Live. Love. Laugh.

Brett and Shay - Sitting In a Tree?????

2011-07-19T12:07:00.000-04:00

And for the final leg of our vacation, we stopped in Lafayette/Brookston on our way home to visit my dear friend Amy who has recently relocated with her family to Camp Techumsa (I KNOW it's spelled wrong..I'm too lazy to google it, but that's how it sounds) :). Anyway, hanging out with Amy, Bryn, Shay and Liam is a regular playdate for us. And this was the first time we'd visited their new digs. I'd always said that Brett and Shay would make a cute couple (she is just 6 months older) because they are both blonde haired, blue eyed little ones. As soon as we got there, Shay grabbed Brett's hand and led him all over camp. It was adorable, so the camera had to come out to snap up the cuteness.

Annual Guilty Pleasure

2011-07-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

So, the main reason we spent a few days with Rick and Tina was because Tina and I had our annual NKOTB show to attend. This will be the third summer we've gone (and we had gone the fall prior...so 4 separate shows..well 5 technically because one summer we went to 2 shows). We dug our shirts back out of storage...we bought these two summers ago, but with our pregnancies last summer, we were in maternity wear.

We still have the Indy show to attend on the 26th with my dear friend Nicole, and I can't wait!

Here are Tina and I pre-concert. Not looking too shabby for 2 girls who had just given birth 9 months prior!

Pool Time!

2011-07-17T12:54:00.000-04:00

Of course we had to have a little kiddie pool time at Tina's house. And, of course I was there with my camera! Evan wasn't feeling well so he didn't join in the festivities, but Brett chilled for a bit, Kaia enjoyed perching on the side of the pool and posing, and Luke was so adorable...he was a little splash-bug. He seriously sat there for like 15 minutes, just splashing away..giggling and enjoying every moment of it :).

Time Flies!

2011-07-16T12:45:00.000-04:00

How time is a-flyin' with the second one! My beautiful baby girl is 10 months old already (well these pics were taken a month ago, but you know...). She is really developing quite a little personality already. I can see her being a CEO, after she graduates high school as captain of the cheerleading squad and president of her class. Little girl is charming and DETERMINED. Seriously. This is the one that will give me gray hairs. Oh, but how I love her so :).

Anyway, here's a little post dedicated to Kaia. By this time in Brett's life, I'd written at least 3 times as many posts about him, so I feel like I need to have a few here and there just for my little ladybug. Here are a few with mommy and daddy taken at Rick and Tina's house.

Kaia and Luke, Sitting In a Tree...

2011-07-15T12:36:00.000-04:00

What a better post to follow my previous one than one about Tina's and my youngest kiddos. Oh loyal readers (all 2 of you, God Bless You!) will remember that Tina gave birth to her adorable baby Luke 2 weeks after I delivered Kaia. Since then we "betrothed" the two of them (okay, well not really, but you know...) and they are so darn cute together! I really think they would make beautiful babies together...a long long long way in the future...but I'm not biased or anything ;).

Cuteness to follow....

Best Buds

2011-07-14T12:27:00.000-04:00

For our next part of our trip. we went to visit my BFF Tina and her family for a few days. She has a son that is a bit older than Brett named Evan. I've blogged about Brett and Evan many times in the past. Well, they continue to be best buds every time they see each other. They had lots of fun playing...everywhere! Here are pics of them taken at a couple of different playgrounds. Listening to their conversations continues to crack me up as well. We've also gotten to the point where we let the boys have their own "slumber party" when we either stay at their house, or they stay at our house.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T12:24:00.000-04:00

DuPage Children's Museum

2011-07-12T12:17:00.000-04:00

Next we visited the DuPage Children's Museum. It's nothing like the Chi Mu in Indy. Totally different, but completely perfect for Brett's age. So much to see and DO! Sand tables, water tables, musical instruments, etc., etc. He LOVED it! Unfortunately I was too busy "hearding sheep" to get good pics of the museum, but I did manage to get some at the end.

Looking at these makes me laugh. Here are just a few of the "semi" good pictures I was able to get. Looking at them all, is like a study in getting a good picture of 4 people (with 2 of them being 3 and under :)).

Brookfield Zoo

2011-07-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

The next day (after the Sox game) we made a trip to the Brookfield Zoo. It was a PERFECT zoo day...mid 70's, breezy, not a cloud in the sky. I think that both kids had a great time!

Root For the White Sox

2011-07-10T15:57:00.003-04:00

On June 11th we went up to Chicago for a week-long stay. It was our vacation this year...we didn't go to a hotel or a cabin or anything, rather we stayed with family and friends. It actually worked out really well because the kiddos are so small right now, and we had a lot of people around to help watch them so I could occassionally take at least a mental break.

Anyway, the first half of the week, we stayed with Steve's family, and we went to our annual White Sox game. This was Kaia's first game and we got her a certificate (as we did for Brett) to put in her baby book.

Another cool thing that happened at the game was that Kaia said her first word...I am counting it anyway. She looked right at Brett as he was walking down the steps, pointed at him and said "Bep!". No doubt, she was trying to say "Brett".

I'll try to write a few more posts about our trip up :).

9 Months Old

2011-06-17T12:29:00.000-04:00

Whew! I think I'm finally caught up! (for now anyway :)).

We took Kaia to the doc at the beginning of June for her 9 month stats.

Here are pics of her by the Teddy Bear chair right before we went to the doc.

And here are her stats!

Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz (42nd percentile)

Length: 29 inches (91st percentile)

Head: 44.7 inches (71st percentile)

I am beginning to sense her daddy in her based on her height! She's going to be a tall one!!!
:)

Pool Time!

2011-06-16T12:23:00.000-04:00

We FINALLY got out Brett's kiddie pool from his 2nd birthday over Memorial Day Weekend. I know, I know...I am guilty of not getting it out for over a year, but last summer was so darned HOT, and I was pregnant (and miserable). But, this summer I am not pregnant and I have much more energy, so we got it out for the first time ever.

Both of the kiddos LOVED it, and I had fun photographing their new swimwear :).

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

Planting Flowers

2011-06-14T12:02:00.000-04:00

These pictures were taken, I believe, in early May when Steve and I were planting our flower beds. It's so nice that the kiddos are able to finally enjoy fun in the sun!

Family Pictures

2011-06-13T12:58:00.000-04:00

On April 29th (Kate and William's Wedding Day..hence I remember the date), we had our first ever family photos taken! My friend Andrea has a good friend, Mare, who is a professional photographer. We had her take our pictures at Holcomb Gardens at Butler and were very pleased with how they turned out!!!

I have a feeling we will try to make this an annual event, as Brett is already 3, and we've not had them done before.

Here are a few of my favorites....

Big Girl!

2011-06-12T11:59:00.000-04:00

So I haven't been blogging about Kaia's progress, but this girl has taken off...literally. In early April she started crawling (just over 7 months) and now she is majorly cruising and takes her hands off for short periods of time. She also uses a toy walker that she pushes very well. She is currently 9 months old and I expect she'll be walking within a month or two. These pics were taken over Easter weekend as well.

She has also cut one tooth and is working on a second. She also claps and "dances" when she gets excited. Anyway, just some updates on her progress!

Uh oh

2011-06-11T11:56:00.000-04:00

These are from April... before she outgrew her saucer. I have to laugh because Brett did the same thing as a baby...getting stuck underneath it. I'm pretty sure I blogged about it then but it would take too much effort to find it and link to it again, so if you care to, you can look for it...

Easter

2011-06-10T11:12:00.000-04:00

This year we spent Easter weekend at Steve's parents house in Chicago and came back and had Easter dinner with my family.

The kiddos got to go on an Egg Hunt the day before and Brett really cleaned up!

Here are some pics from the weekend...

Brett's Birthday Party

2011-06-09T11:17:00.001-04:00

The weekend after Brett turned 3 we had his party.

Due to weather, we had the party at my parent's house (our house is a matchbox and couldn't hold everyone...we were planning to have it in our backyard).

And, ironically, or not, Brett's theme was The Backyardigans this year. So we had Pablo and Tasha plates, napkins, etc....

Here are some pics of his birthday.

Steve and I gave him a Power Wheels VW Beetle that looks like my car. He loves it!

He's growing up so fast!

Brett's 3 Year Stats

2011-06-08T11:07:00.002-04:00

Okay, let's see how many blogs I can speed through while Kaia is napping...

Brett turned 3 on April 14th

On his birthday we went to the zoo as we normally do. But he had his 3 year appointment first.

Here are his stats, with pic by the teddy bear chair (taken on his birthday):

Height: 39 1/4 inches (83 percent)

Weight: 28 lbs. 4.8 oz (15 percent)

Still tall and skinny!

129

2011-06-03T15:34:00.002-04:00

Whew! It's been a long time! Have you missed me??

In all honesty, I am not sure if and or when I will ever seem to get back to blogging. I am in a very unique situation right now where Steve is working from home today and I have a break to blog.

Brett and Kaia keep me super busy these days...with Kaia crawling, I have to watch her like a hawk....and my internet access is pretty limited to my Blackberry...I'll check my Facebook on the BB, but really that's about it. No way am I going to try and type an email, let alone a blog, on that thing!

So in a few ways I've fallen off the face of the earth...

I have so much to post, so many pictures....Brett turned 3, we have professional pictures taken, Easter happened, Kaia started crawling, cut a tooth, had her 9 month appointment....and that's all that's just off the top of my head...

Unfortunately, those pictures are on the desktop computer and as Steve is working on it, I am on our laptop.

So, to the number at the top of my post...well, that ladies and gentlemen is a happy number that greeted me on the scale today. I did it, I broke back into the 120's...granted I'm not quite where I want to be...my comfortable weight is between 120 - 125, but lots of hard work is paying off. I'm into a bunch of my old clothes...and after I shed about 5 more pounds I should be able to see the rest come out of storage.

That number also signifies why I haven't been blogging. I've been working out like a madwoman during naptime, and usually if I'd blog, it would be during naps. So something had to give.

I've publicly discussed my weight struggle before on here. I gained over 60 pounds when I was pregnant with Brett, didn't take it all off, put some of it back on before I got pregnant with Kaia and had a pregnancy wrought with gestational diabetes. I also felt like a whale the second time around.

So, as soon as I was able to, I started on the treadmill...and now I'm up to working out 6-7 days a week at home, 30-90 minutes a day either on the treadmill or doing workout DVD's....my budget and schedule doesn't allow for the gym, but I really prefer the convenience of this anyway. I'm also counting calories and still breastfeeding...which is the tricky part...but I think I've found the correct balance of working out and calories to still lose weight while supplying enough for my baby. It can be tricky! And, it's not been easy...baby weight really WANTS to stick to your bones and holds on for dear life. But I am feeling better, and am able to keep up with my crazy kiddos better that I ever have before.

Anyway, just a quick synopsis of what's been going on in my life. This is the biggest break I've ever taken from blogging, and this blog is primarily dedicated to my kiddos, so I really need to get back and post about them. Hopefully soon :).

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T07:12:00.000-04:00

I know, I am like 2 months behind on blogging...but I'll start by taking baby steps..

Here's a Wordless Wednesday for ya :).

Thanks to Amy P. and Bryn for the sticker...we obtained it while helping them move last week.

6 Months Old!

2011-03-03T11:31:00.003-05:00

Wow, time really flies with the second one! Can she really big 6 months old ALREADY?

Kaia had her 6 month appointment yesterday and here are the stats:

Weight: 16 lbs 4 oz. - 60% percentile

Length: 26 1/2 inches - 77% percentile

Head: 42.5 cm - 52% percentile.

Following are pics of my silly kids. Notice that Kaia still likes to "mug" for the camera, even in the middle of a tackle for big brother. Maybe she'll be a model if she likes the camera so much! :) And, of course, Brett has to get in on the action when I'm taking pictures :).

Blackmail Pics

2011-02-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Not that I would ever blackmail Brett, but these photos sure would be fun to show a future girlfriend! (taken with my cell phone, so pardon the low resolution)

Wearing mommy's shoes...

Beautiful pink fairy wings (and note, he likes to "fly" while wearing them...hilarious!)

How I love my little man! :)

Kaia Lou Who

2011-02-17T12:56:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist snapping these pics the other day. She woke up with a perfect "Who" coif!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-16T09:47:00.001-05:00

She's Growing Up SO Fast!

2011-02-12T13:52:00.005-05:00

Today was a(n) historic day in the life of Kaia.

She had her first solid food...that's right....we gave her rice cereal this morning :).

It makes me a little teary...I have nourished every ounce of her little being all by myself...from the food I ate that helped her grow in utero, to the milk I've provided her ever since she's been in the world. I have helped her grow to her (approximate) 16 pounds ALL BY MYSELF!

So, it was a BIG DEAL for me to give her her first rice cereal. We waited until 5 1/2 months....research until recently said that Breastfeeding solely for 6 months was optimal, but within the last month, I've heard other research that says if you wait TOO LONG babies can develop other problems. So, I kinda compromised and decided to go with 5 1/2 months.

She was definitely ready!

Here are the pictures of her first feeding, as well as a video of her first spoonful.

Brett was so cute...he kept patting her head, saying "Good job, Kaia!", like he was giving her moral support.

My Kids are THE Cutest Kiddos Ever

2011-02-04T15:33:00.000-05:00

And you know the title of my post is completely unbiased and fair, right?

Well, I needed to take more pics of my munchkins together...and you can just see how much they love each other. Brett loves making Kaia laugh and he always wants to hold her. I can just imagine that they will grow up to be great friends :).

Snow Day!

