Currently...24 weeks!

This week has been SO much better than last. It all started on Tuesday when I was having a serious hormone and stress-induced meltdown in my office. I was so completely overwhelmed by the three classes I was taking that I was certain I had to change my work schedule to make it work. Then came the voice of reason from my sweet husband who encouraged me to just drop one of the classes. I had not considered that option and the moment I clicked "web drop" I felt a weight lift from my shoulders and everything has been so much better this week. Not to mention I have been drinking coffee in the am which totally helps my mood and keeps the headaches away.

Logan IS CURRENTLY....

 

WISHING he could possess control of every single light bulb and lamp in existence  specifically in our house. He has incredible hand-eye coordination and can twist off the top of a lamp, remove the shade, and twist out the light bulb. Then he take the bulb to another lamp that already has a bulb, removes it and replaces it with the bulb from the first lamp. We have really cracked down on him NOT doing this as it's just not safe. And he hates that.

 

MISSING his little cousin River who lived with us. He's only a few months older and of the three children, R is the one he talks about the most. Breaks my heart.

 

WORRYING about our DVD player pausing/skipping his Curious George shows all.the.time. He wants to take the thing apart and fix it, or for us to do it for him.

I AM CURRENTLY....

 

LOVING ice packs. God-send for this low back/tailbone pain. I try to ice every night after work for like, an hour.

 

WISHING that my body loved pregnancy as much as I do.  Seriously, I feel like I'm already in the third tri. Everything feels so heavy and the aches in my back are making me waddle already.

 

CRAVING milk shakes! I have to make them at home with lactose free ice cream and almond milk, which has turned out awesome!  But I do miss the only thing good that McDonalds offers and that is their vanilla milk shakes. Mmmm

 

MISSING my energy level. It's below zero right now.

 

WORRYING kinda sorta about the little baby bean. He/she is measuring a solid 2 weeks behind right now which could mean a  number of things, including genetics, wrong dates or worse, IUGR or SGA. We will have another ultrasound at 28wks to check things out but for now, everything is okay.

how far along? 24wks, measuring 22wks.
total weight gain: 19.5 pounds
maternity clothes? yes.
sleep: not too bad this week. Lots of crazy dreams.
best moment this week: Logan feeling the baby move.
movement: Oh yes!
sex: team green!
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? getting flatter.
food cravings: vodka pasta sauce, ramen noodles
what i miss: The warmer weather. I just want to play outside with my son!
what i am looking forward to: Logan's birthday next week!
weekly wisdom: Every pregnancy, even for the same person, is different.

Bump day, on a Monday

I didn't post last week. Work was insanely busy and my brain felt like fried mush every night. This morning, I had a follow-up ultrasound to check out baby's heart, brain and face. Here is a lil photo:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="612"] Baby Bean 21.5wks[/caption]

The scan was great. Baby was so much bigger and moving around a lot more, which made a huge difference in how decent the shots were of what they needed. Still Team Green and going strong! I'm not going to lie: waiting is hard! But we have less than 20 weeks to wait now so I can manage.

Because I need prompting, here are the 'deets for the week:

how far along? 21.5, measuring at 20.1wks
total weight gain: 14 pounds
maternity clothes? yes.
sleep: Getting worse. I toss and turn a lot more and baby is so active that it keeps me awake.
best moment this week: Baby doing yoga all.day.long yesterday. Non-stop movement!
movement: See above.
sex: team green!
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? getting flatter.
food cravings: vodka pasta sauce, ramen noodles
what i miss: Going a day without a head ache/migraine
what i am looking forward to: Continuing to have a healthy pregnancy.
weekly wisdom: It's okay to watch TV all weekend.

TV & Movies

There is a lot of debate surrounding TV watching for children. How old they should be, what they should watch and how much time. I'm going to be honest: we watch a lot of TV. I love TV. I love having shows to watch. B and I have a handfull that we watch together which include Weeds, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Survivor. We each then have shows we watch separately  B loves any sporting event and I love trashy reality TV. It's how I relax.

What about Logan? I've aways been open with TV around him. His attention span has always been short with TV and movies, until recently. He can easily sit through episodes of Word World and Sesame Street. During the week, he doesn't watch very much TV. Maybe an hour, at the most, usually before going to bed. We all winde down together, he drinks some milk, we snuggle and then it's off to bed. On the weekends, however, we camp out. Especially since most days are -0* outside, we make it our job to not do anything outside. Instead, we stay in making pancakes, nachos, and pizza while watching movies and episodes on Hulu on Netflix.

