4 Months Old!

Isaac was four months old on 10/12/12. He is getting so big, 16lbs 12 oz. and 26.5 inches long... tall boy.  Wearing mostly 9 month clothes, even some 12 months needed for his length. This age is so much fun. He is laughing, smiling LOTS, talking LOTS. He is rolling over both directions, though he rolls over more front to back. He recently moved into his crib from the bassinet. He did fine, me not so much... I missed having him in our room. Just last weekend he had his first bite of "real" food. I had made some avocado baby food for him and he loved it. :) He is such a sweet sweet baby, but he is growing up TOO TOO quickly!

Cloth Diapered Booty!

So, I love cloth diapering. I really do. And seriously there is nothing quite as cute as a cloth diapered baby booty... so fluffy. When I was pregnant with Luke the whole idea of putting a diaper on a baby totally freaked me out and I had no idea who to do it. I quickly learned. When I was pregnant with Emma, I thought briefly about cloth diapering, but after researching it, I quickly became overwhelmed. So many different options for diapering a booty. So I didn't do it. With Isaac, family and friends stocked us up with disposable diapers for the first 8 weeks of his life. As the stash of diapers we were given began to dwindle, I really started to research this whole cloth diaper concept. I am becoming a bit "crunchier" the older I get. Though I still don't consider myself  "crunchy," rather a "soggy granola." haha. So many reasons to cloth diaper... much more cost effective and better for baby's booty. A bonus is that I've heard cloth diapered babies' potty train more quickly. we'll see though... both Luke and Emma potty trained pretty quickly.

After researching this time, I began to get overwhelmed again. If you don't know the cloth diaper "lingo" it can be quite intimidating. So I decided to talk to my cousin Hillary who had cloth diapered her little girl. She was done cloth diapering and offer me her diapers!  She had prefolds and 2 covers. This was a great start for me. I practiced for about a week and loved it. So much less intimidating when you just do it instead of reading about it. :)

So at this point, I decided I needed some more diaper covers. It was so much fun to shop for them... so many cute colors and patterns to cover baby's booty. I bought 3 size 1 covers and 4 size 2 covers. This has been plenty so far. Hillary had LOTS of prefolds, so I haven't had to buy those yet. I also decided to use the BUMGENIUS 4.0 pocket diapers for nighttime diapering and "on the go" diapering and these are quicker and easier to change... much like a disposables. I bought six of them. So my overall expense thus far has been about $120, thanks to Hillary who supplied me with the prefolds. I am certain I've already made my money back at this point. As Isaac gets older I hope to buy some more BUMGENIUS as well. As I  know they will be easier to change as Isaac get squirmier.

As far as storing the diapers I am just using a wetbag for now... and I am not rinsing them. He is still exclusively breastfed, so the diapers aren't stinky yet. This will change soon though with the introduction of solids. I also have a couple small wetbags for our "on the go" cloth diapering.  I usually wash diaper every day or sometimes every other day.

During this process I have also decided to make my own homemade reusable wipes. I've seen several recipes on Pinerest as well as a friend posting one on her blog. Using those as guidelines I came up with my own concoction and it is working great! No chemicals on my Isaac's booty! :)  I cut up one oversized receiving blanket. (Ideally you want to sew along the edges, but I can't sew and don't own a sewing machine- guess that should be my next adventure!) Put those in a bowl. Then in a separate bowl add one cup water, some olive olive (maybe a tbsp), a few drops tea tea oil, then I add a few drops of melaleuca oil, and a few drops of melaleuca soap. Mix these ingredients and pour over blanket pieces. These wipes last about 1-2 weeks then I wash all of them using cloth diaper detergent and remake. It was worked wonderfully.

As far as diaper rash goes, there is A LOT less of it. He did break out once and I knew I couldn't do traditional diaper creams with cloth, so I asked my cloth diapering friends on FACEBOOK and found that coconut oil work for diaper rash. So I've used that as well as my Zija oil. 

I seriously love cloth diapering! We've had many successful trips out while cloth diapering, as well as a long weekend trip to St. Louis where we used cloth the whole time. Super cute diapers, no chemical filled diapers and wipes, less leaks, less diaper rash... so far so good.  My next project is homemade baby food... more on that later. :)

The week that was.

