Celebration!

So this was actually from this LAST Saturday... Like I said, I'm more in the "lazy" phase these days... I get things done, it might just take a while!

Last Saturday, Ryan took his final CPA exam, and we decided to celebrate (as if he had already passed b/c we just know he DID! - we won't find out until the end of June for sure). Some friends gave us our "champagne" (sparkling cider - since I can't have the real deal) for my graduation, so we used it to toast that and the CPA exam. Camden and I found a red velvet cake for Ryan b/c that's his very favorite. And we had all of this BEFORE dinner. :) That's the best time, right? Ryan was pleasantly surprised when he got home to find the set up (we got home JUST before he did - I mean seconds!)

Here are a few pics from our little celebration.

The glasses are the ones we got for our wedding toast.

Camden was very excited that he could have a drink, too! He said, this tastes like spicy apple juice!

Throw in some ice cream...what could be better??

Daisy & Ryan - DONE WITH STUDYING!!!

(And JUST in time!)

Nesting Instinct???

I told Ryan the other day that this is how I feel. Doesn't seem that the "nesting instinct" is kicking in with me! Most days (esp last week!), I just want to lay around all day and be lazy - and, yeah, eat cake and ice cream. (Why not??) Yes, I have a big to-do list that is *slowly* getting done. But I would rather just sleep in and do nothing...

Many people say the nesting instinct is this instinct to prepare for the baby - get things cleaned up, get the rooms ready, etc, etc. I think my body is instead telling me to prepare in another way - do the things now that I won't be able to do when baby comes, such as sleep and relax. ;) That's my justification, at least!

Now, I don't just sit around and do nothing, but I certainly am not feeling that "nesting" thing kicking in.

My Child and His Conscience

I've been reading this book The Sociopath Next Door. So I've been paying more attention to how people act since I've started reading it.

This weekend was Memorial Day weekend, and we decided to cook out on Sunday. I heard the boys outside - something was obviously going on. When I went to the porch, they were watching this tiny little snake that was a few feet away. Ryan, not knowing if it was poisonous or not, dropped this concrete stepping stone on it. I felt terrible! It was such a tiny little thing, and I know that wouldn't kill it - just hurt it. It was on some pine needles that had been put around the tree, so there was plenty of cushion to keep it from being squashed. So, I say something. Camden proceeded to jump on top of the stone, hoping that would solve the problem. I was actually pretty sad for the snake! It most likely is not poisonous, and it wasn't in our way. It was staying in the bushes, and it had actually been under some other stone that Camden moved (one I've told him not to move many times...). And if you're going to kill something you think might hurt you - do it quickly so you don't cause pain, you know. That's how I am.

Once Camden took a moment to think about all of this, he got really upset. He told me he felt really bad that he might have hurt or even killed the snake. He was actually upset about this for the rest of the day. After we removed the stone, the snake was still for quite a long time, but he did move later on when we weren't watching. I felt bad, too, but I tried to reassure Camden that the snake must be ok since it left. But he still felt bad even at bedtime. I felt even worse for him because I hate to see him hurting like that and not being able to take it away. There's nothing like seeing your child hurt like that, regretting something he can't take back (even if it is a snake). I told him that I was so happy he had such a big heart, though.

So what was the point about mentioning the book at the beginning of this post? Well, like I said, I've been paying attention to how others act. So, with all of this going on, I couldn't help but be happy because it was very obvious that my child has a conscience and is definitely not a sociopath (I already knew this, but it's nice to be reminded - haha!). He had seen the cover one day and asked what "conscience" meant, which I explained to him. I even told him during all of this, Camden, see you have a conscience because you show that you care about this snake and are concerned you might have hurt it. So while I felt bad for the snake and terrible for how Camden felt about his part in it, there was definitely a silver lining to see my son care so much about this little creature and how his actions can affect other things.

THAT time of the school year

It is near the end of school for Camden, which means...EOG Testing! (End-of-grade testing - for those of you without children in school) And with him being in third grade, this is a big year. Third grade is a benchmark grade - and the first time that testing actually counts for something.

Camden had a friend over this past weekend, and she asked him, "Are you afraid of the EOG's?" He looks at her like why would I be afraid? and replies, "No." Apparently she is, as I'm sure many are. They are taught this is the BIG TEST (well, testS). But Camden had no worries. They did pre-EOG sample tests so they would understand what to expect (at the beginning of the year to determine where the children were and just recently to prepare them for the actual EOG's), and he did just fine on those. OK, better than fine. He did great.

Day 1 of the EOG's was reading. Ummm...piece of cake for this kid. The only worries we had was he would rush through (which the teacher thought he did), so we remind him over and over to take his time, read everything carefully, go over all answers even if he's sure the first choice is correct - that sort of stuff. On the way home that day, I asked how it went. Oh so nonchalantly, Camden says, "It's just like any other test we take. Just a bit longer." So basically - no big deal. The next two days (today being the last day) covered math, and he thought the same way. He did go slower and take his time on these, but he still thought it was all really easy. (I reminded him that even if it is easy, he still needs to take it seriously, and I expect that he did.)

