Updates from my final midwife visit.
1: I still have 13.5 pounds to lose
2: Everything looks great for both me and Micah
3: Micah weighs 11 pounds, 11 ounces and is about 23 inches long
(that means he has gained about 4 pounds and grown 3 inches in just over 5 weeks)
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Mackenzie Milestones
Mackenzie has met some major milestones lately. Actually, they were all met before Micah was born, but I wanted to make sure they stuck before posting.
Milestones:
Jumping with both feet off the floor
No more bottles
Staying dry all night
That first milestone was a big one! We had trouble getting Mackenzie to even attempt to jump, and when sh would neither of her feet left the ground. The doctors said it was because she was so tall at such a young age, but they really wanted her to pass this milestone. One day I checked out the Disney movie Jump In from the library. This is a double dutch movie, and Mackenzie LOVED it. Before we knew it she was pretending to jump rope and you guessed it...both of her feet left the ground. Now she jumps all the time :)
The second milestone was another BIG one for our household. I know we should have stopped the bottle a year ago, but since she nursed and was not bottle fed she actually didn't start the bottle until she was about a year old (maybe older), and when she did start the bottle she fell in love with it and milk. We went through this whole thing where she wouldn't drink milk from anything other than a bottle, and she would only use the bottle to drink milk. Also, she went through like a gallon of milk every 2-3 days! No matter what we tried we simply could not wean her. Once her reasoning skills grew stronger I began telling her that when her bottle broke we were not going to replace it. Broke? Yes, broke. She had this habit of chewing through the nipples, so we were always replacing them. She was finally down to one last nipple and when that was gone we would not buy more. Guess what? It worked. When she had chewed through I showed it to her and explained how it was broken. She has not had a bottle since :) Plus she only drinks milk once (maybe twice) a day out of her cup now. Other side effects; she EATS LIKE A HORSE now. That's OK by me :)
The third milestone I can't explain other than she is staying dry all night long. I think part of it has to do with milestone number 2 and not drinking a gallon of milk every few days, and not waking up 3-4 times a night asking for milk in a bottle.
Even though she stays dry all night she is still not potty trained. I was told it is probably due to my pregnancy and now new baby. OK, I will buy that for now. Reason for not being potty trained? She doesn't want to. I would say she goes on the potty about half the time, but refuses to tell us when she needs to go. I am sure this will change one day...at least before she is married or starts dating or something.
Milestones:
Jumping with both feet off the floor
No more bottles
Staying dry all night
That first milestone was a big one! We had trouble getting Mackenzie to even attempt to jump, and when sh would neither of her feet left the ground. The doctors said it was because she was so tall at such a young age, but they really wanted her to pass this milestone. One day I checked out the Disney movie Jump In from the library. This is a double dutch movie, and Mackenzie LOVED it. Before we knew it she was pretending to jump rope and you guessed it...both of her feet left the ground. Now she jumps all the time :)
The second milestone was another BIG one for our household. I know we should have stopped the bottle a year ago, but since she nursed and was not bottle fed she actually didn't start the bottle until she was about a year old (maybe older), and when she did start the bottle she fell in love with it and milk. We went through this whole thing where she wouldn't drink milk from anything other than a bottle, and she would only use the bottle to drink milk. Also, she went through like a gallon of milk every 2-3 days! No matter what we tried we simply could not wean her. Once her reasoning skills grew stronger I began telling her that when her bottle broke we were not going to replace it. Broke? Yes, broke. She had this habit of chewing through the nipples, so we were always replacing them. She was finally down to one last nipple and when that was gone we would not buy more. Guess what? It worked. When she had chewed through I showed it to her and explained how it was broken. She has not had a bottle since :) Plus she only drinks milk once (maybe twice) a day out of her cup now. Other side effects; she EATS LIKE A HORSE now. That's OK by me :)
The third milestone I can't explain other than she is staying dry all night long. I think part of it has to do with milestone number 2 and not drinking a gallon of milk every few days, and not waking up 3-4 times a night asking for milk in a bottle.
Even though she stays dry all night she is still not potty trained. I was told it is probably due to my pregnancy and now new baby. OK, I will buy that for now. Reason for not being potty trained? She doesn't want to. I would say she goes on the potty about half the time, but refuses to tell us when she needs to go. I am sure this will change one day...at least before she is married or starts dating or something.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Here's looking at you, Kid
The other evening I was holding Micah in the over the shoulder burp position. He was testing out his neck muscles, practicing focusing on objects and looking at my ear in a very adoringly way. I was watching him do these things and talking to him softly when out of nowhere he focused in on my ear and shot it a HUGE, gummy smile! A real smile with a soft cooing noise to follow! My heart melted and of coarse I kept trying to get him to do it again. Guess what? A few minutes later he made eye contact with me and smiled at Mommy! Then later he smiled at Daddy! The next day, no smiles, but this morning he gave me one. There is something so precious about a baby's smile :)
Running Away!
Good News: Mackenzie LOVES her little brother and wants to take care of him, kiss him, hold him and help when she can.
Bad News: Mackenzie gets less one-on-one attention from me and notices (although she does not notice it is because of her brother - lol).
More Bad News: It takes me about 10 seconds longer than pre Micah to get to Mackenzie when she it doing something she is not suppose to do. 10 seconds is A LOT when dealing with a toddler.
Case in point. The other day Mackenzie ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She loves to do that, but also knows that she can only be in her room alone if the door is open. Why? Because she climbs things or pulls on the blinds or other scary 'stuff'. This time I was nursing Micah, so it took me about 10 seconds longer to get off the sofa and go open her door. When I did get her door open she was STANDING on top of her dresser baning on her mirror. Oh the horror and dismay that shot through my heart. She could fall and break her neck or arm; she could smash the mirror and get all cut up; she could do both! So, what did I do, I took her down and told her she could not climb on her dresser because it is dangerous. I told her in the words that she uses that she could 'slip down' or 'be bleeding' that way she would fully understand. Her response was, "I sorry Mommy." To my relief she started playing with some other toys and I went back to nursing. But just a few moments later I hear the door slam again and what did I find??? She was up on the dresser baning on the mirror, again! So this time I take her down and make her come into the living room with me. A full blown kicking and screaming tantrum ensues, and when she is done with that (about 45 minutes later) she tells me, "I going away!" To which she then tried to go out the front door. My heart sank :( Seriously...you want to run away because I am loving you and protecting you and you are only two and a half years old? I pray this is the single moment in her life that she feels this way.
Bad News: Mackenzie gets less one-on-one attention from me and notices (although she does not notice it is because of her brother - lol).
More Bad News: It takes me about 10 seconds longer than pre Micah to get to Mackenzie when she it doing something she is not suppose to do. 10 seconds is A LOT when dealing with a toddler.
Case in point. The other day Mackenzie ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She loves to do that, but also knows that she can only be in her room alone if the door is open. Why? Because she climbs things or pulls on the blinds or other scary 'stuff'. This time I was nursing Micah, so it took me about 10 seconds longer to get off the sofa and go open her door. When I did get her door open she was STANDING on top of her dresser baning on her mirror. Oh the horror and dismay that shot through my heart. She could fall and break her neck or arm; she could smash the mirror and get all cut up; she could do both! So, what did I do, I took her down and told her she could not climb on her dresser because it is dangerous. I told her in the words that she uses that she could 'slip down' or 'be bleeding' that way she would fully understand. Her response was, "I sorry Mommy." To my relief she started playing with some other toys and I went back to nursing. But just a few moments later I hear the door slam again and what did I find??? She was up on the dresser baning on the mirror, again! So this time I take her down and make her come into the living room with me. A full blown kicking and screaming tantrum ensues, and when she is done with that (about 45 minutes later) she tells me, "I going away!" To which she then tried to go out the front door. My heart sank :( Seriously...you want to run away because I am loving you and protecting you and you are only two and a half years old? I pray this is the single moment in her life that she feels this way.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Do You Shutterfly?
Do You Shutterfly?
Well I do, and I have for a few years now. If you have not used Shutterfly in the past then now is the perfect time to try them out with their 2010 50 Free Holiday Cards promotion.
I have used Shutterfly to create wonderful photo book gifts for the grandparents at Christmas, and have loved the outcome every time; not to mention the great price. We also use the photo books to capture the past year for our family; which now has a new addition.
This year I would like to try either their greeting cards (which you can see here), their photo Christmas cards (which you can see here), or their baby announcements (which you can see here).
My absolute favorite greeting card designs are the simple yet classy styles like Shutterfly's "Most Wonderful Story", "Snow Flurries Cocoa", "Retro Christmas" and "Starlight Joy." Or, if I was going to go with a baby announcement I might choose one of these Shutterfly designs: "Triple Play Blue", "Scripted Name" or "Welcome Billet Blue".
Why is this so exciting to me, any why this year? Because this is a great way to not only wish family and friends a Merry Christmas, but we can also announce the birth of our new 3-week old son. Take a moment and check out the above links; I know you will not be disappointed.
Merry Christmas and Happy Shutterflying from my family to yours!
Well I do, and I have for a few years now. If you have not used Shutterfly in the past then now is the perfect time to try them out with their 2010 50 Free Holiday Cards promotion.
I have used Shutterfly to create wonderful photo book gifts for the grandparents at Christmas, and have loved the outcome every time; not to mention the great price. We also use the photo books to capture the past year for our family; which now has a new addition.
This year I would like to try either their greeting cards (which you can see here), their photo Christmas cards (which you can see here), or their baby announcements (which you can see here).
My absolute favorite greeting card designs are the simple yet classy styles like Shutterfly's "Most Wonderful Story", "Snow Flurries Cocoa", "Retro Christmas" and "Starlight Joy." Or, if I was going to go with a baby announcement I might choose one of these Shutterfly designs: "Triple Play Blue", "Scripted Name" or "Welcome Billet Blue".
Why is this so exciting to me, any why this year? Because this is a great way to not only wish family and friends a Merry Christmas, but we can also announce the birth of our new 3-week old son. Take a moment and check out the above links; I know you will not be disappointed.
Merry Christmas and Happy Shutterflying from my family to yours!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Micah Wayman's Birth Story
Note: I will be posting some pictures in this blog. Nothing too revealing, but you may consider them a bit graphic; so think about it before reading on. Oh, and this is a birth story so you never know what I might type!
