Keeping Up with the Johns

Great giveaway!

2010-09-08T00:05:00.003-04:00

Check out Mama & Baby Love for a great (LOCAL) giveaway!

Mama & Baby Love Giveaway

Summer Days

2010-07-19T22:33:00.002-04:00

Now that I'm not in school (YAY!), it seems odd that summer is ending. Well, I think I shall declare in our household that summer will be over in the middle of September! :)

I like that!!

We are still waiting to hear back on the possible short sale of the house we'd like to purchase. It's been about 4.5wks since our offer was submitted to the loan company. Which is all right, I guess, since we are still hoping to receive an offer on our current property. Meanwhile, we are saving as much money as possible in preparation for closing costs on the new house. The new job I received in June is helping a bit with that goal.

Elias has been walking about a month now. It's still so cute to watch. He seems so careful most of the time, but has ventured into "running" a bit. Which is also cute to watch! He's been pretty snuggly lately. Even if he doesn't want to be held, he wants to be right next to us. Which makes doing anything around the house a bit more difficult, but there is hardly anything that MUST be done. Yes, potty breaks, but Elias actually has a lot of fun in the bathroom. He can stand on carpet, lean over the tub, flush the toilet, sit on a scale, open the cabinet doors... lots of stuff! :) We usually eat together, so that makes the other necessary chore done. Elias is eating Cheerioes now instead of Puffs as much. I don't think he likes them nearly as much as the Puffs, but I was happy to see Cheerios have a much higher amount of iron in them.

I feel like I want to record each moment, each milestone & activity so that later on, I have a record. I haven't been as dedicated as I'd like to have been. It sure is neat going back & looking at old videos or blog postings from this blog & others. I hope to prepare some sort of blog or photo or journal book (other than his official baby book) for Elias from pre-pregnancy to first birthday. I have a bit of time to import all the data, but it's sure nice to have much of the journaling all done! :)

I guess that's about it for now. I have plenty more to talk about, but not nearly as motivated to type it! Hope to have lots of fun stuff in the next couple of months to blog about as we may have a whole new house to decorate & accessorize!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!!

10mths Old

2010-07-08T22:06:00.003-04:00

Not sure if anyone even checks this anymore, but since things seem to be moving so fast, I thought I'd write it all done... for later when I'm journaling or finishing E's baby book!

Right now, our little guy is surpassing milestones left & right. The week before he turned 10mths old, he took several random single steps. The day after he turned 10mths old, he walked about 4 steps on his own; then three days later, he was walking all over the place. Except for those couple of random steps, it was almost from nothing to go-go-go. It's amazing to me there's very little transitional periods with babies! One day he wasn't sitting up, the next he sat up hours & hours during the day! Same w/ crawling & pulling up!

Some others things he's doing:

** Pointing at stuff. I don't know why this is incredibly sweet to me, but I like to think he's wanting us to notice something or he wants to know what it is. It started on July 4th when he pointed out the fireworks to Nick. Now, it's people, frogs on the window, & the TV.
** Super big snuggly hugs. Is there anything better?!
** Still clapping & bobbing like crazy!
** Still nursing, but testing more & more fruits & veggies!
** Has 4 teeth.
** Loves to play with anything electronic. Stereos, cell phones, computers, remote controls (which he already knows he is changing something on the TV!); if it has buttons or knobs, he's there!

Hmm, outside the baby... we are still waiting to hear back about the short sale offer we submitted almost 4wks ago. Should have been 6wks ago, but we won't go into that! The are pending the foreclosure on the house to review our offer. Our house has been on the market a little over a month. It's been shown 4 times, but 3 times to the same family. We are praying God will work it out however He wants to & worrying about it won't help things out! We're saving as much money as possible to have for inspections/appraisal/repairs/etc.

I am now employed part time at a nursing & rehabilitation center. It's 32hrs/mth & enough to really help out in the family budget. We are very thankful for this job; I work two 8hr shifts every other weekend, so it's boy-time when I work! :)

I guess that's about it for now. I'm in the beginning stages of planning E's birthday party & have plenty of follow up stuff to go over w/ my Mom in the next month and a half! Getting excited about it all!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend! And don't forget tomorrow is Chick-Fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day! Free food if you dress up completely or partially like a cow!

One Step Closer

2010-05-12T23:30:00.003-04:00

We are meeting w/ our Realtor tomorrow for lunch to discuss placing the offer on the new property & listing our current property.

I have been trying to pack boxes all day in anticipation for having the house cleared as much as possible to show it for any interested parties. And, I guess, if God works this all out, it'll be already packed for the move to the new place.

It's strange. We keep both asking/praying for guidance & we haven't had anything to guide us away. It's like the IVF cycle. We were open & we know how that turned out...

I'm not saying we know this is what we're supposed to do, but we sure feel like we're moving in the right direction.

I did some bare-bones budgeting for May & we were happily surprised w/ the overage we'll have. It also makes us feel better with the increase in mortgage payments we'll have with the new property.

Hmm, what else? My helper is sure fun to have around trying to pack! :) He's a mess. He is into everything & making all sorts of funny noises & loves to play. He's so much fun & I can't imagine not having him in our lives.

This weekend we are plowing through full-force. I emailed many of our friends & Sunday School classmates to plead for their help, but haven't had any luck outside of family. Which, I am so thankful we are blessed w/ family that cares!! We can always depend on our family to be there when we need them & need support!

Wow...

2010-05-11T00:18:00.002-04:00

Gone a little while & lotsa new stuff happening!

Nick called Friday to tell me about a property he found. Nick (and my Mom, for that matter) could be house-finding hobbyists if there were such a thing; well, I guess there is since they do it! I pretty much listened & didn't regard it something I would be interested in. To humor Nick, I looked up the property.

Well, I thought it was cute. Mom & I drove by that afternoon to check it out. It's still being occupied, so we didn't get out & peek in the windows!

We talked to our Realtor & set up a showing for it.

We saw it Saturday morning w/ my Mom & actually fell in love with it. It has a lot of potential, but will need lots of cleaning, some cosmetic work, & some good ole TLC! Which, we are happy to provide. It's currently being offered as a short sale, so I guess that means it can be a confusing roller coaster of emotion, communication, & negotiations!

But, we are praying for guidance & hope that we will pursue the proper path. Our current plans are offering our property up for sale & making an offer on the opposite property. It is supposed to take 6-8wks to even hear back from the lending company as to whether they will accept our offer or counter w/ an offer. During this time, we will be trying to get a contract on the current property we own. Since it would be better to have zero properties than two, we are progressing w/ the house for sale.

Which means, lots of work in the next week or two. And w/ a couple of trips planned before the end of the month is up... we may have to change some plans. That is, if we need the extra time to prepare the house + property.

Tomorrow, I'll be purchasing a dozen or so boxes to begin packing up all the un-necessary items in our rooms. We want the house to be as cleared out as possible for showing & the property to be in the best shape possible. So, it begins! We will see how it works out, but we are trusting God will guide. If it doesn't work out perfectly, it doesn't work! :)

Hope you all have a great Tuesday morning! I have lots of fun pictures to share soon! Little Man is becoming quite the charmer!

Yard Sale Find!

2010-04-19T12:14:00.005-04:00

Remember how I mentioned wanting to grab a TV center this weekend? Well, we did! Dad & I tried to get them down from the $50 price, but Nick showed up an hour later & charmed the woman to get the solid wood entertainment center for $40. ;)

I finally took a before picture when we were almost done clearly off the "center" we had before. See how Elias could have pulled all those electronics down? This doesn't even show the basket of DVDs we had to the left, also.

Before:

After:

Almost everything can be closed up (except the speakers) now, but we are considering making some shelves for either side to enclose the speakers & allow for more book/picture storage! :)

Oh, the most important after picture... a treat for all that hard work @ 8pm Sunday night...

Mom & I had a great time Saturday morning finding yard sales in the neighborhood. We got some exercise clothes, an air mattress pump (needed a new one esp. since we'll be camping next month!), some Star Wars stuff for the nephews, some glasses, a couple of outfits for Elias, & a basket! Then we sat outside @ Panera & enjoyed the day!

Better get going, my little Buggy is needing a Mommy hug. Here's a photo of his tooth that popped up a couple of weeks ago!

One of The Funnest Ways to Save...

2010-04-16T12:58:00.000-04:00

is going yard sale-ing! I have scored so many great deals on clothes in EXCELLENT condition by going to yard sales. For me & for friends & for Elias. I love getting a great deal & I love to "negotiate" prices. Especially when they want me to just make an offer. They usually don't take my offer (a quarter is what I start at!), but it sure is a thrill getting such great deals.

This weekend, there are a couple of hot spots for yard sales in my area. PineyZ is having a community wide yard sale & a friend's church (Fellowship @ Midway; north of I-10 on 90 towards Quincy). I'm excited just thinking about heading there.

Since yard sales contain obviously used items, it makes perfect sense that I also enjoy shopping used stuff... just not as quick & a one-stop-shop as a yard sale!

** Thrift Stores: When in Melbourne, Elias, Mama, Dad, & I went out several days just stopping at thrift stores. Dad was looking for good books, but Mama & I were just looking for anything that caught our eyes! I got some clothes for Elias, some clothes to resell at the local consignment semi-annual sale, & some great books for super cheap!! My Aunt is picking up TONS of stuff for cousin's fall wedding by shopping @ thrift stores! Pitchers, vases, even (sealed) plastic utensils for the reception!!

** Craigslist: Sometimes you luck out & find something great, then have to wait for the reply email to see if you were the first to email an item! When we have family in other areas (Tampa Bay, Bainbridge, Space Coast) &/or are going to be traveling, we check out the CL section for that area. We have gotten great deal on CL & sold plenty of stuff there, too!

** Consignment Sales: Our local semiannual consignment sale has the final day as Half Off. I got some great clothes & shoes for Elias on the half off day! And I can resell most of those (unless I wanna keep them) for what I paid. So, I'm literally clothing Elias for free or at the least very cheaply renting them when I shop there & yard sales.

I think the key to saving the most, particularly if you're thinking/planning on reselling, is to buy at the RIGHT price! I can find good deals on used cloth diapers that someone just didn't care for or decided not to cloth diaper. They can be close to new or sometimes never used & I like to pay at or less than 50% of the new price. Or offering super low prices at yard sales w/ a promise that I'll spend much more. Clothes are hard to sell @ yard sales because most people want too much; our yard sales move lots of clothes, though. Our going rate for clothes is 50cents/item, $1/jeans+dresses+jackets... we'd rather sell the stuff, than cart them to Goodwill or Salvation Army!

Wow... all that to say that we are having some yard sales in the area that I wanted to share w/ other local buddies! You can grab some great deals if you are picky, cheap, & looking! :)

Heading into the Weekend

2010-04-15T23:41:00.002-04:00

Well, I have to proudly say that I feel like I have accomplished many of my goals this week.

Specifically, to do more @ home.

The dishes were done & completely put up at least every other day. That may not sound like much of big deal, but it was on my goals list! Sure makes the kitchen seem bigger with the beautiful countertops cleared off!!

I got rid of enough clothes to fill a 55 gallon trash bag! And another bag (not THAT large) of shoes! A good sized box of craft supplies, sporadic house decorations or supplies. Am donating many magazines to my old office for their waiting area. Throwing out or selling my nursing books. I learned after my first degree that I didn't ever bother to look at any of them since, so I'm not clogging the house up with more non-referenced texts. When I do join the workforce, there will be updated texts in my area of choice... in fact, most of the texts I studied in school are already "outdated". Whoa, completely off topic there!

I raked leaves almost everyday. Elias loves to sit outside w/ me & grab lots of leaves. I do have to make sure he doesn't eat them or get bitten by ants, but it's not too bad! It will take much more time to rake & pile them to be burned, but baby steps, right?!

The bathrooms have been cleaned since last weekend. I hope I'm not alone when I admit that I can clean it, then it's messy two days later. I've tried to make it a point to put stuff up or clear out the floor when I leave the rooms. The master bedroom has stayed pretty cleared. I still need to vacuum thoroughly & wipe the floors. Our house can be SOO dusty!

The living room has been picked up! I got rid of the ficcus tree in the corner & it seems so much larger & open to me! I dropped off some mirrors I bought years ago for a project I'd do "someday". Slowly clearing out the corner that lots of stuff gets thrown in cuz it's hidden behind the love seat! :)

Trying to clear out the shelving unit we have under our TV table since Elias will be more & more mobile in the coming weeks. I am praying we'll find a nice TV center (armoire style) this weekend @ the wonderful yard sales I'm headed to that will hide all our stereo electronics + TV & speakers. I think that will be a nice solution for babyproofing our living room! Sure hope I can update next week w/ a photo of it!

The van is almost stuffed w/ all these items to donate! We have a good family friend that pastors at a church that will be having a yard sale Saturday. Will be dropping off all the goods to them tomorrow!

I vacuumed the van out last Friday & drove it through the carwash. Plan to do it again tomorrow or next Tuesday (when our Mommy group will be meeting @ a ChickFilA down the road from it).

We cloth diapered every day this week! We are still using a sposie (disposable) at night cuz I don't have anything heavy enough to hold the night-time needs, but I should be getting some soon to try out... Not too bad washing every 2 or 3 days & Elias just looks too cute in them, too! We're using prefolds now, pocket diapers, & going diaper free more often.

Guess that's it for now. I'm wired for some reason. Maybe it's the tea I've had or the though-provoking documentary we watch tonight {Food, Inc} or the negative pregnancy test I took. Post pregnancy cycles are frustrating. Even one week "late" isn't really late, I guess.

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday morning & a beautiful weekend. The weather is gorgeous here in Florida & I am looking forward to spending it with my baby, my husband, & my mother!

2010-04-05T20:39:00.003-04:00

Today when Nick got home, we grabbed sandwiches, the baby life-vest, & headed to the water!

Nick even left Elias handle the steering wheel for a bit... ;)

Super Quick Awesome News!

2010-04-01T11:15:00.003-04:00

I took AND PASSED my NCLEX-RN yesterday! I officially am licensed to practice as an RN in the State of Florida!

So excited & thrilled! Many thanks to God, my husband, Mom, incredible nursing-found friends, professors, & lab coordinator!

Heading out to a Mommy group meeting & then cleaning the house!

Today is day #1 of no restaurant for a month (except the two preplanned outings), so I'm excited to accept this challenge, too! :)

"Your Customized Lust Plan"

2010-03-28T23:19:00.005-04:00

Yup, you read that right.

Last Sunday, we were blessed to witness the baptism of my oldest nephew, Drew.

We were also blessed to be touched by an amazing sermon.

Let me give you a bit of background.

I have a beautiful son. I can't imagine life without this sweet person. I can't divulge my emotions without shedding grateful, albeit painful, tears.

For someone that has not experienced infertility or even loss, I don't think it can be truly understood. It feels as though each milestone is bittersweet.

"Will I ever have another child to hold... to breastfeed... to snuggle with... to carry on my hip... to watch grow?"

Since Elias has been born, many people have made flippant comments that we will get pregnant or that they "know" we'll have another child.

I heard those kind of comments a lot during our four year struggle to get pregnant. I have learned how to ignore them, but I can't ignore the lingering thoughts in my own brain. I can't help wondering what if & hoping & praying.

Oh, back to my customized lust plan.

So, we're sitting in the fourth or fifth row enjoying the worship music. In the front row, I notice a gorgeous little boy. I found out later his name is Ezra. He's got light brown skin & black tousled hair.

"Aww, he's cute..." is my immediate thought. Then I noticed his adorable, older sister. She's sporting a frilly top that is just too cute. I am a sucker for cute kids & glanced at them from time to time during the songs.

Shortly after the baptism, the children left the main service to attend the kids groups. Little Ezra & his sister turn to head out along with their mother.

Their very pregnant mother.

And the only thought I have is...

"Why can't that be me? Why does everyone else get to be pregnant when they want to be? Why can't I have more children?"

{It's hard for me to admit all those on here. It feels as though I will be judged for not just being appreciative of the perfect little person in my life; it goes without saying that I am. He is so incredible & I'm in love with him & motherhood. So in love, that I want more of these little people in my life.}

I couldn't stop thinking about it. About her. About the kids.

About my empty belly.

Then, the sermon starts. The pastor brought out some crazy thoughts from the infamous scene in Genesis. The serpent tempting Eve. About how everyone has something that gets them. About how we can be judgmental towards others "I'd never do THAT!" or "How in the world could he do THAT?". How our sins aren't as bad as someone else's sins... even though each sin is equal. Murder, theft, gossip.

We all struggle with our own temptation. Hence, our own customized lust plan.

He began listing several "acceptable" sins or temptations.

And there was mine... Have you guessed it?

JEALOUSY.

Ouch.

Yes, jealous of pretty much every woman or couple I hear of that have gotten pregnant w/out assistance. I try to ignore the pain & frustration, because I am truly happy for (most of) the parents-to-be. The one that didn't even know she was pregnant. The one that wasn't even "trying". The one that doesn't even appreciate the current children she has.

Aiy. Sorry this seems to be such a glum posting, but it was so touching to me. Even though I have become a mother, infertility is still a very painful heart-ache. And I still have to deal with my bitterness, disappointment, & jealousy. And I have to daily ask for strength to overcome this.

And trust that no matter what or WHO God may have in store for me... He will work it all for good. And take every day, every snuggle, every smile, every diaper change, every rocking-to-sleep-session, every kiss for the miracle it truly is. I am blessed beyond belief. I never would have imagined to have such an incredible life. And I love it. And I need to remember how blessed I am!

Here's some recent photos of my sweet little blessing!

[This was such a cute moment... he woke up from an hour plus nap on my belly with fuzzy hair & a goofy grin!]

[Even though he was upset about something, he didn't hesitate to flash a HUGE Bardin smile for me!]

[He just tasted avocado & didn't really care for it!]

{Please pray a bit for me this week... I will be attempting the NCLEX-RN to receive my licensure as a Registered Nurse in the State of Florida. It's a big ole expensive important stressful test & I'd sure appreciate your prayers & thoughts. Thanks, in advance!}

What's Goin' On w/ the Family of John?

2010-03-10T09:48:00.004-05:00

Aiy, my poor rhyming skills. It has been a while since I updated on non-Elias related items, so this post will be a mixture of everything! But, of course, I will start with the blue-eyed wonder. I'm so happy to have blogged thus far because there's no way I would have written &/or remembered all these fun moments & milestones.

Baby Boy:
** Had his official 6mth appt last Monday. He weighed 17lb13oz & 26.25inches long. Got some shots, but thankfully no more for a long time. I think they have him "scheduled" to get more @ 12mths, but since we are not planning daycare exposure & most of the other vaccines have a range to 15mth or 18mths, we will be delaying those.
** Has loved getting to taste different foods. So far he's had organic bananas, pears, & sweet taters. Oh, Mexican refried beans. I think he enjoys eating more as a social event, but none-the-less he enjoys it! We plan to start yogurt next week.
** Has re-discovered his hands. I thought it was over when he became obsessed with his feet, but he now stares @ his hands & twists it around. I guess he's developing those fine motor skills now. I assume he will be eating on his own pretty soon. We plan to move him from pureed baby food to real food as soon as he can grab & self-feed. I've read that once they develop pincer skills, it's a good idea as the baby gets very frustrated not being able get the food into the mouth.
** He has been playing w/ a high-pitched screech. You'd think he was upset, but not really. It's a testing of the voice or a "Need some attention, Momma-Daddy-whoeverelseisnotlooking@me!!" In fact, he JUST did it from the playpen as I typed it!
** He laughs & giggles when he sees Rainee. She pretty much avoids him, but he likes to pet her & grab her hair. We are already trying to teach him gentle.
** He loves to grab noses, stares & touches facial hair, & will still reach back to "kiss" me. Oh, I love those kisses!
** He loves his laptop, ringstacks, & small hand-sized toys.
** When @ the Mexican restaurant last night, he danced w/ me! I moved him around to the music, which he loved, then when he was in his highchair... he bounced everytime I asked him if he'd dance! It was pretty funny.