So last week wasn't a good one. We discovered a leak in the water line to our fridge and uncovered damage to our floor and some of our dry wall. We dealt with our insurance company which was surprisingly easy. Thank you, Kentucky Farm Bureau. And we've been dealing with very nice contractors as well. But, our kitchen is a disaster area. The entire kitchen floor, the laundry room floor, and the floor in the half bath have been ripped out. They also had to take some cabinets out and the dishwasher. Our kitchen table is in our living room. Everything in our kitchen cabinets in out in the garage. Our house is in a bit of a disarray. I listened to so much banging in this house this week that I think I hear it in my sleep. The insurance is going to cover the cost, but we have a $1000 deductible, so our October beach trip is canceled. sad.

Then, Thursday night at soccer practice, Luke turned his ankle for the second time in 5 months... he has his dad's ankles. He would not walk on it at all that night or the next day. So we ended up back at the doctor's office and x-rays again to find out it was just a sprain. But, the hairline fracture they thought they saw in the x-ray in the spring was no longer there, so that was good. Luke had to miss his soccer game on Saturday, he was so bummed and I was too. He has four soccer games this week, and I am afraid he will miss them all and the season just started. The dr. said if he could bear weight on his foot and not feel pain, that is when he can play again. I hope that is soon.

With the mess that is our house and poor Luke's ankle... I started to feel sad. Angry... why was all this happening? I know... totally selfish, right? I was feeling so much self-pity. I was so upset there would be no beach trip. I was so frustrated with my disaster of a house. I was upset Luke was going to have to miss soccer this season. just not feeling myself. at all.

Then I got a huge dose of perspective. I saw on facebook that a fellow Zija distributor, only a few years older than me, was just diagnosed with Stage 3 rectal cancer. Then my mom called and told me about a teacher a RDES whose 13 year old daughter was just diagnosed with bone cancer. I have a dear friend dealing with a very nasty divorce. Made me realize how selfish my "struggles" and my "bad week" was. I mean, so I don't get to go to the beach.. .big deal.. we can do later. And I get a new kitchen floor and I never liked the tile we had in the kitchen anyways. Luke's ankle will heal. He doesn't have bone cancer. Thankful for perspective this weekend. And praying for these dear friends going through these hard times.

I've been blessed with an amazing husband, three beautiful healthy children and a wonderful home that God gave us. For all this I am thankful. and I am thankful for perspective. Last week really wasn't bad after all.

Emma is a Preschooler!

 Emma started at Garden Gate Preschool this past Tuesday.  This is the same place Luke went to preschool and she absolutely loves it already! :)  She has already made a few new friends... that girl makes friends wherever she goes.  That makes me happy.

 The first day, the parents got to stay with the kiddos.  Emma decorated a seahorse using tissue paper and glue.  She had lots of fun with this, and then the seahorse got hung from the ceiling.  Then, one of her teacher's, Mrs. Perkins read us the story of the "Three Little Fishies and the Big Bad Shark." 

Emma loves school and wanted to stay longer the first day.  Today was her first day at school by herself.  She did fine and walked right in and never looked back.  I am thankful for this... she is quite independent already.  I only shed a small tear this time... it wasn't so bad.   She will go to preschool for two and half hours two days a week.  This will be great for her and give mommy and Isaac some good bonding time.  :) 

Funny story about today after school, I asked her what she did at school and she said to me, looking perplexed, "well, mom, we didn't get to change clothes today."  haha.  Before her first day, we had to pack a bag of clothes to keep at school "in case of accidents."  Well she had taken a lot of time and effort to decide what she was going to put in that bag.  haha.

I know she will have a wonderful year at Garden Gate, as long as she is okay without getting to change clothes at school! :)

Another summer gone.

Well another summer is almost over.  This is the unofficial last weekend of summer and the pool will close after Labor Day.  This usually makes me very sad, but we are already well into our back to school "routine."  But I am sad, that due to the rain left over from what was Hurricane Isaac, it looks like this WON'T be a good pool weekend.  sigh.

Luke started second grade on the 15th.  He has the same wonderful teacher and the same class of kids for second that he had for first.  I love this looping thing they do.  So, he eased right back into school like it was no big deal.  He just loves school and is doing so well.  Andy is also coaching Luke's soccer team again, so that is keeping us busy as well. They've been practicing for a few weeks and games start next weekend. I love watching Andy coach Luke's team... such great bonding time for them.  Again this year, Luke has asked he to come into school each day and pick him up instead of using the car line.  I am doing it again, because I know before too long it will no longer be "cool" to have mom come in and get him.  He even still lets me hold his hand in the parking lot.  Such a sweet sweet handsome boy.  love him.