I suppose with this story I should begin at the beginning. Wayne and I had been talking about trying for baby #2 in maybe October or November of 2010, but God had other plans. Just before Mackenzie's 2nd birthday I was put on antibiotics for this crazy 'thing' on my hand.
During the 2nd round of antibiotics and topical creams I got this funny feeling that I might be pregnant. So the day before Mackenzie turned 2, March 3rd, I decided to take a pregnancy test...just in case. In my mind there was NO WAY we could possibly be pregnant, but since I had this 'feeling' and was on antibiotics I wanted to be careful. You guessed it, I took the test and it was a big, fat POSITIVE. I was pregnant!
I immediately panicked due to the meds I was on and called the doctor and the pharmacist. Both told me to discontinue all meds and everything should be fine, especially since I had not even missed my cycle yet and found out about the pregnancy early. Was that enough comfort for me, NO. I then called my midwife. She prayed with me and I felt better.
At this point Wayne was still in the dark about the pregnancy because he was at work. I wanted to think of a fun way to tell him the news, so I went and found some Christmas paper we have that reads, "Unto Us A Child Is Born, Unto Us A Son Is Given." At this time I obviously did not know the baby was a boy, but I had my suspicions that this one would be a son...especially since we already had a boy name chosen from my pregnancy with Mackenzie. I had, "I'm Pregnant" printed on this paper, I folded it up and taped it to my hubby's bathroom mirror. This is not strange for me because I love leaving notes on his mirror, so not a giveaway.
When Wayne got home I asked him if he had looked on his mirror. He said, "No." and proceeded into the bathroom to see what I had done this time. After about 5 minutes he still had not come out of the bathroom, so I went in there to see if he was alright. Of coarse, he looked at me with a shocked expression and said, "Are you joking? This is not what I expected when I came home from work today!" Needless to say, the shock wore off and the excitement kicked in pretty quickly.
The next day we went and celebrated a joint birthday for our sweet little girl and her cousin. Mackenzie turned 2, March 4, 2010.
Now let's skip ahead to September 2010. This pregnancy has been great. Minimal morning sickness compared to the AWFUL morning sickness I had with Mackenzie. Also, I tested negative for gestational diabetes and for Group Strep B. My weight gain (although a lot) was right on track, and everything with the baby looked great.
We even found out that the baby was indeed a boy!
During this entire pregnancy I had been having the usual Braxtion-Hicks contractions (I also had with Mackenzie), but they seemed to be getting more intense. At 34-weeks I informed my midwife that I had two rounds of contractions that felt like the real deal; one round lasting 24 hours and the other lasting about 8 hours. When she checked me I was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced, 0 Station and very stretchy. It was too early for baby to arrive, so she put me on 'restricted activity', and I also had to discontinue anything that made my Braxtion-Hicks more intense. By-the-way, restricted activity is difficult with a 2 year old...just thought you should know.
At almost 38 weeks I had my home visit. Even with the restricted activity I was now 6cm dilated, 80% or more effaced and station 1. I was removed from my restricted activity since it was only 2 days until 38 weeks. I just knew this was going to throw me into labor within the next few days, and I was right.
Three days later at 38 weeks and 1 day I had my first contraction at 7:30 in the morning. I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not considering all the other times I had contractions and they fizzled out. So I decided to take a shower and prayed that God would give me a secondary sign. After my shower I helped Wayne make up the bed for the birth 'just in case', then I want to blow dry my hair. Just when I was about to start drying my hair I felt fluid run down my leg and I ran to the bathroom...it was blood. I knew in my heart that this was the sign I prayed for, but Wayne was not too sure, and he had a 9:00 meeting. So I told him that if I was still feeling good when it was time for him to go to his meeting to go ahead and I would call him if there were any changes. I also called my midwife to give her a just-in-case heads up of what was going on.
Wayne left for his meeting around 8:30 and I got Mackenzie set up with breakfast and cartoons. I then got on the computer to time my contractions and call my mom for our morning chat. During my call to my mom I had 2 intense contractions and then one very STRONG, take you breath away contraction, they were about 2 minutes apart. After that third contraction my mom said she was leaving College Station and was on her way here. I called Wayne around 9:00 and told him to cancel his meeting and get home. Then I unlocked the front door and called my midwife.
After informing them that it was time and working through my contractions I got my 2-year old into the bedroom with me where I could lay down. I have no idea of what time it was then, or at any point from here on out until our baby was born. My daughter was taking pictures of me during what I would call transition. I was trying very hard to be peaceful and loving for her so she would not get scared or confused.
When the above picture was taken I had a lot of things going through my mind. I guessed it had been about 15 to 20 minutes since I had called everyone and gotten into the bedroom and I wondered if they would ever get there. I also felt like I was 10 cm dilated and really wanted to push and go ahead and have that baby by myself, but I didn't want to do that with just Mackenzie there and I didn't want to swell by pushing if I was not at a 10. I was literally thinking and telling God at the same time, "If someone does not walk through that door in the next 2 minutes I am going to cry." God knew the timing and my threshold before I did, and literally right when I thought that I heard Wayne and my backup Midwife walk in the front door. They were calm and very quietly chatting when they made their way back to the bedroom I was in. I immediately informed the backup midwife that I felt like I needed to push, that my back hurt and that I need to go pee. She told me to go to the bathroom while she would run some hot bath water for my back and then she would check me to see if I could push, but not to push until I had been checked. So, I went to the bathroom then got into the bath water. The water felt GREAT! Mackenzie got involved by rubbing my belly with the prongs of her toddler fork. So funny, but what goes through a toddler's mind? .Just minutes later my midwife arrived and asked if I had felt like pushing...YES! She checked me and I was 10 cm and complete...time to push.
Oh, Thank God! I had been holding back pushing for what felt like 30 minutes already. During the first push she told me that I had a bulging bag of waters and then it either broke or she broke it for me. During the next three pushes I felt like my back was being ripped in two and I did everything I was not suppose to do. I talked during my contractions and pushes saying things like, "Ow, owww oww. This hurts. I feel like I am going to have a bowl movement. I feel like I am going to have the biggest the poo in the world. This really hurts." Unlike Mackenzie's birth where I couldn't feel the baby moving down and the contractions didn't really hurt; I could feel everything this time. I could feel the baby's head, and yes, the contractions did hurt. On the fourth push my baby's head was born. There was no cord around the neck, so during the same contraction I was able to push out his body and he was handed to me. Micah Wayman Sherwood was born 20 minutes after my midwife arrived, 2 hours and 16 minutes after my first contraction, and after only 4 pushes. He was born in the water and laid on my chest for a few moments before he took his own first breath. The first thing I told him after, "I love you", "You are so sweet" was "Thank you for coming out...that really hurt." My first thought when I laid eyes on him was that he looked just like my dad; and my backup midwife said it out loud right after I thought it!
We double checked to make sure he was still a boy, and he was/is.
Micah Wayman
Born: October 26, 2010 at 9:46 am
I suppose with this story I should begin at the beginning. Wayne and I had been talking about trying for baby #2 in maybe October or November of 2010, but God had other plans. Just before Mackenzie's 2nd birthday I was put on antibiotics for this crazy 'thing' on my hand.
(Picture of 'thing' on my hand. Turned out to be contact dermatitis.)
During the 2nd round of antibiotics and topical creams I got this funny feeling that I might be pregnant. So the day before Mackenzie turned 2, March 3rd, I decided to take a pregnancy test...just in case. In my mind there was NO WAY we could possibly be pregnant, but since I had this 'feeling' and was on antibiotics I wanted to be careful. You guessed it, I took the test and it was a big, fat POSITIVE. I was pregnant!
I immediately panicked due to the meds I was on and called the doctor and the pharmacist. Both told me to discontinue all meds and everything should be fine, especially since I had not even missed my cycle yet and found out about the pregnancy early. Was that enough comfort for me, NO. I then called my midwife. She prayed with me and I felt better.
At this point Wayne was still in the dark about the pregnancy because he was at work. I wanted to think of a fun way to tell him the news, so I went and found some Christmas paper we have that reads, "Unto Us A Child Is Born, Unto Us A Son Is Given." At this time I obviously did not know the baby was a boy, but I had my suspicions that this one would be a son...especially since we already had a boy name chosen from my pregnancy with Mackenzie. I had, "I'm Pregnant" printed on this paper, I folded it up and taped it to my hubby's bathroom mirror. This is not strange for me because I love leaving notes on his mirror, so not a giveaway.
When Wayne got home I asked him if he had looked on his mirror. He said, "No." and proceeded into the bathroom to see what I had done this time. After about 5 minutes he still had not come out of the bathroom, so I went in there to see if he was alright. Of coarse, he looked at me with a shocked expression and said, "Are you joking? This is not what I expected when I came home from work today!" Needless to say, the shock wore off and the excitement kicked in pretty quickly.
The next day we went and celebrated a joint birthday for our sweet little girl and her cousin. Mackenzie turned 2, March 4, 2010.
How Old?
Now let's skip ahead to September 2010. This pregnancy has been great. Minimal morning sickness compared to the AWFUL morning sickness I had with Mackenzie. Also, I tested negative for gestational diabetes and for Group Strep B. My weight gain (although a lot) was right on track, and everything with the baby looked great.
We even found out that the baby was indeed a boy!
Face Shot
It's A Boy
During this entire pregnancy I had been having the usual Braxtion-Hicks contractions (I also had with Mackenzie), but they seemed to be getting more intense. At 34-weeks I informed my midwife that I had two rounds of contractions that felt like the real deal; one round lasting 24 hours and the other lasting about 8 hours. When she checked me I was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced, 0 Station and very stretchy. It was too early for baby to arrive, so she put me on 'restricted activity', and I also had to discontinue anything that made my Braxtion-Hicks more intense. By-the-way, restricted activity is difficult with a 2 year old...just thought you should know.
At almost 38 weeks I had my home visit. Even with the restricted activity I was now 6cm dilated, 80% or more effaced and station 1. I was removed from my restricted activity since it was only 2 days until 38 weeks. I just knew this was going to throw me into labor within the next few days, and I was right.
