Happy Halloween!!

From Our Family to Yours. . . .

Happy Halloween!!

Hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween Night!

29w1d Pics

HOORAY FOR 29 WEEKS!! 

Twenty-nine weeks only means one thing!  Only 10 more weeks to go until we hold this little boy in our arms!  I am more than ready to share him with the world!  I know I normally take my belly pics on Sunday's but since tomorrow is Halloween, I'll be out trick or treating with the kids!  So you get to enjoy them a day early. . . Enjoy!

My Belly through the weeks. . . (Top row) 20, 23, and 25 weeks / (Bottom row) 26, 27, and 29 weeks.



I'm pretty sure I can go as a beached whale or pumpkin smuggler for Halloween!

GS Cookies!

If anyone is interested in buying Girl Scout Cookies from Chloe, let me know!!  We are taking orders, cookies will be here the first week in January (hopefully, not the exact day that I am delivery this baby)!!  They are only $3.50 a box. Chloe's goal is 150 boxes!  Please help her!!

A weeks worth of updates.

Where has the week gone!  I'm sure I've said this before, but October has turned out to be one of the busiest months ever!!  Let's see if I can remember what's happened during the last week. . .

October 23rd - Saturday - I got to sleep in a little but not much because I had some Girl Scout errands and phone calls to make.  After making all the phone calls, the family and I headed out to Walmart.  Jerry wandered Walmart for an hour while I got my Girl Scout Checking Account started and all the registrations turned in to the registrar.  Afterwards, I picked up a few groceries, like milk and bread and we headed home to eat lunch and let Jerry get some sleep before work.  I don't remember anything else, until that night when my Mom and Dad came to visit for a few hours.  Kids were acting crazy and excited to show Grandma and Grandpa their Halloween costumes.

October 24th - Sunday - I have no idea what we did this day, must not have been very exciting!  :o)

October 25th - Monday - This was a busy day!  I worked all day, when I got off work at 4pm I had to race to Harrisonville to pick up the Girl Scout Cookie Cards & Permission Slips from the Cookie Manager's Husband.  Then I had to race home to take Jerry to work by 5pm - everyone was waiting outside ready to go when I pulled into the driveway!  Kids and I put gas in the car, got McDonald's for dinner, and took Chloe to school for her Music Open House.  It was after 7pm before, I ever got home and sat down!

October 26th - Tuesday - The kids and I had to be up at 5am to get Jerry from work.  So the day started early!  I worked all day and looking back my facebook status said: "Ugh! It's been a long and stressful day. Two more months and it won't matter anymore. . ."  I was beat when I got home and I can't remember doing anything special. . . I'm pretty sure we hung out at home.

October 27th - Wednesday - I worked all day and hurried home as soon as I could!  Thankfully, I remembered to buy a hot glue gun and wiggly eyes before I left.  Jerry had dinner cooking when I walked in the door. . . I love when I don't have to worry about dinner!  We were on a limited time frame because I had my first Girl Scout Meeting in a few hours and I still had to print out my newsletters and gather all the supplies I needed for the meeting.

The meeting went great.  I only have 4 girls but it's awesome, they LOVED doing crafts and talking about Girl Scouting.  Jerry sat off to the side entertaining Jacob, just laughing at the things these little 5 and 6 year olds come up with.  We talked about selling cookies and what they wanted to do with their money.  Last year, they didn't get to sell cookies and didn't get to have a big activity.  So they were excited and came up with a lot of good ideas, most of which I think we could do - minus the trip to Disney World and the Cruise Ship of course! 

October 28th - Thursday - I took a personal day from work because Jerry and I had to be in Urbana for court that afternoon.  Nothing major, we got a ticket because of our weeds being to high.  We called the prosecutor and he said that if we took care of them in a certain time frame then he would have the ticket thrown out and dismissed.  We held up our end of the deal; however, that was suppose to happen last month and instead they gave us a continuance until this month.  So basically, we just had to show our faces in court to make it go away.  But in order to make it to Urbana on time, we had to be on the road as soon as Chloe got off the school bus.  So instead of begging for a half day it was just easier to take the entire day off with pay. 

After Chloe got on the school bus that morning, the boys and I went out and grabbed a few groceries at Walmart, put gas in the Explorer and had Taco Bell for lunch.  I had a bag of toys and snacks packed and car loaded when Chloe's bus dropped her off.  We got to Urbana in good time and got to visit with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Daily before court.  After court, we grabbed some dinner at Sonic and stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Dodds' house to eat and raid my mom's Girl Scout room!  And of course, we couldn't stay too long because Chloe had school and I had to work the next morning.

