Pregnancy update

i felt like i should tell you all something, so you'll be prepared when the time comes.

i am gestating an octopus. When i had my 20 week ultrasound, she looked like just a normal baby, but it is becoming increasingly clear that she is morphing into an octopus, as i am feeling jabs from at least 6 different directions simultaneously.

How will i prepare for this? Well, i'm considering donating her to the zoo, to get free memberships for life. Or otherwise i will have a lot of altering to do on her clothes. Still trying to figure out how to fit 8 limbs in the car seat.

5 1/2 weeks left, folks. And i'm becoming less and less confident, but more and more impatient to become a mom of two.

My bones are very stiff and sore from sleeping in one position all night. i have also started to take Tums at 10 PM, and that seems to ward off the heartburn i normally get at about 10:30. i've been waking up with headaches, which doesn't make much sense as i'm extremely well hydrated, but it's nothing too bad.

My new OB is pretty cool. He can hear me, and cares about how things are going. He even read my chart before he came in and seemed to retain the information as long as the visit lasted,which is already better than my last two OBs. My only beef with him is that he doesn't think having a giant baby is a big enough deal to induce early. i talked to him about how long it took to heal, and how things still aren't completely right from having a baby with a 15" head the last time, and he just said "We'll see where you're at at about 39 weeks with an ultrasound, and we'll do some 'vigourous' exams to try to bring on labor. When you're at 40 weeks, we'll weigh your options." So it sounds like i'll be going to at least 41 weeks this time. Oh well. It happens. Maybe he'll stitch me up better than my last doctor. Or maybe my body will be used to having watermelon babies.

i'm just really certain that i won't go into labor. i just don't go into labor. My body evidently is quite good enough for babies to hang out in for....ever.

However, i'd like to extend a hearty cheer for Baby Caylee, my pal Jes' daughter. She came at a very healthy 37 weeks. Yay!!

i will be 35 weeks on Sunday. i'm hoping Cadence will take her lead from Caylee and actually want to come out. i mean, how great would it be to go into labor? i'd save money on pitocin and other labor-inducing costs, and i could turn to Kris (as per my dreams) and say something like "Kris, it's time." And he'd get up (because we would be in bed in the middle of the night) and fumble around and forget to put on pants and would put his wallet in the cupboard and a granola bar in his pocket. Can you tell i watch too much tv?

It's time to go take a nap. i'll start adding more sleeves to the baby girl outfits later this afternoon.

Hey everyone!

i thought i'd update you about a rather busy week i've been having.

On Tuesday, David and i went to my old friend's house, who has 5 kids under 7. He had a blast! They are all awesome kids, but i realized i'm not cut out to have that many. Please remind me of this in like a year when i am whining and saying "i kinda want another baby"!

Tuesday evening, Kris and i and a bunch of people from his old work went to the Twins game, and we had all-you-can-eat tickets. So we got as many hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, peanuts, and sodas as we could consume! Kris went a little crazy, and his poor tummy hurt the next day. The good news, though, is that the Twins killed the A's that night: 13-2. It was really fun! It was a really long game, but that's because we kept scoring runs:)

On Wednesday, it was Kris' and my anniversary. He worked during the day. David was being really irritable, and nothing seemed to help: not food, or juice, or Tylenol, or naps, or even his blanket. i was getting really frustrated, but he didn't have a temperature or runny nose or cough or anything, so i decided to take him to Eden Prairie mall to walk around for a while, to distract him. When i was putting him in the van to leave, i noticed a little bit of a rash behind his ear. It wasn't on his face, and it was very light, so we went to the mall. When we arrived, the rash had grown and was all over his neck and was starting to get on his face and was getting darker. i was alarmed at how quickly it was spreading, so i didn't even get him out of the van, and drove him to urgent care.

We got there, and i when we got into the office, i looked under his shirt, and the poor buddy was covered in these tiny spots, all over his body! i was really worried it was chicken pox, but it turns out, it's roseola. Evidently, it's just a very mild herpes virus, and kids under 2 are the only ones to get it, because most over that age have antibodies to it. There isn't even a treatment for it, just the obligatory "lots of fluids" treatment that they always tell you to use. He's already a lot better.

Because it's not bad at all, he stayed over at Kris' parents house that night, while Kris and i went to Wildfire, a steak, chops, and seafood restaurant for our anniversary dinner. It was delicious! It was also really nice to go to an adult-type restaurant. We haven't been anywhere that fancy since we were dating, so it was very nice to sit at a table and eat our food and just relax. We didn't even talk much, just sat. It was wonderful!! It was also a very nice way to relax after the worrisome day i had.