Three days later at 38 weeks and 1 day I had my first contraction at 7:30 in the morning. I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not considering all the other times I had contractions and they fizzled out. So I decided to take a shower and prayed that God would give me a secondary sign. After my shower I helped Wayne make up the bed for the birth 'just in case', then I want to blow dry my hair. Just when I was about to start drying my hair I felt fluid run down my leg and I ran to the bathroom...it was blood. I knew in my heart that this was the sign I prayed for, but Wayne was not too sure, and he had a 9:00 meeting. So I told him that if I was still feeling good when it was time for him to go to his meeting to go ahead and I would call him if there were any changes. I also called my midwife to give her a just-in-case heads up of what was going on.
Wayne left for his meeting around 8:30 and I got Mackenzie set up with breakfast and cartoons. I then got on the computer to time my contractions and call my mom for our morning chat. During my call to my mom I had 2 intense contractions and then one very STRONG, take you breath away contraction, they were about 2 minutes apart. After that third contraction my mom said she was leaving College Station and was on her way here. I called Wayne around 9:00 and told him to cancel his meeting and get home. Then I unlocked the front door and called my midwife.
After informing them that it was time and working through my contractions I got my 2-year old into the bedroom with me where I could lay down. I have no idea of what time it was then, or at any point from here on out until our baby was born. My daughter was taking pictures of me during what I would call transition. I was trying very hard to be peaceful and loving for her so she would not get scared or confused.
Picture Mackenzie took during Transition
When the above picture was taken I had a lot of things going through my mind. I guessed it had been about 15 to 20 minutes since I had called everyone and gotten into the bedroom and I wondered if they would ever get there. I also felt like I was 10 cm dilated and really wanted to push and go ahead and have that baby by myself, but I didn't want to do that with just Mackenzie there and I didn't want to swell by pushing if I was not at a 10. I was literally thinking and telling God at the same time, "If someone does not walk through that door in the next 2 minutes I am going to cry." God knew the timing and my threshold before I did, and literally right when I thought that I heard Wayne and my backup Midwife walk in the front door. They were calm and very quietly chatting when they made their way back to the bedroom I was in. I immediately informed the backup midwife that I felt like I needed to push, that my back hurt and that I need to go pee. She told me to go to the bathroom while she would run some hot bath water for my back and then she would check me to see if I could push, but not to push until I had been checked. So, I went to the bathroom then got into the bath water. The water felt GREAT! Mackenzie got involved by rubbing my belly with the prongs of her toddler fork. So funny, but what goes through a toddler's mind? .Just minutes later my midwife arrived and asked if I had felt like pushing...YES! She checked me and I was 10 cm and complete...time to push.
Oh, Thank God! I had been holding back pushing for what felt like 30 minutes already. During the first push she told me that I had a bulging bag of waters and then it either broke or she broke it for me. During the next three pushes I felt like my back was being ripped in two and I did everything I was not suppose to do. I talked during my contractions and pushes saying things like, "Ow, owww oww. This hurts. I feel like I am going to have a bowl movement. I feel like I am going to have the biggest the poo in the world. This really hurts." Unlike Mackenzie's birth where I couldn't feel the baby moving down and the contractions didn't really hurt; I could feel everything this time. I could feel the baby's head, and yes, the contractions did hurt. On the fourth push my baby's head was born. There was no cord around the neck, so during the same contraction I was able to push out his body and he was handed to me. Micah Wayman Sherwood was born 20 minutes after my midwife arrived, 2 hours and 16 minutes after my first contraction, and after only 4 pushes. He was born in the water and laid on my chest for a few moments before he took his own first breath. The first thing I told him after, "I love you", "You are so sweet" was "Thank you for coming out...that really hurt." My first thought when I laid eyes on him was that he looked just like my dad; and my backup midwife said it out loud right after I thought it!
We double checked to make sure he was still a boy, and he was/is.
Micah Wayman
Born: October 26, 2010 at 9:46 am
7 pounds, 14 ounces, 20 inches long
Me 3 days before Micah was born
Micah in herbal bath just after birth
Proud sister
Sister and Brother
My Life Is A Sitcom
Now that Micah is 3-weeks old I can look back on the past 3-weeks and see that my life has become a series of short, funny, sitcom moments.
I suppose the very first moment was actually during my labor with Micah. Mackenzie and I were home alone (Mackenzie is 2.5 years old), and she was taking pictures of me during the difficult stage of transition. It didn't end there though. When I was in the water and getting ready to push, Mackenzie got out her new toddler fork and proceeded to rub my belly with the prongs. It did not bother me, but seriously? Don't get me wrong, I loved having Mackenzie at the birth. Actually, I think she kept me focused and grounded; not to mention feeling loved.
The most recent sitcom type moment was last night. For two hours Wayne and I kept trying to go to sleep, but one of the kids kept interrupting. First of all, Micah went through 6 poop diapers in that time, but before he would poop he would spit up (outfit change), and after he would get cleaned off he would want to eat because he had spit up all his food. 6 TIMES! Good thing he is such a good baby :) But since we use cloth diapers and only have 8 of them for Micah we had to go do laundry since he just used 6 diapers and was wearing number 7. We know he uses one in the middle of the night and one first thing in the morning. And if that wasn't enough, Mackenzie kept needing Daddy. First she wanted milk, then she was cold, then she wanted to get 'snuggly', then more milk.
So add: 1 load of laundry + 2 milk runs + 1 extra blanket + 1 snugly + 6 diaper changes + 6 spit ups + 6 feedings all in 2 hours = 23 separate things!
Wayne's comment to all of this was, "Why do I even try to go to bed?"
Hey Daddy, we have 2 kids that mostly sleep through the night and this was hopefully a one time thing, and only lasted 2 hours. Try staying home with them all day and see what type of sitcom moments take place.
Anyway, I ended up laughing out loud more than once last night, and when we all finally went to sleep at Midnight we slept pretty good, so no complaints; but couldn't you see that scene in a movie or something?
I suppose the very first moment was actually during my labor with Micah. Mackenzie and I were home alone (Mackenzie is 2.5 years old), and she was taking pictures of me during the difficult stage of transition. It didn't end there though. When I was in the water and getting ready to push, Mackenzie got out her new toddler fork and proceeded to rub my belly with the prongs. It did not bother me, but seriously? Don't get me wrong, I loved having Mackenzie at the birth. Actually, I think she kept me focused and grounded; not to mention feeling loved.
(Picture of me taken by Mackenzie during transition. I was thinking, "If someone does not walk through that door in 2 minutes I am going to cry." Wayne and my backup Midwife walked in :)
The most recent sitcom type moment was last night. For two hours Wayne and I kept trying to go to sleep, but one of the kids kept interrupting. First of all, Micah went through 6 poop diapers in that time, but before he would poop he would spit up (outfit change), and after he would get cleaned off he would want to eat because he had spit up all his food. 6 TIMES! Good thing he is such a good baby :) But since we use cloth diapers and only have 8 of them for Micah we had to go do laundry since he just used 6 diapers and was wearing number 7. We know he uses one in the middle of the night and one first thing in the morning. And if that wasn't enough, Mackenzie kept needing Daddy. First she wanted milk, then she was cold, then she wanted to get 'snuggly', then more milk.
So add: 1 load of laundry + 2 milk runs + 1 extra blanket + 1 snugly + 6 diaper changes + 6 spit ups + 6 feedings all in 2 hours = 23 separate things!
Wayne's comment to all of this was, "Why do I even try to go to bed?"
Hey Daddy, we have 2 kids that mostly sleep through the night and this was hopefully a one time thing, and only lasted 2 hours. Try staying home with them all day and see what type of sitcom moments take place.
Anyway, I ended up laughing out loud more than once last night, and when we all finally went to sleep at Midnight we slept pretty good, so no complaints; but couldn't you see that scene in a movie or something?
Monday, November 15, 2010
Micah Wayman
Sorry for the lack of post since the birth, but Micah Wayman is here!
Born October 26, 2010
7 pounds, 14 ounces
20 inches long
His sister, Mackenzie, was also 7 pounds, 14 ounces when she was born, but she was 20.5 inches long. She was also a due date baby, but Micah was born almost 2 full weeks early. If he had waited until his due date he would have been between 8 and a half and 9 pounds, and who knows how long.
The first moment I laid eyes on him I thought he looked just like my dad, so Wayman for the middle name is very appropriate. I won't give too many birth details in this blog because I plan on writing out my birth story and posting it soon, but for those of you that crave information I will tell you that I had a water birth at home with my husband, midwife and midwife backup...the assistant didn't make it until just after the birth. My total labor was 2 hours and 16 minutes from first contraction until I was holding my precious baby boy. My midwife was only there for the last 20 minutes and it all took a total of about 4 pushes. Everyone was happy and healthy. OK, so that is going to have to hold you over until I type out the official birth story.
Here are some pictures. Enjoy!
Born October 26, 2010
7 pounds, 14 ounces
20 inches long
His sister, Mackenzie, was also 7 pounds, 14 ounces when she was born, but she was 20.5 inches long. She was also a due date baby, but Micah was born almost 2 full weeks early. If he had waited until his due date he would have been between 8 and a half and 9 pounds, and who knows how long.
The first moment I laid eyes on him I thought he looked just like my dad, so Wayman for the middle name is very appropriate. I won't give too many birth details in this blog because I plan on writing out my birth story and posting it soon, but for those of you that crave information I will tell you that I had a water birth at home with my husband, midwife and midwife backup...the assistant didn't make it until just after the birth. My total labor was 2 hours and 16 minutes from first contraction until I was holding my precious baby boy. My midwife was only there for the last 20 minutes and it all took a total of about 4 pushes. Everyone was happy and healthy. OK, so that is going to have to hold you over until I type out the official birth story.
Here are some pictures. Enjoy!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Stuff
Sorry for the lack of posts and pictures lately. We have been having MAJOR computer problems. Our main computer will not get online, and that is the computer with EVERYTHING on it. To get online I have to use Wayne's very old former work laptop that pretty much does nothing. I am hoping to be able to get some pics up on this post just to make up for lost time.
