Just more milestones...

Just a note to self that Pierson can now push himself up to sitting position from hands and knees. And he's like a little racecar driver in the walker!! He's running all over the place!

HE'S CRAWLING

My little bitty baby is crawling! :( I absolutely am not ready for this! He should NOT be big enough to do it!

He's been trying so hard for over a week now and he finally figured it out. He did it a little this morning at home, but this evening at the LLL meeting, he just took off. He felt he needed to show off! Little booger!

So, in other news...Christmas was fun, but I'm ready for the boys to settle down now. They've been hyped up for days! Thing is, we still have to celebrate at daddy's on Sunday! UGH! Harrison has really enjoyed the block and marble set we (oops!) Santa--got for him. It wasn't something he had asked for, I just thought it looked cool. He played with it ALL day Christmas Day and wants us to play with him! Nevan just wants what everyone else has--no real surprise there! He does like his GeoTrax stuff though. And Pierson just wanted the paper and bows! He was cute! He seems to like his little Fisher Price House thing Santa brought--he opens the door and just giggles! Oh, and H & N both have had to "camp out" in their bedroom every night since they got the sleeping bags! May have been a hard year financially, but I think we pulled Christmas off pretty well.

Almost forgot!

Tried feeding Pierson the pureed zucchini I made for him back in the summer. Did this on Monday, the 17th. He's not ready for food. He gagged on it and the proceeded to projectile vomit it back at me! YUCK! We'll just stick to nursing for now! LOL!

Neglected!

My poor blog--probably feels like it never gets any lovin'! LOL!

We're desperately trying to get ready for Christmas around here. The boy's gifts are all bought and we got a good majority of them wrapped this morning. But since they only have one more morning of preschool this week, they MUST be done tomorrow!

We've already celebrated with my extended family on my mom's side--did that on Saturday. It's always nice to see everyone--since this is the one time of year that we all make an effort to get together! That's pretty sad actually... But, everyone is so busy nowadays. Myself included!

Sunday was the Christmas Program at church--Pierson was Baby Jesus! He only lasted about 15 seconds on stage though! He was tired and I think the bright lights were bothering him. Poor girl that played Mary was a little upset that he was upset...I think she thought she did something wrong. She was sweet. Surprisingly, Harrison and Nevan both went up with the Wee Singers! They didn't sing, but they did go up! That was good enough for me!

Tonight is Harrison's Christmas Program at preschool. Rumor has it that Ms. Terri has bribed the kids to sing! LOL!

And I've GOT to find a Santa to take the boys to! It won't be Christmas without a visit to Mr. C!! I'm willing to bet that the good one in Newton is done this year--he's not there long. :( Reminder to self to call Daddy and see if he found out anything about him! If he's done, maybe I'll try the one that's gonna be at our bank on Friday. At least it's a Santa!

Thought about taking the boys to McAdenville this week to see the lights. We'll see about that though.

Someone on a website I visit was saying we needed an extra week in December just to get stuff done for ourselves--without kids, husbands, etc! I agree! I'm pooped!

Pierson's ever closer to crawling...he gets up on his hands and knees and lunges forward to get to whatever he wants. It's gonna be some experience trying to get the older 2 to keep their stuff picked up so P can't eat it! We realized he could sit by himself at our Christmas Photo Shoot--the boys had been sitting behind him and he was kinda propped up against them. Well, when it was over, H and N got up and left P sitting there! He's been sitting by himself ever since! And he waves the cutest little wave and says what sounds like, "Hey". We'll go with it and consider it his first word! He's been doing that for about a week. He can't grow up! :(

He can't grow up!!!

Pierson that is! My goodness, the boy's just doing things he shouldn't be doing yet!

I know I've said that he's been trying to sit up, but wasn't really doing it yet. Well, we went and had pics made 2 days ago. The photographer had the older 2 sitting kinda back to back and leaned Pierson in the middle of them. Well, when she was done, H and N got up and left him there, and he just sat there pretty as you please! And he's been getting up on his hands and knees, just a rocking--he'll be crawling by Christmas! Last night, he almost pushed himself up to sitting from his belly--if he'd have figured out how to get his other leg in front of him, he'd have had it--because he was on his behind!! And he's "waving"! I don't know if he knows what he's doing, but we've started waving back to him and saying "Hey!" He says something that sounds ALOT like Hey--maybe his first word???

MAKE HIM STOP!!!!!!!

Nevan is 3!

Today my little devil turns 3! And I'm soooo bad--I didn't even wish him a Happy B-day this morning! We got up 15 minutes until time for school to start--we were rushed. But still no excuse to forget his day. We did celebrate on Sunday but maybe I'll take him to Mickey D's for lunch.

Pierson started getting up on his hands and knees and rocking over the weekend (noooooooo!) And Monday he was playing peek-a-boo with me! It just can not be!

DH let me get a Cricut yesterday! Walmart had them for $119--it was a pretty good deal if you ask me and that was the Black Friday price. Why fight the crowds when you can get it that easily?

Okay scrappy friends!!

Okay! You guys check out TSS (http://www.thescrapbooksite.com/) They are having a cool weekend crop sure to be filled with lots af challenges, contests, and prizes! Mark your calendars and join in the fun! Well, I have this cool blinkie to add, but can't figure out how---grrrrrr!

7 months

Well, Pierson turned 7 months old yesterday :( and guess what he did to celebrate?? He got on his hands and knees! NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! He can't do that yet!!!! I don't want him to grow up!

Enough of my belly-achin'!

Halloween was fun! All except that mad rush to get 3 dinosaur costumes made at the last minute! (they sure were cute!!!) Actually, I had plenty of time until I found out that Trunk or Treat at church was on SUNDAY! So between Trunk or Treat at church, preschool, and Trick or treating at daddy's, the boys had a grocery bag full of candy! I'm slowly getting rid of it all! Next year, I'll be on top of it and the Halloween Witch will come take the candy and leave a toy instead!

Growing like weeds...

my boys are, that is! Where does time go??? My "little" Harrison can see over the kitchen counter and reach into the sink! And the other day, he pulled a chair up to the counter so he could reach his candy! Nevan speaks in full, understandable sentences--which he's always talked well for his age, but it just seems like he's doing it more often. And Pierson, last Friday, he sat by himself for about 15 seconds--then yesterday, he did it even longer! Took him to the doc last Wednesday and he was 16 lbs. 9 oz.! 27.5 inches long! I think he's starting to cut teeth--he chews on everything! He's fascinated with his hands. And he grabs anything I'm trying to hold onto. Oh, and he watches you like a hawk when you are eating! It's soooo funny! Got the go ahead to start him on some solids--haven't done it yet because the batteries in the camera were dead and I want to get pics! LOL!

