Week 35

Last Friday marked 35 weeks for us in this pregnancy.  It seems so crazy to think that this little guy will be here very soon, and yet it seems like it has taken forever.  My nerves of excitement are truly getting the best of me these days, and it is getting very hard to be patient while waiting for him! 

My weeks are getting rather long, and I am really feeling like my body is telling me it's "done" with this stage.  But, we continue to plug away, and each day that comes and goes, is one more day closer to meeting this precious gem.  And that is enough to keep me going. 

I am currently still taking my medication to stop my contractions, but I am only taking it as needed, opposed to every 4-6 hours.  I usually take about 2-3 pills a day.  I will continue to take them through next week, and then stop taking them, and see what happens.  I still have a feeling that I will be pregnant up until my due date.  Just because that's my luck :)

Carl and I are getting very anxious to meet this little guy, and continue to talk about how things will be with 2 wee lads in the house.  It all boils down to pure excitement.

This week's gift came from my Mom, who knows just what I could use right about now!  A body pillow!  There was also some wipes, and aloe vera gel, which were documented in the information about what is going on in my body this week.  But the body pillow?  Oh, it's heavenly!  Thanks for the wonderful gift, Frannie.

35 Weeks, 4 Days

A Beautiful Sunday

I love Sundays, and all that it brings.  Our Sundays usually start off with a great service at Orchard Hill, and our little guy's new found comfort in the nursery.  I love it that he doesn't cry when I drop him off in the nursery anymore, because it was getting to be rather difficult on me.  Church is usually followed with a few errands, or lunch at my parents' house, or straight home to jump into our fun day together as a family.  Yesterday, we ran a few errands, and then ended at my parents' house for a wonderful grilled lunch.

We headed home in the afternoon, and it was far beyond Carson's nap time.  He fell asleep on the way home, so we tried to get him to sleep a little more before he was up for the afternoon, and a total bear for us all evening.  This is the sight I looked at for about 1/2 hour that afternoon.  These two have a special bond that melts my heart!

After nap time, it was outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Carl and Carson got right to work, and started raking the leaves in our yard.  Carson loved following his Daddy around, and was quite the helper.  Carl continuously said how he didn't think raking leaves could be so much fun, but with Carson around, it was! 

After they raked the leaves, they loaded them into the wheel barrel, and hauled them away to where Carl was later going to burn them.  Carson was having so much fun helping Dad!

I supervised for most of the day, and enjoyed watching my two boys have so much fun together.  Carson was beaming with a smile the entire time.  He loves to help Daddy, and be outside....so he was lovin' it all!  But, this is the view I get to enjoy these day......

For supper that evening, we decided to have a little picnic in our backyard.  It was so much fun!  Carl roasted hot dogs over the fire (over wood, not the leaves! Ha.) and we all hung out and enjoyed each other's company, and the beautiful weather!  I have a feeling we will be enjoying a lot of picnics in our backyard this year.  As a family of four, instead three.  Oh, I am so excited!

Carson found Daddy's pop, and thought he was pretty big stuff!  This was followed with a little grin, that is a pretty big indicator that he is up to no good.

And, I just couldn't resist a picture of Carson's back-side.  It's too cute to pass up, especially when he is standing still, and I can capture a picture real quick :)

What a wonderful Sunday that we all enjoyed together as a family!  We all had so much fun together.  I am excited for more gorgeous weather, and more days spent outside.  Feeling so thankful, and blessed for a wonderful Sunday. 

Moon Dough

The Wonderful Frannie gifted Carson with some Moon Dough for Valentine's Day, and I decided to pull it out of the closet the other night for some new entertainment.

Carson had so much fun with this stuff.  It is actually really neat, and I personally think a lot less messy than play-dough...although that is what Carson continued to call it.  It's the same concept, and does the same thing as play-dough, just without the smell (which some people love, Daddy being one of them, me--not so much) easier to clean up, and it doesn't have the "wet" texture to it.  It molds into whatever you want it to, and makes for some great fun.  It also says that it is never supposed to dry up, so that is an added bonus.  We have thrown a lot of play-dough away because it has dried up, but trust me when I say we don't usually hesitate, nor are we heart broken when we throw a container away :)

The kit that we got was for making "breakfast food"....and some other molds, although Carson could really care less as to what he is making.  He would rather mush it all around, and use the different props to cut the different stuff up.

Thanks for the moon-dough, Frannie!  It made for a fun, new activity for the evening.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung in our house, and it makes me so happy.  I think each year I forget just how much I long for Spring, the fun vibrant colors, and the change of scenery that a holiday or new Season brings.  And with that, comes new decor in our house.
These are just a few things that greet us each day, and remind us of the beautiful Season that is upon us.