In other news. I am 38 weeks along in my pregnancy today, and am very excited to have made it this far. I started having real contractions for about 24 hours at 34 weeks and again for about 8 hours at 35 weeks, so was placed on 'restricted duties' to quell those and keep the baby in as long as possible. Well, now that we are at 38 weeks we are very happy and he can stay in or be born any time he wants! For those of you that crave statistics, my Midwife checked me at our home visit on Saturday and I was 6cm dilated, 80% effaced and Micah was at a station +2; oh, and I have gained right around 40 pounds! All of that is good news; except maybe for the 40 pounds. I hope that comes off really fast.
As for Mackenzie...well, she has a new passion. Yup, running around completely in the nude. Putting clothing on her just to go to church or run an errand has become quite the wrestling match, and when we do finally get clothing on her she begins stripping down as quickly as possible. The past few days have been a bit better because we have gone out and had visitors, so she HAD to wear clothes. The really funny thing is that she loves clothes and picks them out and tells us what is pretty about them; she just doesn't want to wear them. Hopefully this is a short stage.
Also, three of my very close friends (and play date partners in crime) threw me a very awesome and intimate blessing on Saturday. It consisted of 8 people (Me, my 3 friends, my mom, my sister and 2 aunts). They prayed over Micah and I, and each spoke specific blessings over us - well, mostly of Micah, but us. As they said their blessing they each picked a glass bead and strung together a beautiful blessing bracelet for the birth and after. All the details of the blessing were so thoughtful, and one of my friends actually made a wreath out of coffee filters...don't ask me how she did it, but it turned out really cute. If you come over after Micah is born you will see it hanging on our front door.
I suppose that is enough talk...now trying to upload some pics.
Oops, still having tech difficulty. Will have to wait a little bit on the pics.
In other news. I am 38 weeks along in my pregnancy today, and am very excited to have made it this far. I started having real contractions for about 24 hours at 34 weeks and again for about 8 hours at 35 weeks, so was placed on 'restricted duties' to quell those and keep the baby in as long as possible. Well, now that we are at 38 weeks we are very happy and he can stay in or be born any time he wants! For those of you that crave statistics, my Midwife checked me at our home visit on Saturday and I was 6cm dilated, 80% effaced and Micah was at a station +2; oh, and I have gained right around 40 pounds! All of that is good news; except maybe for the 40 pounds. I hope that comes off really fast.
As for Mackenzie...well, she has a new passion. Yup, running around completely in the nude. Putting clothing on her just to go to church or run an errand has become quite the wrestling match, and when we do finally get clothing on her she begins stripping down as quickly as possible. The past few days have been a bit better because we have gone out and had visitors, so she HAD to wear clothes. The really funny thing is that she loves clothes and picks them out and tells us what is pretty about them; she just doesn't want to wear them. Hopefully this is a short stage.
Also, three of my very close friends (and play date partners in crime) threw me a very awesome and intimate blessing on Saturday. It consisted of 8 people (Me, my 3 friends, my mom, my sister and 2 aunts). They prayed over Micah and I, and each spoke specific blessings over us - well, mostly of Micah, but us. As they said their blessing they each picked a glass bead and strung together a beautiful blessing bracelet for the birth and after. All the details of the blessing were so thoughtful, and one of my friends actually made a wreath out of coffee filters...don't ask me how she did it, but it turned out really cute. If you come over after Micah is born you will see it hanging on our front door.
I suppose that is enough talk...now trying to upload some pics.
Oops, still having tech difficulty. Will have to wait a little bit on the pics.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Blogging At Last
Sorry I have not been on here in quite some time. Our home computer has been having great issues, and suddenly today it decided to work, so here I am.
A lot has been going on, but I'm not sure I can remember everything or put it into words.
First, my Mom got married!!!! It was really exciting and wonderful and I am so happy for her; and us for getting such a great guy added to the family.
Second, my Mom is moving, so we have been crazy over here doing some furniture swapping and stuff like that. Yay and Ugg all at the same time.
Third, Mackenzie now wants say her prayers out loud instead of me or Daddy saying them. All of her prayers consist of the following phrase with other 'stuff' mixed in, "Dear God please heal (insert word here) and make him/it/her all better. In Jesus Name, Amen." So if we are praying for dinner she asks God to heal her food - very funny some of the things she says.
Mackenzie has also become quite the sports buff. Baseball or T-ball being her favorite and soccer second, football third. She wants to play all of them.
Another new thing for Mackenzie is that she now likes to sing. About two weeks ago she started singing the Veggie Tales theme song, only her version is a little different; along with her versions of the Alphabet song (all letters are in the correct order she just changed the ending) and her version of Old McDonald. She still prefers for me to sing all of the "Jesus Song".
My heart melted the other day when she looked at me while taking a bath and said out of the blue, "Mommy, you love Jesus?" When I answered yes she said she loved Jesus too.
She asks to see most of her extended family every day; asking for each one by name. It is hard to believe how many names she remembers in our family!
Oh, and now that we are setting up the nursery she has the big full/standard size bed. The day we put it in her room (her crib converted to this large size) she said, "Mommy, I love to sleep all the time now." If I had known that I would have put her in it the day she was born...ok, not really. I must admit that bed is the most comfortable one in the house.
What other news? Micah is getting bigger and more ready to meet everyone face to face. You may remember that I was measuring 33.5cm several weeks ago (which was HUGE for where I was in the pregnancy). Well, I'm shrinking...not really; Micah is just dropping and getting settled lower. My belly looks like it is down around my knees. About 3 weeks ago I measured 31.5cm (exactly on track), and this Saturday I measured 29cm which was 3cm smaller. Thank you Micah for making me measure smaller...even though I am still gaining weight. He is VERY BUSY in there practicing soccer or some other sport. And every time I listen to Praise Music he stretches out as far as he can and kicks around. We start them young in the Sherwood household.
I don't know what else to write, so blog at you later.
A lot has been going on, but I'm not sure I can remember everything or put it into words.
First, my Mom got married!!!! It was really exciting and wonderful and I am so happy for her; and us for getting such a great guy added to the family.
Second, my Mom is moving, so we have been crazy over here doing some furniture swapping and stuff like that. Yay and Ugg all at the same time.
Third, Mackenzie now wants say her prayers out loud instead of me or Daddy saying them. All of her prayers consist of the following phrase with other 'stuff' mixed in, "Dear God please heal (insert word here) and make him/it/her all better. In Jesus Name, Amen." So if we are praying for dinner she asks God to heal her food - very funny some of the things she says.
Mackenzie has also become quite the sports buff. Baseball or T-ball being her favorite and soccer second, football third. She wants to play all of them.
Another new thing for Mackenzie is that she now likes to sing. About two weeks ago she started singing the Veggie Tales theme song, only her version is a little different; along with her versions of the Alphabet song (all letters are in the correct order she just changed the ending) and her version of Old McDonald. She still prefers for me to sing all of the "Jesus Song".
My heart melted the other day when she looked at me while taking a bath and said out of the blue, "Mommy, you love Jesus?" When I answered yes she said she loved Jesus too.
She asks to see most of her extended family every day; asking for each one by name. It is hard to believe how many names she remembers in our family!
Oh, and now that we are setting up the nursery she has the big full/standard size bed. The day we put it in her room (her crib converted to this large size) she said, "Mommy, I love to sleep all the time now." If I had known that I would have put her in it the day she was born...ok, not really. I must admit that bed is the most comfortable one in the house.
What other news? Micah is getting bigger and more ready to meet everyone face to face. You may remember that I was measuring 33.5cm several weeks ago (which was HUGE for where I was in the pregnancy). Well, I'm shrinking...not really; Micah is just dropping and getting settled lower. My belly looks like it is down around my knees. About 3 weeks ago I measured 31.5cm (exactly on track), and this Saturday I measured 29cm which was 3cm smaller. Thank you Micah for making me measure smaller...even though I am still gaining weight. He is VERY BUSY in there practicing soccer or some other sport. And every time I listen to Praise Music he stretches out as far as he can and kicks around. We start them young in the Sherwood household.
I don't know what else to write, so blog at you later.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Goal, Score, Touchdown, Hallelujah
Goal, Score, Touchdown, Hallelujah!
As you know I had my Glucose Tolerance Test with my midwife yesterday, and I PASSED with flying colors. Not even close to the cut off. I forgot the number she told me because I was so excited about not having to worry about that this time around; I can ask her the numbers at my next appointment. My Iron also looked great, so no anemia and no additional supplements. Just keep doing what I am doing.
This is such a relief.
As you know I had my Glucose Tolerance Test with my midwife yesterday, and I PASSED with flying colors. Not even close to the cut off. I forgot the number she told me because I was so excited about not having to worry about that this time around; I can ask her the numbers at my next appointment. My Iron also looked great, so no anemia and no additional supplements. Just keep doing what I am doing.
This is such a relief.
Midwife Check-Up
So I had my midwife check-up yesterday, and I can hardly believe how fast this is going. Yes, I still have about 90 days (give or take a few) until Micah arrives, but it is already time to switch from once a month appointments to every other week appointments. Time will really start to fly now!
My weight gain was good for me (at around 26 POUNDS!!!)
I was measuring 31.5cm which is over 3 cm big!!!
Cathy looked at my ultrasound photo's from after the fender bender and said that I have A LOT of amniotic fluid and extra space/room for this baby to move around. No wonder I am so big and weigh so much. My body likes to make sure baby has a pent house all to himself in there. And I suppose that is why he is able to do such big movements and roll around ALL THE TIME.
His heart rate was great as were his movements, and he was head down - love this.
I had my Glucose Tolerance Test which I am praying I pass with flying colors this time. I FAILED BIG TIME with Mackenzie and had to watch my already very strict diet - ugg. I decided to do the opposite test this time (there are 2 versions) to see if that would make a difference, so here is to passing with flying colors.
The next big things on my list are the Group Strep B Test (which I pray comes up negative); which was also positive with Mackenzie! And my Home Visit. If you could possibly end up at the birth of my baby you need to be at the home visit, so I will be contacting you about that, but it's not until late October.