Employment
** Nick received a promotion @ his job in Janaury. He also has access to a company vehicle, which is a huge blessing. He's been working late hours still, but smoothing out processing & quality issues as he goes along.
** He very much enjoys his job & thrives on the challenges he's presented w/.

Education
** Nick is still pending his Master's degree for 2 more credit hours + his thesis research. I would imagine if he gets motivated & was gone every other weekend, he'd be done w/ his thesis by the end of summer or fall.
** I am still pending my testing number for the NCLEX-RN. Although I do not plan to hop into a job, I have rec'd MUCH advice to take the NCLEX soon as it gets harder & harder the longer you are out of school to pass it! So, as soon as I get the testing number in my hot little hands, I will schedule the test. I should be able to test by the end of March @ the latest.

Finances
** We are still plugging along cheaply. Oops, frugally. Having a baby, quitting my job didn't change any of that. We met with our financial advisor last week, so I'm reflecting on how proud of us I feel.
** Even though it seems we don't have much money, we are contributing to Nick's retirement through a Roth IRA. He's got a good bit in it so far. Seems like hidden money, since we won't see it for over 30yrs... but it's still there & growing!
** Through my job, I received retirement contributions into an Investment Plan. The investments did poorly in 2007 & 2008, but did surprisingly well in 2009. Since we ARE 30+ yrs from retirement, I have them placed in aggressive funds. Right now, the account sits at even more than Nick's has.
** We still have our 4mth emergency fund in place.
** We purchased a newer vehicle last December. Since Nick has a company vehicle, we have reduced our car insurance cost by having only one vehicle AND switching to Progressive. We will save $250 in the first year from switching from State Farm.
** We opened & made a deposit into a 529 (AKA educational IRA) for Elias.
** We increased our missions offerings.
** We decreased our food & gas budget. Although, since we are determined to go organic on more items... we have increased it back up to $100/2wks. Having a baby hasn't increased our food budget at all. Since any disposable diapers we buy comes out of the food budget, plus baby food... I'm still not sure how everyone complains about how expensive babies are. I guess if you don't shop sales, visit yard sales, & have to buy everything full-price-name-brand... they'd be crazy expensive. And maybe he'll get more expensive later on, but we already have his clothes set up through 2T. And the older he gets, the less cost we'll incur from diapers... since we're using cloth dipers, too, that helps keep the cost down for years! But, we've never been spenders like that anyhow. We also purchased pretty much all of the Christmas gifts for Elias plus his cousins @ the beginning of the year on 50-75% off clearance out of our food budget. We plan to go organic on any dairy, meats, & baby food. And purchase organic produce based on the "Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen" list.
** We have been submitting add'l monies on our mortgage. Not as much as we'd like, but a bit. Hoping for it to be more soon. If I do start working at all outside the house, it'd be nights nursing & all that money will go towards the mortgage. We're working through our Dave Ramsey baby steps!
** There are a couple of things we've been talking about for me to make some extra money for the family; all still in the brainstorming stage, but it would be fun if one or two of them turned into extra money for the family.
** I hope posting all of this doesn't seem obnoxious. I hope posting it encourages anyone else out there that you CAN live off one income if you want to or you can live even better off two incomes, if you want to. We have done amazingly well w/ our finances once we trusted God to meet all our needs. He did an amazing miracle w/ giving us the money to do IVF & He will do even more amazing things in the future. He's blessed us w/ coupons, sales, the frugal-mindset, parents & g'parents who taught us how to manage money.

Speaking of blessings, I must cut this short as our most AMAZING blessing is needing his Momma. Here's a quick picture to leave you with...

Snow Baby!

2010-03-08T13:05:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, we joined two other couples from our Sunday School class to head to Stone Mountain, Georgia. They have a feature called Snow Mountain & we got there just in time to enjoy the last Saturday it was open this year. Elias was not so sure about the cold, wet white stuff. And I think we enjoying toboggan "sledding" much more than he did! Hope you enjoy these cute pictures & this super quick update as Elias is attempting to help me type, too. He sure loves buttons!

A Teensy Update

2010-03-02T19:16:00.003-05:00

** Elias turned 6mths old Saturday! He started his first "solids" that day, too! I took plenty of pictures, but I'm too lazy to get up right now to upload the photos. He loved his naners, though! He only took about 1oz in the whole day & hasn't had much since then, but I think he's more into it for social reasons... like when we are eating! :)

** Mom & I ran to 'Penneys to have some quick & cheap photos made to commemorate his 6mth "birthday". Here's some of the low-resolution photos to share before we get the prints...

** Nick had been having some crazy symptoms & had a severe onset of pain almost 3wks ago. We went to the emergency room that evening around 12.30a & stayed for right under 3hrs! Which was amazing anyways! Nick was diagnosed w/ a kidney stone that was located (lodged!) right above his bladder. Two weeks, two xrays, & two doctor visits later, it still hadn't moved. So, he was scheduled for an extraction today. They put him under anesthesia & removed the stone. Due to inflammation, they also placed a uretal stent... which will be removed Friday. He's also got some other issues related to the gastrointestinal & endocrine systems, so he'll be visiting the doctor much more often in the next couple of weeks.

** I am still waiting for my testing number to take the NCLEX & officially become an RN. Trying to prepare/study as much as possible now so that I can take it soon after getting the number.

Guess that's about all I can think of right now... a sweet little chunky baby is practicing his whiney "about to break loose" cry...

Some Recent Photos

2010-02-26T22:44:00.005-05:00

Last weekend was a pretty busy weekend for us! We started off by heading to the Tallahassee Museum on Saturday for free admission day. Elias was sporting a cute hat & hanging out w/ a buddy of his, too.
And taunting the snakes!
And having a good time with Daddy!

On Sunday, we had a picnic with our Sunday School class & we all had a pretty good time! Here's E waiting to get to the volleyball court to watch Daddy play & snuggle with Momma to nurse & fall asleep! :)
I ended up putting him in the stroller thinking he'd continue to sleep... which he did for a little bit. Then he started playing with his feet & wiggling his toes. Couldn't resist taking a picture!
Then, Sunday evening, I was packing up the {many} clothes he's already outgrown. It was slightly painful to have to pack these sweet boots up. He wore these several times & always looked so dashing in them!
See... here's proof!!
Since Elias has been sitting up since last Tuesday, I moved the playpen to the living room. He's had a wonderful time sitting & playing there!
And apparently the toy basket can also work as a chewtoy... ;)
And on Tuesday, we went to a Mommy group we've been loving... here's E playing with some toys while the other, more, mobile babies ran around on the playground!
Hope you've enjoyed some of our pictures from this week.

E has been such a joy this week... every day it gets better & better. He's so charming, responsive, interactive, giggling, & amazing. I just love that little guy so much. He truly makes every day better & my life so much more enriched!

And, tomorrow, is a big day for our little family! Tomorrow Elias turns 6mths old! Which also means, he will have his first taste of baby food! Promise to have lots of cute pictures to share, too! He tasted a bit of avocado last weekend (or the weekend before?) & has loved every bit of food he's "tasted". He's had teensy bits of taters, avocado, beans, & other smooshy stuff. Oh, pickles, too. But, tomorrow he's officially starting solids! I'm kind of excited & I know he's ready as he grabs at anything we're trying to eat, can sit up all on his own, & shows plenty of interest in food!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of relaxing & productive moments! I know I'm hoping to have some laundry done, E's room organized {hoping to order the hutch for his bedroom suite in the next couple of weeks}, & the van washed + vacuumed out!

Almost a Half-Year Old!

2010-02-22T23:38:00.002-05:00

Elias will be 6mths old on Saturday!

A quick post... today while @ Publix, I had to cut out 2 coupons. Since I pretty much ALWAYS wear Elias when we're out & about, it was getting difficult & I didn't want to accidentally cut him w/ the very sharp scissors. (And check out the coupon deal, the Gillette Fusion Razors were on clearance for $5.99 & my coupon was for $4 off!)

So I'm moving stuff out of the front of the shopping cart to plop Elias in the front. He LOVED it. He definitely works for an audience! He giggled & smiled & wiggled around! It was so cute! I took pictures w/ my phone; promise to update them later!

Also did some cleaning in our room today. Lots of dusting (no wonder my head hurts now!) & moving things around. I moved the playpen out of the room, as Elias sleeps on the bed almost all night long. He now has the playpen in the living room to play w/ his toys while I putter around in the morning (breakfast, email, Facebook) for 20m or so.

Hmm, what else?! Doing good on our meal planning, although I haven't been great about "scheduling" the days. I have a list of meal options that I decide the day before (if I have to set out meat) or the day off! And tomorrow or Wednesday, I will be roasting my very first turkey! Wow!

Our church has started a mommy group that has been pretty active! Tomorrow will be our 4th weekly meeting & I'm excited about it. Hoping the weather stays nice for a day outside at the playground. I've also been involved w/ a couple of other mommy groups in the area. Pretty exciting stuff!

Well, I am up far too late... especially w/ such a busy day tomorrow! Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Baby Update: 5.5mths

2010-02-16T19:34:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to blog, but since it's been forever...

** Had a wonderful day today! Went to a friend's house for a mommy meeting & it was so nice! Very laid back & a bit chaotic @ the same time! :) I think there was 8 mommies of which all of them (except one) have a baby under the age of a year & most of them also have more than one child! So, there were lots of babies, mommies, & toddlers! I loved it!

** Elias has been mastering sitting up on his own for a couple of weeks now, but today I really let him sit on his own today! He did great! He even sat on the couch with me & played with his toys while I did some budgeting!

** Elias talked & talked & talked today! Some days he is much more verbal than others! He makes screeching noises, high pitched squeals, sing-song gurgles. It's awesome! I absolutely love it!

** He absolutely adores his bouncy-s. The jumperoo @ my parents & the doorway jumper @ our house... he is so crazy when he's jumping! And very coordinated @ it!

** We are still exclusively nursing. He does great & we have had some issues with night-time waking, but I am pretty sure it was related to his developmental achievements... this time, the bouncing! Or if I am not completely dedicated to ensuring naptimes are observed! :)

** He is definitely interested in food. He has tasted teensy bits of potatoes, avocado, yogurt, strawberry, pineapples, refried beans, & probably some other soft-smooshy foods I can't think of now! Oh, a pickle, too!

** He relaxes (mostly) & nap during car rides now. Those first few months he would scream through almost all of the ride, but now he is very observant of the moving environment & then will nod off to dream land. Sometimes he even joins me in singing in the car!

** He rarely gets a bottle, but still does fine with it. Sometimes on the way to church, I'll pump so that he has a meal during the service & I can stay in the service. That has worked to help tide him over for a proper meal! ;) Oh, I'm usually not driving when I pump on the way to church or anywhere else for that matter!

** He loves looking @ other babies or kids! He especially loves reaching out to the arms & hands of the babies. He smiles so much when Rainee comes up on the bed. She very gently avoids walking near his arm-reach, but will if I'm petting her. I help guide his hand to pet her w/out grabbing!

** He loves being held upside down! He giggles so much! Other things that make him giggle: "flying" above your head, bouncing, being kissed.

** A couple of weeks ago for the night service @ church, we brought him in the fellowship hall since he was still sleeping. He woke up right after Pastor began speaking. He was so observant & quiet that we stayed in for pretty much the rest of the service. During the prayer @ the end, we had one of my favorite moments to date... I was holding him in a cradle-style hold. He likes to turn toward my face & "kiss" me. So, I was kissing his mouth while he started his sweet gurgling. I absolutely loved it! And he did it over & over. So sweet.

** Hmm, what else? I wanna try to remember as much as possible... he enjoys tummy time a bit more. He can stay much more occupied with toys in front of him, but usually doesn't like it for *too* long.

I will try to remember more & add it later on! And other exciting items in life outside of just baby updates! You know, I'm not going to taint baby updates with non-baby stuff! Pictures to come later on, too!

A Repeat Post

2010-01-13T23:27:00.001-05:00

[[I finally posted to my IF blog, so I copied to post on the family blog, too! Hope you enjoy it!]]

Sorry I've been such a slacker about posting. I guess now that I've had my baby, I don't want to post much about how each milestone is bittersweet... never knowing if I'll experience this with another child, but so absolutely grateful that I can experience it once.

Elias is just developing by leaps & bounds. He's so freaking hilarious & cute! Even when I'm @ my wit's end & just wanna cry, he somehow manages to melt me all over again with a HUGE-GOOFY-HALF-OF-HIS-FACE grin! It's awesome.

He's almost 4.5 months old now. Umm, seriously!?

He's been rolling over from his back to his belly for about a month now, but has just begun rolling from his belly to his back. And apparently this is out of the norm. They usually do this the other way around. He doesn't care for tummy time, so unless we hang out with him & cheer him on & smile @ him with lots of encouragement... he fusses on his tummy! Like tonight, he fell asleep on his side (his preferred position of sleep), flipped in his sleep, then woke up & cried because he was on his tummy.

We are still exclusively breastfeeding. In the beginning, I would say the first 6wks or so, I didn't enjoy it at all. I think I was half angry at the baby because b'feeding hurt so much. And I felt like he ALWAYS needed to eat. I was so sleep deprived & upset about having to wake up every 2-3 hours, take the baby into the living room, pump or latch him, deal with the screaming, etc etc. I kept pushing myself to do it just one more week... one more day... try another day...

Then, around 6-7wks of age, it started clicking. This was a collision of several factors that I attribute to this becoming easier: Elias began sleeping through the night; we began side-lying b'feeding; the lecture portion of nursing school was over; & b'feeding stopped hurting. Even when he latched.

Since then, b'feeding has become exponentially more enjoyable. I appreciate that I am the only one able to provide for his nutritional needs. I am marvelled at the fact that my body has been empowered to nourish & support another human being from conception to 4.5mths old. I mean, it's pretty freaking amazing, right?! I adore the giggles & coos & "talking" as Elias stops his feeding long enough to connect with me. I love being able to soothe him to sleep or calm his anxiety. I get it now... the overwhelming emotional, physical, & hormonal connection that accompanies b'feeding.

At his 4mth appointment, the doctor cleared him to start solids whenever we want to. I don't feel as though he's ready yet. He's not showing signs of interest & I've attempted giving him little bits here & there. I'm planning to wait until 6mths to start him on solids. We'll see how he leads.

"In the meantime", I completed nursing school! I am officially a graduate nurse & am studying to take the NCLEX to become a registered nurse!!

I have also recently found some mommy groups in the area that I'm excited about meeting up with. I've been thinking about creating my own group as many friends have had babies in the past year or so. I'll letcha know how it all comes out after the next couple of meetings... I plan to attend at least two in the next week and a half.

Oh, one more thing, I'm a MINIVAN MOM! :)

So, without further adou, here's some pictures of the little munchkin...

{He looks thrilled doesn't he? But, really, he loves his Bumbo!}

This was from today...

{He is definitely his Momma's baby; he has so many crazy expressions! He's even got a bit of a Blue Steele streak in him! LOL}

And just a picture that I thought was cute from last weekend of his diapers drying on the line. We do cloth diapers during the day, then disposables during the night & when we're out & about.

And guess what?! N's new insurance (kicking in around March-ish) has IF coverage! That means we may have another chance at a kid or two more! What a blessing, huh!? I'm hoping he'll agree to cycling this summer, but then we'll probably still be b'feeding, so maybe early 2011! How exciting! And, yes, I definitely still want more kids!

Baby Update: 4mths

2009-12-29T22:07:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, Elias turned 4mths old.

This also meant a 4mth check up for him. We went this afternoon to the doctor's office; after a rough morning of Elias not feeling very good. Crying & fussing unless he was being held upright. Poor little guy. That said, I didn't get much done around the house, either, but a teensy bit. I'm slowly getting stuff done, moreso when Nick comes home & he hangs out with E while I work on some chores.

Elias weighs 15lbs9oz (that's without a feeding, either, he didn't wanna eat, either this morning), is 24inches long, & his head circumference is 41.25cm. I'll be looking up the percentiles soon to chart in his baby book.

He also got some booster immunizations. I premedicated him with a bit of Tylenol & he didn't seem as upset as last time. He also didn't sleep ALL day long like last time, but his tummy seemed to be affecting him later on.

Then we went to Target to get some milk & use some coupons I have that expire on the 31st. We are a hybrid diapering family now, so we use cloth diapers @ home & then disposables @ night & for traveling & such. But, that doesn't mean I'm not looking for deals. I found some Pampers on clearance (that also came with $30 worth of Proctor & Gamble coupons) that I used a coupon on, then stacked coupons (where you use one store/Target coupon & one manufacturer's coupon for the same item) on two more packages. I can also use the points from Pamper's packages to earn rewards.

What else? Elias still loves his Bumbo, his hands (the best toys ever), his Taggies blanket (he falls asleep with it over his face... it's like an Elias tranquilizer), & being interacted with. He loves standing (on his own, too, once!), sitting up on his own, rolling from his back to his stomach, blowing bubbles, talking/singing, & dancing around the house. He's so much fun!

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday morning! It's Nick's last work day of the week or YEAR actually, so I'm looking forward to spending the upcoming 4day weekend with him. We were planning to work in the barn Thurs + Fri & finally get it organized, but it's supposed to rain. Maybe we can start on it Friday, though. Well, I can guarantee you we will! :) Maybe we'll work in the house Thursday & I asked Nick for a movie day, too. It will be nice to snuggle & watch movies w/out worrying about what we need to do next. We don't even have plans for New Years Eve. I wanted to do a bonfire this year (like we have done for the past 2 or 3 years), but we just haven't had time to get the property shaped up how we'd like to. Maybe we can plan one in February or so!

As the nerd I am, I will also be posting my goals/resolutions for this year. Nothing too crazy, but this blog always works as accountability & a reference! :)

Some Pictures

2009-12-29T21:53:00.003-05:00

These are a bit backwards as far as chronology goes, but wanted to share some recent photos! Too tired to explain each of them or put them in order! :)

Our "New" Ride

2009-12-22T13:33:00.001-05:00

I realized I never posted pictures of the van... here goes!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T13:18:00.004-05:00

Since all the cards have been given or mailed out, here's our Christmas card this year! It's only Elias (obviously) as we couldn't/didn't coordinate a family picture during the day... since Nick can't keep his eyes open when there's a flash involved, we couldn't do it during the evening! :) He says his reflexes are much too quick for the camera!

Christmas Card Season

2009-12-18T00:46:00.002-05:00

I kept bugging Nick about taking a family photo for this year's Christmas card & since it may not happen anytime soon... I made one with the cute pictures from the last post. The will be ready tomorrow morning & mailed out Saturday!

So, without further...

WAIT! I can't post it before I mail them out! :)

I will post next week once most people have a chance to have gotten them in the mail. But, they are super cute. And in 5x7, so I guess they could even be framed if our recipients wanted!

Have a wonderful Friday! I will be heading into town to meet a friend for some last minute Christmas shopping, buying some frames to show of E's pictures, picking up the Christmas cards, burning some stuff (we burn instead of shred 'round these parts), printing some coupons (instead of burning most of my nursing notes [sorry, Ms. D] I'm gonna repurpose them & print coupons on the backside! Yay for reusing!), addressing/stamping our Christmas cards, attending a Christmas party @ a friend's house, wrapping our Christmas presents (umm, that's right, none of them have been wrapped!), & maybe some cleaning?!

