30 Weeks & Ear Infections

Today marks 30 weeks in this pregnancy, or 3/4 of the way through. I can't believe that 2-3 months from now we will be holding another little peanut in our arms. This is both terrifying and exciting at the same time. To date, I have gained about 20-21 lbs which is pretty average I think. And other than feet and leg cramps and a few other unmentionable aches and pains, I don't have too many complaints this time. The nausea has finally subsided - knock on wood!

Jacob was diagnosed with his first (and hopefully only) ear infection yesterday. It is on the right side. It must be pretty mild because he never had a fever and he never really pulled on his ears or anything. But he was sleeping terrible so Matt brought him in to the doctor. And sure enough, that's what was going on. He was started on amoxicillin -- which he LOVES to take -- and also given some pain relieving drops for his ears.

I am also sick with sinusitis yet again. I have a ton of fluid on my left ear and a little bit on my right ear but neither of those are infected, thankfully. I was given an antibiotic that I can take if things don't improve on their own (just in case, since it's the weekend) but usually it does go away on its own. Here's hoping!! This has been the year of being sick in our family!

Well I suppose that's the update for today!

Five Question Friday

Another edition of Five Question Friday. Hope you enjoy learning these useless facts about me :-)

1. Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it?

My aunt made me a blankie when I was a baby. It was all cross-stitched, very cool! I still have it, or what's left of it, in my keeping box :-)

2. Do you dream in color?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do. My dreams are very real sometimes.

3. How tall are you? Do you wish you were shorter or taller?

I am somewhere between 5'6" and 5'7". I don't wish to be taller or shorter, I am fine the way I am.

4. If you could have anyone's (celeb or other) voice as the guide on your GPS, who would it be?

Hmm, there's a lot of good voices out there but there's something about Gerard Butler that I like so I'll say his for now

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot?

Yes. It drives me crazy when people don't return them, especially when they are parked like two parking spaces away from the corral!

Like it or not

Well, we may be potty training Jake whether we like it or not. The kid is just ready!

I told him I was going to go potty (he likes to watch lol) and went into his bathroom. When I sat down on the toilet, he sat on his. He's been doing this all day. But this time he was relentless. After I let him flush the toilet (his favorite) he went back to his potty and sat down. Then got up and pointed at it while making his noise for "I want" So I gave in and took down his pants and he sat back on there. Immediately he went pee. When he was finished, he got up and put the lid down. Smarty pants.

I'm not ready for this!

The Latest and Greatest

Seems like lots of things have been happening the last few days. Here's quick snippet of the latest and greatest in our lives.

Dentist: Jacob had his first dentist appointment on Thursday, July 22nd. We brought him to the pediatric dentist that Matt's Aunt Susie works for. Jacob fussed/cried a little while he was on the table but overall he did pretty well. He has great teeth with no signs of decay! They were very pleased that we don't feed him juice or candy. They would like us to wean him from his sippy cup and pacifier though... but I don't have any plans on doing that until he is at least 2, unless he shows an interest in weaning himself. His teeth are a little too close together which could cause a problem when his adult teeth come in - there may not be enough room for them. He also already has a slight overbite (which is why they want us to wean the sippy/paci) He got to pick out a treasure from the treasure chest... he picked a bug and a zebra sticker. He also got two new toothbrushes. And the dentist showed us some new techniques for teeth brushing. We don't have to bring him back for a year.

Haircut: Supercuts was having a training day on Thursday so we took Jacob in for a free haircut. He was due for one anyway. We went after his dentist appointment and he was being quite a stinker! He would not sit still for anything. The haircut looks nice on him and they did a good job, especially considering the challenge he was.

Before & After of his hair

Play: In between the dentist and Jake's haircut we had some time to kill so we brought him to the play area at Woodland Mall. We hadn't been to that one before. He loved it! While we were there, this little girl stood in the middle and just started crying. All the kids sort of stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Jacob walked over, bent down and looked up at her and said "HI!!!!!!" When that didn't stop her from crying, he went over and hugged her. It was so cute! I was laughing so hard that I was crying. She stopped crying while he hugged her but started again whenever he would walk away. He kept going back and trying again. Adorable.