2011-02-03T15:27:00.000-05:00

This winter has been almost as horribly snowy as this past summer was horribly hot! Anyway, we've had quite a few nasty days, but only in the last 2, has Steve's work been canceled. The amount of freezing rain that has fallen has caused a sheet of ice outside, so we have stayed hunkered down in our little igloo passing the time. It's actually been REALLY nice to have both of us here with both kids. I've gotten so much done around the house, and we even had time to make cookies! Here are a few shots of the kiddos...Brett did very well in assisting without eating too much dough. I must say, I was impressed!

Trip to the Eiteljorg

2011-02-02T14:59:00.006-05:00

Back in the day when Steve and I were first married, we took a trip to the Eiteljorg for a masters class that he was taking. I remember it being interesting...but not really a place I'd take small kiddos. Basically, it is a museum of Native American art and culture.

But recently I'd seen some of my friends posting about taking their kiddos and Steve recently had a meeting there that was in the "family area" (a place we hadn't previously checked out), so when we heard that they were having "Kaya day" we had to go check it out. (Kaya is, from what I have learned since having a little girl, an "American Girl"...specifically a Native American, American Girl). So they had Kaya themed activities for little kids and a chance to win a Kaya doll (that's what really drew me...alas, we did not win...I'll just have to save my pennies to get this $100.00 doll one day for my daughter, since I doubt I'll be able to get her anything else that bears her name (I doubt I'll be able to buy her a "Kaia" keychain for example).

So we went..both kids got in free and since Steve worked at IUPUI he got in free, and I found a coupon that got me in for $6..and we got free parking, so I'd say it was worth the trip :). The family area was cute...I was under the impression that it was a little bigger than it actually was, so it didn't take us too long to get through it all, but I got some cute pictures of the kids nonetheless, and Brett had a great time!

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Losing It

2011-01-20T13:29:00.002-05:00

The baby weight that is :). And, I'm not talking about the Kaia baby weight...that came off as soon as she came out. I mean, the Brett weight...the really OLD, like 3 year old baby weight.

Yeah, I USED to be skinny. I ate right...I exercised every day. And then I got pregnant and threw everything I knew about everything out the window.

See, my vice is food. I know for some people it is alcohol or drugs or any number of things...for me, a Reese Cup sends me into a tizzy (and now I REALLY want one now that I am thinking about it). I have also never had a "healthy" relationship with food. When I was in high school someone said I was "fat" (which at 5'3 and 130 pounds, I NOW beg to differ) so, I felt horrible and became almost anorexic. I'd count every calorie that went into my mouth and got down to a super skinny frame. Well, in college I gained the lovely freshman 15 and then some.....but I never had a healthy relationship with food. If I was stressed or tired or bored, food was there to comfort me.

So, after I'd finally had as firm of a grip as I'd ever had on this eating thing/body image...I got pregnant. And what comes with pregnancy? Lots of worries, and feeling bad and all of that. Plus cravings! It didn't help that I read the Jenny McCarthy book in which she ate a pan of brownies every day. I guess I decided I really needed to eat for 2...and I put on a whopping 60 pounds during that pregnancy.

I did lose some of it, yeah, but I didn't work terribly hard to get the rest off. I was stressed about having a young baby and breaking him... plus I was nursing (which I used as an excuse the first time around I think), and I was on a horrible medicine that is known for making people fat. And, I guess that I wasn't all that intent on becoming skinny again because I knew that we wanted another baby and I would just get fat again.

Well, that was all also compounded by trying to sell our house 2 summers ago. Even though the market was horrible, we thought we'd try anyway. What a mistake! We had 96 showings over 6 months...with 2 dogs and a toddler it was arguably the most stressful period of my life. We also ate out almost every night because it seemed someone was coming out to see the house. It is going to be a LONG time before I want to put myself through that again. We never did sell the house. So, I put a few MORE pounds back on during that time due to stress and eating out.

And then, shortly after it went off the market (it had been less than 2 months) I got pregnant again. And I wasn't a small girl this time around. In fact, it was one year ago tomorrow that I went for my first Dr. appointment and was HORRIFIED when I saw the number on the scale. From the get go I ate more healthy, but it still wasn't enough to combat the Gestational Diabetes that eventually happened. Would I have still gotten it if I was skinny before I got pregnant? I can't say for sure (Diabetes DOES run in my family), but I'm sure the weight didn't help. But in a twisted way, the GD WAS a good thing. I felt much better after I got diagnosed and under control, and I only ended up gaining net 8 POUNDS during this pregnancy.

So it was great to see that I had lost a whopping 27 pounds at my 6 week appointment. Well I haven't weighed myself since, and the holidays happened and all....but now that it's all over, I'm going to FINALLY loose the rest of this weight.

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions...I see it as a set up for failure....however I am setting a goal to be back into some of my old 2's and 4's by Kaia's first birthday. I realize my body has changed and I probably won't fit into it all, but some would be nice.

So, I've found this awesome website - babyfit. com. It tells you how many calories as a nursing mom you need to eat per day to keep up your milk production. So, I have been food journaling on the site as well as getting back into my old fitness habits. I used to lift weights a few times a week (I've been doing that) as well as pilates (I tried it again for the first time Sunday) and then running on our treadmill (okay, I'm only up to walking, but still it's good for now).

I can already tell my pants are looser and I've moved down a size. I probably won't hit the scale for awhile as this makes me obsessed with the number...but I can see progress so far.

So, that's what I've been up to lately...focusing on getting down to my pre-pregnancy size. We are like 95% sure we are DONE having kids so I have no more excuses! Plus, since I have a little girl now I feel like I need to set a good body image for her, and I don't want her to have a fat mama.

Wish me luck!!!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter - Part II

2011-01-15T12:09:00.000-05:00

So, this post is a continuation of my amazement of how Kaia's baby pictures continue to look like mine. Again, not identically, but enough to make me look twice. Her eyes are larger, and she has her daddy's widow peak, but I'd argue the rest is all pretty darn similar...even down to skin tone, hair and eye color.

I found this pic of myself at 7 months...so a little older than Kaia is currently, but the expressions were similar so I had to post it.

Sometimes when I look at her I swear it's like looking in a mirror :)

Kaia's 4 Month Appointment

2011-01-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

Well, 4 1/2 months is more like it. But anyway, the doctor said that the percentages were accurate based on her birth date not her "4 month appointment"

So here's the latest and greatest stats for Miss K:

Weight: 14 lbs. 12.8 oz - 66%

Length: 25 1/4 inches - 75%

Head: 41.6 cm - 59%

So, she's definitely a growing little girl. Her favorite hobby continues to be eating, so these numbers come as no surprise.

She's also at a "fun" stage...she's rolled over from tummy to back but she's not more mobile than that right now, however she is solid..this kiddo is not a noodley baby. She's been in her exersaucer for over a month now, as she prefers to "stand". She has tons of smiles and giggles to share and is such a "people person" already. The ONLY thing that would make it all perfect right now is for her to sleep through the night. That still has not happened. She is 19 weeks old, and Brett was sleeping through the night at 12 weeks....I'm desperate for a single night of sleep, but we are getting by. She normally wakes once between 1 - 3 to eat and then one more time at 5 or 6, so if she could just drop t he middle of the night feeding, we'd be okay. And, no, she hates bottles...it's all mommy all the time...so Steve feeding her in the middle of the night isn't an option. Oh well, I keep telling myself she WILL sleep through the night....EVENTUALLY.

And, here's the latest teddy bear chair pic!

Christmas in Chicago Part II

2011-01-13T14:01:00.001-05:00

The rest of the weekend was spent at Steve's parent's house. We took it easy by ringing in the New Year there and just resting up. The kiddos had fun as usual, and got lots of loot from Grandma and Grandpa .

We stayed through Steve's birthday, and he and I got to see Black Swan together at the Chicagoland version of Hollywood Bar and Filmworks. We used to LOVE the Indy location but they closed it :(. However, the owners opened one literally within a 10 minute drive of Steve's parents house, so we try to catch movies there when we can.

Following are more pics of kiddos opening presents. The last pic I couldn't resist...another pic from my Wordless Wednesday bunch. Kaia looks like a twin to her new Cabbage Patch Kid!

Christmas In Chicago

2011-01-12T13:48:00.005-05:00

On New Year's Eve, Steve and I went up to Chicago for a few days with his family for Christmas. The very first event was that day...the ginormous extended family Christmas. Every year it grows and grows and grows with all of the new family members. This year, his cousins Kim and Rachel also had babies...also girls! Yes, it was a very good year for baby girls. While I didn't get a picture of brand new baby Allison (she was 2 weeks old!), I got some of Khloe and Kaia...Kim's baby Khloe was born 10 days before Kaia and this was the first time we've gotten them together.

The first two are of Kaia and Khloe...I'm looking forward to getting these two together from now on to see how they are growing...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T12:21:00.002-05:00

Christmas Morning

2010-12-26T22:18:00.003-05:00

Here are a few cute pictures from Christmas morning.

It really felt like our family was complete this year. I got Kaia a stocking (hers has an angel, Brett's has a reindeer) and a baby's first Christmas ornament and rounded out the tree with her own "Kaia" ornament (Steve, Brett and I all have our own name ornament).

The kids had a great time opening gifts. Brett really got into it this year, and was surprised to see the empty glass of milk and empty plate that Santa left after he ate his cookies. Kaia seemed to engage in the baby toys we gave her and she seems to love her new giant Cheer Bear (even though it is like 5 times bigger than she currently is).

As usual, cuteness to follow.... (and yes, that is a new giant cheetah for Brett :))

Christmas At The Zoo

2010-12-24T10:15:00.003-05:00

Wednesday night we did Christmas at The Zoo. We went last year when it was a little nicer. This year December has just been brutally cold, and it was down to crunch time so we just went even thought it was freezing. We didn't stay very long, but were there long enough for the kiddos to enjoy the lights and take in the special Christmas dolphin show. I think they both at least enjoyed themselves as much as they could. I was mainly worried about Kaia staying warm enough...I don't have tiny mittens for her, so I was holding her hands in my gloved hands the entire time. Please check out the adorable knitted cap with ears that my friend Mandy made for Kaia.

Anyway, cuteness to follow....

Where I Am

2010-12-15T16:12:00.003-05:00

I have come to the realization that I tend to write meatier more thought-out posts when I am pregnant than when I'm not. Part of it is due to the sheer exhaustion of having little babies and my brain not working....being barely able to get cute pics of the kiddos up. But I think that when I am pregnant, I just want to vent.

Anyway, no, in case you were wondering, I am NOT pregnant (and don't have future plans to be), but I've been reflecting on where I am in my life lately.

I have changed. A lot. Pre-kiddo Carrie was always worried about my job and not liking it, and wondering where my career would lead. I was also super focused on being skinny and put alot of my self worth on whether I could squeeze into my size 2 jeans or not. Now, I am 30 pounds heavier, and while I would really like to take the weight off (oh yes, I REALLY would), I am not devistated by it, and I don't base my worth of a person on a number on the scale.

I also don't worry so much about career. I never seemed to find a job I was truly happy with after college. I'd see my friends (and my husband) find their niches, and I just never fit into the work world. Now, I am working part time at a flexible well paying job, but my job isn't anywhere near the focus of my life that it used to be. I know this will sound odd, but instead of being jealous of "so and so from my past" being a doctor or a lawyer or the head of their own company, I am actually happy for those people and their success, and grateful to know so many from my past in so many different professions. It actually comes in handy...when I'm on Facebook and I need advice from someone with certain expertise, I have someone to turn to!

And the most interesting change in my outlook is how kids have rocked my whole world. I used to be TERRIFIED of having kids. I thought it would be the end of my life if I ever got pregnant. I thought it would wreck my body (it did). I thought it would drain us financially (it does). I thought it would take away our freedom to go out whenever we want (oh, yes, definitely). But you know what? I don't really mind all that much! Because in so many ways, I haven't felt like I've truly lived until I had my kiddos within the past 3 years. Now instead of worrying about my makeup and what I am wearing to go out on a Friday night, I am at home in sweats holding a 3 month old baby who may or may not have covered me in spit-up, but has a glowing smile on her face. Instead of counting every calorie, I am sharing cookies with a silly 2 year old who loves his mommy. It's not glamorous, but man is it fulfilling.

And, yes, being a mom is also the HARDEST job I've ever had. It's especially tough when I have a tantrum throwing 2 year old and a baby who still isn't sleeping through the night. Most of the time the two of them ride in the car together, they feed off of each other and scream and cry for the entire ride. And when I am sick (as I am today), I don't get a day off to just lay in bed. No, I still have 2 little ones who depend on me. But don't the most challenging tasks reap the greatest rewards? I have never loved two beings in my entire life as much as I love my little kiddos. And, I look forward to seeing them grow and have families of their own. I think back on my initial feelings of life ending if we had kids, and now I feel just the opposite. Now I can't imagine my life without them.

Anyway, deep thought for today...now back to my regularly scheduled mommy-brain :).

Some cute photos from our Christmas card shoot

2010-12-01T12:08:00.004-05:00

I took like 90, so here are just a few shots that may have or may not have made the card...just ignore the red eye on the unedited versions.

It was definitely a challenge to get both kiddos to stay still and smile...neither did it at the same time. Oh, and Kaia spit up on both dresses we put her in...I managed to salvage this one for a few shots.

Our 2010 Christmas Card

2010-11-27T10:33:00.001-05:00

With Love Blue Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Love At First Sight

2010-11-22T14:45:00.004-05:00

My friend Tina beat me to the post! :).

