Umm, oops

Okay, I haven't posted in a LONG time - more than a month. I am really sorry - I've just been busy. It's hard to type with one hand and honestly feeding Jack and playing with him has just taken up a lot of my time! Jack is getting on with a better schedule, we had his baptism, and Thanksgiving has come and gone. Now we are getting ready for Christmas! Time is going quickly. I know I will regret this at some point but I am ready to go back to work and get back on a schedule. I love being with Jack but I need my routine again. I think that I will just sit back and enjoy my last few weeks home with my baby boy. I hope everyone is doing well. Keep checking our shutterfly site for more pics!

Names in the Sand

So, Monday was my first whole day with Jack to myself. Of course, this was the day he chose to be fussy all day long for mommy. He was up at 9:00 a.m. and did not sleep for more than 5 minutes until 4:00 p.m. He would eat, poop, and fuss. Apparently he forgot about the sleep part. It was frustrating to say the least. It was really not what I had imagined for my short time as a stay at home mom. In fact, I was ready to go back to work yesterday. It was upsetting to not love every single second with Jack. Please tell me someone else has felt this way at some point.

Anyway, I browse through a few blogs when I have a second and I found a link to a very special blog this morning. It is a site where people in Australia write the names of babies who passed away in the sand as a tribute for their families. CLICK HERE for Names in the Sand. The site has comments, poems, and notes from the babies' families and it is really moving. I am glad I found this site this morning because it made me realize how truly blessed we are to have a happy, healthy little boy. In a sad way it helped me to appreciate how lucky we are and it made me want to snuggle Jack a little closer.

Anyway, I have snapped out of my sour mood from yesterday - at the very least Jack slept well last night. He went to bed at 9:30 p.m. was up at 1:00 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. Then he was up at 7:00 a.m. and is currently sleeping at 9:00 a.m. This is probably why he's up all day long. Of course, I don't mind the sleeping all night but it keeps him up all day long! Oh well, good thing he's so cute and snuggly! Now, if he will just stay happy for most of the day!

busy busy

Sorry I haven't updated. Clearly I am busy with Jack and I am enjoying my last few days of Chad being home. I do NOT want him to go back to work. I like being home everyday as a family. I know I am lucky that he took two weeks off but I want him to be home MORE - I'm greedy!
Anyway, Jack is doing well. He's a cool kid - I like him quite a bit. I will leave you with a few pics but the Hungry Hungry Hippo wants to eat again!

Sleep - how precious . . .

Jack's first two nights at home were great. He slept at three hour stretches, fell asleep after he ate and had a new diaper and even took a nice long nap in the morning (like 7-10). Last night, however, Jack decided to be a hungry, hungry hippo and he wanted to eat constantly. He would wake up, eat for almost an hour, and then go to sleep just to wake up an hour later. So, technically he was eating every two hours except it takes him an hour to eat so we only got an hour of sleep at a time! Oh well, he slept from 7-11 am so at least we got some sleep then. Its fine with me because I don't have to go back to work until January but in about a week Chad isn't going to be as cool with getting a bulk of our sleep during the day when he needs to go to work! Oh well, at least he is a good eater and goes to sleep when he's full - Jack, that is, not Chad. Well, on second thought, Chad too. I guess they are both good eaters and sleepers! :)
Continue to check out our Shutterfly site for more pics.

Jack Rolls Over

Jack rolled over for the first time last night. Here's the video to prove it:)

He's Here!!!

Jack Thomas was born on Friday afternoon at 12:58 p.m. via c-section. Everything went really well. He was a mover and a shaker right from the start! Here are some basic stats:

So far he has brown/redish hair depending on the light. His eyes are still blueish but they are getting darker by the day and I think he might have brown eyes at some point. He is a big guy too!
Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz
Length: 21 inches
Head: 14.25 inches circumference


That puts our little Jack in the 80-90th percentile in all of his categories. Oh yeah, and he was a week early! They said the head circumference alone likely would have been enough reason for a c-section.

I am feeling great - I am on lots of steroids so my Crohn's is under control, which even though its artificially under control, its enough for me right now!

Jack is eating like a champ and so far he sleeps fairly well (knock on wood and lots of prayers for continued sleep!) He is so calm and content so far - he loves looking at our faces and he just relaxes and coos. I could just look at him all day.
Check out our picture site CLICK HERE for pictures. We are trying to update them as much as possible but we get a little busy somtimes (surprise, surprise!)