In other news...I finished the Halloween costumes and we went to Trunk or Treat at church last night. Got waaayyyyy too much candy but had a great time! Their little dinosaur costumes turned out great! We will go to my dad's on Halloween night for supper and more Trick or Treating. The way H is acting this morning--he doesn't need any more candy! He's in timeout right now and laughing about it! What am I gonna do with him??? BOYS!

Can you believe there's less than 2 months until Christmas???? I better get a move on if anyone's getting anything from us this year!

TSS Croptoberfest!!!! Come play!

Nothing too exciting here on the home front. I'm trying to get my scrappy room cleaned up so I can have a scrappy Halloween party! Gotta get the invites out TODAY!! Hope my friends will come play with me--if they don't, I'm gonna think I stink or something!

I will hopefully be playing with my cyber-buddies this weekend--you can join too! Its Croptoberfest at thescrapbooksite.com. http://www.thescrapbooksite.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22740 Lots of challenges and games--if you sign up by Friday at 11 pm, you can play Bingo with us! We always have lots of fun! Go check it out!

Neglecting the blog...

Boy have I been neglecting things here! What's happened in the past--say--6 weeks???

Pierson can roll over now, he's getting better at sitting up, and it won't be long til he's crawling. Not looking forward to 3 mobile kiddos! UGH! Weighed him yesterday, and he was 17 lbs! Not so little anymore! We got the car bouncy seat thing out for him the other day--and he loves it! Doesn't seem like he should be big enough to sit in it! Harrison and Nevan started back to preschool--Nevan was clingy and whiney the first few days, but now he walks in and doesn't even look back! I'm enjoying the peace and quiet 3 mornings a week!

Been doing as much scrapbooking as possible. I have been participating in a few contests--that seems to get me more motivated and the challenges keep me creative--most of them make me think outside of my normal little box! And that is good! I've created some of my most favorite pages in the last couple of months. Here's something really exciting! Check out this link: I'm the featured scrapper!!! How cool is that??? http://thescrapbooksite.com/Oct2007News.pdf This is at my FAVORITE scrappy website--it's where all my "cyber" buddies are!

Mark and I celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss on Sept 21st. We managed to get away from the kiddos for the evening and went to enjoy a quiet dinner at Kobe's. YUM! We splurged and ordered the "Anniversary Special" for dessert--cheesecake, a song sung in Japanese, and a polaroid pic! I'll have to scan the pic and put on here--it's funny! And isn't it funny how priorities change? 5 years ago, I was telling Mark that he would be buying me a bigger diamond for our 10th anniversary!! Yeah right!!! I'll be lucky to get another piece of jewelry anytime in the next 20 years!!! LOL!

The Saga continues....

Today really was a much better day--no real major problems with the kiddos. But during a much needed rainstorm, Mark calls to tell me that he broke the key to his truck off in the door. And I had to take him my extra key. Luckily, the storm quit and I loaded up the boys to go take him a key at work. I don't know how he does that ride everyday! I'm worn out and I just did it once!

Okay--when's it gonna get better????

Here's the rundown of today's excitement...took N to doc for a check on his mouth--looking good. Phew! Came home to continue laundry and cleaning from last nights sickness. We figured out why SIL's carpet shampooer wasn't working--had a broken belt and it has to be ordered. I'm not waiting to get the darn thing so Mark goes and buys us a cleaner of our own! YAY! Didn't need to spend the money, but I want ALL the germs gone! Anyway, I digress. We got home from the docs and the boys went absolutely haywire! Harrison obviously was feeling better and OMG! Well, they are playing in there room when I hear a crash and Nevan starts screaming...I run to see what's going on and he has attempted to climb up their chest of drawers and it has fallen forward on him and has him pinned to the bed. I slam the chest of drawers against the wall!!! GRRRRR! I've had supports for that thing to anchor it to the wall for how long??? That's a whole other post! So, my nerves are shot. I get supper done and tell the boys we'll go out to play on the swingset for a few minutes before bath time. I notice 2 wasps on their teeter-totter thing and as I'm telling Nevan to come play at the other end of the set one just dive bombs him and stings him. This makes his 4th wasp sting this year! They love him for some reason!

What else could possibly happen next????? I'm exhausted!

Oh and not to mention all the issues I'm having with trying to figure out how to get the boys to listen to me! Mark seems to think a goo spanking is what they need, but spanking doesn't work. There's gotta be another tried and true method to straighten out their behavior! And I need to find it soon!

Things aren't getting better....

I woke Saturday morn at 1 am vomiting. YUCK! Then I ran a fever and felt like crap all day. Finally got my appetite back around 8:30 pm. We thought it was just me. But then this evening at bedtime, Harrison starts vomiting! It's 12:02 am on Monday morn and I'm still doing laundry and cleaning. I just had to come downstairs to take a break! PRAY no one else gets sick! Especially my husband 'cause he's the worst patient!

To make a bad week worse!!!

Nevan, my dear Nevan--the one whom I said would keep us in the ER....

He fell off the couch today (was probably jumping on it--he knows better!) and apparently had a stick in his mouth. Said stick punctured the roof of his mouth. Blood everywhere! Went to the ER and was only there about an hour. They said there really wasn't much they could do but put him on antibiotics and pain meds (I was hoping for something that would make him sleepy--not so lucky!) But now that it's not so bloody looking, there's a really nasty hole/gash in his mouth. I'm not sure I'm comfy just letting it heal on it's own. I'm thinking we may need a 2nd opinion. I'm really stressing about this and am so upset about it!

Now...where's that straight jacket?????

Wow! Where did a month go?

We have been extra busy it seems--I can't keepup with where I'm supposed to be and when. Let me see what's been going on--in reverse order...

Yesterday met Christy and Camden in Newton to check out Old Soldiers Reunion festivities. Decided it was too darn hot to stay for the parade and went to daddy's. Ate dinner at J&S.

Wednesday--took boys to playground at Asbury.

Tuesday--THE DAY FROM HELL!!!!! Tammy and I decided to take all the kiddos to the mall to play in the cool. All was well until I got money out of the ATM so I could let the boys ride the carrousel. I put a $20 in the token machine and got $20 worth of tokens! Mall wouldn't refund my money, so I had to go around asking people with kids if they would buy the stupid tokens off me. All the while, Pierson is screaming because he's hungry and Nevan's crying cause I wouldn't let him ride the first round because he wasn't listening and was running off. My blood was boiling!!! I haven't been so upset, aggravated, mad in a LONG time! Then after I got rid of all the tokens, we went back to the play area so I could nurse Pierson. Nevan decides he'd rather be at the arcade and goes by himself!!!! He got a nice, long time-out for that since I couldn't beat him in public! LOL!

Monday--stayed here all day and the boys played with Anna.

Sunday--we were lazy and got up late--so we missed church. But went to the flea market instead--was too hot. ONly ended up staying an hour or so.

