really sweet though. I mentioned that I wanted dessert. He said that he got the hint and asked what I wanted. I assured him that I wasn't "hinting" this time and that I didn't want him to get me anything. He went into the kitchen anyway and was in there for quite some time. I heard the blender going, cabinets opening, etc and continued to lay my fat and tired butt on the couch. When he came back in the living room, he told me that it would be a bit before it was ready. My husband had made me a cheesecake!!! What a rockstar! I truly didn't expect anything and would have even been happy with popcorn but I got cheesecake.
His thoughtfulness made me want to be thoughtful to him in return. The next night when I came home late after hanging out at my mom's, he was finishing up the dishes. I'm not sure what had gotten into him but I was appreciating it. Ryan is a wonderful husband but certainly is not a maid and does not clean. It was such a sweet gesture. I really need to think of something fun to do for him in return.

Thank You McD's

On my way to D-town for an OB appointment, I stopped at the "golden arches" for my favorite: an egg mcmuffin without the egg, topped with a hashbrown. In a total hurry, I pulled through the drivethrough and handed the cashier my credit card to pay. She had a surprised look and turned back around to tell me that their machine wasn't work. She walked away and I knew I was about to be late to my appointment and embarrassed at McD's. The only way I had to pay was my credit card so I waited for the lady to come back so I could explain that I didn't have cash and would have to cancel my order. But it didn't work quite that way... another lady came back to the window and handed me my credit card. She then grabbed a small bag and handed it to me. I interrupted with a "but I haven't paid". She explained that my meal was on them because their machine didn't work. I rushed off, thankful for a truly "FREE" meal.

Airline tickets

I'm not appreciating this winter weather in April...

Airline ticket to go "back where I come from" is $1084. Aint happening!
Airline ticket to go visit Cori in beautiful San Diego $980. Aint happening!
Airline ticket to go see my in-laws in Northern Arizona $594. Aint happening!
Flight + 4 nights hotel to Waikiki starting at $584. Still aint happening!

What's wrong with this picture? Why is it cheaper to spend 4 nights in Hawaii?

I'm tired of being inside. I want to plant a garden, get a tan, lay in the hammock and enjoy spring flowers. But no, that's not what's going on here. Instead we got ~5" of snow, I cranked the heater up to 69 and snuggled up under a blanket. I've had a pair of shorts in my car for several weeks now hoping to go walking at night. It hasn't been warm enough for that yet. I've seen others out walking with their hooded sweatshirts covering their head. Meantime, the temperature is 83 back where I come from.

My Little Cowboy

As I was cleaning Saturday, I dusted off my old cowboy hat which has become part of the decor in our living room the past few years. I put the hat on my head and the little guy was quite entertained. We, of course, had to put it on his head too and look in the mirror. Yesterday, we showed off my little cowboy to his grammy who was able to sneak a few decent pictures of him. Here's my favorite - dirty shirt and all!

Another seizure...

Saturday was a good day. Hubby was gone to work and I had the little one in front of the TV. (Let me just say that I hate having the TV as a "babysitter" but this day was necessary.) I would check on him every several minutes. The past few days he'd been a little warm off and on and a little whiny so I assume he's teething again. I had just checked on him and he was warm but my warm-bodied kid was in sweats with a fleece blanket over him at the temp at set at 68. I knew that he likely needed Tylenol but I decided that I'd finish the dishes quick and then give him a bath before going to meds.

I walk in to check on him just as he's getting off the couch. He slides off the couch and then stands still for one second and begins shaking. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH. I immediately ran over and grabbed him up in my arms shouting his name. Meanwhile, I'm wondering how I'm going to deal with a seizing child and manage to get his medicine out of my car all at the same time. It wasn't more than 5-10 seconds and the shaking stopped. He never screamed, got rigid, really hot or any other "seizure signs". As I sat on the couch (about to have a heart attack and definitely sweating now) clutching my child, I watched him closely.

The kid was glued to the Vegie Tales movie (being repeated for the 3rd time which he didn't mind). And on the movie, there was an outer-space vegie that was coming down. As I watched, I was sure that the kid wasn't seizing - he was just scared of the stupid vegie!!! Of course, my awareness of seizures in relationship to fevers was the scary part. Thankfully, it was not a medical issue! The remainder of the weekend, I watched him closely and got a little nervous each time he'd stand quietly in one spot in a "different" sort of way.

