IT'S A GIRL!

So sorry for the delay but I'm guessing you understand. We had a BEAUTIFUL baby girl on Friday the 19th at 9:53pm. She weighed 5lbs 8ozs and was 18 1/4 inches. Just a peanut. Her name is Landry Faye...Faye was my mom's name and I just about cry every time I hear it because it breaks my heart that she is gone.

We are all doing well and trying to adjust to our new life. It's amazing how the smallest person in the house can create the most chaos. I'm not complaining though. It's so sweet to see all of the pink around the laundry room now. She just melts my heart!

Well, after last night's rant and a good night's sleep, I'm feeling better this morning. Emotionally, anyway. Tanner stayed in his bed all night. I can hardly believe it.

The Christmas Pageant last Friday was a huge success! The boys were so cute. I cried like a big, hormonal, proud, crazy woman. Ryan sang all of the songs and said his line clearly and perfectly. Tanner wouldn't wear his sheep's head but he shook the bells and didn't run off stage screaming...this is about the best I had hoped for! Anyway, they were too good and it was, overall, very, very good.

Have a great day! I'll post later after my appointment this morning!

Somebody Tell Me When It's Over...

There is only one word that can really sum up how I feel...oh, it's not a very nice word, so let me try a sound...

UGH!!!!!

My back hurts. That doesn't quiet capture the burning, broken, some-mean-person-stuck-a-butcher's-knife-in-it feeling that it has. Hot showers help but then my poor skin looks like I've never even heard of lotion, much less own any or know how to use it.

My hips hurt. Somewhere along the lines of believing that they are going to split wide open and everything inside of me, including the baby, is going to crash down to the earth like a dropped watermelon...that's where I am right now.

Heartburn. Remember the person with the butcher's knife I mentioned earlier...yeah, it's stuck in to far that it's dissecting my esophagus at a slow, torturous rate of speed. I can eat approximately three bites of food before I feel like if the baby kicked right then, the food would fly back out and across the table. I've got myself convinced that milk makes it feel better but I'm not really sure. I'm beginning to think it would just make the mess that much worse if the baby kicks the food back out. Gross. Moving on.

The puppy. Ah, Bailey. She is a sweetie, no doubt. Cute, soft, playful, those sweet brown eyes...she looks like she belongs on the cover of a Labrador Retriever holiday calendar. But, boy oh boy, is she busy. If she doesn't need to be fed, then she needs to go out, or to be pulled off of one of my children already roaming on this planet, or to have yet another ornament she's stolen off of one of the trees retrieved from the very back of her throat where it is already mangled beyond recognition (and most certainly not in any condition to return to the tree), or to roll up the 67 feet of Charmin that she's crazily wrapped around doorways, chairs, and toys at a high rate of speed, or to find the mate of the sole remaining shoe that she has strategically hidden somewhere that only she and top FBI agents know exist, or pick up the shredded papers that she managed to steal out of John's office or briefcase...you're getting the idea I hope. I won't even go into how green and lush our lawn will be this coming spring thanks to her efforts...again, moving on.

Tanner. Just in time for the holidays and BIRTH, he realized last Thursday that those rails on his crib are really more of a suggestion of where to stay put rather than a firm boundary, and so up and over he went. Yep. He can get in and out like lightning now. So, he's fast asleep in the toddler bed tonight. Sounds cute, right. Well, after playing a very un-fun game of "get back in your new bed" at naptime today, that he won, we gave up and let him not nap. This is on top of him waking up at 5:00am this morning, courtesy of his brother screaming about Godknowswhat and getting the entire family up before the paper was even in the driveway. Full day of playing, running, eating, and a nice bath, it still took nearly an hour, at least 60 trips back to bed, and one teaspoon of Benadryl (shhh, please don't tell) before he passed out. Holy crap. This is going to be one long week.

Ryan. He's actually not very high on the offender list right now. He's just my sweet, big boy who asks way too many questions and points out the very-obvious constantly, but I wouldn't have him any other way.

John. He's probably the main reason I'm still alive. He's been beyond patient with me and my bedrest. I'm sure nothing beats working all day at a high demand client then coming home to all of the glory that is our house after 4pm. I wonder if when he's driving up if it looks like one of those movies where the dark, spooky clouds are beginning to swirl and thicken up over our house only? Hmmm. Maybe I'll ask...