My goal is to get up out of bed after E's morning feeding (usually around 6:30 to 7:00 am) & start working, instead of staying in bed with him for his morning nap. But, you may notice what time it is, therefore we may nap together. He's been fighting sleep like crazy each night & finally going for the "big sleep" around 11:00ish, but sleeps almost 12 hrs less his 15m morning feeding @ 7am.

Funny Hat

2009-12-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

I ordered some stuff online for Christmas gifts, but had to break out one of E's. It's a 3-6mth hat, but barely fit him! Hoping to trade it out for a bigger size!

I think we'll use this hat for our Christmas picture, too! Pretty cute, huh?!

Quick Picture Post

2009-12-16T12:32:00.008-05:00

We snapped several pictures of little bit last night during the party & afterwards...

Peanuts from Daddy...

He's discovered Daddy's hairy face & loved pulling on his beard!

And, I never would have thought of buying something like this for him, but my wonderful cousin, Heather, gave him this... HE LOVES IT!!

A hilarious face Elias made when leaving...

Showing off his shirt. He loves the Bumbo!

And good night kisses from Daddy... he opens his mouth up every time he knows you're going to kiss him! So cute!

Cutest Spit EVER!

2009-12-15T13:24:00.002-05:00

My phone has a video record option, so when we sat to play in E's Bumbo, I recorded a bit...

Here's Elias blowing bubbles. He's pretty good @ it, although he LOVES staring at the camera, so he's not as active as he is otherwise! :)

And another one of him trying to get his hands. I love watching him & the determination on his face!

Will be taking a picture of the van soon, so I'll try to post that this afternoon before heading into town for our Sunday School Christmas party. Looking forward to it! I think we'll have like 11 couples there! Wow! :)

Hope you're all doing well!

Teach Me to Sew?!

2009-12-14T14:58:00.003-05:00

I follow a couple of crafty blogs (see sidebar) & had heard of "So You Think You're Crafty?", but hadn't looked into it too much.

How cute are these things!? The winning craft each week has tutorials & I've been clicking & drooling away. If you want some fun stuff to check out, here's the links! :)

So You Think You're Crafty

Turkey Dressing Skirt (SUPER CUTE!)

This Mama Makes Stuff

So, my Christmas wish this year? Clear out the office, have space for scrapping & sewing, AND learn how to sew! Maybe a gift card to Joann's to buy some felt for those cute felt food or to Michael's (or WalMart) for that beautiful Martha Stewart glitter. Elias can play with his food, then! :) Maybe I'll even get so vamped up, I'll start decorating this house finally. I know Nick would be excited!

Now to throw out my nursing school stuff...

JUST KIDDING...

at least not until I passed my NCLEX and become a "real" nurse! But, I do have lotsa junk from school that I could clear out several book shelves & huge baskets! Maybe Nick will want to cuddle with Elias one night this week, so I can work in the office! *hint*hint*

In other news, we are the proud owners of a Dodge Caravan. We were blessed to find a true gem on Craigslist on Friday & purchased it Saturday. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting the couple selling it & had great conversations with them! Now I just have to get used to hoisting Elias up in the van... quite different than my little Prizm. I will miss her, but we're hoping to sell the Prizm before the end of the year. This will allow us to rebuild our savings after purchasing the van! I don't have a picture of it right now to share, but will try to tomorrow or Wednesday.

For now, I will leave you with a slice of this sweet thang

He was so good during my pinning ceremony last week until the neighbors screamed during the pinning. Poor widdle guy got scared. But, Daddy's good @ calming him down, so he was fine for the rest of the night! Have some pictures of that, too, to share tomorrow or Wednesday! :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful Monday!

End of a Journey

2009-12-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

And yet the beginning of a new one!

Today, I graduate from nursing school. The next step in the journey is to take/pass the NCLEX!

Of course I am reflecting, too, so here are some things I remembered about what occured in my life since May 2007 (beginning of nursing school), 32 months ago...

** diagnosed with endometriosis; two surgeries; one hospital overnight stay; 5+ months of medically-induced menopause

** celebrated three, four, and five year wedding anniversaries

** flew to New Mexico to visit with Nick during his teaching of geology field camp; visited CO, too

** Nick was accepted to & began the Master's program of Geology, TA'ed several classes, began employment with FGS, began employment with AMI

** had our kitchen renovated

** became Dave Ramsey junkies

** saved/raised over $11,000 to do one cycle of in-vitro fertilization debt-free in less than 6 months... completely God working; became pregnant; survived 39w1d of pregnancy & labor + delivery of a beautiful baby boy free of medication; survived 15wks of parenting that sweet baby boy

** blessed with three close friends... for someone that grew up in this area, I didn't have many friends my age that I connected with. God has given me three dear friends that I love & have supported me through some of the hardest times in my life

So, graduated high school @ age 16, graduated college (Bachelor's degree) @ age 20, but graduated from nursing school @ age 28. And, hoping this will lead me to the career for me! If not, I'll keep searching!

But, Mommy-hood is working out pretty sweet for me! I'm ready for another one! I just LOVE*LOVE*LOVE it!

Pictures will be forthcoming after the ceremony!

Birth Story of Elias: Part One

2009-12-09T23:00:00.001-05:00

I have a beautiful baby boy.

How about starting from the beginning? I haven't finished (or started... remember, the procrastination thing?) his birth story, but little man was born August 27 @ 39w2d gestation. I went to my 39wk appt & finally went past 3cm dilated. But, mentally, I wasn't really excited considering I'd been 3cm since 36wks. This check was much more painful than before, which my doula said meant he probably broke some capillaries to prod labor along.

So, I made the calls on the way home & stopped by ChickFilA to soothe myself. A large Cherry Coke & sammich & fries. Took as much time as I wanted, too.

Once I got home, a friend dropped by with her (almost) 6wk old to hang out for a bit. Around 5pm, I left the house to make it to campus in time to print out my PPT slides. I pulled into the parking lot @ 5:30 & began speed walking to the computer lab. Not even halfway there, something felt a bit different. Yes, let's tactifully say it like that. Ignoring it & hoping to not get worked up about it... I still headed to the lab. No luck printing out the PPT & since there was only like 10m left until class started, I half ran back to class while texting my doula (which also works on campus) about it. I wasn't sure if my water broke, so I didn't want to say too much. Got to class right at 6pm & was ready to beg my professor to allow me to head to the bathroom. Fortunately, no begging was needed! Once I got to the bathroom, I was pretty sure my water had broken. No big gush for me... just lotsa small gushes. Every time I walked, moved, laughed, coughed. Ewww.

Since I wasn't COMPLETELY sure (remember, I'd been to triage before with a weird episode of a gush two weeks earlier) & wasn't contracting any worse that before... I headed back to class. Yep, I sure did. I sat there for about an hour & a half trying to plan what to do. I'd head to the car on our break & get a pad out of the car. After class, I'd head to the hospital's triage & have them check to verify my water had broken... then I'd call Nick. No sense in him getting worked up & telling his mother, my mother, anyone else & then it be a false alarm. I honestly did nothing more in class that sit there & try not to move & tried not to get all worked up. I spoke to a couple of my friends for some sort of reassurance, but didn't want to say anything to the class. At break, I stood up... all plans changed & I decided I was heading home. Called Nick on the way out of the parking lot. He was with his mother, so she knew we suspected my water broke. So, I called my mom to let her know also. We told them we'd call when we got to the hospital to let them know what the status was. Once I got home, I changed clothes & finally got a hold of the doula. She confirmed my water had broken, but since my contractions weren't regulating in a pattern, we planned to head to the hospital by 5:30am as the risk of infection can increase then (12hrs after the bag of waters had broken). Nick brought home lasagne & garlic toast (ummm, yeah...); initially I resisted, then in a stubborn "stick it to ya" labor... I ate it. Seconds, too. Labor stuck it back to me later.

We began watching a movie while I stayed on the birthing ball. Got some contractions. Didn't care for the movie, so I took a long shower around 8:30. Umm, more consistent contractions. I told Nick I didn't want to start timing them until we could tell they were more regular. Once I got out of the shower & back on the birthing ball, we began timing them. About 4-5m apart. Around 10pm, I got into bed. Wasn't comfortable, but at least the bed supported all of my weight. Nick spoke to the doula & we all decided to head to the hospital sometime soon as my contractions were uncomfortable enough to have to breathe through. Nick wanted to head then, but I wanted to wait until 11pm. Nick hopped into the shower, then laid down with me for 15-20m.

Around 10:45, we (GET THIS--) cleaned up the kitchen a bit. We had some dirty dishes, so I washed some in between contractions & Nick swept the floor. I had to stop lots & try to hang onto the countertop. We headed to the cars. Nick grabbed something out of my trunk & complained about how messy it was. I wasn't thrilled & let him know that really didn't matter, cuz we were, ya know-like, in LABOR!

The ride was crazy. I was fine in between, but so crazy-miserable during the contractions. I stopped looking at the clock. I didn't want to know how often, cuz I didn't wanna ruin the break in between by worrying about the next one! LOL

Got to the hospital & had to stop several times on the walk in. Spent 10-ish minutes in the waiting area before getting to triage. Got on the monitor & my contractions weren't even registering on the monitor, but E's heartrate would increase.

More to come later! I'm sure there are details I will add later, but I need to write it down before I forget! :)

Sweet Goodies

2009-12-08T23:27:00.009-05:00

I love etsy. I just recently placed my first order with a seller there... I have to take a picture of my new necklace to show it off. Just precious. Anyhow, there's tons more goodies to buy; just have to pace myself! :) I've included just a couple:

@ PropsToYou Shop

@ PolkaDotPosh Shop

@ MyMarketStall Shop

@ SDKDesigns Shop

@ LoveMonkey Shop

@ GoodsForYou Shop

How stinking cute, huh!? You could spend HOURS looking through all of these great shops!

Oh, I also forgot to mention some great news we found out last week... with our new insurance (which should begin in March or April), there is (in)fertility coverage. God is so good!

FinALLY!

2009-12-08T12:54:00.002-05:00

Got the internet hooked up! AND I can upload pics!

Here's some recents...

1. Green Sleeper! LOL, 2. Nummies..., 3. Really, He's thrilled..., 4. Cute Li'l Bum, 5. AHA!, 6. Dancing with Daddy, 7. DSC07250, 8. Smiles & Sitting

Several things have happened since I last posted...

** Elias is 3months old now! And weighed 14lb9oz at that time! Crazy, huh? Now, he has some thick thighs, but other than that now too*too chunky. Everybody seems amazed (insert eye roll here) that he's "only three months". Whatevs! My boy is healthy! I think he looks like a big boy, too, cuz he's also a bit longer than other babies @ this age. Oh, well. He's adorable, though. He giggled for the first time Friday night after my clinical rotation! It was hilarious!

** Officially done with nursing school! I got tomorrow to fill out some sort of paperwork & rehearse for our pinning ceremony on Thursday night, but my obligations are met! So relieved am I! Preceptorship was exhausting, but okay! Glad to be done, though, & at home with my baby!

** Nick was offered a promotion @ work! Remember, he's only been there since July! Some details still have to be finalized, but we are very excited to say the least!

I have things on my to do list for the next couple of weeks, but am hoping to have the Christmas Tree up this week! And putting up the many clothes he's grown out of, putting up my summer stuff, selling nursing books, getting my eyebrows waxed, mailing out birth announcements, creating/mailing out Christmas cards, & so much more I haven't even written down! :)

Hope everyone is doing well out there!

Too Long

2009-11-11T17:11:00.004-05:00

Since I've posted! Promise I will get internet set up before December!

For now, here's a couple of pictures...

And, we had a very good friend + photographer take some portraits & here's our sneak peak... Can you believe his hair is this red?!

Preview from Marybeth Mills Photography

More to come later! I have my first weekend of Preceptor Hours this weekend... not looking forward to it at all, but thankful there's only a month left & I already have banked enough b.reastmilk to not have to worry about the baby starving Friday or having to supplement with formula! :)

A Fuzzy Bear! :)

2009-10-18T21:57:00.003-04:00

A local nearby town was having a Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, so we bundled up & went! It was so chilly the whole time, but little E was snug in his dino outfit complete with dino socks, dino beanie, matching jacket, & sweet boots! It was really nice to go out on the weekend without having school work hanging over my head! It was exhausting walking all day & chilly, but a lot of fun. Elias even got dressed up in a costume that was so cute! Here's a couple of pictures from the Pumpkin Patch, too!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We weighed Elias tonight & he's right over 12lbs now... can ya believe it!? Seems hard to think he's already that big because he still seems so tiny! I also worked on his baby book some Friday night, but need to order some photos to print out to add to the book! At least I'm writing in all the good stuff... adding pictures won't take much time @ all. I've also got his birth announcements in my hot little hands addressing them & his birth certificate is in our possession! I have to send it over to our HR company to make sure his insurance stays intact, but it's pretty cool crossing things off the list!

Have a wonderful Monday morning!

Another Cute Picture!

2009-10-15T12:55:00.004-04:00

So, this morning Elias slept 6 whole hours! It was so nice! Then he nursed & slept with me until around 10am! It's amazing how much better everything is when you're not sleep-deprived & feeling crazy! Last night was my last night of nursing class & tonight we have a computerized test to help prepare us for the NCLEX (test I have to take to get my license as an RN).

Since I got so much sleep &, umm, don't want Elias's insurance to be voided, I decided to head to the Health Dept to get a copy of his birth certificate. I picked out a cute outfit for dinner tonight for (his Aunt) Sarah's birthday & then decided to wait until later to dress him in it, lest it be covered in spit up! :) So, I dressed him in this cute romper...

It says "I'm so hoppy"... but I'm not sure it was the most appropriate outfit! LOL. I had to take a picture! He's definitely full & got a clean, dry diaper on... but tired & fighting sleep. I don't get why/how kids do this & I never knew BABIES do it. I thought they sleep so much, no problem if they're tired... they'd just sleep. HaHa.

But, we had an awesome 45m or so of cooing & smiling after his later morning feeding. It's so sweet to see those little smiles & kiss his chunky cheeks!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Wanna See da Baby?

2009-10-14T17:39:00.000-04:00

Ya know I love showing him off! :) Since we bought the cutest cloth diapers EVER, I had to snap some photos of him... also, for the baby dedication @ our church this Sunday, I wanted some cuter pictures. Here's some of my favorites:

(These are G-Diapers we scored off Craigslist!)

And, how much do you wanna kiss those sweet lips!?

Hoping to have our internet connection set up soon, so then I can update more often with more pictures! :)

Some More New Photos

2009-10-12T17:33:00.004-04:00

Elias had his first trip out on the Gulf this past weekend, so I HAD to post the cute little life vest my Mom scored @ a yard sale recently! :)

My good friend, Stephanie, her husband & boys came out with us along with our good friend, Adam, from the Tampa Bay area. It was a lot of fun & little E slept almost the whole time except for eating & getting him in the water! It was so great!

We also had MORE visitors from the Tampa Bay area come up! We met up with our friends, Vic & Carmen after church on Sunday. Good food & a great time! They brought some fun gifts for Elias & one got put "to work" right away! Here's a shot of little E looking @ his new rattle. He stares at it! I love seeing how developed his little systems are becoming. I can't imagine heading back to work now... especially since he's become so expression-ful! He makes me laugh so much!

We went shopping twice last week & he was so good. The first time, I was doing our big grocery shopping trip & had Elias bundled up in my new wrap. He sleeps almost the whole time & I don't have to worry about (strangers!) people wanting to touch him!

This weekend we will head to a local Pumpkin Festival, so I'm excited to take more pictures of Elias. He'll even be dressed up! :)

Some New Photos...

2009-10-07T17:03:00.000-04:00

These were all shot from my cell phone, but I thought they came out pretty well!

Today after our trip to class... my last lecture!

Yesterday just hanging out with his belly full!

A couple of weeks ago after his bath!

Again, a couple of weeks ago hanging out in his camos!

Will post more stuff later, but just happy to have gotten on & browse the internets! :)

Have a wonderful evening!

Quick Update

2009-09-15T13:46:00.000-04:00

Sorry to have been MIA, but life has been a bit busy. Between the baby & family life, I've also returned to my (hopefully, if I can pass) final nursing class. Less than 5wks left of the lecture portion of it.

On to more exciting things... or people! ;)

Little E is doing fine. In fact, last night he let me sleep over 4hrs straight... nursed for a bit, then went right back to sleep! A contrast to the prior night, where he decided he didn't want to nap/sleep @ all from 3am-6am. That was rough on Mommy... but we also napped together yesterday, so that helped!

I haven't been as crazy about taking pictures as I thought I would. I guess it just seems so laborious to grab the camera when he's doing something cute. I have many pictures from my cell phone & lots of sweet video clips from my Flip camera to upload later, but the "nice" camera isn't as mobile/portable. I think the better I begin to feel, the more pictures I will snap! :) Baby steps!

I still have achiness & pressure in my abdomen, but every day it seems to get better. I'm not as tried/lightheaded/dizzy as I have been, which hopefully means the anemia is getting better. Have more of an appetite now, too. For the first couple of weeks, I just didn't care to eat/drink anything.

We're still getting the hang of brea.stfeeding, but am fortunate that little E has not had issues going from br.east to bottle. I left the hospital pumping as latching hurt & the nurses were pushing us to supplement with formula. We were determined to do all we could to avoid that. The day after we left the hospital, my milk came in. I was producing three times what he was needing for each feeding, so we already have a decent amount of milk frozen & stored. We attempted latching several times a day, but by Thursday (his 1 week birthday)... I decided we would try nursing exclusively. It still hurt, but he was doing great. We have found a routine with bottles of brea.stmilk @ night & nursing during the day.

He get hiccups pretty much every day. They say there's nothing we can do about it, but it's so sad watching him. He inherited his daddy's violent hiccups. He lost his umbilical stump last Wednesday & has a cute little belly button underneath. He loves kangaroo cuddling & I do, too! His skin has become less peelie in the past couple of days... his little hands & feet were so peelie! :) He loves to have his head rubbed, unless he's just too angry with the world! Then, not much other than nursing helps that! We have been naughty & co-sleep sometimes with him. More so in the first week than now as we have learned his sleeping pattern & regulated his feeding more to suit his growing needs.

Well, I have a project to research for now, so I should head off. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I think I'm getting back into the swing of life & not feeling so much like a zombie all the time. I would leave with a couple of pictures, but not able to upload to Blogger right now? You can click the link for one of the most recent ones of Little E...

Click here

He's Here!

2009-08-31T20:00:00.001-04:00

Elias Nick John arrived Thursday, August 28, @ 3:55am.

He was 7lbs3oz & 18.75 inches long with a full head of hair! :)

We're doing great & in so much love!

Baby Update: 39wks

2009-08-26T15:09:00.003-04:00

I know... it's a day late, but since my weekly appointment wasn't until today... I threw the schedule off a bit!

Today... yesterday, rather... Elias was estimated @ a bit over 7lbs & about 20inches long. This week, his weight is compared to a "MINI WATERMELON".

Thoughts/Happenings:

** The appt went well. I am embarrassed to say that I have officially gained 44lbs from this pregnancy. Wow, huh? Weird thing is that most people think I haven't gained more than 20ish pounds. I have to admit, I'm nervous about getting the baby weight off, but also determined to. I finally hit the 4cm mark. This still means I could go "any day" now. :) Oh, well. I've had increased cramping & contractions the last couple of days & just hanging on for now.

** He still loves to kick my lower right ribs. I still need to record his movements on video! :)

Cravings/Symptoms:

** Some heartburn, lots of aches & cramping & contractions at night. Which means my nights have been lest restful. Although, the fact that I'm not working right now means I can sleep in later. So, around 4 or 5am... I actually fall asleep for several hours @ a time instead of waking every hour or so to, umm, head to the potty!