Miss Emma will start preschool the day after Labor Day.  She will be going to Garden Gate where Luke went.  Luke loved it and I know Emma will as well.  Emma is becoming such a wonderful young lady.  She makes friends so easily.  She made so many new friends at the pool this summer.  I am so proud of her for that.  I have no doubt she will make many friends in preschool.  She also started back to dance class last week.  She is now the oldest in her class... and this year she really looks and acts the oldest as well.  She still loves dance class and has already made a few new friends in her new class, since many of her friends have moved up to the next class.

And my sweet Isaac just keeps growing and getting cuter and cuter.  At his two month check-up (two weeks ago) he was 14.1 lbs (85%) and 24.75 inches (99%).  So he is a big boy.   He is smiling and laughing and "talking" to us a lot.  He is sleeping through the night as well.  I love this age.  He is such a chill baby and for that I am thankful.

Well Andy survived another round of layoffs at Lexmark and for that we are ALL thankful.  He is staying super busy at work, being a soccer coach and still leading the DTS at church.  That man is a Saint.  love him.  I'm staying busy being mom.... nothing else I'd rather do.  We are blessed. so blessed.

Isaac's Birth Story

Time to get this one out there, before I forget.  :)  So my OB thinks I am one of those women who doesn't go into labor on her own.  Luke showed no signs of coming, neither did Emma, so I was induced with both of them.  Also,  my mom carried my sister 3 weeks over and me almost 4 weeks passed her due date.  So, due to the many complications that can occur if baby comes too far passed the due date, I was induced again.

At my 39 week appointment there were NO signs Isaac was ready to come.  No dilation, no thinning out... nothing.  This was a stubborn Johns' boy already.   So I was scheduled for an induction the following Tuesday morning, the day before my due date.  Dr. Steele said she would let me go up to a week passed my due date, but she felt like the baby was already a pretty good size and I was ready. 



That is a picture of me with the kiddos before we left for the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at around 12:15AM.  After checking in and the like... they tried some natural methods to get labor started, but that was not doing much.  Then I was given some prostogladins around 2AM.  I felt like this was really working and I was hoping I would NOT need pitocin this time.  When the nurse came and checked me around 6AM... I was just sure she was going to tell me I was at least 4-5cms.  I had been feeling some pretty good contractions... nothing terribly painful.  My body had done this before, so I was just sure this baby would come quickly.

The nurse told me I had thinned out and was at about a 1 or 2... and Dr. Steele would be here to check on me and then we would start the pitocin.  sigh.  really?!?!  At this moment I KNEW for sure this baby was a boy.

So we started the pitocin around 8AM.  Emma was born very quickly after the pitocin started, so figured we'd have a baby soon.  Dr. Steele came back and checked me again around 10AM... still just 2-3 cms.  So... she broke my water... so painful.  I had my water broken with the other two... but I also had the epidural with them.   She felt very confident this baby would be here fast now.  12 PM... 4-5 cms... still moving slowly.  DEFINITELY a BOY!  Somewhere about 3-4PM... I starting feeling LOTS of pressure like I needed to push... I told the nurse and she checked me and I was only at a 6.  She looked a bit concerned.  She told me to lay on my side. So I did.  She came back in and checked again.  still 6.  double sigh.  WHAT IS GOING ON?!?   I flipped to the other side.  checked again... still 6.  At this point she said the baby was trying to come, but was face up.   which makes it very hard for the mom.  The back of the head should come first, not the face. She suggested I get up on all fours and rock back and forth.  I did this for 30 minutes y'all.  30 minutes.  I remember rocking back and forth and praying... praying hard this baby would flip.

During my rocking back and forth on all fours,  there was a knock on the door, it was a high school friend who is a nurse and she was coming to check on me.  I'm in a hospital gown on all fours rocking back  and forth... kind of not my finest moment... but she was nice.

When the nurse came back and checked on me I could tell she was worried.  She told me that the baby had turned and I was 10cm.  She was going to call Dr. Steele. The rocking on all fours had done the trick.

At this point the pressure was SO intense.  I kept telling the nurse I was feeling LOTS of pressure.  I swear I think Isaac was about to fall out. 

