Baby Update #2

So yesterday afternoon I began having contractions sometime between 2 & 3 & the were pretty mild (almost unnoticeable) at first & they got stronger to the point that I decided to sit down & pay attention for a little bit. Well, they were regular, every 4-5 minutes lasting for 45 seconds to a minute. I kept an "eye" on them for a while longer & just went about my business. After about 2 hours of this I realized they were getting stronger & a little closer together, more like every 3-4 minutes & still lasting a minute each. After debating with myself about it I decided to call my midwife & she told me to go ahead & go to the hospital & have a baby! This was about 5:45-6-ish. We got the kids over to Sarah (THANK YOU!!!!) & headed to Chandler Regional. By the time we got back to triage it was just about 7 & by the time I was all hooked up to the monitors my contractions were coming about a minute & a half to 2 minutes apart & they felt pretty strong, not painful, just REAL. Well, we got there pretty much right at shift change for the nurses so it took a minute to get checked to see if I was dilating at all but when I did I had the happy news that I was open just a bit, dilated to 1 cm. HALLELUJAH!!! In my previous pregnancies I have NEVER dilated before actually being in labor so I was VERY happy! That isn't enough to be admitted though so after the triage nurse spoke to my midwife it was decided that I would walk for an hour, see if we couldn't move things along (that is usually how it works for me). Well, we walked & the whole time I felt like I was carrying the baby around between my knees, she felt that low. When we got back to triage after our walk they hooked me back up to all the monitors & I was still contracting every minute & a half to 2 minutes but the strength & length of my contractions had lessened some. I got checked again after monitoring me & baby for about 20 minutes & I was...wait for it...STILL only dilated to a 1! So disappointed! We came home, ate some dinner (we neglected to eat on the way to the hospital, too distracted I guess LOL) and went to bed. I was feeling discouraged & more then a little disappointed. I REALLY wanted my baby here!
Anyway, I think I am still on the induction list (we were put on hold due to LOTS of laboring mothers who did it on their own) & I am determined to get her here ASAP!!!
Thank you for all your positive thoughts & prayers. Keep 'em coming!

Baby Update

Well, I don't have a belly pic for this week because I TOTALLY expected to be having a baby as we speak (or as I type, whatever!). I DO have some good news though & here it comes! I am scheduled for an induction Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. YAY! We will leave the house around 7 a.m. to get to the hospital & my wonderful sister-in-law is going to come over before then to get Jay off to school & to be with Lizzie while we are at the hospital. SOOO excited!
So keep checking, I'll post pics and stats as soon as possible.

Funny things Lizzie says

Lately Lizzie has been putting more & more big words & phrases into her vocabulary & the results are often hilarious. For example the other day she was telling me that when she grows up she wants to be a Fire "Angel" & rescue kitties from trees. She then told me I would be the kitty...when she & Jalen discuss what kind of cars they want to drive when they get big enough Jalen wants to drive all the sports cars on the road, most specifically a red Mitsubishi Eclipse (Like Aunt Sarah's, only red!) and Lizzie also wants a red vehicle. A BIG red truck with ladders on it. I wonder if she really is going to be a fire "angel" when she gets big?!?
Jay made me VERY proud this morning by telling Lizzie, in a VERY matter-of-fact tone, that "People can't have babies in high school, they're too young!". I whole heartedly agreed with him, such a smart boy!

~38 Weeks~

Here it is, not "the Big One" I'd hoped for but just another week of pregnant belly. I'm feeling pretty good still, really quite tired all the time but other then that good. I am feeling like she is getting herself in the best position to be born because it seems like my belly gets lower every day! I've been walking A LOT to get the most out of gravity & I feel like that has definitely been a good thing. This morning at the gym one of the staff trainers said something to the effect that she thought I was going to give birth right then & there. I'm sure that is only because of how big I am, nothing else. When she asked how much longer I had she was impressed that I am still working out (so was everyone in the lobby at the time!). I guess I am pretty impressed with myself!
We had a little "scare" last week that kind of (totally!) freaked me out. When I woke up from napping on Thursday afternoon I realized that I hadn't felt baby move much all day. She is usually VERY active in the morning & settles down mid-afternoon until around 7 or 8 p.m. when she gets active again until I go to bed. She also moves some during the night. Anyway, I hadn't felt much from her all morning & when I woke up at 2 p.m. & still hadn't felt much I got worried enough to first call mom & then my midwife. She instructed me to head DIRECTLY to the OB triage at the hospital. I made arrangements for the kids (THANK YOU SARAH!!!!) & called dad since Mark had taken our car to work that day. I also e-mailed Mark at work to let him know what was up & gave him some advice I was struggling to follow myself: "DON'T FREAK OUT!". Well, Mark got to the hospital BEFORE dad & me so dad just dropped me off. We went in, filled out a little paperwork & then was quickly seen in the outer part of triage. My mind was almost instantly put at ease by hearing her heartbeat, nice & strong. PHEW!!! She still wasn't being active so they took me back to the curtained area, had me change into a gown & hooked me up to the heart monitor & the contraction monitor. Again, SOOO relieved to hear a strong, loud, steady heartbeat but not much movement. After monitoring us for a little bit I drank some ice cold orange juice (that seems to get her to move pretty consistently). She wasn't moving as much as the triage nurse thought was appropriate after that so she brought in something called an acoustic agitator. It looked a little like a microphone and when she put it by my belly & pushed the button it made a noise similar to an alarm clock set to buzzer setting. She put it in 3 different places and, wouldn't you know it!, baby began moving like CRAZY!!! It was like she had been sleeping all day & just needed to wake up. We left a short time later & called everyone who we had let share in our freak out to let them know everything was fine. She has been back on her "regular" moving schedule since then & that is a major relief!
I was told by both the new midwife & the triage nurse that it looks like she is shaping up to be as big as her sister & while I don't exactly like that I know that I will be able to handle it much better this time around!
So she is big & healthy & a good sleeper apparently! I can't wait to meet her & get to know her personality. Not too much longer (thank the stars!) & she'll be here!!!