If you read my blog, you will recall that my BFF Tina was pregnant at the same time as me and we had our babies exactly two weeks apart (she had an adorable son - Luke). This was the first time we had gotten together since having our second children, and we were excited to see each other and introduce our new arrivals! Steve, Brett, Kaia and myself went up to Chi-town over the weekend, and here are some adorable pictures of our kiddos.

Tina, did an awesome job of explaining everything, so I recommend on clicking on her post in my blogroll (Cute Times 4) to read more...

As I have mentioned before, since Tina had a boy, we are going to marry off our kiddos one day :). Follow are Kaia and Luke's first time meeting

A little shy at first....

But they soon warmed up, as Kaia played with Luke's little ear...

And, all four of our kiddos, Luke, big brother Evan, big brother Brett and Kaia

Also to note...Brett and Evan are becoming quite good buddies...it gets more and more fun to get our ever growing group together each time :).

Blueing Up

2010-11-18T14:32:00.000-05:00

What was meant to be a pictorial blog about Kaia and her cute giraffe hat took a different turn when I noticed just HOW BLUE her eyes looked in these most recent pictures of her. I've noticed the change happening gradually, but man, it really is obvious now. Looks like she'll have her mommy's eyes! How funny...I thought both of my kiddos would have their daddy's deep brown eyes. Shows what I know!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T14:29:00.003-05:00

Christmas Cards

2010-11-15T14:12:00.003-05:00

Yes, I'll admit I am selling my soul a bit. But it's for a GOOD CAUSE! Shutterfly is going to help our family, with 50 free holiday cards: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly http://bit.ly/sfly2010 (and you can't beat that!), just for writing a blog about them. So, I will start our by saying that we used Shutterfly for Miss K's birth announcements (and they were beautiful), and I've used them in the past to create collages of BMan, which I've given as presents. And, I've also ordered a hardback photo book from them.

As far as their Christmas offerings go, you can order holiday cards:
photo holiday cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery
And they are good quality..I am looking forward to picking mine out :).

Quality wall calendars:
Wall calendar to http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars
A great way to share pics of your family.

Photo Mugs:
photo mugs to http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs
I got a cute one for Steve last year of Bman for him to have at his office.

Anyway, I can't wait to take some adorable pics of Bman and Miss K and create a fun holiday card. I'm sure it will be a bit more challenging to get 2 kiddos to pose for the camera this year, but I'm up for the challenge :).

2 months old and 2 1/2 years old!!!

2010-11-06T12:33:00.001-04:00

On Monday (yes, the day after baptism and trick or treating), Kaia had her 2 month and Brett had his 2 1/2 year well child visit.

It's so interesting to see how my children are growing...especially how they are growing so DIFFERENTLY.

Every day, I'm more and more convinced that Brett is a mini Steve and Kaia is a mini me.

First, B man:
26 lbs. (9% - however he'd been sick, so I wonder if his weight was down)

38 inches (86%)

And. now, Kaia:
10 lbs. 13.6 oz (53%)

22 1/2 inches (56%)

And her head was in the 38%

So, Brett is still on the path to long and skinny, and Kaia is on the path to average...sounds like they are taking after dad and mom, respectively :).

Of course, teddy bear chair pic...and cheetahs even made their debut this time! Made for quite a crowded picture! :)

Trick Or Treat!

2010-11-05T12:14:00.000-04:00

So, finally, Sunday night after Kaia's baptism, and the party and all, it was time to Trick or Treat.

Remember, Brett is still not 100%, after being in the ER Friday night. But, still I couldn't deny him trick or treating. Last year he wanted nothing to do with it, and this year he was finally interested and excited.

We went through the neighborhood adjoining ours, since the houses are a bit bigger and are more full of families (our neighborhood is quiet by contrast as the houses are smaller and full of empty nesters). Good choice, as it was HOPPING. Brett was a super trooper and about halfway through got the whole "Trick or Treat" and "thank you" thing down at each house. He loved it and now has a ridiculous amount of candy.

Kaia, meanwhile, was content to be held or chill in her pumpkin seat in the stroller. She didn't trick or treat this year, but she sure made an adorable pea pod!

Cuteness to follow...

Kaia's Baptism

2010-11-04T11:53:00.000-04:00

Kaia had her baptism on Sunday. It was the third weekend we had tried for to get it scheduled. Nothing seemed to go right on getting this date on the books. But somehow we pulled it off! The ceremony went well (after Kaia got her pacifier while we were up at the baptismal font), and the party at my parent's house after it was all over was really nice. In retrospect, it was probably a good date for her to get baptized, even though it was Halloween (which was not the ideal date I had wanted), because for Lutherans, that is Reformation Day, and this year Reformation Sunday fell on the actual Reformation Day (which just happens to be Halloween, go figure!).

And, yes, Brett was sick, and a trooper through it all... and I had managed to get Brett's illness too, but I made it through the day as well!

Note: Kaia's gown is made from my mother's wedding gown...kind of cool...before Kaia wore it, my niece Paige wore it for her baptism. Brett's gown that he wore for his baptism is a gown that's been in Steve's family for ages, so I was glad that since we have 2 kiddos, we were able to incorporate both traditions. Also, Kaia was able to wear my own baptismal shoes and ring...it was so neat to be able to incorporate MY old things this time too :).

Zoo Boo

2010-11-03T11:21:00.002-04:00

We had a very adventurous Friday night!

After work I picked the kids up from my parents house to go to Zoo Boo. Brett was feeling not so great, but we went anyway. After all, I'd promised him that he'd get to be a puppy and go to the zoo... and he'd been looking forward to wearing his costume for a week, so we went.

The kiddos had a good time. We got there about an hour before they closed, as we picked Steve up from work and just spent a little time there...they were out of trick or treat bags, but Brett still was able to pick up some candy from the stations and got the gist of it all.

Then when we got home, I could def. tell Brett was feeling BAD. In fact, he climbed 3 stairs and was out of breath. We scooped him up and took him to the emergency room. We finally made our way home after midnight with a nebulizer and Brett spent the weekend using it. More posts to come on our super busy weekend, and Brett was a super trooper through it all!

But here are pics of the kids enjoying Zoo Boo... Brett was a puppydog and Kaia was a peapod (or sweet pea!).

Brett Loves His Little Sister

2010-10-28T12:15:00.000-04:00

I am so thankful that Brett is such a great big brother to Kaia. He is always asking about her and wanting to play with her and saying that he loves her. The only problem I have is that he is not aware of himself in space right now, so he often comes close to kicking her or whacking her with his arm without even realizing what he's doing (and that's while I'm holding her!). But, as long as I can watch them together like a hawk, they really do get on very well together.

Here are a few pics of Brett loving Kaia as she plays in her play gym.

Fall Fun

2010-10-27T12:51:00.000-04:00

Brett and his cousin Derek had fun at my parents house last week or so jumping in the leaf piles. I tried to capture the good times with my camera. It really was much cuter to watch in person :).

Yo Gabba Gabba Live!

2010-10-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

About a week and a half ago, we took the kiddos to go see Yo Gabba Gabba Live! My awesome friend, Nicole, who works for Live Nation hooked us up with some pretty killer tickets...so we didn't have to pay, and Brett (and Kaia) got to see their first show.

I don't think Brett "got it" until they took the stage...he was thinking we were going to watch the t.v. show. But when they took the stage, it was another "mind blowing" moment for Brett, and it was so cute to see the wheels turning in his head as he process what was going on.

Best part of the show was that they actually brought Biz Markie on tour with them! (For watchers of Yo Gabba Gabba, you will know that he does "Biz's beat of the day" each show). But for our generation, you may remember Biz Markie as the hilarious singer of "Oh baby, you, you got what I need....but you say he's just a friend".

Anyway, the kiddos had fun, and we still have the balloon from the show.

(Kaia's first smile caught on camera!)

A Trip To The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-25T12:49:00.000-04:00

A couple of weekends ago (yes, I know very well that I am behind on blogging), we went to the same apple orchard/pumpkin patch that we go to every year.

This year Brett took interest in picking his pumpkin after we took the wagon out to the pumpkin patch. Meanwhile, Kaia enjoyed the trip in the baby sling.

However, it did take Brett a minute to compose himself after the tractor left us in the pumpkin patch. He enjoyed riding the tractor so much I had to convince him it was coming back. Then, he was okay.

Cuteness to follow:

My Sleeping Beauty

2010-10-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

Like Brother, Like Sister?

2010-10-24T17:07:00.003-04:00

This post is to put all of your exclamations to the test.

As soon as I introduce people to Kaia, I would say that about 75% of the reactions I get are "WOW! She looks JUST LIKE Brett!".

Personally, I've never seen it, but since curiosity got the best of me, I decided to line their baby pictures up side by side.

Now, with evidence in hand, YOU be the judge :)

Like Mother, Like Daughter?

2010-10-08T19:33:00.004-04:00

I must say that I had suspected that Kaia looked a little like me. When she first made her appearance I immediately recognized the nose. I have this upturned nose with this unique little point at the end. And, yes, Kaia has that nose. :). I look at her every day and see features that look like either myself or Steve, and sometimes I change my mind about who she got what from. And I know that as babies grow, they change. So, she's got a lot of change ahead of her.

But besides my nose, the other thing I am certain of is that she has Steve's large dark eyes. Right now they are dark blue, but I suspect them turning his chocolate brown color any day.

However, after looking at my baby pictures, even though we are not identical, there is no doubt she's my daughter. I tried to take pictures of my baby pictures, so they are a little blurry, but I think you will get the point...

Yep, I'd say she's mine :)

Sweet Baby Girl (And Her Brother)

2010-10-04T12:40:00.000-04:00

1 Month Old!

2010-10-03T14:35:00.003-04:00

Friday, Kaia went to the doc for her 1 month appointment. Here is how she measured:

Height: 21 1/4 inches (55%)

Weight: 9 lbs (46%)

And her head was in the 33rd percentile, although I have forgotten the measurement.

Definitely a little more average than Brett, as he has always measured way tall and way skinny.

Maybe she'll be like her mommy???

Of course, teddy bear chair pics included :)

Zooing

2010-09-29T10:19:00.001-04:00

As I said a couple of posts ago, about a week and a half ago, we took our first excursion as a family of four to the zoo. An appropriate place, as things could have gotten a bit "zooey", but thankfully, aside from Kaia having a major spitup before we went in, things went perfectly. The weather was perfect, and little miss K seemed content to just be pushed along in her stroller. We recently bought a double sit/stand stroller and brought it with us. It was perfect, as Kaia could sit in her little carseat and my little man on the go didn't have to be completely strapped down in a conventional stroller.

Hopefully we can enjoy a few more zoo days like this before the weather turns too cold....

Getting ready to head in

My two boys

One of Brett's favorite activities at the zoo... petting the sharks

Behind us is Brett's other favorite exhibit: the cheetahs (they were the point of the pic anyway)

And this is how Kaia spent the whole trip... very content, actually.

New Kiddo, New Blog Changes

2010-09-28T17:06:00.003-04:00

As you can see, I've made my blog shiny and new again. In addition to the new layout, I also gave my blog roll a makeover as well, so you may find some new bloggers you might like to follow. Most are still mommy blogs, but I've also incorporated a few food bloggers and others as well.

Possible new tweaks as I get inspired...

Bleary Eyed Blog

2010-09-27T13:35:00.002-04:00

As I recall, I wrote a "Bleary-Eyed Blog" with Brett, so it's only fitting that I write one with Kaia.

The past 4 weeks have gone by, almost, in the blink of an eye. Days and nights have blended together and I've spent almost the entire time indoors. I get out a couple of days a week, but I've been pretty much here at home the whole time. In fact, I haven't been separated from Kaia girl at all. Since she's such an excellent nurser (as opposed to Brett, who we had problems with starting), I have tried to follow the lactation consultant's recommendations of solely breastfeeding for at least 3 weeks to establish a good record before we introduce the bottle. Since she eats CONSTANTLY, I need to be with her. We tried to give her a bottle a couple of nights ago, as Steve and I had a beer (my first adult drink in almost 10 months!), and she hated the bottle. I don't blame her, but we are going to have to get her used to it as I go back to work in a couple of short weeks.

Recovery has been much better than the first time around. After about a week, I would say I was about 75% (well, except sleep deprived), and almost 100% by almost 2 weeks after giving birth. Steve and I hit the zoo with the kiddos when she was 2 1/2 weeks, and I've been getting on the treadmill almost every day since then. I've also managed to get into my "fat" jeans a couple of days ago, and I have a goal of getting into the next smaller size by the time I see my doc at my 6 week appointment, which is about 2 1/2 weeks from now.

And, about the sleep deprivation....yeah. So, Kaia had a few amazing nights during her first 2 weeks, where she'd sleep 6 or 7 hour stretches at night. Not so much anymore. She goes to sleep around 10:30 and wakes around 2 or 2:30 (which is normal for a baby her age) to eat. The challenging part then is getting her back down to sleep after that. Some nights are easier than others. She'll drop right off and we can move her back pretty easily. And some nights, she ends up falling asleep in bed with us as we fall back asleep and we never get her back into the pack n play. She then eats again around 6:00 or so (regardless of where she is sleeping). We are working on trying to get her back into her own bed every night. I am super conscious when she's in bed with us to not have any covers near her, but it still worries me. Normally I'd be okay with this schedule, as I was with Brett, because I could sleep in with her. However, with a big brother who normally wakes between 7 and 7:30 I don't get that luxury. So coffee has become my friend.

Other than that, she's been a normal newborn...lots of sleeping and dirty diapers and eating (and when she is awake, 90% of the time she just wants to eat). Oh, and we finally found out that her hearing is normal. She had to have a second test, which we got at Riley last week, to confirm hearing in her left ear. The drama of even achieving that appointment could be a post in and of itself. But, her hearing is fine, so we have no reason to believe she isn't 100% healthy :).