I'm actually looking forward to seeing his results! I get excited when it's time for his report card and testing results to come in. The only thing I ever worry about is his conduct...since he does seem to have a hard time being quiet at times. So yay for the first time taking the EOG's. I'm so grateful that this comes easily to him. He didn't get unnecessarily stressed out over anything but still tried his best.

Oh - and he thought he would get to go to bed a little later, too.... His teacher reminded them that they needed to go to bed earlier, such as by 8:30 (her example). Apparently I am in the minority of parents that put their children to bed earlier on a regular basis, as Camden's bedtime is between 7:30 and 7:45 (if he gets up well and is ready on time, it's the latter). I remind him that he will not be staying up LATE on a testing week and explain that some children do not get enough sleep and stay up later to begin with (or they might not need as much sleep as he does). And with that, he dropped it. He knows my reasoning - and knows I am right - and he doesn't bother to push it because of that. He wasn't arguing at all - just thought hey, the teacher says to go to bed at 8:30 this week... Ha. Ha.

Loving My Pregnant Belly!!!

Just for the record, in case you haven't noticed...I love having a preggo belly! Love it. :) Here's a recent pic of me and the belly (and Aiden!). I'm 27 weeks here.

Big Weekend! Daisy's MSW Hooding Ceremony & Mother's Day!

This weekend was a busy one with lots to celebrate! :) My mom and Gene came to visit from KY for my hooding ceremony. I am now officially a Master's of Social Work! It was great to spend time with them!!! Mom even brought stuff to make my favorite meal of all time (venison roast!). MMmmmm...it was worth it just for that! Haha! And then today was Mother's Day. They had to leave early this morning for the drive back home, but it was so nice to actually be able to see my mom on Mother's Day this year! Here are some pictures from the weekend...

I'm an MSW!!


Family pictures after the hooding


The pregnant graduate ;)

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!

Here are some more pictures.

To see them as an album, click on the slideshow,

and you will be taken to our online picasa website.

How About Some Positivity?

Ok, I thought I could get on here and complain about how things are not really better, but some places on my back are still getting worse...or I could let that go for a bit and talk about some things I am grateful for. I think I'll opt for the grateful stuff, huh? :)

I was thinking this morning... I woke up all throughout the night and tend to really have a hard time sleeping when it's raining (are you wondering about the grateful or does this sound like complaining? I'm getting there...). I'm not scared of storms at all, but it was raining quite a bit and a little after 5am, there was some really loud thunder. I do happen to know that this would scare Camden if it woke him up. So, I thought I would wait a bit to see if he was woken by it...and then he comes running into the bedroom. I immediately pulled back the blanket and said, hop in! I have always tried to prevent him from being scared of storms - he gets this from his dad. I remind him, it's just noise - nothing will hurt you. But I can't help but enjoy that he is lying there with me and we're cuddling. :) And it led me to think about some other things that I am so grateful for with him. And some things that I am surprised to be able to still be grateful for.

When Camden started Kindergarten, I knew he might suddenly stop wanting to kiss and hug me in public. That's when a lot of kids do that - when they start school and are around other kids and might get embarrassed. Never happened. I kept waiting and expecting it (I still do!), appreciating every goodbye kiss he gave me in front of the school bus. Still hasn't happened. He'll be in 4th grade in the fall, and he still hugs and kisses me in public, holds my hand when we walk sometimes, tells me he loves me. I love every single second of it. He's not shy about it at all; he never gets embarrassed. I never push it, but I don't have to, either. We're very cuddly. He won't hesitate to cuddle up with me on the couch under a blanket while we both read or chat. I've been walking him home from school the past week since I've been out of grad school, and from time to time, he'll grab my hand and hold it for a little bit. :) When he lets go, I let him. But I can't help but be overjoyed that he wanted to hold my hand for a bit (and we're walking along a very busy street!).

Camden has this little blankie that means the world to him. My stepdad's mother, Grandma Strode, made it for him when he was born, and he sleeps with it every night. There are little bits of yarn tied at each corner throughout the blanket, and he would always play with them as he fell asleep. This past summer, we realized the edges were getting worn and he might need to retire the blanket soon. That would not do. We turned to Mammaw Melly who can sew and fix anything. They went to the store to find some fabric to put around the edges, and she was so impressed that he just marched in there with his blanket in tow, not thinking twice about what anybody might think about an 8-year-old boy carrying a "blankie" in public. Didn't even cross his mind! And he won't hesitate to take it with him for sleepovers, as well as a little stuffed animal to sleep with. I am so thankful that he is that secure with himself and doesn't think about what others will say. (He also made sure that the new fabric covered the edges but showed some of the original edging - how cute is that?)

Camden is also quite sensitive. He will cry and get his feelings hurt easily. True, sometimes this is frustrating. It took me a long time to get the kid to take a joke, and it meant really working at it with him. And he still has a hard time sometimes. (I'm sensitive, too, so he probably gets this one from me - but I'm also not one to feel sorry for people easily, so I have to watch it!) But the positive spin - he thinks about others, too. I'll hear him sometimes when he's playing outside with some other kids. Someone will stumble but not actually get hurt, and Camden will still say "Are you ok?" and really care. When we remind him to think about someone else's feelings, he can do that easily and understands others' hurt. It really helps him to think about how he can affect them b/c he knows how things affect him.