Saturday--hum--what was Saturday??? Don't remember...oh, I remember! DUH! How could I forget?!?! Took H to see "The Lion King" with Em & Stevie in Charlotte! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING SHOW!!! Went to eat dinner with Mark's mom at RO's and Tony's!

Friday--a week ago--had to take Pierson to the doc because he had run a fever the night before. Didn't want to risk going the weekend and him having an ear infection or something.

That's as far back as I remember specifically--but in the last month, Harrison has had 2 weeks of swimming lessons, Both went to one Bible School with Anna, and then Nevan went to VBS at our church. Mark brought home 8 baby chicks--of which we still have 5. Mark's been working overtime--YAY! Pierson can roll over from his back to his belly. Oh, attended my friend's wedding in Clemson, SC on the 4th. We still have Anna's b-day party to attend and orientation at preschool on the 30th. Thank heavens that preschool starts Sept 4!!! I'm ready for that little break!

YIKES!!!

Took the boys today and we attended our first MOPS meeting. It was at one of the organizer's house where we had "Picnic by the Pool". Well, I forgot to go to the FIL's and get the boy's life vests thingys. I thought we'd be okay. But NOOOOO! Harrison had to go and fall in! Luckily, it was in the shallow end and I was standing right there! Felt like I was moving in slow motion to get him pulled up! Thank goodness I didn't panic and when I got him up he had not tried to breathe under water! He was scared, but after a few minutes, he was ready to get back in again. Sure hope that doesn't happen again!

Been awhile...again!

Haven't really updated in a while--or so it seems! Not much going on around here other than I am working on routines/schedules for the boys--and by golly! I'm sticking with it this time!! I've been inspired by a book titled, "Nanny Wisdom". Alot of it is stuff I've heard before, but now I feel I can conquer it! I'll have to make this quick because right now is supposed to be "quiet time"--if they nap, fine. If they don't, that's fine too. We all just need a break! And let me tell ya--a kitchen timer works wonders!!! And Mark better not even think of getting us messed up next week when he's off! It will take the better part of a month to get it really set!

Sis is keeping Pierson tomorrow while Mark and I take the boys to Dan Nicholson Park! It's Freightliner's company picnic there tomorrow and we've been wanting to go anyway. I can't wait! Which reminds me--gotta go charge the cameras!

Pierson, Pierson, Pierson...As of this morning, I've decided I'm going to exclusively pump and give him his milk in bottles. Extra work, yes. But, somehow, it seems easier with him. We just didn't have a great start and after 3 months, I'm tired of trying. I feel like a failure. I know I'm not, but...this is what mothers do to themselves. I'll probably change my mind by this evening!

Well, I have 4 minutes to complete this update.
Now I have 1:46 to complete this update.
I can't wait for quiet time! Maybe I'll cat nap too!

I'm still here

Summer always seems to be so busy--even though we really haven't "done" anything! The boys want to stay outside all the time and when we come in--laundry, dishes, other house work has been neglected. And I don't want to do them! So then I go scrap! LOL! You would think the house would stay decent since we aren't inside--WRONG!

I think we are on the downhill side of potty training for Nevan. He's been doing really good this week about going to the bathroom on his own--when he needs to! Could it really be that we are getting closer to only having to buy diapers for 1??? I sure hope so!

I've been contemplating just pumping for Pierson and giving it to him in a bottle. He still doesn't have that good of a latch all of the time like he should. It's tiring for me (and painful!) but do I really want to have those bottles to keep washed? And pumping takes time too. I don't want to put him on 100% formula. I don't know. I never wanted to give up so early in the game with the other two. But they were a lot easier to nurse.

Harrison's going thru what I hope is the I'm-4-I've-got-an-attitude phase. I've been about ready to strangle him! Yesterday, we went to the playground w/ Tammy & Anna and took their bikes. Well, his training wheels weren't quite even, so the bike wobbled a little. He wouldn't ride it and fought with Anna for hers! After a warning and a timeout--the third offense sent us packing our stuff back in the car and coming home. He screamed the whole way--and then some! Then tonight, he and Nevan dumped about half a box of Cheerios in the living room floor and were playing in them! Punishment for that was no TV at bedtime. Nevan cried a little, but you would have thought I'd killed Harrison. He finally settled down and went to sleep. He's gonna learn that I mean business!

That's all the excitment here!

FINALLY!!!!

Nevan FINALLY got the front tooth he'd been missing! (It's the one next to the center right bottom.) I'm sooo glad because I'd look at him and think he'd knocked it out and then would remember that it hadn't come in yet! This is one of those teeth that is usually one of the first to come in--I guess he just had to be different!

AND! My baby just laughed! I swear it! I'm sitting here nursing him and he starts laughing! At first I thought he was crying, but he was just a smiling! It's soooo cute!

We had a really bad storm tonight. I knew one was coming so I got the boys in the tub about 7 pm. By 7:30, I had them out and I was trying to find clean jammies for Harrison when it started. As soon as it started the lights started flickering and I knew the power was gonna go. And it did--for about 2.5 hours! The wind was horrible and after about 10 or 15 minutes upstairs, I decided we needed to be downstairs. That was fun trying to get three boys down the stairs by candlelight. And as we get downstairs and about halfway to my scraproom (the refuge!) I hear the pop and the BOOM of lightning striking REALLY close! Scared the boys to death--like they weren't already scared! Scared me too. I hate storms! It did that another time too. But we survived. By 8, I was on the cell talking to Mark--telling him all about it. Harrison wanted to talk to him so I gave him the phone. He said, "Daddy, you have to come home right away!" He was so pitiful! Made me want to cry! When I finally thought it was safe to go back upstairs, I asked Nevan if he wanted to go sleep in mommy's bed. He shook his head no. I knew he was tired. So we stayed down stairs a few more minutes and then he said, "I wanna go to my bed." He was asleep by 10 after 8! Read Harrison a few more books and he was out. The little pumpkin? Well, he's still going strong! Thinking he's starving to death!

Pierson's check-up

Took P for his 2 month well-check today. He now weighs 9 lbs. 5 oz.!!! He's 21.5 inches long, his head circ. is 15". This is pitiful, but he's only in the 3rd and 4th percentiles on his height and weight. I commented to the doc, "He's a big one, huh?" LOL! He can't help it! Doc isn't worried about the percentiles though because he's growing appropriately. He has really good head control and is in perfect health. Poor thing got 2 shots and a new oral vaccine for Rotavirus. He's been a little fussy this evening and of course I have no Tylenol for him. I meant to pick up some at Baby's R Us this evening when I went to buy diapers and forgot it. It was pouring rain and I wanted to hurry home!

HE SMILED!

He REALLY smiled! (Pierson, that is!) And he will do again if you kinda tickle his chin a little. So cute! And he just spit up all over me--YUCK!!! I'll try to get a pic--of the smile that is!

