Friday, December 26, 2008

2 weeks old

Jackson had his 2 week checkup this morning. This is mainly just a weight check visit because they want to make sure babies are back up to their birth weight once they are 2 weeks old. Jackson more than exceeded those expectations weighing in at 8 pounds 14 ounces today. He was 8 pounds 8 ounces when he was born, so he's eating more than enough. We have our Christmas celebration at my mom's today, and I still have a couple of presents to wrap. I will post pics later.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas 2008

I cannot believe Christmas is tomorrow. The last 2 weeks I've been so consumed with new baby stuff and a sick family that it really snuck up on me. In fact, this year has gone by so fast it is frightening. As I get older and we add more kids to the mix, time seems to move faster and faster. There are days I still feel like I just got out of high school, but then I have to remind myself that was over 7 years ago!
It makes me sad that I'm getting old without really knowing it, but all these years have brought such amazing things. A friend told me the other day she felt unaccomplished because she's my age and I'm married with 4 kids now, and she's not even married yet. I told her that's all I've done, while she's gone to college and has an amazing career, so I'm the unaccomplished one. I guess it's all relative to your position in life which is the "better" place to be, and I use the term better quite loosely. I don't really think either one of us is worse off for the decisions we've made in life. We're just in completely different places right now.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Christmas tomorrow, and Santa brings lots of great presents. I know I already have the best presents I'm ever going to receive; a fabulous husband and 4 amazing children, and the best family and friends I could ask for. I know that's really sappy, but it is true.
Merry Christmas!

PS. I finally got my Christmas cards today and I will mail them on the 26th. Yes, I'm a big slacker this year, but I have a really adorable excuse.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

first bath

By the time we decided to give Jackson his first bath he has already lost his umbilical cord thing, so we just gave him a shower instead. He seemed to like it and only cried when Sean was getting him dressed. You'd think by the 4th kid Sean would move fast enough that Jackson wouldn't have time to get cold, but he's not that good yet.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

other updates

~Nathan was sick the whole time we were in the hopsital, then Emma got sick the day we came home, and then Sean felt crappy Wednesday, but I think everyone is finally recovering. My mom stayed with us until Tuesday afternoon, and then came back over last night to feed the kids dinner, put them to bed and clean. She is amazing and I don't know what I'd do without her. I need some good ideas for a way to say thank you to her
~Sean had a meeting on Monday about his job, and we were completely prepared for unemployment. He actually got the meeting notice while I was in labor on Friday, which was really depressing. He arrived at work early on Mondy and packed up all his stuff and went to the meeting. He was shocked to find people from his old group there and was told he did have a job. He is getting demoted in a way, but we are unsure of what that means salary-wise so far. We are just thrilled he's still employed. That is such a weight lifted off us.
~Because of all the sickness in the house I've been quarantined in my room with Jackson pretty much until today. It was so depressing not being able to spend time with any of my family, and especially Sean. The baby blues definitely hit me hard because of all the stress, so I'm super concerned about ppd now. I think as long as things continue getting back to normal I'll be ok, but things were pretty rough for me the last 4 days.
~Even with all the craziness I'm a little sad this is the last time (probably) that we'll have a new baby. I don't love pregnancy or labor, but actually having the baby and the first couple weeks are such amazing experiences and I love every minute of it. However, I know we can't just keep having babies, so I'm trying to enjoy my time with Jackson right now.
Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and support. We've definitely needed everyones support and all the help we can get recently.