Everything Logan watches is appropriate. He is obsessed with Word World. The show is genius. He knows so many different sounds of letters and it's wholesome entertainment. When we're not relaxing on the couch, we play hot wheel cars, trains, jump on the bed, throw balls for the dogs, and build legos. Sometimes we even ride the tricycle around the kitchen since it's still so cold to be outside.

All this to say, we let our weekends be our respit. The moderations go out the window and we spend time as a family. Especially with my being pregnant, I am so physically and mentally exhausted from my work week that I cannot imagine doing anything else. Plus, all the snuggle time I miss out during the week with Logan is made up for on our weekends. He helps me fold laundry, make the pancakes, and made my boo-boos (migraines) feel better. I'm okay with all of this and that is all that matters.

What is TV watching like in your home? What do your kids enjoy and how do you moderate it?

***There is no room for judgement in the comments.***

Currently...20 weeks!

TWENTY WEEKS!! I feel like this is one of the best milestones in pregnancy. For me, 10 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks and 35 weeks are the best milestones. 10 weeks feels like you're pretty much out of the woods as far as a potential loss is concerned. Then 20 weeks is HALF WAY!! 24 weeks is viability and 35 weeks is almost term, meaning you can emotionally prepare for your baby to come just about any time.

Overnight, the belly and this baby have popped. I just know baby is going through a growth spurt. Suddenly, every part of my low back, hips and sacrum is screaming at me each time I sit down or stand up. Baby's position must be sitting just right to make all these aches happen at once. Plus, I carry my babies low so I know that contributes. Regardless, each ache is worth the reward in the end. Grow, baby grow!

Wishing... I could enjoy more alcohol. We were given so much wine over the holidays and I have to wait 5 more months before I can enjoy it. I'm certain that, by then, we will have quite the stock. Maybe we will have a "meet the baby and drink my wine" party.

Thinking...about how I've lost a friend, emotionally. The last week has been rough. I'm more angry than anything else, but it's still really hard.

Cooking...nothing. I try not to cook when I'm pregnant and we have had so many left overs from different get togethers. We are working our way through that.

Drinking...coke, water, juice and tea. The coke is to ward off an oncoming migraine and I am loving peppermint teas.

Working...my holiday. I worked on New Years Day and it was slow, but easy. Also working on getting the Christmas decorations put away and keeping the house cleaned up.

At 20 weeks....

• Eating: Edemame!! OMG why did no one tell me about this before?!


• Wearing: maternity clothes. Some longer tops/tanks still fit but I'm pretty much done with my regular clothes.


• Gaining: some weight! I think my boots added an extra pound or two, but apparently I gained 5 pounds in the last week. Makes sense if this baby is going through a growth spurt!


• No fun: low back pains


• Way fun: seeing baby bean on the screen on Monday and learning I no longer have a placenta previa!!


• Big brother is: insisting baby is a girl and he calls her by her name. I love it!

Our Baby

This morning we had our big ultrasound. I have been really distracted with other things the last week or so and was not really excited about it until last night. I'm glad the excitement was short because waiting is so hard! For the last three weeks B and I, along with many of you, our family and friends, have been praying for my placenta to move away from the cervix. I was mentally preparing myself for a high risk pregnancy, bed rest and an early c-section. While all that was premature, I had to have my emotions in check for me to maintain any sanity about the entire situation. I know way too much about the condition and gave everything I knew up to God because I had no control. There was nothing we could do and so I settled with the worst case scenario. In a way, I believe this worked in my favor. I was less emotional and more accepting about it the last week or so, not to mention Christmas and time off from work is a huge distraction.

We arrived and waited for our tech. She has been a sonographer for 30 years so I knew she would tell us everything. Our practice has their own techs so, unlike in a hospital, they can give us details right away. I asked her if my care would be transferred and she said no, not for a previa. So that was a relief. I really was bumming on missing out on my experience with a midwife, even if I did end up with a c-section.

Baby looks amazing! So healthy and very happy. He/she is measuring a week behind, just like their older brother had been. Baby is also very low so we were unable to get the good profile shots. I go back in two weeks so she can check the head, face, brain and heart out in more detail.

Lastly, we finished up with a TV ultrasound to check on the placenta's placement. Right away it was obvious: my placenta was no longer covering the cervix! And not only that, but was a good 2.4cm away from the opening meaning I don't even have a marginal previa. I am no longer high risk and can carry on with a normal, vaginal birth if all else works out that way!! We are elated! I cannot even tell you how it felt to hear B's sigh of relief. We had both been really careful about my carrying things, etc for the last few weeks and while I will still be careful, we have a lot less to worry about.