Next blog I'll try to upload some cute Kaia pics. I need to get motivated to take some more...now off to take a nap :).

Kaia's Eyes

2010-09-18T13:58:00.001-04:00

I was able to get a good shot of Kaia with her eyes open :).

She has these very dark blue/grey eyes that I am sure will turn dark brown like her daddy.

So interesting to have a little dark haired/brown eyed girl and a blondie/blue-eyed boy! Genetics are a funny thing for sure!

First Bath

2010-09-17T12:48:00.000-04:00

Kaia had her first tub bath Tuesday night. The pesky umbilical cord fell off during the weekend (thank goodness) so we were able to stick her in the tub with big brother. She pretty much hated the whole thing, so pics weren't very good, but I've posted them for the memory.

Yes, Steve is trying to "censor" our children's private areas in the first pic :).

Newborn Stats

2010-09-16T15:35:00.002-04:00

So, I'm a slacker. Kaia had her newborn appointment a week ago today, and I'm just now getting around to posting her stats. By the way she eats (and eats, and eats, and eats...) she's probably way past these numbers, but this is what they were last week:

Weight: 7 lbs. 3.2 oz - 25% (almost back to birthweight)

Length: 20 1/2 inches - 68% (not sure this is right, or her birth measurement was wrong - hard to believe she grew 3/4 inch in 10 days)

Head: 34.8 cm - 33%

So, there you go... another skinny kiddo :). More posts as I am motivated!!!

1 Week Old!!!

2010-09-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Kaia Beth turned 1 week old!

And, as we did with her brother, we put her next to the teddy bear chair to chart her growth. Brett of course wanted in on the action, and as you can see, she is such a tiny peanut compared to him!

As I remember to take them, I'm sure there will be lots more of these to come :).

Kaia's Birth Story

2010-09-07T17:01:00.002-04:00

It all started last Monday night (August 30th) at a little after 10 p.m. We were watching the critically acclaimed television program "Bachelor Pad" (yes, I know, I will have to explain this to Kaia one day, much to my dismay) on the DVR when my contractions started to feel a little more intense. As you may recall, I've been having contractions that caused mild discomfort for about a month or so now. Suddenly, they went from "ugh" to "holy mother of ....". I knew then that I was in trouble. So I called the doc... I hadn't really been timing them because it was pointless, but I was having trouble breathing and talking so she told me to come in. I called my parents and they then came up to pick up B.

Now, my parents live like 30 minutes away so the trip wasn't super fast, but hey, doesn't labor take like forever? I thought I had plenty of time... well, by the time they got here, we had moved on to watching an even BETTER show "Dating in the Dark"....yes, we watch some pretty horrible TV. And, I was bracing the pack n play with my hands, trying to stay calm while in extreme pain. Seriously, things took a turn for the worse in the blink of an eye. I somehow made it downstairs and into Steve's car, while my parents put a very confused Brett (who had been awoken in the middle of the night) into their car to head to the south side.

Luckily we are like 10 minutes from the hospital, but with every bump in the road and red stoplight I wanted to scream obscenities. I couldn't get there fast enough. By the time we arrived and I was escorted upstairs in a wheelchair, it was after midnight. They took me to the triage area to check me to make sure I was really in labor. This process took FOREVER. I sat there for like 20 minutes or longer while the nurse on duty took her sweet time (and trust me, it was after midnight so no one was around). Finally, she got around to checking me and asking me all of the stupid questions and having me sign consent papers (which I feel, I was NOT in the right frame of mind to be signing, but I WANTED to get to an epidural as quickly as possible). At the time she checked me, it was between 12:30 and 1:00 and I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced, and my water was very close to breaking.

Finally, I got to a real room, and about 30 minutes later they gave me a mild narcotic through my IV. They said it would feel like a couple of good margaritas. Oh, it did, and it did take the edge off, but it didn't act like a real epidural. THAT I had to wait another 30 minutes or so for. I swear that the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life was waiting for the epidural when I had Brett, but this might have been worse. After another eternity, the anesthesiologist arrived and she looked mildly bored and annoyed when I asked her if she was my angel. Then she proceeds to tell me about all of the horrible things that can happen as side effects of an epidural, to which I replied something like "sure, I don't care". I mean, I REALLY didn't care at that point if it would cause nerve damage. I just wanted instant relief. So, she proceeded to hook me up and about 10 minutes later I started feeling the sweet drugs in my system.

After another 15 minutes or so, the nurses checked me again. I had almost doubled my progress to a 7 1/2 cm. Then, they checked me 15 minutes later and I was almost at a 9. Seriously, I am so glad they didn't check me before the epidural because they might have said it was too late. I was progressing THAT FAST. They let me lie there for about 45 minutes to enjoy the relief of the epidural, then they came back, had me push one time and I was at a 10 and 100% effaced.

So, we waited for maybe 30 minutes for the doctor to arrive. My doc wasn't on call, so it was another doc from the practice who I hadn't met, but I really didn't care WHO delivered me at that point, just so that it would be over. Her job was super fast. After a practice run with the nurses, who only had me do one push and then demanded I stop and wait for the doc (I probably almost had her out), I only pushed a total of 3 times through one contraction. And, Kaia popped right out. COMPLETELY different scenario than with Brett, who I endured almost 24 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing with.

I couldn't believe it! After such a horrible pregnancy full of so many problems, my labor took like 5 hours, and if I hadn't waited for all of the hospital stuff (paperwork, epidural, etc.), I'm sure it could have been much faster. The doc even joked that the next one I'd be having in the car. It was unreal.

Anyway, that's how Kaia got here. She cried immediately and was bright pink and had an Apgar score of a 9. I was a bit sad that she wasn't given right to me as Brett was, but I knew that the NICU nurses needed to look at her because she was a GD baby. But thankfully, she was small (7 lbs 5 oz) at full term (can you believe she arrived ON her due date - 8/31? I've never known anyone to give birth on the actual date!). And, her sugars, which they checked 3-4 times were perfect. I felt so good for being able to keep MY sugars in check throughout my pregnancy. As much as I hated 4 finger pricks and an insulin shot every date, plus counting every single carb I ate, it made her healthy birth totally worth it in the end.

We spent the next couple of days in the hospital, and were released Thursday morning. We are all doing well (well, sleep deprived, but well) and loving every minute with our new baby girl!!! :)

She's Here!!!!

2010-09-03T17:31:00.004-04:00

Introducing: Kaia (K-eye-a) Beth :)

Born: August 31st, 2010 at 3:46 a.m.

Weight: 7 lbs 5 oz

Length: 19 3/4 inches

Lots of dark hair and dark eyes, like her daddy!

As you can see, she chose to be a peridot (August) baby. I promise I'll post her birth story a little later.... when I've had a chance to regroup a little bit :). But until then, here are pics of my beautiful baby girl for you to enjoy! :)

Peridot or Sapphire????

2010-08-29T10:25:00.002-04:00

When I found out I was due August 31st way back in December, I joked with everyone that I hope that baby girl would hold off and be just one day overdue so her birthstone could be my favorite gemstone - a sapphire. It would pair perfectly with Brett's birthstone, a diamond. Most people could care less I think, but I've NEVER liked my birthstone... a garnet. I always thought it was an ugly brown stone, and what do I own tons of??? You guessed it - garnets. For various birthdays, graduations, etc. throughout my life I've received garnet earrings, rings, etc. I know the gift givers were just being nice, but I own so many of these now and I just don't wear them. I was actually one of the few people in my class to order a different stone in my class ring... I did not want an ugly brown stone to wear.

Well, now that we are right at the tail end of pregnancy with baby girl, it's almost a coin flip. My doctor is inducing me on Wednesday (September 1st) if I don't go into labor before then. That's 3 days away!!!! Honestly, the difference between peridot and sapphire doesn't mean as much to me now as it did back in December, but still it would be nice for her to be a sapphire :). What REALLY matters to me is that she is healthy. I am getting so anxious as we are nearing the end. I keep hearing stories about people who have problems with delivery.... delivery of babies VERY premature....heartbreaking delivery deaths....and even a week or two ago, a bunch of people updated their statuses on Facebook with remembrances for all of the "angel babies" who never got to experience life outside of the womb. While I am very sad and heartbroken for these people (and I know some of you blog readers have experienced that horrible pain, and for that I am VERY VERY sorry), it is unbearable for me to hear right now. I am so close to the finish line....I keep feeling for movement from baby girl to reassure me that she is okay. I need to keep my mind from the dark thoughts....

So I am trying to stay positive. Status as of Thursday was still the same. I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and 25% effaced. I go back tomorrow for my very last NST so we will see if any more progress has been made. I am still contracting like crazy and baby girl has dropped so low into my pelvis that it makes walking incredibly uncomfortable, but it's been like that for weeks now, so I have no idea if I'll have her today or Wednesday, but I know I am SO CLOSE to the end!!!!

If this is my last blog post before baby, I will talk to you all again after baby Kaia arrives and will be sure to update with all of the (hopefully) positive details. Here's hoping for a smooth and uneventful delivery!

Anytime Now...

2010-08-22T14:09:00.002-04:00

Little girl, we are ready to introduce you to the world... we've gotten all the last details taken care of!!!

So, whenever you want to make your appearance baby Kaia, we are ready for you!!!!!

The Waiting Game

2010-08-18T16:43:00.002-04:00

So here I am at week 38. That is one week longer than I was pregnant with Brett. I am proud of this accomplishment, however that one week alone felt like a MONTH.

In my last post, I mentioned that the doctor was going to induce me on August 27th. Well, we moved back the induction 5 days to September 1st by MY CHOICE. I pondered all last weekend about the induction date. She'd ALMOST be full term. I mean that would take her to 39 1/2 weeks, but I couldn't get over the fact that it was like running 13.1 miles, but quitting before the .1. Not QUITE reaching the finish line. I mean, I've been pregnant for like FOREVER...what is 5 extra days in the whole scheme of things? So, I decided to move my induction date to the next day my doc is on call, which happens to be September 1st. This date sits much better with me, for it allows baby girl to bake until full term (August 31st) and only be induced 1 day overdue. If she wants to be an escape artist and make her way into the world before the induction, it's on HER time and not MY time. And, I will know that she was ready to come out before her due date.

So, while, this decision resonates well with my brain, my body is disagreeing. It knows I must be crazy and self destructive. I had another full day of contractions again last Friday (and what IS it about Fridays? They are my crazy contraction days), and they basically did NOTHING for progressing labor. I was still only dilated 1 1/2 cm when checked on Monday. Ugh. My body is tired and ready to go...

However, sitting at home on weekends and my days off of work make it far worse. These days drag out SO LONG and I can feel my pregnant body screaming to be done with it all. So, work days tend to go faster. However, I am also much more tired and some days are like a huge chore to get through. I had originally said I would work through this Friday and then be done, but if I'm being induced a week and a half later, I can't imagine sitting at home BORED for 12 whole consecutive days, twiddling my thumbs. So, I decided to tentatively work until Friday the 27th...yep I am choosing to work until 39 1/2 weeks. I know I am certifiable, but hey, it's only 3 days a week (Mon, Tue. & Fri.) and my hours are super flexible. And, like I said, these days go FASTER for me, even though they are tiring.

So, as of today, the countdown stands at 14 days or less.

That means:

- 56 fingers stabs to draw blood to test my sugars, or less

- 14 more insulin shots, or less

- 14 more restless nights of sleep, or less

- 14 more days of aching heartburn, or less

- 14 more days of mad carpel tunnel syndrome, or less

And, THE MOST important of all (and what keeps me going)...

- 14 more days or less until I meet our sweet baby girl :)

Latest Belly Pic

2010-08-13T08:54:00.000-04:00

I have not taken many of these this time around...mainly because I documented my belly through pregnancy #1, but vainly, as it did the first time around... my face has swollen to a ridiculous size and I currently have 2-3 chins and a huge nose and lips. Everything went back to normal (thank goodness) after Brett was born, so I am counting on the same thing happening this time.

But, I've had people ask for a recent picture, and I also don't want baby girl to feel like I didn't get any belly shots of her when I was preggers with her...so here is my 37 week belly in all of it's glory :).

Ultrasound #4

2010-08-12T17:42:00.003-04:00

I guess the only perk to having gestational diabetes is that they perform multiple ultrasounds to monitor the growth of your baby. So, I got to have ultrasound #4 today.... Steve and Brett were there as usual. We got to have the always fun sneak peak at our little bundle of joy :).

Good news is that she isn't TOO big...she is measuring an estimated 6 lbs 12 oz (which is in the 63rd percentile), and all of her stats seem to be encouraging. Her amniotic fluid level is good, the placenta is healthy, the umbilical cord looks good, and her liver is functioning. She is also head down, which I knew, but it was good to see the pics to confirm it.

I, of course, had another NST after this was over (as I have 2 of these per week) and it looked good as it always has so far.

I asked the NP about delivery and it sounds like they may schedule me for August 27th for an induction. Of course, that's all subject to change, but it's nice to see the end in sight!!

Pics of baby girl cuteness below :)

Bored

2010-08-07T16:17:00.002-04:00

So I haven't been on here in a few days to update.

This is what has happened since my last post... the following Friday after my crazy contractions, I had another Friday full of contractions. Per my doctor, they weren't hard enough to make me loose my breath in pain so I didn't do anything. I went to sleep that night and they went away the next morning. This past week, I've had little bouts of contractions on and off, but they have eventually all gone away.

