Here's Jacob

I'm not QUITE up to my normal movement and endurance, so I hope these pictures will suffice until I can tell the WHOLE story! (Just know, that this baby is THE most beautiful baby I've ever seen!!)

Well....

So the computer is acting up....AGAIN! GAH!! Yeah, Steve tried to install the actual anti-spyware software he bought at the store, and POOF!! Our start up tool bar disappeared. Then today, he tried to just TURN the dang thing on, and black screen! I'm ready to be DONE with the stupid thing!! I just know that my friends all live in it! :(

So I've got a little over 24 hours until baby #2 comes, and I'm freaking out!! Don't get me wrong, I'm THRILLED to be having another child, but there are some anxieties that I'm facing. I love having Jacob where he is, he's SO easy to take care of while he's inside of me, I'm not so sure that I'll be able to handle TWO kids! I'm also waking myself up after my 5th or 6th nightly potty break. (Usually around 4:00 in the morning) and I can't fall asleep. I end up staying awake until 7:00ish, and it's driving me nuts! I'm SO tired, and I know this is my last full week of uninterrupted sleep! WHY!? I'll wake up and think, "Hey, I should remember to pack such-and-such...." Then I start to think of all of the other chores and things I have to do to prepare my house for this little boy. Then I just get myself all worked up and just can't sleep! So not fun!

Cameron is also going to the Learning Center and doing amazing!! He loves it and I know he needs it. We've also set up transportation for him, since I won't be able to drive him around for at LEAST 2 weeks after the c-section. He loves it, but I'm getting frustrated with the transportation people. They're great, don't get me wrong, but they're confused. I hope things are better now!!

I've been having insane dreams as well. I dreamed that I'd had baby #2 and he looked identical to Cameron, and I had a hard time telling them apart! (Yes, in my dream there was STILL an 8 year age difference, but that didn't matter!) So crazy!! I also dreamed that my mom, dad, grandpa, and Cameron crashed their way into the operating room. I'm so anxious about everything that these insane dreams aren't helping!

My sister and husband decided to come up for a summer break. (I'm SO excited!) She's got such a cute little bump! (Compared to my monsterous belly!!)

And we've cut off Cam's hair again. It was nearly to "hair-pulling length," and I know I won't be up to buzzing it when Jacob is here (at least for a while) so I cut it tonight. We left it long on the sides and back to make him look a little more like my grandpa!! (Yeah, cheap entertainment!)

Friday's the day I have the baby. I will let you know the details when I can, but we don't have access to the computer, so it may be a while....don't give up....you WILL know! :)

Little Updates

I've been whining TOO much about my pregnancy!! Seriously, why don't some of you guys just cyber-slap me? ;)

There ARE other things going on in my life, and I'm going to take just a little bit of time and let you know what some of those other things are.

Cameron was supposed to have summer school, but we've recently discovered that he doesn't qualify! Yeah, we were shocked too! Apparently, to qualify for summer school a child needs to have a deficiency (meaning after a school break they regress) or an emerging trait (which he doesn't.) His teacher told me that after Christmas and Spring breaks he continued to progress....no regression! Which is actually a good thing, right!? (I keep repeating this to myself....) So his learning is GOOD, not bad! The problem I'm having with the decision is that he really SHOULD have summer school. Last summer the boy knew ALL of the letters of the alphabet (which according to their counting is 52...upper and lowercase letters). When he came back to school this year, he had lost the letters, instead of knowing all 52, he only knew 18. He also knew the letter sounds at the end of last school year, this year, he only knew 15 sounds...see the regression? To hopefully keep what he's learned fresh, we're putting him back in the Learning Center several days a week. I'm crossing my fingers that this will keep the boy from falling backward.

I've fallen in love with a new book series. Anyone heard of Fablehaven? If you haven't heard of these books, I would HIGHLY recommend you look into them. If you love (or even just like) the Harry Potter books, then Fablehaven would be right up your alley too! I read the first book in less than 24 hours, then I read books #2 and 3 before the end of the week. And since I loved the Fablehaven series so well, I even read The Candy Shop War....again, in less than 24 hours. I have to say, the guy who wrote these books writes in such a way that it's an easy read, without making you feel stupid. He even puts in words that make you think, "Now what does that mean again??" Yeah, SO good!! I love love LOVE them!!