Okay. Is it hot enough? It seems like it's too early in the season for it to be so hot, but I guess it really isn't. After all, we are into June now! 90*+ just kills me! One good thing is that it drains the energy out of the boys too--and if I can keep them from taking a nap, they go to bed really easy! I was just thinking about what we were gonna have for dinner--I think a good tomato sandwich would be wonderful--but I don't have any "good" tomatoes--YET!

Today was Megan's & Anna's last day of school. Tammy and I were just trying to think up some things to do to keep everyone busy. Free movies at the theatre on Tues/Wed and a trip to the Schiele Museum and The Science Center. And there's always the pool--but I don't like to go if I don't have an adult for each child--that's gonna be hard this year! Oh, and we can do storytime at the library too. We'll have to come up with some other stuff.

Realization

Okay, yes, I'm an idiot! LOL! I started this blog, really to remind myself of things that happened during my pregnancy. Cause we all know my memory is about 1/2 second long! Then, I started using it to remind myself of those baby milestones. Cause you know I've got to put it in the scrapbook! I also started this as a journal for myself. I used to keep a journal ALL THE TIME! It was fun. I enjoyed it. Loved reading MY past. So today, I remembered that I had given all my friends the link to my blog. Never did it occur to me that someone (other than my cyber sb friends) would still be reading it! LOL! (Thanks Tobie!) So if you are in IRL friend, I implore you to make comments here so that I know you've been here! That way, when I see you IRL I won't bore you by repeating the happenings of my life that you've already read about! Please don't make me become my mother! She starts telling me about something that she's already told me about and I have to stop her. It's awkward. I don't want to be like my mother! LOL!

So now on to more of my babble. (It makes me happy!) Went to the chiropractor again today. The x-rays were quite interesting--esp. since I could spot the problem before she really pointed it out! The problems in my neck are caused by the fact that my neck no longer has that natural curve backward that is should. Mine is straight as a stick--almost curving the opposite direction! What causes that? She asked if I was at a computer alot... LOL! The problem with my back is caused by the fact that one of my hip bones is about 1/2 inch higher than the other. (wonder why?) It's causing my spine to curve ever-so-slightly to the left. She thinks that once my hips are back in line, that my back will straighten up again. I love it when she pops my neck--its heavenly!

Have I told you about our garden? (I told you my memory is short!) We've always wanted to plant a big garden but never got around to it. So to try our hand at it, we planted veggies in the flower bed! We planted a row of green beans, some cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and FIL has some tomato plants for us. I also planted some marigolds, snapdragons, and celosia. (I think that's the name of it) Anyway, we did this last Saturday. Well, the cucumbers, squash, and zucchini are all coming up! So are the marigolds and celosia! I'm watching my green beans like a hawk now! I'm soooo scared they won't come up! And there is nothing better than fresh green beans! I can taste them now! YUM!

Aren't they cute???

Mark's stepmom brought home these cute little boogers yesterday! They are only 3 days old and have to be bottle fed. It was so funny that she got them because we were just saying to FIL the other day that we thought he needed to get some sheep/goats/pigs again for the boys to help with! So now there are two baby goats to raise! Anna says their names are Lucky and Lucy. G-pa says the male is Billy--of course! I'm going with Lucky! They really are the cutest things!

Rumors, Rumors

Well, Mark finally got to go to work yesterday. He tells me that the rumor going around now is that the layoff isn't gonna happen. Don't want to get my hopes up about that though--but that would be GREAT! There are also some talks of letting 1st shift work a week, then 2nd shift work a week.

Just a moment while I reprimand my 2 year old for playing with MY stuff and not his! I'm telling ya, some toys are going in the yard sale pile if they don't start playing with them! I'm tired of picking them up!

So, now. Where was I??? Oh, for Pete's sake! Now the little one thinks he needs to eat. GRRR! I'm trying to get him out of the every 2 hour routine--I feel like all I get done is nursing some days.

Okay. We're good. Had my first ever visit with the chiropractor today. I'm in love! She gave me a small adjustment today and let me tell ya! When she popped my neck--it was wonderful! She turned it one way and it popped. Then she turned it the other way--it sounded like machine gun fire! I go back Friday!!!

Okay, can we believe that tomorrow my baby will be 2 months old???? No, we cannot!!! I should post a new pic of his cute little chubby cheeks!

Oh my achin' back!

Okay. So I haven't been able to turn my head and look over my shoulder in forever and of course my hips are STILL outta whack from having the baby. But this morning sent me to the edge! I sat down in a chair in the living room to eat my breakfast and when I went to get up--YOWSERS! I was bent over at 90* and couldn't stand back up straight! I finally got back to an upright position and it's not hurting now--but I can tell where it was hurting! So I called a chiropractor and I'm going in the morning! I was soooo excited to learn that our insurance DOES cover it! That makes it even better! Can't wait to feel good again. Now if I can just get the will power to lose this weight!

Mark has to work this week. It's a good thing too because he's driving me nutso! More so than the kids! That's bad! I know it will be a while, but I can't wait till he's back at work full time--then I might be able to get H & N back into some kind of a bedtime routine. I'm tired of them not going to bed until 9:30 or 10. I don't get any "me" time! I've also got grand plans to get together some kind of daytime schedule too. Yeah, right!

Well, the baby's crying. Gotta go!

When it rains it pours???

Well, it's a freakin' deluge here! My check engine light came on in the van--it's some kind of air-fuel sensor that's gone bad--$350 bad! Don't they know we're broke?????

Okay. Sorry. Done with that now! LOL!

Good news--Pierson smiled his first oh-so-cute smile today! And he's nursed two sessions today without the shield!!! We're working on #3 as I try to type this one-handed!

That's all I have today!

I a horrible mother!!!

I sure am feeling that way today. The boys have been horrible this week--even Harrison--the one who is always good! It's been exasperating and I wonder how much of their acting up, fighting, whining is a delayed jealousy reaction to the baby. Usually Harrison stops what ever it is he is doing that isn't right when I count to 3--he's not even doing that this week! And Nevan! ARGH! Lord love him! No form of discipline gets in that thick skull! But I'm feeling like a really bad mother because Nevan bit Harrison--HARD! It broke skin thru Harrison's shirt! And I bit Nevan back. It was my first reaction and of course, all the websites offering advice say that's the worst thing you can do. I just keep hearing in my head my mom saying, "Bite him back. He'll stop. That's what I did to you." My kids are sooooo gonna need years of counseling to get over their childhood--at least that's how I'm feeling today. I just have no patience for them doing things they KNOW they aren't supposed to! And I don't know how I'm gonna fix that! I laugh when people tell me how good a job I'm doing as a mom--I'm thinking, "You don't see us at home!"