Today my mom and i are hanging out. We're going to pick up some Leann Chin's Chinese food, and eat at her house while David naps. Then we're going to a huge church garage sale, where we hope to stock up on some cheap goods. Sadly, we can't swing going to the State Fair this year, which is tradition, but we will still have fun.

Oh, Kris' job is going really well. He's working from 7:30 AM-6:30 PM, and has full internet access and the ability to read or watch movies or do anything he wants, as long as he stays available in case anyone needs a bandaid. So far he's given out two bandaids this week:) He's very bored, but it's nice that he's able to entertain himself. Also, he's been getting home a little before 7 every night, so we're actually able to see each other and eat dinner together in the evenings. It's wonderful! i like this new job and schedule. When he gets his first paycheck, it will be even better!

Have a wonderful weekend, ya'll!

My house is clean!

This is a post in itself. On Saturday, i went bat-poo crazy and finally was a good wife and cleaned my house. We had company over for lunch Sunday and even they remarked on how clean the house was! It was the cleanest it's been since David's birthday party, after we had completely repainted and refloored our kitchen, living room, and entry.

i am not a clean person. It is just not in my nature. My mom will attest to it. i have the hardest time maintaining any kind of decent housekeeping, and clutter forms, and so does dust, and it's bad. The only thing i can do is invite people over, drink caffiene (i know!) and clean till i drop, or in Saturday's case, clean from 9 AM till 1:30 AM Sunday. But it's beautiful now. Kris came home on Saturday night after work and sat down and sighed with relief. He feels much better coming home to a clean house, and it makes me feel guilty that i don't keep it that way. Guys, it's my goal to keep it clean this time. So far, it's been immaculate for a whole day. i even cleaned up the kitchen and stuff after company left.

Our bedroom is still horrible, because we just close the door when company comes over. It's my goal to tackle that this week. i can't even walk to my side of the bed, because all of our laundry is scattered from the wall to my bed, so i have to crawl into it from the foot of the bed.

Kris is not an affirmation guy, unlike me. You tell him "thanks for all you do!" and he doesn't know how to respond and just keeps playing Halo. But you clean the house, and it's like you gave him a million dollars. i've gotta keep it clean!!!

We smoked a turkey yesterday. We bought a smoker at Walmart a few months ago, on sale for $20. It's electric and wonderful. We used hickory chips, and a turkey i got for .68/lb last month. We smoked it for like 5 hours, and it came out wonderfully! Kris pulled it off the bone, diced it, smothered it in BBQ sauce, and we had BBQ pulled turkey for lunch, without turning on the oven. Yum! My parents gave us some corn on the cob from the farmer's market and some potato salad, and we had a very nice lunch. Unfortunately, our friends had to leave after only a couple hours to get their son to nap. But it left us with a clean house and a full afternoon of relaxing.

Then in the evening, we went to a concert at the A/G church where i grew up. My friend Mindy and her friend Nate are singer-songwriters, and they organized a benefit for a missionart family in India. i'd never heard Mindy sing before, and it was a really great night. Also, Sara Groves, a member of the church and a somewhat well-known Christian singer whose music and voice are kind of a Christian Sarah Maclachlin, was a guest singer and sang two songs. i haven't gotten to hear her perform since she wrote a song for one of the Christmas productions i was in 5 years ago, so it was nice to hear her. One thing i like is that she still seemed the same, just as warm and approachable, as she was when she was just Sara from church who writes music. She sang one of my favs from back then: "He's always been faithful" and led us all in singing "Great is thy faithfulness." It was a very nice evening.

i saw a bunch of people i grew up knowing, as well. It was fun, reconnecting with my past. It's been 4 1/2 years since i'd stepped foot in that church and started playing piano at the church where i got married, but it was very warm and inviting. i was nervous to go, but ended up being very glad i went.

How was all of your weekends?

Last weekend

Hello everyone! How are you all today?



i have meant to blog about last weekend all week, but it's crazy how fast these weeks are going!



Anyway, i got the flu last Saturday, and it lasted till Monday morning. Let's just say, i lost 9 lbs over that time. Yuck! i'm feeling much better now, but my mom has it now and it sounds like my friend Mommy to Muchkins has it too. Sorry if i gave it to you guys!



Last Friday night through Saturday morning, i watched my six-year-old nephew for my brother overnight. It is funny how unaccustomed to watching older kids i am. David adores him, and my nephew kept having to say "No David, I don't want your blanket. Or your sippy cup!" David was bothering him while he was playing video games, and it is hereditary for my nephew to be grumpy to be interrupted while he's playing. :)



On Sunday night, we went to the zoo. Thrivent financial was having a family day, where family members of members could go to the zoo for $5 each. Since we haven't bought a membership to the zoo yet, it ended up being a big savings and we went with Kris' aunt, Grandma, Brother and SIL, and two nieces and a nephew. It was fun! Outside of me not feeling the greatest, we all enjoyed ourselves. David was able to understand the animals a lot better than other trips to the zoo, so he'd point at the animals he'd see and giggle. It was cute! Here's some pictures.