Our year could not have ended any better! Tonight we are celebrating by a quiet dinner at home, sipping on sparkling cider, and watching the ball drop.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Christmas Time in Photos

As I'm sure you've noticed, I really cannot find a layout I am happy with right now. Wordpress is great, but the selection of layouts is not so much. Bare with me!

Our Christmas season starts a few weeks before Christmas when we get everything set up at home and celebrate with a number of different families over the course of several days. I love how close we are to our family and that we were able to have a wonderful, relaxing time together. Happy Christmas and Merry New Year! CHEERS!

Christmas Eve:

I worked and was able to leave early. Came home and B and I prepared our house for his mom's arrival. After she arrived, we decided to head downtown for a fancy dinner. We ate at my most favorite restaurant our little town has. I had an amazing salmon dish, something I don't get to eat very often! Then we went home, relaxed and watched It's a Wonderful Life.

Christmas Morning:

Logan woke up just before 7am and quickly discovered that Santa had come by the house. He said Santa told him "Thank you" and he was so happy for all his new presents! We spent a quiet morning opening presents, sipping on coffee, eating an amazing breakfast made by B and resting.

Later, we played with Legos and had a lovely Christmas Day dinner of steak (our new tradition), veggies and fruit salad. We topped off the evening by watching another movie and then packing for our trip to Steamboat (we were married there).

[caption id="attachment_3256" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Christmas Morning![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3257" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Santa did good![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3258" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Grandma Mac gave Logan a new trike![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3259" align="aligncenter" width="200"] B got a new saw.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3260" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Music![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3261" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I got new lamps![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3262" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Art supplies![/caption]



[caption id="attachment_3265" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lego time.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3266" align="aligncenter" width="200"] All of us built something awesome.[/caption]

Day after Christmas:

We headed to Steamboat after I worked for a few hours. The drive up the mountains was beautiful and easy. It was our first time through the canyon since the huge fire earlier this summer and it was devastating to see how much land has been torched. Upon our arrival in Steamboat, we had drinks and dinner with our extended family (my aunt and uncle whose house is in New Jersey). The visiting was lovely! B and all our cousins tried to go sledding that night down the mountain but there was a mix up with reservations. So they came back and we continued our evening back at our hotel room where we opened presents with my parents and brother. It was so nice and relaxing! Logan got an amazing light up/legos type of game that he loves! And B and I got a new camera!! I have been borrowing my dad's for the last few years to take good quality photos so I can now join the ranks of amateur photographers with a professional camera at my eye.

 

[caption id="attachment_3267" align="aligncenter" width="300"] First day in Steamboat (and first photo with my new camera!)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3268" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Playing with his awesome new lights.[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_3270" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Silly man.[/caption]

Thursday:

B treated himself to a day of snowboarding up on the snowy mountain! Fresh powder covered the slopes and B says it was the best day boarding he had ever had! Though he is quite sore, he deserved that day up in the "pow" as locals call it.

I spent the morning with Logan and my mom. We walked around downtown, I got a memory card and camera case and quickly starting snapping photos. That afternoon we had to deal with a ton of family drama, but who doesn't have family drama?! Suffice it to say that everything will be okay, but it did hinder my nap time.

Thursday night we all bundled up and took a very bumpy ride deep into the mountains to a ranch where we were dropped off at a cabin. There we had hot cocoa and apps while we waited for our sleigh ride up to the teepee where we would be having our dinner. The ride was incredible! The moon was full and you could barely see it through the snow and clouds. The air was bitterly cold, but we were covered in wool blankets. Logan loved it! We arrived 10 minutes later and entered a very warm teepee with tables and a fire in the middle where we would be spending the next 2 hours eating our meal. The food was divine! We then got back on the sleigh and went back to the cabin where we had dessert and headed back down the mountain into town.

[caption id="attachment_3271" align="aligncenter" width="300"] It snowed every day we were in town. So beautiful![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3272" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Daddy and Logan on the sleigh ride![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3273" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Our transportation.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3274" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Inside the teepee.[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_3276" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Keeping warm by the fire.[/caption]

Friday we spent most of the day relaxing. My extended family headed home a day early due to some nasty weather on the East Coast. We played with our new toys, took nap, I had an incredible massage at the spa and that night we had dinner with my brother at a local Irish pub. Our last day was just what we all needed!