** Not so much cravings, although I do crave sweets often.

Again, we are hoping for no more weekly updates until it's post-birth updates! Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Still Preggers!

2009-08-23T19:35:00.002-04:00

Today was good, even without a nap! ;)

We had church this morning, then a quick lunch with the family @ Subway, a "jaunt" to WalMart for tons of organic cereal (my coupons expire in the next week or so & since Nick will still need to eat breakfast when the baby comes, we figured it wouldn't hurt to stock up!), a short trip to CVS (where we saved over $90 & paid $22 out of pocket to come away with over $20 in ECB... with a $15 gift card my G'daddy blessed us with!), a few minutes @ home resting before heading back into town for evening service. But, mmm, they had those chocolate chip cookies that are shaped like rings... remember in preschool or elementary years eating those for snacks? They were soooo good & somehow kept jumping in my hands!?

So, around 7:00ish, we got home. I'm resting here @ the house while Nick headed to the Fish Camp to eat with his Mom + buddies there... they were making shrimp creole. Since I'm no seafood lover & feel po.oped, I stayed home! Hoping to get a bit of clearing done in the office before I head to bed. Ya know, just a box or two organized & filed away!

On the baby-popping-out front, I'm still getting fairly sharp, stabbing pains all day. Nothing like a contraction, but I did touch base with my doula. She says these pains are normal in the early labor stage. Since I'm past the early labor stage (already dilated to 3cm, effaced, head in position, etc), it's almost like my body is going backward! :) My next appt is on Wednesday, the first appt on a non-Tuesday. Will be talking more to the doctor about interpretting the test results & seeing if my body is progressing even more. Maybe I'll have dilated to 4cm!

On the going-back-to-school front, I'll be registering for class tomorrow & the first class is tomorrow night. We already have the schedule & I've heard that the professor is very willing to work with us as much as possible to help us get through the semester. This was so reassuring & such a blessing to hear! We'll be taking it a day at a time. This semester will be 8wks long, then about a month "off" to simply snuggle with my sweet baby boy, then approximately 3wks of full-time internship-like clinicals from the middle of November to the beginning of December. The pinning ceremony is December 11th. This our goal. I'm praying God will allow me to make it through this semester... and if not, to allow me to be okay with it!

So, we are still "anyday now" & even the doula confirmed that active labor could hit at any moment... maybe tonight!? ;) For now, Elias is content with stabbing his skinny, long foot in my rib or side. It's so weird watching my stomach rumble. I definitely need to try to record this before he comes on out. He won't know what to do with all the space he's gonna have soon...

Hope you all had a wonderful Sunday & a superb Monday morning! I'll try my best to update tomorrow, too!

Mini Update

2009-08-22T22:54:00.003-04:00

Since we are truly supposed to be in the "last days" of pregnancy, I thought I'd post a couple of updates more often.

Still no baby, just to get that outta the way! :)

Woke up this morning when Nick headed to work, but then I promptly fell back asleep!

Headed to the WalMarts for a quick oil change & a pedicure with my Mom! We chilled & got our tootsies painted purty. It was her first pedicure, so it was cute watching her tell the technician how ticklish she was! We walked around for a bit to check out the clearance aisles, but only bought a couple of things... part of a Christmas gift for our nieces! Hope they still like Disney Princesses when Christmas rolls around!

Then, we headed back over to Woodville for dinner @ the Seineyard. It's a pretty popular seafood restaurant 'round these parts. I don't particularly care for it, but my g'parents + parents love it. It's pretty much a tradition every Saturday for them to head over here & eat lunch there. I had a burger... nope, I'm not a seafood person! Then Nick headed by the restaurant on his way home to grab the day's special after we finished our lunch. It's a super long drive from his job to our home, so he couldn't make it in time to eat with us.

Once we got home, we began working in the office. This led to a trip down the road to borrow a neighbor's truck, deliver a dresser to a friend & chatting for a bit. Then back home to head to the Mexican restaurant. I know, we're spoiling ourselves!! Then, my brother & sister-in-law met us for dinner! I had a great time. We don't hang out often enough, but I'm so glad we got to have dindin together!

So, with a late night behind us... LOL... we headed home @ 9:15. I'm looking up info for our Sunday School class (I'm in charge of planning the monthly events), while Nick laid down. And he fell asleep! Poor guy is pretty tired!!

I've just been poking around online... planning our CVS trip for this week (lotsa goodies to grab!), we also need to pick up a few items from WalMart, & maybe even heading out to do some quick Christmas shopping.

Hoping you all have a wonderful Sunday! I'm hoping our's will be productive AND relaxing! Poor Nick needs a nice day off! With the 40+hrs to work + the 2hr daily commute + today's extra hours, he's logged in almost 60hrs this week! At leasy he loves his job! We're very blessed!!

Baby Update: 38wks (A Little Late, but Still Knocked Up!)

2009-08-21T20:00:00.000-04:00

Since I didn't get my post done in time, I thought I'd update a bit here. Can't upload pictures with our internet connection... so I'll add the fruit/veggie of the week later. I think it's a LEEK that Elias is now as long as.

Thoughts/Happenings:
** This week, we had a procedure performed to see if Elias's lungs were mature enough to induce labor a bit earlier than normal. Have I mentioned that the closer we get to his due date, the more overwhelming the anxiety I have about actually bringing home a live baby? I think I've cried at least once every single day since hitting the 37wk mark because I'm so nervous that something horrible will happen. Yes, it's irrational & illogical & probably unjustified... but I can't help it. I'm worried & stressed like nothing else. So, after discussing this with my OB, he agreed to induce if Little One's lungs were developed. Since we know his exact gestational age... I didn't think there would be any problems at all. Well, his quick results (on Wednesday) showed immaturity. At that point, they wait for an (almost) 48hr return test that *could* reflect lung maturity. Got the call this morning, that that test also agreed with his lungs not being mature. I was shocked. Still am. Oh, and even more nervous. The Specialist did say that we can safely assume if my body goes into labor on it's own, that his lungs should be fine by then. And, every day he's still "in the oven", his lungs get more & more mature. So, my next appt with my OB is Wednesday... a day after they'd induce any other patient... but, I obviously have reservations about it. I'm very much looking forward to being able to discuss all this with my OB. Oh, and my Fall semester starts back up Monday. This will be fun... and probably not possible.

** As of Tuesday, I hadn't dilated any more. I was still at 3cm, but 80% effaced & the baby was in "0" station. Progress on that front, at least. Still "any day now" mentality. Ha.

** I've had this whole week off from work. It has been nice, but I sure haven't felt much like doing anything. I have worked a bit in the office (umm, MAJOR work needs to be done in there... been putting it off) here & there. Rested plenty. I think I'm sleeping 9-10hrs/night plus naps. Got the animals to the vet today... three dogs + one cat for a 2hr vet visit + a 9mth pregnant woman. Not as bad as I imagined it may have been!! Smooth, actually. I've cleaned & cleared dishes every day, some laundry, cooked several nights (except for the night I'd been craving Mexican), & other piddling around the house. I'm sure there's more I can do & since Nick will have to work yet again tomorrow, Saturday, I'll be working around the house then, too.

** Hmm, not sure there's anything else I can think of to add? Oh, we went to triage twice in the last week. Last Thursday was because I thought my water might have broken. It hadn't, but we found out I was losing my mucus plug already. Sunday (early morning) was because I had an extremely intense pain that would not stop from about 1am to 2am... which we called the doula & headed to the hospital. It eventually went away & they monitored us for a while, but he was okay.

Cravings/Symptoms:
** Some discomfort @ night, when I have to roll over or change positions... other than that, I get very nice restful sleep. A bit of heartburn every now & then if I have soda, but I've cut out almost all of that... so it's not as often as before.

** Still lots of movement. Elias has permanently planted his backside on my left side & kicks like crazy on my right side. Lots. Especially during the procedure w/ the Specialist Wednesday. What a stubborn boy... so much like his Daddy already.

Hope to not have a 39wk update... unless it's got pictures of this boy outside the womb, but as long as he needs to stay in... we're okay with. I'll just be an emotional wreck that much longer worrying!!

Baby Update: 37wks

2009-08-11T06:00:00.003-04:00

We have OFFICIALLY made it FULL TERM. If Little One is born today, he is good to go! I am so proud of our God for allowing us this precious privilege!

Today, Elias' weight is estimated at 6.33lbs & a bit over 19inches (or the length of a SWISS CHARD).

{I sure hope he's not that ugly. Weird is swiss chard.}

Thoughts/Happenings:

** We got our edited maternity photos back! If you missed the post from yesterday, check them out HERE. We are extremely happy with how they turned out & I'm already looking forward to the newborn photos of Elias next month! I'll be checking out options for enlargements online... just trying not to add it to my 'to do' list for now. Plenty of time to make those decisions after Elias is born!

** Last Thursday night/Friday morning had us thinking Elias was arriving. I had hours of consistent, painful, regular contractions until about 10am. Then, only every hour or two. It's been this way all weekend, so we're just playing it by ear. Saturday, we headed to WM to walk & grab some last minute items like snacks for the hospital stay & batteries for the swing + bouncer. I've been trying to stay rested just in case the contractions become more regular. It's most definitely a waiting game now! I've been using the ball almost every day, too! I think that may be helping.

** Doctor's appt today. Dilation/Effacement: 3cm/60% Not too much progress in that area since last week, but doctor did say that the head is right down there. Which, I assume is a good thing. He also said that I'm "on the verge" & could go into full labor any day now.

** Nick installed the carseat base in his car. Mine will probably be done in the next couple of days. We're planning to take the baby home in his, so that was the most important to get done.

** Also got the crib mattress in the baby's room this weekend. The swing + bouncer are assembled... they are SO CUTE!

** I probably could stand to do a load or two of laundry today to get as much of my clothes cleaned & put up before Little Bit comes home. I'll need to add a couple of outfits to our hospital bag for the post-partum stay, too.

Cravings/Symptoms:

** The obvious... contractions, increased pressure, possible early labor signs. Even more contractions last night while trying to rest!

** Meat, milk. Sweets, too.

Today is my Papa's birthday! We sure hope Elias wants to share a birthday with him, but if not... it's a most special day! Love you Papa!!!

Maternity Portraits Done!

2009-08-10T07:55:00.001-04:00

Check out Amick's website to see our maternity pictures! :)

NICK & RACHEL MATERNITY

Been having contractions all weekend long, so we've got out fingers crossed to meet this little guy face-to-face soon!

Baby Update: 36wks

2009-08-04T06:00:00.003-04:00

Yay! We've almost made it to full term. Only 1wk until Elias would be considered full term! We're truly in the homestretch!

According to the websites, Elias is over 18.5inches long & weighs almost 6.0 pounds (or the weight of a CRENSHAW MELON)!

Thoughts/Happenings:

** We had our maternity portraits shot this weekend. I'm very interested to see how they turned out & hope that we got several "favorite" shots. Our photographer is on vacation this week, so I think we'll have the edited photos in our hot-little-hands within 2 or 3 wks. We'll have them on CD/DVD with print rights, so we can print them @ our leisure & post them online no problems! :) AND, we've already set up a tentative newborn session by the end of September! Yay! {You must know that I will post some of the shots as soon as we get them!}

** I am officially heading to the doctor every week. Every Tuesday to be exact! My group B strep status: negative (YAY); my dilation/effacement status: 2-3cm/60%. Who knows how much longer we'll have? ;)

** Had some either fake (okay, I know they're technically Braxton Hicks) or real contractions last Thursday evening/Friday morning. Woke me up I was hurting so much. But, they went away. We can only hope they were a couple of "real" ones that are preparing my body for labor & delivery in the next couple of weeks!

** My last day of work before maternity leave (unless Elias comes earlier) will be August 14th. Our plans are for me to return to this current position at the beginning of January. That gives me about 4mths @ home with Elias, so we're very excited about that! :)

** Elias's hospital bag is packed... only thing to add later is when we get the "unborn child John" insurance card in the next week or so. Our hospital bag is pretty much packed. I'm sure I'll add more later, but we have the little toiletries, the Flip video camera, extra batteries, one change of clothes each... probably will add a robe & the computers on the way out. We can stay up to 48hrs following the delivery, but as little as 24-36 hrs be discharged. I think we're leaning towards the 24hr mark as long as the pediatrician clears Little One to head home with us!

** The carseat bases have yet to be installed, but the carseat + base are located in Nick's car. That's the one we'll plan to take to the hospital. Hopefully, we can have the carseat base installed & checked in the next week. Doesn't hurt to be as prepared as possible!

** Elias's room still has some work to be done, but not too much. I hope to make some room in his closet for his swing + bouncer, so that will be outta the way. His bassinet is already beside the bed & a changing table we were given is in our bathroom. A tight squeeze for sure, but we're hoping it'll help get us through the first couple of months as it has shelves for (lots of) extra diapers, wipes, outfits, & sheets. Once he outgrows the bassinet, I think we will move his playpen beside our bed until it's time to move him into this own room. Weird to think about even now.

Symptoms/Cravings:

** More heartburn every now & then, aching back during sleeping/rolling over, & lots of fetal movement! It's great!

** Still craving proteins... steaks/burgers, dairy... ice cream/milk/shakes.

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Sunday Savings Recap

2009-08-02T15:09:00.002-04:00

Pretty sure I won't be able to post pictures with this, but will letcha know the awesome deals I got @ CVS & Publix this weekend.

CVS:

What I got...
(2) Hellmann's Mayo
(2) Skippy P'nut Butter
(2) 20ct ball point pens
(2) sticky notes pads
(2) 70pg notebooks
(2) scissors
(1) Charmin 16 double roll TP (what we really needed)

I started off with $5 in ECB...

Saved $18.16 in sale prices
Used $5 ECB & earned, then rolled, $14.92 ECB
Used $3.10 in manufacturer's coupons.

Total out of pocket was $8.89
Total value of products: $50.07
Savings of 82%
AND I left with a CVS coupon for a free roll of paper towels! :)

PUBLIX:

What I got...
(2) Bertolli Organic Pasta Sauce
(2) Bertolli Pasta Sauce
(3) Tyson Canned Chicken Breast
(3) Publix Canned Chicken Breast

Saved $13.15 in sales prices
Saved $2.00 in coupons

Total out of pocket was $12.95
Total value of products was $28.10
Savings of 54%

Not very great @ Publix, but it's definitely stuff we'll use. The canned chicken is great for chicken salad, enchiladas, tacos/nachos, casseroles, etc. The pasta sauce was BOGO & with the manufacturer's coupon... made it only $1 a jar. Which is what we'd normally pay @ WM for canned Hunt's... non-organic.

Keep an eye out for a small booklet called "Raise Your Hand for Savings" @ Publix. I scored the Skippy, Hellmann's (pretty much the only mayo Nick likes), & Bertolli coupons there.

We have meat in the freezer for meals this weekend & plan to make some chicken salad for the lunches this week. On the way home, I'll pick up some yogurt, butter, & other cold stuff (more organic coupons!) & post about that later. Very happy with all the freebies I got from CVS. We can donate the pens to teachers or friends & others. Rolling ECB is so easy & with the back to school push, I've scored several school-related items for FREE. They are doing lots of products free after ECB from Sunday-Tuesday only, so check out your local CVS for that! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Baby Update: 35wks

2009-07-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

Wow! I know it say it every week, but WOW!

Today, Elias' size is estimated @ 5.25lb & a bit over 18inches long! Or, the weight of a HONEY MELON

Thoughts/Happenings:

** Bought the special detergent & washed all of little man's newborn & 0-3m clothes. Well, I just remembered, there are some hanging in the closet... but, the sleepers, onesies, little church pants, & baggy-dress type outfits are cleaned & put up! And enough receiving blankets & sheets for now. Will probably do more this weekend, too.

** I think we've got all we need. We've been blessed w/ gift cards, too, so we will be hanging onto those for when things arise that we WILL need! :) We counted up all the disposable diapers we've received & it's more then 800! Crazy! One of the reasons we decided to primarily cloth diaper was to save money. Considering we haven't purchased any disposables, I'd say we're right on track! We'll be able to use these traveling, @ church, & also the 1st month... we plan to ease into cloth diapering following month 1 of baby/parenthood.

** Appt today! Not too much happened, except for waiting over an hour to get back into the exam room. I will begin getting "checked" next week to see if my body is progressing @ all.

Cravings/Symptoms:

** Getting more heartburn more often. Still not bad, but can be annoying sometimes. Crave meat & milk. Same ole, same ole.

Had my last clinical while pregnant this past Sunday. So glad that is over. Now, a test tomorrow night & another class next Wednesday... then the final exam next Thursday evening.

Friday Reflections

2009-07-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Every single Friday of this pregnancy, I reflect on that single moment...

Nick & I had our scheduled ultrasound to verify the pregnancy.

With fertility treatments & all the invasive procedures & possible risks, when a pregnancy is confirmed by bloodwork... the next step is an ultrasound around 6-7wks.

You see, getting that "BFP" (big fat positive) is not the only victory. It's the doubling betas, the yolk sac, gestational sac, heartbeat, uterine placement, fetal count, etc. So, our next step was to head to Jacksonville for this BIG ultrasound.

Earlier that week, I followed a fellow infertile's blog where she found out her baby wasn't growing & she would be miscarrying soon.

Also, my doubling time for betas was crazy high. So, visions of twins or triplets were running in my head... I was already worrying about preterm delivery & babies in the NICU.

So, we headed out super early for the trip to Jacksonville. The closer we got, the more nervous I was. We pulled in to the parking garage, checked into the office, & even filled out new 2009 calendar year paperwork. (They like to update the files each calendar year.) Our first consultation in Tallahassee with the Fertility Specialist was EXACTLY one year earlier! My, how much a difference one year makes. God was working the miracles in 2008!!

We got back fairly quickly & had my vital signs taken. My baseline, pre-pregnancy blood pressure is around 90s/50s. Just always been low. That morning, it was about 128-130/80s! My heartrate was over 100. I was so anxious, excited, nervous, scared, on edge... And my vital signs most definitely showed it!!

We were sent back to the little exam room that we had been in for the baseline ultrasound before starting IVF. Our Specialist came in (which I really liked!) to perform the ultrasound. We talked for a couple of minutes & he reminded me how he told us we still had hope following our dismal egg retrieval of only four eggs, of which three were mature.

Then it began. I knew what the sacs should look like & immediately started counting. I saw one, or so I thought! Without saying anything, the doctor began scanning my ova.ries to make sure there weren't any cysts or ectopic pregnancies, then went back to the "ute" view. He said... "There it is!"

"Just one, right?!"

"Yep & the heartbeat looks perfect!"

So, I asked for him to zoom in to show me the heartbeat. I was expecting, well, something that looked more like a heartbeat! It was literally just the spazzing of the little worm-like blob that is our son!

I asked for pictures & he obliged. Told us congratulations & released us to a local OB. (Normally, if you live local to the clinic, or have a multiple pregnancy, or insurance covers more pre-natal visites... you'd continue with the clinic. Since we didn't meet any of those parameters, we were good to go!)

As soon as the doctor & nurse left, I got the biggest hug & kiss from Nick... I'm pretty sure we both got a bit teary-eyed, too. I think that's truly when it hit both of us & we were so proud of our little worm-like blob!! We snapped our first "family of three" photo & floated out of the office!

I can't help but remember that whole appointment & the severe impact it had on our lives. I can't relive it without tearing up...

It was January 9, 2009... 28wks ago.

Five Year Anniversary (late)

2009-07-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Last Friday, Nick & I hit the five year marriage mark!

Thursday evening, my grandparents called to offer dropping off dinner for us. Since Nick's new job requires a very long commute (approx 40 miles one way) & his hours have been a bit consistent so far, we decided it may be easier for us to cook the meal than trying to tell G'ma & G'daddy what time we may be eating! :) Good thing, as he didn't get home until after 7:30pm!