Getting ready!

Homework done - check
Laundry done - check
dishes done - check
house cleaned - check
classroom ready to go for sub - check
eating all of the junk food I can stomach - check

Tomorrow is the big day - I am going to have a baby - tomorrow! We welcome all of the postive thoughts and prayers we can get!

Oops, its been a while!

Yeah, so, I've been a bit busy. I am trying to get a lot of things done and ready because I am having Mouser on Friday. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that? I am having a baby on FRIDAY!!!!! My Gasteroenterologist and OB have decided that the best thing for me at this point is to have a scheduled c-section for various medical reasons. I trust my doctors and I have decided to follow their advice. This weekend we lived it up a bit knowing that it was our last weekend ever without kids! YIKES! We are excited, nervous, and a little overwhelmed! I keep thinking that I have no idea what to do with a baby but it seems like most people figure it out.
I am not sure if I will be updating before Friday (I have lots to do!) so if I don't be sure to check our shutterfly site for pictures of our little Mouse and of course the big reveal of his real name!
Oh, and we will take any prayers and positive thoughts anyone has to offer. I am kinda scared of the surgery but I know that the Lord will take care of the baby and me too! I trust my doctor and I am just looking forward to meeting the little dude soon!!!

Shower from Kacey and Casey!

I had a wonderful weekend. Two of my closest friends, Kacey and Casey threw a wonderful baby shower for me on Saturday. It was great! Those girls are wonderful. They worked so hard to make my day special! It was mostly my friends from work as well as my mom and Chad's mom. We had delicious food, great company, and of course a generous array of gifts! We got lots of clothes and baby essentials! It was so great to see everyone and to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our little dude. I can't believe how soon he will be here!
Check out all of the pictures here!
On Sunday, Chad and I went to WalMart to get all of the last minute things that we still need before he gets here. We had to get wipes, a few more bottle accessories, formula, and stuff for me to recover. Oh yeah, its starting to dawn on me that this little guy is going to get here one way or another and I am going to have to recover afterward! Yikes!
We also installed our carseats this weekend. Looks like we are almost ready for him to get here. Of course, I hope he keeps cooking in there for a while but as far as stuff is concerned we have what we need! As far as if we are mentally ready - we are getting there, I wonder if anyone is totally mentally ready when a baby comes? I guess we will find out within the next month! WHOO HOO!

Doctor's Appointment Today!

So, I am 36 weeks pregnant now which makes me in my ninth month. I have less than a month left until we meet our little guy! Chad and I went to the doctor today to have an ultrasound and a regular check up. We got to see our little guy - well, what we could see of him. He is head down, way down, and face down. Which basically means we didn't get to see his little face. Its a bummer even though on an ultrasound they usually look like Skeletor anyway! We did see the back of his head, though, complete with hair!!!! YAY! I was born with a full head of dark, thick hair and it looks like Mouser will have some hair as well. I am so excited!
I talked to the doctor about a discussion that one of the other docs in the practice had with me regarding my Crohn's and delivering early. Of course, the were talking about 37 weeks - uhh, in case anyone lost count like I did, that would mean next week. Ummm, no thanks. I think I will just stick it out. I am not very interested in an amnio and a premature baby anyway - thanks! We had discussed that option if my Crohn's got worse or if it was harming Mouse. Since I am still fully functioning I figured let's let it ride.
The doc today mentioned inducing at 39 weeks (without amnio) if the Crohn's is still bothering me but I think at this point we will wait and see. Of course, the planner in me would love to plan an induction so I know when the baby would be here and I wouldn't have to just "wait and see." I think the best thing to do, however, is let God decide when this little guy is ready to see the world.

Oh, and as many of you know, I am having a bit of a big baby. Nothing astronomical or anything. Right now, according to the ultrasound he is in the 85 %ile. His estimated weight as of today is 7 pounds! No wonder I get tired at the end of the day! They estimate he will be about 8 1/2 lbs. when he is born. Chad and I were each over eight pounds so I wasn't really surprised when he told us that. I suppose only time will tell. Our little dude is growing and thriving. Of course, I only gained 1/2 a lb. over the last month. That sounds pretty good but its more of a sign of the Crohn's flare up than of me watching what I am eating or excersizing (hahaha). Of course, I am busy at work so that may help things along. I am not too much over my weight gain hopes so maybe I won't be too HUGE when this is all said and done! :)