Potty: Wednesday night (July 21st) when I was putting Jacob into his diaper for the night, he sort of beared down a bit and let one rip. So I thought maybe he was going to poop. So I took him into the bathroom and put him on his potty. He didn't end up pooping, though he did bear down a few more times, but he did pee in the potty! I was so proud of him. He peed a lot too! Once he was done, he got up and went over to the regular toilet and tried to flush it. He's definitely putting all the pieces together. The next night (Thursday) Matt set him down on the potty again before his bath and he peed some more. He also beared down again but didn't poop on it. So I think he really "gets" it. Like I've mentioned before, though, we aren't going to start potty training until after #2 has arrived since it's too much change for him at one time. We are just getting him familiar with the idea since he has shown an interest in it already.

Five Question Friday

I have lots to write about from yesterday but before I do that entry, I wanted to do these questions. They are posted every Friday and I am going to try to remember to do them each week.

1. What were your school colors?

Purple & Gold in high school; Blue & White in college

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?

Probably anything about my son -- being cute, smart, well-behaved :-)

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?

Average, I guess. We usually buy Charmin.

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?

I had a surprise party for my 18th birthday. We threw a surprise retirement party for my mom last year.

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?

Probably my computer :-x

OB Appointment & Menu Planning Week 4

Today I had my 28 week OB check-up. Everything looks great. My BP was 112/64 and Baby's heartrate was 150. I am measuring at 29 cm which is right on. At first the Dr thought I was measuring a little small because it was written in my chart that I was 32 weeks instead of 28. We were all confused there for a minute. (Had to really think, like, wait did I miss something??) He said my glucose screen that I had done last week was negative and that my hemoglobin was normal, although I never asked what the number was. So no more blood work for this pregnancy, woohoo! I forgot to ask about getting the Rhogam shot. I am Rh negative so I should be doing that at some point soon. I start going every two weeks now.

Here is the menu for week 4. A couple repeats again as we skipped some from last week :-)

Monday: Mexican -- burritos and Spanish rice

Tuesday: homemade pizza

Wednesday: leftovers for Matt, out to dinner for Emily (baby shower for a girl at work)

Thursday: steak, twice baked potatoes, salad

Friday: cheesy chicken (new recipe; I will be following this recipe -- trying to do one new recipe a week!) corn on the cob, rolls

Saturday: pork tenderloins, mashed potatoes, green beans

Sunday: spaghetti

And, last, for those who wanted it.... the easiest Chicken Pot Pie you'll ever make!

1 box Pilsbury frozen pie crust (2 crusts)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

frozen mixed vegetables (I also add frozen lima beans)

chicken breasts

Now, I have, over time, experimented with this to the point that I have eliminated the chicken breasts completely. There are enough little pieces of chicken and enough chicken flavor in the soup for our taste and we like having more vegetables. Play around with it!

Bake the chicken as normal. Cut up into small pieces. Lay one pie crust in the pie dish.

Mix together the soup, veggies, and chicken pieces. Lay the other pie crust on top, poke vent holes in top. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Let sit for about 30-45 minutes after taking out of the oven.

Sooo yummy! And sooo easy!

28 weeks

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant, the official start to the third - and final - trimester. (Yikes!) I gained 5 lbs last week (*gasp!* mostly because I was sick and LOST weight the week before) but that puts my total weight gain to date at roughly 20 lbs. The average woman gains 11 lbs in the last trimester which would still be only 31 lbs total and that is acceptable. So I guess I'm happy with it.

28 weeks on July 16, 2010

I did my glucose screening test last Monday but I haven't heard any results back yet. I go for a check-up on Monday so I should know something then.

Yesterday Matt took Jacob to the Children's Museum. He had a fun time playing there. There are lots of activities and a section for just little ones.

Today we took Jacob to the beach at Gun Lake. We went with our friend Amanda and her 3 kids - Alexis, Logan, and Evalyn. We had fun. Jake was so worn out! And so was I. We both took a nice long nap when we got home.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip to the zoo. Jacob is going to love it because he loves animals. It's been a fun weekend for us!

Jacob at Gun Lake

Jacob & Evalyn at the lake

Menu Planning Week 3

So far this whole menu planning for the week has been easy! Because we've been sick and not eating so our menus have been carrying over from week to week! This week will look oddly familiar, I'm afraid.