Yummy Food

We live in the "sticks" which means that most places to eat serve very boring tasting food. But, in our small town of ~500, there's a new guy in town. He's a big time cuisine chef (I can't remember the official terminology) that opened up his own place here. I've been in the restaraunt several times: once when he allowed us to use the building for our Vday supper, once for supper with my cousin and then last night.

The guys has wonderful meals on his menu. Unfortunately, they're such "nice" meals that I don't even understand what the heck they are. In fact, when we had supper with my cousin, I ordered dutch pancakes with fresh fruit on top because I didn't understand or didn't have an interest in the fancier foods. Our small group met for supper there last night. I asked Thomas to translate the menu for me and ended up ordering a Tarragon Corn Meal .... Walleye. It was huge and tasted very good. It came with flavorful mashed potatoes (that weren't beaten to death) and grilled asparagus. It was quite delicious. Thanks Thomas!

Glucose Test Update

I passed with flying colors yesterday. The tech (a lady I also attend church with) was the lucky one who got to deal with me. I had only failed the original glucose challenge by one point which I consider to be good after all the sweets I ate that day.

I was a bit nervous Wednesday morning realizing that I'd not eaten much or anything healthy the night before because of a work meeting. At 6pm I had a milk shake and fries on the way to a meeting. At 9pm I had an apple on the way home. I was afraid that I would be starving. And I was when I woke up but I got up right away and got moving around and forgot all about it. Thanks to a piece of sugar-free gum, I was entertained all morning. Of course, right after the glucose drink, I felt an emptiness in my tummy but it went away with the gum. In fact, when I was done, I didn't go straight to food. I wasn't even hungry until I had some water and then it was like my body realized my tummy was empty. I even stopped at the vet clinic to see my hubby for a few minutes before I stopped at moms to eat. And even then, I played with my kiddo for a bit before I grabbed a slice of pizza and a handful of grapes.

Thankfully, my tests were normal and I can continue to eat whatever - except I might consider having one maple bar instead of two! Just another little bump in this pregnancy road that God quickly ironed out before it became a pothole!

Dr. Dentist

Just got finished with the dentist. Not fun! I used to love the dentist. The guy I had growing up and through college was wonderful, down to earth and very gentle. Then I moved to Iowa and married a guy who's father is a dentist. Same experiences with him. Wonderful, down to earth, gentle. And better yet - FREE! So, it wasn't until they moved to Arizona and I didn't get there often enough that I had to find a local dentist. This guy is nice and his hygentist is nice too. But, it's not the same. She's not gentle, she's not funny and she has different methods than what I'm used to. MY TEETH ARE SORE! Apparently I have a spot to watch and make sure I floss good. Next cleaning they'll do an x-ray to check that spot. And if I have a cavity there, I'll be very tempted to fly to Arizona to get it fixed instead. Hmm, maybe that will encourage another visit to Ryan's folks which I'm sure they'd appreciate!

I want my old dentist (either one of them) back.

Couple of Thoughts for the Day

Last night I had a dream about having a foreign exchange student - thanks Merritt!
I also had a dream where I really questioned if Ryan loved me or someone else - thanks to name discussions with Ryan and my co-worker.

My kid is hilarious. Honestly, I didn't know it would be such a joy! In the few short hours we were home last night, several things he did made me laugh out loud:
- He yelled at the dog and told him to come and eat (after I'd done so several times).
- He was at the table playing with his magnetic drawing toy (brain fart... what is that toy called?). I look over and not only does he have the little magnet animal shapes on the screen, but also several slices of potatoes that I was making homemade chips with.
- Next time I look over, he's eating a raw slice. Only, he's not eating it, he's taking a bite, turning his head and spitting it out over his shoulder. I watched him do this 4 times. And after laughing, I scolded him and he responded with "DJ, eat". Not sure if he was still nagging the dog to eat or trying to give him another food option.
- He loves this old farm book that was his dad's as a child. It's falling apart and each time he insists we read it, something else tears out, falls out, etc. Last night, he pried the chicken off but continued to lift the flap and say "chicken" and then "egg" when he could see the egg.
- Bath time was hilarious. Let me preface this by sharing that he likes to throw his arms in the air and say "where did it go" any time something gets out of site. He was playing along with a shallow little bowl. And sitting in the tub, he looked down, said "peepee", covered himself with the bowl and said "where did peepee go". He did this multiple times and I died laughing!