So, one week from tomorrow is the longest that this can go on. My nonstress tests looked good last week. I see the perinatologist in the morning and will have another one done there. My fluid has been labile, but hasn't gone back down to near-panic levels anymore. After reading all of the above info, you're probably able to estimate just how compliant I've been with the bedrest thing. Yeah, I know. Bad patient. Well, I'm guessing that everything will be fine tomorrow and on Thursday when I see the OB, so we'll just look forward to next Monday and try to take it one moment at a time.

Good thing the payoff is soooo great at the end of a pregnancy! :)

Meet Bailey!

Oh, she is a mess. Barking, check. Chewing, check. Knocking down the boys, check. Peeing on my floors, check. Crying when the lights go out at bedtime, check.

Being completely adorable, check. Puppy breath, check. So glad we've got her here, check!

There have been other events. We had a fire in the backyard last Saturday night that required Atlanta's brave firefighters to put it out. Looks like our lawn guy blew too many leaves up around some of our halogen landscape lighting and it caught on fire. Stupid drought. Stupid lawn guy. I've never been so frightened in my life. We all made it safely out of the house and there was no damage to anything other than the lawn. Amazing. Thank God for timing it all out perfectly to keep us safe.

Perinatologist update...everything is holding steady. Fluid looking about the same and baby doing just fine.

Tanner has the yucky GI bug that is infecting most of Atlanta right now but the pediatrician said today that his ears and chest are clear, so that's good news. We'll just keep using Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer like there's no tomorrow. Ryan is healthy and doing fine. He has some PTSD from the fire I think but we're talking it out and he's gone to bed okay the last two nights. Overall, they are just two sweet little men who are growing up WAY too fast for my taste. :)

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow the Fun REALLY Begins...

Here she comes! Her flight lands tomorrow afternoon at 12:04 and John will be there. Ryan will get home from school just about the same time as they should get home. We're all very excited and I will post some pictures soon so everyone can see the first of our two babies...this is the one with four legs! :)

Quick update on me...things are about the same. Fluid holding steady, baby growing and looking great, partial day bed rest continues. Not the most exciting news, but good news all the same!

Update...

PREFACE--I wrote this last night but got suckered into looking at dog names for over an hour with John; by then I forgot to come back and post this. So better late than never...

Yes, it seems that my life is on a Monday-to-Monday cycle. Mondays are my perinatologist appointments and, it seems, they steer my life from that day until the following Monday. So today is no exception...here's the scoop: fluid holding steady at 10.7 (down a bit from 11.5 last week), baby looking great, weighing 4lbs 14 ozs, measuring 33weeks 3 days, active, active, and even more active. He/she is head down and they confirmed today that it is, indeed, a cute little butt that is what keeps sticking me right below my sternum and hurting like the dickens. He/she also has a penchant for kicking me on the left side so hard that it makes me see stars. Ugh.

Five weeks and counting...35 days...sounds pretty do-able, right? This whole "one day at a time" thing is really hard for a planner like myself. There's plenty to do to stay occupied. We still need another chest for the new baby's clothes, frames to be hung, lamps to be picked out, new linens to be cleaned and put on, curtains to be put up...you get the idea. The woman we have helping out from now until the new addition started today. She has babysat for us many times but nothing on a regular basis. She really understands our situation and cares about the boys so I feel pretty good after our first day of having her here. She's good at just looking around and finding what needs to be done, which I love.

The boys are winding down and will be ready for bed in a few more minutes. Time to pick out some books, scratch some backs (sadly, nobody scratches mine), get in a few last cuddles then say goodnight. I've got three books on "how in the world to manage a new puppy when you're 33 weeks pregnant, on partial bed rest, and haven't had a puppy in nearly nine years, plus exciting chapters on how to keep your kids from using Hot Wheels to cause a closed head injury to an unsuspecting pup, and how to keep your cranky nine year old jack russell from secretly inflicting a fatal wound, dragging the dead body out the doggy door, and burying the evidence in the flower bed way out back". Just a little light reading. Hope some of it sticks or I'll have one very, very expensive mistake to deal with.