I guess I should pray some more for the patience I wish I had! Ya'll pray for me too!

Let's see what else could happen this year!

Last night my dad called and asked me if Mark was gonna get laid off from work. I was like, "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" He said, "They are laying off again--1500 people." I said, "Where did you hear this?" He said, "In the newspaper." Then I said a few choice words and went to find Mark. I asked him if he knew about another lay off. He had known since Saturday!!!! He didn't want to tell me then because it wasn't "confirmed". HELLO!! I had to find out you were laid off from my dad! Anyway, since the anger has subsided I'm not too worried. For one, he will be in the first 500 that get called back to work when orders pick back up. And they WILL pick back up. Secondly, he does have a CDL drivers license and he COULD go drive a truck if he had to. I would absolutely HATE it, but you do what you have to do. He can help his dad for extra money. He's got a friend who is trying to get his plumber's license who said he could work with him too. And, he's been checking in to a school in SC that certifies you to operate heavy equipment--they say they place you in a job after you finish the course. So there ARE options. The only thing that worries me is if they are laid off for more than 6 months--that's when the unemployment checks would run out. Mark doesn't think they will be out that long. I certainly hope he's right. Things could certainly be worse!

On a brighter note, took Pierson for a weight check again--he's up to 7 lbs 8.5 oz! He gained 10.5 oz in 9 days! I had my 6 week check up today (yes, it's been 6 weeks!) and they had my placenta examined further--turns out, it showed signs of infection and what they called "infarctions" which were places where the blood flow was not what it should have been. Doc said it probably started when I was having the preterm labor. But that would explain why Pierson was so small. Of course now it doesn't really matter, but if he was still not growing appropriately, that would be something to tell the family doc about.

We have decided that Pierson is our last child. I didn't know how I might feel about that decision (there was a possibility that we might have one more) but I am at peace with it. This is silly, but I'm looking forward to being able to sell/give away all this "stuff" so I don't have to store it anymore! I'm really on a decluttering kick right now! It does make me a little sad to think I'll never be pregnant again (unless the Lord wants me to be!) because I really do enjoy being pregnant--it's just such a miracle! And it makes me sad that I'll not have another newborn baby of my own to cuddle. But it doesn't make me THAT sad! LOL! I guess I'll have to wait for grandchildren. LOL!

Another weight check

Last week when I took Pierson for his weight check, he had only gained 4 oz in 9 days. That was on April 30th. I took him back again yesterday and he gained 14 oz!!!!! 14 oz in 1 week! YAY! I thought he was starting to look a little chubbier!

Baby weight

Took Pierson back to the LC to have his weight checked again. Only 6 lbs. He only gained 4 oz. in 9 days. They want him to gain 5-7 oz in a week. GRRRRR! So, for this week, whatever I pump we give to him in a bottle--an easy way to get extra calories in him that he doesn't have to work so hard for. The LC says when he gets to 7 lbs, he'll be like a totally different baby when it comes to bfing. I hope so! Well, gotta go feed him now!

Sad day :(

Our Zelda dog died sometime in the night last night. She was our first baby and we are gonna miss her a lot! She was soooo good with the boys--it's hard to explain to them that she's gone. We've just told them that she was sick and went to Doggie Heaven. Then Harrison wanted to know why she was sick. We told him that she was old. That seems to be explanation enough for him. She was 10.5 years old--old by Boxer standards.

Shocker!

Just got the hospital bill for Pierson's week long stay--I sure hope the person that Mark talked to at the insurance company was right about what we'd be responsible for--cause $500 sure sounds better than $25,000!!! Yes, I'm choking on that number! I'm calling the hospital Monday morning to see why the bill doesn't show that they billed the insurance and to find out why they charged for a "recovery room" for me--when I never left the room I was in! This is soooo stressful!

Being mommy to 3!

Boy is that scary! I have to say the hardest part has been trying to find time to spend with the older boys so that they don't think I've completely neglected them. That's very hard to do between 2-hour feedings and being dead dog tired! Speaking of feedings--I hear him grunting now! And supper is ready! LOL!

Okay, I'm back. It seems like the older boys are fighting more, and getting into more, and doing stuff they know they aren't supposed to more! Probably doing it just to get attention. I really hate this part of having a baby--I know it won't last forever though. I've just got to find a way to get some quality time in with them! I feel so guilty! And you know what they've been doing that drives me nutty? Repeating themselves! H will tell me the same sentence 10 times! Like I'm deaf or something! ARGH! And I've acknowledged that I heard him! It's not like I ignore him completely! And interrupting--how do I stop that? Anybody with advice whose BTDT?

Pierson got his first tub bath last night. He actually liked it! His skin is still soooo dry--he looks like a little snake shedding it's skin!

I had his pics made today--by Catherine. She did awesome pics of the boys last fall and I couldn't wait to have her do pics of him. I can't wait to see the results--Mark's wallet can! LOL! (Thanks Catherine!)

I was gonna take P to the hospital and have him weighed again today, but I never got a call back. Maybe I'll try tomorrow--maybe they weren't working today. I worry about him losing weight. And I've really gotta wean him from this shield.

Well, we're taking the boys for ice cream--Harrison actually ATE his supper tonight, so that's the reward.

2 hour feedings!

UGH! We met with the lactation consultant yesterday and she told me that I needed to be feeding Pierson every two hours so that he would get enough milk to meet his caloric requirements. I set my alarm last night for every two hours--at the 5-ish feeding, I just laid him beside me in the bed to nurse and I went back to sleep! Have no idea how long he nursed or if he even did. I was sooooo tired! I also took a nap between the 12 noon and 2 pm feeding today. Lord I hope he has gained weight when we go back on Tuesday!

Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday--I should NOT be that old/young! LOL! I feel like I should still be about 20! I'm sooo glad that most people think I'm younger than I am! Mark said he'd take me to Outback for dinner, but I'm not ready to take the little guy out yet. So, we'll postpone that till maybe the weekend.

Another visit to the hospital

But this was a good one today. Well, yesterday after Pierson's appt with our regular doc, he wanted to have his bilirubin checked since he looked a little yellow. This is nothing new to me--did it with both the other boys. But he also wanted me to see the lactation consultant again since Pierson only weighed 4 lbs 12 oz at his office. Well the LC was booked so I went in this morning to meet with her. Oh and they weighed him yesterday on the hospital scales and he weighed 5.03 lbs. (I'm willing to bet the hospital scales are right!) So I go in this morning with a hungry baby and we weigh him before he nursed and after to see how much he was getting from me. He got a little over an ounce from me. Well, the LC figured it up that he needed 13.3 oz of breastmilk a day for him to maintain his weight--so he needs to have more than that to gain. She figured that if he was getting the same amount of milk at each 3 hour feeding, he was coming up short--so her suggestion was to feed him every two hours for now. Exhausting--but worth it if it makes him gain weight and get stronger. The stronger he gets, the more he will be able to nurse and get more from me. She said that he could easily gain a pound in a week if I keep this feeding schedule up. I go back to meet with her again on Tuesday to see how we are progressing. Well, gotta go--20 minutes till feeding time! LOL!