So, my kid was fun last night. His dad stopped at the house for a quick minute to drop off the dog and grab a to-go bite before heading to his next call. His dad got home just as we finished in the bath and were getting ready for bed. So, Ryan snuggled the kiddo for a few minutes in his "big bed" while I went downstairs to fry us some pork fritters for a late supper. I came back up and the kiddo was still awake but definitely tired. Ryan got up and small fry just stayed there. He asked to go to "mommy's bed" and when I said no and asked if he wanted to go to his crib, he said "no". So, I asked if he wanted to stay in his "big bed" and he said yes. We grabbed his bed time pals (music toy, elmo and pacifier) and lifted up the rail and headed to bed. I was sure that it would be an all night issue to get him to sleep. But, he was fine. He slept right through the roaring thunder, hail, winds, etc. What a champ! My kid slept in his big bed on the first try (although he napped in there with Ryan on Sunday). It was awesome. Of course, we got up 3 different times to cover him back up and check on him like worried parents but he was fine!!!!

Weekend Up North

I left work 45 minutes early on Friday to start the weekend. I was hoping to leave at noon but because I was swamped at work, I considered 45 minutes being lucky. Rushed right home and didn't even stop at my mom's to see my kiddo. I got home in time to question why in the world did I hurry... hubby was standing in front of the TV playing xbox!
Now, I hadn't communicated that I wanted to leave at any certain time but I did mention that I would plan to get home early. I was dissapointed that hubby was still in work clothes (not that he ever cares to change), had yet to pack (or do anything else around the house on his half day off) and was playing video games. Now, let me state that I struggle so much with keeping up with the household chores while working full time. And that's before I added a child to the house and am pregnant with #2. I was so frustrated that hubby had provided NO help to me that afternoon! Okay, now that I vented about my frustration, I'll share about our weekend.

I was ready for a quiet and cozy weekend without the phone, TV or friends. We got close! Friday on our way up to the house, we stopped in at wallyworld. Before we even parked, we saw a friend (and past co-worker) of Ryan's. After visiting for 15 minutes, we parked and headed inside for a quick shopping trip. After gathering some needed items for home (might as well when you're actually near a place to shop) and some food for the weekend, we headed out.

No big plans, just some quality time together... we had frito boats for supper, I ate some "fresh" (so they say) strawberries and we watched the Pursuit of Happyness (which I did not like). After a long week of work, I was more than ready for bed when the movie finished. Saturday we headed to town for brunch. I took Ryan to Ruby's - a local place with a good chicken fried steak. Afterwards, we walked around town, poked our head in the different shops, spent too much money (I bought an old egg basket, a old bat for kiddo's room while hubby found an old thing that had DX logos on it). We made a quick stop at the local coffee house but when I didn't know what anything on the menu was (I'm limited to experiencing a caramel frapp at Starbucks), we ordered a hot chocolate and sat and played Battleship for a while. It was a well needed break for my tired feet and body. We managed to avoid the short rain showers all except once and even then stayed fairly dry. Of course, we couldn't go home without another trip to Walmart, another DVD purchase (with 500 other things) and a stop at Culvers for lunch (as if I was hungry).

I tried my best to be content. But honestly, I didn't know what to do with myself having "free time". It was crazy and I was bored! In between movies and games, I swept up a few asian beetles, wandered around outside, etc. I never have that kind of time at home. There's always laundry to do, a kid to chase, plants to water, etc. Not only was I bored but I missed my son!

Saturday night we had some wild thunderstorms with lots of rain and wind and tornado warnings. I slept wonderfully (thank you Tylenol PM) that night. Sunday morning I lounged around and finished a book while Ryan ran to town once more. I showered and wasn't quite finished packing when Ryan came back. We were at mom's picking up our son by noon. It was a nice weekend and good to spend time with just my hubby. But it was also good to be back home!

Thanks for a slow weekend...here comes another whirlwind week of events!

me = grumpy pregnant lady

Got a call from the doc. I failed my 1-hour blood sugar challenge thinger-ma-bob. Now, I have to do a fasting, 3 hour test. My first thoughts were of sitting at the doctor's office for 3 hours. Grr. But, it gets worse. I have to fast for 12 hours (I got them to agree to 6 since that's what the nurse originally said). Then I really have to sit there for 3 hours. Here's the schedule:

2am - while up for potty break #2, EAT something.
815am, they take a "fasting" blood sample
Drink the orange crap (10 oz of liquid similar to orange soda but it has 50 grams of sugar and a bad after taste).
915am - take hour #1 sample
1015am - take hour #2 sample
1115am - take hour #3 sample