Just Because

Lizzie is getting so big & is as goofy as ever. I love her sense of humor & how she seems to learn something new EVERY day! Just yesterday her most used phrase was "Hey" whoever she was talking to "wanna hear something?" and then she would proceed to "whistle". She was mostly just making a very quiet whistling noise through her teeth but it was too cute. When I asked her where she learned to whistle she quickly pointed to me! Man, was I shocked. I had no idea I was such a great teacher, I don't even remember it happening! She also has this ADORABLE little bike that Aunt Sarah bought for her & yesterday she rode it when we took Jay to school & picked him up. She isn't the best at steering but she pedals like a champ! Sometimes she wants to go as fast as she can & I have no hope of keeping up with her! She wears her little helmet when she rides as well & after school she got a Popsicle from Jay's teacher for wearing it! SO nice! It is really nice to have her bicycle at our house for now, we walked Jay to & from school most days this week & the umbrella stroller has handles that are just too low! It REALLY bothers my back to push her in that! Lizzie's little bike has a handle that comes out behind the seat & is MUCH higher then the stroller handle. It is awesome! She has a new piggy bank also and our deal is that any money she finds on the ground is hers. She has a pretty healthy amount of pennies but a surprising amount of nickels & dimes as well. It is pretty impressive! She loves to get her money out to "count" it. She doesn't worry about the value of the coin she is counting, they all equal "one" to her!


Jalen is almost 7 1/2 and I am amazed every day by what a big boy he is getting to be. He is almost finished with first grade & he is already reading at a second grade level! He is a curious & funny little guy. He likes to read the reference books from the library (books about dinosaurs, sea animals, plants, etc.) and then tell me about the things he's read. It is also fun to talk to him about Star Wars. After all these years it is still his favorite & he LOVES to talk about the Episode 7 movie he wants to make when he gets older. His imagination is endless & he draws what he imagines. He is a really good little artist & I am proud to say I can almost ALWAYS tell what it is he has drawn. In the picture above you'll notice his hair is EXTREMELY short. He was sort of growing it out but now that it is getting ready to be hot again we decided to do a buzz cut. He really likes having his hair this short but I have to admit, it makes him look older so it isn't my favorite! Am I the only mom who feels that way? Does anyone else want to stop time & keep their kids little forever? I LOVE my boy so much it makes me nostalgic to think about him getting older. Anyway, Jay is an amazing student when it comes to his "seatwork" and I am proud/frustrated that the time honored practice of spelling out things we don't want the kids to hear is pretty much out the window now that Jay is such a good speller! He can decipher almost everything we spell & then says it out loud so his sister knows too! Oh well, we get to practice talking in code or something!

The kids are getting bigger, the time for baby is getting closer every day & we are so excited! Life is really great right now & I know it will only get better as time goes on!

Jalen Update

So I alluded to it in an earlier post but I want to give a quick update on Jalen for those who may not know. Last Friday (the 3rd) Jay was pretty sluggish after school & not his usual self. While having dinner with Mark I noticed he was feeling kind of warm so I gave him a little ibuprofen before bed, hoping to knock out whatever was making him sick. Well, it didn't work! He was sick all weekend, even throwing up once on Sunday (I think he gagged on something he attempted to eat, ALL food tastes weird to him when he is sick). Since Sirrine has a 24 hr puke policy (Your child must be 24 hours vomit free before they can return to school) I kept him home on Monday. He didn't have a fever & felt well enough to fight with Lizzie all day so I figured he MUST be well enough to go to school! I sent him on Tuesday & he came home all sluggish & tired again. I kept him inside rather then let him out to play with his neighborhood friends and we had an early bedtime. Wednesday morning I could barely get him out of bed and when I took his temperature it was 101 degrees! Needless to say he stayed home on Wednesday. I gave him more ibuprofen & put him back to bed. He slept until almost noon & then dozed off & on the rest of the day in the living room. We went to mom & dad's for Ted's birthday dinner & Jay spent all but the few minutes eating dinner laying quietly on the couch. When it was time to leave he got his shoes on & just laid down on the floor by the door. Dad finally walked him out to the car & he fell asleep on the way home. I had already decided to keep him home again on Thursday & while he was MUCH cooler (temperature-wise) he was still VERY sleepy & gave me zero argument when I suggested we all take naps. He was much better again on Friday & just got better & better all weekend. He still has "sick-eyes" but I know he is feeling better, no fever at all & just a little cough that is on its way out. Thank goodness! I was beginning to get a little nervous but he is such a trooper!
So that is that. Oh yeah, through all that you'd think Lizzie would have gotten a little something wouldn't you? Oh no! She has been healthy as ever all along!