It seemed like it took Dr. Steele an eternity to get there... though it probably was only about 20 minutes... I really have no idea how long it took.  She got everything ready and I started to push...

3 Pushes... the baby is here!!  "It's a BOY!"  Andy yelled.  :)   5:58 PM.  June 12th.  8 pounds 11 oz. 21 inches. Almost 18 hours after our arrival at the hospital.  He was absolutely perfect.

At SJE, they do what is called "kangaroo care" after the baby is first born.  The baby is put on the mother's chest for the first hour after birth.  That was an amazing hour of time with him.  He hardly even cried.  Such great bonding time.  While laying on my chest the nurses cleaned him up, then everyone left.  It was just me, Andy, and sweet Isaac.  He nursed just moments after he was born... like a little champ.


 Donna, my mom and the kids were out in the waiting room.  Andy went and told them, "It's a boy!"  He loved being able to say that to them. Then they all came back to see him.  The kids absolutely loved their little brother.   So many special moments I will never forget.

You really could not wipe the smiles off those little faces.  They loved their little brother.  Emma kept wanting to touch him and she showed him an outfit that she and Granny had picked out for him.  so many special memories. We are now a family of 5 and couldn't be more happy!

Isaac Michael.

I have totally neglected my blog... and my house it's a mess.  But I have been busy snuggling and loving on this sweet little boy.  :)  He's perfect.   We are blessed.  Isaac is sleeping through the night, starting to smile and coo.  We are still smitten. :)  Love love love this little guy and his big bro and big sis.  His dad isn't too bad either.  :)

Best Dollar I've ever spent.

It seems like lately several people have mentioned about what a strong marriage Andy and I have... so we are going to share our story.... all of it... the good, the bad and the ugly.  It's been on our hearts for some time to share our story, so we are doing it... holding each other accountable.  He is writing his part and I am writing mine.  Andy prefers to actually write his in a notebook... the old fashion way.   And I would rather type mine here.  We hope to put it all together and share it with our kids or whomever someday.

Junior Year- The Best Dollar I've Ever Spent

My seventeenth birthday.  One of those uneventful birthdays wedged between 16 and 18.  But my 17th was the start of something special.  I was walking down the steps between 1st and 2nd block when Andy smiled at me and said, "Happy Birthday!"  That small gesture meant the world to me.  Andy and I had passed in the same hallway during our Junior year of high school for two months and he always smiled or said hello, but for some reason that simple, "Happy Birthday!"  was special.  I wanted to know more about Andy.  I knew he played soccer. We'd had a few classes together, so I knew he was a smart guy.  His mom was a teacher. And he had those beautiful eyes (that ALL our children now have).  He wasn't the best dressed, but he was cute.  :)  At that moment I knew I wanted to know him better. 

About this same time, the Beta Club was having the annual "Beta Bachelor Bid-Off."  Since any Beta Club boy involved got extra "beta points," Andy volunteered to be a bachelor.  It was a silent auction that went on in the cafeteria during all three school lunches.  I think it lasted about a week, and by the last day Andy didn't have any bids... neither did many boys... except for a few of the "super popular" boys.  So I decided I would bid on him.  I won him. for a dollar.

A few days later I remember walking up to him after school and telling him I'd won him.  He replied, laughing, "I bet you had to pay a lot for me!"  He was dressed in his soccer shorts and headed to soccer practice.  I liked him even more at that moment.

Well  I paid my dollar, but I didn't take him out for a date immediately.  Maybe I am old fashioned, but I didn't want to ask him, so I made him ask me.

more on that next time...

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God's plan

I've had this blog on my heart for some 7-8 months.  I haven't had the time to actually sit down and write it.  It's about God's plan versus our plans.  Sometimes we like to plan our lives without considering what God has in store for us.  I've never really been a "planner."  I always been more of a whatever happens happens kind of person.   But about a year ago I began questioning why God wasn't going along with MY plan?  Why weren't things happened the way I wanted?  This wasn't like me at all.  I even began stressing out over things not going according to MY plan... which is not like me at all.  Then it seemed like I was being hit over and over with messages about God having plans for my life....

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Seemed like I was being hit over the head with this message... trust in God... he has plans for you.  I needed to stop stressing over things... start letting things happen according to God's plan... "Let Go and Let God."  right?  And I did and it felt so good.   

It wasn't long that His plan started to be revealed to my family.   And how much greater His plan is than my plan was.  It all makes sense now. Sometime I hope I can have the time to write all the details.


