What a Week...

Martin's been out of town for work this week and, let me just say that life in general and parenting specifically is more fun and much easier with my wonderful husband in town! Here were some highlights from the week:
-- Tuesday morning about 2 a.m. Sydney came crying into my room saying her tummy hurt. She was soon vomiting (thankfully, into the toilet!!), but then she was able to go back to sleep, while I was up for the night.
-- Tuesday night, Jake fell off his electric scooter and scraped his face up on the sidewalk. He has some pretty good battle scars, but thankfully no need for stitches. Sydney was very sweet and worried about her brother. His face was bleeding pretty badly when it happened and I think it scared them both.
-- Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at the bus for camp and then got an email on my phone on the way to my client in S. Austin from the camp director telling me that Jake isn't mature enough for the new camp (Camp on the Move) that they started this week. She basically made a snap judgement based on one incident on Tuesday when he couldn't find his shirt on the bus and got embarrassed. I had given her a heads up that Jake has ADHD and would benefit from a patient counselor and some help/reminders keeping up with his stuff. When I called her Wednesday morning after reading the email, she asked me if he is emotionally disturbed and suggested that since they have a ratio of 1 counselor for 5 kids and can't give him the one-on-one attention he would get in special education that a different setting would work better for him. I kept my cool, but told her I was meeting the bus to get my kids off, pulling them from the camp, and expecting a refund from them. She told me if I needed them to, they would take the kids this week. I told her if she didn't want my kid then I didn't want him there with her. So, I canceled on my big client for the 2nd time this week (Tuesday because of Syd throwing up and Wednesday because of Jake being kicked out of camp), and pulled the kids off of the bus.
-- Thankfully, the rest of Wednesday was pretty uneventful and the kids were actually nice to each other and got along, which makes such a difference in the day. The lack of sleep from Tuesday night caught up with me, and the kids let me nap while Syd napped with me and Jake had a water gun fight with the boys down the street. On Wednesday afternoon, I was also able to get them into Magic Camp - I had to pay for the whole week and it is in East Austin, which is a haul, but I am grateful to them for their willingness to take the kids and the fact that they make the kids feel really welcome and happy.
-- So Thursday, I was able to finally make it to my client and resolve a technical issue I had been struggling with all week, when I'd had time to work. When I picked up the kids, they were awful to each other - back into full fighting mode. I came very close to sending them to bed around 6 p.m., and they finally got the point and settled down. In the end, we had a fun night. We put on the Camp Rock cd, turned out the lights and danced with glow sticks for awhile before bed.
-- When they went to bed on Thursday, Jake shut my door (I let them sleep downstairs this week on the couches in the living room) and two of the dogs were in the room with me. I guess one of them had an upset stomach, so I woke up at 4 a.m. to the overwhelming stench of poop and had to clean out my closet. Again, I was up for the night.
All in all, I have (mostly) kept my sense of humor, but I was thinking this morning that I wouldn't mind a do-over on this week :). I'm definitely ready to start a new week - hopefully one with MUCH fewer bodily functions and fluids, and with my husband home with me!

Quick Update

All was well at my Dr.'s appointment this week. My blood sugar was well within the range it needed to be in, as was my iron. The baby is so extremely active and the Dr. told me again that is a good sign. He said active babies are usually very healthy. He said it might be difficult to monitor the contractions I am having because there have been a number of days already where they have been frequent enough that he would typically send me to the hospital for monitoring. But, some women just have them more than others and so he said to consider what I've had to be the norm for me and to raise a flag if they increase or I have any other symptoms. He will check my cervix at our regular appointments ongoing just to make sure it stays closed until baby Kiley is ready to join us!
We have a bunch of photos on the camera that have been there for the past couple of months, but will get them off soon. I found this self-portrait (those are always great, right? :) from around Mother's Day, and will post more pics soon.