So, Friday, since it was my day "off"... I headed to the WalMart in C'ville. It's a bit closer than the ones in Tallahassee & so much nicer to shop at. I dropped by their house on the way home for a visit & to pick up the meal. Here's a shot of the awesome basket G'ma prepared for us!

T-bone steaks, taters, corn on the cob (mmmm...), rolls, & a salad kit.

I had my first experience making twice-baked potatoes that came out very good, we think! I'm sure they can be perfected, but for the first time... nice!

It was so wonderful enjoying a meal together... even nicer because of the people & meaning behind it. G'ma knows how little time we have in the evenings to cook since it seems like I'm always @ school or not having time to shop & set out items for a meal.

We are so blessed to have such special family members in our lives!! I am so happy that Elias will be able to grow up so closely to HIS g'parents & great g'parents!

Baby Update: 34wks

2009-07-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

Umm, seriously? This is cah-razy! Lots of stuff happened in the last week & I'm sure it will just continue until Little One is born!

We are only 3wks away from official full-term, 5wks away from possible medical induction, & 6wks away from "technical" due date.

This week, the websites estimate Elias' weight as 4.75lbs (a CANTALOUPE) & almost 18inches long. You can tell the length has slowed considerably as he was growing 0.5-1.0 inch each week... now, he's in the fattening up stage! :)

Thoughts/Happenings:
** We have another week until our doctor's appt. He will do a check to see if my body is progressing at all towards labor & also complete a beta test. If I'm positive, I'll need some prophylactic antibiotics during labor. If not, I get to labor @ home as long as possible!!

** We met with our doula Sunday. Very good meeting. We still feel very comfortable with our plans & are excited about the additional support our doula will provide!!

** We had two baby showers this week! One @ work on Wednesday & one @ church on Saturday. They were so much fun & we pretty much have all we will need (umm, we THINK we will need?) for the baby's arrival! There are several items I'll still need, but most definitely was not comfortable w/ other purchasing them! :) I don't have pictures of all the stuff, but I will try to take the rest of them tonight & post them tomorrow!

** Nick & I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on Friday. G'Ma was so sweet & prepared a meal for us... more to come on that later!! I have a post ready w/ pictures for that! :) It's hard for me to NOT reflect when I reach milestones, so I think of what I expected when we got married. I would have thought we'd have several little ones running around & maybe done with the child-making "thing". But, God has different plans than we do. We are so thrilled to be expecting this sweet little boy he created just for us to love & raise for Him.

** We are rescheduled for maternity portraits on August 1st. After cancelling our first session & several emails back & forth, we will be using the same photographer ( Amick Cutler), but here in the "greater Tallahassee area" instead of Pensacola. He & his wife will be in town that weekend, so we're hoping to head to the Coast to take pictures near the lighthouse. I'm so thankful this will work out & will share pictures here as soon as we get them!

Symptoms/Cravings:
** Pretty predictable here... milk, steak, cheerios, sweet stuff. Heartburn is coming pretty consistently, but not horrible. I have more aches & pains moving around at night... sleeping is harder cuz my back & hip get to hurting, but it sure doesn't stop me from sleeping! (Last night, I got approximately 10-11hrs!) Clinicals are a bit more difficult, but still not unbearable. Standing up is harder since it requires more than a quick thought & leaning over to pick up trash (or anything) takes much more effort & time. LOL It's funny. I still haven't had horrible swelling, but my ankles & hands will get swollen at night.

Heading to the grocery store tonight after work, then home for a bit of resting & organizing in the baby room. Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Baby Update: 33wks

2009-07-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Wow! Only 7wks until the due date, 6wks until possible medical induction, & 4wks until we'd be considered full term! Umm, like 28days!! Wow!!!!

Today Elias is estimated to be a little over four pounds (hmm, the ultrasound, however, two weeks ago said pretty much four pounds... remember these numbers are just averages) or a PINEAPPLE's weight & is over 17inches long. Hard to imagine such a big baby in there, but he's just gonna get bigger! :)

Thoughts/Happenings:
** We ventured down to the Clearwater/Tampa Bay area for a shower Nick's mother hosted for us. It was incredible. We had an amazing turn-out & were so blessed with lots of goodies for Elias. Sturdy, functional stuff with lots of cute, "aww"-inspiring treats! Here's a picture of the whole group...

I snapped some picture of the items before attempting to organize them in the baby room...

{bathing/health related}

{feeding/nursing related}

{room related}

{and tons of cute clothes!! They're stacked up on the rocker!}
This was such a nice time & it was extremely emotional for me to see how special Elias already is to other people. I guess it's just touching to know that so many others are excited about this little guy!

** We had the mural painted on Thursday! Anna did an AMAZING job & we are so excited about how wonderful this little guy's room looks! She has also offered to come back & write a verse on the wall... we just have to pick out where it will go & the font we'd like. Here's what it looks like now:

He's got a turtle, froggie, & gator (which is named "Alligator-No") with palm trees, cat-tails, & grasses. We'll be putting up the baseboard soon (hopefully?) & covering a water-heater access panel behind the dresser. It's all coming together, but we still have some things to do, too! Kind of seems like time is flying now... ;)

** Had a doctor's appointment today. Nick couldn't make it since he started his new job yesterday, but I had questions for the doctor. Like how they estimate the weight if there's no more ultrasounds & such. He said he is not worried about Elias' weight & that he was in the 56th percentile two weeks ago. (They are only concerned if he's in the 10th or 90th percentile.) Also asked about how to contact him when we DO arrive @ the hospital & he gave me an authorization form for the nurses in triage to contact him. I scheduled all of our remaining appts until 39wks, too. If we want, he will induce @ 39wks... so we're looking at the latest date of August 25th or August 26th as the birth date. Overall it went great, except that I didn't even head into the little room until 1.25hrs AFTER my scheduled appt. But, I'm glad it was with my doctor & that I got to talk to him. Next appt will be in two weeks, then every other appt will be one week apart.

**

Cravings/Symptoms:
** Hmm, can you guess steak, milk, & ice cream? For all the meat I've craved, I sure haven't gotten that much! :) I'd love to go out for a steak this weekend for our anniversary, though!! (hmm, hint much?)

** I'm getting in the exhaustion stage. Like, not too much walking or bending or organizing will knock me out for a bit. :) Weird, but not too bad. I can still function & walk & work, so I'm great!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!!

Free Chick-Fil-A! For a "Price"...

2009-07-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

Check out this post: Free CFA when you dress up like a cow! on July 10th!

Gardening with Nick

2009-07-08T05:00:00.000-04:00

Maybe I can have Nick "guest post" here about his gardening & outdoor pursuits, but for now... I'll show off some of his recent crops!

As I mentioned a few months ago, Nick created a couple of 4x4 raised beds. We went to Lowe's a bit late in the season & picked up some plants for the garden. We got tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, & peppers to add to the beans, watermelon, chilis, squash & zucchini already planted.

The yellow squash was SO cute & just when he thought it would be ready for picking... it was gone. We don't know what kind of animal the culprit is, but it's disappointing to see them gone. No zucchini or watermelon produced so far. The 'maters aren't too bad, but I don't think any are ready yet. The baby pepper was adorable & Nick's had a few cucumbers & banana peppers to eat.

BUT...

The weirdest thing was the asparagus. We know what asparagus looks like, but the plants were overtaking the garden & sure didn't look like the asparagus we were used to seeing. Last week, Nick picked some & they looked so weird... I had to take a picture!

Nick said they tasted like snap beans or some kind of beans... I think he said snap beans. I didn't try them. Daredevil I am not.

So, the next morning, he did a bit of google-ing online & came across info on this variation of asparagus. It's called Yardlong beans, AKA asparagus beans.

HERE's a link on wikipedia about these beans

Nick likes them & also found a recipe online to use them in. Kind of a stir fry in the skillet w/ rotel canned tomatoes & corn. I would actually try them...

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! I will be heading to class in the evening & have this weekend off from school... well, except for studying for a text next week... but off from clinicals! :)

Baby Update: 32wks

2009-07-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

Wow! Crazy to have made it this far, huh!?

This week, Elias' size can be compared to a jicama (whatever that is?)...

The website says that he is approximately 16.75inches long & weighs 3.75lbs. Now, a week ago... he measured 5days ahead & 3lb15oz... so he may be even longer. It's hard to imagine a 17inch baby in my belly... but he sure does like to remind me he's there! He'll get to poking my far side & it's so funny to me!

Thoughts/Happenings...

** We worked our heineys off in the baby room on Friday. Thursday evening we went to the store to purchase the dresser & God worked it out to have no rain when we headed home (we drove through a crazy storm to the mall) AND the 25% discount was already applied w/out having to hassle w/ the coupon! We have some great neighbors & they came over & helped Nick move the furniture around a bit since it would have been much more difficult even w/out the weight-lifting restriction he's still on from his appendectomy. Friday morning, we woke up & got to setting up the dresser (removing from the box, checking all the drawers, putting the feet on, etc). I also went through the clothers we've accumulated through yard sales & hand-me-downs & purged some of the clothes. I have been told I really don't NEED 20 sleepers in each size! :) So, set up the stuff & got the baby room cleared & somewhat organized. I guess I'll still have to wash all the stuff, but for now... I wanted to make sure there was a place for each group of stuff! Oh, yes, we haven't purchased the hutch, yet, but plan to by the end of the year. Here's the dresser we got...

** We had our last birthing class last night. It went until 10:30pm (yes, w/ a 30+m drive home... we were dead tired last night!!), but it was so good! One of the girls brought a camera, so we're supposed to have pics emailed to us soon. I will post them once I get them. We learned about post-partum expectations, c-sections, & brea.stfeeding. We also practiced more laboring positions & found some we like & more that we didn't. I'm hoping it was because my belly was so tight & achy feeling & not because it really won't be helpful during labor! :)

** We have a baby shower in the Tampa Bay area this weekend... it'll probably be our last trip w/out a baby in our lives. Looking forward to heading down there as we haven't been since probably October or November of last year. Our school schedules on top of work schedules have made that pretty difficult... hoping the weather is good & looking forward to seeing everyone @ the shower, too! :)

Cravings/Symptoms...

** Some heartburn, exhaustion (or could that be because I worked a 40hr week & then had 2 days of clinicals @ the hospital on the holiday weekend? Hmm...), & swelling of my feetsies... had too much sodium last Thursday & woke up Friday morning w/ marshmellow feet! :)

** Not too much in cravings, although I did have a crazy craving for Honey Nut Cheeries last week! I had a bowl for cereal every day this weekend & even as a "meal replacement"... so good!

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Baby Update: 31wks

2009-06-30T06:00:00.007-04:00

Today marks 31wks of pregnancy! Can you believe it!? It sure is getting more & more real, but still unbelievable! :)

Little One is over 16inches long (WOW!) & weighs approximately 3.3lbs... or the weight of...

(four naval oranges)

Thoughts/Happenings:
** We got the stroller + carseat set this week! It was magically assembled by Daddy Nick & I love it. I pushed it around a bit to see if I could work it right, but it worked MUCH better after Nick unlocked the front wheels. I still ran into stuff, but I'm hoping most places will be a bit more spread out than our little house is! :)

** We saw Elias via 3D/4D ultrasound on Friday. It was wonderful. His little head was buried deep in my right side & his legs & curled up knees where tucked under my right ribs... poor guy doesn't know he's got a whole other half of the uterus to get comfy in! We went home w/ two DVDs, a CD of photos, & 10 or so pictures. I love them. :) My parents, g'parents, Nick's mom + nieces, & my sister-in-law made it!

** We had a doctor's appt today. This was the one where they scheduled another 2D ultrasound to review Elias' growth as I was measuring a teeny bit small two weeks ago at our 29wk appt. Our little guy is measuring 31w5d, so even a bit ahead of schedule! Which is awesome! They estimated his weight as 3lb15oz instead of the "average" 3lb5oz (like the oranges above), so a bit bigger. We'll take that! :) He is also head down & the doctor said that he will more than likely stay head down. He was very active during the u/s & for the appointment that followed! OH, he also has hair! We have a picture, so I will plan to scan it tonight to share tomorrow on the blog! :)

** Birthing class went well again. We watched a video about different coping techniques during labor & practiced more positions. Weird to think we only have 1 more class left!

** Since we have a couple of baby showers coming up soon, I am pretty sure I finalized up our registry & will not be peeking in the next couple of weeks! :) Got some super cute things in there that I'd love to have for the baby... cute AND functional. Or so I hear (functionality), like the swing & bumbo seat & baby wrap! :)

** We're hoping to head to the store & get the 25% discount on the dresser/changing table to complete the furniture in Elias' room. Then, we can finalize plans for the mural in his room, & really get his room ready. I'm SOOOOO ready for his room to be set!!

Cravings/Symptoms:
** Same ole, same ole cravings!

** I have an achy lower back during the night... I can still sleep, but it seems the only time my back hurts is when I'm laying down. I'm considering moving to the recliner in the future if it gets worse, but for now... it's fine!

Just in Case You Wanted More Belly Pics! :)

2009-06-24T15:30:00.001-04:00

For Mama! :)

(30wks along with our sweet little guy!)

Baby Update: 30wks

2009-06-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

Today marks the "official" 75% done! :) And only 7wks to a full term baby!

Elias weighs approximately 3.0lbs & is 15.75 inches long! Such a growth spurt in the last week (a half pound). He weighs as much as a head of cabbage!

We had a restful weekend filled w/ doing much of nothing! Well, Nick got our freebie pool set up & we dipped in that several times over the weekend & I got some chores done around the house... but it was definitely a much needed break!

Thoughts/Happenings...
** Well, we ordered the stroller! The stroller is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow & the carseat is set to be delivered within a week. Weird how they don't come together, but okay! :)

** We received two more bags of clothes to go through to see if any will work for Elias! We have been blessed w/ so many hand-me-downs that we will definitely need to figure out some sort of storage organization! The loft in the barn will come in very handy, but will be some work getting it all set up!

** Had another birthing class last night. It wasn't nearly as awkward as the last one. I guess the laboring positions are a bit awkward w/ 7 other couples in the room, but it's getting better! :) And I usually end up laughing half the class, too, which makes me feel more comfortable!

** Only three more days until we get to see our little baby boy! We have a 3D/4D ultrasound set up for Friday & I'm very excited. I know those pictures tend to look a little funky, but I miss see the little guy! A good number of our family members will be able to come, too, so that will be nice to share w/ them, too! I plan to have some pictures taken during the u/s & we also get a DVD to take home.

** A week until our next doctor's appt where they'll measure Elias on their u/s machine (2D) & compare his growth w/ the growth of my uterus. Not as worried about that right now, so I'm just trying to stay excited about seeing him again!!

Cravings/Symptoms...
** Still sugar/sweets, but I'm drinking much more water now. Ugh.

** Heartburn & discomfort during sleep, but I'm still getting sleep! I have a few positions to sleep in that will allow me to rest, but nothing that's bad!

Here's a couple of belly pictures, but I'm hoping to get some nicer ones throughout the week...

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! :)

A Stroller On the Way!

2009-06-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm experiencing the same kind of anxiety I felt when we chose/received the crib... is it too early? What if something happens? Etc, Etc...

But, we are getting much closer. I mean, in less than 8wks we could have a full term baby in our hands!

A very sweet family member has offered to purchase the stroller for us & I just ordered it from Amazon. I'm guessing it will be here in less than a week!? Here's a picture of it...

I like the dark brown since it will not seem to get as dirty or scuffed as a lighter color & the greens/blues are great, too! I think it'll work perfectly if we are blessed w/ a little girl later on down in the road! And, apparently, this stroller is great because it reclines fully whereas some others don't? Umm, seriously, don't know what I'm talking about... but that seemed to be a big "PRO" in the reviews I read! :) Yes, I also ADORE stripes & polka dots on anything!!

More to come this weekend! I have had a belly picture request that I plan to honor since we haven't been taking weekly belly pictures; class until 9pm kind of hindered that from happening! I have a three day weekend approaching & lots of resting/relaxing to do!

Taking a Deep Breath...

2009-06-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

Tonight at approximately 7:30pm marks the end of my summer semester #1. Nick & I will celebrate by heading to the Mexican restaurant for free queso dip, then crashing at the house!

This semester was pretty rough... the assignments & subject matter weren't hard, but it was the 10-20+hrs/wk of school related obligations (between labs, lectures, & clinicals) that got me. Not to mention the additional hours spent working on projects. Lots of busy-work projects. Many thanks to Mom & Katie for helping me out on those!

Next week will begin the second summer semester. It's pediatric nursing (II) & will be right at 6wks long. We're praying that I can either A) take this class in the Fall or B) can make it through this class now. I have an appt w/ the Director of Nursing to discuss my options of taking it later on to give my body & mind a break before Elias comes!

This weekend, after much debating & discussing, we decided to cancel our maternity portraits. I'm upset, but hoping it will work out that we can do them later this summer as I really have my heart set on getting them done. We just felt it was important to have a weekend w/ no obligations or schedule to relax. Hopefully this weekend will be UNeventful! :)

In baby news, I scored some great deals on Carte.r's baby stuff this weekend... I am a SUCKER for footed sleepers & got great ones @ $0.50/each! Okay, like 30+ outfits! Well, come to find out... some of the C.arter's line (fall 2007) had ta.gless clothes that are known to cause a rash. Carte.r's is replacing these t.agless clothes for full retail price. As much as I love the pieces, I am not comfortable shoving my sweet little baby boy's body into something that can cause a rash. Maybe this was God's way of providing a little extra for Elias' baby basket or to pay for the changing table/dresser combo we're looking at purchasing. God's good! Once I get home this evening, I will search through the clothes to find out. So, if you had a child around fall 2007 or spring 2008 or purchase used stuff like I do... here's a picture of the tagless clothes that apply (the newer, stenciled, versions are not known to cause rashes)

Also, here's a link to the Carte.r's website with more information... Click Here

Will let you know more about how this turns out. Until then, I am definitely breathing a bit easier knowing that I am still on schedule to graduate in December. I made it through the crazy summer semester. The next one will include 4 weekends of clinicals (out of 6 weekends total), but only 3 hours of lecture each week for the last 5 weeks of class!

Baby Update: 29wks

2009-06-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

Today we are heading back to the OB for our check-up & for follow-up results for the uri.ne analysis they extracted (and I do mean, extracted), but for now... some pictures to relate Elias' size to!

Elias weighs approximately 2.5lbs (about the weight of a butternut squash) & is over 15inches long!

Thoughts/Happenings:
** Went to triage again on Sunday. I was having lots of lower back pain, nausea, & just over-all cramping; so we figured better safe than sorry. No contractions, but there was blood & protein in my first uri.ne sample. So, they extracted another sample. That sample reflected (red) blood cells, but no protein (yay!). They are guessing I may be passing a kidney stone soon & that is why there was blood in the uri.ne & lower back pain. They are culturing the sample to see if I also have a UTI. Orders? See our doctor this week (which we already had a schedule appt) & drink lots of water. Feeling not as achy now, but did have the lower back pain this morning.

** Spent more time trying to figure out the layout for the baby room. Nick assembled the crib, but we're now considering purchasing the hutch combo to go w/ it so we can eliminate the mismatched changing table & dresser. Or, we may not... As a reminder, here's a picture of his (convertible) crib:

Here's the matching hutch we're considering:

It would save some space in the baby room by reducing two pieces of furniture & also gives us more storage!

** Our appt today... apparently there is no concern w/ the uri.ne analysis. We're good! My fundal height is measuring between 27 & 28cm instead of 29cm, so we are scheduled for an u/s @ 31wk appt to check his growth. Trying not to be too concerned about IUGR, but since the doctor isn't worried about measuring right away... I'm going to try not to be, either. This u/s will be just 4days after our 3D/4D u/s.