Sometimes it is best just to sit back and enjoy the plan God has in store for you, it is so much greater than anything you could ever plan for yourself. 

My girl is 4!

 It really is hard to believe my baby girl is 4!  Time truly flies by.  When I look back on the pictures from the day she was born it really feels like yesterday.   I couldn't be more proud of the sweet little girl she is becoming.  Saturday the 21st was her actual birthday and we had a Lalaloopsy circus party.  Her favorite Lalaloopsy is Peanut Big Top who is a circus performer, so it seemed fitting.  She had all her little friends there and we had a circus performed by all the kiddos, played a "Guess the animal" game, did the limbo, the hokie pokie and turned ourselves around, and did some dancing.  Of course, there was also cake and presents.  The highlight of the party had to be Aunt Audra and Uncle Matt's present.  They got her a new "big girl" bike.  She hopped right on the bike and rode around the gym for most of the party.  She loves that bike!  Thanks Matt and Audra!   It was a great time for my little 4 year old... still doesn't seem possible. 

 Luke taming Bruce the Lion

 Hula Girls!

 Tight rope walkers!

 Circus Performers!

 Love these two cuties!

 Cupcake time!

 Limbo!

What a great birthday!  :) 

33 Weeks

Not a whole lot new to post.  I had a doctor's appointment last week and I am still measuring about a week and a half ahead, which could mean absolutely nothing.  But, we are going to do another ultrasound next Tuesday to get an estimated size and weight of this baby.  I love that we get to have another ultrasound,  but I don't believe we will get a very accurate weight.  With Luke they thought he was going to be a little 6 lb baby, so I was surprised when he came out 8 and a half pounds.    Then with Emma we had an ultrasound about 3 weeks before she was due and they thought she was already about 7 lbs 6 oz and she was 7 lb 1 oz at birth.  So we will see what they say about this little one.  :)  I feel like this baby is already very long.  I think his feet are up in my ribs which would mean he/she is already head down, which would be great,  but we will see for sure in the ultrasound.  This baby is still very active and has been active at night.  I can't explain how much I love feeling this sweet baby move around, even if it disturbs my sleep.  So here we are in the home stretch... only 7 more weeks till this baby is due and I can't wait!  :) 

My sick little boy.

Sweet little Luke was such a trooper on the trip to St. Louis. He hardly complained at all even though he felt bad the whole time. Luke has RARELY been sick... we've been really fortunate with both kiddos.

In the car on the way home from St. Louis Luke seemed fine. When we stopped for Luke he even skipped into McDonald's and ate his whole lunch. I figured he was over this bug.

Then about the last hour of the drive he started to feel bad again. When we got home I took his temperature and it was 104. sigh. It is scary when your kiddos temperature gets that high. He was so lethargic too. I immediately gave him Motrin, but that only brought it down a little. He slept fine that night, though I was alternating Tylenol and Motrin all night to keep the fever down. When he woke up Wednesday morning he seemed fine again. By Wednesday afternoon his fever was spiking again and would not come down. I called his doctor and she could not get him in until tomorrow. ugh... though it was late in the afternoon when I called. The office he goes to has after hours care and you can walk-in, so I figured we would do that if he didn't start feeling better. Well the fever was not coming down... even with meds. So when Andy got home he ran him to the dr. His temp was 103.8 and he was shivering and his skin was a blueish/purple color. The dr. called it "molted" skin. It was by far the sickest Luke has EVER been. It was scary. The dr. tested for strep and the flu and it was neither... which has stressful. The dr. said he was probably dehydrated and needed to go to UK to get IV fluids. Well, Andy asked if we could just go to St. Joe Jessamine and she said that would be okay. So they headed there and I met them there. Love his little heart. He was such a trooper the whole time, but you could tell he was scared. They got the IV right in and then they tested him for everything under the sun. They even did abdominal and chest x-rays.

Luke was so good the whole time. The doctor and the nurses were bragging on him. He did get upset and almost cry during the IV. He hated the way it felt. love his heart. He is such a strong, sweet little boy. After 2-3 hours getting fluids and testing. Luke perked right up. They said all the tests came back negative and he could go home. They even gave him a popsicle. They said it was just a virus. The next day he still had a fever, but by Friday he was much better and Saturday he was back to himself.

It was a scary virus whatever it was, but my little boy is a trooper.