Our bedroom is now ready for another person to inhabit. We've cleaned and rearranged things so that we now can fit the playpen at the end of the bed, and can hang our clothes in our closet. Steve fixed the closet while I was at either a church function, or something....I wasn't around....and he finished it!! He's such a great guy!!

We've also got an air conditioner that we're installing in the bedroom window. I managed to get my dad (the carpenter-man) to cut me some wood so that we can have an air-tight seal. I had measured wrong initially, but we've since fixed the prego-brain's boo boo.

And, hey, we've been stimulated!! ;) We're spending a little on Cameron, who has out-grown most of his current clothes, and using the rest on unpaid bills. Yeah, we're "stimulating" the economy! :P

Things really aren't all bad! I just seem to complain a lot....sheesh! Things are working out VERY well, and I do love my life! Among the different doctor appointments, the NSTs, and Cameron's appointments my life is very busy, but I do love every minute of it. If nothing else, I always have something to laugh about!

Home Stretch

Well, things are moving, moving, moving.

As of this week, I now see the doctor weekly, with additional visits to the hospital.

Today we attempted to do a non-stress-test at my doctor's office, but her equipment isn't quite as sophistcated as my floppy belly needs. I sat and waited for an hour and a half for some good readings and got nothing! (On top of the crappy equipment, the baby was totally being stubborn. He was asleep for the majority of the time!)

The doctor told me that she wants me to go do NSTs at the hospital TWICE a week! TWICE!! (It's because I'm on insulin.) So now I get to go see the doctor AND go to the hospital! Such a joy! But I did tell the doctor I'd do whatever it took to get a healthy baby, and I mean it!

As of Friday, I have 3 weeks to go!! WOO HOO!!

Belly?? or Baby??

You tell me! ;)

(By the way, I'm 34 weeks pregnant in this picture.)

Well...

We've got a date for when Jacob will be cut out of me....June 6, 2008. I was SO hoping I could get 06-07-08, but Dr. H will be out of town. So the day before is what we've got scheduled. I can't hardly wait!!

The other exciting baby news is that he's "big." As soon as I was measured the doctor told me that he's definitely big. I guess all those cute, little clothes I got probably won't last very long!

Oh, now for the poopy news....the back window of our van WILL be replaced tomorrow, but instead of $200.....it's going to be around $300!! Yeah, I hate these kinds of things!

And to end on a happy bit of news, at least for me. I've been noticing little things when I watch ABC....in between some commercials I see a phrase, "the Mole was here" with a fingerprint in the background. I've been hoping and praying, and it's TRUE!! My absolute favorite show of ALL time is coming back, June 2nd!! YAY!!

Can I be Done Yet?

Okay, so I've still got about 6 weeks until this baby is fully-cooked, but I'm wondering, can I be done now?

My bladder is a bouncing bag for this little boy, and I end up waking up 5-6 times a night, JUST TO PEE!! It's getting super annoying!

He's also REALLY low, which causes me all sorts of pains which, apparently, makes Cam amused. ("Mama, you walk funny!") Yeah, I waddle and my back hurts BAD!!

I've got pretty much EVERYTHING I need (or thought I needed) for this baby. I've had dream after dream about this child, and I'm SUPER anxious to meet him.

We even pre-registered at the hospital today.

I want to be done, but I guess I also want a healthy, fully-cooked baby! *sigh* Six weeks isn't THAT long, right!?

Keep On Truckin', Right!?

I had one of my regular 2-week appointments yesterday, and things seem to be fine. The only problems I'm encountering are with my blood sugars. Lately the fasting sugars have NOT been the best. I have to call my other doctor sometime this week to see what needs to happen. (I think the problem is that I'm now SUPER SUPER hungry, and I can eat a bit more, so I do....and it's not the things I *should* be eating...) I should really TRY to not eat sugary sweets after dinner.....

The other issue is I'm starting to swell. Not as bad as I did with Cameron, by any means, but after church on Sunday I did notice my feet were puffier than normal. I guess it's a good thing I've got ugly foam shoes that will allow me to wear shoes even if my feet are hideously fat.

Cameron has been going with me to these appointments, and he LOVES to hear the heartbeat, even though he thinks he can help the PA find it. Silly boy!! Not that I'd let him touch my naked belly anyway, but ya know....

And after my HAPPY Spring post, it snowed today! I think I may pout just a bit....I want SPRING!!