Shower at Mom's House

I had the most wonderful, beautiful, thoughtful shower at my mom's house this weekend. My aunts, grandmas, mil, and neighbors joined my mom to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Mouser. Of course, Mom calls him Stachu (Polish for Stanley, its an old joke, don't ask!) so we celebrated Stachu's arrival!
We had a Martha Stewart type shower with china coffee cups, baked brie, and a delicious salad bar. My very generous Aunt Penny made a beautiful dessert centerpiece (more like showstopper) to share with everyone. We had lots of duckies, frogs, and books at my shower. I felt so loved and I feel so blessed that our baby will be born into a family with so many people to love him! We received many, many gifts including a lot of precious hand-made items.

My grandma crotched an afgahan for my first baby a LONG time ago. Grandma is 90 so she made it knowing that no matter what, my baby would have something that she made just for him. I have been looking at that beautiful blanket for my whole life always thinking about getting it "someday." You know, someday when I was a grown up, with a perfect husband having our perfect little child. I knew that blanket was coming but I was still overwhelmed when I opened it and realized that someday was really here. Its like a realization that some of life's most important goals and dreams are coming true right now. I am so incredibly grateful that I got such a beautiful work of art, and even happier that my grandma was there to celebrate with me! In fact, both of my grandmas were there along with all of my aunts and Chad's mom.

I think the most important person there was my mom. She put so much time, effort, and love into my shower. I couldn't be more grateful to her. I had one of the best days of my life and I loved sharing the weekend with my mom. I have counted on her so much throughout my pregnancy and I am sure that will only increase once Stachu is here! I can't believe that soon I will be a mom to someone. It is really overwhelming but I know that my mom will be there if (WHEN) I need her when I am trying to figure this mom thing out. What an adventure!

You can click HERE for pictures of my wonderful shower!

Random Stuff

Okay - so we have been very busy around here. I have some pictures to share. First, a new school year has started so I am busy, tired, and happy to be back with little kids again. As tired as they make me I still really love my job! So here's me on the first day of school!


Also, I got a new car! WHOO HOO! Oh wait, its a MOM car! In typical Amy fashion, however, I couldn't get anything less than something super cute and sporty so this is my version of a mom car. It has four doors and a big trunk. It also has leather, Monsoon stereo system, remote start, sunroof, power everything, and a pretty fast engine. Its the most mom I could do for now.



And finally - when we bought our crib set it came with a bumper which isn't considered safe to use with babies anymore. I didn't want to waste the great fabric so I decided to use some of it to make a valance. I cut out all of the stuffing, hemmed the edges, and sewed ribbon to the top. I think it turned out pretty great! What do you think?

Our Nursery - More Progress

I made a new website that has pictures of the nursery and my shower from my mother in law. I plan to use this site after the baby is born so you might want to bookmark it.

Click HERE for our picture website from shutterfly.

Enjoy!

31 Weeks!

How could I possibly have only 9 weeks left until I have this baby? Yikes! We went to childbirth class last night again and I think it freaked Chad out a little. It freaked me out a little for sure. You know on a Baby Story they don't show everything and I think they try to make the mother look cute. The women in the movie we saw were looking ROUGH, really really rough. Of course, they didn't have the beauty of the epidural, which I know doesn't always work or I know I may encounter a circumstance where the epidural isn't an option, but after watching that video last night I hope to become very close friends with the anestsiologist.

Of course the childbirth instructor is quite ANTI-epidural but whatever, she isn't having this baby, I am, so she can go fly a kite for all I care! Anyway, I just wanted to check in and show off my newest pic. I got my haircut so it was a good day for a picture! I hope everyone is well. I am continuing to work on my classroom to get everything ready for a new bunch of little darlings! I hope they don't tire me out too much, yeah right!

The Nursery Progress

I just realized that I haven't really shown much progress on the nursery stuff for a while. Many of you have seen many of these pictures but I wanted to make a post of some pics that are the most recent with even more stuff in the room. I am going to IKEA tomorrow and I am sure I will find some stuff to use there. I really like IKEA, its so big and stuff is so cheap and fun! So, without further ado . . .

