8.27.2012

State fair, Nashville, & doctor visit

We only had a short amount of time that we were able to spend at the fair this year. I never understood the TN state fair when I lived there. It was so small. It didn't seem to have nearly even half the exhibits or displays or ' things entered to be judged' (whatever word that is) concerts,shows,and just things to do. We always heard that the Wilson County was the fair to go to, and we tried it last year, but it was not anything at all like the Kentucky State fair. I searched on-line last year for the top State Fairs, and The Kentucky State Fair was on most of the lists for top 10. I guess that is why the others seemed so boring. It's not so cheap, but growing up everyone went multiple days. And when you do just go one day, it's a 10 hour day you spend . There are plenty of places indoors to walk and look, so it's not too hot really. We only were able to go once Luke got off work, and stayed until a little after dark. We walked around a few of the wings in the fairgrounds to see the cakes, quilts, Christmas trees (!!!!), and the KidZone. We got just a little bit of food--Landon scarfed a corndog, Lucy munched on some fries, Lucy also wanted all of my loaded baked potato, and Luke had some type of sandwich. The kids also got a msassive bag of  cotton candy while Luke and I shared a funnel cake.We only let Landon ride 2 rides, they get expensive! He had a blast and didn't want to leave. I wished he could have ridden every ride there. Next year, we will for sure go on a wristband day! 
If you want to go on a short trip in August, check out the KY State fair next year. You won't be disappointed!

Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. 
~Henry James
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We went to the NICU party this past weekend. Lucy & Landon both loved the games,candy, and cake. I loved to see the nurses and doctors and respiratory therapists who took care of my teeny tiny baby for 53 days all day and night. It's also great to see other mommies and daddies who we've read about on the NICU facebook page, followed on their blogs, or remember watching them enter or leave the NICU daily while we were there as well. 





24 weeks & 4 days
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I had my 24 week appointment today. I'll be 25 weeks in 2 days! I've been totally fine mentally so far in the past few months. I feel like everything will be fine. I have a feeling we will be closer to the 37 week mark before we deliver this baby. But ,then in the back of my head ,I just see us in the hospital in month & thinking are we REALLY doing this AGAIN?
When my doctor walked in, before he could even see me, he expressed that he was happy I had behaved so far, and that we have something to be thankful for. (Before he came in, I had started having some doubts. As I stopped into the bathroom before my BP and weight check, I wondered how many more times I will GET to write my name on the little plastic cup. My BP was good, slight change to the top # but all well within normal. My weight is ok--I'm at 14 pounds gained. BUT 7 WERE SINCE THE LAST VISIT! ahh I had a big gain like that with Lucy right before things headed the wrong direction.) So after he said everything was good so far, there was the silence and the head bobbing. I've had that with both pregnancies. Then he said that's he's nervous now. So am I. I had been holding back tears since I had sat down on the table. We're just getting closer to the point that wasn't so pleasant before. As I laid back to measure the belly and hear the heartbeat, he said Watch, we'll be scheduling our 39 week c-section, and everything will end up fine. I told him that is my main thought when I'm trying not to worry, that at 39 weeks when everything is still fine, I'll have wasted it all for nothing. He quickly said BUT WITH NO COMPLAINING, RIGHT? I fully assured him that I hate when someone is at 36/37 week just saying they want to be done, and they just have NO clue. 
As he was walking out, he made THAT joke again. He made me promise I wouldn't misbehave--as in don't let your BP get so high, get pre-e, get HELLP, and have a seizure. That's been his little 'joke' since the beginning. He said he is too old to deal with all of that. The last doctor that had THAT JOKE with me, was after I delivered Lucy. My doctor kept telling me that we just had to make sure I didn't dance without the music. I had no clue what he meant really, or that it was that serious that I could have a seizure. He didn't joke or smile or even really laugh again until Lucy was about 2 months old. It was far enough past the scary that he felt comfortable to smile, even if it was him talking about how happy he was when I started pulling the oxygen mask off my face. You don't ever want a doctor to say that a moment they had with you was the best moment in their medical career. I've realized since then that it is the ultra scary moments that have been turned into a joking matter. It's not funny. But how else does a doctor say Hey, don't have a seizure & almost have your liver explode again! Our visits always end with a laugh and  smile, but it's a different level than I'd prefer. 
I will be going every 2 weeks from now on. Since we just don't know, he doesn't want me to get sick, and just fall in the cracks, and us miss something in a months' span. I'll be heading back on the 10th, and then 2 weeks after for the glucose screening and my 28/29 week visit. I'll keep updating as we go!

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“As for God, his way is perfect: 
    The Lord’s word is flawless; 
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength[h]
    and keeps my way secure.