October 29th - Friday - I worked a couple more hours at work than I had to, but Monday is going to be a total bear no matter what, so what little I could get done ahead of time should help me out a lot!  Monday starts the whole Christmas Season at Walmart, and Toys is a BIG part of that picture.  (Doesn't help that Toy Story 3 is releasing at the same time!)  When I got home, Jerry cooked chicken patties and fries for dinner while I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen.  Then we just hung out while the kids played before bed.  They needed the down day after yesterday!



Chloe was very proud to bring this home Friday.  Thought we'd share with you!  Good job, Chloe!



October 30th - Today - So far today, the only thing I've done is sleep in and cleaned up the living room.  There are a ton of things that need to be done but quite frankly, I have no energy to get them done right now.  I only feel like laying around and napping.  :o)

Today starts Girl Scout Cookie orders also!  Chloe is so excited, let us know if you want to order any Girl Scout Cookies!!

Pumpkins

Finally!!  Everyone had a day off together!  Our original plan fell through this morning but the backup plan was perfect - the four of us spent the morning at a pumpkin patch!  The weather was perfect, a beautiful fall day!  (It poured down rain, this evening but this morning was perfect!)  No need for me to bore you with words - I got pictures. . .

Chloe & Daddy on the search for the perfect pumpkin. . .

LOL, Jacob liked this one. . .

Jacob pulling the pumpkin wagon. . .

Daddy, Jacob and Chloe getting ready for the hayride. . .

After we got home and made some lunch, it was time to carve our pumpkins!  Maybe a little early but we were together and we had fun.  Here's pictures of our pumpkin carving masterpieces. . . 

Getting ready for a mess. . .

Daddy's El Diablo Pumpkin. . .

Mommy made Chloe a Hello Kitty Pumpkin. . .

Mommy made Jacob a Handy Manny Pumpkin. . .

Daddy's Dragon Pumpkin. . .

Chloe's Pumpkin. . .



Here's hoping the rest of the weekend is as good as today!!

**Gone but not forgotten. . . Missing you like crazy!!  Happy Birthday, Grandpa!**

Chloe's Report Card

Chloe's first report card!  (Click on the image to make it bigger. . .)

Pumpkin Cake. . .

Halloween is getting closer!  Here's a picture of my latest creation. . .

Welcome to the 3rd Trimester!

First off, just let me say with a belly like this. . .

. . .I can't believe that I've had no weight gain this month!!

Today was a good day. . . kids and I spent a wonderful day together.  We cleaned Jacob's room - which was a complete disaster zone! 

We made Halloween cupcakes and we are still in the process of making a pumpkin cake. . . hopefully, tomorrow we will get to decorate it.

Overall, it was a pleasantly beautiful Fall day.  And I got to spend it with a couple of great kids. . .

27 week appointment

Whew, there is lots of things happening around here.  All week has been crazy busy!  But here I am taking a moment for myself - at 11:30pm. . . Both kids are sounds asleep in their beds and Jerry is 'napping' before going to work tonight for a few hours.  He doesn't really want to work tonight but doing this for a co-worker tonight will get him off a couple hours on Halloween to go trick-or-treating with the kids.  So it's good for the big picture. 

I used a vacation day on Monday and only worked half a day on Tuesday because Jacob and I had a WIC appointment.  No big deal, all the normal things were done and we were on our way.  Jacob weighed in at exactly 31 pounds and his iron was absolutely awesome at a 13.

Wednesday -  I worked all day and then went to a Girl Scout Service Unit Meeting.  I really wanted to skip it, but I had to go to find out if I was getting a troop here in town or not.  And the great news is that I am!  The only problem is that there were lots of issues last year with a troop leader here in town named 'Heidi' and missing money, parents paid for uniforms and things that there kids never received.  So council is working with me to get the things they were promised and make it right.  So I have a huge up hill battle to get last years girls to re-register.  Next Wednesday night I have a parent / registration meeting to meet and talk face-to-face with these parents so that they know I am not the same 'Heidi' that messed things up last year.  Wish me luck!

