Indecisive - Wanna Offer Your Opinion to Help Out?

Ok, so we can be pretty indecisive.....well I can be pretty indecisive. We have a dilemma. Which crib bedding set to buy??? There are so many. And I definitely know what I DON'T want. But what I DO want - that's another story. So....below are our options at this point (see end of blog). And one other piece of important information - we need it to match the wall hanging that we already have (and absolutely love!).

I saw this wall hanging at the venue that my MIL (mother-in-law) had our wedding shower. Fell in love with it, and she (being wonderful and thoughtful) bought it for us and stored it until we moved into our larger apt and had room for it. It is 47 inches long and 10 inches tall and dark, dark chocolate color with brown/copperish lettering and a deep golden moon. We plan on hanging it OVER the crib - thus the need for the bedding to match somewhat with it. Here is a pic of the hanging and our bedding choices (at this point). Please let us know what you think! :)

And here are the contestants for the crib bedding:

Baby Boy Blue

Giggles

Spelling Bee

Forever Friends

Jungle Babies

Remember - we need this to go well with the wall hanging! That's the important detail here. :)

Please leave your comments on what you think. I'll also put a poll to the side of the blog where you can vote. :) Thanks so much!!!

UPDATE!!!

I think we have mostly narrowed it down between Baby Boy Blue and Spelling Bee - we keep coming back to those two. (Camden likes Spelling Bee b/c he thinks it's good that the baby can learn with it, too) ;)

And here's another possibility.....

Max

Pregnancy - and all the "JOYS" that come with it...

So I thought I would show a few nice, cute preggo pics. And then I would complain and tell about about the "other" stuff that comes with pregnancy, esp during the last trimester (and I still have a ways to go.....so it can get worse! Augh!) I really love being pregnant. I do. As much of the "other stuff" I have to deal with, I still love it! Love the feeling, love the belly, love the movements from the baby - everything.

Now, if you ask me how I am feeling, I will smile and say very convincingly, "I'm fine" or "I'm great!" even. But that's because I don't like to complain a lot. I especially don't like being one of those people that are always complaining. No fun, right? Right.

But...here goes my list of other stuff that I am really, really not enjoying right now. First of all, with Camden I got lots (I mean lots!) of charlie horses - in the middle of the night, always. Hate those cramps. I haven't experienced any yet, but I got my first really bad foot cramp out of the blue the other day. So I am expecting more to come...

• I get short of breath soooooo easily! It's not too noticeable until I start reading out loud, but then it gets tough. And Ryan and I read a book together each night, usually taking turns reading. So, that's a pain I try to suffer through. I read slowly and have to take those long pauses to breath a little extra every now and then.
• Giving myself a pedicure is very tricky these days. I can manage, but it's not so fun - but maybe kind of funny to watch...
• Tying my tennis shoes... Ha! That's even harder.
• Picking up anything from the floor - or (the worst) sitting on the floor and then getting up... That's a double Ha!
• Nosebleeds... They do warn you about this one, and they are very right (whoever they are). Just about anytime I blow my nose - there it goes. Not a lot of fun. And I never get nosebleeds. But I have had quite a few in the last couple months.
• Braxton Hicks contractions. Well, I've actually been getting these since week 13/14. Never ever felt them with Camden until I was in the hospital. But these - definitely feel. The past week or two, they've been more noticeable. I expect that trend to continue. They aren't bad, but can be pretty annoying and not always feel that great.
• Trouble sleeping. OK - so add in my issue with chronic insomnia (and the fact that I am not taking my sleeping pills b/c I am pregnant) with the fact that sleeping while pregnant becomes near impossible for most women (even without insomnia)... Yeah, that combination is not a lot of fun. So basically, I get very little sleep. Ryan thinks - but you sleep until 9am every chance you get!!! Well, that's b/c I am up all stinking night! So, regardless of how late I seem to sleep in...not getting enough. At all.
• Morning sickness. So, I did manage to go off some of the anti-nausea pills. I even went a week with none! But that week only lasted - well, a week. I had to add in the morning dose. Ryan told me (after day 1 or 2) to go back on it, but I wanted to see if I could do it. Sure, I could, but it really wasn't worth it. And out of those 7 days, I threw up many more than not. But - one pill is better than 4 or more. :) So, I'm happy about that. Still get sick occassionally, but that's better than every day, right? ;)
• Peeing. I don't actually pee more than normal. I always have to go all the time! That's just me. But now - it's just harder to get it all out! (Too much info? Sorry. I am leaving some things out of this post.) So that's annoying. I feel like I really have to go, and then all I get is a trickle. Hmph. Not very satisfying.
• And the worst - the BACK PAIN!!! I have been trying and trying not to complain. Why? Because I still have three months to go. I know that this one will just get worse! First it was the lower back (really lower). I think it's more of a joint issue there. That's been consistently getting worse since the first or second month of pregnancy, but it's to the point where I can't move without a surge of intense pain. So if I'm around you and move and you hear me draw in a quick breath but not say anything - that's what it is. I just try not to complain - except a little to Ryan. Even he didn't know how bad it was until recently. Then over the last few weeks - the middle back pain began. Just when I'm sitting. But it is constant once I sit. A short car ride has me in tears almost. Luckily I just have one more paper for school to write, but I still have to sit down to type it. (Just like I'm sitting down now - and yes, my back is in pain right now. You should see how I try to move around while typing to relieve some of it. Doesn't work, though.)