Oh, and one more thing. Cathy said that none of her clients have ever told her this before. I told her that it use to be when I started eating that about 30 minutes later Micah would start to go crazy inside (about the time he would be getting the food); which is very normal. But in the past week, Micah has begun to associate my chewing, swallowing and tummy churning sounds to the soon arriving food for him, and now he goes crazy when I first start eating. Cathy said she thinks he is going to love his food :)
My weight gain was good for me (at around 26 POUNDS!!!)
I was measuring 31.5cm which is over 3 cm big!!!
Cathy looked at my ultrasound photo's from after the fender bender and said that I have A LOT of amniotic fluid and extra space/room for this baby to move around. No wonder I am so big and weigh so much. My body likes to make sure baby has a pent house all to himself in there. And I suppose that is why he is able to do such big movements and roll around ALL THE TIME.
His heart rate was great as were his movements, and he was head down - love this.
I had my Glucose Tolerance Test which I am praying I pass with flying colors this time. I FAILED BIG TIME with Mackenzie and had to watch my already very strict diet - ugg. I decided to do the opposite test this time (there are 2 versions) to see if that would make a difference, so here is to passing with flying colors.
The next big things on my list are the Group Strep B Test (which I pray comes up negative); which was also positive with Mackenzie! And my Home Visit. If you could possibly end up at the birth of my baby you need to be at the home visit, so I will be contacting you about that, but it's not until late October.
Oh, and one more thing. Cathy said that none of her clients have ever told her this before. I told her that it use to be when I started eating that about 30 minutes later Micah would start to go crazy inside (about the time he would be getting the food); which is very normal. But in the past week, Micah has begun to associate my chewing, swallowing and tummy churning sounds to the soon arriving food for him, and now he goes crazy when I first start eating. Cathy said she thinks he is going to love his food :)
Dinner Conversation
This was part of our dinner conversation the other evening.
Mackenzie: "My tummy hurts."
Me: "Your tummy hurts?"
Mackenzie: "And my head hurts too."
Me: "Your tummy and your head hurts?"
Mackenzie: "The top of my forehead."
Me as I look at her forehead: "The top of your forehead hurts?"
Mackenzie sounding as if I don't get it: "The top of my mind!"
Wayne: "Are you thinking too hard?"
Mackenzie: "My tummy hurts."
Me: "Your tummy hurts?"
Mackenzie: "And my head hurts too."
Me: "Your tummy and your head hurts?"
Mackenzie: "The top of my forehead."
Me as I look at her forehead: "The top of your forehead hurts?"
Mackenzie sounding as if I don't get it: "The top of my mind!"
Wayne: "Are you thinking too hard?"
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Playing In The Rain
I wish I had some pictures of this, but I was so busy I didn't even think about getting my camera out.
Wayne and I trimmed our bushes and pulled weeds on Sunday just before my Mom dropped off some mulch for our flower beds. It was getting late and we were tired, so we decided to wait until Monday to lay the mulch down. When Wayne got home from work on Monday it was sprinkling out (had been raining all day) and thought maybe we shouldn't lay the mulch, but I thought Mackenzie might enjoy playing in the rain and dirt. Since it was only sprinkling and there was no thunder or lightning all 4 of us (that includes the baby in my belly) went outside for some fun.
Seriously, this was really, really fun. Who knew that spreading mulch in the rain could be so much fun. We were only using our hands, so no tools to worry about slipping on or anything dangerous like that. Mackenzie had her bucket and aside from playing in the dirt some she mostly just held her bucket out and giggled uncontrollably as she tried to catch the rain.
In the end we were all soaking wet and covered in mud, and actually had to hose down before going inside, but it sure was fun. Plus, the yard looks WAY BETTER!
Wayne and I trimmed our bushes and pulled weeds on Sunday just before my Mom dropped off some mulch for our flower beds. It was getting late and we were tired, so we decided to wait until Monday to lay the mulch down. When Wayne got home from work on Monday it was sprinkling out (had been raining all day) and thought maybe we shouldn't lay the mulch, but I thought Mackenzie might enjoy playing in the rain and dirt. Since it was only sprinkling and there was no thunder or lightning all 4 of us (that includes the baby in my belly) went outside for some fun.
Seriously, this was really, really fun. Who knew that spreading mulch in the rain could be so much fun. We were only using our hands, so no tools to worry about slipping on or anything dangerous like that. Mackenzie had her bucket and aside from playing in the dirt some she mostly just held her bucket out and giggled uncontrollably as she tried to catch the rain.
In the end we were all soaking wet and covered in mud, and actually had to hose down before going inside, but it sure was fun. Plus, the yard looks WAY BETTER!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Little Monkey
Sometimes I wonder if Mackenzie is part monkey. OK, not really, but recently she has taken to climbing. Most of her friends started climbing a long time ago...maybe even a year ago, but not Mackenzie. Within the past 2 months she has begun to climb EVERYTHING. She now gets up and stands on all of our kitchen chairs, bar stools, her rocker, the sofa and anything else she wants. So all day long I am taking her down to which she responds by throwing a 45 minute tantrum then goes right back and does it again. Ugg.
Not only that, but she REFUSES to walk anywhere. She must be carried. Even to go to the potty. Well, guess what? Mommy is pregnant and only getting bigger, so carrying around a 36-pound 2-year old is out of the question. What does that mean for potty training? Cloth diapers all day long and tricking her into sitting on the potty when we happen to be near the bathroom.
Also, if it is not hers she wants it. She has broken so many things lately. I think I am going to have to take everything off the walls in her room because she is so tall that she gets up on her rocker and takes them down herself; then breaks them.
Oh, and get this. If she is done eating all the food and drink get THROWN onto the floor. Not even Mommy reflexes are fast enough to catch that mess in thin air. And, if some of the food or drink is in her mouth...you guessed it...she spits it out wherever she stands; usually waiting until she is standing on our carpet.
No, I'm really not trying to complain, but this is what you have to look forward to if you haven't had a 2-year old yet. What really amazes me is how much you can still love and cherish someone or something that is acting like they don't like you most of the time. No, it is not all bad, and somehow I am pretty patient through it all and just try to love and talk her through what is going on. When she wants to be sweet she is really sweet and gives out tons of kisses and hugs. The thing is she wants to do what she wants to do, when she wants to do it, and no one else is going to tell her otherwise. I will be happy when this stage is over and we can go out in public again.
So, any tips you have for the Terrible Two's just let me hear them. I will try just about anything (that's not harmful) at this point. Any good tips on how to start a time out routine? We may be trying that next.
Not only that, but she REFUSES to walk anywhere. She must be carried. Even to go to the potty. Well, guess what? Mommy is pregnant and only getting bigger, so carrying around a 36-pound 2-year old is out of the question. What does that mean for potty training? Cloth diapers all day long and tricking her into sitting on the potty when we happen to be near the bathroom.
Also, if it is not hers she wants it. She has broken so many things lately. I think I am going to have to take everything off the walls in her room because she is so tall that she gets up on her rocker and takes them down herself; then breaks them.
Oh, and get this. If she is done eating all the food and drink get THROWN onto the floor. Not even Mommy reflexes are fast enough to catch that mess in thin air. And, if some of the food or drink is in her mouth...you guessed it...she spits it out wherever she stands; usually waiting until she is standing on our carpet.
No, I'm really not trying to complain, but this is what you have to look forward to if you haven't had a 2-year old yet. What really amazes me is how much you can still love and cherish someone or something that is acting like they don't like you most of the time. No, it is not all bad, and somehow I am pretty patient through it all and just try to love and talk her through what is going on. When she wants to be sweet she is really sweet and gives out tons of kisses and hugs. The thing is she wants to do what she wants to do, when she wants to do it, and no one else is going to tell her otherwise. I will be happy when this stage is over and we can go out in public again.
So, any tips you have for the Terrible Two's just let me hear them. I will try just about anything (that's not harmful) at this point. Any good tips on how to start a time out routine? We may be trying that next.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Accidents Happen
Last Friday I was involved in an auto accident. My Mom, Mackenzie and I went out for lunch (which we never get to do) and really enjoyed ourselves; that is until on the way home. I was driving and we were involved in an accident that was not my fault. The other person attempted an illegal maneuver and it didn't go over so well. Everyone seemed to be OK, but you never really know; especially with adrenaline flowing.
All I know is that after the police came I went to be checked out by the midwife and after starting to have contractions that escalated and soreness in the belly area I went for an ultrasound. Although these appointments are not conclusive everything "looks" to be alright, and by the Grace Of God we are claiming that everything is alright. Now we are dealing with the insurance to get the car fixed. I also hope they replace the car seat for peace of mind. Hey, a 36 pound 2-year-old was riding in it during the impact.
Things like this remind me of the frailty of life, and truly make me cherish my family and friends. So please, no one else get in a car accident, ok? Good, I'm glad you comply :)
All I know is that after the police came I went to be checked out by the midwife and after starting to have contractions that escalated and soreness in the belly area I went for an ultrasound. Although these appointments are not conclusive everything "looks" to be alright, and by the Grace Of God we are claiming that everything is alright. Now we are dealing with the insurance to get the car fixed. I also hope they replace the car seat for peace of mind. Hey, a 36 pound 2-year-old was riding in it during the impact.
Things like this remind me of the frailty of life, and truly make me cherish my family and friends. So please, no one else get in a car accident, ok? Good, I'm glad you comply :)
The World Is My Playground
Recently Mackenzie has discovered that the world is her playground. Sometimes this is a wonderful thing as she explores her surroundings and learns new things, but other times...this is not so good.
Neither Wayne nor I (not even both of us together) can take Mackenzie out if we need to get something accomplished. Something as simple as grocery shopping turns into a 3-ring-circus. When we get to the store we try to put her in the shopping cart, to which she thrashes, screams, kicks and bites causing a real scene until we get her down (that is if we were able to get her into the cart in the first place).
If we do let her walk she insists on pushing the cart and we are not allowed to touch the cart. SERIOUSLY? Yes. If we touch the cart then she throws herself on the floor kicking and screaming this really high pitched scream. So why not just let her scream and get it out of her system? Because she will continue to do so for about 30-45 minutes, no matter what we do.
OK, so just let her push the cart herself. Sure, and run into every person and display in the vicinity and what should have been a 30 minute trip to the store is now a 2.5 hour trip to the store. Complete with customers and employees asking if she is alright.