My last doctor visit was Thursday and they checked me. I am at 1 1/2 cm dilated but not effaced. However, the baby has dropped. I went from measuring 1 week ahead (37 weeks) to a few behind (34 1/2) in the course of about 2 days. I thought the baby dropped a few weeks ago because my belly looked different, but no, it's definitely different now. I watched my belly shrink over about a day this week. I look far less pregnant than I did a week ago, but man, does it ever feel like I am waddling more as the baby has settled low into the birth position (and she is head down, which is great news in and of itself).

But besides that, I am really tired and bored of pregnancy. I look at the calendar and wonder how I can speed up time. We've gotten everything in order....we're mentally prepared to bring a new life into the world...I'm just SICK of being pregnant. I know it's not quite a year, the whole process, but it feels like much more than that. There are still cool points to it though... like 2 nights ago, Steve and I were chilling and watching TV and I was able to catch her little foot (I think it was her heel) as it was moving near the top of my belly. Steve grabbed it too, and I think he thought it was pretty awesome. Makes me excited to be able to hold her soon.

The diabetes thing is irritating more than anything... I've learned to deal with it and now that it's routine it's no big deal. There are times where I REALLY want like a huge brownie sundae or a huge plate of mac n cheese, but I've been able to either ignore my cravings, or make things from a low carb website that I found that somewhat take care of them. Best news is that I've still hardly gained any weight this pregnancy. I doubt I'll make it to the final weight I reached with Brett at this point (which is a good thing, trust me!).

And, speaking of which, this weekend when I was pregnant with Brett was the last weekend I was pregnant. Yep, they induced me right at 37 weeks because of my pre-eclampsia, and I am just a couple days shy of reaching that 37 week milestone this time. I guess that makes me more antsy than anything, but I am just trying to take it day by day.

Fun Surprises Lead to Nesting Overdrive

2010-07-28T10:23:00.002-04:00

Since we've been back from vacation, my goal has been to get the nursery ready. So, the weekend after we were back, we started to tackle this project. Ever since we moved Brett into his new room, the nursery has been a place for storage, so the first thing was to move everything out and pitch a bunch of stuff. Then, washing EVERYTHING. I am a stickler for having every little thing that comes close to baby girl's skin be super clean so every piece (including the bedskirt) of nursery bedding and all of the covers to like the bouncy seat and swing went into a load of laundry with some Dreft. Everything else that couldn't be thrown into the washing machine got scrubbed down with warm water and soap. So, even though it was time consuming, we were fortunate that we have the foresite (well, I guess we dumb lucked into it) that we had decorated the nursery with a gender neutral theme (beige and sage with teddy bears) so no redecoration or buying new bedding was necessary. Also, accessories like the swing and bouncy seat, etc. were also gender neutral so no worries with those either.

Anyway, we took care of alot of the preparation over the course of that weekend and I was feeling pretty mellow about having things ready.

Flashforward to last Friday. I woke up at 5 a.m. with back pains. Now, I've been having back pains, so it's no big deal, but these were kind of pulsing and wrapping around my belly. Nonetheless I fell back asleep. However they returned as I dropped Brett off at my mother's house a little stronger and I started to time them. But then they went away after about an hour. No big deal. Until I had been to work for a couple of hours and they came on even STRONGER. Okay, I left work and decided to go home and call Steve. Yeah, I couldn't reach my husband for an HOUR (not an uncommon occurrence by the way). This makes me truly worried for when the real event actually happens. I decided to lay down on my left side to see if they would stop. Nope. Finally I got ahold of my hubby and he convinced me to call the doctor...they wanted me to go to the hospital. Great.....

So, about an hour later Steve arrived home and we took off for the hospital where they hooked me up to a monitor and realized I was definitely contracting and having pre-term labor. However, I wasn't dilated, which was a good sign. Anyway, they gave me a shot to stop the contractions. Since I was only 34 weeks, they didn't really want me to deliver quite yet. We spent probably about 3 hours in the hospital, but when they sent me home, I was feeling better for sure.

Well, the next day was Saturday, and you can be sure I was in full on nesting overdrive. So, this past weekend we cleaned up the carseats, I took my car to be cleaned inside and out and moved Brett's carseat and also installed the infant seat. I washed a bunch of new baby clothes and towels and blankets just to be ready and the most important thing...I packed the hospital bag. Now we are TOTALLY ready for baby girl...however my nesting is starting to steer me toward cleaning the house (which is a good thing...it's needed to be done for awhile. I just haven't had the energy to do it), so as long as I am still pregnant this coming weekend, I sense a total house cleaning.

I've been continuing to contract on and off (which I know is normal, but knowing I'm not dilated, I'm not worrying too much, even though they are usually WAY more than 6 an hour). Nothing's been as bad as Friday though, so that's good. I hope baby girl stays in for a little while longer, but if she wants to pop out early, I'm READY. She just needs to wait until at least the first week of August is over...during that week my niece, my brother, my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law all have birthdays, AND my parents have their wedding anniversary. You hear that, baby girl? :). However, as unpleasant as this pregnancy has been, she may very well decide to make her debut that week just to spite me!!!!!

Thankful for Amazing Friends

2010-07-23T09:37:00.000-04:00

What a great blog post this could be if I only had taken pictures! Oh well, you'll just have to use your imagination :).

Well, directly after my ultrasound/ob appointment last week, I had a visitor. Or, 2 to be more accurate. Tina, who I have talked about numerous times on this blog, who is 3 weeks behind me in her pregnancy, made the trip all the way down from Chicagoland to spend a couple of days with me and B! She brought her son Evan so that he and Brett could play while we spent time catching up.

Tina, is currently expecting another sweet little bundle of boy joy, so I have already betrothed baby girl to him. We plan on having a big fat Greek wedding one day for the two of them :).

Anyway, we had a great time commiserating about our pregnancies and just catching up on life in general, and the next morning we took our boys to the zoo. (Again, photo ops would have been great here, but I didn't take any pics even though I had my camera with me... keeping up with Brett in general is enough to exhaust me these days, let alone try taking pics of him). We got there as soon as it opened, but as it has been this summer in general, it was SWELTERING hot. In fact, I think that it was the hottest summer day thus far. We managed to stay for a couple of hours...Brett got to see his beloved cheetahs, and we got to the better animal exhibits. But by about 11, even the boys were hot and tired and ready to go, so we took off early. It worked out well...we got the boys home in time for naps (and their pregnant mommies got a nap as well!).

When, we got up, we got ready for dinner out. Tina had suggested the two of us go out for a last girls dinner before we had our babies, so we were planning on going to the Cheesecake Factory, while Steve agreed to watch the boys. So, I must say I was floored when we got there and several of our friends were there waiting for us. Tina and a bunch of our old Butler friends had come together to throw me a shower, and she had kept it all from me :). She is a great secret keeper! Baby girl managed to get lots of pink and has now started a stylish wardrobe thanks to everyone. I know some of you who were at the shower read my blog, so thank you again...you really know how to make a girl feel loved! :). Anyway, it was a great girls night out and it just made me so grateful to have such good friends!!!!

Tina and Evan took off the next day, and it was bittersweet saying goodbye. Sad to see her go, as always, but excited that next time we see each other, we'll both have our new sweet babies!

34 Week Pregnancy Update

2010-07-22T13:09:00.002-04:00

Well, things have picked up since I got back from vacation. I found out shortly after I arrived home that because my stubborn pregnancy hormones were not allowing my sugar levels to fall at night, I needed to be started on a dose of insulin at night before bed (for all of you adding, this is 4 blood draws a day, and now a shot I give myself at night in addition - fun!). My body did pretty well with the diet for about 3 1/2 weeks, but the doctor said that the hormones were something I couldn't just control myself.

The same day I went to my diabetes doc, I also went to my ob. She took an ultrasound to check on baby girl, due to my GD to make sure she wasn't growing too big. Steve and Brett came with me to see her. 2 realizations I made during the ultrasound...she's already got a full head of hair, and 2. She has a nice full set of lips. So cute already :).

Oh, and the ultrasound tech also re-confirmed that we were having a girl..which is good because she already has a bunch of pink stuff waiting at home for her!

I found out that she is a little larger than average (typical for GD babies)...she should have been about 4 1/2 lbs and was measuring already at 5 1/4, which already puts her in the 75th percentile. I'll have another ultrasound around 37 weeks to see how much further she's grown.

And, because I am now on insulin, I have to check in twice a week for a non stress test. Not too bad... I went to my first one Monday and they basically measured baby's heartrate, my contractions, and then I have to record every time I feel her move. This time I saw the NP, and she told me that they usually induce GD patients because they don't want babies to get too big, around 39 weeks. So, if that's the case, I am looking toward August 24th instead of August 31st. That is, of course, as long as the old pre-eclampsia doesn't get me this time, in which case, who knows when she'll be born! Anyway, the light is ever closer at the end of the tunnel :).

Anyway, another blog (hopefully, again as always, depending on my energy level) to come regarding a fun visit with my BFF and an awesome surprise baby shower :)

Long Delayed Vacation Post

2010-07-21T17:26:00.004-04:00

About 2 weeks ago, Steve and I took off with my extended family (mom, dad, brothers and their families) for a week long trip to a resort in northern Wisconsin. Specifically, a resort on the Chippewa Flowage near Hayward, WI. It was a nice relaxing week and except for the crazy mosquitos, I think that everyone seemed to have a pretty good time.

Brett, being 2 constantly ran off with wreckless abandon. I have to thank my entire family and Steve for being good sprinters and keeping an extra eye on him. I don't move very quickly these days, and if it weren't for them, Brett would surely have made it it into the water before I could reach him. Consequently, he wore a life jacket every time he went outside, as well as several times in the cabin. Hopefully next year he develops some sense and realizes when to stop.

Also, in Hayward was the freshwater fishing hall of fame (I know, my FAVORITE stop), but Steve wanted to go, so we took Brett one day. The one cool part was the 100 foot muskie statue that you could walk into and look out his mouth. I was too tired to climb all the stairs, so I let the boys go in and I stayed behind and took pictures.

I got to read a couple of books and enjoyed a pedicure and Steve and I took in Eclipse at the local theatre, so it was all good for me since I don't enjoy fishing so much. Now, we are home and I plan to stay put until baby girl makes her arrival :)

31 Weeks

2010-06-30T10:34:00.003-04:00

So, I realized it's been over 2 weeks since I posted a blog. I figured I should at least update what's going on with my pregnancy. I am getting delinquent again with taking pictures of B. It's such a hassle when you aren't feeling great to make a point to do that....I'll definitely get some in within the next week or so (although a blog post probably won't follow for a little bit) as we are going on vacation. He is doing great, however. Always something fun and new with him everyday.

Anyway, so in the last post I let you all know that I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Okay, it was kind of a bummer, but like I said, not a total surprise. The day after I posted it, I went to see a nutritionist and she was very helpful. She broke the diet I need to follow down. It's kind of strict... I have to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day with an exact number of carbs at each and at certain increments. It's not really hard to follow at all...just can be exhausting when you are trying to figure out what you can and cannot have. (And really, there is nothing you CAN'T have, you just have to carefully measure it). What kind of sucks is the fact that I have to prick my finger 4 times a day to measure my glucose levels. It's been 2 weeks and I'm still not used to the pain so I'm guessing that part probably won't go away. But, overall it has been doable... and on most days I actually have been feeling BETTER. In hindsight, I kind of wish they had figured out what was going on with me 3-4 months ago when I really started feeling horrible and depressed and wanting to sleep all day (okay, my glucose levels were probably way high!). I still have those days, but they are fewer and more far between. Let's just say that I've been keeping up with household chores and errands much better than I have in months and I feel like I am functioning at about 80% as opposed to 50% (which is a HUGE improvement).

Anyway, I had been on my new diet for about a week when I went to see my OB last week for my 30 week appointment. I was starting to feel better and more positive about this (and I actually LOST a pound, bringing my total weight gain thus far to 7 1/2 lbs...which has to be all baby, placenta, amneotic fluid, etc. instead of just plain fat like I gained last time...again, which makes me even MORE ready to be done with this pregnancy so I can amp up my workouts and start to seriously LOSE all of this extra weight I never took off from 2 years ago). All was good until I went to see her... I think she wasn't in the greatest mood anyway, plus, I am sooo sensitive and easily upset right now. She immediately started talking about the severity of gestational diabetes and all of the possible complications to the baby.... including stillbirth. I was horrified when she mentioned that and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Now I am so paranoid about screwing up my baby and not even being able to have a live birth that it's been consuming a lot of my thoughts. I live for feeling baby girl move around now and start to get panicky when I don't. My mind went kind of blank after she mentioned this, so I am just hoping that the stillbirth complication can happen if your sugar levels never get fixed...I've been (so far) able to control mine with diet and exercise. I'm praying I don't have to start with the insulin shots.

Otherwise, everything is about the same. Blood pressure is a constant concern still, and I have been taking it every morning (luckily I have been keeping it in check too). Carpel tunnel is still a nuisance, but I found my old carpel tunnel wrist thingies from my last pregnancy and have been wearing them at night, which helps my sleeping.

9 more weeks to go.... however, I have a feeling that the way my old lady body has been breaking down, baby girl will be here sooner than that.

Ugh

2010-06-16T17:06:00.003-04:00

Well, after failing my 1 hour glucose test, I got to take the lovely 3 hour glucose test yesterday. This consisted of fasting, drinking the glucola drink and hanging out at the doctor for 3 1/2 hours and getting pricked so blood could be taken 4 different times. Lovely. Fun. Luckily my mom was watching Brett so I could actually go to this appointment by myself without keeping Brett entertained in the waiting room for that long.