** Went to the birthing class last night! Nick has been twice w/out me & it was nice to meet all the other couples & the instructor finally! The review of labor was a repeat as I've had nursing classes that review each stage, but the relaxation practice @ the end was great! I got to lay down & get a back massage for like half an hour!! WooHoo! And we HAVE to practice like 3nights a week, too!

**

Symptoms/Cravings:
** Lotsa heartburn. Like all day yesterday! Apparently, this is the prime time for that as all those stretchy hormones are circulating!

** Burgers, steak, milk, milkshakes! :) Mmmm...

Got another final exam tonight then another one tomorrow night. Then one whole week off from school!

Nick versus the Angry Appendix

2009-06-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Well, these past few weeks have been "exciting". Well, exhausting, rather. The first weekend in June found us @ the Animal ER w/ the cat. It was pretty scary, actually, but ended up being just an ear infection. Not cheap, either! :)

The second weekend of June began at the hospital. Nick wasn't feeling well Tuesday evening, but it got much worse Wednesday evening. By Thursday morning, he was in so much pain... he actually called the doctor. Went in & they did some exams, xrays, labwork, etc at our insurance's Urgent Care (lo & behold, the one time Nick needs to see OUR doctor... she's out at a conference). They weren't sure what was wrong, but sent him home w/ instructions to head to the hospital if he felt worse. On the drive home, they called him back & told him to head to the hospital for a CT scan to investigate possible appendicitis further.

And, yes, it was appendicitis. Since our doctor was not available, we were sent to the ER to have a surgeon assigned for his surgery. Here's a shot in the ER while we made calls to family to update.

Around 6:00pm, they wheeled him from the ER to the hospital's OR. Here's a shot right after the Versed hit him & they were wheeling him to the surgery. (Not sure why it's so dark?)

He spend about an hour in surgery. The doctor came out & spoke to me for a couple of minutes & told me he'd be in the recovery room for about 45m, then sent to his hospital room for the night. I rushed home to pack clothes for the stay & take care of the animals. While on the way back to the hospital, I called to check his status. They still had him in recovery. He was in the recovery 2.5 hrs before they "found" a room for him. The hospital was stuffed. The waiting room was definitely not set up for a pregnant woman! :) But, thank God, there was a recliner chair in his private room (another blessing as my night-after-surgery stay was a double room w/ one crappy chair). It still wasn't comfortable, but it allowed me to sleep during the night a bit.

Nick was pretty groggy & out of it Thursday night. By Friday morning, he was feeling better & was able to eat real food. We watched lots of TV while waiting for the surgeon to come visit. By early afternoon, Nick was feeling more tired & got a nap. About 2hrs into his nap, the surgeon came. She said his appendix looked very "angry", worse than they expected, but not ruptured or perforated. She explained he is at more of a risk for infection now & to take it easy... and that he could be discharged if he felt up to it. So, we waited a couple more hours to be discharged & got home around 5pm Friday. Here's a couple of shots before he left.

He's not back @ work, but is resting @ home. He's feeling much better & has gotten progressively better since Thursday evening.

We are very thankful that he was motivated to call the doctor & that they found out what was wrong.

More about the rest of our exciting weekend in tomorrow's baby update... but I'll leave it @ this... Sunday found us both back @ the hospital w/ Nick in the uncomfortable chair & me in the bed!

PS: Mama, I'm still planning to call. Thursday's call didn't happen due to the hospital/appendicitis excitement...

Baby Update: 28wks

2009-06-09T06:00:00.007-04:00

Well, I have to say that I have some of the BEST friends in the world. Seriously.

Most of you all know that Nick's birthday & my birthday are very close together. So, we usually celebrate w/ a dinner or date out. Weeks ago, Nick emailed me an invitation for that date. It was supposed to be Friday night.

I say SUPPOSED because it was all a hoax. For a surprise baby shower. Nick & the girls worked it out perfectly... Saturday while working on the baby room, I kept remembering all of these little things that I could have picked up on or what-not, but it was so sweet.

First, onto how big Elias is getting!! He's 2.25lbs (WHOA!) & 14.8inches long! His weight compares to the weight of a chinese cabbage...

Thoughts/Happenings...

** Well, the baby shower of course! I feel silly for being so surprised, but they did a wonderful job of orchestrating it! I was in class w/ these girls literally every day in the past week & no one dropped a hint or anything! I don't have pictures from the night yet, but did snap some pictures of some of the gifts. They were so special to me!! I cried when I realized what they were doing (the surprise shower) & even more after I got home from the shower. It takes me back to never knowing if we'd ever have an opportunity to have a child... we are so blessed to be pregnant & doubly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Here's a cute puppy-dog sleeper w/ a frog romper (I think that's what they are officially called?)

Here's a gorgeous handmade crocheted blanket in some of my favorite colors!

From the hostesses (hmm, plural for hostess?), Elias' baby book!

Along with a hooded towel, coordinating bibs, & a gift card that I used to buy this play quilt & crib skirt!

A shirt (it says I love danger!), onesie, elephant toy...

And these wonderful monogrammed receiving blankets! I love seeing his name on them!

From another nursing friend, three of the sweetest, bestest books! (FYI *winkwink*... we ADORE books for Elias!)

And the extra carseat base, so that Nick & I can have bases in each car to switch the carseat in & out of! :) (PS: this was from the friend that also works in the neurological ICU & definitely has safety in mind!!)

The next couple of pictures are the gifts from Mom... some shorts, shirts, & the cutest toof-brush!

The toothbrush holder + ribbiting soap dispenser...

And the matching rug for Elias' bathroom!

** Head back to the doctor's in a week! We'll be visiting each two weeks from now on until mid-August. We have lots of questions to ask about labor & delivery...

** We cleared out the baby room on Saturday! There's still transitional items in the living room, but as soon as the crib is assembled & then the rocker is moved into the room... we'll be able to move the other stuff in as well. It's hard to know if something will look or feel right until it's in there, but we don't want to have to move everything out of the dresser or shelf if we need to rearrange stuff! I pulled all the packing stuff out of the crib box, so hopefully Nick can get the crib put together by the end of the week! You know there will be pictures!

Here's a quick shot of how the living room looked @ one point! Remember, we switched the bed from room to room & cleared out space to assemble to crin IN the baby room!

A peek into the baby room & the beautiful antique dresser for his room. There are drawers that slide into this opening & I still need to clean & polish it more. But, exciting none-the-less!

** This weekend, we ran into the sweet friend who has offered to paint Elias' room! She's amazing & we have yet to decide what we'd like painted, but it's exciting to have ideas! Hopefully we can figure out something in the next couple of weeks!

** We got a couple of bags of clothes to go through for Elias' wardrobe. I haven't tackled this project yet, but hope to this weekend in between studying & school projects due next week. (Only 8 more days until this current summer semester is over!)

Cravings/Symptoms...

** Started getting these back aches in the morning. I can sleep just fine, but when I wake up it's painful moving around. I think I figured out the sleeping position that helps, so I am going to be trying that from now on to see if it helps w/ the lower back aches!

** Same food cravings! :)

Baby Update: 27wks

2009-06-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Elias is now 14.5 inches long from head to toe. It may not sound very big, but here's snapshot of 14.5inches w/ my belly...

He also weighs approximately 2.0 lbs or the size of a head of cauliflower!

Weird, huh!? And, since we recently had an infant/pregnancy loss bereavement lecture which was pretty upseting (thankfully, Elias was moving literally the WHOLE time... an answer to prayer...), he has a 90% chance of survival outside of the womb if something were to happen this week. Please don't think me morbid, but thankful. I actually met a girl this weekend in the post-partum floor that was 1 day ahead of me & had her little girl a week ago. It's a miracle both her AND the baby made it alive. Mmm, we are so very blessed.

Thoughts/Happenings...
** We got Elias some great Little Tykes outdoor pieces from a friend's yard sale. They will need to be cleaned, but we got a great deal on them!

** We had another doctor's appointment yesterday @ the 27wk mark. We had a different doctor, but she was nice enough. I am measuring at 28cm, have gained 22lbs so far this pregnancy, & Little One's heartbeat was "between 145-150". Didn't get an exact number, but oh, well. We are now heading to the doctor every 2wks! Crazy, huh!?

** Nick went to our first birthing class Monday. Again, I will miss two of the classes, but he is recording them for me & I have listened to a good part of Monday night's class. We also have various things to practice for this class, which is kinda funny. I'm sure it'll help some, but I'm very glad we've already locked in our doula for the labor & delivery! :)

** I think we will work in the baby room some this weekend. I actually have three weekends w/out clinicals!! So, we're hoping to move the twin bed out of the baby room & into the office; at least review the crib (still in box) to make sure it's not scratched or bummed up or something; move little clothes from the original dresser to the beautiful antique dresser we will be using now; maybe something more? Although, this sure sounds like more than enough to keep us busy this Saturday!

Cravings/Symptoms...
** Just love watching my stomach... we can now SEE him wiggling from the outside. It's so cool. I'm hoping to catch it on video to save for later on. I still can't get over how blessed we are. One year ago, it was rough. Personally, relationally, hormonally, emotionally, financially, spiritually... it is amazing the difference a year will make & this miracle has so much to do with these changes.

** Same ole, same ole! Milk, ice cream, steak. Still chips, too! ;)

Memorial Day Fun (Ready for Some Pictures?)

2009-05-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend with family in Northern Georgia. Specifically, Unicoi State Park which is located a mile or two from Helen, GA. Here's a snapshot of our trip!

Entering the sweet little town of Helen...

Saturday night, we had a visitor. Tray was very interested in it! :)

Sunday morning we headed to Anna Ruby Falls. It was a half mile hike (primarily uphill) to the actual Falls.

After Nick saw THIS sign...

He promptly headed on THAT trail!

So, I walked SLOWLY down the trail myself! Here's a shot I snapped where you can kinda see my baby bump! :)

JM smoked some ribbies for our "appetizer" Sunday night!

And there was this little peanut stop-shop on the way back from Helen to Unicoi. Nick got some peach cider freezy-drink!

And they threw a little hoe-down @ the Unicoi State Park. So, Nick & I got to do a bit of jiggin'.

I have lots more pictures (as I'm sure you know!), but it's not exactly fun to load pictures onto blogger... so I hope you enjoy these few! We had a wonderful time!

I'm hoping this weekend to get some pictures snapped of the cute $1.00 - $2.50 deals we got for Elias @ the outlet mall. Scored on some cute clearance stuff!

Have a wonderful Thursday! We're heading to dinner w/ our Sunday School group after church... Japanese steakhouse! I'm VERY much looking forward to it!

Baby Update: 26wks

2009-05-26T06:15:00.000-04:00

For reals!? Almost to the 3rd trimester! Only 11wks to full term!!

And, our official baby-ticker to the right, says 98days left!

Elias is as long (from head to toe) as an English cucumber... 14inches!

and weighs approximately 1pound11oz! Still *so* tiny!

Thoughts/Happenings:
** First out of town trip (other than the trip to JAX to confirm the pregnancy) since we've been pregnant. The actual trip wasn't too bad. We scheduled stops to walk every 1.5-2.0hrs which helped break the trip up. The rental car (a Ford Fusion) had a funky angle in the passenger seat... so that coupled w/ sitting so long is what I think caused me to be so crazy achy & tired Saturday! And last night, when we arrived home 10hrs after beginning the trip, I felt pretty exhausted. We took about 2hrs worth of stops on the way back down & even stopped @ an outlet mall where we found some deals on clothes for Elias, Daddy, & Momma. I didn't snap any pics, but I'll try to later. He even got snow boots... for $1. Couldn't resist. And what boy does need as many boots as possible!? I think we will only have one more trip out of town to the Tampa Bay area to visit Nick's family & friends before Elias arrives. Due school obligations every other weekend (I am so ready to be out of school once again), we haven't been able to travel much on the weekends. Hoping to have a nice trip in July to the sunny beaches! Oh, yes, we will be heading to P'cola for the maternity portraits, too. So, two more! :)

** We have our next baby appt in one week from today. Then, we begin going every 2wks. Maybe it will seem to fly by then. Sure hope so, since it means I'm getting closer to the end of school, too! :)

** Our birthing class begins next Monday. Umm, wow!? Since my school schedules takes up most evenings & weekends, we were blessed to have a birthing instructor that is willing to work w/ our crazy schedules. Her class is the one we really wanted to make it into, so I'm very happy that she will work w/ us. Not sure I would have found another one that could have scheduled us anyhow. It's a 6wk class every Monday night from 7:00- 9:30pm. The first two classes, I will be in my nursing class, so Nick will attend alone & record the sessions to review w/ me later. The third class, I should be able to attend since we are scheduled for a final exam from 6:00-7:15 that night... then I will head to the class. Finally, the last half of the classes, I will head from work to the birthing class! :) Disappointed to not be there the whole time & I hope that Nick won't be too uncomfortable being half of a couple, but I'm happy we are getting to attend a birthing class.

** We bought a small wooden train set for Elias this weekend. And some other wooden toys. I'll have to snap pictures of those, too!

Symptoms/Cravings:
** This past week, Elias' nightly movements are pretty predictable... I sit for a while & wait. Then he starts to wiggling! AND we can see them from the "outside". He'll move somehow & it's funny to see the outside of my belly jiggle & rumble. Weird stuff, but so amazing.

** Give me ice cream, milk, & steak... I'm still pretty predictable when it comes to cravings. This week, our Sunday School class is heading to a Japanese Steak House... so I'll be miserably bloated from the filet mignon I'll eat that night! I just can't resist the good food!

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! I'll whine a bit & say that I am pretty much over working full-time & attending classes/clinicals 10-25hrs each week on top of being pregnant... I'm ready to knock one of those responsibilities out. I just keep telling myself I only need to make it through June 17... three weeks and two days...

Just for fun... since I haven't taken a belly shot in weeks (school on Tuesday night gets in the way), I had Nick snap a couple before heading into work today. The first one was just for fun... those slightly cheesy, "gazing at my belly" shots you all see...

And here's a belly shot...

Saturday Savings Recap (A Little Late)

2009-05-26T06:00:00.002-04:00

Since we were headed outta town this weekend, I couldn't post this on time, but we did far too well to NOT post this! After working 10hrs Thursday, I headed to Publix to meet Nick. With a complete list & matching coupons in envelope, we started. We spent less than an hour there, used 53 coupons, & saved 74%. Umm, amazing, right?! And, because "all the cool kids are doing it", I took a picture of the goods!!

(You can't see everything since it's all packed in there, but this is over $210 worth of groceries.)

I've included links @ the bottom of the post if you'd like to see HOW I got these prices, but for ease... I just listed price per item (after sales & coupons).

Trip to Publix:

(1) gallon of milk: free
(1) Kraft cream cheese: $0.25
(2) Breakstone sour cream: $0.13each
(2) Kraft singles: $0.80each
(2) dozen eggs: $0.99each
(2) Kellogg’s Rice Krispies: $0.99each
(1) Kellogg’s Rice Krispies: $1.99
(2) Kraft Barbecue Sauce: MADE $0.16each
(6) Mueller’s Whole Wheat Pasta: $0.31each
(10) A-1 Sauce: $0.10each
(10) Kraft Dressing: MADE 1 penny for each 2 dressing!
(2) Kraft Dressing: $0.25each
(2) Wheat Thins: $0.75each
(2) Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix: $1.06each
(2) Lays Chips: $1.99each
(2) Marshmallows: $1.29each
(2) Helluva Good Dip: $0.50each
(3) DiGiorno Flatbreads: $1.00each
(1) California Pizza Flatbread: $1.50each
(2) Publix Bakery Bagels: $0.80each
(2) Mission Tortillas: $1.59each
(1) Mission Tortillas: $2.59
(2) Oscar Meyer deli meat: $3.49each
(2) Oscar Meyer all beef hot dogs: $1.49each
(2) Hormel Bacon: $3.00each
(3) V-8: $1.50each

1.69lbs of pot roast: $2.39/lb
2.41lbs of potatoes: $0.16/lb

Also used my $5 off any $30 purchase @ WinnDixie
(remember, Publix honors competitor coupons!)

Total Retail Value: $212.57
Saved in Ads/Sales: $83.98
Saved in Coupons: $73.39

TOTAL DUE: $55.20

Saved $157.37 or 74%

Needless to say I was absolutely thrilled w/ this transaction! Some of my coupons were newspaper coupons, but the bulk of them were internet-printable coupons. Which, umm, if you have a printer, paper, & an internet connection… you can do this, too! There’s amazing blogs that have all of this ALREADY SPELLED OUT for us & links to the coupons right there. We truly feel that “discovering” these sites (Thanks, Janell!) is a blessing from God. We have been able to save so much, each better, & give stuff away! Like, all the family has A-1 sauce & dressing! :)

I would encourage you to check out some of these amazing sites. I keep another blog open JUST to link to these sites & I always see the updates! My favorites are…

FiddleDeeDee Mom

SwagGrabber

Saving You Dinero

Southern Savers

My blog w/ other great savings blogs:
Saving Baby Momma

Can Ya Believe?!

2009-05-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

"Technically" our due date is 09/01/09, which is 103 days away.

In reality, though, babies are considered full-term @ 37wks & are fully able to function outside of the womb w/out issues. So, full term status is only...

82 DAYS AWAY!

How crazy is that!? I think of it in weeks (less than 12wks from now), but in days it sounds so weird.

I can tell you I started counting down to our IVF cycle last fall when we would have 100 days until we started... now we're on the complete opposite side of the spectrum & feeling so blessed!!

Heading outta town this weekend for a mini-vacation/Bardin-reunion & I'm very much looking forward to seeing everyone together. Even though our two older nephews live close-by, we don't get to see them very much & will have the whole weekend to hang out. AND the other nephew that we REALLY don't get to see very often (lives in NC) will be there, too! He's over a year and a half old & I'm looking forward to seeing how much he's changed & developed in the last 5ish months! :)

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Baby Update: 25wks

2009-05-19T06:00:00.005-04:00

You can compare Elias' size to either a EGGPLANT (eww...):
Or a RUTABAGA (umm, weird, much?):

Today, our little guy weighs approximately 1.5lbs & is 13.5 inches long! Crazy, huh?! And, after seeing all those sweet babies in NICU this week... I am praying he will stay in my belly MUCH longer. Yes, it's amazing how much our nurses & doctors can do for our preemies, but it would be so hard having him in that environment! Just holding them tires the babies out so much that parents can't take them out of the crib very often. How hard!

Happenings/Thoughts:
** Had a great experience w/ the L&D nurse this weekend. She was also pregnant & will be working w/ a midwife for her delivery. She answered a lot of my questions about how the unit will work as a patients & some insight as to how some of the doctors & midwives work around here. We have lots of decisions to make in the next few months, but I want our labor & delivery experience to be as close to natural as possible. Seems we may have to switch caregivers, but we will pray & do our research before switching.

** Got some sweet little gifts from Nana Bardin this past week (or it may have been the week before?) for Elias. Some cute onesies, burp cloths, & socks to keep his footsies warm! His room is still pretty chaotic, but hoping to move stuff around in the next couple weeks... oh, wait, you've heard that before, haven't you!? :)

** My parents found a nice recliner/rocker @ a yard sale a couple of weekends ago. Sunday afternoon, Nick brought the trailer into town & brought it home. This will be in Elias' room, too.

** Had my blood drawn for the glucose control test yesterday. I'm sure we'll get the results within a week or week and half. Two more weeks until our next appt.

Symptoms/Cravings:
** Pretty much nothing new! He's a wiggler mostly in the mornings (pretty sweet to wake up to that... I'm in a great mood the rest of the day!) & at night. And at class and church. I think my belly being a bit more scrunched up [when I'm sitting] helps me feel his movements more! :)

Weekend Wrap-Up

2009-05-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

Well, this past week was pretty crazy & didn't get to update very much.