These pretty little flowers that decided to pop through while we were away for a few days.  They are pretty, scream Spring, and to be honest with you....I didn't even know they existed in our back yard.  What a fun surprise, especially in the middle of March!  Hello, Spring....you are welcome here, please stick around for a while.

The lovely, vibrant and colorful outdoor rug that makes me smile.  Not to mention the furniture that is out to stay, and will get used a lot in the near future.  Evenings outside, sitting on the deck, watching Carson play in the backyard await for us.  And we will soon deliver such task.  Very soon.

The Easter decor that makes for such a wonderful table center piece.  And the picture frame that serves as a dry-erase board.  It has a "Verse of the Day" written on it daily (or at least I try to keep up!) and it is a great daily reminder of the Lord's word.

This lovely little plant, accompanied by the cute little white picket fence as a base.  This was brought to us in the hospital from Grandma Brouwer (Thanks, Mary!) and it is now sitting in our kitchen.  I just hope I can keep this thing alive.  I do not have a green thumb....at all.  Carl, and the rest of my family, has bets as to how long I can keep it alive.  Carl says he is being very generous and giving me until June.  My Sister didn't even think it would make it home, and would be forgotten at the hospital, and my Mom just laughs.  So, I hope I can work some magic with this plant, and keep it alive. It is so fun, and I love the little white fence! But I am sure it will have to visit Di's house sooner than later if it has the smallest chance of staying alive.  We shall see, though.  Maybe, just maybe, I can do this.  I have watered it once already!  Carl was so shocked.  I am making baby steps :)

Carson's masterpiece.  Frannie brought over some fun window clings that she thought Carson would enjoy playing with.  And she was so very right!  This is the current view of our sliding glass door.  I love how it screams "a 2 year old did this all. by. himself!"  He has enjoyed taking them into the different rooms, and putting them on the mirrors as well.  Our entire house is flooded with Easter clings, and I will not object!

And, this lovely Yellow wreath that is hanging on our front door, ready to greet our guests.  I know it is Spring/Summer time when this wreath gets dug out of storage.  It is what hangs on our door, and follows the "Winter Welcome" sign.  Because Winter, in fact, is no longer Welcome.  Spring, on the other hand, is!  Ahhh, what a refreshing feeling.

We are excited for all that Spring is going to bring in the very near future for our family!  Easter, and all the fun activities that come with the special holiday, followed with a new life.  Just to name a few. 

Happy Spring!

A Beautiful March Day

The weather has been so beautiful this March, it is almost too good to believe!  The beginning of this month, the temps reached about 65-70 for the first time this year, and that makes for perfect weather to be outside.  During the day it was really windy, but the wind decided to calm down in the later afternoon and evening....just in time for our family to go outside and enjoy some fresh air.

Carson loves to swing, so that is the first thing he went to when we opened the door to our backyard, with an approval for him to step outside.  He didn't hold back, and ran out the door....literally. 

We all enjoyed an evening outside, just playing in the backyard, while Daddy grilled some amazing food.  Our first bacon cheeseburger of the year on the grill, and it was fabulous.

After the swing was old news, Carson decided he was just going to run around for a while.  We don't have any of our outdoor toys outside right now, as the snow has just melted, and it is still pretty muddy out.  But, that didn't stop Carson from having some fun.  He ran up and down our hill a few times, and then decided to take it up a notch, and do a little more exploring.  The little stinker challenged himself, and I am sad to say, he won.  He stood on his tippy toes as he was just barely tall enough to get the latch unlocked on our fence, and escaped the backyard.  He didn't go far, but the fact that he can unlock the gate is not good news.  He actually ran up and down the hill along the fence, and went to check on our rhubarb patch that we have on the outside of our fence.  He went with me a few times last summer to pick some rhubarb, so he probably thought it was ok to do it now.  But, we need to set some boundary rules soon.  I also should add that he had the most mischievous grin on his face, and even laughed a little while I told him he had to stay inside the fence, and his speed increased.  The little stinker knew he had just accomplished something big, and it probably wasn't right in our eyes.

You may have to look really hard in this picture to find Carson!  He is the little spot in the middle of the picture, at the top of the hill. 

We struggled getting Carson inside to eat some supper, and stay inside.  I think we are all ready for some more outside play, and some fresh air.  

Bring on Spring, in full Swing!  :)

Pre-Term

Our world has been rather up-side down the last few days, but we are slowly sinking back into our regular routine, and it feels good.

A little run down....... 

