Monday, August 23, 2010

What Our Kids are Saying....

By Jamie

A couple weeks ago, Mya asked if there is a door in my belly where the doctor gets the baby out!!!  Then she asked if the doctor uses a screw-driver and a hammer (yikes...I hope not!!!)!

Then, the other day she was outside in the backyard with Jim and told him "Daddy, I can't bend over!"  (Wonder where she heard that from?!!!!  LOL!!!)

The most common question people ask me is if Mya is excited for her baby brother.  Honestly, I don't know if she is!!  I don't think she fully understands what is happening, but I think it has been helpful that we are calling him by name.  Thank the Lord for ultrasounds....how wonderful that she can talk to her little brother Mason in my belly instead of just saying "it" or "the baby"!!!!  She has talked a few times about Mason's bedroom (which is not even close to being done, by the way!) and she has promised me she will help change his diapers and give him a bottle.  Hmmm....we will see if she actually keeps that promise!!! :)

To see pics from Jim's 100-mile bike ride, visit Mya's blog.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Update

By Jamie - 31 weeks

I had another ultrasound today with great news!  The placenta has moved up, so as of now, I would not need to have a c-section.  Also, my blood pressure is good, which is another relief that there are no signs of pre-eclampsia yet.  I continue to pray for a "normal" delivery (or as close to "normal" as possible!). 

I can't believe that summer is winding down, and Mya is just over a week away from starting preschool!!  Jim and I have a parents' meeting next week at the school, and Mya got a letter in the mail from her teacher.  It feels like just days ago that Jim had to wait in line in the bitter cold at 6AM to register her....and here we are getting ready for the school year to start already!

Jim is riding in the Pelotonia tomorrow...he will bike over 100 miles from Columbus to Athens!  He raised over $1,500!!!  We are going to try to see him at various points along the way.  This ride means so much to us, as we think about our family members and friends who have battled cancer. 

Have a great weekend, everyone!!
:)Jamie

Friday, August 13, 2010

Comparison of Pregnancies

By Jamie - 30 weeks

The first 30 weeks of my pregnancy have been very close to my pregnancy with Mya, except for a few things.  I really wish I had kept a journal when I was pregnant with Mya to record all the things that I went through.  I did write down most of what happened after I gave birth (which I will post later), but I regret that I didn't do it throughout.
Here's a comparison:
     
                                  Mya      Mason
Nausea..................... Yes           Yes
Vomiting...................Yes            Yes
Bleeding at
around 7 wks.............Yes          Yes
Red rash/bumps on my
belly..........................Yes           No
Bad breakouts & facial
blemishes...................Yes          No
Fatigue.......................Yes          Yes
Itching all over
from 30-38 wks..........Yes         Not yet!
High Blood Pressure..Yes         Not yet!
Pre-eclampsia.............Yes        No signs so far
Low placenta..............No          Yes (as of 24 weeks, next ultrasound is 8/20)
Weight gain................30 lbs      I don't wanna know!  Not 30 yet, but I have 10+/- wks to go!
Low iron level............No          Yes

I will update this list if there are any changes!

Sarah and I have a wedding to go to this weekend, so we will try to get an updated belly-to-belly picture to post!

:)Jamie

Monday, August 9, 2010

Sleepless Nights!

By Jamie - 29 weeks

I guess my body is preparing for a newborn because I haven't slept the last two nights!  It's usually my hourly restroom trips that keep me up, but lately it has been that restless leg syndrome and a cold/cough that I got from Mya.  I began feeling horrible last evening when my sore throat got worse and my chest was so tight that I had to put a heating pad on it.  I'm scared to take any medication except Tylenol.  Then during the night, while sleeping on the couch (which seems to be the only place I can get comfortable now!), my chest started loosening up, and I finally got a couple hours of sleep!  Today I feel much better.....except my voice is gone!

I had my glucose test last Thursday, and they called me Friday to say that everything was fine....except that my iron is low (like Sarah!!).  So much for the vitamins and red meat that I've been eating specifically to keep that from happening!  Oh well, no biggie....just need to take an iron supplement. 

On Saturday, I took a couple girls from the youth group down to the outlet mall. They went into the Motherhood Maternity store with me, as I complained the entire time how awful it is to shop while pregnant!!  I ended up finding only 2 things that I liked, and they totalled $50 (rip-off!!!).  I'm going to repeat - I HATE maternity clothes!!  The maternity stores are 90% frumpy, 10% stylish..unless you want to pay a fortune for the high-end brands.  But the shopping trip was worth it--I got some great fall clothes for Mya, and it's always fun to hang out with teenage girls for the day!

:)Jamie

Friday, August 6, 2010

Baby Reese/Sarah Update

By Sarah - 30 weeks

Two weeks ago I had a check up and my glucose/iron test… the orange drink was actually pretty refreshing! My glucose levels were fine but my iron was a little low, so I have to take an iron supplement. I really haven’t been good about taking my prenatal vitamins (they make me sick-eh!) and I had exercised without eating that morning so that may have affected my iron levels.