I really wasn't sure what the results would be. I haven't been overly optimistic about passing...diabetes runs in my father's side of the family, so I know I am always susceptible to having it. Plus, I am heavier than I'd like to be, which increases my chances of having it. Well, I got the call today (while I was at the zoo with friends, which ended up being a good thing...gotta love distraction) and found out that I am indeed one of the 3 - 7% of women who have gestational diabetes. Ding ding!!! I am a WINNER!!! Woo hoo!!!! Ugh. I think I should play the lottery if I also end up with pre-eclampsia again because only 5-10% of women get this condition and I had it the first time around. This would put me in some EXTREMELY super lucky group.

Oh well. I go to see a diabetic specialist tomorrow (I scheduled the appointment ASAP because I have not the first clue about how to handle this) so I will find out more. I have never counted a carb in my life...every time I watch my diet I religiously count calories, which is a completely different ballgame. I think I'll feel better once I know what kind of guidelines I need to follow and if I need to take those super fun insulin shots.

The silver lining I am trying to see about this is that if it keeps me from gaining too much weight (plus, I've only gained a fraction of what I had with Brett at this time) I could more easily get back into my pre-Brett figure. If fruit is okay to eat, I think I'll honestly be fine...because although I have a notorious sweet tooth, especially this time of year, I really enjoy watermelon, strawberries, grapes, etc. It's only 21/2 more months, and now I am REALLY counting down the days.... come on August 31st!

Pregnancy Updates

2010-06-13T14:07:00.002-04:00

Woo hoo! I just looked at the pregnancy ticker on top of my blog and it looks like I have 79 days left... once I get to 75, I've only got 2 1/2 months. I know, baby steps, but, it helps me stay sane :).

So, I am officially in my third trimester now. I went to the doctor for my 28 week checkup on Thursday. And, I can say that I have only gained 8 1/2 pounds so far this pregnancy. It's crazy, because by this time with Brett, I had easily packed on 40 pounds or so. It's true that each pregnancy is different... but I guess I have been trying to eat better. Subway at least 3 times a week for lunch really helps, as does the fact that I can eat whatever now and not feel nauseous, so we've been making meals at home again and that helps as well. I still indulge in dessert, but, hey, I am also eating salads this time around. Last time, I couldn't look at salads without feeling sick...I was mainly on pasta and carbs with Brett. But it was recently brought to my attention that a comment was made about my nutrition during pregnancy. This really hurt my feelings, as I have been happier about the way I've been taking care of myself this time. I mean, sure, the week we were in Chicago, we indulged in a bunch of rich and fattening food, but that's not EVERY DAY of my normal life. Plus, we would walk a good distance to the restaurants, which had to count for something. Anyway, just a side note for anyone who wants to criticize a pregnant woman for how she eats (barring it's not imbibing in drugs or alcohol or anything dangerous), it can be very hurtful and make her feel like an incubator and not a human being (who is extra sensitive and emotional right now anyway, and hey, if my feet are swollen and my back hurts, and a bowl of ice cream sounds good...). Okay, enough of my venting....

So, where was I? Oh, yes, I went in for my 28 week appointment on Thursday. They did a lot of tests, including a test for anemia (which would make so much sense if I have it, because I have been so run down this past week or so), and the gestational diabetes test. I never want to rule that one out as a possibility, because diabetes does run in my family. I didn't hear from the doc on Friday, so either a. they haven't gotten the results back and are going to call early next week, or b. everything is okay and they didn't bother to call. I guess I'll find out one way or another within the next 2 weeks when I go back. That's right, now that I am past 28 weeks, I go back every 2 weeks now! This is kind of exciting because it makes me feel like I am nearing the end of the journey. I know I've still got 11 1/2 weeks to go, but maybe these appointments will make it go by faster.

Anyway, baby girl seems to be doing just fine. Her heartbeat registered very strong at the doctor, and she is constantly moving around... especially after I eat. Her kicks are a little different from Brett's, but they are now becoming strong enough that sometimes I can watch my belly move. It's a cool experience... one that seems to make the aches and pains more tolerable :).

And, on the aches and pains note... it's funny how even though certain parts of each pregnancy can be different, certain things rear their ugly head each time. Like I had horrible carpel tunnel with Brett. Well, within the past 3 weeks or so, it's back. The funny thing is that it only bothered me during the day with Brett. THIS time, it bothers me especially bad at night. If I position my hands wrong, they end up feeling numb and even HURTING me so bad I wake up. So, not only am I now lying on my side, I have to also position my hands in the perfectly awkward position so that blood flows to them properly. So, sleeping becomes even more of a challenge. And, finally, a new ache that I didn't have with Brett are my knees. For some reason, I have horrible knee pain, and it's compounded by all of the up and down movements I am doing with Brett.

But, I know the aches and pains are only a temporary annoyance to what awaits me. I can't wait to meet baby girl...we are getting super excited and I've been trying to pick up clothing and accessories here and there. Only just over 2 1/2 more months....can't wait!!!!

NKOTB Show - Take 4!

2010-06-09T19:50:00.003-04:00

To wrap up our week in Chi-town, I went to visit my BFF Tina. We have barely seen each other (or at least it feels that way) since we both found out we were pregnant a mere 3 weeks apart! I'm due August 31st and she's due September 22nd (I think). We spent New Year's Eve together as we normally do, and we got together in March, but that's been it. Besides a constant stream of emails between each other to discuss how we were feeling, I've missed seeing her...especially now since we have so much to really talk about!

So, last Friday I went to visit her. We have gotten tickets to see our guilty pleasure band - NKOTB, and decided to make a day of it. First we went to see the 2nd Sex and The City Movie (I liked it better than the first one), and were going to get pedicures but ran out of time (but we ended up getting them the next morning anyway). So, we went to dinner and then were on our way to Hammond to see the New Kids at the casino.

This is our 4th NKOTB show together. We went to their first tour when they reunited in Chicago in October 2008. Then they played outdoor arenas last summer, so we made a NKOTB weekend out of it, as they were in Chicago and Indy the same weekend. We had so much fun at the last 3 shows that we decided to get better tickets this time... we went for 11th row. This made for an amazing show. Even though we were uber pregnant, the seats were close, there was no opening act (so a shorter show) and parking was a breeze. It couldn't have worked out better. And, we got to pretend like we were 12 again for the night....the coolest part of the show was the fact that the guys dispersed into the crowd during one song and I got about 2 rows away from my first "crush", Jordan. If I was in 5th grade I think I would have died! I tried to get a pic, but it didn't happen. Oh well, it was pretty cool. I know a lot of my girlfriends think we are silly for going to these shows, but I think if they went to one they'd "get it". I know that Tina and I have a permanent date to see NKOTB for as long as they continue to tour...

Anyway, here are a few pics from our awesome seats at the show.

Hanging With Chi-Town Animals

2010-06-08T19:53:00.004-04:00

Our trip downtown Chicago lasted for about 3 days... on our last day downtown we decided to check out Shedd Aquarium (and a side note... it's like $30.00 per adult, luckily Brett was free, but I'd recommend looking for deals before you purchase tickets). We got about all we could out of the experience, without actually buying the 4D movie and dolphin show, in about 3 hours. I got a couple of shots before the employees told me to turn the flash off the camera and I decided to say screw it....

After Shedd Aquarium, we went to stay with Steve's parents for a couple of days. He's from the Chicago 'burbs, so it was close. On Thursday we went together with them to the Brookfield Zoo. It was a gorgeous day and Brett had a lot of fun. Being that it was 5 times as big as the Indy Zoo, and that I was 27 weeks pregnant, I did not have quite the joie de vivre about all of the walking and after a couple of hours required several breaks. But it worked out...I sat out some exhibits while everyone else made their way through. I think everyone enjoyed the day. Again, here are a few pics of Brett hanging with the various animals...

Sweet Home Chicago

2010-06-07T20:48:00.004-04:00

Steve had a conference downtown Chicago that lasted Memorial Day weekend through mid-week, so Brett and I decided to come and stay in the free hotel and crash. The location of the hotel was perfect, right off of Michigan Ave., specifically the part that is the magnificent mile. While the thought of doing lots of walking and shopping while 27 weeks pregnant didn't sound as appealing as it normally would, we couldn't pass it up.

During the days Brett and I made our way around the shops and picked up a few books, some makeup for mommy and clothes for baby girl, as well as a trip to the Disney store which included the purchase of a tractor for Brett. We also stopped in the Apple store for what I think was the most amusing experience. I wanted to play with the iPads, and to keep Brett occupied, I pulled up YouTube. After thinking about it for a brief moment, I realized I could pull up videos that I had uploaded of Brett and show them to him. I think the fact that we were so far from home in this random store watching Brett on the iPad absolutely blew his mind. He was like "Whoa". Cracked me up.

But the best part of staying downtown was all of the places to eat. While mommy and daddy tried to get a few places in that we wanted to eat at, we also wanted to give Brett some experiences he'd enjoy. First we took him to the Rainforest Cafe. He was overwhelmed by the animatronic animals there. For all of my trips to Chi-town, I'd always been interested in checking out the Rainforest Cafe but had never gone in. Waiting to go until we had kids was the best way to do it. I loved watching how excited he was to see all of the animals around him moving about as he ate his dinner. I think that was the best behaved he'd been at a meal in a long time!

And, then, we couldn't leave without a visit to Gino's East. We have Unos around here, but not Gino's, and man, that is good pizza! Considering that Brett is half "Chicagoan", he had to get to back to his "roots". He didn't seem to mind one bit. In fact, he dug right in!

Hopefully another blog or two to follow, depending on my energy level :)

My First Wordless Wednesday! (aka "Take B Out To The Ballgame")

2010-05-26T17:07:00.002-04:00

A Taboo Subject?

2010-05-21T14:41:00.004-04:00

After reading this article in my latest Marie Claire, I am starting to understand some of the feelings I've been having lately. I wish, wish, wish I was one of those ecstatically happy pregnant girls who LOVE being pregnant. I know they are out there and I know some of them personally. I am one of those pregnant girls who does not enjoy the 9 month process, but knows the end result produces a miraculous gift. I feel like I've been complaining a lot on my blog... well, maybe I have. Maybe it's a good way to hash out the aches and pains I've been feeling. But I don't want to sound like a whiner who doesn't appreciate what I have. On the flipside, I am GRATEFUL that Steve and I are able to have babies. I know of so many couples who struggle with infertility and I feel blessed that I have been able to get pregnant twice within a reasonable timeframe.

But, as I've mentioned before I struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and my predisposition to depression makes it all the more likely that I am also struggling with pregnancy depression. It's probably a taboo subject, but maybe someone else has gone through it.

Ever since I have had Brett, I've been a part time stay at home mom. Usually it works out great. I am able to enjoy the best of both worlds... holding down a job in the work world while having a couple days at home with B. And, don't get me wrong, B is a WONDERFUL kiddo. I love him so much and he's a good natured little guy, but lately, especially over the past couple of weeks, it is HARD to be a good mommy to him right now. Oh, I had the blahs of the first trimester where I just felt miserable and sick, but then I started to feel better around the beginning of my second trimester. The fact that the sun started shining and the days were much nicer also helped TREMENDOUSLY.

But, over the past few weeks I have started to DREAD my days at home. I feel like my house is a prison cell. Minutes turn into super long hours. Yes, I still keep those days filled with lunches and/or playdates, but they don't take up the whole day. Plus I've been EXHAUSTED lately and I feel like I want to spend the whole day lying in bed. Not such a great plan with a 2 year old. And, I think this might make me the worst mommy ever, but I've NEVER enjoyed playing with toys or games with kids. I HATED babysitting in high school. I'd do it, but I never liked it. I figured that would all change with my own kids. And, yes, it has changed in many ways. I love my little boy more than life itself, but I still don't want to play. I'd rather park him in front of the TV (which is what I did on babysitting jobs) while I lay in bed. He seems content with this arrangement, but I know I am not being the best mommy I can be.

And, I feel "removed" from loved ones. I try to stay positive and lighthearted and all around people, but really, I just feel this sad, empty void. All. The. Time. My husband is a saint. What can I say? I don't know how he puts up with me. It's such a challenge to even keep the house organized anymore. Without him, we truly would be living in squalor.

I am hoping this will pass. I really am. I don't want to take any "happy drugs" during my pregnancy, and I also don't want to try a therapist (been there, horrible experience), so I am left to wait it out. Here's hoping things turn around on their own, or the next 3 months are going to be hard.

Another Trip Into The Blog Archives

2010-05-20T10:26:00.003-04:00

I guess this pregnancy is making me nostalgic. I keep going back and referencing old posts from the first time around. This was one of my favorites...when we found out we were having a boy, and some of our first pics of sweet little man. Here is the post I originally wrote on December 21, 2007.

So, here I sit at nearly 3:00 a.m. Wide awake. Just awakened from a bizarre dream. No inclination of falling back asleep. Wishing I had taken a Tylenol PM (which IS legal by the way). Welcome to my pregnant world.

It's been an interesting past few weeks for me. Around week 15 I started to feel the baby move. At first it really did feel like "butterflies" in my stomach (and not from nerves…just little flutters moving here and there). And then about 2-3 weeks ago I was sitting at my desk at work and suddenly I felt this little poke at my abdomen. My first baby kick! Then, with increasing frequency the baby decides to run a marathon one day (that's the only logical explanation I have for it), and then sleep all day the next. On Sunday the kicks were finally palpable enough that Steve was able to put his hand on my belly and feel them for himself. It definitely makes the experience much more real.