 

There's a bird on my head!

On Monday, Kris and i and a couple friends went to see the Dark Knight at the IMAX. Holy crap, that was an awesome movie. Here was the line we had to wait in, after showing up 45 minutes early on the fourth day since its release.  There was an entire other room full of people waiting that you can't even see in this picture.

It was a nice weekend. i've spend most of this week recovering from it, though! Oh, David learned how to climb up the steps up our townhouse playground and go down the slide by himself! Here's a video.



Isn't he sweet? i love him.



Hope ya'll are having a wonderful week, and enjoy your weekend!

Bloggy gumbo

There have been so many things that i've missed telling you!



For instance, last week i visited my friend Liz and her beautiful new baby, Mallory. Here they are, an angelic pic of momma and daughter.

Our fourth of July was fun. David wore this hat for only about five seconds, so the pic is the best one i could get.

We went to my brother's house for a grillout. It was nice and relaxing. He did a great job preparing veggies and being a good host, in general. i brought baked beans.

Then we went to see fireworks in Richfield. These are the fireworks Kris and i grew up going to. Luckily, Kris didn't end up getting scheduled that night, so we took David to see the fireworks for the first time.

It was also the two-year anniversary of these pictures. Did i look surprised? (i was faking it.)

After the fireworks were over, we started walking to our van. And we walked, and walked, and walked. Kris and i had forgotten to pay attention to where we parked. We walked up 10 blocks, down 10 blocks, over 3, and up 5 until we found the van. It was very miserable, that hour of walking after a long day, with swelly pregnant feet. David was a champ in his stroller though and didn't cry even though he was so tired!



He promptly conked out in the car.

He has a security blanket now. And it's adorable! i'm glad he's got a "comfort item", as Kate from Jon and Kate+8 would say. He'll be crying, and i'll give him his blanket, and he giggles. It's the cutest thing ever! Kris, of course, is worried that he'll still be using it when he's in college, but i know at some point he'll outgrow it. And in the meantime, we'll have something comforting to give him in new situations, like a new baby?!



Remember when i was talking about training David to come when i call? i bought some cookies for him, the iced animal cookies. i got him something he's never had before, and i want those to only be given to him while he's being trained. However, the bag of them may have ended up in the van. And elves may have snuck into the van and eaten the majority of the cookies. Training will be resumed once i replace the stolen cookies! Maybe i should consider getting him training cookies that aren't so delicious to me elves.



Have a great day, everyone!

Big day tomorrow!!!!

Tomorrow is The Ultrasound. i'm crazy excited!

Because i'm a planner, and also very impatient, we will be finding out the sex of our child. And yes, i will be announcing it ASAP on here.

Hopefully my beautiful ultrasound technician, Tanya, will be back from maternity leave so she can do ours. We've loved her since David's first ultrasound, and she did the two i had back in February. She's very sweet and i love her.

No matter what gender child it is, i love him/her already. But i have hopes, like most mommas secretly do. Let's just really hope that it is not shy. At all.

i keep having nightmares that the baby is shy and doesn't flip over, and i a. either end up having a girl and have to buy all her clothes retail because i will have skipped garage saling or b. have a boy and have bought all girl stuff. i also have the dream where the U/S is wrong, and it ends up being a boy, after months of expecting a girl. This actually happens in real life. It will not happen to me. If i say it enough, maybe i'll believe it.

i do plan on asking for a late ultrasound, like 36 weeks, so they can see how big the baby is. David ended up being way bigger than even the Dr. expected and that was a very slow healing process. So if i get a later ultrasound, the gender will be even more unmistakable.

Update on yesterday: David is fine. He's just cranky. Maybe he's in a growth spurt, even though he hasn't been very hungry. Apparently in the warmer weather, appetite drops off some. i'm glad he doesn't have an ear infection, but it was frustrating going to the Dr. and hearing "Not sure why he's changed so much-let us know if he has any other symptoms." Whatev.

Also, thank you all SO much for being so encouraging in my depressing post yesterday! It was really great hearing from all of you. It gave me some wonderful ideas, one of which i've already instated: i bought a dry-erase calendar, and Kris wrote down as much schedule as he's got available. i've already consulted the calendar 4 times since yesterday, so it's definitely very useful. Anyway, it's great knowing all of you and knowing you all care enough to help me out. It means a LOT to me.