In my sixth month of pregnancy... here's a snapshot of my week:

** Worked 45 hours, although I was scheduled to work 50.

** Spent 7 hours in the classroom.

** Spent 13 hours in the hospital "working" for free (AKA clinicals)

So, between my job & school, my work week was 65 hours! I am thinking I don't even have to tell you I was pretty exhausted. And overwhelmed at all of the little projects we have to do over the next 4w1d until this 6wk session is over.

Yesterday, I slept in until 8:30ish... then had breakfast w/ Nick. We finally bought a digital converter box, but it goes out of a signal every 5s so I wasn't tempted to watch TV at all. I cleaned the living room, bedroom, vacuumed the kitchen, washed/dried/put up the dishes, & did 2 loads of laundry. All before 11:30! So, I took a nice, long shower, then headed into town for my glucose control test. Then, grabbed something to eat for lunch & headed to school. I printed out several PPTs for class tonight & went to the nursing lab for my required hours this session. (Yay! I can cross that of my obligations!) Then we had class from 6:00pm- 8:45pm & a drive home that consisted of chatting w/ Mama Bardin! Very nice!

Was home & in bed by 10pm... I actually woke up feeling rested this morning, too. And got to work on time! That's been rough as I've been extremely tired lately!

This week I will work Tuesday- Thursday w/ classes Monday- Wednesday, but on Friday we are heading to Helen, GA for some Memorial Day fun. Already started packing & my goal is to be done by tonight or Wednesday night! I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share after that trip.

A baby update will be up later today, so come on back by if you come before it's up! Little Elias is getting bigger & bigger.

PS: Got to work in Labor & Delivery one day this week AND LOVED IT! My nurse was awesome!! On Sunday, I got to shadow a nurse in the intermediate NICU AND LOVED IT! I fed two little babies, changed diapers, asked tons of questions, & learned a lot! I'm still very interested in working in a NICU, labor & delivery unit, or post-partum floor! Very nice to have a clinical experience I ENJOY! :)

Baby Update: 24wks

2009-05-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

We have reached the standard point of viability! Only 13 more weeks until we are full term! :)

Elias is almost a foot long, therefore the comparison to an ear of corn! He has gained 4 oz (like a 25% increase in weight!) in the last week & weighs almost 1.25 lbs! Crazy, huh?!

Thoughts/Happenings:
** Our nieces came up w/ my in-laws this weekend & both of them got to feel Elias moving! He will be their 1st boy cousin & younger cousin!

** Not too much has happened in the baby room, but hopefully we'll be able to do little chunks every couple of evenings as our weekends are filling up.

** About three weeks until our birthing class starts. Due to my school schedule, I thought I'd miss the first three (of six)... but found out last night, I should be able to make it to four of them! That was nice to know!

Symptoms/Cravings:
** Pretty much the same. I'm tiring a bit quicker when going for morning & afternoon walks here @ work, but still sleeping well @ night.

Saturday Savings Recap

2009-05-09T20:20:00.003-04:00

@ CVS...

Transaction 1:
(1) Colgate MaxWhite Toothpaste $2.99 - $1.00 coupon= $1.99
(2) Gillette Deodorant $1.12 - $1.00 coupon= $0.24
(1) CVS liners $0.99 - $1.50 (woohoo!) CVS coupon= +$0.51
Used $1ECB
Total due: $0.72 + tax/$.28= $1.00
Earned $2ECB

Transaction 2:
(1) Colgate MaxWhite Toothpaste $2.99- $1.00 coupon= $1.99
Used $1.99ECB (adjusted from $2ECB from Transaction 1)
Total due: $0.00 + tax/$0.08= $0.08

Transaction 3: WHAT WE REALLY NEEDED! :)
(1) Charmin 12rolls $5.88
Used $2ECB
Total due: $3.88 + tax/$0.30= $4.18
Earned $1ECB

So, my total recap:
Value of Products... $24.04
Paid for Products... $4.60
Savings... 81% off
ECB Earned... $1ECB

Things That Make Me Smile

2009-05-08T15:47:00.004-04:00

Since I was off from work today & super motivated to start working on my TO DO list for this weekend... I thought I'd also snap some photos of things around the house that made me happy.... Here goes!

My list included cleaning the sleepers I bought @ the yard sale a few weeks ago. Since it was a nice day, I hung them out to dry! Too cute!

Which led me to some veggies we're growing. Our selections includes cucumbers, squash, zucchini, watermelon, bell & banana peppers, lots of 'maters, & some marigolds.

Which will (this afternoon!) go into these raised beds Nick constructed a couple of evenings ago. They are 4' x 4'. We decided to start small, but next year we plan to add a couple more raised beds!

And while we were @ Lowe's last weekend, we grabbed some pretty petunias!

Silly cat...

And lazy dogs!

Hope you enjoyed a snapshot of my day! I am currently sitting at the community college since we were SUPPOSED to have lab hours scheduled right now & I thought I'd take advantage of the open lab to study some & review for my simulation lab this evening. But, I'll just have to spread out all my books & notes on the floor here!

Have a wonderful Friday!

Ultrasound of Baby @ 18w6d

2009-05-07T09:33:00.002-04:00

Baby Update: 23wks

2009-05-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

Only one more week until we reach the "Point of Viability"!

Today, Elias is supposed to be the weight of a large mango (about a pound) and is just over 11inches long from head-to-toe.

Thoughts/Happenings:

** We had an appointment w/ the Doctor today. Took a bit longer than I expected, but we were still out of there in less than 30m. Yay! I’ve gained 9lbs in the last 4wks… but I’m guessing Elias had less to do w/ that than the fact that our fridge was dead which lead to eating out almost every meal. Ouch! Doctor checked the heartbeat by Doppler & his little heart was beating 158bpm. I must be measuring right around 23cm to the top of my uterus, because he said I was measuring right on track. We also signed off on the circ.umcision consent & I asked the doctor plenty of questions about the actual procedure. My blood pressure was higher than normal (for me) @ 110/62, but still nothing to be concerned with. We also were given the lab paperwork for the glucose tolerance test between 25-26 wks. And he said it will be fine to travel during Memorial Day weekend, but take lots of breaks.

** Our crib is purchased & sitting in the house. Not assembled yet, but in the baby room. We have lots of work to do in his room, but I’m hoping to get little bits done every weekend (hmm, you’ve heard this before, right?). Even this weekend, w/ class on Friday night + Saturday morning, I’m hoping I can devote several hours to doing just that. And laundry. And studying. And, just in case you’re curious, here’s the crib we picked out:

We have a gorgeous antique dresser that will store some of sweet little clothes & we are hoping to paint the changing table we were given earlier to somewhat match the crib + dresser.

Symptoms/Cravings:
** Pretty much the same stuff: sweets, liquids, steak/beef.

** Definitely get exhausted quicker, but then I get spurts of crazy energy. Hoping to have several spurts this weekend to get through the junk in the rooms! :)

Our summer semester officially begins tomorrow, but I will be headed to the college for a review session for a comprehensive exam we'll be taking next Tuesday evening. Praying to get through this 6wk semester as this will be crucial to completing the program "on time" in December. (Only 7 months away!) Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

I'm So Excited!!

2009-04-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

For lots of reasons!!

Here we go... wish I had some pictures to upload, but I don't! ;)

1.) My final exam for medical-surgical nursing was last night! I needed a 58% to pass. I'm fairly certain I did at least that! All of our prayers worked... thanks! This is the "subject" of nursing I dislike the most, but we have about half of the program in. I knew if I didn't pass this, I'd more than likely NOT take it again out of stubborn-ness or sheer defeat that I put in all that effort so many nights & weekends to not make it. But, God is good & He literally carried me through it. I started the semester praying "God, I really don't wanna do this... I just want to enjoy the pregnancy! If you want me to withdraw, please show me clearly." I think I prayed this every day for the 1st month of January; that was the worst month! He never showed me anything, so I kept going. My prayers turned more into "Okay, if You want me to make it through this semester, You will have to carry me through. I'll do the best I can, but it has to be You." He calmed my fears during clinicals & the grading of the paperwork. He settled my spirit when I got so anxious spending the whole weekend on clinicals & I was exhausted & felt so guilty doing this pregnant. It was very difficult, but He has pulled me through. I can't say it any way other than that. And now... I'm breathing a bit easier! I have FIVE whole days off from school obligations & I am hoping to get some stuff done! :)

2.) God has allowed me to become in contact w/ someone that can access more coupons! I am so grateful & excited about this. Especially w/ the recent fridge purchase, I have been feeling a little down about having to spend so much money & throwing away so many spoiled food products, & not being able to grocery shop. Eating out is nice, but so expensive! And I miss cooking! So, w/ the addition of additional coupons + the fridge (hopefully) being delivered by tomorrow... I am so excited to start rolling my deals! And there's one I'm super excited about that I will tell you all about on Saturday w/ my weekly recap of deals! I just hope it'll work out! Either way, I'm feeling so blessed to have THIS blessing!

3.) Nick takes his finals tomorrow... which means his weekends are free! He's planning to get lots of stuff around the house done. Some are things we both want completed before Elias comes, but some are things we individually want things done. Like, I want the house to be a bit more pretty & my craft space finally organized. Nick wants structural-type stuff done. Both are important, but I'm lucking out in that part of what I want can be a group priority! Yay! Since we now have a combined office/scrap/study room (where it used to be split, now the baby room takes precedence), I asked Nick if we can do the wall unit I've planned for *years* tomorrow night or Saturday morning. And he said yes. This accomplishes two tasks: my craft space will be usable for me & my craft space will be organized (which makes Nick happy!). Hoping once Nick installs it (pegboards, magnetic boards, small shelves & hooks), I can fill it up w/ all my goodies that have been tucked away! AND then I can maybe even scrap some! We're also planning to move the guest/twin bed back into the combined office, so this will get us a bit closer to doing that, too.

4.) Saturday is National Scrapbooking Day. Yes, it's an official holiday! I worked on my pregnancy journal months ago, but would love to spend a couple of hours doing some more & getting it closer to completion to just add things to during the rest of the pregnancy! Maybe even finish a project or two. Haven't been able to do much "fun" stuff for a while since it's not been organized & school kinda sucks up my "extra" time. So, this weekend will be about getting stuff done!

5.) We have sweet friends coming into town this weekend! They moved to Colorado about a year and a half ago AND we missed their wedding due to my school schedule (poo on that!). They'll be around for 4 or 5 days & I'm very excited about seeing them!

Waiting for the Final

2009-04-29T16:20:00.002-04:00

I'm @ the Wendy's right beside campus cramming anything into my brain last minute. Oh, and completing the 3x5 card we are allowed to smoosh as many facts as we can! :)

Praying, studying, reading... if you get this in time... would you say a little prayer for me? I'm praying for clarity, focus, & recollection. And for the rest of the class, it's been a hard semester for all of us & we've worked very hard. Hoping for all of us to make it through to the next (second-to-last) semester!

Thanks!

Baby Update: 22wks

2009-04-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

Today Elias is approximately 10.5-11.0 inches long from head to teeny-tiny toes! I found more comparison pictures of produce, so I thought I'd include them... A PAPAYA (same for the next 3wks, boring!)

or a SPAGHETTI SQUASH!

Thoughts/Happenings:

** We scheduled our birthing class. Unfortunately, due to my nursing school schedule, I will only be able to attend half of the classes. The instructor is awesome & she is willing to work w/ us anyhow. Nick will be able to record the sessions & we can go over the information together. This was very important to us as we are planning to go au naturale & wanting a birthing class that was tailored to our desires.

** Went to a yard sale this week & picked up 50pieces of kids clothes for $4. Yes, $4 as in like $0.08 per piece. Got Elias lots of extra sleepers, our nieces some jeans & tops, & a friend @ church some clothes for her little girl. Was so exciting!

** Have been searching out cribs recently. Found some we really liked, but no purchases yet.

** Wore my maternity bathing suit this weekend & it was funny. I'm looking forward to finding a cuter, more comfortable suit online! :)

Symptoms/Cravings
** The usual... sweets & liquids. I am tending to get really thirsty & chugging water, tea, juice, milk... whatever.

** It's not necessary, but I find it so much easier to walk w/ a slight waddle. Oh, well. ;)

Have a wonderful Tuesday! I'll be studying very late tonight & much of tomorrow for the final exam tomorrow night. On the very cusp of finishing on of the hardest semesters I've had. Very excited, but very prayerful.

Saturday Savings Recap

2009-04-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

CVS:

04/19/09:

Transaction #1

(3) Tresemme Shampoos $10.00
Used $10ECB
Earned $5ECB

Total due: $0

Transaction #2

(3) Tresemme Conditioners $10
Used $5ECB
Earned $5ECB

Total due: $5.00 + tax ($0.38)= $5.38
Walked away w/ $5.00ECB

So, each bottle of S&C cost us $0.90 each! We usually pay $3-4 for our S&C & God gives us a deal like this!? On the brand we like, too!

04/23/09:

Transaction #1

(1) Crest ProHealth Toothpaste $2.88
(1) Edge Shave Gel $2.89
Used $0.75 off Crest
Used $5ECB
Earned $4.89ECB

Total due: $0.2 + tax ($0.06)= $0.08

Transaction #2

(1) Crest ProHealth Toothpaste $2.88
Used $0.75 off Crest
Used $2ECB
Earned $2ECB

Total due: $0.13 + tax ($0.07)= $0.20

Transaction #3

(3) Aveeno Positively Ageless Sunblock
Used $10/3 coupon
Used $4.89ECB
Earned $10ECB

Total due: $12.11 + tax ($1.66)= $13.77

Transaction #4

(2) Dove Skin Vitalizer $4.00 (clearance)
(2) Dove Deodorant $1.20 (clearance)
(1) Ear Plugs $4.99
(2) Chocolate Covered P'nuts $1.98
(1) Cherry Coke $1.49
(1) Arizona Tea $0.99
Used $1.98 off Gold Emblem Nuts
Used $3.50 off Dove SV x2
Used $10ECB
Earned $1ECB

Total due: $ . + tax ($ . )= $1.47

So, pretty much, using retail price & excluding tax, we got $ worth of stuff for $... a savings of % off retail. And, we have $1ECB for next week's deals.

Weekend Looming!

2009-04-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

I can say that leaving the testing room last night was a huge relief. I was pretty confident on my test answers & hope that I at least get my goal grade!! :) Nick & I "celebrated" by heading to the Mexican restaurant for free cheese dip night.

Oh, wait... I haven't told you about our fridge, have I?

Monday night got home & our freezer was melting popsicles, chicken breast, etc. We haven't been eating anything out of our fridge since then, so dinners/lunch/breakfast are coming out of the extra money in our account for the GIFT envelope (that I never took the cash out for). Thank God for that. Also, I had planned on stocking up @ Publix since they had a decent deal on boneless/skinless chicken... thankfully, He diverted me from that shopping trip! :) Tomorrow, we have a fridge repair man that will be coming out that comes w/ high regard. Hoping it'll be a reasonable fix. AND maybe he'll fix the freezer where we can ice cream! Our freezer has been melting ice cream, which is very much a disappointment... even though we don't buy or eat it often, it sure is painful to reach in to the carton to pull out mushy liquid ice cream.

I decided to take last night off from studying & maybe even tonight. Then, tomorrow it's a study session w/ the girls & hoping to hang out w/ my cousin up from Tampa & then a trip to the beach Saturday to study w/ the girls again. And, ya know, any other minute I have available Sunday- Wednesday to study! :) It will be such a relief to have this class over w/! More of a relief to have passed the class, too!

We have been looking at cribs for the baby, but trying to choose one that has a matching dresser/changing table combo that we like is proving to be more difficult. We have lots of time, though, but it would be nice to have one at least picked out. I think we have decided to move the guest/twin bed back into the office, which will give us more open space in the baby room.

Nick already has some projects of his own to work on once school is out, but I have some for him, too! :) Finally will be organizing a scrap space using our walls, so that will be exciting when it finally all goes us. Which will clear a CRAZY amount of space on my scrap shelf & desk & baskets! I am excited to have more stuff up on the walls & a crafting space that's inviting & organized to work on.

I have a trip planned to CVS tonight... that I have been so excited about. I know, it's silly, but it's so exciting to me to start building up our ECB & rolling them over for FREE items. Tonight, we'll get a couple of tubes of toothpaste & shave gel for free. And, get some sunscreen massively reduced! And STILL get more ECB for next week's deals! God is good! I hope to become as good as these other women online... it's amazing how they can work the sales & coupons & deals!

Oh, I mentioned we'll be having maternity portraits taken? I'll put a plug in for my friend here & show his website... he does awesome post-processing on the shots, but has a great eye for composing shots, too. I'm very excited about the session this summer. He actually offers high resolution CDs of the images, too, which you'd be hardpressed to find photographers willing to do that for less than $700-$1000! Feel free to check out his work & send some business his way... he's also got the cutest wife & baby ever! Well, ya know, except for Elias! ;)

Amick Cutler Photography

Have a wonderful Thursday! Hoping to have at least a couple of videos & pictures to share w/ you throughout the weekend!

Fun Stuff!

2009-04-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Last night, I snapped a couple of pictures...

Before we took the belly picture, Tchotchke decided he needed to "scratch" his neck... on Nick's foot! :) Here's a short clip of it:

Here's the 21wk belly shot:

And one of Elias' most recent gifts:

Remember? Nick's a geologist... so his Daddy rocks times two! :) One of the administrative assistants in the FSU Geology Dept picked this up for our little guy. I loved it. I imagine he'll have to wear it will a belt full of rock hammers & bruntons w/ high hiking boots. Maybe a head lamp, too.

Hope this brings a bit of a smile to your day... it sure does to mine! Last night, I impressed myself by staying up past 11:30 studying. (I'm usually in bed NO LATER than 10:00!) I've been praying for clarity & focus & He's been dumping it on me! I wrote concept maps for several disease processes I had read through, but not really concentrated on. Then reviewed other areas that I was familiar w/, but wanted brushing up on. I feel like it's clicking now! I plan to study every break I get @ work & the test should be finished by around 6:45 or 7:00 this evening. Then another quick trip to CVS to pick up some goodies!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Baby Update: 21wks

2009-04-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

Today, Elias is a BANANA! :)

Our Thoughts/Accomplishments?!
** Still feeling him move lots in the morning & night. Fun stuff!

** Scheduled our maternity portraits! Yay!

** Scheduled a 3D/4D ultrasound for the end of June... one sale! You know we have to find a good deal! :)

** Still working on finding a birthing class that will work w/ my crazy class schedule for the summer. Ugh. Frustrating.

** Got some more stuff for the baby room... mostly organization-related. Have started looking more seriously at cribs for his room. Hoping to pick something in the next couple of weeks, so my big, strong husband can assemble it before say 30ish weeks?

** Nick's father is in possession of the VHS ultrasound at 19wks... he will be converting it to mpeg-4 (basically, a digital file I can upload to youtube or somewhere online to allow YOU to watch it online) & sending it back soon. I'm excited about showing it off. I love watching it.

** Two more weeks until our next appt w/ the doctor. Nothing exciting, I'm sure, but just means that we are closer & closer!

At this point in the pregnancy, it seems like the only "symptoms" I have are the baby movements. Not really much in the way of cravings, except sugar. Which, well to be honest, is not much different than pre-pregnancy! :)

The farther we get through this pregnancy, the more confident I feel we will one day have a sweet baby in our arms! After going through all we went through to get pregnant, it still feels unreal a lot of the time! But, we are praying & trusting God is taking care of this little guy... we're so excited to meet him!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! We will be snapping an extra belly shot tonight (after the Biggest Loser... our normal "ritual") which will then be followed by lots & lots of studying for my last unit test tomorrow night! Last night, we had a 2+ hour review for the test + final exam. I think I DO know more than I thought, but still need to review as much as I can! I sure hope to get through this class!!