Still Trying

Ryan couldn't resist pointing out the obvious today. I had a facial (a much needed facial) this morning. John's mom had just gotten home with the boys from school and my face was still pretty red. Ryan, who leaped out of the Jeep screaming "HI MOMMY!" stopped dead in his tracks when he got close enough to see my face. He paused for a second (it doesn't take him long to think of a zinger) and said very flatly "you aren't doing a very good job of looking like that pretty lady from yesterday". If you missed yesterday's post, that pretty lady he thinks I'm trying to emulate is Jennifer Aniston. I just started cracking up, so he points out the very obvious..."she's NOT all RED like you". Thanks, little dude. Let's see, let me have a few more facials, get rid of the person occupying a solid third of my body right now plus a few workouts, then we'll talk. :)

Thanks, Honey!

It's conversations like this that melt a mother's heart...

oprah was on the tv when ryan, tanner and granny lin all came upstairs from the playroom for a snack this afternoon. if you missed it, jennifer aniston was on, looking better than ever i might add. ryan was captivated by her. his mouth was actually hanging open. so...

me--"she's pretty, huh?"

ryan--"YEEEEEES (deep sigh)"

pause

ryan--"mommy, you should look like THAT!"

i couldn't agree more...

Baby Steps...

That's me! Trying to make it one itty-bitty baby step at a time. I feel better today...much better than last night. The boys were their normal fun, wild, rough selves this morning. John's mom is an unbelievable help. We just got back from lunch and I'm about to assume my throne on the couch for the rest of the day. I'll try to get some cute pics of the boys and their Granny Lin later today. They are WILD about her! Hope everyone is having a great day!

WHEW!

Thank goodness! My perinatologist told us today that my fluid is up from 7 to 11.5! I am so relieved. I really feel like a weight has been lifted off of my heart. He said the baby looks great, so that was the icing on the cake. He said this if proof that I was really just over-doing it. Who, me? Doing too much? Really. I guess MAYBE I was going a little strong...okay, a lot strong. So, at least we know the partial bed rest, from 1pm until bed, works, so that's the plan to be continued. We'll go back in a week and check it again.
I have been such a wreck today that I am absolutely worn out tonight. Not to mention that I just got through freaking out on John. All of this stress, the prospect of making it through this with my sanity intact, making it through this with my children's safety and security intact, can I really do this, will I be able to organize the boy's schedules effectively without making them miserable in the process, trying to be positive and not bitter about being stuck on the couch all day during the busiest time of the year (also normally my favorite!)...this, that, the other. I snapped a bit ago and unleashed some crap that really had more to do with me than it did John at all, but he's the one here...now on top of everything else, I have to figure out how to apologize for being a bitch. I think I'll shower and pray for a while before trying to talk to him. I hope I can find some kind of peace for myself. Forty two days doesn't sound like a long time, but right now I'm just not sure how I'm going to make it and still have any friends or family left who don't hate me.

Shotguns and Four-Year-Olds

What? You don't let your preschooler play hunting games? Well, I used to be a really good parent. No violent games, no pacifiers, always dressed in clean clothes, never eating cookies for breakfast. I could do it all. That was, of course, before I actually HAD kids. My, oh my, how things change. So here's the latest example. Ryan sweet talked me into buying this crazy video game that plugs into the TV called "Deer Huntin' 3". I think he loves it almost as much as me and maybe, just maybe, as much as chocolate milk. It has this shotgun that you have to pump and pull the trigger, after you take the safety off naturally, to shoot deer, bears, and elk. Here's the kicker...he's really good! Once he got his dad to give him a turn *grin* he started blasting everything away in sight. He's convinced he's a real hunter now and even has big plans on bagging a deer with Daddy this year, so when he asked to call Granddad the other night, I figured he wanted to tell him about how many he shot. Instead, here's the one-sided version of the conversation I heard:

Ryan--"Hi Granddad!"

pause

Ryan--"Did you buy me a gun for Christmas yet?"

pause

Ryan--"Yeah, a GUN."

pause

Ryan--"OK, bye!"

I don't know what Bob actually told him. This might be the most exciting Christmas we've ever had in this family!!!