It's crazy to think i'm halfway through this pregnancy. It seemed really slow until about 7 weeks, and then WHOA it got faster and faster. i think i'm not quite as focused on the pregnancy this time around and have a lot more going on, so it's going faster. We'll see how i feel in 16 weeks, though, right?

Have a happy night!

A picturesque post

This is going to be very random. Here goes.

Kris says i am going to be HUGE this pregnancy. And i sort of have to agree with him.


Me at 38 weeks last pregnancy.


Me at 18 weeks this pregnancy. (Forgive how awful i look: it was taken at 11:30 Pm after the Twins game.)
Isn't that insane?
i'm gigantic compared to last time already. i understand that's the way it goes with second pregnancies, but holy crap man.

Yesterday was a weird day. It was awful, and then awesome, and my head is still spinning from it. But here's a picture of our new little maid.

i had swept, and left out the broom, and David didn't think i had done a good enough job:) If he keeps doing that, will we have to start giving him allowance already?

David also had a fever kind of from his shots, and didn't nap well yesterday, and woke up at 10 PM, freaking out. So we got him and gave him a bottle, and here he is, all cute and sad.


Then today he and i went to Walmart, and we were given a sample of this ice cream that is supposed to be like dippin' dots. i gave the ice cream to him, and man, he loved it!

He doesn't like to waste a bit, even the paper!

At least it matches his shirt?

Mommy never gives me sugar!


Some guy gave me a really weird look for taking pictures of my kid in Walmart, but that guy should have just thought 'mommy blogger'. Because then it makes sense.

Good but lonely news

Hello everyone! The weather is getting better, right? That means i'm a happier momsicle.

Anyway, on to the big news! Remember how Kris got a job at Target a few weeks ago? There were a lot of problems with it: it had nothing to do with his ultimate career goal of being in the medical field, didn't pay well, had bad hours along with his Outback job. Then in the following weeks, he couldn't go to orientation because Week 1: his background check hadn't gone through yet, Week 2: they changed orientation to a different night he couldn't make, Week 3: the H.R. guy was on vacation and they didn't have orientation, Week 4: is right now and no one has called him since last Monday. This is obnoxious because he got this job, and was hoping to start earning money soon, you know? However, he was hoping for this Canterbury job, and guess what?

He got it!!!!

They called yesterday! He went in this morning for a drug test and a background check, and as soon as those things go through (somewhere between 2-7 days, they say) they will call him and he'll be able to be an EMT, with starting pay much better than Target, and hours much easier for his sleep schedule along with his Outback job. So yay! We'll be able to pay our bills, he'll be happier because he'll feel like 'the man of the house' again, and he will be working towards his career goal. This is Very Good News. It is considered a seasonal job, through the summer, but if they like him which is unavoidable, he'll be able to pick and choose his own hours in the fall for continuing to work there while he goes to paramedic school and works and has a new baby. So yay Kris!

In the meantime, however, i haven't gotten to see him much lately, which is a bit of a bummer. He's been working on helping gut his parents' basement for his brother's wedding, and then working at night. It just came kind of suddenly: the working during the day thing. i knew it would come eventually, but it was basically like yesterday his dad called and said "Kris, can you come work here today?" and then i pretty much haven't seen him since. But we need the money, and so David and i have been bored at home, but thankful for Kris being such a hard worker.

Speaking of being bored, my dad had pity on us this morning and took David and i to lunch at don Pablo's. Yum! i had chicken fajitas. i fed David some salsa and i'm pretty sure he'll never trust me again! But it was cute. He was really tired on the way home.

Then later this afternoon, my boss Paul and my friend Andy who is the youth pastor at my church called and had me meet them at Chipotle. It was a nice 45 minutes of talking to adults and as always, lots of laughing. My favorite joke my boss has ever said to me was this: (he is a Japanese man)

Paul: "You know jessica, once my wife and i were talking about adopting one of those little Caucasian babies."

i still laugh every time i think of it. i like having my boss be someone i can text after a couple cocktails:)

Speaking of cocktails, i don't get to have those, being pregnant. You know what else i don't get to have? Medicine. And my throat is very sore and scratchy. i hope i'm not getting the flu, but most likely it is just a cold. This is how they usually start for me. But all i can do is sit here and suck on my Hall's Fruit breezers and wish they more medicinal than candy. Nyquil would be my choice, but for Baby Fig's sake, i abstain.

Did you guys watch American Idol this week? i didn't think Chikezie should have been in it much longer, but i think Kristy Cook should have been booted before him.

Ok, have a good night! i've got sleepytime tea and local honey that is calling my name.