Crazy Dreams and Little Sleep

That's it for my "bad" news. :) I'm having insanely crazy dreams....ones where there's a psycho ghost baby who is EVIL, but I'm the only one who believes it. So I'm forced to take care of it. (This "ghost baby" was found in Cam's school....what she was doing there no one knows...) I've also dreamt that while Cameron and I went 4-wheeling in the middle of nowhere I ran across my parents. We had run out of gas, and were walking when we saw a castle. They were staying in the castle, that was modernly furnished on the inside, but after a quick peek, the whole castle collapsed with them inside of it. Cam instantly became super-heroey and saved them. Then that same night, I dream that I'm telling my mom about the castle dream. I even show her where the castle was supposed to have been.

Yes, dreams plague me! I get so deeply into my dreams that I sometimes forget where I am when I wake up.

On top of this, my hips are spreading, which causes me constant pain! Finding a comfortable position is not easy, and when I do find that PERFECT spot, Steve will invariably roll toward me and snore in my face or ear, depending on the side I'm sleeping on.

Such fun! :P

On a happier note, I saw my doctor and she's proclaiming that everything is going well. I have normal-ish blood pressure (top number was SLIGHTLY high...only 4 points up...), decent blood sugars, we're not worrying about the ketones, and I had a side-ache checked out (I worried it might be kidney problems....) and there was nothing to worry about....probably just the hip pain or just normal aches of pregnancy.

The baby is doing well. He's a mover. He likes to move VERY low in my belly. In places where Cameron just CANNOT feel! (Although he tries...) When the doctor measured my tummy, she said he's definitely NOT small. I guess that's good!

Now I wait a few more weeks. Then I'll be doing the weekly visits and more monitoring! As long as we get a healthy baby, I'm all for doing whatever it takes!

(OH, and I did NOT schedule the c-section date yet....I have yet to register with the hospital, and I think that COULD be an important factor....)

On another doctor related note, I found out that we may have to make a day-trip to Salt Lake next week for an NF1 study Cam is participating in. We thought we were finished until October, but I guess they need to do some more testing on the boy. *sigh* At least I'll get to see my study-coordinator friend, who I JUST told I was pregnant! :D

Countdown

At church last Sunday I had probably 10 people come up to me and ask when I was going to have this baby. TEN!! (I didn't think I looked THAT miserable!) And happily I could announce that I have 3 months left. In the same thought bubble, I realized, "HOLY COW!! I only have 3 months to get things ready for another baby at my house! I'm NOT ready for this!!"

Happily I can say that we DO have a lot accomplished:

• crib and bedding.
• general clothing.
• car seats.
• Boppie. (The COOLEST thing ever!)
• burp cloths...although, they're in my downstairs hole....SOMEWHERE!
• a bouncy seat.
• extra blankets.
• high chair.
• play pen. (Which for the first few months will double as the bassinet.)

BUT there is SO much more that I need to get before I feel like I'm ready. I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed, but in a good way.

Things I've yet to get:

• swing.
• jumper chair (not necessary IMMEDIATELY, but would be nice for when he gets bigger.)
• diapers and wipes.
• air conditioning for the upstairs, where I feel I'll be spending the majority of my time.
• bottles (not that I want to put him on bottles as soon as I have him, but it would be nice to have them for when I need them.)
• binkies. (I'm HOPING this baby will be a good sucker, unlike his older brother...)
• breast pump. (Yeah, for what you THINK I need it for!) ;)
• the little head rest thingy that goes around babies heads when they're in the car seats.
• baby monitors.
• a diaper bag.

My only hope is that on Monday my doctor will allow me to schedule my c-section. (I've been told I have to wait until a month before the due date....I'm such a planner I want to get everything squared away NOW!) Such a short amount of time to get SO many things done! *sigh*

Updates AND Friday Fun

Some people know this about me, others don't. But I have been diagnosed with insulin resistance. A symptom of my insulin resistance is PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) which caused me to have a hard time getting pregnant. Because of my history with this "fun" disease, I've had to see not only my OB, but I've been seeing my usual, pre-pregnancy doctor. At my last visit (last month) he wanted me to start testing my blood sugars twice a day. Once when I first wake up (calling it my "fasting" blood sugar) then again 2 hours after a meal. He told me that my fasting sugars should be below 90, and my post meal sugars should be below 140. Well, after a month of poking myself, my numbers were NOT what he wanted, and at my OB appointment this week, I was given the drink for the glucose tolerance test. After I got it, and was psyching myself up for this "fun FUN" test, my doctor came in and commented on it.