Thursday - I worked but around 3:20 I get a phone call from Chloe's school saying that the bus tried to drop her off but there wasn't anyone standing outside to get her.  So she was on her way back to the school to wait until a parent came and got her.  Which totally freaked me out!  I immediately called home and talked with Jerry. . . the Insurance Company called about me and he was in the process of getting them all squared away when the bus arrived to drop off Chloe.  He totally lost track of time talking to the Insurance Company and it wasn't until the bus was pulling away that he seen it outside.  So needless to say, I immediately left work to go pick Chloe up from school.  I dang near beat her back to school too!  The bus driver had just dropped her off at the office when I was pulling in the parking lot.  I was expecting a crazy upset 5-year-old when I walked around the corner, but what I got was the total opposite!  She had fun driving all over Freeman on the school bus and she KNEW that someone was on their way to get her.  Thank goodness we talked to her about what would happen if Daddy wasn't outside waiting, so she was okay with the whole thing. . . Daddy was more upset about missing her bus than Chloe was!  That afternoon, we ran to Walmart for a few things that we needed since I didn't get to pick them up after work.  We grabbed Sonic for dinner because I had to attend the Freeman Community Club Meeting to ask the board permission to use the Community Building for my Girl Scout Troop Meetings.  (Which they said YES!)

Friday was my doctor's appointment.  Jerry's sister, Susan watched Jacob for us.  It is so much easier to go without him.  This appointment was the one I dread. . . the horrible Glucose Screening.  I drank the nasty drink, then the world spun, my balance was way off, and I felt yucky but an hour later they drew my blood and hopefully I'll get a phone call telling me that everything was good so I don't have to take the 3 hour test.  Other than the glucose screening, I think it was a very informative appointment.  I got to ask all my questions and state all my worries.  Here's the scoop:  my blood pressure was 120 / 70 which is good.  I weighed in at 137.5 pounds, which means I had no weight gain this month but the baby is still measuring perfectly so there isn't any worries, the weight will come.  Once again we couldn't get an accurate heart rate on the little guy because he wouldn't stay still.  He actually kicked the microphone the whole time we tried to get a reading, even though I don't have a 'beats per minute' average the doctor said that it's a good thing that he's so active and we can tell he has a good and strong heartbeat. 

And now the scary part, okay at least to me, is the pain I've been experiencing is actually because of braxton hicks contractions.  Apparently my uterus finally knows what it's doing!  My doctor says I have an active uterus (kinda a theme this time around -active baby and active uterus!) and that the braxton hicks are normal this early but not to ignore them.  I have to pay closer attention to them and head to the Hospital when they A.) become rhymetic or closer together and frequently B.) become intense, gradually getting stronger or doubling over in pain C.) cause a bloody show or my water breaks.  Most likely the contractions are because I actively work all week long and once I get home and relax for the weekend they start up, practicing for labor.  So no worries yet, but it's something I have to watch. . . the doctor wants to see me every two weeks now, so I'm in good hands.  My next doctor's appointment is in 3 weeks - 11/10/10 @ 10am!!

26w2d

Since Friday is my monthly doctor appointment, I think it's time to update the belly pictures.  I feel like he is riding a lot lower, but I'm not really sure if the pictures show the same story.  You tell me!

 Also while you're noticing the huge bulging belly, check out the clothes I'm wearing. . . It's my second Maternity outfit that I got in the mail Saturday from Old Navy.  I'm loving it, it shows off the bump quite well and it's so comfortable.


One week, side-by-side comparison. . .

25 weeks & 2 days   VS     26 weeks & 2 days

Pain and Pressure

I can't believe how much this pregnancy has changed once I hit the seventh month!  So far it's been a relatively easy pregnancy, but I have this leery feeling that that will change.

Lately, I have been calling my little man a ninja (and I know it drives Jerry crazy!) because he moves all over the place!  In the sides, high and low.  Pain in my ribs, pain in my back, pain in my organs.  I'm uncomfortable standing up, sitting down, and laying down.  But on Friday - exactly 26 weeks - there was a huge change in the way I feel.  It worries me, it scares me, and it constantly reminds me I'm not alone.  All of a sudden, the little kicks and punches hurt.  The nudges and pressure are unbearably strong.  Little man can knock me to my knees and take my breath away with one playful kick.