New Stuff

So, sometimes I feel like we are getting stuff too early for this baby but then I think, hmmmm, we only have like 10 1/2 weeks left and frankly once school starts I am not going to have lots of time to shop around for stuff. So, though it seems early, things are starting to come together. Today in the Target add they had the travel system (carseat/carrier + stroller combo) on sale and we just returned something for my mom so we decided to get the system from my mom for my shower in a couple of weeks. Works for us because we can get it locally and take it right home and get it set up, works for mom because we take care of all of the details! Also, we picked up the travel swing she ordered for us as well. So, we set up the swing and the travel system today. We also have lots of clothes (hmmm, from mom again, she may be getting excited too!) to show off, including an outfit for his baptism (no little weird suits with bowties here). I will post a couple of pictures here but there are lots more here.

My night in Labor and Delivery!

Oh boy! First let me say, I am just fine and the baby is just fine. My mom, Aunt Pat, and I got into a very small fender bender on Thursday at about 5:45 p.m. We were exiting the highway and inching forward to see if cars were coming and the dude behind us thought we were going so he hit the gas and rear-ended us. My poor mom hit her head so while I was asking her if she was okay, my aunt and my mom were like . . . FORGET ABOUT US! HOW ARE YOU! Then it occurred to me, oh yeah, I'm 7 months pregnant. I described it last night as having something around so much that you seriously forget. Like if you had an 11th toe, after a while it wouldn't occur to you that it was any different. But anyway, my seat belt was under my belly and we were stopped and the other guy wasn't going fast at all. But, of course as soon as my big pregnant belly emerged from the car the guy who hit us kinda freaked out. I have that effect on people nowadays.
So, I called the ob after hours line to see if they wanted me to come in (crossing my fingers that they would say just come in tomorrow) yeah right. I had to go in and be monitored for 4 HOURS! UGH!!!!
So, Chad and I went home got some books, said goodbye to mom because she didn't need to sit around l&d all night, then we got some McDonald's and went to the hospital. Before we even got there mom called and was like, I can't stand to go home, I need to know you are okay, so she came to the hospital too!
I got hooked up to the monitor at about 8 p.m. so I knew I would be there until midnight. They said I had to lay on my back until they could rule out that I was having contractions and then I could lay on my side. They said it would be 20 minutes. An hour later the nurse came in and was poking around at stuff and I asked if I could lay on my side. But she said NO! Ugh again! It turns out I was having contractions, though I didn't feel them. So then after a while and lots of contractions the doctor came in and said that I had to stay for 24 HOURS!!!!! He asked if that would be okay, I wanted to say, don't give me a choice buddy or you may not like what I say. Anyway, I decided to stay.
I finally moved to my overnight room (out of triage) at 1 a.m. and by the time I settled in etc, it was late, late, late. Chad and mom left just before 2 a.m. so they could go to bed. My baby was SO busy and moving SO much that the monitor kept not detecting him. I wasn't worried about it for a minute because he moved and moved and moved so much that I knew he was just fine. So the nice nurse came in constantly until about 4 a.m. when the baby finally went to sleep and stayed on the monitor without moving away. So, I slept from 4 a.m. - 7 a.m. A whopping three hours. Over that time, however, my contractions pretty much stopped which is great news. The doctor came in at about 11 a.m. and told me that I didn't have to stay the whole 24 hours and that I could go home!!! YAY!! So, my mom brought me home and I finally ate (I didn't even get water until 1 a.m. and then I had a clear liquid breakfast, ick!) so I was hungry and then I slept for 3 hours in my own comfy bed. I am so glad to be home and not have those pesky contractions any more. As eager as I am to meet the baby I would still like him to wait quite a few more weeks. Of course he only has 11 more weeks until I am sending him an eviction notice!
I hope everyone is well and had a better night than I did last night. I am so glad to be home, I am so glad to be done with my classes this summer, and I am so glad to not have to go to work for a couple more weeks!

Our Veggie Garden - Year 2

So last year you may remember that we had a veggie garden. We thought it was so much fun that we decided to do it again this year! Although it is somewhat harder to pull weeds this year due to lack of bending, we have had a lot of success so far. In fact, despite Chad saying no, I picked two potatoes that made their way above ground today!!!! We have watermelon and cucumber vines, potato plants, lots of corn, a fledgling green pepper plant, and some questionable cauliflower. We also have a mystery plant that may be a volunteer tomato. We had a volunteer tomato last year as well (I guess from the previous owners? We have never planted tomatoes). I am not sure if the mystery plant is tomato or not, it could just be a very hardy weed that we have been scared to pick! Anyway, enjoy the pictures!!