Weekend in Review

2009-04-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Wish I had a couple of pictures, but will have to snap some new ones of Elias' room developments this week!

FRIDAY:
* Studied w/ a classmate for Wednesday's test.
* Did shopping @ Target w/ Mom, then dinner out! Got lots of great tubs/baskets for Elias' room.
* Got home & in bed for clinicals!
* Got the Photoshop Elements in the mail! Yay! Already downloaded it, too!

SATURDAY:
* Clinicals from 6:30 (yes, AM) to approximately 11:30.
* Met Mom + G'ma at a local craft show.
* Home to nap!
* Dinner w/ Nick & then to sleep again!

SUNDAY:
* Clinicals from 6:30- 12:00.
* Quick stop by CVS where I got 6 bottles of shampoo for $5.38 OOP... saved 84% off. AND got another $5 ECB for my next visit. More about all that later.
* Home to nap!
* Dinner w/ Nick + his parents & friends.
* Up later last night to study more for Wednesday's test.

TODAY:
* work until 5:30
* class from 6:00- 8:00
* home by 8:30ish to study for several more hours

Maybe I'll snap some photos tonight. If not, I'm sure it'll happen later! Only a week & a half until this semester is done. Praying that each piece of studying will stick in my brain & that God will give me clarity & focus during the test taking processes. This has been a rough semester for both of us & we're ready to be done w/ school... for a very long time! :)

My belly has officially "popped" this past week. Like, really. My belly is looking more pregnant most definitely! It's actually pretty exciting for us, too. Weirdo, I know!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Baby Room Brainstorming?

2009-04-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

CVS Trip

2009-04-15T18:23:00.003-04:00

Yes, we stocked up on a little bit of baby stuff. If you spent $25 in some of the baby categories, you earned $10 ECB. So, I snatched some coupons & got the above for our $10 ECB.

(1) $10 Huggies (had a $2 off coupon, but didn't bring it!)
(4) $3 J&J baby care (minus $1 off each one)
(2) $2.25 J&J baby care (minus $1 off each, for some reason the cucumber & melon was cheaper? which threw me off as I'd only planned to buy 5 of the J&J products)
(2) $1.66 Pringles (minus $1 coupon)

Used $2 ECB & paid $21 OOP which includes. Net purchase was $11 for the above. Wish I woulda brought the $2/1 Huggies coupon, but oh, well!

So Excited About THIS Purchase

2009-04-15T13:44:00.003-04:00

Got an email this week for a special the website was running for 40% off the PhotoShop Elements 7. I've been planning to buy this for over a year & half since getting my camera & I snatched it up! It should arrive in a week or so. No idea when I'll actually download it & get started on it, but I do have my eye on some digital scrapbooking kits to buy later on! AND maybe I'll have some time to learn a bit more about before Elias comes... ya know, since I'll spend our days lounging about snapping beautiful photos of him. ;) Speaking of which, I'm thinking of creating a blog just for him... I'm sure some people may tire of seeing pictures of him daily, but I'm thinking g'parents & great g'parents won't! Suggestions? I'm open to them! Or I may create his own private Flickr account for family members to view. Anywho... I have a couple of months to decide!

And, of course, I'm hoping this chick'll be able to help me navigate the world that is PhotoShop... The Pioneer Woman (clicky)! She's got the professional version of PhotoShop, but has lots of tips & print screens that I will be able to follow in PSE7, too.

Starting to Show More...

2009-04-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here's our picture from last night (@ 20wks)! Starting to show, right?! We did JUST eat Mexican, which I tend to eat too much of & protrudes my belly out a bit... but I still love seeing his growth!

Nick & I grabbed a ruler last night to see exactly how big Elias is @ 10 inches from head-to-toe... and he's HUGE! To think he's ALREADY cramped up! LOL It was a crazy realization!!

I got school work done last night & baked/frosted cupcakes for class tonight... then in bed to grab almost 9hrs of sleep. Which, still doesn't seem like enough, but it sure didn't before I was pregnant either! :) Only about 2 weeks until this semester is over & I'm looking forward to it!

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Baby Update: 20wks

2009-04-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

We're over half-way to full term! :) Remember, even though my due date is at 40wks... 37wks is technically full term! Woo-Hoo!

Today, the baby (crown to rump) is the size of a cantaloupe...

Since the baby seems bigger than this comparison, I read up a bit more... NOW (apparently @ 20wks), they begin measuring the baby head to toe instead of crown to rump. So, next week when his length jumps to over 10inches... that's why! One of the websites I check says he's 6.5inches crown-to-rump & 10inches head-to-toe.

Our Thoughts...
** Excited to feel the baby move. Nick can also feel the wigglings & my Mom has, too! He's most active in the mid morning & after work during class or watching TV. Not so much at bedtime, but I feel a couple of movements while trying to fall asleep.
** Excited to be at least half way through! I'm growing a little baby bump & even found some good deals on maternity tank tops to carry me through the summer. I tried on one of the fake bellies & had to take a picture to show Nick. It made me laugh.
** Got cleaning done in the master bedroom. Lots of storage bags to throw out & sticky dust to clean off the floor... but it's done! The office & bathroom are next to clear stuff outta there. I also put up all of my nonmaternity, certainly won't-fit-me-this-summer clothes.
** Leaning over & bending to reach something is definitely harder! Seems weird to me since he seems so small now, but it's already affecting my ROM. :)

Symptoms/Cravings...
** Sugar/soda, steak (me & a sweet, also pregnant after infertility, friend went out last week & had a great time over bread rolls, steak, & maternity shopping!), milk.
** I guess the only symptoms are increased trips to the potty (polyuria, for those studying for their adult health exams...), but not bad at all YET & feeling him move around.

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! We have three weeks until our next doctor's visit... but they don't really do anything except check for protein "spilling", my blood pressure, & measure my belly. Seems like a waste of time & money, but soon I guess it'll be more detailed when we hit the third trimester. Only two more appts at 4wks apart, then we'll go every 2wks.

Making School Work Kind of Fun

2009-04-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

We had to make a concept map (think brainstorming on paper) for a disease in the current unit. So, I utilized scrapblog for mine! Now I have a digital file I can share w/ my classmates & writing the info twice helps me remember it (handwriting info, then typing into the software). And it kind of made studying more enjoyable. I'm thinking I may do as many of these as possible in the next couple of weeks to help my brain remember this stuff! :)

Pretty Sure...

2009-04-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

I felt the baby moving! I have had random little, what I call, gas bubbles... except not the region you'd expect gas bubbles! ;) {I'll leave it at that!}

Anyhow, it happened several times Monday or Tuesday night watching TV... but I wasn't sure. Last night, while TRYING to fall asleep, I felt lots of "gas bubbles" in my stomach. I have a modified side/tummy sleep position where my stomach rests on an extra pillow... w/ the bit of pressure from the pillow, I could feel lots of these "bubbles".

Since several people have told me to expect flutters, I wasn't sure if that was Elias moving or not. But, I've had more people tell me that gas bubbles is closer to how they felt their baby-in-utero moving. So, I'm gonna say that it's him. Which is nice. I figured it would happen soon, but I was trying to be patient.

Got Friday off, so Nick & I are toying w/ the idea of going out on the water tomorrow or Saturday. Planning to spend Sunday afternoon w/ family enjoying an Easter dinner & also get some house stuff & school studying in the rest of the weekend!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'm hoping to have a video posted later this weekend of the Australian Shepherds "playing" with our neighbor's cows & also upload some pics from the boating this weekend! :)

Baby Update: 19wks

2009-04-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

Like half-way through!!

The size of a MANGO this week!

I'm feeling lazy & won't post the whole written description this week. I like to read them, but I wonder if anyone else does!? :)

Doctor Appts Updates:
** We went to the Specialist yesterday & the baby is doing great. He was very wriggly again, but tucked up in a tight little ball... except his arms! The arms were sprawled out above his head & his legs were tucked in very close to his head! He is still a little boy, too! ;) My FIL will be able to convert the VHS clip to a file that I can upload to youtube, so be looking for that soon! Since we still have a VHS player, we watched him again last night, too.

** The two echocardiogenic focii in Elias' LT ventricles basically double our chance of him having Down's syndrome. Since our bloodwork reflected a 1:10,000 (which is the highest rating they'd give... I guess technically it could be like 1:50,000 or such, but they'd never give a higher amount that 10,000) chance of Down's. So, now we have a 1:5,000 chance of Down's. Significantly lowe risk than someone in my age group anyhow. Since the b/w markers were good, w/ no genetic history on my side or Nick's, & the TWO level-2 u/s reflected no additional markers... the Specialist didn't even recommend an amnio... which we told him there was no way we'd do it anyhow. The risk of losing the baby is 1:300! Much, much, MUCH greater than the baby having Down's. And no matter if this little guy has Down's, he's our miracle from God. We're not giving him up if we have a choice! :)

** We had our regular OB appt today. Not too much to report from that. The doctor measured my belly, listened to Elias' heartbeat (at 140 today), & said "Okay, you're perfect!" Hope Nick remembers that part... ;) I also bombarded him w/ questions. Four more weeks until our next appt in which I will be 1 week away from viability. Another big milestone to reach w/ this little guy.

Our Thoughts...
** Loving his little name! Elias Nick is Nick's grandfather's name, although he went by Nick. So this baby will probably go by either! ;)

** The baby room is so cleared out & exciting! We're still trying to decide if we will stay w/ only the decorations we already have or have something else added. AND a dear friend does amazing wall murals & has offered to come & paint Elias' room! How great is that?! So, we're trying to make decisions, but that's one thing I don't wanna rush! Since it's going to be so special & we won't want to change it for a while, I'd like it to work for him as a toddler, too!

** Still can't say that I feel the baby move. Hoping it'll be soon, but I'm happy to know he's very active!

** Touched base w/ our doula again & I know we will be very happy w/ her. She recommended a birthing class to take & I'm hoping to call the woman this weekend for more information regarding that.

** We have this weekend off... well, Nick's got plenty of school & church obligations, but other than reviewing for school stuff... I don't have much to do! Yay! Hoping we can organize the office a bit, work in the baby room, & get rid of stuff along w/ having some fun, too. I bought some little seed packets, so maybe we can get them spread out this weekend.

Guess that's it! I've had steak a couple times in the last week & a half, plenty of milk, & even some ice cream! Mmmm! And I made some Amish (AKA friendship) bread late last night. Very good, but I have some ideas for the next batch! I took a picture last night... maybe I'll post it tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day!

Quick Trip to Club Pub: Saved 75% Off

2009-04-06T22:02:00.003-04:00

Ran by Publix on the way home from class tonight & got 75% of my little purchase!

Here's what I did..

Kraft Dressing BOGO. $2.99 minus 2 $1.50 off coupons= -$0.01

Chex Mix BOGO. $2.63 minus 2 $0.50 off coupons= +$1.63

Duncan Hines Cake Mix BOGO. $1.69 minus 2 $0.35 off coupons= +$0.99

Jello Lg Vanilla Pudding (for the Amish bread that's baking now, not on sale)= +$1.39

So, the total paid was $4.00, saved $12.01! And the dressing was FREE + a penny!

Some Kitchen Shots

2009-04-06T19:15:00.007-04:00

Oh, please do forgive the random messes around these...

Baby Pictures @ 18wks

2009-04-06T18:51:00.001-04:00

Goals for the Weekend

2009-04-03T18:00:00.001-04:00

1.) Pass my care map. DONE

2.) Have my care map done by 3pm on Saturday. Well, at 5:00! :) Still had lots of the day left!

3.) Be in bed no later than 8:30 tonight & Saturday night. Got in bed by 9:00pm... close enough!

4.) Scan u/s pictures from Tuesday. DONE! Will upload tonight (Monday night).

5.) Print out current coupons. NOT DONE... hopefully will do that this evening (Monday night)

6.) Put up non-maternity summer clothes. (Sunday) NOPE.

7.) Take pictures of kitchen. (Sunday) YEP! Hoping to post them tonight!

8.) Print out remaining PPTs for this unit. (Sunday) Hopefully tonight after class! :)

9.) Bake Amish bread (Sunday). Tonight is the night!

10.) Make a meal plan for M-F of next week (Sunday). DONE.

Oh Goodness!

2009-04-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Well, since the weather was a bit weirdo last night & I had a class, I had planned to stay "in town" until class. Mom & I headed to dinner, then Target for some baby-stuff-viewing. Then, the weather got ridiculous! The lights flickered several times IN Target & we decided there was no way I was waiting to drive home after class until 10pm. So, we stayed in Target until the rain began just drizzling, & headed home. We passed countless trees/branches on the road, traffic lights knocked out (how many people actually follow the law & treat those as 4-way stops... not many here & it was kinda scary!), cars bottomed out in deep water on the roads, & closed MAIN streets! Closer to our house, it was worse. Thankfully, I didn't get stuck in the dirt roads on the way home... cuz that would be absolutely miserable... since it wasn't merely drizzling by that point! All of the lights were out on our roads & adjacent roads. Which meant an early bedtime for me!

Anyhow... the FUN part of the night was hanging out w/ Mom & talking baby-stuff. We oohed & ahhed over the cute stuff & I even got a great clearance deal (recommendation from my SIL, Bekah) & a camo hat for the baby. I mean, he's gotta have camo, right?! Mom has also been forming wardrobes for any future grandbaby & had a tub of little boy clothes for us to go through. Um, we took it all except a set of onesies + blanket for a baby shower gift later this summer. Since the power was off last night & I could only see bits of the outfits through the small ray of light our flashlight provided, I properly oogled them this morning. And realized how much stuff we already had for this little guy! Between hand-me-downs, yard sale finds, gifts from Mom, & deals I've bought along the way, here's a quick shot... (ignore the tutu!; from left to right... piles for 0-3mths, 3-6mths, 6-9mths, & 9+mths!)

And the newborn onesies...
Also, we have some dear friends in the Clearwater area that have truly been a blessing... they sent up these w/ my in-laws & they will definitely be used! (our collection of cloth + some disposable diapers so far! Hoping to get a good deal on some more bumgenius diapers off Craigslist, too!)

(a bassinet to be used in our room while the baby is widdle-widdle)

We have been so blessed w/ this pregnancy & even more blessed w/ the generosity of family & friends. And to think we'll get a sweet baby in the end, too! Wow!

This weekend will be packed w/ clinicals & rabies vaccinations & company! I'm trying to streamline my paperwork for clinicals & I have some new ideas for this weekend that I will be trying out to finish by sundown! My goal is to have it done by 3pm tomorrow! If I actually do finish that early, I'm sure I can pop on & update here! If not, internet doesn't happen until late Sundays! :)

Have a wonderful Friday!

Dragging A Bit

2009-04-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

Well, I have to say this normally happens towards the end of each semester, but I’m trying to chug through & stay motivated these last couple of weeks of class. This semester, by far, has been the hardest for me. Yes, the pregnancy probably has something to do w/ it, but outside of pregnancy… this would have been the toughest anyhow!

In less than 4 weeks (27days to be exact), I will take my final exam. [In less than 5 weeks, I’ll start the summer semester. I know, I know… don’t wanna think of only 1 week of! :) ] This weekend will be my 3rd full weekend of clinicals, then 2 weeks later… I will have my final weekend of clinicals!!

Nick’s got a big project due the week following Easter & 2 final exams to prepare for. In addition to his teaching responsibilities & job.

It’s coming down to the crunch time for this semester & we’re both looking forward to a bit of a break. It appears Nick won’t be taking a class this summer, so he’s looking forward (really, looking forward to…) working around the house & outside the house. He’s got a new-to-us (remember, our posh lifestyle!) lawn mower to try out, some landscaping we’d like to try, little odd jobs w/in the house, barn projects, & other “chores” he’d like to do. Without school obligations, his weekends will be open to whatever he wants to do. I’m sure there’ll be more frisbee golf & boating, too! :) It looks like 3/6 weekends in my 1st summer semester will be taken for school & at least 2/6 weekends in my 2nd summer semester will be taken, too. Hopefully, I’ll still have time to relax & prepare for the baby, too!

So, big things coming up in the John household…

** Ultrasound by the Specialist Monday to check Little One’s heart. I’ve read plenty online & talked to friends who’ve been through this; appears we can find out there’s some sort of heart defect, that the baby is at increased risk for Down’s, or that it’s “nothing” but a calcified gland or vein. I’m trying to not worry & just be excited to see the baby again. Apparently, they’ll do another full head-to-toe ultrasound + checking out the heart in much more detail than before.

** Clinicals!

** Some of my parent’s best friends will be in town this weekend. I’m hoping to see them, but not sure w/ clinicals. I pretty much plan to do nothing else during clinical weekends since the hours & paperwork are so intensive.

** Nick’s in the process for taking his “comps” for grad school. It’s a two day long testing process that reminds me of school testing… all day long! So far, he seems to be doing well!! Yay for synclines & carst & other geology stuff!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday! I have a late class tonight, but am hoping to do dinner + some shopping w/ Mom beforehand. And resisting all the cute little baby things we see! :) There’s some great deals to be “had” at Publix this week between internet printable & newspaper coupons! Will be planning some of our shopping trips today & will share it afterwards! Also, I still need to take some pics of the kitchen. I’ll be working on a post for that to show before & after pics in the same post! Maybe next week sometime?

Free Shampoo!

2009-04-01T13:26:00.002-04:00

Follow this LINK HERE (clicky) to request a free BOTTLE of Aveeno shampoo & conditioner! Not those teeny-tiny envelope-things, but a bottle!? I already "ordered" mine!

Baby Update: 18wks

2009-03-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

"Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon." {thebump.com}

"How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his gen.itals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound." {thebabycenter.com}

Our Thoughts...
** The u/s was AMAZING! Almost immediately, the baby was moving it's head around & sucking it's thumb & standing up! :) It moved lots & we got to see it's little legs, arms, fingers, heart, nose, mouth... bladder, kidneys, spine, everything! I should be able to post some pictures tomorrow after scanning them tonight.
** My weight this morning was about a 6lb gain from pre-pregnancy. Still not a lot, but when I eat I have a popped belly!
** The baby room is cleaned out & ready for the crib! We are hoping to make a trip to IKEA sometime in May or June to get the crib & some other baby room & bathroom items.
** Just so excited! The baby's measurements (head, abdomen, + femur) indicate 18wk2days along instead of 18wks. They won't be officially changing my due date, though.
** There was what the technician called a "bright spot" on the baby's heart, so we are heading for a fetal echocardiogram to check on the heart closer. From what I've googled, this can be nothing, something as "simple" as a heart murmur, or can indicate a structural heart defect. I am trying to remain relaxed & am glad to have an appointment in less than a week to receive more information about this spot. Then, we have a scheduled appointment w/ the OB next Tuesday (since he was out of the office this morning), where we'll review the u/s + b/w results.

Symptoms? Cravings?
** Belly getting a bit bigger. Same cravings! :)

Little Time Left...

2009-03-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'll leave in less than an hour to head to the doctor's appt. A bit nervous as I just read through a blog about losing her baby at 21wks due to zero amniotic fluid... which they discovered at the same ultrasound we're having today. It seems like God gives me enough peace to get through the four weeks waiting & then I start to worry. So, more praying & trying to stay calm for the next couple of hours! Oh, & water chugging. They just said "drink lots", not like drink XXoz XXminutes prior to the u/s. Which is weird. Hopefully I can drink enough to have a successful u/s, but not enough to hurt for an hour *whilst* the u/s is being performed!