The most obvious change has been my ever-expanding belly. Seriously. The only pregnant picture I have posted here is at week 14. You can see a round belly starting to emerge. It's crazy now. I am in week 20, and when I tell people I'm due in May they give me this look that seems to indicate fascination-horror. If I had to judge, I'd say I look more like I'm about 7 months pregnant than 5. And, what started as a slight overall weight gain has gone straight to my belly. (When I walked into work Monday, my co-worker Brandie looked at me and told me that SHE thought my belly had gotten much bigger over the weekend, and she sees me practically every day). This has made life slightly more uncomfortable. First of all, sleeping has become quite a challenge. I have to sleep on my side (and my body desperately wants to be on it's back). This causes leg cramps, and even though I am following all the advice in the book (sleeping with lots of strategically placed pillows) it's not generally working for me. Also, beginning this past week I've started to experience lower back pain. I don't think there is too much that I can do to prevent this (I mean, I can't even see my feet when I look down any more, it's all belly). Luckily for me I have a loving husband who doesn't seem to mind the fact that I am growing like a whale and gives great back massages.

There are other slightly un-pleasant parts of pregnancy that I am also experiencing, but I don't feel like going into that much detail on my blog. Let's just say that pregnancy is a total body experience.

Finally, the biggest thing that has happened in my pregnant life lately was the ultrasound we had on Tuesday. Now, keep in mind, EVERYONE was telling me that based on every old wives tale in the book (baby's heart rate, how I was carrying, etc. etc.) that I was absolutely having a girl. Even my own mother (who rarely gets the gender wrong) was so convinced that she was calling me up every few days with suggestions for girls' names. I was trying to keep an open mind here. I mean, I didn't have the evidence to support the fact that I was having a girl, but deep down I knew that's where I was leaning. I'd already had visions of sharing experiences from my childhood with my daughter and decorating her nursery pink and putting her hair in bows and buying her all of my old favorite toys – Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, My Little Ponies. You see, secretly I am afraid of having a boy…I grew up with 2 brothers and Steve had 2 brothers (so I know the gene pool towards boys is strong). And, I HATE, I mean HATE football… and I know that Steve would have the little man watching football with him all day on Sunday, every Sunday. I also don't like to wrestle or play with cars or those violent Playstation games.

However, I know several friends of mine who have recently had boys and absolutely love them to pieces. I also know how horrible and catty pre-teen/teen girls can be (yes, I was one of the "picked on" ones in grade school and it was on of the worst feelings in my life). So, I didn't want to have that all waiting for me. As girly as I can be, I HATE drama.

So, here we are on Tuesday, sitting at the doctor (and yes, I did have to drink all ungodly 32 ounces of fluid to have this ultrasound). The doctor covers my belly with that gel-like stuff and starts to look around. I let her know that we want to know the sex if possible. Immediately she smiles and definitively tells us it's a boy (and trust me – he is most definitely a boy, absolutely no denying it, a very proud boy. We have the blackmail pictures – which I didn't post - to prove it.) I was immediately shocked and so was Steve I think. Although, I could tell that he was incredibly excited (I mean, what father doesn't want his own little man around?). At this point though I was so relieved to see that my baby was healthy. It's amazing to see what detail they can show on those ultrasounds (you can even see all 4 chambers of his heart). He was growing like a normal baby and that made me so happy. You see, I was secretly worried that I'd be at the doctor and they'd tell me my baby had like 2 heads or it's spine was growing outside of it's body or something like that. Not the case. He was a large healthy boy, contently kicking his feet and rolling around. Needless to say, I have to re-adjust my mindframe towards having a boy, but I've started to come around. We've got some cute nursery themes in mind – I just really,really hope that he's a momma's boy, you know?

His Little Foot

But, at least now I think that my massive belly is starting to make sense. See, my husband is 6"4' (compared to my 5"3' height), and all of the men in his family are super tall. And, this kid obviously has Steve's genes. He is in the 75th percentile of size for his age. He should weigh ¾ of a pound and he's already at least a pound. And, he has super-long legs (which the doctor noted with his femur length). Yeah, my belly doesn't stand a chance here (again, the doctor noted that my abdomen was larger than normal). When I told one of my friends who I had dinner with on Wednesday about my predicament, she emailed me a link to this girl's blog who recently had an 11 pound girl! (She is about my height/weight and her hubby about Steve's height). Near the end of the pregnancy her belly could have had it's own zip code. Seriously. I had a foreshadowing of the future. I don't think it will be pretty. I just hope that Steve can keep up with the back massages!

Well, that's all for now. I wish I had different subjects to blog about, but this pregnancy thing is kind of all-consuming and the most interesting thing going on in my life right now. I will attempt to find my way back to bed now that it's almost 4:00. I guess I could have another 2 good hours if I am lucky.

Downturn

2010-05-17T10:38:00.003-04:00

Well it's arrived, and sooner than it did with my pregnancy with Brett. The downturn towards the third trimester. Granted I'm not QUITE there yet...tomorrow I hit 25 weeks, but I'm close to the last 3rd of the journey.

It started about 3 weeks ago, when I began having problems putting my rings on because my fingers had started swelling. Well, I'd have hit and miss days where I was able to wear them until the middle of last week. Yep, ALREADY the rings are on a chain around my neck for the remainder of my pregnancy. I think I hit this mark around 28-30 weeks with Brett, however I was also much skinnier starting pregnancy last time.

I've also noticed my face swelling a little bit, and my features, like my nose, starting to widen (this all happened the first time around too). Makes me a little bummed for sure when I apply makeup in the morning. And the belly has started to take on a life of it's own. I feel it grows another foot each day. Again, same thing I experienced the first time around.

But the real kicker happened when I went to my OB appointment last Wednesday. I gained the most this past month and it made me depressed. Now, I know I NEED to be gaining for the baby, I do. But, ever since I'd stepped on the scale during my first appointment and realized my STARTING weight, I've been SUPER conscious to eat better so I don't get too big and I made a mental note to whip myself into shape after baby girl is born. Chances are we aren't having any more kiddos, so it's not like I am anticipating another pregnancy. I still own my size 2/4 jeans, and darnit, I WANT to wear them again. But, that totally bummed me out.

And, then the worst part of the appointment was when my OB told me that she is getting concerned about my blood pressure. Over the last 2 appointments, I have gone in and have registered a high reading, which has prompted the nurse to have me lay down and rest for about 5 minutes before she retook a lower reading. Again, this is EXACTLY the pattern that started mid pregnancy with me when I was pregnant with Brett. And, my pregnancy with Brett didn't exactly end nicely. That swelling I talked about earlier? Yeah, I swelled up to the size of the stay puff marshmallow man near the end due to pre-eclampsia, which put me on bedrest for a week before I was induced at 37 weeks. My blood pressure had also gotten way ridiculous.

So, since the doc is catching this early this time, I bought a home blood pressure monitor so I can take my reading once a day or so. I asked if I should take it easier and cut out high sodium foods, and she said it didn't really matter at this point. If I'm going to get pre-eclampsia, it's going to happen regardless of my lifestyle. Anyway, I've fallen into a bit of dispair and have started eating horrible junk like I did during my first pregnancy. I'm going to try to be better today and eat a healthy lunch, but it's hard to stay positive when I know that no matter what I do, if I'm going to get pre-eclampsia, I'm just gonna get it. And, it's hard to talk rational sense into my pregnant head sometimes. Oh well, I need to stop complaining and just let nature take it's course...while trying to stay positive and making myself eat better, of course. Is it August 31st yet?

2 Year Old Stats

2010-05-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

Here is the obligatory post of Brett's 2 year old appointment stats for posterity.

This is the first time we haven't taken his pic in front of his teddy bear chair for growth comparison. This is mainly due to the fact that the teddy bear chair is in the nursery, and the nursery is currently full of Brett's old baby stuff, as we await the arrival of baby sister.

He decided he'd rather climb into his bed this morning and be goofy with his cheetah pals. (Yes, there are 2 cheetahs, but one is different. We have cheetah version 2.0 along with a brand new cheetah that we bought from the zoo gift shop, as cheetahs are the new exhibit this summer. I'm guessing this will blow Brett's mind).

So, here are his stats about a month after his 2nd birthday...this was the soonest we were able to schedule his appointment.

Head: No Measurement (I guess they stop doing this after 18 months).

Weight: 25 lbs. 12 oz. (20th percentile)

Height: 36 inches (82nd percentile)....note on this: they had originally measured him laying down but he measured over 36 inches, which is what the mat went to, so they had him stand and took his height that way. That measurement came in right at 36 inches. The nurse explained that sometimes their spines don't stretch to their full capacity when they stand at this age, so who knows exactly how tall he is. All I know is that he is still one tall and lanky boy.

Anyway, here are some cute pics of my little man :)

The Belly

2010-05-10T07:55:00.003-04:00

I have been more self conscious this pregnancy, and have not felt like taking any baby bump pictures so far. But, since I am more than halfway through my pregnancy, and by this time with Brett, I'd taken like 5 different shots, I thought that I'd go ahead and humor you all. If nothing else, it gives me something to look back on. Hopefully, by this time next year I've gotten rid of a lot of this weight.

Anyway, here I am at just shy of 24 weeks. These pics taken 5-9-10 (Mother's Day 2010).

Thoughts From The Father To Be

2010-05-08T13:08:00.002-04:00

This is from my original post on December 28, 2007. I was looking back into my blog archives the other day and had a great time reminiscing about my thoughts and feelings on my first pregnancy with Brett. Steve had written this blog on his Myspace page (don't you remember the good ole' days of Myspace? :) ), and I decided to post it on my blog back then. Here it is again in it's entirety to re-read. I laugh because I'm sure he feels the same way about some things this go around as well :)

Things I would like to know in order to be a better “pregnant” father:

1. What is the appropriate caring male response to the question "you wish you were pregnant instead of me, don't you?"

This is a loaded question. Carrie read in one of her pregnancy books that there are men out there who wish that they were pregnant instead of their wives just so they could experience the whole miracle of birth thing. There are even supposed "pregnancy simulation camps", where men get to carry around large fake pregnant bellies and experience what it would be like to be pregnant for a weekend. Frankly, I think that's a little weird. If you think about it, there's very little difference between that and those goth kids who run around the forest pretending to be vampires. Anyway, I have no desire to actually be pregnant, thank you. But the thing is, Carrie isn't really asking "do you want to be pregnant." She's actually asking, "if you had the opportunity, would you shoulder this burden for me." And yes, I do want to be helpful and supportive and make things as easy for her as possible because, as an understanding and thoughtful contemporary male, I understand and appreciate that pregnancy does take a physical toll. So now I'm looking for ways to answer this question that sound as if I'm a caring and compassionate partner without sounding like I have some weird pregnancy fetish. This is a growing dilemma for me, as Carrie asks me this question at least once every 1.5-2 weeks. I'm thinking now about faking sympathetic pregnancy symptoms. Maybe she'll stop asking if I start developing all kinds of unexplained lower back pain; we can trade stories.

What am I going to have for dinner?

On 99% of occasions since we've been married, Carrie has picked what restaurant we go to. This occurs for two reasons: 1) I can go to any restaurant in the country during their normal business hours, find something on their menu, order it, eat it, and be happy; hence I honestly never care where we go eat, and 2) Carrie is very discerning about what she has an appetite for at any given time, hence there are only a limited number of restaurants at any given moment where she could eat and be happy. This discerning attitude has only become more prominent during her pregnancy. It is now to the point where it is virtually impossible to predict what she will be craving on any given day. Obviously, this makes planning meals very difficult. We have devised two potential solutions for this problem: 1) buy every food and/or ingredient that could conceivably be made into dinner so that we have everything on hand at all times, and 2) eat out every night. Neither of these options is at all appealing. I think we've found some middle ground and we're making progress on this front. Still, it's hard to be the caring and sensitive cook of healthy meals when your wife would prefer a Qdoba burrito.

Will I make it through the winter without contracting hypothermia?

As an involved husband, I know that the increased blood flow that leads to the notorious "pregnant glow" may also result in an increase in body temperature in pregnant women. This has certainly happened with Carrie. Normally, at this time of year, Carrie would be very upset about the cold temperature. This year, we are keeping our house at 62 degrees, because this is the temperature at which Carrie is comfortable at night. I will repeat this in case you didn't think you read that correctly; IN THE DEAD OF WINTER IN INDIANA, OUR HOUSE IS SET AT 62 DEGREES! The good news is that I am not as worried about the rising cost of natural gas as I would be if we were heating our house as normal. The bad news is that I wake up every morning shivering, use a ton of hot water in the shower, and proceed to shiver even more once my shower is done. Carrie, of course, is completely comfortable.

Please know, I am not complaining, nor am I at my wits end or anything. I'm just adjusting to life with my pregnant wife and trying to make the experience as easy for her as possible. That's what the caring husband is supposed to do isn't it? After all, it isn't about me, it's about Carrie and the little baby she's carrying right now. I think I can stand being a little chilly for them. =:^)

Gracie Girl

2010-05-07T08:07:00.001-04:00

If you've read my blog in the past you may have come across a post or two talking about how much I love the music of Ben Folds. When I was pregnant with Brett, his music became almost another craving of mine. Well, I haven't listened to him often lately, partly because every time I get out my iPod it seems like I am playing Laurie Berkner. But, I was inspired to listen to Mr. Folds again, and this song really hit me today.

It's a song he wrote to his daughter Gracie. As a pregnant (and hormonal) mommy, I am suddenly in love with this song again.

Enjoy.