Saturday morning B let me sleep in a bit until I was ready to get up and start packing for our ride back home. The drive is a good 3-4 hours and was beautiful! The sun had come out for the first time in days which made the snowy trees glisten! I was so sad to leave our respit! The time off from work has been just what my soul has needed to restore balance and drive. Three more weeks and I am back to school! Hope you all had a great week!

[caption id="attachment_3277" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Moon setting over the mountains.[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_3279" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I love this photo I snapped on our way home.[/caption]

2012 Year in Review

This year has been amazing. I will let the photos and captions speak for themselves. Cheers and Happy New Year!!

January

• We started to potty train Logan.


• I was struggling with a lot of depression and anxiety, mostly due to my stomach issues.


• B brewed his first batch of beer.


• I got a promotion and my very own office.

February

• Logan turned two!


• B and I celebrated 4 years together.


• I started some new medication and counseling to help get my health back on track.

March

• We were all sick for most of the month :(


• Celebrated St. Patty's Day downtown Denver with family.


• Logan's verbal language exploded!

April

• I got really sick  (AGAIN!)


• Made some fancy deviled eggs for Easter


• Logan flew a kite!

May

• Celebrated Mother's Day with my parents


• I decided to make a ton of frozen meals.


• My health really started to come under control

June





 

 

• We took our 2nd family vacation together and headed to the Jersey Shore.


• We had a terrible fire rip through our woods not too far away.


• We closed on our first house!

July

• We settled into our new home.


• One of the hottest summers, nearly 100* days everyday in July!


• We dealt with a terrible, local tragedy, the Aurora theater shooting.


• I went to a Dashboard show where I saw someone propose to his girlfriend!

August

• B and I celebrated 4 years of marriage and I turned 28.


• I started up college again!


• We prepared for my cousin to move in with us.

September

•  We learned about baby bean on September 17th!


• My cousin moved in with her kids.

October

• I announced my pregnancy on social networks.


• 1st prenatal appointment


• Got food poisoning on our trip to Black Hawk and lost a bunch of money.


• We had our first snow of the season.


• Hurricane Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore and displaced my extended family.

November

• Pregnancy migraines started up (NO FUN!).


• I attended my first live birth of twins via c-section.


• I only had one class left to finish this month.

December

• Found out I have a complete placenta previa with this baby.


• Celebrated Christmas three times; once in Denver with B's family, once on Christmas Day with B, Logan and his mom, and once in Steamboat with my parents and extended family. (post to come)


• Baby bean started moving around a ton!

Currently...17wks

I know I know!! I've been MIA from an update for a few weeks. I just feel like this pregnancy has been a lot harder than the first time and it's hard for me to write about. But first, currently I am...

Reading... tons of blogs. I am out of school now for winter break and I have time to catch up on a ton that I do not frequent as often.

Listening to... lots of Christmas music. I love Christmas and I love the music. O Holy Night is my most favorite song.

Hating... all the little issues I've had the last two weeks.

Laughing... at my kid. He is so dang funny! Two nights ago he told me to go to time out.

Ignoring... nothing. I am so in-tune with everything right now. It's kind of driving me a little crazy! So hopefully things will settle down soon.

At 17 weeks...

• Eating: TONS of Caesar salad. I love it.


• Wearing: Regular clothes up until this morning. The pair of pants that still fit are dirty so I had to resort to my mat pants for work and am so much more comfortable!


• Baby is…being awesome. I got to see his/her little face two days ago and everything looks great (with the baby).


• Differences: Gosh, everything seems different. I did not have any infections with Logan and I am fighting two different ones right now. UGH


• Predictions: Still thinking (and HOPING!) this baby is a girl.


• No fun: Low back pain. Ouchies! And finding out a I have a complete placenta previa. More on that later.


• Way fun: gearing up for Christmas! We have two family parties this weekend. Oh and my cousin is moving out today! So bitter-sweet!


• Undecided: On how much to share. It's tough. B is way more private than I am, which is why I have strayed from sharing too much about some of the issues going on. Just know the baby is doing great!

Thankful

This has been a roller-coaster year with much to be thankful for. I am always giving thanks in the right circumstance, as often as I can. I pray and give thanks for everything we have and for everything that is yet to be had. But on Thanksgiving, the reflection is stronger. The realization of what we actually have to be grateful for increases and the importance grows.

This year, I am most thankful for:

• My husband.


• My son.