The last 5 times we attempted to go anywhere, HEB grocery shopping, Walmart for a quick exchange, Kohls for a quick purchase, Target for diapers have all ended in either myself of Wayne carrying her out of the store kicking and screaming with no end in site. Oh, and have you ever seen a 6-month pregnant woman carrying a 36 pound screaming 2-year old? Not a pretty site.
So where we use to be able to go to the mall to walk around (another nightmare these days), or go to Hobby Lobby or Target to just get out of the house...nope, not any more. So we are stuck inside almost all day because it is too hot for the park or a walk around the block or it is raining. The only safe place is La Centerra in the evenings, or somewhere we have to pay for that is kid friendly. We don't spend extra money, so the kid friendly thing is out. What are we suppose to do all day, every day? I sure hope this phase ends soon!
Neither Wayne nor I (not even both of us together) can take Mackenzie out if we need to get something accomplished. Something as simple as grocery shopping turns into a 3-ring-circus. When we get to the store we try to put her in the shopping cart, to which she thrashes, screams, kicks and bites causing a real scene until we get her down (that is if we were able to get her into the cart in the first place).
If we do let her walk she insists on pushing the cart and we are not allowed to touch the cart. SERIOUSLY? Yes. If we touch the cart then she throws herself on the floor kicking and screaming this really high pitched scream. So why not just let her scream and get it out of her system? Because she will continue to do so for about 30-45 minutes, no matter what we do.
OK, so just let her push the cart herself. Sure, and run into every person and display in the vicinity and what should have been a 30 minute trip to the store is now a 2.5 hour trip to the store. Complete with customers and employees asking if she is alright.
The last 5 times we attempted to go anywhere, HEB grocery shopping, Walmart for a quick exchange, Kohls for a quick purchase, Target for diapers have all ended in either myself of Wayne carrying her out of the store kicking and screaming with no end in site. Oh, and have you ever seen a 6-month pregnant woman carrying a 36 pound screaming 2-year old? Not a pretty site.
So where we use to be able to go to the mall to walk around (another nightmare these days), or go to Hobby Lobby or Target to just get out of the house...nope, not any more. So we are stuck inside almost all day because it is too hot for the park or a walk around the block or it is raining. The only safe place is La Centerra in the evenings, or somewhere we have to pay for that is kid friendly. We don't spend extra money, so the kid friendly thing is out. What are we suppose to do all day, every day? I sure hope this phase ends soon!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Why I Should Always Wear My Hair Up
I wore my hair in a French Braid the other day, for the first time in years. It was amazingly freeing. If you haven't seen my hair lately it is about half way down my back and very unruly and curly and not very manageable. The contraption I use to use to keep my hair straight on a daily basis (a wand/brush type blow dryer) broke after about 8-years of use when I was pregnant with Mackenzie. Needless to say they don't make those anymore due to the new and awesome Falt Irons and Chi's on the market. Since I don't have the money to spend on a fancy Chi or Flat Iron I wear my hair all natural - Ugg. I did purchase a cheap flat iron once in an attempt to get my hair that beautiful straight look again, but after only 2-weeks it broke. My hair was just too much for it :(
Anyway, back to the french braid. It was awesome. It looked good all day and I didn't have to keep pulling it back or pushing it out of the way. And best yet...Mackenzie couldn't grab it and pull out HAND FULLS of hair - since that is one of her favorite things to do. So you may catch me sporting this new look every once in a while until I can finally afford that thing that makes my hair silky smooth.
Anyway, back to the french braid. It was awesome. It looked good all day and I didn't have to keep pulling it back or pushing it out of the way. And best yet...Mackenzie couldn't grab it and pull out HAND FULLS of hair - since that is one of her favorite things to do. So you may catch me sporting this new look every once in a while until I can finally afford that thing that makes my hair silky smooth.
Why Do Mom's Get Sick?
Warning: If you don't like gross then don't read this post.
I truly believe that Mom's should be completely exempt from getting sick; ever. How can a mom be a mom when she is sick? She can't cook, can't clean, can't go anywhere, can't hold and take care of and play with her sweet child(ren) or hubby. And you know what is even worse that a mom being sick? That's right, a pregnant mom being sick that is trying to take care of a 2-year old that is also sick. And not just a head cold either, but this nasty tummy virus that makes mom feel AWFUL and has her running to the bathroom all day.
Somehow my sweet 2-year old and I had the same tummy virus for the same 48-hours. While it hit me like a freight train complete with not only the tummy issues but also with body aches, fatigue and the inability to eat or drink almost anything. It didn't seem so bad for Mackenzie. She had the most awful diarrhea and vomiting I have ever seen or smelled in my life, and I had to take care of that all day while I was sick; but it didn't seem to knock her down. She was still giggling and running around like a 2-year old. Her only difference is that she wouldn't eat anything (good thing, too), but she did drink a lot of Pedialyte. Needless to say, when all was said and done, we had to rent a carpet cleaning machine and clean our carpets after this whole episode was complete.
Virus gone - check
Feeling better -check
Carpets clean - check
Now I just need to clean the house after 2-days of getting nothing done and wipe everything down with Thieves Cleaner.
I must say that I am very happy that this is only Mackenzie's 2nd time in her 2-years and 4-monhts of life that she has ever thrown up or had a tummy virus. I am also happy that we are a pretty healthy family and almost never get sick. Praise the Lord.
I truly believe that Mom's should be completely exempt from getting sick; ever. How can a mom be a mom when she is sick? She can't cook, can't clean, can't go anywhere, can't hold and take care of and play with her sweet child(ren) or hubby. And you know what is even worse that a mom being sick? That's right, a pregnant mom being sick that is trying to take care of a 2-year old that is also sick. And not just a head cold either, but this nasty tummy virus that makes mom feel AWFUL and has her running to the bathroom all day.
Somehow my sweet 2-year old and I had the same tummy virus for the same 48-hours. While it hit me like a freight train complete with not only the tummy issues but also with body aches, fatigue and the inability to eat or drink almost anything. It didn't seem so bad for Mackenzie. She had the most awful diarrhea and vomiting I have ever seen or smelled in my life, and I had to take care of that all day while I was sick; but it didn't seem to knock her down. She was still giggling and running around like a 2-year old. Her only difference is that she wouldn't eat anything (good thing, too), but she did drink a lot of Pedialyte. Needless to say, when all was said and done, we had to rent a carpet cleaning machine and clean our carpets after this whole episode was complete.
Virus gone - check
Feeling better -check
Carpets clean - check
Now I just need to clean the house after 2-days of getting nothing done and wipe everything down with Thieves Cleaner.
I must say that I am very happy that this is only Mackenzie's 2nd time in her 2-years and 4-monhts of life that she has ever thrown up or had a tummy virus. I am also happy that we are a pretty healthy family and almost never get sick. Praise the Lord.
Monday, June 28, 2010
21-Weeks
I am 21-weeks pregnant today; which means we are just over half way there! Time really has gone by quickly with this pregnancy. Wayne felt Micah kicking for the first time last week and has felt him a few more times since then. Micah is a really strong little man. I think he is already practicing for some type of sports team. So far we like the name Micah Wayman Sherwood, but reserve the right to change his name upon arrival. Micah is a Biblical Prophet whose name means "Who is like the Lord". Wayman was my Dad's name and it starts with a W like Wayne and also has the same meaning as Wayne which is "Builder".
As for me...at my last visit I had:
Gained 12 pounds total.
Feel Micah move ALL THE TIME. Sometimes I think he is trying to break out of there.
No longer suffer from the fainting/dizziness issue.
Excited about meeting this little boy.
As for Mackenzie. I think sometimes she remembers that Mommy is having her little brother, but most of the time she is oblivious to that fact. We talk about him and pray for him and include him in our night time prayers. She also gives my tummy random kisses for her baby brother, but other than that she just goes along with her normal day. Also, we are potty training...STILL. She is doing better. Every other day she does AWESOME. Seriously, she has no accidents and tells me when she needs to go, but every other day she REFUSES to us the potty! Those days are much more difficult because she hates wearing a diaper but refuses to go on the potty. Uggg. I hope she decides to be fully potty trained way before her brother gets here. That would be pretty wonderful.
Here are some pictures:
Again, please pardon how I look in the belly pic. First thing in the morning!
20-weeks Preggo.
As for me...at my last visit I had:
Gained 12 pounds total.
Measured 20 cm.
Still have slight nausea (awful nausea when I take prenatal vits.).
Wasn't sleeping well, but that seems to have resolved itself now that Mackenzie's teething has subsided and she is sleeping again. Only one more tooth for her then we are DONE!
Waddle when I walk.Feel Micah move ALL THE TIME. Sometimes I think he is trying to break out of there.
No longer suffer from the fainting/dizziness issue.
Excited about meeting this little boy.
As for Mackenzie. I think sometimes she remembers that Mommy is having her little brother, but most of the time she is oblivious to that fact. We talk about him and pray for him and include him in our night time prayers. She also gives my tummy random kisses for her baby brother, but other than that she just goes along with her normal day. Also, we are potty training...STILL. She is doing better. Every other day she does AWESOME. Seriously, she has no accidents and tells me when she needs to go, but every other day she REFUSES to us the potty! Those days are much more difficult because she hates wearing a diaper but refuses to go on the potty. Uggg. I hope she decides to be fully potty trained way before her brother gets here. That would be pretty wonderful.
Again, please pardon how I look in the belly pic. First thing in the morning!
20-weeks Preggo.
Breakfast turned into a Yogurt Facial.
Houston Zoo.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Parenting Tools
I know every parent has their own style, so this will not apply to everyone; or even to the majority of parents out there, but here are some tools that I have found very useful in the early years of parenting.
During Pregnancy:
During pregnancy I recommend reading a lot about birth, and not just the type of birth you are planning on having or are expecting to have because some things change at the last second - literally.
Read about:
Home birth
Hospital birth
Medicated birth
Un-medicated birth
Water birth
C-Section
Pros and Cons to various interventions such as epidural, pitocin, episomity, continual fetal monitoring, planned or unplanned c-section, using natural pain alternatives, staying mobile during labor, lying on your back during labor, diet during pregnancy, birth attendants, location of birth, bottle feeding, breast feeding and so much more. Every single one of these things will effect the outcome of your labor and birth process in some form or fashion.