Jackson's birth

As I said before, the labor and delivery definitely did not go how I had hoped, but we ended up with a beautiful, healthy boy and mommy, so I really can't complain since that is what matters.
Sean and I decided it would be the best decision to have me induced on Friday December 12th, especially after talking with my doctor about induciton options. My mom came over Thursday night since we had to leave so early Friday morning. Then at 2am Nathan woke up vomiting. My mom offered to get up and take care of him so we could sleep, but I really didn't get much. I was worried about Nathan and wondering if we should go through with the induction with him being so sick. But as my mom pointed out, she can handle a sick kid, and it would be awful for me to wait and catch the stomach virus and then go into labor while I'm sick.
So we arrived at the hospital at a little after 7 going on about 45 minutes of sleep. My doctor showed up and I told him about the nights events and that I may get an epidural anyway, but he said we would stick with the original plan. He broke my water and started the pitocin at 2 and said the highest we would go is 6. My contractions started regulating pretty quickly, but were just uncomfortable, not really painful. They continued to get closer together and stronger, but I was tolerating them well. Then about 11 I felt like I hit a wall and everything hurt a lot. I was having back labor again and even between the contractions my back wasn't relaxing. So I caved and asked for an epidural. It took about an hour to actually get my epidural because they had to run in enough saline. The anesthiologist was awesome and got it on the first try and I started feeling better within 10 minutes.
I got some rest for the nest couple of hours, and then the nurse came to check on my about 2:30. She asked if I was feeling a lot of pressure yet and I said not a lot so far. Over the next 10 minutes with each contraction the pressure got stronger and stronger and I finally told Sean I think the nurse need to come back and check me. She came in and checked me and was shocked that not only was I at 10 but she could see the baby's head. They called my dr. and prepped the room and told me not to push at all. My dr. finally arrived and got ready. I only pushed through 3 contractions and Jackson arrived. Sean got to announce if it was a boy or a girl. He was so excited it was a boy. I was happy I didn't tear or need an episiotomy, which meant no stitches.
I'm recovering really well, and Jackson is a champion nurser. We had a checkup for him already and in 2 days he gained 3 ounces. I am still really tired and sleeping as much as possible. I forgot how exhausting breastfeeding is at the beginning

Saturday, December 13, 2008

It's a ...

BOY!!!!!!! Jackson Alexander arrived on December 12 at 3:27pm. He weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces, and is 21 inches long. He and I are both doing great, but very sleepy. It was a long day after being up most of the night before with Nathan who came down sick. Thank goodness my mom is around to help us with the kids right now. I will make a more detailed post later about how everything went.
Jackson is such a sweet baby and loves to be snuggled. We are so excited about the early Christmas present we've received. Anyway, here are a few pictures.
Click on the picture to view it full size in a new window!
Photobucket
Photobucket

Thursday, December 11, 2008

here's the plan

After a lot of discussion, and I mean a ridiculous amount, Sean and I decided that an induction now would be the best plan. I did talk to my doctor prior to making this decision to see what my options really are. At first he made it sound like the only thing he could do to get labor going was to give me pitocin. I told him I didn't like that plan since I would love to go without an epidural this time, and I know pitocin makes contractions stronger and labor go much faster. Then he asked how far I was dilated at my last appointment. When I said 4, he said he can break my water and give me a small dose of pitocin to get things going. Once my contractions get regular he will turn off the pitocin and see if my body will continue to labor on it's own. He said of course there is no guarantee that my body wil cooperate and I may end up needing pitocin constantly to progress well, but most women will continue to labor on their own once things get going.
I am happy with this plan as I think it gives me the best chance of achieving the labor and delivery I am hoping for. I'm not so naive or unrealistic to believe that everything will go perfect though. I am already caving on the induction because I don't think that I will actually go into labor on my own, which is something I really wanted. I hate that this is how things are going to go, but I still feel I made the best decision given all the circumstances. I would appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers everyone can spare.
I will try to update this blog as soon as possible with all the good news about the baby and of course with pictures!

substitution!

Uh oh! So we scheduled the induction for tomorrow. This was a very hard decision for me, but I'm happy with the plan in place. The only thing I forgot about is that Emma's school Christmas party is tomorrow afternoon. She is really bummed neither Sean or I will be able to be there. I feel bad, but there isn't much I can do at this point. Anyone want to volunteer to be Emma's parent for the day tomorrow?