Monday: BLTs

Tuesday: leftovers from last week (tortellini, chicken, rice, etc.)

Wednesday: pulled pork sandwiches, frozen veggies

Thursday: steak, twice baked potatoes, salad

Friday: homemade pizza

Saturday: chicken pot pie (if you want my super easy and super delicious chicken pot pie secret, let me know!)

Sunday: Mexican :-) This is going to be our terrible for you dinner but oh so yummy! Burritos and spanish rice

Doctor Visit

After a week of at least someone being sick in this house, we broke down and decided to take Jacob in to his pediatrician yesterday. As usual, it was a waste of an appointment. Although we all have slightly different symptoms, we are all sick with basically the same thing. And I refuse to believe that all three of us would get sick at exactly the same time with it not being from the same bug. So we were hoping that if we could find out what was wrong with Jacob, we would also find out what was wrong with us. Unfortunately, it never is that easy.

At his appointment, fully clothed, he weighed 30 lbs 6 oz. He saw a different doctor than his usual. She was unable to do a diagnosis but said he was fine. She gave us a slip to have some lab work done with Jacob's stool. Unfortunately, it wasn't until we got to the lab that we realized we had the wrong labs ordered on the slip. We called the office but they were closed for lunch. We were far too frustrated and feeling awful ourselves to drive back to the office to pick up a new lab slip and then drive back to the lab to get what we needed. We just decided to forget it altogether. After all, the doctor said we probably wouldn't even get the results back until we were all feeling better anyway. *big sigh*

So much for a wasted morning!

Jacob is still having diarrhea but it is getting more solid and less frequent as each day passes. He is getting really sick of his BRAT diet and we've been trying to slowly add things back -- just no dairy which is the hardest part. He is a milk lover through and through. Other than that, he seems to be doing just fine and is his usual naughty self.

Matt and I seem to both be feeling better today as well. Here's hoping anyway!!!

In other news, today I am 27 weeks pregnant, which means it is the final week of the second trimester. It's crazy how fast time passes these days. I am definitely ready to stop being so uncomfortably pregnant but I am definitely NOT ready to have two kids! Lord, help me!!!

I will end with a semi-cute story. On Wednesday, Jacob brought me my first bug present. I spent the majority of the day laying on the couch in misery. I am not sure where he found it, but he brought over a dead beetle and placed it on my shoulder. (I just HOPE he did NOT stick that thing in his mouth first!!!!) When I freaked out, he started crying. I think he got his feelings hurt. He has been doing that more and more lately. I am sure it is the first of many bugs I will receive having two boys. Ohhhhhhhhh joy!!!!!

Bean Bags

Last week I got myself interested in making a set of beanbags for Jacob. I was inspired by my friend, Adrian, who mentioned making some for her son. So off we went to the fabric store.

I decided to do each of the primary colors in his rainbow themed toy room and make two of each. This way we would end up with 10 bean bags - perfect for learning numbers! And with all of the colors, they are perfect for learning colors as well. Thanks to my former-teacher mother, it's always all about education over here.

I cut the fabric at 19 cm by 19 cm. I simply made a visual of how big I wanted them and added a few cm to each side to allow for stitching. I did it in cm because Jake was napping and our yard stick is in his bedroom. Measuring and cutting are my least favorite parts of sewing.

I sewed around three edges and part way around the fourth edge. Then I flipped them inside out (it didn't matter too much which sides were up and down because the fabric was the same on both sides - though one side did have my pen marks on them!) Once they were flipped I filled them up with rice. I used rice because Adrian had mentioned using rice and I thought it was a good idea. It made them really squishy, plus if they break apart on accident, it won't be a big deal. If either Jake or the dog eats them, neither will choke or get sick on it. Once they were filled to how squishy I wanted them, I pressed the unsewn edge down and sewed once more all the way around the bean bag. This time, I did not take the needle out of the bag for corners.

Here is the finished project. I think they turned out pretty good! They aren't perfect but Jake doesn't care. And for my first attempt at anything like this, I am pretty proud of myself :-)

Jake-isms

Today Jacob is 19 months old!!! Wow, time flies!! He hasn't done much in the way of changing since the last post about him but I thought a few Jake-isms would be a fun way to remember this stage of his life. Here are a few "words" he says fairly regularly and the way in which he says them.