• Our home. Buying our first home this year is a feat we are thankful for every time we walk through the doors. And I cannot say we are thankful for our home without giving thanks to the people who helped us get there: B's dad and his fiance. We love them so much and are so grateful for the help.


• Baby bean. I'm so thankful that I have a body that is compatible with pregnancy, that holds onto healthy babies and continues to grow each day.


• My friends. The friends, near and far, and those of you I've never met. I'm thankful for the bond we share.


• My job. Any job, really, is something to be thankful for. I'm just extra thankful that I enjoy it.


• School. So thankful for formal education so I can learn how to do what I'm so passionate about.

And so much more. Cheers to another year, day, minute of thanks.

Snow Day

This weekend we had a lovely snow. It started early Saturday morning as sleet and quickly changed into gigantic, wet snowflakes. The kids could not get their boots, coats and hats on fast enough before running outside to enjoy the white wonder. My cousins children have seen snow before, but not like this. Not Colorado snow! Heidi and I watched from inside as our children soaked up the cold fun!

Devastation.

UPDATE: I just saw an update from my aunt that they were able to access their house via boat and while there is lots of water damage, the most severe seems to be to the garage and they lost a car. SO much better than expected! I'm not sure if they were able to go inside so that update will have to wait.

I cannot find very many words to assert the feelings I have right now on this "wordless" Wednesday, and yet I must write something. Some of my closest family members have an incredible house in Lavallette, NJ. You may remember our visit to the beach with them in June. The small beach town is an island or peninsula, or whatever they call it, between the Atlantic Ocean and Barnaget Bay. My family has the most beautiful house, sitting right on the bay with their boats and crab traps securely attached to their doc. Next door is the house they own that my grandmother lived in for a few years. Her house is much smaller and the epitome of a beach house. We stayed in her house in June, playing bubble hockey, watching The Graduate, and staying up late drinking lots of alcohol--our Colorado blood could handle more than we imagined at sea level!

Over the last few days, Hurricane Sandy has crushed this town. Sand and water have covered and destroyed countless houses, roads, lights, bridges, boats, cars, and the boardwalk....It is nothing like it was just days ago. This is the first time in my life I have been so closely related to family in a weather crisis. Sure, we've had our share of snow storms and been "trapped" at home to play in the snow for days, but never without power, heat, water, fuel, etc. My family evacuated their home and are on the mainland now, without power, fuel, heat...we are trying to only keep up with them minimally as we do not want their cell phones to die before the power is restored.

I am so heartbroken. This town will never be the same again. I've been there nearly 10 times over the years and never have the seen weather like this, even when Irene came through last year. I'm praying for everyone and their safety. Possessions are just things, but I cannot imagine how devastating loosing everything so quickly like this could be.

Epic.

My weekend was epic. Epic in that nothing went as planned, everything pretty much sucked and the only epic part that was good is how much time Logan got to spend with his grandparents.

Early last week, B and I decided it was time to get away. We were overdue for some quality alone time and what better way to spend alone time than in Black Hawk, the only place in CO where you can gamble your little heart (and money) away. It's in the mountains and not a long drive so we booked a hotel and looked forward to the getaway.

Friday night we packed up and left. Logan spent the weekend with his grandparents, which he LOVED, as did they. You will NEVER hear me say this again, but thank goodness for facebook! My mom was awesome in posting photos from their weekend:



 

Watching the sun rise.

 

Morning paper with Pop Pop.

Chess, of course! With Pop Pop.

We arrived and checked into our hotel, which was also a major casino and I think that is just how it works there. Most hotels are also casinos. Anyway, we were starving and headed down the hill to a bigger casino for what we were hoping to be a fancy-ish dinner. We ordered our food and waited awhile. It was almost 9pm by the time we ate. I had some pasta with chicken and B had an omelet. Yes, an omelet. Then we went and lost a lot of money. It was weird and disappointing, but we tried. We've both had luck in the past, but that was just not our night.

Then we went back to the hotel and withing 4 hours, I was in the bathroom all.night.long with food poisoning. Ever had that? Ever had that AND been pregnant?! No fun. In fact, I would not wish such a night on Mitt Romney. We barely slept. There was not a store in town so B had to drive into the canyon to get me some meds. The ride home was horrible. We had plans to play poker, watch a movie and have another nice dinner and NONE of that happened. In stead, I remained in the fetal position all weekend.

I'm at work today and it sucks. I'm tired and weak. Drinking tons of water to stay hydrated. And all I want to do is leave and go to bed. Sometimes, though, you have to tough it out and that is exactly what I'm doing now.