And this morning was just one more reminder. I kept thinking how wonderful that he is almost 9 and feels so safe with us that he can admit he is scared and can run to us and know we'll keep him safe and won't brush him off as being silly. He can come to me and cry if he is sad or hurt and knows I won't push him away.

And this is what I am MOST grateful for... When I tell him I love him, he can say "I know." That means the world to me. I wonder how many kids don't really know they are loved, and he has always been able to say this and know it. I say it all the time, but they aren't just words. I back them up. When I'm strict, he knows why. I explain the reasons. When he is in trouble, he knows why. He knows that he doesn't have to say I love you back (though he always does!!) but that he can say "I know" and that makes mommy just as happy, if not more. I am so incredibly grateful for that!! Him being able to know that makes me feel successful as his mommy. :)

Why All The Back Pain - Now I Know!

I went for my first physical therapy appt today. Glad I'm going now that I know the problems (yes, problemSSSS), but it does (as I was warned) hurt more after the visit. Apparently my pelvic bones on the left side are out of whack. And on the right side, my ribs are kind of out of whack, causing my muscles to go into them a different way than on the left. Hence, all the back pain I have been experiencing. So, I have been sent home with one of those maternity belts to wear - it will help push my pelvic bones in together more (and is billed to insurance so we didn't have to pay for it, a nice bonus). I have a list of exercises to do to help my upper back pain and some other things. And I am to go back once a week for now (unless it gets worse and I need more, which hopefully will not happen!). This lady did all sorts of pushes and pulls on my legs and back. She seemed to really know what she was doing and always hit the right spot when she asked - does that feel any different? is that tender?

And now I know that I need to be icing the spots - not using heat. Whoops. I can never remember which to do when!

So here's to hoping the pain decreases over the next couple months with the help of PT instead of increasing as this baby grows - pushing more on my ribs and adding more pressure to my pelvic bones. Now I am going to go ice my back, since it already hurts from sitting here just to write all of this... :(

*A friend recently told me "pregnancy agrees with me" after seeing me the other day. She meant that I looked great for being pregnant - all belly, glowing, etc. (Not sure if I completely agree with all of that, but I'll take the compliments!) ;) Now, what I really think but don't say is - it's more that pregnancy appears to agree with me - at least on the outside. It seems to be terrible to the inside of my body, though! I have dealt with the hyperemesis gravidarum (and still am in the mornings, still taking the anti-nausea meds), concerns of placenta previa and being limited to what I can do physically because of that, and now these various back problems that are really, really painful (I don't complain much except on here and to my family - b/c what good does that do??). So, while I might look like pregnancy agrees with me, I tend to disagree. :( I keep thinking to myself - I love being pregnant, but pregnancy does not love me back... Not really fair. And the good news (ha!) - all of these tend to worsen with each pregnancy. Oh Yay.

Ok - to the ice now!

And the winner is.............

Surprise! It's "G" - None of the Above.

Hmmmmmm... Why? Well, the winner based on votes was Baby Boy Blue. And that was the one we WOULD HAVE gone with. The problem? Ok, so when I make decisions on things like this that we are going to purchase, things that need to be good quality to last and things we must like because they'll be around for a while, etc, etc - I do my research. Research on crib bedding, you ask? Yes, even that. I want to see what others have to say about it. It was hard to find reviews on this set b/c it's new at Babies R Us, but I did find some. Some were negative and exactly what we were worried about - poor quality. This set has the most items out of any of the rest and costs (by far) the least. So we were worried about quality from the beginning. The other set we liked (Spelling Bee) had no reviews anywhere. AND both sets are ONLY available online, so we can't see or touch them to know more for ourselves (before buying and paying for shipping...)

So, we found some accessories we liked with the Baby Boy Blue - if we got that. And we went to BRU to look at them. There we got to see THAT set. Not what I would pick from online maybe - but in person.... The biggest factor - I couldn't keep my hands off of it. The bumper, blanket, and some accessories are INCREDIBLY soft! And the blanket that comes with the set is one you'll actually USE - not one of those comforters that is really only good for hanging on the wall. Ryan liked the set. Camden liked it. It wasn't expensive, has great reviews, even the guy working recommended it (and there were many more pricey ones he could have tried to recommend but didn't). We went home planning on changing our theme to this one. Ryan was pretty happy as HIS goal was to go home with our minds made, and I suppose he got that. (And hopefully I can stick to this decision and simply not look at any others or start to second guess!!!)

Here it is... Pop Star
It's actually a little darker in person than this - a great light blue (one could even call it UNC blue...) and chocolate brown. And many other pieces from other sets will match wonderfully, too!

So - whaddya think? Now that you've voted for A,B,C,D,E, and F - and we chose G.... ;)

After realizing how soft this set was and how I just couldn't keep my hands off it, I joked to Ryan - I wonder which I'll touch more, the baby or the bedding??? Haha! (It really is that soft! But I'm sure the baby will get more attention.)

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???