Meet me in St. Louis

For Spring Break Andy and I took the kids to St. Louis to meet my sister, Dave, Syd and Bruce. They will be moving there this summer. It is going to be so sad not having them around anymore. Last summer was so fun having Jen and the kids at the pool almost every day with us. But, Dave had a really great job opportunity in St. Louis and couldn't pass it up. So we now have a new city to visit frequently and I must say I really enjoyed St. Louis. I had been there several times as a teenager for swim meets, but this was the first time I got to enjoy this city with my family.

Dave is currently living in a Residence Inn, so we went there and watched the UK-UL National semi-final game. After the Cats big win the kiddos went outside and starting screaming, "What's your favorite color baby?"

"Blue and White!"

They are such little wildcat fans already! I love it.

The next day we went to the St. Louis Zoo. It is a really great zoo. Unfortunately, it was very crowded and hot (in the 90s) the day we chose to go. The zoo is huge and I am pretty sure we saw less than half of it. The kids really had a good time though. Luke loved the penguins and Emma liked the rhino and the hippo.

After the zoo, we came back to our hotel and the kids went swimming. I am convinced we could've ONLY gone swimming the entire vacation and they would've been fine with that. My kiddos are quite the little fishies. :) After swimming, Luke crawled in the bed and acted very tired. I thought it was just that... that he was tired. We ran out and got some dinner and he didn't want to go in and eat... that is so not like him. So, we ran through a drive through. When we got back to the hotel, I felt him and he was burning up! I ALWAYS pack Tylenol on vacations... not this time though... we were only going to be gone a few days... everyone was going to be fine.... sigh. So I sent Andy out to find a grocery store and get some Tylenol and Motrin. I got Luke in a bath and ready for bed, when Andy got back we gave him the Tylenol... his fever went down quickly... thanks goodness. Then in the middle of the night we threw up in the bed and on the floor of the hotel room... poor little guy. By the next morning he seemed fine again. We had plans to do the Arch and the City Museum this day, but instead he let Luke rest most of the morning. By afternoon we decided he was feeling better and we went down town St. Louis to the Gateway Arch and then to a late lunch.

We had a lot of fun at the Arch. The kids really enjoyed it. We didn't go up in it this time.... the line was really long and I wasn't sure about being pregnant and going up. There will be other trips to do this.

I could tell Luke was starting to feel bad again... so we headed back to our hotel and let him rest for the day. He seemed better again... so we met Jen, Dave and the kids for dinner. Then, Andy, Emma and I stayed up and watched the Cats win the National Championship! Go Big Blue.

The next day we headed to the Butterfly House. It was really great... over 6000 butterflies and 2000 were blue morpho butterflies... they were gorgeous. Poor Luke felt bad the whole time we were there. We met Jen and the kids at the playground beside the Butterfly House and told them goodbye and headed home. We had planned to stay a bit longer, but I felt like Luke needed to get on home and rest and get over whatever this bug was.

So, we had a really great time, even though Luke got sick. There will be many more trips to St. Louis and we can do all the things we didn't get to do this time.

28 weeks?

Today I had my 28 week check up and this is the first time she has actually measured my belly. According to my due date I should be about 28.5 weeks, but when she measured my stomach I measured at 31 weeks. Which is funny because some people still say I don't even look pregnant yet.... I of course feel huge! :) The doctor said this could just be because the baby has had a early growth spurt. She didn't seem too concerned, but she said it I was still measuring ahead at my next appt. we would have an ultrasound to measure the baby. All the measurements at my 24 wk. ultrasound were consistent with my due date... so we will see. I of course would not mind this baby coming early.... just get to see him or her sooner. :) I also had a my glucose test today and should have the results tomorrow. Hopefully that comes out okay.

I am nesting big time. We have gotten the room together. I got the vegetable stuff from Ikea... thanks to my sweet friend, Dawn. :) I just love it. We got a wicker dresser from Andy's parents' basement. We just need to spray paint it... still keeping it white... just sprucing it up a bit. We are also going to put new knobs on it. We also found in the basement Andy's Pa's old chair. We are going to have it recovered red and put it in the room. I just love it... it has such a vintage look and is very sentimental. I will post pics as soon as it is all done... which hopefully will be soon. :)

I am starting to go a bit crazy over not knowing boy or girl. I am wanting to get clothes out and get them washed and ready, but I can't. I am still leaning toward boy, but I am beginning to get more confused. This baby is moving more like Emma did... not as much and softer. Luke was kicking my constantly it seemed like. So I just don't know if I've got Claire or Isaac in there. :) But it won't be long now! :)

March Madness.