I met Dr. Arbona and really liked her. She noticed a mole/freckle on my belly that she thought looked very suspicious and recommended that I go to a Dermatologist to have it looked at. I am going in to have my family doctor look at it next week and then go from there. Hopefully that turns out to be okay! I did appreciate that she mentioned it- I have no idea what the difference between a “good or bad” one would be!

Reese’s room:

We have been getting Reese’s nursery ready. Her bedding came in the mail and I was so happy to see how beautiful it was! I know we’ll be spending a lot of sleepless nights in her nursery, so I want it to be comfortable. It’s a small room so I don’t want to clutter it up with things we won’t use. This will require some help on Jeremy’s part- he is good at minimizing and de-cluttering spaces. In fact, Carson really doesn’t even have many toys at all. Jeremy “secretly” disposes of stuff he doesn’t use anymore. He doesn’t tell me when he goes on his purges because he thinks I am too sentimental and will want to keep the stuff!!!!... Which is true  This all seems good, but when we have younger kids over, they are probably disappointed at the lack of toy choices they have to play with.

My friend will be painting in a couple weeks and I am very excited. We had a consultation and she knew in minutes what would look good, so I am leaving it all up to her and her expertise!

The end of summer…

We have three more weeks until school starts. Carson has been a little nervous and anxious about the upcoming school year’s beginning. This is kind of unusual for Carson- he typically is not a worrier at all. I credit Jeremy for that- I think Carson inherited that trait from him! He had the same two teachers and classmates for first and second grade and is now going to have a different teacher and a new mix of kids. I keep reassuring him that it’s very normal to feel nervous but that he also may be excited too. I also told him that all the other kids will be having the same feelings. I didn’t, however, tell him that some of his anxiousness may be stemming from little Reesie! Although we consider Carson to be a worry-free kid for the most part, he does like to be in the know about everything. He always asks a million questions and is very good about communicating his feelings. He likes to know all the details about things that will be happening. I think he is anxious about the changes that are about to come at home and school. We are trying to prepare him as much as possible, but we just don’t know how some of this is going to work out!

Carson’s protectiveness:

Carson really is so excited. He asked us if he could spend the night at the hospital with us when Reese is born. Of course we said he could. Jeremy mentioned that they would need to run home at some point to get their things to sleep over and Carson said “Dad, you can go home but I am going to stay with Mom.” I thought that was so sweet- he doesn’t want to miss anything! He has mentioned numerous times that he wants to be the FIRST one to hold little Reese. He is already such a proud big brother.


Out to Lunch!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Home Stretch!!!

By Jamie - 28 weeks

Well, I am finally in my 3rd trimester!!  Only 12 more (short) weeks until my due date, and I can't believe how the summer is flying by!!

We have decided on a name!!!!!  Now, there is still time for us to change our minds, but I think it is unlikely.  Our little boy will be Mason James.

Yesterday, I was shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and the cashier looked at me and said, "It's a boy, isn't it?" and pointed to my belly.  I was shocked!!!  I told her yes, and I asked her how she knew.  She said it is her secret...that she just knows!  Well, I was impressed!

This week, I have my glucose test, and then in two weeks, I'll have another ultrasound to check the placenta and see if it has moved up at all.  It was about this point in my pregnancy with Mya that I began having terrible itching all over my body.  I'm praying that doesn't happen again!  I still haven't gotten that "line" down my stomach....but maybe that comes later, I can't remember!!  I'm actually sleeping pretty well at night, except for having to pee every hour, but I'm used to it by now. 

The things that are becoming difficult for me now:
-Giving Mya a bath-I told Jim that he has to take over this duty.  It's just too hard for me to bend over! 
-Bending over...period. 
-Lifting Mya-Getting her in the carseat is a little difficult, but she's old enough to scoot herself out of the seat and climb out of the car herself now, and even climb up onto it herself.  The only time it's really hard is when she is misbehaving or choosing not to cooperate!!
-Shaving!-This is not something I can have anyone do for me (well, unless I get waxed), so...I just have to do it the best I can!
-Pedicures-I'm happy about this one....what a great excuse to go get a professional pedi!
-Getting on the scale-I don't even want to know how much weight I've gained at this point!!!

Mya and I have a busy week ahead of us, but I'm looking forward to all the events we have the rest of the summer.  I thank God for each day He has given me to stay home with her every day, spend time with her, teach her, and play with her!  I would not trade it for anything!!  Some days are tough and I feel like pulling out my hair or locking her in her room all day so I can have just a day to myself....but, what mother doesn't go through that?!!  It's all a part of parenting...and my 24/7 job of being a Mom!

:)Jamie