HE'S HERE! Part 2

I'm gonna try to get all this typed!

After I gave birth and the nurses were doing all the checks and stuff, they noticed that his blood sugar was low. With the OneTouch it was in the 30's so they sent blood to the lab and it came back 21! It needed to stay above 40. So they let me nurse him and it was still low so they took him to the nursery to put an IV in to give him some sugar water. This was around 5-5:30. Well, around 7:30-ish, we decided to go see him--I walk around the corner and he's got a CPAP on! I was a little freaked! So the nurse who had been working with him before the shift change was still there and she told us that she had noticed him getting a little pale and she checked his Oxygen levels and they were low. So she was just letting the O2 blow in his face but his levels weren't improving, so the doc said to try the CPAP. They then ordered chest x-rays and blood cultures to see if he had any infection. The doc then came over and told us that the x-ray looked like he might have pneumonia! But they would wait on preliminary blood work to see--in the mean time, they went ahead and started him on antibiotics. They also ordered an ultrasound of his heart to rule out any problems there that might would make him have breathing problems. We went back to the room and then returned to the nursery around 10-10:30 when the doc said they wanted to intubate him to help him thru the night and they would be able to administer surfactant to help open up his lungs. Oh, and the heart u/s was normal--WHEW! The doc asked me a lot of questions about weather or not all my cultures done prior to delivery had been negative, and they had been. Then he said he really didn't think he had pneumonia because my water hadn't been broken for an extended period of time, I showed no signs of any type infection, and my cultures had been negative. He was now leaning more toward the lungs just not being developed quite enough. So we agreed to have him intubated and we also agreed to let them try to put in lines to the umbilical artery and vein--they got one, couldn't get the other--but this way they could draw blood without sticking him everytime time--and by this time he'd already been treated like a little pin cushion! Poor baby! So with the vent, the IV in his arm, heart monitors, pulse-oximeter--he looked like a very sick baby. VERY SCARY!

12 hours later, he was off the vent and was extubated. One line down! And they finally let me start nursing him again. But he was taking an hour to eat! We tried with a Supplemental Nursing System and he still was taking forever. We put a feeding tube back down his nose so we knew he wasn't starving and I could still work on nursing him. Then one of the nurses suggested we try using the SNS on our finger and finger feed him (they knew I didn't want to give him a bottle if I could help it.) So, he seemed to do better, but was still slow. So the nurse said that at one of the feedings that night, she would use the SNS with him and let me sleep! So, that night as she was feeding him, she noticed he had a strong suck reflex but something was wrong because it was taking him so long. So she called the lactation consultant who examined his mouth--he was tongue-tied! He couldn't stick his tongue out enough to get it around the nipple of my breast or a bottle!

I can't remember what lines came out next--I do know that they had to relocate his IV because it was leaking. They tried to find veins in his arms to use to no avail--as a last resort they had to put it in his head! The IV finally came out when we could prove he was gaining weight on milk--not on sugar water! After the feeding tube came out, I HAD to prove to them that I could get him to take a bottle before they would let us leave--so I lost that battle. It upset me very much--especially since I felt like my milk supply was diminishing and I NEEDED him to nurse!

Oh, the best news was that the blood cultures all came back negative for infection--so NO pneumonia. Just respiratory distress syndrome as they say--he just needed a little help from the surfactant and vent.

I think that's about it--if I remember more, I'll edit this.

I need to go now--little one has a doc appt this morning--Pray he's gained weight and not LOST it!

He's HERE!!! Part 1

This story is long so I think I'll break it down into two parts!

Went to the doc on Thursday morning for my regular appt. When the doc measured me, he said I was measuring small--that it could be either that the baby had dropped some more or low amniotic fluid--I was 4 cm dialated. So he ordered an ultrasound to check. Well, the ultrasound not only revealed low amniotic fluid, but also a small baby--meaning he wasn't getting the nourishment he needed from the placenta. I couldn't believe the u/s tech when she told me he would only be around 5 lbs! So, I saw the doc again after the u/s and he said he thought it would be best for me to go ahead and go to the hospital to be induced--after all, my cervix was favorable. I had joked about them just sending me to the hospital this day--couldn't believe they really were!

So I arrive at the hospital at 11 am--at 11:44, the doc on call broke my water. I wanted to avoid pitocin if I could so I requested we try that first--that was the doc's idea too. I immediately started having contractions--the first one was a doozy and lasted 2 minutes! Then I'd have a bunch of little ones and then another big one. Didn't know how long I'd be able to handle it without pain meds! This labor definitely was different than the painless one I had with Nevan! The nurse noticed that his heartrate would drop during those strong contractions so she was in the room watching the monitor to make sure he recovered in a reasonable amount of time. Then it happened--I had a bad one and he wasn't recovering--3 or 4 other nurses come running in along with the doctor--they were rolling me from side to side and pushing really hard on my stomach to try to find his heart beat. They put an oxygen mask on me. The pushing on my stomach during a contraction was unbearable! After what seemed like an eternity, they found his heartrate and it was back in a normal range. I was whimping out because I was scared and was getting ready to ask for some pain meds when the doc asked me if I was feeling any pressure--I told her no--as I'm saying no, she checks me--I'm 9.5 centimeters! So, when I hear that, I remember saying, "It's too late for drugs now!" The doc agreed--LOL! At the end of the next hard contraction, I started feeling the urge to push. She tells me not to and gets her stuff on. With the next contraction, I'm pushing and out he comes in about 3-4 pushes! Little booger had his cord around his neck! No wonder his heartrate dropped! He arrived at 2:39--1 hour 56 minutes after my water was broken! His apgar scores were 8 at 1 minute and 9 at 5 minutes.

Our pastor was there when I had the contrax that sent all the nurses running so of course he left the room, but stayed outside in the hallway. Thursday was Maundy Thursday and of course there were services that night. But after all was over and we asked him back in the room, he told us that while standing in the hall, he was given a totally different sermon to preach that night. See, on the TV in the room beside me, they were watching the funeral service for one of two police officers who were killed in the line of duty the previous weekend. He said, as he heard the bagpipes playing for the man who lost his life, he could hear new life in my room. The perfect sermon for an Easter service. I haven't listened to the DVD of the sermon yet, but I'm sure I will cry!

Well, this concludes part 1. I'm gonna have to sit down and see if I can remember what all happened next!