Update and New Baby Pictures

So here's the scoop...I had a good checkup with the OB. Positives: blood pressure was great, no protein in my urine, cervix is completely closed. Negatives: belly measures 31 weeks, should be 32, I feel yucky, and I'm having atypical signs of preeclampsia. Good times, right? She agreed with the bedrest plans that the perinatologist put in place. She said as long as baby is happy (heart rate normal, growth "acceptable", moving enough) then he/she stays put. She was pleased that baby's estimated weight was 3lbs 15 ozs on Tuesday. So we'll just have to really stick with the plans as they are (boring!) and see what Monday's sonogram shows. It's crazy...all of this waiting, me somehow hanging on to finding out the sex...sounds like I'm really patient doesn't it? The truth is I'm probably one of the least patient, most "need-to-know" persons I know. Patience...it is certainly not my finest virtue. I guess it's a growing experience. I do feel scared and nervous, I want this to all be over...I just really need to know that my baby will be okay. I can hardly stand the unknown. The tears well up just thinking about it all. SO, for now it's deep breaths and one day at a time. That's the best I can do, right?

In case you were wondering about the new baby pictures...no, they aren't from today's appointment. No, they aren't from Tuesday's appointment. They aren't of the baby inside me at all. They are of our other new little bundle of love. About four weeks ago, before we knew any of this "low fluid" business was brewing, we bought a PUPPY! She is a beautiful lab from a breeder in Tennessee and she's still with her mommy. We'll be, um, actually John will be going to the airport to meet her and bring her home on the 22nd of this month. We kind of figured we'd do this like a band-aid and just rip it off. New puppy and new baby at the same time...sorta like having twins. Well, now that I'm down and out it will all prove to be a little more challenging than originally planned. Oh well, at least is will give the boys a new distraction besides asking why I can't play chase or race car driver. So without further delay, here is our new little girl...

Day One...Check!

Well, I survived my first day of partial bedrest. Can you get a bedsore in less than 6 hours? Good grief, my hips and butt are already killing me from not moving around enough. They get stiff and when I do get up to walk, I sorta have that "old dog" saunter...and it takes me about 15 minutes to go 15 feet away. Oh well. I even slept pretty well last night. I have an OB appointment this morning so I'll update you later on what she says. I have some really funny pictures of the boys with their newest toy AND some other news that will confirm any doubts that you might have had...WE ARE CRAZY!

Check back soon...well, after 2pm EST...

Not Good News...

Ugh, so much for my fluid level improving with some extra fluids and rest. At my appointment yesterday, not only was it lower than two weeks ago but it's low enough that now I've been put on partial bedrest. YUCK! From 1pm until bedtime I have to be off of my feet. So, we'll go back Monday afternoon for another gander after 6 days of torture, er, um...resting. The plan is that if it is stable or has improved then I'll be on this partial bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. If it is lower but not critical, I'll be put on complete bedrest. Argh! If it goes down after that, the perinatologist said he'll put me in the hospital until delivery to monitor the baby. When the fluid gets too low, the baby can begin to suffer from small growth and go into distress pretty quickly. I was so shocked/scared/upset when he told me all of this yesterday I completely forgot to ask WHY he thinks this may be happening. He did tell me that my placenta looks fine now, which I guess is a common culprit if it starts to poop out.

SO, for now, I'm very lucky to have such great friends and family that have already stepped up to help out with Ryan and Tanner. Friends here are taking the boys after school for the rest of the week and not bringing them home until 6:30 (when John will be home) and my awesome mother-in-law is coming in Sunday and staying all week to play, feed, and drive the kids around where they need to go. That will give me a chance to get a steady game plan together for the rest of the pregnancy based on what we learn on Monday's appointment. Everyone one here wants to help and I'm so grateful! Between helping keep the boy's lives semi-normal to bringing food, I know we'll get through these next few weeks just fine. I'm doing my best to have faith, trust God, and stay calm!

Here are a few pictures of my sweet boys! They are such a delight! I'll keep you posted on how things are developing!

Comedy Break

Ryan--"knock, knock!"

Me--"who's there?"

Ryan--"Peanut Head."

Me--"Peanut Head who?"

Ryan--"Peanut Head with a diaper rash at the rodeo!!!"

Ryan and Tanner--uncontrollable laughter accompanied by rolling around on the floor.

Me--I don't get it, but I do love it!!!