Easter Sunday

Here are the kids together (looking like they actually love each other even!) in their new Easter clothes. I had wanted to put Lizzie's hair in curlers last night but she absolutely refused! We did two ponies instead & I think she looks REALLY cute!


Here is Jay in his new clothes & with his new haircut. It almost breaks my heart to see how grown up he looks! It is so crazy to think that in a little more then 6 months he'll be getting baptized. My goodness, time flies!

Here is a full length picture of Lizzie. Can you tell that she is pointing at me with her middle finger? I noticed it & find it hilarious. But she looks so pretty and sweet otherwise right? Notice all the decorations on the front door? Lizzie has been doing that lately. The hearts are from a set of fairy princess wall decorations that Aunt Sarah got for her & the others are drawings (or signs) that Lizzie has made and put on her door. Now they are on the front door & I LOVE it!

The whole family going to church together on Easter morning! I LOVE IT!!! I was so happy & had such a nice time listening to the talks & actually hearing what was being said. Lizzie loved having her daddy there to sit with & to take her out to get a drink or go potty (Mommy loved that part too!). The Primary sang a song too & it was nice to see & hear Jalen up there with the other children. All in all a WONDERFUL meeting!


Here are a couple pictures of the kids on the hunt. We went over to Sarah's house to have food & our Easter egg hunt so that we could be done early. We could have been a part of the party at Rachel & Spencer's but we were done by 5:30 p.m. & that was about the time things were getting started over there. It was SOOO fun to cook in a different kitchen & to get to spend time with Mike. We had a great time & were home for an on-time bedtime!

It looks to me like we weren't the only ones who had fun! We love having so much family around and getting to spend time with them! It is really fun for the kids to have an uncle like Mike who loves to play just as much as they do!

~37 Weeks~

So here is baby belly week 37. I am feeling as big as I look & VERY ready to have this little girl here & in my arms. I am pretty uncomfortable when I sleep at night, waking up every 45 minutes or so to change position. I also get to go to the bathroom every other time I wake up as well so that is ENDLESS fun! *L*
I have my next appointment on Wednesday & I get to meet the new midwife. At this point I am praying that either Katy or the new midwife (Ramona) takes pity on me & we figure out a way to have this baby by next weekend AT THE LATEST! I really have loved this pregnancy, I REALLY feel though that it is time to experience the next phase, y'know?
Check back next week to see if my next post is "the big one!".

Random Lizzie Cuteness

So this is the outfit Lizzie decided to wear yesterday. It is her Christmas dress over a pink tunic style shirt with striped socks & tie up tennis shoes. Not sure why this is the ultimate outfit but she felt "BE-YOU-TI-FUL!" as she would say. We got to do our grocery shopping yesterday afternoon so the patrons & workers at Wal-Mart were blessed enough to see this in person. She really has a knack for making a fashion statement, no?
This is Lizzie in her tutu that she got from Maddie for Christmas. She was wearing shorts underneath & that is her ACTUAL outfit today, she just decided to put her tutu on after naps for a little bit.

In Jalen news, he has been under the weather since Friday afternoon. He has had a fever, no appetite & a little bit of belly trouble. He stayed home from school today & I can tell he is feeling MUCH better! I'm looking forward to him going to school tomorrow even if he isn't! *L*

~36 Weeks~

Here is baby belly week 36. Getting closer & SOOO ready! I thought I might be going into labor last night when I woke up around 3 a.m. to use the bathroom & get a drink, I went back to bed and almost immediately began having contractions. They were every 8-9 minutes and lasting for most of a minute. I couldn't fall back to sleep & kept changing positions, nothing worked. A little after 5 a.m. they finally stopped & by then I had to pee again (go figure!) but for a while I was pretty sure it was time!
I saw my midwife this morning & while nothing is going on (effacing/dilating speaking) my midwife, Janice (LOVE her!) says that I can have this baby anytime & she won't stop me. YAY! The practice has just acquired another midwife so my next appointment gets to be with her (in case I go into labor when she is on call, I'll already know her). Janice wouldn't be surprised if I have baby before then, it's a week and a half away. That is also good to know!
Anyway, still feeling good, getting to the gym 3 times a week. I'm changing my workout from the stationary bike to the Treadmill or elliptical machine, I've decided to let gravity do some of the work in getting the baby here!