Friday night has been the worse so far.  We were staying the night at my parents house, I finally got the kids to bed and I settled down in bed next to Jerry - tossing and turning for hours!  The more I laid there the worse I felt.  Everything hurt, the pressure was huge, my stomach tightened and I instantly felt the need to throw up.  Thank goodness I never actually threw up but when I finally said something to Jerry, it was enough to scare him a little bit.  I think he was about ready to throw me in the car and take me to the ER.  After about 30 minutes the pain of the pressure went away and I was able to get a little sleep.  By the morning, I was still very much uncomfortable but the pain was gone.

On the car ride home Saturday afternoon, I was still very uncomfortable.  The kids slept most of the drive so Jerry and I were able to talk.  And let me just say, Jerry is quite adamant that if the pain returns we are heading to the hospital.  Looking back now, if I had been in the right mind set I would have paid closer attention to the pressure.  But all signs point to Braxton Hicks contractions.  Here's the definition of Braxton Hicks.

Braxton Hicks is feeling your belly tighten and relax at odd moments or irregular intervals.  A medical dictionary may say that they are painless, but pregnant women tell a different story, though most would call it uncomfortable rather than painful.  Calling your doctor or midwife should happen if you have contractions closer than 12 minutes apart prior to 37 weeks, as this might indicate preterm labor and not Braxton Hicks contractions.

Although I am still uncomfortable, the huge pressure / pain hasn't happened since so I am almost certain that if anything I was experiencing Braxton Hicks and not Preterm Labor.  Either way, this scares me and I will be talking to my doctor on Friday.  I am really curious as to how to deal with the huge amount of pressure. . . I am scared of looking completely stupid showing up at the hospital and everything be perfectly fine, it's just me being a total wimp.  But on the other side, I don't want something to be wrong and I'm to proud to seek help.  I'm at a loss as to what to do. . . hopefully, my doctor will set my mind as ease.  This kid better stay put for a few more months!

On a positive note, I did get my Maternity Clothes in the mail that I ordered from Old Navy.  I absolutely love them!!  I wasn't so sure and went outside my normal style but it totally paid off.  I think I am going to live in these tights.  (Here's a picture of me in one of the outfits. . . Not very flattering of me so only look at the outfit!)

And before I forget, I got a little video of my ninja moving.  I promise to get a better one, he just doesn't cooperate once the camera rolling!  In the first couple of seconds you can see him kick in the right hand side of my belly. . . then he raises his head or butt (I don't know which) straight up like he's trying to bust out.  I hope you enjoy this one until I can get a better video!

If only. . .

Life doesn't always work out the way you plan. 

Not that I've always had everything in my life worked out. . . but if life went the way that we planned and that chemical pregnancy stuck, my due date would have been October 13, 2010.  Which is exactly what we had planned when we started this journey.  I wanted an October baby. . . 10-10-10!!  If things worked out the way I planned, Jerry and I would be welcoming a son or a daughter this week.  But if things went as planned who knows what that birth would have brought and I know everything happened for a reason.  It's all just bittersweet.  Had that baby stuck, the one I am carrying now wouldn't exist.  And I love my Lil' Ninja growing inside! 

At the time, very few people knew what Jerry and I were going through.  And I can't say it was horrible, for me it was more of a sadness.  A sadness that was lifted when we found out that our April baby implanted and we were officially pregnant with #3.  But this week I find myself thinking about "what if". . . I think this is just part of my motherly emotions finally coping with the loss, officially.  And I'm sure my hormonal tendencies don't help the situation!  Writing it all down helps me get things off my chest, making it easier to sleep at night!  So this is my little therapy post. . . and you all are my therapists! 

I am happy, I am grateful, I am blessed, I am remembering. . .

Background information - Jerry and I started discussing when to start "trying again" last summer. Of course, he wants a huge family and well, all I know for sure right now is I wanted more than two. :o) So my last package of Birth Control Pills was finished up at the end of December 09. I got a positive pregnancy test on February 3rd, I was ecstatic!! On our very first cycle of trying to conceive we did it! But sadly, the celebration was short lived because I started miscarrying three days later on February 7th. I talked to the doctor and he said that I wasn't miscarrying. . . In fact I had what is called a "Chemical Pregnancy". Which is when the egg is fertilized but fails to implant. Which could be a result of chromosomal problems in the fetus. So I was pregnant long enough to get a positive pregnancy test but not long enough for a heartbeat. Which strangely put me at ease. . . (First time I blogged about my loss. . . from a blog I typed out back in May.)

3 months left!

Just wanted to share some exciting news (exciting for me that is!). . . .