I'd then told her that my other doctor had asked me to check my blood sugars, and she asked about my numbers. When I told her the numbers her face dropped from her happy smile, to a disappointed frown. She took the little glucose drink and said, "Well, good news is you won't have to take this test....because I'm failing you right now." She told me that I needed to get in to see my other doctor to get treated for gestational diabetes immediately.

On top of this new turn of events, I was also given a new prescription for iron pills. I've had low iron for a while, and we're finally treating it. (Steve asked me if I'd rattle if he shook me, I told him it depended on what time of day it was!)

This week has been filled with appointments trying to get all of this figured out.

Long story short, I now have to check my blood sugars before and after EVERY meal (so 8 pokes a day) and I have to give myself insulin shots once a day.

Thankfully, the doctor thinks we have caught this early enough to help baby boy out. I just hope all of this will be beneficial to me and the baby. (So far today, after having 2 doses of insulin, my sugars are COMPLETELY behaving themselves!! So I'm SURE things are going to be fine!)

I've also been a BIT preoccupied with helping take care of my mom. She had surgery yesterday on her deviated septum, and had her tonsils taken out. She seemed to be doing okay when I was at her house yesterday, but I'm determined to be helping her out as MUCH as I possibly can!! I just love her and want her to feel better!

And as always, it's FRIDAY!! Guess what THAT means!? :D

If you want to ask me a question -- and anything goes -- here's your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I'll either answer honestly, or I'll tell you that I won't answer.

And The Results Are....

...our baby is DEFINITELY a boy. He wasn't shy about it either.

The technician was really nice and tried to get a little profile pic of baby boy, but he wasn't having any of it. So all we got are straight on shots of his face....he looks like a little skeleton baby!! *snicker*

All in all, I'm very excited. Cam is also excited! Daddy is happy, but a little disappointed. Maybe next time!! ;)

Here's my skeleto-baby....if you look to the right, you can see his face.

Movement

This pregnancy has brought me many exciting things. The thought of another baby is SO exciting to me. I'm sure if I had been able to concieve when I wanted to, things wouldn't necessarily be the same....but because of this wait, I've learned to cherish EVERYTHING this child has brought.

Last night was one of the things I've been looking forward to for a LONG time. For 4 weeks now I've been able to quietly enjoy the fluttery movements of my baby (sometimes they're not so "fluttery...") and last night, I was able to feel the baby pushing through my belly....with my hand!! Outside movement has been something I've waited for, and last night, Steve got to enjoy the little movements, and this morning Cam got to feel his sibling kicking his hand (probably the only time it will have the upper hand over him!)

I love this, and just HAD to share!!

Another Doctor Appointment Down....Many More to Go

On Monday we (meaning me, Steve AND Cameron) went for my monthly check-up. We didn't wait too long when the nurse called us back. I was weighed (with shoes on, and STILL managed to lose weight...) and were ushered back to the room. Either they really like doing ultrasounds on big girls like me, or that was the only room available, but we were jammed into the teeny ultrasound room where Cam instantly found annoying, noisy toys.

The nurse took my blood pressure, which after being stuffed into that tiny room really wasn't the best. She then sent me to the little girl's room for a urine sample (the most fun part of ANY doctor's appointment, right? *eye rolling*) Anyway, once I came back to the room I read Cam the little board books that were there, and he loved it. Then Dr. H came in. She asked me how I was doing, and I told her about my little sleep problem (it's constant....even when I SHOULD be babysitting, cleaning or something else, all my body wants to do is sleep...) and she said it was normal with these meds and to get used to it. Then she added that I should probably be taking 3 pills a day instead of just 2....GREAT!! Just add to my sleepiness....*sigh*

Then she had me lie down and we did YET another ultrasound. This time it actually LOOKED like a baby. I could see it's little arms and legs, and I could even make out it's teeny face. She was pressing so hard on my tummy that the peanut JUMPED, or at least, that's what it looked like. Cam was so fascinated with it, and after she printed off the pictures and Cameron took them around, showing off "his" baby!

All in all, everything looks good, and I'm so relieved!! Only 2 more months until we can find out whether little peanut is a boy or a girl. :)

Visiting Dr. H

Seriously I love my doctor, but MAN, is she EVER busy!!