Oh, and the boys absolutely love him! Nevan is fascinated with Pierson's hands! And they both want to hold him and be right up near him. Although, they've both been sick I try to keep them away as much as possible, but they don't understand. (Harrison went to the doc yesterday with a very bad ear infection!) I've got some really cute pics from yesterday when we got home, I'll get them off the camera afterwhile and post a few.

ETA his stats! He was 5 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long. He was born April 5th at 2:39 pm. And he looks JUST like Nevan! It's like I gave birth to a twin two years later! Very scary!! LOL!

Thought it was labor...

but I was fooled! LOL! I was soooo hoping the full moon last night would send me to the hospital--it gave me some real contractions, but not true labor. I would have a couple like 10-12 minutes apart and then they would go to 20-30 minutes apart. Then after I went to bed, I think I had about 1 an hour--I was waking up every hour because I kept laying on my arms and my hands would go to sleep!

Nevan is really whiny today--don't know if it's after effects from yesterday or what, but he's wanted to be held since he got up this morning. I can't get anything done! And my laundry pile is rivaling the heights of Mt Everest! (no sense having that many clothes to wash!) Besides, if I can do some heavy house cleaning today, maybe my contractions will come back!

Oh, I forgot to mention that 3 days ago, Nevan wore big boy undies from 10 am until 7 pm with NO accidents! I might get the boy potty trained yet!

Nevan's tubes

Everything went well. We had to be there at 7 am (UGH!) And of course, my well laid plans to keep him up a little later last night so that he could eat and drink late didn't work! He was asleep at 8 pm! And he woke at 2 am BEGGING for a drink--he was up for an hour and a half! I didn't go back to sleep until after 4 am and the alarm was set for 15 til 6! They didn't take him back for the actual surgery until about 10 after 8. While they had him, I walked back to the other end of the hospital to move my car closer to the day surgery and call Mark--literally 8 minutes after they took him, they were paging me to come back to talk to the doc!!! 15 minutes after that they paged again for me to come be with N. He was crying, of course, but I think it was really because he wanted the pulse-oximeter off his finger! He whined until we could take it off--which was about 30 minutes later--then he wanted to get down and play! He's sitting in my lap now--asleep. Doc said he drained fluid out of each ear but that everything went just as it should. I'm just glad it's over! I came home and took a 2 hour nap!

Today's a full moon--ya think I've got a chance to have this baby today???? Probably not!

Still pregnant! 37 wks 2 days and counting...

Man oh man did I forget how miserable the last month of pregnancy can be!!! Actually, I think I'm experiencing things this time that I didn't with either of my other two--like sciatic nerve pain--OUCH! Took me almost 5 minutes to get out of bed this morning! And, I feel like I've been kicked (and probably have been) in the ribs repeatedly! Don't remember that one. If this baby is as low as they say he is and still kicking my ribs--he must be long! LOL! And my back hurts constantly! Went to the doc this morning and gained 4 lbs in a week!!! NOT GOOD! I have this craving--but I don't know what it's for--so I just eat hoping I'll find what it is I'm wanting. We've got to stop that! Especially if I don't want a 10-pounder! They didn't check me today, so I don't know if I've made any more progress or not.

Okay, as I type this, H is telling N, "Let me feel your belly so I can check on your baby!" LOL! Too funny!

Nevan went for his pre-op appt today for his tubes. The surgery date is set for April 2nd--IF I don't have a baby by then. I'm gonna be a nervous wreck!

Nevan has been really whiny today--wonder what's up with him?? He still needs another front tooth--could it be that he's finally gonna get it? Or maybe it was his bout with having bathroom trouble today. Maybe his belly still hurts. Or it could just be that it's been too chilly and drizzly to go outside today.

Another doc appt

Had yet another doctor appointment today. I am now dialated 3 cm! Which doesn't really mean anything since I was dialated 4 cm for a month before I had Nevan! Other than than, it was a pretty uneventful appt. I must have remember my weight wrong two weeks ago because I thought I weighed 168 that day--but last week I weighed 165 and today I weighed 167.4. I like those numbers a little better anyway! LOL! We aren't gonna talk about the carton of ice cream I just finished off--didn't even bother putting it in a bowl! LOL!

It was a beeeeuuuuutiful day today! And it's supposed to be nice for the next week! I'm already feeling the effects of the pollen though--my eyes are driving me nutso!

I was outside all day with the boys--took them to the playground at Asbury UMC for about 2 hours. The rest of the time they were playing in the back yard. You would think all that playing would make them just collapse in the bed, but NOOOOOO! It took 30 minutes to get them settled down tonight! I ended up having to sit between them in the bed so they would leave each other alone! Crazy boys!

It's almost 9 pm--my back is hurting from all the play today. I want to soak in the tub. But I want to go downstairs and scrapbook a little too. Hum--what should I do??? Decisions, Decisions!

I'm FREE!

I've been officially released from bedrest! It feels soooooo good!

Well, I go to the doc today--hoping for the official release from bedrest--even though I've been disobeying docs orders since Sunday!

The past two days have been absolutely beautiful! Played outside with the boys most of both afternoons. Emily came yesterday and took H back with her to take him to Papaw's to spend the night! Felt really wierd to have only one kid at home! N hated it when they left--he couldn't understand why he couldn't go--poor thing! And of course, since his playmate was gone, I had to entertain him!

Nevan can count to 11 by himself! It's funny, he gets to 11 and starts back over at 8! He's one smart little cookie! He learns sooooo much from H! And he's really doing quite well with potty training. Even though I haven't really "worked" with him! The other day, he wore big boy undies all afternoon with only 1 accident! I'm amazed!

Well, gotta go take a shower--Emily's gonna keep N while I go to the doc today so I have to leave early!

Here's a pic Mark took of me yesterday. Comparing it to the last one taken, I don't really look that much bigger! YAY!

More updates

Went to the doc on Thursday--my appt was supposed to be at 12:15, but after waking up at 3 a.m. nauseous and my back hurting--and then vomiting and having diahrea--I called and got my appt moved up. Turns out it was probably just a touch of the stomach bug that's been going around. Luckily, it didn't last long! Harrison had it later that day--once vomiting and that was it. He never acted like he felt bad. So that was good! Just had to wash all the padding and stuff on his car seat, because of course, he did it in the car!

I did have a little change this week--I'm now 80% effaced and the baby's head is at 0 station now. Still 2 cm dialated. I asked the doc about getting off the bedrest and he said they had actually discussed letting me up some this week, but since I've been sick and had just a little change, he suggested I still lay low. Darn it! I was dehydrated a little too--probably from the stomach thing. Oh and I was having more contractions too--nothing regular though. Probably caused by being dehydrated. Although, I've been trying to drink more water, I'm still having about 1 an hour. That's more than I was having. Dare I post it--my weight was at 168--still not too bad since I started at 143 (I think!). So that's what? 25 lbs? Right on target for suggested weight gain--I've got a little over 5 more weeks to my actual due date and 1 lb a week would put me right on 30 lbs. I've definitely done better this time around in that regard. Oh, and the doc said I measured a little small, but that's probably because the baby is so low.