Okay, so maybe that doesn't sound so bad to you, but let's think about this. I'm PREGNANT and like to eat OFTEN. Usually by 11am, I've had a slim fast, a nutri-grain bar and a bagel with cream cheese. Even then, I usually have lunch by 1230. And they think I won't be hungry. Let's add to my grumpy attitude by having to sit at the doctor's office for 3 hours. I don't sit still well at all (I would have flunked that class and been called ADHD). They said to bring a good book. Who cares about the book, I just don't want to SIT anywhere for 3 hours. I don't even sit for the 3 hour drive to DesMoines right now - I make a pit stop half way at Target. And in not-comfy chairs... sitting... for 3 hours. Do they not understand that my back already hurts and I don't like this idea at all. Grr. I can tell that I'm getting more emotional than usual (which is bad because I already cry easy) . I wanted to cry when I got off the phone with them. I'm so frustrated. Grr!

High/Low

Every week at bible study, we start with our "high" of the week and our "low". I always forget by time I get there and listen to everyone else so I thought I'd share it here:

High
So I walked into the local bakery the other day (which BTW has no comparison to the little mexican bakery back home) to buy a few things for the office. I asked for a half dozen "long johns" (aka maple bars) from the lady but was completely eyeing the muffins. She mentioned that she had a special for a dozen long johns and answered my question about the muffins. Smart-alek me popped back at her "oh, you're only telling me to buy more because you know I'm big and pregnant and want to eat everything in sight". Her response was to die for. She made my day, and possibly my week by saying "oh honey, but you are a beautiful pregnant!"
Okay, that lady rocks! Sure, my hubby thinks to tell me on occassion that I'm beautiful but isn't he supposed to? Duh, he married me, I hope he doesn't think he married some dog-faced nasty person! It was quite refreshing to hear some complete stranger tell me I'm beautiful!

Low
The next morning after rushing out of the house without a shower (okay I wasn't at all dirty or sweaty or anything but I feel like I HAVE to have a morning shower to freshen up), I was working at my desk. At one of my many potty breaks during the morning (the baby has shifted and is using my bladder as a pillow), I looked in the bathroom mirror. My only thought was: "yeah, today I'm definitely NOT a beautiful pregnant woman!!!" Today was much the same only I had my shower. The not beautiful part: letting my naturally nasty hair air dry, no make-up, nothing!

drama of the week

Okay, its actually a daily drama... my kiddo hates to have his teeth brushed. Its cool when he does it himself and he mocks me standing at the sink but when I go to finish up for him, its an all out war! I have to hold the child down and constantly ask him to open his mouth as he wiggles, bites the toothbrush, holds his mouth closed and gets swatted. I hate it! This usually happens right before bed time and it makes me so irritated because I'm already beyond the tired stage.

As if that's not enough, his dad has been gone a TON lately. He's either been running calls or working on taxes at the office the past 5 nights. I missed my hubby so yesterday I called and left a voice mail saying that I missed him, love him and want to run away with him! He so needs a break and so we are going to take a short but relaxing and inexpensive weekend get-away.

Picture Update

(if you're blind or have tired eyes like me, click on the picture for a larger image)


The kid loves to play the piano (November 2006). I wish I could download the video of my little mozart playing the piano with his great grandma last week.





The kiddo sledding with his dad. It was definitely not a normal experience for the little guy, especially when his dad let him sled down the hill by himself and he crashed. (January 2007). Another moment with some cute video.


I tried to push him back up the hill instead of carrying him but I think I kicked more snow on the kid than it was worth!

It was first thing in the morning for both of them (February 2007). This kid loves "dj dog" but its not a love returned by the dog. The dog could really care less - unless he can sneak a lick off the kids pizza covered hands.

He definitely knows that there is a baby in his mom's belly. He likes to show us too and give it hugs (which means he puts his face against something like you see in the picture on the right). Picture taken February 27th - when I was ~22 weeks.



The kid is an absolute ham! These are two of his favorite toys right now. The cow and the horse from when his dad was a kid. He knows they go behind the fence and he pushes their heads down so they can eat.


Yes, my child always has red eyes. Here he is having a blast playing piano with his great grandma last week (post seizure).



We took this after the EEG. It looks like we jacked up his hair on purpose but it was from the things being glued to his head. What you can't see is the gobs of glue and the red marks that were drawn everywhere a probe thingy went. It looked like someone did a bad job highlighting his hair and then put way too much product in it.