Perinatologist Update

I saw Dr. Korotkin this morning and the baby looks fine. My amniotic fluid has gotten low since my last appointment two weeks ago. He is (fairly) certain that it is related to me just getting over the respiratory infection and told me to rest as much as possible (ha!) and drink an obscene amount of water. He'll see me again in two weeks. He assured me that there is nothing to get alarmed about now but we will watch it closely. He anticipates it will be normal at the next appointment. I have an OB appt this Friday so we'll see what she has to say. Here are the stats from this morning:

baby measures-- 30 weeks 1 day
baby's estimated weight--3 lbs 4 ozs
blood pressure-- 110/78
my weight--159 (35 pounds gained, yikes!)

I am feeling rather big these days. I haven't gained as much weight as I had with Ryan at this point but I've gained the same amount that I did in total with Tanner. What are you gonna do? I find myself gazing at women who are in shape. They probably think I have a girl crush or something. Maybe I do in a way...I'm looking forward to having my body back but trying to enjoy this pregnancy, as much as that's possible for me. Have you seen the video for Saving Abel's song "Addicted"? I really like that song but I like the girl in it even better! I want to look like that again! (warning**the song and video are racey...please don't watch it if you are easily embarassed or if you are my mother-in-law!)

I sure love my kids but, man oh man, I don't love being pregnant!

I made these pictures today. Sorry for the hat...my doctor's appointment was at 8am and I had to take both of the boys with me (John had an early meeting). We all looked a bit weary but we were on time! My hands are officially "that swollen" and I can't get my wedding rings on anymore. The pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel is in full force and my hands and wrists are either tingling or completely numb all of the time now.

I guess I could have waited until that water spot on my shirt had dried to make the picture. Oh well!

Decorations Galore

Have I ever mentioned my obsession with holiday decorations? It's pretty extensive. I had a lot all by myself, then I had more when we moved to Paris with none (had to fix that!), then moved to NYC with none (I did have a enough storage!), and then I inherited all of my mother's decorations (where do you think I got this gene?). So, add all of that up and you have one really decorated house. The kids love it. My friends here like it...their kids can enjoy it and they don't have to put it all out or put any of it away. All together, I have 8 large storage boxes full of Halloween stuff. Only 2 for Thanksgiving. I honestly went to the basement to try to count the Christmas boxes...I can only see 12 but there are more behind them. We may or may not see much of that stuff this year. I'm not sure if it will get put away before Spring Break since the baby will be born the week of Christmas. I think John wants to have a party, so I may have to get it out...couldn't dream of having people over and not have the house all done up!

Happy Halloween

Random Stuff

I'm slowly learning how to use our new Nikon D60. It is quite an upgrade from the point and shoot we've been using. White balance, aperature, shutter speed...it's like a new language. Here are a few attempts at using some tricks. I know...not very impressive. This should serve as a good baseline for my skills now. I have lots of ideas for pics to make but the battery is dead and I have no idea where the charger is. John is still in San Diego and he can't remember where it is either. So, no new pics until he gets home tomorrow night. I promise to make a baby belly picture and post it soon, so please quit harassing me (you know who you are and you should be ashamed of yourselves!). I'm going to a Mom's Night Out with some friends tonight. Surprise, I'm the designated driver! Fine by me...we'll have a good time. Well, I'm off to rest with Ryan for a bit. Happy Thursday everyone!

Tag Along

I saw this over at Brittany's blog and decided to play along, too! Thanks for the invite!
The rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 7 random things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post.
4. Pass on the tag.

Here are 7 things you (probably) don't know about me:

1. I love candles and almost always have one lit anytime I'm home.
2. I love Jo Malone perfumes and skin care stuff. If you aren't familiar with them...they ROCK!
3. I really don't like ceiling fans. No real explanation, they just bug me.
4. Any snake, no matter how big or small, sends me running for the hills screaming at the top of my lungs.
5. I have worked out about 4 times this entire pregnancy...so not like me! I will have a lot to do after the baby is born!
6. I still think of my mom and miss her everyday, even though she's been gone for three and a half years.
7. I'm SO glad that this is the last presidential debate on TV tonight! Good grief, I'm sick of these two going on, and on, and on! Earmarks, scalpel vs. hatchet, Iraq vs. Afghanastan...who is this Joe the Plumber!? I'm going to watch the Food Network!

I tag anyone who reads this and wants to play along! Leave a comment and I'll visit your blog to read yours!

Wordless Wednesday

n