Last Wednesday, I stayed home from work, thinking I had the flu.  I wasn't feeling well, my stomach hurt, I had bad cramps all day long, and I felt like I had to vomit.  I finally called into my doctor that afternoon, and left a message.  The nurse called me back a few hours later, and asked me numerous questions.  She talked with my doctor, and they decided they wanted to see me...just to be on the safe side.  Carl had just picked Carson up from daycare, and Carson was ready to enjoy his evening outside with Dad and Mom.  Plans had changed, and we loaded him up, and headed to my Parents' house. 

We dropped Carson off at my Parents' house, and we were hospital bound.  I didn't really want to go, but wanted them to tell me everything was ok.  I was convinced we would be sent right back home, but to have some peace of mind was what I was looking forward to. 

We got to the hospital, got checked into room 361, and they hooked me up to the monitors to detect my contractions, and the baby's heart rate.  They also said I was dilated to a 1, which was ok at this point, and nothing to be concerned about. 

My contractions were about 1-1/2 minutes apart, and being in labor concerned Dr. Hamdi.  At 33-34 weeks pregnant, he wasn't ready for me to deliver a baby just yet.
After about an hour, the nurse came back in and was ready to deliver some excellent news.  She told us that we would more than likely be sent home that night with medication to stop the labor process that my body was going through.  But, that didn't happen.

The nurse checked me an hour later, and I was dilated to a 2.  That was a huge red flag.  Going from a 1 to a 2 in an hour at this stage in the pregnancy wasn't a good thing.  So, we were going to have to go with Plan B. 

Plan B consisted of a lot of different things.....all of which I wasn't a huge fan of.  But, I knew that the doctors and nurses know best.  Not to mention, I am carrying a little boy that I need to take care of, and do whatever I can to keep him healthy, and deliver him safely. 

So, our adventure at the hospital began.  And just a side note: I do not do well with needles....at all.

Lab came in, and drew my blood.  That was one needle poking experience that I had survived and it wasn't so bad.  If only I knew what was to come.  Ha.

The nurse came in to start my IV, as they needed to get me started on Penicillin, which would help stop my labor.  I remember from the only other IV I have ever had, that this was not fun.  It was painful, and I was dreading it.  But, I knew it needed to be done.  I tried my best to stay relaxed, but that got difficult.  It took 3 nurses, and 7 pokes later to get an IV that was successful!  By that point, I was in a lot of pain. 

Next up, more shots.  Since I was in pre-term labor, they needed to do two steroid shots, 24 hours apart, to help develop the baby's lungs- if he would by chance be making his appearance in the next week or so.  I saw the big needle, full of a cloudy liquid come into my room, and later felt it get injected into my hip/butt.  Thank goodness that was the last needle for the night!  But, knowing that the baby's lungs were getting stronger from this shot was a comforting feeling. 

They also started me on the oral medication that would help stop my contractions.  They gave me a double dose the first time, and the nasty side effects kicked right in.  I got really sick to my stomach, very dizzy, my face and body got very tingly feeling, and I started sweating.  The nurse re-assured me that these were all very common side effects.  This is also the medication that I got sent home with.  My body is getting better when I take the medication every 4 hours, but some of the times are worse than others. 

Dr. Hamdi came in to visit with me after everything had been done, and gave me some information about what was going on.  He said when I came in, my contractions were scary close together, and they needed to get my labor stopped.  They thought they could do that and send me home, but when I had changed from being dilated from 1 to a 2, that is when they needed to start the steroids for the baby's lungs, and they couldn't send me home.  He seemed very concerned, and wanted to do a lot of monitoring. 

Wednesday evening, he delivered the news that we would not be able to go home before Saturday morning.  That is when it hit me, and I wanted to cry.  I missed my little boy, and I missed being home.  But again, I knew I needed to be there, because it was best for the baby and myself. 

The next few days were long and boring in the hospital room.  We gazed out the window at the beautiful weather, but we unfortunately weren't able to enjoy it.  Carson stayed with Frannie, and came and visited a few times.  He doesn't like hospitals, and really doesn't like to see his Mom being the patient.  He wasn't himself, wasn't feeling very well, and it made me so sad.  To hear Carson say "Mommy Owie" in a sad voice made me break down. 

Thursday evening I got my 2nd shot of the steroid, and they would then have to monitor me for another 24 hours. 

Friday morning was a glorious day.  My IV was giving me A LOT of pain when it was time for an antibiotic, or for a flushing....which was every 4 hours, lasting about an hour.  My IV was in my right wrist, and it was so very painful.  But, on Friday morning they were able to take the IV out!  They thought it wasn't 100% effective anymore, and they were going to take it out, and risk having to put a new one in if that may have to happen.  Thankfully, I didn't need a new one. 

Friday I continued to get my oral medication every 4 hours to stop my contractions.  Everything was looking great, and I was getting excited to get home. 