I'm gonna get Mark to take another pic of me today--I'll try to figure out how to post it here!

Another uneventful doc appt today. They repeated the FFN test and of course it was still positive, so I'm still hanging out on the bed or couch! (oh, and no cervical changes either.) And it was sooooooo pretty yesterday and today that I started to get a little hint of spring fever! Not a good thing to get when on bedrest! If I can make this thing last 2 more weeks I'll be in good shape--at 34 weeks +, if I go into true labor, the docs won't stop it. I told Mark today that my luck--I'll carry this baby to April and go overdue!

Went to the doc yesterday--nothing new to report. All they did was listen to the heartbeat and measure me. I will probably have the FFN test repeated at my appt next week--FUN! LOL!

Nevan went to the doc yesterday too. He has an appt with the ENT doc next Friday about his ears. Hope he's not gonna be like me!

Nevan update

Nevan is too smart for his own good! He can open the kitchen cabinets--the ones with the safety latches on them! I guess we're gonna have to go to Plan B!!!

He FINALLY got his 3rd bottom incisor--the one to the left of his center left one--at 26 months old! I didn't think he was ever gonna get those teeth!

2-8-07 doctor appt

Went back to the doc yesterday where they repeated the fetal Fibronectin (ffn) test. When the doc did it, she told me that if it came back negative, they might let me get out of bed more. But, it's still positive--so I'm still in bed.... At least my cervix hasn't changed any more and she didn't say at what station the baby was, but she said he's very low. So I don't know. I told her I had a bit of a cold--stuffy nose, scratchy throat, cough--but I didn't actually ask for anything to help it. But this morning (after coughing my head off all night) I asked the nurse if there was anything they could prescribe to make the cough go away! Mark has gone to pick up my drugs now! YAY! My throat hurts more today--I really hope it's just drainage--and NOT strep! I haven't taken any Sudafed this morning because I wanted to wait and see what the doc gave me and make sure it was safe to take the two together. So that's how it's going.

Early bird

Well, here it is 5:10 am, and I'm wide awake! This is what happens when you go to sleep around 9 pm!

I'm not sure (I'm never sure about anything!) but I think baby may have moved down some more. This entire week of bedrest, I have not noticed my pelvic bones feeling like they could just break--until yesterday! Yesterday morning (like 4 am morning!) I was experiencing some pressure, but no contrax. I'd feel the pressure when baby was moving--and boy was he ever moving! But, who knows? Could just be my paranoia!

I've got to remember to get Mark to pack my bag for me today. I don't really need much--clothes to come home in, a housecoat, toiletries. Baby won't be coming home immediately so I won't need anything for him really. I might take MY breastpump although I know the hospital will have one. I need to have him put some towels/blankets in the car--just in case! Heaven forbid! And we can NOT forget the cameras! I need to make sure I've got film for mine--I'm pretty sure I do, but I've gotta find it!

I need to write a letter to the director of H's preschool telling her that I'm sending paperwork for Nevan to start next year, but that I want to leave him on the waiting list for a later start. We could afford to send him the whole year, but I don't want to get in a bind--esp since Mark's gonna be signing up for unemployment for 10 weeks this spring/summer. (they will be working a week/off a week.) It's unlikely that the preschool will get an opening later in the year, but you never know. I'd hate to start sending Nevan and then have to pull him out--he wouldn't like that one bit! Besides, he learns so much from H that I don't think missing a year of preschool is gonna hurt him. I would just like to have 2 kiddos gone for 3 mornings a week! LOL!

Well, I'm rambling. I think I'll go TRY to go back to sleep--that is after I find some food!

Bed rest!!!

Well, I figured a blog would be the easiest way for me to keep friends and family up to date on the progress of this pregnancy and it would be a way for me to remember all this fun stuff later when I'm ready to scrapbook it!

My bedrest all started innocently enough on January 24th (Wed. 28 wks, 1 d) when I went to the doctor for a routine ultrasound. I was having this u/s done because at my 17 week u/s, they found I had partial placenta previa. They wanted to check to make sure it was out of the way before I delivered this baby. So while the tech is looking around, she asks me if I'd been having any contractions. I told her, "Only Braxton Hicks." But I thought the question was odd. So, when I get back to the exam room to see the doc, he tells me that the good news is that the previa is gone--the not so good news is that my cervix is shortening. So he tells me he wants to examine me to see if I have dialate or not. I'm dialated 1-2 cm! So then, he sends me to the hospital to be monitored for a couple of hours to make sure I'm not having contractions that I'm not feeling. I had two contrax in two hours--definitely not in labor! So, they send me home with instructions to take it as easy as possible. Well, then on Saturday, I started experiencing a lot of pressure, so I called the doc on call. He told me that to make me feel more comfortable, he suggested I come in and let him check me. When he checked me, he said I was definitely a 2, but that he wasn't gonna say my cervix had actually changed--the difference could well be the examiner. But he performed a fetal fibronectin test that tells them if this protein is present--if it is, it means your cervix is getting ready for delivery, so you are at greater risk for preterm labor. Of course, mine was positive! But what concerned the doc most was that during the exam he did, he could see the baby's bag of water thru my cervix already! He said that normally he can't see that until there's 3-4 cm dialation! So, I was admitted to the hospital for Saturday night, where I received steroid shots to help develop the baby's lungs--one at 4:20 Saturday afternoon, another at 4:20 Sunday afternoon. Boy did those hurt! I felt like I'd been hit in the thigh with a baseball going about 90 mph! After my 2nd shot, I was checked again to make sure there had been no changes (I was still 2 cm, 50% effaced and baby is at -1 station!) and allowed to go home--ON BEDREST!!

So, I've been at it for a week now. I'm not going too crazy yet. The biggest issue has been scheduling babysitters to watch the boys while Mark is at work. I hate asking for help so this has definitely been a humbling experience! I've been praying for more patience too--this is definitely the way to gain more of that also!

The boys are adapting well to not having mommy there for everything--amazingly! Nevan still wants me to hold him, but I just have to tell him no. I think Harrison kinda understands, but not fully.

I did get one outing this week--to go back to the doc! I, of course, had lots of questions--I asked the doc if he thought there was anyway I'd make it to April--he said, "No. Maybe, first of March--that's iffy though." They would like me to make it (ideally) to 34 weeks. Of course, if the baby was born now, he would be okay--he would just spend around 2 months in the hospital! That would be very hard, but I'd have to accept that he has to be there! And of course I'll be making weekly visits to the doctor now. I asked other questions too, but I can't remember what they were now! LOL!

I think I'm gonna get Mark to go ahead and pack my bags today--just so I can be semi-prepared!