So I mention all of this back pain to the dr. I really expected her to laugh and say - welcome to the last trimester! But she didn't. :) I ask if a chiropractor would help with the lower back pain, b/c it's not the muscle - it's the joints. And then mention the middle back. She says - we're sending you to PT. So, looks like I get to work to make it better. Haha! That's fine. Hope it works! And I have to wait TWO WEEKS to get in. Not thrilled about that, but oh well. Hopefully this will get me in better shape for the recovery, though. ;)

OK - I've griped now. And that's about all you'll hear from me about this. Most likely. If you're one of the lucky ones, I'll actually let you know my back hurts, but that's probably all I'll say. Otherwise, you'll probably get the "Oh, I'm fine! And you?" response. :) I mean, who really wants to hear about this over and over? So, I've gotten it out now, and hopefully things just won't continue to get worse. I still know I could experience more swelling, fatigue, pain, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on, right? ;) And we'll end with a few more cute pics to brighten up the post a bit, shall we?

Good Excuse

It is a nice thought when you think about it. Of course, you don't see me out running like this...but I still have a good excuse for my big belly (even if some of it perhaps is because of the cupcakes and brownies and ice cream....). ;)

Catching up!

I know we haven't blogged in a WHILE! We have been BUSY! It's the last couple weeks of classes and field (then graduation is soon! Yay!), and many other things have been going on, too. But we wanted to share some pictures of the latest with us and some friends...

First of all, we recently went to the Robbie Seay Band concert that was actually at our own church. The band led Sunday morning worship, and the concert was that evening. All were very awesome. :) Here is a pic of us with Robbie Seay... Very nice guy.

So then it was my and Ryan's birthdays. Not at the same time. Mine was the 11th, his the 18th. So we celebrated together. :) Ryan's mom had spring break this week, so she came down for a couple days to visit. She even treated us to a wonderful dinner at the Chop House Grill that recently opened across the street from us. Very yummy!

And in between our birthdays, another birthday occurred! One of my best friends in the whole world became a mommy! One of my other best friends in the whole world and my own mom both sent me pictures - since they are all in KY and I couldn't be there. :( I really wished I could. Patsy was there when Camden was born - even there in the delivery room when I was attempting to give birth (before the c-section occurred), and it was very special to me to have her there, so I wish I could have been there for her. But I did get some pictures of the adorable little guy...

Here are some of the new mommy and her little baby, Joaquin Christopher

Here is my mom holding him, too.

And here is Patsy's mom, who is holding Sonia's (my other best friend that took some pics for me) youngest, Christian (who looks just like his daddy!!)

Today was such a beautiful day. We had to take advantage and get outside some! We visited a local park and walked around the lake. We got to see geese, ducks, swans, a pelican, a bunch of turtles of all sizes, etc, etc. Really wish we had taken our camera! Afterwards, we were all ready to chill out for a while. Ryan ended up napping (something he doesn't get a chance to do often with our schedules!) and Camden opted to read a bit. (And obviously, I opted to hop on the computer!)

This is also the first time I have ever seen Ryan in jean shorts!! His mom bought him a pair, and we were both a bit surprised. Ryan has never owned a pair since I've known him, and he never was interested in getting them (usually just wears khaki cargos), but for some reason, he decided to go for it. ;)

Sleep!!!

Camden came to classes with me yesterday (no school for him). He's been to a number of my college and grad school classes and always does really well. Today - there was a little surprise... During my second class, he put his head on my lap and fell asleep! He slept for about an hour. He picked the perfect time, too, b/c I was leading a class discussion on a case for which I had to diagnose a child - and there were some sensitive topics to discuss (I had brought along his MP3 player so he wouldn't have heard anyway). He slept through it all, so good timing! But I was shocked b/c he never naps - esp like this! Now, I can't say I really minded (not only b/c of my presentation) b/c I loved having his head in my lap and being able to play with his hair and his face. There is just something about that - you moms (and dads, too, I'm sure) know what I mean!