2 Samuel 22:31-33

8.15.2012

Bronze


It's been 8 years. If I had to do it all over.......we'd go to a beach, have wonderful wedding pictures with the ocean & sunset,& enjoy the day! We contemplated that idea 8 years & 2 months ago (when we got engaged), but didn't want to hear opinions & deal with family not wanting to travel. At least my Florida family would have made it . They couldn't really get out anywhere to come north due to traffic from hurricanes & my grandma had diabetes complications with her foot & was told not to fly....the week before....and my grandpa was marrying us :/ But we survived & ended up married! I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend. Lucky to have been where I have been.
I decided to try to attempt to get Luke a present from all the traditional yearly gifts. I had to get creative & make believe a little bit. His year 1--paper --was the card, and I listed all the year/gift/meanings for them inside it.  Then i put a sticker on each gift with the year/number. His cotton & leather, year 2&3, were flip flops.
Yep, a little bit of cotton & leather on there ;) I guess I skipped 4. A flower or ...I forget. Something like that? 5 is wood.
Check out the bag his other present was in.6,7,&8 I just assumed all that metal stuff was in his real present ;)
iron, copper, bronze? Yep, I bet they're in there somewhere.
Then Luke got home with a box & said that the bow was almost a bronze color. I immediately started laughing and asked him if I left his iPad up to the page I was looking the stuff up at. He couldn't understand me through my laughing, but then told me that even the inside of my card had a bronzing color on it! CrAZy boy!
The other gift for 8 years is pottery. Of course he bought me a soup cup (for coffee) to go paint at the Paint Spot & signed us up for a class next week too. ALONG with a pre-natal massage! He is thoughtful after all ;) He did good!
And I'm also SO very proud of Landon for keeping his daddy's present a secret. He did good too!
We also hit 23 weeks Wednesday in this pregnancy #3.
I'm not so sure how these pictures will show up on here because I'm using the blog app on the iPad,& I haven't done that before. Hopefully I won't have to re-arrange later on. I'm sure they are crazy big where you have to click on them to see the entire thing too. :)
Keep the prayers up. We need 2 more good weeks of no high blood pressure. We'll take 16 though, in case you didn't know. Next weekend we head to Nashville for the NICU reunion birthday party. Then I'll go back to the doctor on Monday. I wanted to get out of town again before my doctor suggests staying around-- I'd hate to feel bad going against what he says. BUT if I happen to get sick, I'd rather be AT the hospital anyways in Nashville, so we should be fine. I'll have plenty of pictures to post when we return!




2:20AM. Bad habit is back. Mommy needs her sleep to take care of 2 kids & grow #3. Good night!
O

8.10.2012

22 weeks and 2 days

I think I forgot to add a picture last week. Back to my 'normal' looking self--work out clothes, after coming home from a walk to the park with Luke & the kids. This includes walking back up up up up our hill. The hill has a 16% incline in one part. 
She's the length of a carrot at 21 weeks, about 10 1/2 inches. We are getting closer to moving houses. I'm still not thrilled about not having our own home that we can renovate, fix the kids' rooms, & make our own. I miss our new Martha Stewart carpet we had gotten installed in our TN house. I miss our floors. I MISS OUR POOL. I'm so pale this summer.Ugh.
When we were getting Landon's room ready for him, we started with a hot pink room that we hadn't touched since we moved in.
We ripped up the nasty builder's grade carpet that was stained all over, and put down a laminate hand scraped looking floor. The floor came up 2 years later when we bought every box left in Nashville ( on clearance) to put down in the living room and dining area, and put new Martha Stewart so so soft shaggy carpet. We painted 3 walls a tan we color matched & 1 wall a color we matched from his bedding also.

The room got new baseboards, bead board, chair rail, and crown molding-- all painted an off white to match the crib, dresser, and dresser we re-painted to match.
Finished product.
With Lucy's room, we decided to leave it the tan it was whether it be a boy or girl. We figured we wouldn't get pregnant again after the fertility treatments didn't seem to be working, and if we did we were sure we'd have all boys. Once we found out it was a girl, we had both seen a bedding we really liked. We're not 'theme' people, but both liked the smocking and stitching colors. The only thing we had done by week 28 with Lucy was the crib:


And then one week later we went from this on Sunday:

to this:

 to this Monday evening:
 Once I got home we waited a few weeks still to paint. We had already decided to just do one wall.
We used Behr Tuti Fruiti and Foxy Pink.



The finished product:
We didn't do too much, but we thought we might be moving soon after. We just did a little bit to make it hers. Now, I hate the thought of bringing home this baby to a rental home, and not being able to make it hers. I know she will never have any clue what her first house or room is like, but it still makes me feel bad.
We have some ideas for Baby girl #2's room:


We will see how it all turns out!