Baby News

We just got back from the hospital for our 2nd visit to the labor & delivery unit in just over a week - and let me start by saying that everything is perfectly fine with the baby (we're naming her Kiley - not sure of the spelling) and with me. I started having repetitive cramping last Wednesday and called the doctor to be told to go to the hospital for monitoring. They didn't track any contractions on the monitor, my cervix was closed, and they said I was slightly dehydrated, which can cause contractions. They sent me home pretty quickly. The cramping continued a little bit that night and then the next day, but stopped after that.
A couple of days ago, it started again, but this time were the contractions I remembered from my pregnancy with Jake and not just a cramping feeling. They have continued for a couple of days and so today I called the doctor and he sent me to the hospital again. They did register the contractions on the monitor, but they were not severe and not regular in their timing. They ran a few tests that all came back with 'perfect' results according to the nurse, and she gave us a 0% chance of going into labor in the next two weeks. So, we went home with a clean bill of health and no restrictions. That is a HUGE relief, as I was very anxious at the prospect of 10 weeks of bedrest, and then scared for the baby when they told us they were running a test to check the odds of going into labor in the next two weeks.
The history is that, with Jake, I started having the Braxton-Hicks (also called 'practice') contractions but they got more intense and regular, and at 34 weeks I went to the hospital for this same monitoring and was determined to be in pre-term labor. They put me on medicine to stop the contractions and on bedrest for two weeks. Once I got off of bedrest, I carried Jake for another 5 weeks to just past 41 weeks of pregnancy. I think the doctor thought that after he let me off of bedrest with Jake that I would go into labor soon but I carried my babies high and, since they never really dropped, I never dilated or showed any other signs of being ready for labor. I had both of them 8 days after my due date with the help of being induced. For that reason, I wasn't really worried about having the baby early, but more about the prospect of bedrest and what that would mean for our family. Anyway, it's a good night tonight and we are very relieved.
We see the Dr. tomorrow for a regular visit, the diabetes test, and a Rhogam shot since I am Rh-. It should be pretty uneventful. I promise to soon write a light-hearted blog entry - as we are having a fun summer!!

Crazy Pregnancy Happenings

This is going to make me sound a little crazy or careless at best but is interesting if a little scary... I have fallen twice in the past week and a half. Not little 'stumble and catch myself' kind of falls but huge, total 'wipe-out flat on the ground' kind of falls. The first time was at family reunion on the 28th. We go to Blanco, TX the last weekend of June every year to get together with family from all over. The boys camped out at the state park and Sydney and I shared a room with my Mom. Saturday morning, she and I jumped in the shower. She was standing behind me in the water and she slipped. She grabbed onto me and I lost my balance. I had my eyes closed but started falling forward, fell out of the tub, pushed off the wall on the way down and flipped myself onto my back so that I basically fell against the toilet and slid down it with my back and landed on the floor outside the tub. I was so surprised to find myself suddenly on the floor of a motel bathroom that I started laughing HARD. My back hurt a little, but I had protected the baby. Sydney had fallen in the tub but she was ok. I told the kids my balance is a little off and I can't support them right now - especially when it's not expected.

Tonight we went to a backyard Bible club for the kids at a friend's house. When we got there, Jake got self-conscious about wearing his swimsuit. He hadn't changed from camp and I had told him he could wear it - it was raining outside anyway and I thought it was no big deal. But, when he got there and saw how many kids from school were there he wanted to go home and change. Sometimes when he feels really urgent about going somewhere, he'll grab my arm and pull me and he started to do that. So he's in front of me pulling me out the door with my arm over his shoulder and both his hands on my arm pulling. The problem came when we ran into something of a traffic jam with people coming in the door. He stopped short on the porch, but kept pulling on my arm - hard. It had been raining and the porch was wet. I was losing my balance and the last thing I am really sure of is me saying 'Jake stop pulling on me' and I was trying not to fall forward onto him and then honestly the next thing I knew I was flat on my back on the sidewalk. There were about five moms around me and they were all freaking out - some knew me pretty well - some didn't. But here is a very pregnant woman who has just, for all intents and purposes, been flipped kung fu style over her son's head. I think I initially was still fussing at Jake a little but then I looked at him and he looked dazed and a little hurt and was starting to cry and look really embarrassed or ashamed and I quickly shut up. I also had the moms descending on me with great concern asking if I was ok. I was actually pretty shaken up once we got in the car. I started crying a little bit from minor scrapes but mostly I think just from being disoriented and scared. Jake felt awful - he said multiple times that he didn't mean to hurt me, he wished I'd just fallen on him; mostly he wanted to make sure I was ok, but he had fallen also and hit his head hard on the concrete. Later, he told me he made a fool of himself and didn't want to go back. We skipped tonight (left Sydney there and she had fun with her friends), but I'm hoping he'll go back at least one night this week. He's worried that his friends will make fun of him. I told him it was an accident, that we all have them and yes, sometimes we come out looking a little foolish, but that accidents happen to everyone. He's had a couple of things lately where he's been pretty hard on himself and it bothers me. Last week, he walked out without his lunch for camp one day and I realized it before we were too far down the road, but he said on the way back home to get it, 'I'm so dumb...' I don't want him to have those voices in his head telling him anything remotely like that. It's a fine balance with kids (or at least it is with ours) - teaching them responsibility and accountability - without them beating up on themselves.