So, on the way home we talked a little about sleep. He already knew he would be going to bed a little earlier this week, since he stays up really late when he visits his dad. (And when Camden stays up late, he does not tend to sleep in to make up for any of the lost sleep...) Camden did the math, comparing how many hours of sleep he got over spring break to how many he typically gets at home. At home, he goes to bed at 7:30 and gets up a little before 6. Yes, many of his friends go to sleep an hour or so later than he does... He's asked a few times when can he stay up later. My response - when you don't need this much sleep. The child goes right to sleep when he goes to bed - and stays asleep until it's time to get up. He's a great sleeper, and he obviously needs this much sleep (I do, too, I just don't get it...). So, once we talk about that, he drops it and understands that I'm not just being mean but he really does need that much.

Anyway, back to the main story... He compared the sleeping from spring break to what he gets at home, and he discovered that he missed between 32 and 40 hours of sleep over the 8 days he was away! I don't think he was expecting it to be that much! It really made a difference to come up with a total estimation. And when the child was in bed a little after 7pm, he didn't complain and went right to sleep. He needed it!

All Is As It Should Be

Life is back to normal now. My baby is back in our home. :)

We picked him up today at our meeting point - halfway in between (which is a total of at least 8 hours of driving). Nothing went wrong (on the way there last week, it took us an hour and a half to drive the last 5 miles due to "construction" that we never saw...), and everyone was actually a little early.

I rode with Camden in the back for the first half of the trip. He thought of this going - and we sat together some then, too. So, I joined again, and he seemed to really like it. We stopped twice later, and he asked me each time "Are you getting back here again?" even though I was already in the front. He talked a lot about what things he did, where he went, what he played, etc. Then he even took a nap on my shoulder for quite a while. My neck hurt a bit, his head was a little heavy on my shoulder, and he was quite hot and a bit sweaty, too, but I loved every second of it. I know he's almost 9, but he is still my baby!

And we certainly did stop by Steak & Shake for dinner. We were all pleased about that. ;) Well, until we discovered that ordering a healthier shake - the fruit & frozen yogurt shake that I got - is about half the size of the regular shakes and costs more... That's what you get for trying to make a healthier decision, huh? But it was yummy and actually just enough after that big meal! (Plus, I got hot fudge on it to balance out the health factor, so there you go...)

Daisy is...

• excited about getting the nursery furniture today! Yay!
• very thankful for friends that help out and offer to do things for you. Thank you guys so much!!!
• a little on edge and emotional today. It's very frustrating when someone else tries to use your child as a way to win over some ridiculous power struggle. Who are you really hurting here? Come on. (OK, so it does really hurt me, but it will hurt that kid, too, once he realizes what is really going on. And one day he will. I don't need to point it out. But you also don't need to mess with my kid.)
• ready for her baby Camden to come HOME tomorrow. Boy, I have missed that kid!
• thinking she might just not be ready to go off her anti-nausea meds...after some of the throwing up that has occurred since stopping the morning dose...maybe not quite yet? We'll try a couple more days and see.
• not much of an observer, even when she should be! Totally shouldn't have helped as much as I did with moving some of the furniture and ripping apart those boxes, but I have such a hard time standing back and watching instead of being a part of the action! I'm a doer, not an observer.
• thinking she really does need to see a chiropractor for this problem she's having with her lower back. Pretty much any kind of movement is rather painful - and I have a high tolerance for this kind of pain. I mean, this has been bothering me for a couple months now; it's just to the point where I can't ignore there is a real problem anymore - and where I can't move without hurting.
• not too impressed with the Heels so far tonight... they are not bringing their A-game.
• hoping they will bring it in the second half!
• really getting frustrated with blogger's issues with uploading pics lately! It's either the site or something wrong with the computer (though everything else works just fine...). Anyone else with this problem? Or with a solution?
• loving how much this little guy in her tummy is moving lately. I felt him at both sides of my belly the other morning - twice. Meaning, he kicked on one side, and I felt him kick there and hit on the other side, at the same time - he was really stretched out!
• ready for Camden to come home tomorrow!!! Did I already say that? ;)
• not getting enough school work done today. Life keeps getting in the way.
• realizing she needs to start focusing on these final papers that will be due in a couple weeks instead of worrying about the little quizzes that are this and next week. Priorities. Seriously. Which are worth more?? Yeah....
• totally in love with It's a Grind's steamed caramel apple cider. Oh Yum! It's even better than their coffee! (And that's saying something.) I cannot get enough!
• aware that we need all this rain but ready for a little sunshine. I'm ready for tank-top and flip-flop season already!
• hoping we stop by Steak & Shake on the way home tomorrow. There isn't one around here (which is fine b/c we don't need to go there often!), but I just love their burgers, fries, and shakes! Mmmmmm....
• once again - sooooooo ready for her baby to come home tomorrow!!!