Some books on the above topics are:
Pushed by Jennifer Block
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley, MD
Anything with or by Michael Odent and I also love Dr. Sears' books
These are only the two I have most recently read. I read about 15 other books on these topics during my first pregnancy and plan on reading many more this time around. I do NOT agree with everything in these books, but I love to glean what I can from the information and stories.
Pre-Baby:
I HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend the two following books to be read (or video's to be watched) BEFORE the baby is born. Both of these need to be taken in and thought about so they become second nature when you are holding your brand new baby. We made cheat sheets for both to keep handy and in plain sight when Mackenzie was little.
Dunstan Baby Language - DVD Dunstan Baby Language
Happiest Baby on the Block - Book
The first one (Dunstan Baby Language) clues you in to the most common sounds babies make and what each sound means. Wayne and I watched this video several times over a two week period before Mackenzie was born, then we made a cheat sheet to hang on our wall. It is amazing how this really works. Your baby will give you noises to signal what is going on like - I'm Hungry, I need to Burp, I have Gas, I'm Uncomfortable, I'm Sleepy. They will give these signals before crying, and if you do not respond then they will resort to crying. If you never respond to their sounds they will begin to resort to crying first since this grabs your attention. This sounds strange, but really works.
The second one (Happiest Baby on the Block) teaches you how to effectively soothe your baby. I think it is the 5 S's, but I can't remember for sure. I need to re-read this one for our second baby. But it uses things like sucking, swinging, and swaddling (teaches the proper technique) done in the proper order to help completely soothe a cranky baby.
I also recommend Birthing Classes to first time parents or if you have not had a baby in many years. The one I like is 'The Bradley Method'. This is a very hands on Husband/Father lead birthing method that allows the wife and husband to communicate easily and effectively through body language during the labor and birth. I never wanted to speak or open my eyes during my very fast labor, so this was especially effective for us.
After Baby Arrives:
Signing Time
One of the things Mackenzie and I have really enjoyed doing together is Sign Language. I only knew a hand full of signs, so the parent does not need to know sign language to begin this with their baby. Sign Language encourages the baby/child to use not only their sense of hearing, but also sight and touch to begin language development. It is also a great second language. I began "Baby Signing Time" videos with Mackenzie around 6-months of age, but it is recommended to start around 4-months of age. She LOVED the baby signing time. Before she could communicate effectively in a verbal manner she could sign to tell me what she wanted. Then she graduated to "Signing Time" which I believe has 3 different series of videos and there are a lot of videos. I also noticed that every time she would learn a sign she would learn how to say the word and the context of the word. Today we sign together all the time, and she knows about 600 signs, all of her ABC's and can count and recognize numbers 1-20. We plan on keeping this up for years to come and also teaching baby #2. To them this is fun and a game and video where you get to know the characters Alex, Leah and Hopkins (their pet frog).
Throughout Pregnancy, Birth and Life:
Young Living Essential Oils - Young Living
This is really too lengthy to write about here, but I will say that we like to use these oils as a first line of defense BEFORE we resort to going to the doctors office. And guess what? We have NOT been to the doctor's office for an illness in the 3-yeas we have been using these; but we do use them a lot as preventatives. We will go to the doctor if we see no improvement or worsening symptoms in 3-days (or less if something looks serious). Well, we did go to the doctor once because I thought Mackenzie stuck something up her nose, but it turned out she had an ear infection. She kept saying she had a "stuck bugger". If she had told me about her ear instead we would have tried the oils first...oops! Anyway, I highly recommend these and LOVE them. I like having a healthy family; and every family is different, so with over 130 oils to choose from you can customize your family's needs and desires. I really like some of the soothing oils for before bed like Lavender and Peace & Calm. If you want more information on this section you can comment or e-mail me.
OK, so I have shared my advice; what advice do you have? Maybe something on potty training?
During Pregnancy:
During pregnancy I recommend reading a lot about birth, and not just the type of birth you are planning on having or are expecting to have because some things change at the last second - literally.
Read about:
Home birth
Hospital birth
Medicated birth
Un-medicated birth
Water birth
C-Section
Pros and Cons to various interventions such as epidural, pitocin, episomity, continual fetal monitoring, planned or unplanned c-section, using natural pain alternatives, staying mobile during labor, lying on your back during labor, diet during pregnancy, birth attendants, location of birth, bottle feeding, breast feeding and so much more. Every single one of these things will effect the outcome of your labor and birth process in some form or fashion.
Some books on the above topics are:
Pushed by Jennifer Block
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley, MD
Anything with or by Michael Odent and I also love Dr. Sears' books
These are only the two I have most recently read. I read about 15 other books on these topics during my first pregnancy and plan on reading many more this time around. I do NOT agree with everything in these books, but I love to glean what I can from the information and stories.
Pre-Baby:
I HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend the two following books to be read (or video's to be watched) BEFORE the baby is born. Both of these need to be taken in and thought about so they become second nature when you are holding your brand new baby. We made cheat sheets for both to keep handy and in plain sight when Mackenzie was little.
Dunstan Baby Language - DVD Dunstan Baby Language
Happiest Baby on the Block - Book
The first one (Dunstan Baby Language) clues you in to the most common sounds babies make and what each sound means. Wayne and I watched this video several times over a two week period before Mackenzie was born, then we made a cheat sheet to hang on our wall. It is amazing how this really works. Your baby will give you noises to signal what is going on like - I'm Hungry, I need to Burp, I have Gas, I'm Uncomfortable, I'm Sleepy. They will give these signals before crying, and if you do not respond then they will resort to crying. If you never respond to their sounds they will begin to resort to crying first since this grabs your attention. This sounds strange, but really works.
The second one (Happiest Baby on the Block) teaches you how to effectively soothe your baby. I think it is the 5 S's, but I can't remember for sure. I need to re-read this one for our second baby. But it uses things like sucking, swinging, and swaddling (teaches the proper technique) done in the proper order to help completely soothe a cranky baby.
I also recommend Birthing Classes to first time parents or if you have not had a baby in many years. The one I like is 'The Bradley Method'. This is a very hands on Husband/Father lead birthing method that allows the wife and husband to communicate easily and effectively through body language during the labor and birth. I never wanted to speak or open my eyes during my very fast labor, so this was especially effective for us.
After Baby Arrives:
Signing Time
One of the things Mackenzie and I have really enjoyed doing together is Sign Language. I only knew a hand full of signs, so the parent does not need to know sign language to begin this with their baby. Sign Language encourages the baby/child to use not only their sense of hearing, but also sight and touch to begin language development. It is also a great second language. I began "Baby Signing Time" videos with Mackenzie around 6-months of age, but it is recommended to start around 4-months of age. She LOVED the baby signing time. Before she could communicate effectively in a verbal manner she could sign to tell me what she wanted. Then she graduated to "Signing Time" which I believe has 3 different series of videos and there are a lot of videos. I also noticed that every time she would learn a sign she would learn how to say the word and the context of the word. Today we sign together all the time, and she knows about 600 signs, all of her ABC's and can count and recognize numbers 1-20. We plan on keeping this up for years to come and also teaching baby #2. To them this is fun and a game and video where you get to know the characters Alex, Leah and Hopkins (their pet frog).
Throughout Pregnancy, Birth and Life:
Young Living Essential Oils - Young Living
This is really too lengthy to write about here, but I will say that we like to use these oils as a first line of defense BEFORE we resort to going to the doctors office. And guess what? We have NOT been to the doctor's office for an illness in the 3-yeas we have been using these; but we do use them a lot as preventatives. We will go to the doctor if we see no improvement or worsening symptoms in 3-days (or less if something looks serious). Well, we did go to the doctor once because I thought Mackenzie stuck something up her nose, but it turned out she had an ear infection. She kept saying she had a "stuck bugger". If she had told me about her ear instead we would have tried the oils first...oops! Anyway, I highly recommend these and LOVE them. I like having a healthy family; and every family is different, so with over 130 oils to choose from you can customize your family's needs and desires. I really like some of the soothing oils for before bed like Lavender and Peace & Calm. If you want more information on this section you can comment or e-mail me.
OK, so I have shared my advice; what advice do you have? Maybe something on potty training?
Friday, June 4, 2010
It's A...
Yes, I will tell you the gender in this blog, but you will have to wade through some other 'stuff' first (insert evil laugh here).
Last week at our play date I had a poll to see what my friends thought we were having; boy or girl? It was unanimous girl until one of my friends said she had to change to boy to be different from everyone else. Did she make the correct decision by switching, or should she have stuck with her original thought?
My Mom and Wayne's Dad have been thinking boy. I have been thinking girl, but all of my dreams have been boy (opposite of Mackenzie when I thought boy and dreamed girl). Wayne had no idea either way. I had a lady at church walk up to me and say hello to the baby girl growing inside me. Who is correct?
Before I tell you the gender I have to tell you about the ultrasound. Everything looks GREAT. We saw the heart and the four chambers beating away. We saw the brain, stomach, kidneys, eyes, face, hands, feet, arms, legs, spine, umbilical cord. Before we started the scan we were asked if we wanted to find out the gender to which we replied, "yes, if we can see." Good thing she asked because as soon as she put the receptor on my belly this is what we saw:
Well, it seems that my dreams are ALWAYS RIGHT. It's a BOY! See the two legs and his 'stuff' sticking out in the middle. His top leg has a slight shadow due to my scanner not picking up the black and white picture very well, but you can really see that he is a boy!
Baby is looking at you. Head is on the left of the screen.
Last week at our play date I had a poll to see what my friends thought we were having; boy or girl? It was unanimous girl until one of my friends said she had to change to boy to be different from everyone else. Did she make the correct decision by switching, or should she have stuck with her original thought?
My Mom and Wayne's Dad have been thinking boy. I have been thinking girl, but all of my dreams have been boy (opposite of Mackenzie when I thought boy and dreamed girl). Wayne had no idea either way. I had a lady at church walk up to me and say hello to the baby girl growing inside me. Who is correct?