Saturday morning we got the ok to go home.  I was checked again, and I hadn't changed, and was still dilated to a 2.  I was so excited to pick up Carson, who I was missing so much!  We headed to my parents' house, got our little Wee Lad, and were on our way home.  Woo hoo!

I am still on the antibiotic every 4 hours for my contractions.  I can really feel when the 4 hours have passed, because the contractions really kick in. 

I was very happy to hear from the nurse and doctor that I was not put on strict bed rest.  But, they did say I really need to take it easy, and don't go about my regular daily activities like I may want to.  Don't over-do it, and be very careful to rest, and sit down when needed.  This has proven itself to be a very difficult task.  I am trying my best though, as I know I need to take it easy for this little baby that is depending on me. 

We are praying that I can make it at least another week or two, if not more.  I know the Good Lord has been watching over us the last week, and He has taken care of us.  That is such a comforting feeling.

We are ready to get back to our "normal" or "regular" routine of things.  So, please continue to pray with us that all will be well, and that this baby is happy and healthy whenever he may arrive. 

My main goal for right now has been in effect since we arrived at the hospital Wednesday evening: Stay Pregnant :)

Week 32

Friday marked 32 weeks for us!  The number of weeks remaining in this pregnancy are looking more and more appealing as they lessen by each week.  And, I continue to get even more excited to meet this little guy.  I am so excited to see what he looks like.  I remember the anticipation with Carson, and the moment was nothing shy of amazing.  I am very much so looking forward to that moment again.  He will be perfect in every way, I do know that much.

Carl and I had a very successful weekend at home this past weekend preparing our home for this little guy.  I feel like my list of things I want to get before he comes is a mile long, but it will all get done, I am confident of that.

We are making baby steps in the "nesting" process that I am going through right now, and it is lovely.  Closets are getting cleaned out and organized, all of our storage in the basement is organized, we know where everything is located, and all of the totes have been sorted through.  Not to mention, the baby clothes have been washed, and gently placed in the baby's dresser.  Thus far, it all feels so good to check off my list!

In the next few weeks, I will be busy preparing our bags.  That is when I think it will hit me hard.  It all seems so surreal right now, but I think it will hit hard when I place those tiny little newborn clothes, and all the other hospital necessities in his bag, in preparation to welcome him into this great big world.

An update on me.....just as a reference for myself in the future:
I had my regular check up on Tuesday, and my doctor prescribed me some pain medication.  Thank you, doctor!!  I have been having terrible back pain, and rib pain.  He said where the baby is positioned, it is more than likely causing my ribs to become very bruised, and the outcome being very painful.  He also told me to try very hard to take care of myself, as the ribs could be a serious issue in the future as the baby grows.
He also recommended I try to see a chiropractor for my back pain.  So, I went and saw one on Thursday, and he was very informative, and educational.  He cracked me a few places, and I go back again tomorrow for a follow up.  I am not sure how many times I will be seeing him, but we will just go from here.  To be completely honest, my back has hurt worse since I have seen him, so I am hoping the next visit will result in a better outcome.  I have never been to a chiropractor before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I am going to assume that I am really out of "whack" and that is why I am having more pain and discomfort?  We will see what the future holds.

Trust me when I say I do not wonder why I am having back pain, as the picture below will show evidence :) But, I am trying all that I can to try and minimize it....well, because it is just really uncomfortable and rather annoying.

32 weeks pregnant with baby boy #2.......

Fun Pics

I have a few fun pictures that I have taken with my camera lately that I don't want to lose, and would love to share! 

This is one of my favorite pictures of Carson lately!  He is such a sweetheart, and this pictures shows it 100%.  I am so glad I was able to capture the moment.  We were out to eat, and Carson looked at Carl, grabbed his face, leaned over, and gave him a big kiss!  It was so sweet. 

This would be our Wee Lad showing off his mohawk after his nightly bath.  He is too stinkin' cute!

Carson is a huge fan of wearing next to nothing these days.  Slightly annoying?  Possibly, yes :)  Hey, at least he still has his diaper on, because a lot most times that isn't even on.  And a diaper paired with some cute Spongebob slippers, and a smile that will melt your heart......equals one cute picture!

Happy Weekend!  Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend.  We are enjoying a weekend at home, doing some major cleaning, organizing, and sorting.  And boy does it feel good :) 

Week 31

Last Friday marked week 31.  We are down to SINGLE digit weeks left from here on out.  Woo hoo to that statement!!

This week's gift came from Diane, and it was a baggie of "Smarties."  Carson is really enjoying this weeks gift....ha.

This week in the pregnancy:
The baby's brain is going through a rapid development period (keep eating those smarties) and the only major organ left to develop is the lungs.  That's exciting news to hear!  The baby is getting very prepared to enter this world, and we are so excited to meet him!