Hello/Hi - hi, eye (usually accompanied by a wave)

Bye-Bye - baba (usually accompanied by a wave)

Daddy - Dada, DaDEEE

Mama/Mom - Dada (yup!)

Baby - baba, BAYYbeee

Thank You - DAH-du

Hot - ot

Brr - buh

Yuck - uck, bluck

Yum - MMMMMMMMMM, num num

Ow - ow

Kitty - giDEE

Menu Planning

I am still awake. No, not by choice. Our stupid, redneck neighbors are still lighting off fireworks (yes, at almost 12.30am) and I cannot sleep through that. More than that, my stupid legs are restless. I finally gave up.

Last week Matt and I (okay, I) decided to be grown-ups and start menu planning for the week. I mean, we already are married, own a home, are parents, and have real career jobs, so I guess it's time to be adults here (bummer!) Despite a few hiccups (the grocery store not having what I needed for one day and having to do a quick substitute and then my getting sick for three days and not eating) it went pretty well for week one. I have decided to share our weekly menus in here. Most things won't require recipes, at least not at first, but maybe some day I can share those as well. This is, of course, until I get bored of sharing. Suggestions for meals are ALWAYS welcome!!! Especially easy crock-pot meals!!

Monday: Left over day.

We have plenty of left overs from last week that are going to go bad so might as well!

Tuesday: Tacos

This one was missed last week due to my being sick.

Wednesday: Pulled pork sandwiches, salad

This is a new recipe for us. I am going to follow this recipe that I found to make it.

Thursday: Steak, twice baked potatoes, frozen veggies

Friday: Pizza (homemade)

Saturday: Grilled chicken, brown rice, steamed carrots

Another left over from last week's sickness

Sunday: Tortellini, salad

A Trip To The OB Triage

Everything is fine. I repeat, everything is fine.

It started on Thursday as I was giving report at work. Back pain. Nothing unusual. I tried shifting positions but this resulted in only adding stomach pain to the mix. By the time I left work and was on the shuttle on the way home, I was contracting as well. In fact, by the time I got home, the contractions, mixed with the back and abdomen pain felt strangely familiar to those early labor pains. I never once actually thought I was in labor though! I rested to stop the contractions and ended up falling asleep for an hour and a half. Matt woke me up for dinner and when I woke up I just felt awful. Not only did I have the same pains, I also had a headache, dizziness, generalized achiness, chills with no fever, and my skin on my extremities was very sensitive to the touch (like even my clothing on them was painful) I forced myself to eat some dinner even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

Friday morning was even worse. My mom (LOVE HER!) came over to watch Jake for me and I basically slept all day. Same symptoms, just add fever, nausea, and light sensitivity to the mix as well. Matt only worked a half day and when he got home and I still wasn't any better, he called the doctors even though I didn't want him to. The OB recommended that I go to the OB Triage to check for appendicitis. Again, even though I didn't want to, Matt loaded Jake and myself in the car and off we went, after dropping Jake off with my parents again.

We spent several pointless hours in OB Triage where I was hooked up to the monitor, gave a urine sample, and refused to have my cervix checked (really!?! Let's increase my risk for infection for no good reason at all, thanks) And without checking for appendicitis, I was sent home with the diagnosis: severe dehydration and constipation. Um.. yes, I am pregnant... I could have told you that!! Haha.

Today I am feeling somewhat better. The headache is less severe. The pain in my stomach, back, and legs is still there but comes in waves of severity. The light-sensitivity, dizziness, and nausea have all but faded. I still can't hardly eat but I am actually feeling hungry which is a step in the right direction. I am still tired all of the time but have survived on only three naps today which is an improvement. I am trying to force fluids in as much as possible but I cramp up any time I eat or drink anything. Tomorrow I have to work so it should make for an interesting time! I am hoping to be back to normal by then though.

Jake is sick now too. Poor little Bug. He has been having diarrhea all day and he threw up all over his crib during his nap. He has been acting fine though so he's not too bothered by whatever bug he has.