Aiden's Furniture has ARRIVED!

We picked up Aiden's nursery furniture today - with the help of our good friend, Fredrik (and his little boy Gunnar)! Here are some pics from the day...

The furniture is in there! And on its way HOME! Yay!!!


Gunnar ready to help out! :)

He is just too adorable!!!


The guys hard at work! This was HEAVY stuff!


Everything is out of the boxes, except for the crib. The other pieces were already assembled, and there is absolutely no room for the crib just yet. Even the combo unit (chest of drawers/changing table) is stuck sitting in the living room for now...

The combo unit is MUCH bigger than it looks here! And the armoire is gorgeous! So glad we got the set we really wanted!

Yes, we already have some baby clothes (of various sizes) to put in the armoire! We just love Baby Gap clearance and the Carter's outlet in Morrisville (and its sales!).

Whew...what a day! We really appreciated Fredrik's help! (And the use of his trailer, too!!)

WOW - that's big!

OK, so I grew a lot with Camden - I mean, physically, when I was pregnant. (I grew in other ways, too, but that's not what this post is about.)

He was a BIG baby (11 lbs!), so it's not really a surprise. They say you get bigger (and have bigger babies - oh, no!), the second, third, etc. times around. I know that I am already much bigger with this baby than I was with Camden at the same point in the pregnancy.

Man, I am aware of how big I might just get...... If you don't know how big I got with Camden, here is a picture taken around the 8th month...

Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Trying to GO OFF MEDS!, and Where is the weight??

Last week we went in for another OB appt. Yes, Ryan goes to all of them. He is wonderful! (He missed one, but I was going b/c I was sick, and mom was in town and came along, so that doesn't really count.) He's been such an active part of this pregnancy and I know he's going to be an even better father for it. :) Have I mentioned how wonderful he is??

So, at this appt, the dr finally officially diagnosed me as having Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which (believe me!) is more than just morning sickness. They told us before that they usually wait until around week 20 before diagnosing. Well, here I was at week 20, ready for an answer. I'm relieved to finally be diagnosed. Why? Well, this way I can get the meds before it kicks in the next time I'm pregnant. That might help a bit. And it's also just validating. I knew all along this is what I had, and it's validating to have the dr agree.

On that note, we are hoping to decrease meds now. I had the nausea with my pregnancy with Camden until around the 20th week. I typically take a dose of Zofran (the highest dose I can take, too) twice a day and then a small dose of Phenergan before bed. So, I took out the second dose of Zofran about two weeks ago. I was able to manage, though I did feel like I was going to throw up immediately after eating dinner for at least a week. Not fun, but I was able to tolerate it. I have for two days now been able to go without the morning dose, as well. Of course, this morning I got sick - very much so. Luckily, it was before I had eaten. But - throwing up really is never fun, whether you have an empty stomach or a full one. But at least with an empty one, I'm not suddenly averse to a food that I just ate and threw up. (I try to see the bright side.) Please keep me in your prayers that I can be medicine free before long. I would love to stop taking medicine for this. I can't stand the thought of taking all these pills while pregnant. And some of them have some not so fun side effects.....

Something else we discovered at our visit... While I have grown a lot over the last month, I didn't gain one ounce! As a matter of fact, I weighed in at two ounces less than last month's visit. That's just crazy to me. Here are some pics to show how much I grew (without the weight - go figure!)...

These are taken at week 16 and then week 20.

Can you believe that???

Maybe I Just Ate Too Much...

I met with one of my clients today at my practicum - a little girl about 7 years old. The cutest little thing ever! As we were walking out of the room at the end of our session, she looked at my belly a couple times. She asked, "Did you eat too much?" Nope. I didn't. She thought for a moment. "Oh, are you pregnant?" Yep. I am. "Wow. Now you're going to have two!" (She knows I have another child.) It was just soooo stinking cute! Had to share.

And along with that, I wanted to share some new pics to show how big my belly really is these days....