Before I tell you the gender I have to tell you about the ultrasound. Everything looks GREAT. We saw the heart and the four chambers beating away. We saw the brain, stomach, kidneys, eyes, face, hands, feet, arms, legs, spine, umbilical cord. Before we started the scan we were asked if we wanted to find out the gender to which we replied, "yes, if we can see." Good thing she asked because as soon as she put the receptor on my belly this is what we saw:
Well, it seems that my dreams are ALWAYS RIGHT. It's a BOY! See the two legs and his 'stuff' sticking out in the middle. His top leg has a slight shadow due to my scanner not picking up the black and white picture very well, but you can really see that he is a boy!
Now to switch my brain over to baby boy stuff. I need to completely rethink the nursery. Mackenzie was really excited and actually seemed to understand. She didn't want to give back the ultrasound picture and kept saying that it was, "Mackenzie brother" and then rubbing my tummy. So sweet.
So the ultrasound pictures did not scan very well to my computer...use your imagination.
Baby is looking at you. Head is on the left of the screen.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Mackenzie's Newest Phrase
Mackenzie has a fairly new phrase that she uses pretty much every day. I have no idea where she got this because neither Wayne nor I say this...at least not this way.
Phrase:
"That's Totally Cool"
Other Phrases:
"OK, Let's do it"
"I don't like it right now"
"I need a diaper change" - instead of I need to go potty - at least she is telling me
"Are you wake up now?"
"I so tired"
And yes, she still says, "Ypu're the best" from karate kid
Phrase:
"That's Totally Cool"
Other Phrases:
"OK, Let's do it"
"I don't like it right now"
"I need a diaper change" - instead of I need to go potty - at least she is telling me
"Are you wake up now?"
"I so tired"
And yes, she still says, "Ypu're the best" from karate kid
Monday, May 24, 2010
16-weeks
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his/her weight and add inches to his/her length . Right now, (s)he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His/her legs are much more developed, his/her head is more erect than it has been, and his/her eyes have moved closer to the front of his/her head. His/her ears are close to their final position, too.
I also feel this sweet baby move more and more each day.
Sorry, no belly pics. I left my camera at a friends house.
I also feel this sweet baby move more and more each day.
Sorry, no belly pics. I left my camera at a friends house.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Mackenzie Pictures
Here are some recent pictures of Mackenzie.
Enjoying Ice Cream
Baby Pool
Bluebonnets
Enjoying Ice Cream
Big Slide
Baby Pool
Toddler Bed (the sheets were in the dryer)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
15-weeks
I turned 15-weeks pregnant on Monday, and again forgot to take a belly picture. Yesterday my belly really seemed to pop out there, so the next pic I post should actually make me look pregnant. I'm serious. A lady even commented in the store about hoping my baby #2 is a good sleeper.
I saw my midwife for our monthly check-up and everything looked great. Well, almost. My blood pressure is really low (it was 88/62) but there is nothing you can do about that. The low blood pressure issue causes many women to faint throughout pregnancy; and is very common if you already have a naturally low blood pressure. The reason it can drop even lower in pregnancy is because your blood volume is ever increasing through 28 weeks and sometimes your hemoglobin just doesn't catch up quite fast enough. Oops! Hopefully I will not be faining throughout this pregnancy. Actually, I hope I won't faint again, at all. But; it is altogether harmless to both me and baby.
Baby was kicking and flipping and swimming around like (s)he was having a lot of fun in there. The heartbeat was strong 152bpm and I am measuring 14cm. I have also gained 6.5 pounds since this pregnancy started.
I also have pictures of Mackenzie to post if I ever get around to it. She is looking so grown up all of a sudden. Potty training is going much better. She is only patient enough to potty train half a day, so she gets to run around naked all morning. Then when she starts to act tired for her nap we put the diaper back on. That is when the potty accidents and grumpiness starts, so we just stop for the rest of the day. This method is working really well; and the fact that she likes to sit backwards on the big potty. I know she is only 2, but she seems so grown up. Her personality is so sweet and she is very opinionated. I hope baby #2 is just like her...I just love her so much (except for the sleeping thing; baby #2 can sleep through the night).
We are trying to get our diagnostic ultrasound appointment set for Friday, June 4th. That is the one where they check all of the organs, measure the baby, estimate the due date (again) and check the gender if you want to know. I want to know, so hopefully in just over 2-weeks time we will know if baby #2 is a boy or a girl and we can start calling him/her a him or her or by name or whatever seems appropriate.
I will try to post pictures tomorrow and update blog soon. Bye for now.
I saw my midwife for our monthly check-up and everything looked great. Well, almost. My blood pressure is really low (it was 88/62) but there is nothing you can do about that. The low blood pressure issue causes many women to faint throughout pregnancy; and is very common if you already have a naturally low blood pressure. The reason it can drop even lower in pregnancy is because your blood volume is ever increasing through 28 weeks and sometimes your hemoglobin just doesn't catch up quite fast enough. Oops! Hopefully I will not be faining throughout this pregnancy. Actually, I hope I won't faint again, at all. But; it is altogether harmless to both me and baby.
Baby was kicking and flipping and swimming around like (s)he was having a lot of fun in there. The heartbeat was strong 152bpm and I am measuring 14cm. I have also gained 6.5 pounds since this pregnancy started.
I also have pictures of Mackenzie to post if I ever get around to it. She is looking so grown up all of a sudden. Potty training is going much better. She is only patient enough to potty train half a day, so she gets to run around naked all morning. Then when she starts to act tired for her nap we put the diaper back on. That is when the potty accidents and grumpiness starts, so we just stop for the rest of the day. This method is working really well; and the fact that she likes to sit backwards on the big potty. I know she is only 2, but she seems so grown up. Her personality is so sweet and she is very opinionated. I hope baby #2 is just like her...I just love her so much (except for the sleeping thing; baby #2 can sleep through the night).
We are trying to get our diagnostic ultrasound appointment set for Friday, June 4th. That is the one where they check all of the organs, measure the baby, estimate the due date (again) and check the gender if you want to know. I want to know, so hopefully in just over 2-weeks time we will know if baby #2 is a boy or a girl and we can start calling him/her a him or her or by name or whatever seems appropriate.
I will try to post pictures tomorrow and update blog soon. Bye for now.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Angels Watching Over Me
I have this license plate cover on the back of my car that says, "Angels Watching Over Me." And today God proved that phrase to be true in my life. Nothing big or bad, but you never know what could have been.
This morning Mackenzie and I made a quick run to Target for diapers because somehow we were on the last one and she was wet. How she goes through diapers so fast I do not know, but she does; thus the emergency run for more (and the desire to use cloth with baby #2).
This was a quick trip, but while in the check-out line I started to feel a bit faint. Nothing too strong, but I thought I better grab a quick something just in case, so I purchased a SNICKERS. Not the best choice, but the only thing at the register. I checked out and put the snickers in my purse to eat in the car if I needed it, but we didn't make it to the car. I stepped out of the Target doors and everything when black, so I turned around to go back inside and find a chair. We didn't make it back inside either. I fainted right there in front of the doors of the store, and some really nice guy caught me. I am so thankful he caught me because pregnant women and concrete do not go well together. Mackenzie was a perfect little girl just sitting strapped into the cart asking, "Are you OK, Mommy?" Unfortunately I could not see or hear her to give her an answer, but apparently 2 employees came running to help. One was a lady that reassured Mackenzie.
Protocol says: call 911, so I had to sit in Target waiting for the EMT's to come check me out; which was fine by me because I still couldn't see anyway, and was not about to risk driving home alone. Also, the guy that caught me found my cell phone and called my hubby to come pick me up. Or, apparently I gave him my cell phone when he asked me if he could call anyone and I told him he could call Wayne my husband? Anyway, I was very disoriented, but when I had all of my faculties back I gave that guy a BIG THANK YOU. And reassured my daughter who was telling people not to touch me - lol.
Everything checked out fine and I am fine. Blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen, heart rate all perfect. So what happened? Pregnancy? Overheated? A short drop in blood pressure? Probably the latter. One of the midwives stopped by the house a little later to listen to the baby and (s)he sounded great! Apparently this happens quite often with pregnant women. Moral of the story, carry a protein snack and sit down immediately when feeling even the slightest bit faint or possibly don't drive pregnant? Anyway, I am fine now.
This morning Mackenzie and I made a quick run to Target for diapers because somehow we were on the last one and she was wet. How she goes through diapers so fast I do not know, but she does; thus the emergency run for more (and the desire to use cloth with baby #2).
This was a quick trip, but while in the check-out line I started to feel a bit faint. Nothing too strong, but I thought I better grab a quick something just in case, so I purchased a SNICKERS. Not the best choice, but the only thing at the register. I checked out and put the snickers in my purse to eat in the car if I needed it, but we didn't make it to the car. I stepped out of the Target doors and everything when black, so I turned around to go back inside and find a chair. We didn't make it back inside either. I fainted right there in front of the doors of the store, and some really nice guy caught me. I am so thankful he caught me because pregnant women and concrete do not go well together. Mackenzie was a perfect little girl just sitting strapped into the cart asking, "Are you OK, Mommy?" Unfortunately I could not see or hear her to give her an answer, but apparently 2 employees came running to help. One was a lady that reassured Mackenzie.
Protocol says: call 911, so I had to sit in Target waiting for the EMT's to come check me out; which was fine by me because I still couldn't see anyway, and was not about to risk driving home alone. Also, the guy that caught me found my cell phone and called my hubby to come pick me up. Or, apparently I gave him my cell phone when he asked me if he could call anyone and I told him he could call Wayne my husband? Anyway, I was very disoriented, but when I had all of my faculties back I gave that guy a BIG THANK YOU. And reassured my daughter who was telling people not to touch me - lol.
Everything checked out fine and I am fine. Blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen, heart rate all perfect. So what happened? Pregnancy? Overheated? A short drop in blood pressure? Probably the latter. One of the midwives stopped by the house a little later to listen to the baby and (s)he sounded great! Apparently this happens quite often with pregnant women. Moral of the story, carry a protein snack and sit down immediately when feeling even the slightest bit faint or possibly don't drive pregnant? Anyway, I am fine now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)