To say that the weather this March has been madness would be an understatement.

March really rolled in like a lion. March 2nd was such a strange day. For several days before this all the weather stations had been talking about Kentucky being the center of a severe weather outbreak. There was an eerie feeling that morning. Everyone on facebook was talking about it, the Weather Channel was talking about it, the local news was crazed over it. Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel was here as well as many other storm chasers from all over the place. The was all kinds of talk of "long-track tornadoes." Dr. Forbes gave the bluegrass a 9/10 on the TORCON rating... meaning we had about a 90% probability of a tornado. Scary. We don't live in Kansas.... right? Schools dimissed about 3 hrs early as the weather was supposed to to hit right around time school gets out. Then the mayor of Lexington encouraged all business owners to allow their employees to come home early. Even Lexmark shut down at 3. This was really odd. I was terrified all day. In order to lighten up the day a little, I had Luke and Emma gather supplies we would need if we needed to go to out "tornado shelter," which is our hall bathroom. I think they really enjoyed this part of the day. The got books, games, food, water, flash lights, blankets, pillows, and even an air hockey table. We were ready to spend days in there if need be. Luckily the tornado sirens only went off twice and nothing ever hit here. Cities too our east... such as West Liberty and Salyersville were hit with major EF3 tornadoes which devastated those small towns. We just had some rain and wind and ended up with a blown over garbage can, but it was trash day so not big deal there. We were very fortunate.


The following Sunday, March 4th brought snow showers overnight and we ended up with about 4-5 inches of snow... our biggest snowfall of the winter.

The kids and I (26 weeks pregnant at the time), got bundled up and went out to play in it. I figured this would probably be our last snowfall for the year. So we built a snowman, made snow angels and had a snowball fight. It was a good time.

The very next day we saw temperatures in the mid 60s again. You can see in the picture only on lump of our snowman was left. The kids had on flips flops and short sleeves again. Crazy.






Now, we are in the middle of a stretch of record breaking temperatures for three days in a row we've hit mid 80s... in March! I'm not complaining though... I love the heat! I actually even gotten some color. We've spent days playing the backyard and going to the park. It's been wonderful. The trees are all blooming and spring is here. Just can't help but wonder what else March has in store for us! :)

24 weeks.

So I am feeling pretty good these days. Some days I am full of energy and others not so much.... my poor husband. I feel exhausted about the time he gets home every night. I am so ready to have my energy back.

I had another ultrasound and dr. appt on Wednesday. They did a very thorough exam of the baby's heart. This is the first pregnancy they've done this, but my dr. is no longer with Lexington Clinic, so she does things differently I guess. The dr. called the baby's heart "gorgeous." and said everything seems to be working the way it is supposed to be. This was the main reason for the ultrasound, but we also got a good look at the baby's face. This baby loves to have his hands in his face. He was also sucking his thumb. We could actually see the thumb in the mouth and the jaw moving up and down... crazy. The baby weighed about 1 and a half pounds already... so right on track. And all the measurements were right where they should be so we are sticking to the June 13th due date.

At my appointment I had gained 4 lbs... so I have gained 8 total so far for this pregnancy... not bad... but somehow it feels like more than that. I am still mostly in regular clothes these days, but I did get out the maternity clothes and sort through them. The fashion from 2008 is not the fashion for now and I just feel so frumpy in maternity clothes. I want to buy all new stuff, but I know that it not necessary... maybe just a few fun pieces though.

This baby is moving a lot. I love it. The kids and Andy have both been able to feel the movements. He/she is really active in the evenings... after everything has calmed down.... I swear this kid is doing somersaults in there sometimes. I am still feeling like this is a boy... this pregnancy has mimicked my pregnancy with Luke so much. I am still craving meats, protein, Mexican food. I swear I could eat Fiesta Mexico EVERY day! My sweet tooth has returned a bit, though I still don't have much desire for chocolate... weird.

I am feeling the urge to get the nursery put together. We already have everything we need, but I feel like this kid needs some fresh bedding. I found some really cute gender neutral baby bedding from Ikea. Now I just have to convince Andy that we really need it. It has vegetables on it... so cute. The room is already painted yellow, so it would match great. Here it is.