Anyway, I am amazingly fine - AGAIN. I can't believe I landed flat on my back on a concrete sidewalk without hitting my head or getting hurt really at all. The baby is moving just as much as ever, and the internet research I did on falls during pregnancy was reassuring. I'm so glad I didn't take out anyone's kid but mine - and he's just fine except for a little lump on his thankfully extremely hard head. I am truly amazed at the extent of the instinct to protect the baby. I did not have any time at all to think either time but managed to flip my entire, rather large body both times so that I landed on my back. I gently reminded the kids again that my center of gravity is off right now so my balance is not what it would be normally. I am hoping that we'll have no more of that kind of excitement - surely I must be pushing my luck at this point :) And, I've missed two really good opportunities to make easy money on America's Funniest Videos!!

We're way behind in posting pictures - it's been a busy summer... Here are a couple from Mother's Day. After church, we met at Pappadeaux's (our Mother's and Father's Day tradition since before my Dad died) for lunch. Then, we went to my Mom's house and had dessert and gifts and goofed in the yard. My Mom got out and played modified soccer (by Sydney's ever-changing rules :) - she'll be 78 this year and she's amazing!

Back to Reality :)

We had a great weekend last weekend... On Friday, Martin took off of work and we went to Jim's for breakfast (awesome pancake & breakfast taco!). Then, we went to Babies R Us and registered for stuff for our little girl. The rest of the day we just took it easy. On Saturday, we got up and went with a group from church to Krause Springs, a natural spring outside of Austin, where we ate a picnic lunch, lounged in the water, hung out, and watched people do tricks on the rope swing. Saturday night, we went and saw The Hulk - and I actually enjoyed it. Sunday morning we got up and went to San Antonio to visit with Martin's family. His sister, brother-in-law and their two kids were at his parents house, so it was a really nice chance to visit with them. We came back to Austin and went straight to get the kids.

They had a blast in Turks and Caicos. They came back very sunburned and peeling, so that night when I was putting lotion on Jake's face, I barely brushed his ear and he yelped! Both kids had swimmer's ear infections and couldn't go to camp on Monday because 1) they couldn't swim and it was a swim day and 2) they needed to go to the Dr. to get the antibiotic ear drops. I was pretty frustrated at losing a day of work, but we hung out and had a good time. I was asleep before 9, which has pretty much held true most of the week. It got me thinking...

What a difference a week makes. This will be an unintentional birth control argument for some, but last week when they were gone, I worked about 10 hours a day, took roughly 3-4 hours/day for a date night or girls night out, and slept about 8 hours a day. I didn't cook, didn't really clean or do much else. This week, I am taking about 3 hours a day - not for a relaxing night out but to run errands, go to the grocery store, pick up kids from camp, etc. I spend another 2 1/2 hours a day on my feet getting the kids ready and out the door, making dinner, doing dishes and laundry and cleaning/picking up. A couple of hours go to hanging out with the kids - getting them ready for bed, reading, playing ball, riding scooters, playing games, etc. I sleep about 1 1/2 hours more/night because of the extra physical and emotional energy I'm spending, which leaves me about 7 hours/day to work - on a good day... HA! I love my life but I absolutely need to limit my work time to 5-6 hours/day. Unfortunately right now, I need to work 40 hours/week for the next six weeks in order to finish this project I've been working on by our deadline of August 1st. Oh well, I've faced crunch times before and I have no one to blame but myself. If I'd worked a few more hours each week up to this point (I've been working on this project for almost six months), I wouldn't be in this boat.