Sickness and Adventures in Getting a Good Night's Sleep

2010-05-06T10:07:00.002-04:00

When I was pregnant with Brett, at least according to my hazy memory, I was pretty healthy. I think I only had one minor cold and it was near the end of my pregnancy. It was mainly just a chest cold that produced lots of coughing, and my wonderful OB was able to prescribe Robitussin with codine, and well, that pretty much took care of it.

This time around was a different story. I had a HORRIBLE cold that lasted about a week and a half and has only just started to clear up. It started a couple of weekends ago. I was totally fine, and then my head started filling up with mucus. I knew I was a goner. I have battled sinus infections my entire life, but this seemed to be 10x worse and the pregnancy seemed to make it even harder. Not only was I extra tired already from carrying another human being around, I also couldn't take any of the multi-symptom medicines I was normally able to take. I essentially laid in bed for about a week. Not fun, but at least I am past the worst of it.

But the real purpose of this post is really to address the tricky problem of sleeping when you are pregnant. I had planned to write this post a couple of weeks ago, but if you reference the above-mentioned problem, you can understand why I was not motivated to talk about it.

I am by nature a back sleeper. I even have a pillow that is one of those amazing memory foam pillows that supports your head while you sleep on your back. And, no matter what position I try to fall asleep in, I always wake up on my back.

Not a problem when you are not pregnant, but when you become pregnant and start reading all of the literature about what you should and shouldn't do, you find out very quickly that as your pregnancy progresses, sleeping on your back becomes more and more dangerous, and heck, practically "lethal" if you can believe some of the things you read. Essentially, the growing weight of your uterus puts pressure on key blood flow areas, like your aeorta. And, it cuts off the blood supply to your growing fetus. It's no big deal during your first trimester so I didn't really worry about it, but now that my belly is getting pretty big I am getting paranoid about it.

I always try to start off by sleeping on my left side (all research points to this being the optimal sleeping position as it is best for your growing baby). I even have my body pillow that I used when I was preggers with Brett. I feel kind of bad for Steve, since it kind of takes up half of the bed, but it's great for me to hug and put my legs around to take the pressure off. But, no matter how cozy I can make myself in that position, I always manage to end up on my back. Sometimes in the middle of the night I catch myself in a panic and quickly switch to the less desirable left, or even right side position.

And, I know this is just going to get worse. But in addition to fear of "dying in your sleep" I also suffer from the occasional charlie horse in my shin. Have you ever had one of those? They are horrible, and they are even worse when you are pregnant, and happen with more and more frequency. And, then, since my internal thermostat is so high because of increased blood volume, I need the house to be at igloo temps for me to be able to sleep. I worry about our AC bill this summer, and if the unit itself, which is 20 years old, will be able to make it through. If the room isn't like 32 degrees, I wake up in a major sweat and then I can forget even falling back asleep.

I have had a few bouts of insomnia thus far, but (luckily) I've had a few good weeks where my body sleeps pretty well through the night. I also am guilty of taking Benadryl or Tylenol PM to help me sleep, but they are both legal so I don't worry to much about it. I remember the worst happened during my 3rd trimester with Brett, and I'm about 23 weeks along, so the worst is still probably to come.

I just have to keep reminding myself... 17 more weeks, 17 more weeks...

Can I Be PERFECTLY HONEST With You???

2010-04-22T10:05:00.002-04:00

I figured this morning would be as good of a morning as ever to cover this topic, because if you want a completely honest answer from me, now would be a good time to ask.

I don't know if it is because I am having a girl (hence all of the extra estrogen in my system), but man have I been MOODY this pregnancy. I felt it a little bit when I was pregnant with Brett and people tried to give me advice or told me how to live my life (yeah, there were a few times I had to LEAVE THE ROOM when I was pregnant with Brett to stop myself from saying some really harsh and nasty things), but really, for the most part I was pretty laid back and able to deal with people with a patient and friendly demeanor. And, really, I am a pretty laid back person and keep my opinions to myself when I don't have another human being growing in my uterus.

But, man, this time around has been wicked. I feel for my hubby. He's had to deal with me snapping his head off for the stupidest things... like when we were deciding which 2 liters to buy for Brett's birthday party. He suggested one that wasn't on my mind and I couldn't deal with any straying from my plan so I about went off on him in the middle of Meijer. Looking back, he was right, but in that moment I was completely insane. Sometimes I just wake up in a rotten mood and try to avoid people all day, but man, the worst is when it hits me out of the blue. I'll be fine and then something will set me off, and I am crazy pregnant girl again.

These mood swings make me feel for Brett too. He's a young pup...a curious toddler who really (for the most part) doesn't MEAN to make messes or get into mischief (however he does test his limits from time to time), and he requires a lot of time and patience. These are 2 traits that I don't currently have. The worst are the days when I am home alone with him and wake up in a foul mood. 6:00 can't come soon enough. I pray for long naps during those days. I REALLY really hope Brett doesn't remember mommy like this after all is said and done.

I pray I find a cure for this insanity, and that if it doesn't end sooner, it will end for sure with the birth of baby girl in approximately 4 LONG months. Until then, I am trying to keep my days off booked with playdates and lunch dates to at least get me out of the house!

Big Birthday Party

2010-04-18T14:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated Brett's birthday. I was a bit nervous to host this shindig since as I have said before, our house is the size of a sardine can, and we were inviting over Steve's family and my family. Well, thankfully the weather permitted and we were able to have part of it in the backyard. So, that allowed us to invite over the whole Chicago contingent (and they all made the trip!) along with Steve's brother from Kentucky and all of my family, and we even squeezed in a couple of friends for good measure.

Brett had a blast, even though he had no idea what was going on :). By the end of opening his presents, he got bored and wanted to play on his slide. I was so thankful we had his slide and his sandbox out so the kiddos had somewhere to play.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the big boy's second birthday bash!!!

Big Boy Room

2010-04-17T21:04:00.000-04:00

As part of the process of getting ready for baby, we needed to move Brett out of the nursery and into his new room. Thankfully because of my dad, last fall, our loft was converted into a third bedroom. Otherwise, we'd have no space to have another baby.

So, we took some time in February and March to shop for his furniture and bedding and Steve painted the room. We decided on a White Sox theme. Originally, when we did the nursery I'd envisioned a Butler Bulldogs theme, and I did again for his bedroom, but I was unsuccessful in finding the appropriate bedding and all. With me being very tired during this pregnancy, White Sox was a much easier way to go, considering I could choose from a variety of bedroom sets and borders and all.

Well, we finally got everything shuffled (which included putting the computer in our room and emptying our only storage closet into the garage...yeah, our house is now stuffed to the max) at the end of March and by that last Sunday night we had put the mattress and bedding together, but we hadn't quite assembled the safety rail. Brett jumped right on his new bed and was super excited.

He wanted to sleep in his big bed right then and there, which I took as an encouraging sign. However, we still had to put the finishing touches together, which didn't happen until the following evening.

That Monday night he hopped right into bed and slept happily all night. I was super worried he'd get up and cry and want to go back into the crib, but I was totally wrong. He's loved his new bed ever since and we've had a super easy transition.

This makes me cautiously optimistic for my next experiment... potty training. I am going to ATTEMPT it later this month or early May. It would be WONDERFUL to have him out of diapers before baby sister gets here. But I am not holding my breath.

Below is the finished room...

My Baby Is 2!

2010-04-16T17:52:00.000-04:00

With all of the excitement of my last post, I didn't take the time to point out the most important part of the day yesterday... my baby boy turned 2 years old!!!!

We planned the ultrasound the same day as Brett's big day so that Steve could take the day off and spend time with us having fun and going to the doctor.

Well, we started the day by going to the zoo. We tend to go a lot admittedly because we have a membership, but he loves the zoo, so it's a great time for all. We had gorgeous weather yesterday, and with the exception of a few animals being off exhibit, it was the perfect zoo day.

We got home in time for naps and then took a couple hours to visit my doctor, and then we came back home... played in Brett's new sandbox (yes, we were going to buy him a sandbox for his birthday, but my parents have a practically brand new one that they weren't using so they gave it to us), and decided we should go out and have dinner to celebrate the big boy's birthday.

Brett doesn't quite get the concept of Chuck E Cheese yet, and his favorite food is pasta, so we figured Buca di Beppo would be a great place to go. It's kind of a fun atmosphere and it's got the food he likes so we went for it.

What we weren't prepared for was the ginormous dessert they give you at the end of your meal if you are having a birthday. The waiter said they could give Brett a cupcake. I figured that was perfect for the birthday boy. But also, remember this is Buca. It was a cupcake on steroids, so Steve and I got to split it with him.

Then home for bath and bed. I think Brett had a great 2nd birthday! More festivities to come for him this weekend :)

It's a WHAT???

2010-04-15T10:20:00.003-04:00

I purposely titled my post this way, because as I remember, this was the same title I used when I found out what gender our first baby was.

A couple of years ago, everyone was telling me that I looked like I was carrying a girl. The heartbeat was fast, so it had to be a girl, etc., etc. So, coming into the ultrasound I was pretty well convinced they were going to tell me I was having a girl.

So I was a little shocked to find out I was having a boy. I had been looking at all of the cute pink clothes and nursery sets and everything and getting geeked up to have a baby girl. So, I had to change my entire perspective and get used to the idea of having a boy. I'd always imagined myself as being a mother to a girl, so I had a big adjustment ahead of me.

Needless to say, everything turned out just fine. I had a beautiful baby boy. Brett is the apple of my eye and I love him more and more every day.

Fast forward 2 1/2 years. I found out I was pregnant and my immediate reaction was that I was having another boy. In fact, I'd been having "visions" of 2 little boys...my blondie Brett, and another little boy with dark hair and dark eyes like his daddy, named Drew. I'd been feeling this way for quite some time before we even got pregnant, so I was preparing myself for a second son.

Plus, I've gotten so used to raising a boy that I wasn't sure I'd be able to raise a little girl. And, I felt like I was carrying a basketball, which according to wives tales means that you are carrying a boy. And, deep down, I guess I have to admit that I hadn't allowed myself to hope I was having a girl. I didn't want to feel the disappointment during the ultrasound if I had set myself up for it.

However, I did have some people say they were thinking I was carrying a girl, and every time we'd ask Brett whether he wanted me to have a boy or a girl, he consistently said "girl".

But the last few days I have been a nervous wreck. A lot of the anxiety stemmed from my fear of having something wrong with my baby. Leave it to me to watch too many of those shows on TLC and Discovery Health where the doctor finds something wrong with the baby on the ultrasound. But, I don't think I gave myself enough credit to realize that a lot of the nerves was about the gender. Steve and I had always talked about having 2 kids, one boy and one girl (which I know you can't pick, but still), and if we wanted to stick with our plan, this was going to be our last kiddo. I'm still not sure I'd rule out having a third, but 2 kids has always seemed like the right number for us.

So, with massive anxiety, I went to the doctor with Steve and Brett yesterday and went in immediately to have the ultrasound. For the first 5 minutes or so, the technician took measurements and didn't say much. But then, she turned on the big screen t.v. and let us get a look, and right away she was able to tell the sex. The baby had their legs open and she got a good clear shot that she said made her 99% sure she was making the right call.

The baby is...A GIRL. I about fainted. For real???? I am getting my girl???? I about started crying right on the spot. I couldn't believe it. I was POSITIVE it was another boy (which would have been okay...I am sure I would love him just as much as Brett), but no, I get to buy pink, and play Barbies and My Little Ponies with her and put her hair in pony tails and share things from my girlhood with her.

I am still in shock. It's almost liked I dreamed it, but no, see the pictures below...the first one has the tech's note about the gender.

So, now I get to buy pink!!!!! Yay!!!! Someone pinch me :)

The Big Game

2010-04-10T10:05:00.000-04:00

We didn't shell out money for tickets to the big game of Butler vs. Duke on Monday night. If we went to Lucas Oil I wanted seats in the 100 or 200 level, and they were way out of our price range, so we decided we'd be just as happy to watch at the free viewing party at Hinkle Fieldhouse. We may not have been in the same building as the players, but we were in the building where it all began, and the home to this amazing team.

There were 6 big screens set up on the floor and we were seated in the second row, directly in front of one. They had a DJ who was spinning during commercial breaks and even Hink the Bulldog came out to play (I guess they have 2 bulldog costumes, who knew?). By the time the game got going I'd say there were safely 3,000 - 4,000 people in attendance.

Before the game, fellow alumn and basketball band member Jen Claudy drove from Cincy to our house and we all went to the game together...

And, what was super cool were all the alumni we ran into...including some we hadn't seen in years.

We didn't win, but had a great time. Hey, there's always next year, right?

Back to Old Fairview

2010-04-09T10:50:00.001-04:00

Easter Sunday was beautiful and we decided to make the most of it by stopping by Butler on our way home from Easter dinner at my parents house.

I had heard about how the school was all decked out for the final four and we decided to go and soak up some of the energy ourselves. Since we didn't have tickets to the big game on Monday and weren't sure where we were going to be watching the big game (as it turned out, Hinkle), we decided to at least try to feel a part of it by walking through campus...

The Pi Phi house... we didn't stop, so I didn't get a better picture, but they had all of these wooden bulldog cutouts painted and decorated - super cute....

The fountain in the middle of campus was festively dyed blue.

Of course we had to be typical alumni and put our kiddo on the bulldog for a photo op... negative: the bulldog's eyes had been attacked by sidewalk chalk so he looked evil... positive: like the trees around campus, he had festive blue bows tied on him, and some other touristy photo op people gave Brett a blue and white pom pom, which he decided to shake the rest of the time we were on campus

And, back to where it all began, good ole' Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Next post... watching the big game...

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