Happy St. Patrick's Day! This kid is a teency bit Irish so we had to celebrate with a new tshirt of course. This time we jacked up his hair on purpose. Yup, he's a doll

Okay, that's it for now.

update

1. still no prego pics. I've got them on my palm pilot but not on my flash drive (hopefully hubby accomplishes that today for me)
2. Happy Birthday Hubby. You are getting "old"
3. No MRI appt as of yet. Hopefully we'll know more tomorrow. Our home docs think that he may not need an MRI and suggested he might see the pediatric neurologist up here (almost a 2 hour drive)
4. I'm not motivated to work today. I am motivated to eat :)
5. I'm making hubby almond crusted salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and vegies for his bday supper. If only I could add to that a quiet, romantic candle lit evening and some virgin daqueries. Instead, we'll have juice or pop and entertainment from our wild child :)

New things for Small Fry

A few new things about the small fry (besides the seizure):
- He likes to say LOTS of things. A few favorites are "come in grandpa" in the sweetest little voice ever; "where fill in the blank go" with arms spread wide open.
- He loves stairs and thinks he needs to go down them too often now (thanks to LC who's been watching him and teaching him to do the steps outside).
- He didn't want to nap the other day so I tried to snuggle with him. Instead of sleeping, he spent at least 20 minutes "playing" with my hair. He'd move it out of my face and back, etc. Yes, he's my son and doesn't take after his father on that one!
- He likes his potty chair but only because its a chair his height, not because he associates it with pottying.
- He still has a fettish with shoes and phones (another sign that he takes after me). The kid thinks that mornings and toast are related some how.

We visisted an older couple from our church last night. By time we left, he was calling Gladys "grandma". I wonder if any older person will now be grandma or grandpa. He's an absolute blast to be around but has a definite strong will to him. It's frustrating but funny when he gets mad and throws this very short but obvious fit. The kid loves cookies, counts to 3 or from 6-10 and knows some ABC's. He's growing so fast. His vocabulary is amazing which makes me wonder if he'll be slow in another area such as potty training.

Small-fry had a Seizure

I could write you a long drawn out email with all the details of the last few days but will hold off on that. My small-fry had a seizure Sunday night at 130am. Praise God that I heard the "scream" and went to him right away. He was having what we commonly know as a "grand mal"
seizure. He was shaking, gagging, frothing and not alert at all. Thanks to the 911 operator, I was able to do the right things, get him breathing again and the seizure stopped. It was a very scary experience, especially when I realized that I was holding my child who wasn't breathing. I was comforted by the EMT's who arrived. They took us by ambulance to Blanks Children's Hospital in Des Moines. Hubby's grandparents (who I was staying with for a few days while I worked near Des Moines) followed us there. Things checked out great at the emergency room - his temperature was back to normal, he was alert and doing his typical things albeit very tired. By 630am, we were safely back at the Grandparents! I spent Monday on the phone with nurses, hospital staff, etc trying to figure out the next steps, learning what to do in case of another seizure, etc.

We were able to get an appointment with a pediatric neurologist on Tuesday following the EEG appointment. And when the nurse called to tell me the details, she said "this is nothing short of a miracle, but you have an appointment..." (it usually takes two weeks to get into to see a pediatric neurologist). Praise God for having His hand on the situation. Hubby drove down Monday after work and arrived in time to go to bed. The three of us spent most the day Tuesday at Blanks Childrens. The EEG was clear, and they still don't know the cause of the seizure. So, we'll continue to hope and pray that it was a "fluke" thing and be thankful that God intervened in numerous ways.

We still have an MRI to schedule (which I hope to do today) and a follow up with our doctor here. Small-fry is his normal active self and is thrilled to see people and as energetic as ever. There is a 50/50 chance that this could happen again so we'll have to keep that in the back of our mind as well as carry around the medication that will stop another seizure should he have one.

Meanwhile, we are trying to get back to the swing of things here at home, catch up on some sleep and enjoy the "normal" life!

Welcome Sage

I have a new nephew! Sage was born to my brother and his wife yesterday afternoon. I'm eager to see him but they are 2200 miles from here so I'll keep enjoying the pictures that others send me.





Weighing in at 5lbs, 5 oz and 19" long, here's Sage:

His mom and dad look pretty proud in the pictures I've seen, as does his grammy who was able to travel the 2200 miles to see him!