Three months from today, October 7, 2010 - if not sooner! - we will be gathered in the hospital celebrating the birth of our third child!  January 7, 2011 can't come fast enought!!  I am so excited and nervous. . . a lot has to be done between now and then!!  Not to meantion the holiday's are right in the middle of all of it.

25w2d Belly Pic

 Here they are!  Updated pictures of the Baby Bump modeling one of my newest maternity shirts I got today while shopping with Joanna and Caleb.  I'll have to post that update a little later because it's really late and I have to work in the morning.  Just wanted to upload the pictures I promised. . . little boy is still sitting really high but you can see that he is definately growing!!

Happy October. . .

Wowzers!  October is here and with it our first frost warning. . . The year is winding down. 

After working overnights this week, I am so ready for this 3-day weekend!  Of course, as I type it's half over, but that doesn't matter.  I am really enjoying these days away from work, no matter how cold it's getting outside!  Nothing is going to slow me down. . .

Both Thursday and Friday, I did a little Christmas shopping for the kids when got off work and then came home to get some sleep.  Both days I didn't sleep very well at all, I tossed and turned and was awakened by the littlest noise.  Since good sleep was a lost cause, both days I was awake and ready to do some shopping with the family when Chloe got off the school bus. 

Thursday, we went to Sutherlands to get some screen for the windows and price wood. . . I have this wonderful idea of what I want in the baby's room to use as a storage cubes / dresser.  I drew a picture for Jerry and he says it's completely do-able so we were out trying to make my idea a reality.  Of course, Sutherlands was quite expensive and we just wanted an idea. . . I still have to check out Lowe's.  But while we were there Sutherland's was having a 40% off sale on their plants.  Which was awesome because they had a couple of beautiful hibiscus bushes that we liked.  They look lovely around my deck. . . :o)  Sutherland's was also having a tent sale that had all their odds and ends or broken merchandise for sale at crazy low prices so we had to check that out!  Jerry found a bunch of window screens and frames for a buck, a couple glass pane windows for a buck, a framed screen door frame for a buck and actually got a complete glass/screen window for $5.00.  By the time we left Sutherland's we had a truck load of windows and doors, my two hibiscus bushes and the package of window screen for $30.00!!  I think Jerry planned it that way because we had so much stuff we had to go home and we didn't get to shop other stores!  I did talk him into going through Burger King's drive-thru to get a handful of $1.00 Double Cheeseburgers for our dinner.

Friday we went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store to look around. . . I was really curious to see if they sold Maternity clothes or Baby furniture.  It was neat to walk around and look at everything they had in there.  I did find a couple Maternity pants that I can wear to work and a pink maternity t-shirt that I really liked.  Jerry wanted me to get a few more since they were in really good condition and were really cheap but most of them looked like they were from a decade ago!  :o)  I picked out the ones I liked from this centry and that was good enough for me!  After the Salvation Army, I took Jacob and went next door to Big Lots and Jerry took Chloe to the Pet Store a couple shops down.  There I got Halloween treats for Chloe's class, a few small Chirstmas Stocking stuffers, a few baby things for Amanda and a Christmas present for one of the guys.  Chloe also got a new Nintendo DS game to play on Daddy's Nintendo DS because she's not getting her own until Christmas.  :o)  Big Lots had a lot of DS games for the younger kids for only $13 so I might go back and pick up another game or two to save until Christmas.

Today was cleaning day for me.  After working all those crazy and weird hours at work my house really needed some TLC.  Chloe and Jacob spent the morning outside with me while I mowed the grass and cleaned up all the yard toys and dead plants.  Chloe and Jacob crushed 4 bags of soda cans for me and swept out the garage.  After lunch we started cleaning inside the house. . . although Chloe played the Nintento DS and Jacob watched cartoons more than helping me clean.  It took all day but we finally got the entire house cleaned and the laundry washed, dryed, folded and put away.  I even had time to go through two huge bags of boy clothes that were given to me for Jacob from Jerry's sister.

Although the cleaning needed to be done, the incentive was to get all of it done today so that tomorrow I can play!  Joanna (+Caleb) and I (+Chloe&Jacob) are going shopping tomorrow. . . we are getting out of the house and browsing the shops!  I am so excited, I really wanted to go shopping but I didn't want to go by myself so I am thrilled that Joanna is coming with me!!  I might get a little Christmas shopping done but my main goal is to get the kids their Halloween costumes.