Today I went for what was SUPPOSED to be a blood pressure check.....I didn't get back for an HOUR!! Plus, today I was babysitting, so I had to monitor every move that little J did (especially when there was a Christmas tree all decorated nicely in the lobby!)

Then back in the back, I was chasing that little boy ALL over the place....it was new, and he wanted to explore!!

The highlight of the visit?? Peeing into the cup! Yeah, anyone who's had to do this KNOWS what I'm talking about. Why do they make those darn things SO small?? And not only that, but I never knew that just being told I had to use the restroom could inspire SO much urine!! I filled that little cup nearly to the top!! (Yeah, more than you PROBABLY wanted to know!) Then I was asked to carry it to the exam room, while tagging along a curious little boy and his bag of fun. UH, I spilled....and THAT'S NOT pretty!! :P

Then when the nurse checked my blood pressure (which, of COURSE, had risen since I had been chasing little J all over....) it was HUGELY high!! The nurse was a little worried, but told me to lay back on the table and relax. Then she left me to "relax." Is it even POSSIBLE to relax when there's a one-year-old boy running around an enormous EMPTY room?? I tried laying back on the paper covered table, with pillow paper-covered as well, but everytime I did, the pillow would NEED to deflate!! This, in turn, caused a grin to cover little J's face, ear-to-ear!!

Soon (okay, so it was probably 20 minutes later) Dr. H came into the room and invited me to follow her to the ultrasound room. I was thinking to myself, "Do I NEED another ultrasound?" But apparently this is how Dr. H works! (My mom wonders if she likes to do ultrasound instead of finding the heartbeat with the little doppler-thingy...) She closed the door, neatly rounding up little J...who immediately proceeded to whine, and began the ultrasound.

Last week I could see the heartbeat SO easily, this week?? Uh....it was all blobs to me. Dr. H assured me that it looked just fine, but this time I noticed something else....the baby was spinning circles. Anytime she'd get ready to point out the heartbeat, the baby would spin!! It was CRAZY!! I hope this isn't a sign of things to come!!

All in all, I've learned a FEW things: If at all possible DO NOT take a curious child with you on routine visits. Peeing in a cup is a talent, but carrying the filled cup to the room is an art. And you will ALWAYS be surprised!! ALWAYS!! ;)

Here's the Peanut

The doctor put the ultrasound on my tummy and announced, "Congratulations, you're pregnant!" (Can I tell you how much I LOVE this woman!?)

I did all of the first time tests, and paperwork, and now we're off and running....and ALL is well!! In fact, the Doctor's words to me when she saw the baby on the machine was, "Everything's PERFECT!" YAY!!

The little heartbeat was the most BEAUTIFUL thing I've seen in YEARS!!

So Worried

I can't believe the WORRY I go through!! I'm officially 8 weeks along today, and I haven't thrown up ONCE!! Honestly, I was puking up both of my lungs at this point with Cameron. Yes, I know each pregnancy is different, but not being sick is worrying me!! I do have constant nausea (unless I eat) but no pukage!

My belly is getting bigger, but I think it's more from eating constantly than from a growing baby.

The only thing that keeps me from completely worrying is the peaceful feeling I have about the whole thing. It's going to be okay!! I just feel it! But at the same time, I can't help but worry!

Hopefully next week my worry will be lessened by my first visit with my doctor!!

News I've Been Sitting On....

I can't hold it back ANY longer!! I have been waiting to "announce" my news until I was able to see my doctor, but I can't stand it ANY LONGER!! (Did I already say that?? Then it MUST be true!!)

I'm pregnant!! (Yes, you may do a dance of joy!)

I've told many people I talk to on a daily basis, and so it seems like there are FEW people in the world who DON'T know my news....So I've decided to just "out" myself.

I've been feeling extremely nauseous lately, and at times worried that I'd lose it completely, but so far, I've been able to maintain. (The only thing that's keeping me from having full-blown morning sickness is when I eat. I SWEAR, by the end of this pregnancy I'm going to be a circle!) My pants are already causing problems, and I'm only seven weeks along!! I may have to make my own clothes, just to keep myself covered!! *snicker*

So if I'm not on, posting, or visiting you as much, you'll know why....it's not that I don't love you, it's that I'm trying to get some sleep, and maintain my composure!