Kid Update - 2 stories

So, I get this email from Amy yesterday while she's watching my son. And she just wants to compliment me on how good he is and how much she misses that in her two children. Let me tell you what, it so made my day yesterday. And he is a good kid. But last night, I'm not sure what his deal was. His typical communication skills were a bit off-balanced. He was whiny and wanted me to read to him while I was trying to take 10 minutes to myself to read. He was also throwing these mini-fits. Not sure if he experienced those at Amy's or if he was just experiencing a new attitude that he found in the back of his little brain. He wanted in his high chair, then wouldn't drink his juice, wanted down and then back up - all within a minute. I had a major back ache and wasn't wanting to be very patient. So I fed him the apple sauce that he dug out of his diaper bag. Instead of his usual "all gone", he kept saying "apple sauce" as if he wanted more. Okay, 90 minutes before this he'd eaten roast and carrots at Amy's. I made the fair assumption that he had two straight days of playing with others all days and was just over tired. The kid proceeds with his attitude but keeps saying "meat, mommy". So, I get some ham out of the fridge, put it in a bowl in front of him and he goes to town. After that, he drank his juice right up and was the perfect little boy that I love having around! By now, Ryan and I had finished our healthy meal of home-made potato chips and taquitos (which the little one also had to share). We headed to the living room where I asked hubby to put his new notebook toy away and spend some time playing with his son. It was fun, I was tired and shortly after, we headed to bed where I took some Tylenol PM and was out.

So, then this morning, is day #2 of non-Grammy daycare. Take the little guy to the C's for the day. He loves it there. And LC has something going on right away so she bags up some dried cereal, pack his to-go fruit, fill his cup with juice and head back out the door. Leo shows up a few minutes later to pick them up as planned. Only, it didn't go as planned. LC made sure that he knew to bring the van since she had my kiddo and would need room for his carseat. He walks in and says "I brought my truck. You'll just have to hold him in your lap from here to town". Knowing that Leo is always saying something to get-my-goat, I blow it off with a reply in which I said "Right, Leo. You know you can't do that. He has to be in a carseat." Okay, up to this point, I was sure Leo was just kidding but I quickly found out that he was serious. I was floored and didn't know what to say or do next. LC told Leo that she'd have to take her van to town and we headed out to the garage to install the carseat into her van. I still can't believe that the man wanted her to hold him in his lap from her house to town. Let's think about this a little... LC lives out in the country. The closest route to town is down the gravel. Now, I was just on 1/4 mile of that gravel and it was still snow covered and a bit icy. The remainder of the way to town is twisty and curvy, etc. We've had bad roads with cold weather which means the snow and ice hasn't had a chance to melt. And he wanted to take my kid without a carseat??? I know he's 60+ years old and his kids didn't use carseats BUT today is different. There are laws that say we are required to use carseats. And we have the safety equipment available today so why not use it??? All because the man didn't drive his van out.

I was so irritated. And 6 hours later, I'm still ticked about it. I considered writing him a note that said something along the lines of "I love you guys and would trust my child in your care at any time. However, I do not appreciate your plan to have him sitting in LC's lap this morning and will not allow such behavior in the future". I wonder what his reasoning was for not bringing the van.

Yes, I finally remembered my stinkin' password and am able to post.

Real quick (as if that is possible with me):
1. Took belly pictures but still haven't downloaded them (sorry Cori).
2. SIL is getting induced tomorrow AM so we hope to welcome my brother's first baby tomorrow or the next day.
3. Mom went to CA to help brother and SIL out which means the kiddo is in the hands of others for the next 3 weeks.
4. Kiddo likes to eat A LOT!
5. I've had girl scout cookies on my desk all day and haven't touched them - AMAZING!
6. We have 4' drifts on our driveway.
7. Hubby and I were both snowed in from work on Friday. He was too tired to do anything around the house after shoveling for 90 minutes to dig his truck out.
8. I got a 1.7% cost of living raise in January. Thank you taxpayers!
9. I'm loving my Keens and want to get another pair for my black clothes.
10. I need to be a good aunt and go home to see this new baby in the next few months but don't think it will happen based on ticket prices and pregnancy!
11. I'm liking Jody's new toy and think that I'll have to send her some of my scrapping stuff to cut for me :)
12. Baby 2 B is a mover and a shaker. I'm loving feeling good!
13. I sledded down the hill twice yesterday with some young friends and small fry. I'm old, pregnant and out of shape!