Even with my time issues, I like summer fun with the kids and am not going to give that up. Tonight, Sydney has a sleepover with her friend Bria, and Spencer is staying over at our house. Tomorrow night, Sydney goes to a Camp Rock Premier party - Disney's new movie that comes out on t.v. - at a friend's house, and we're going to have a house full of 8-year-old boys here to play, make pizzas, and watch the movie. Fun!

Our Last Kid-Free Week...

We're nearing the end of our last kid-free week at home for who knows how many years :). We'll have others, but they will be much harder to plan and we surely won't go to the trouble unless we're going on a special vacation with just the two of us. Unfortunately we didn't have the option of taking a vacation since we had the time off for the wedding and the wonderful honeymoon. Can't complain about that... We are both taking tomorrow to play (not sure of our plans), but we've made the most of our week.
Last weekend, Martin arranged for a massage for me at a swanky salon downtown - it was VERY nice. Then, we ate dinner at Castle Hill (one of our favorite Austin restaurants). Finally, we went to see Sex in the City, which we both really enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it. This week, we went to Bellagio for dinner on Monday. On Tuesday, Martin did all kinds of honey-do's while I went to dinner and a movie with girlfriends - he mowed the lawn, edged, changed light bulbs, etc. - what a man!! On Wednesday, we headed downtown and ate at Austin Java. Then, we walked over to Zilker to check out Blues on the Green. It wasn't our kind of music and none of the friends we invited last minute could come, so we didn't hang out long, but it was a nice walk and good people watching - hee hee. Tonight, we're off to a neighborhood Mexican restaurant and then we'll see what the rest of the weekend holds. On Sunday we're going to San Antonio for lunch and a quick father's day celebration with Martin's parents and then back to get the kiddos.

It's a Girl!

We had our ultrasound yesterday and saw a perfect little baby girl! The kids are excited - Sydney maybe slightly more than Jake at the thought of having a baby sister :). My Mom was thrilled to be there with us again.

We saw amazing detail of the inside of the brain and the heart. In the heart we could see the four chambers and the two valves letting blood through with each beat. We saw two little hands and two little feet, a well-formed upper lip (no cleft pallet), the stomach, kidneys, spinal cord, etc. Everything looks great and, based on this ultrasound, the Dr. reduced our odds of a Downs baby from 1 in 260 to 1 in 390. We weren't really worried about that, but it was nice to hear.

The due date based on my last period they report as October 20th, and the due date based on the measurements they took yesterday was October 23rd - so they said the due date will remain the 20th. The good thing about that is it means the baby is actually three days smaller than the norm - so maybe I won't have another 9+ pound baby!!! That will be nice, I think, although there was some comfort in handling a newborn who came out the size of many 3-month-olds! Jake was 9 lbs., 5 ounces and Sydney was 9 lbs., 4 ounces. I still think I'll play it safe an skip buying the newborn sizes in clothes, but we'll see if that turns out to be wise.

A couple of the sonogram pictures are below. I left one out with a front view of the skull where you see the eye and nose sockets and it looks like an alien, and Martin veto'ed posting the one with the private parts :). He's already looking out for his little girl!!

a cute little baby foot

and a profile shot

We are pretty much finished with any kind of tests or checks, except for regular check-ups with our ob-gyn that I described in a previous post - weight, blood pressure & urine checks plus listening to the heartbeat and checking on the size of the baby by measuring my tummy. We go monthly for another couple of months, I believe, then every couple of weeks until the last month when we go weekly. In the next couple of months I will complete a routine glucose screening for gestational diabetes and get a shot of rhogam since I am Rh-. Hopefully that will be the extent of our excitement in this pregnancy! We'll keep you posted...