I will update with the induction plans later.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

or not

so I'm still here, and still pregnant. BLAH! I have to admit I am starting to seriously contemplate my induction options. Not only am I uncomfortable, but I have a pregnancy rash that is getting worse every day, or so it seems. Plus, I don't have a good track record of having a baby on my own. I've been induced in some form with all 3 kiddos, and I'm not holding onto much hope that this time around will be different. So I figure if I'm going to need to be induced anyway, I may as well do it sooner rather than later. The only thing that concerns me is that pitocin generally makes labor much more painful, which won't make it easy to go drug free. I'm unsure of what to do. I am looking into alternative ways to be induced and plan to talk to my dr. tomorrow about it.
I hate the idea of being induced when there isn't a medical reason at this point, but like I said before, I have a gut feeling I'll end up needing to be induced anyway. Anyone have any thoughts? I'm so torn!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

tonights the night

I decided that I'm having this baby tonight or early tomorrow. We are due to get some snow tonight, and both girls were born during snow storms. Plus, Sean's dad stopped by tonight on his way back to work tomorrow and I would love it if he could be here when this baby arrives. There is something to be said for positive thinking, right?

Monday, December 8, 2008

39 weeks.

39 week update: "I can't believe you're still pregnant!" That's what my doctor had to say. I told him I completely agree. I am dilated to 4cm now, and he said he's surprised that at 4cm I'm not in labor, and my water hasn't broken yet. I reminded him I was 4cm at my last appointment before my water broke with Megan, and he said not to be surprised if that happened again, or if labor started soon. He offered to induce me when I'm ready, but I said for now we'd wait. He said he's not in any hurry and he's not trying to push me into a decision, and I believe him. He's just not the kind of doctor that would push me into induction unless it was medically neccessary. I told him my only time concern is that I want to have had the baby and be home by Christmas Eve. He said he doesn't like to let patients go more than 1 week past their due date, so we should definitely make that goal. He also said if I change my mind and want to be induced I just need to call him. Since the hospital we are delivering at is small it will be easy for me to go in at pretty much anytime to be induced.
I also lost another pound and my blood pressure was slightly higher than normal. It was only 122/72, but that is high for me since my non-pregnant norm is much lower. My doctor didn't seem concerned about it since everything else was still completely normal. When I was leaving and making my appointment for next week I told the receptionist I hoped I wouldn't see her. She and the nurse agreed they didn't want to see me either unti my 4 weeks check-up. Hopefully we'll all get our wish!

trip to the hospital

I wish this post was me telling you I had to go to the hospital because we thought I was in labor, but it's not. Last night Sean had to take Megan to the ER because she couldn't breathe. Emma had croup almost 2 weeks ago, and yesterday Megan came down with it. She was hoarse, but didn't really seem too bad, so I thought I'd wait it out until this morning and call the dr. to get a prescription for Megan since I knew she had what Emma had. But, once we went to bed she seemed to be fighting for air. We got her out of bed and tried to keep her upright, but she just wanted to lay down and sleep. So then we tried the steam in the bathroom trick, but that didn't work either. Finally at 2am we decided enough was enough and it would be best to take her to the ER. Sean decided he'd take her since I'm 9 months pregnant and miserable. Thank goodness because they didn't get home until just before 8am today. The ER wasn't too busy, but they gave Megan a breathing treatment and wanted her to stay for a while so they could monitor her. The doctor made it sound like we made the right decision to bring her to the hospital because her oxygen levels were dropping when she first arrived. I'm not glad she was that sick, but I am glad we were not the overreacting parents and we made the right call. Sean and Megan have spent the day in bed trying to cath up on sleep. Hopefully Megan will feel better soon.
I go to the doctor tonight, so check back later or tomorrow for an update on me and the baby.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

tooth fairy

What does the tooth fairy look like to you? I really hadn't thought much about it since I've known the truth for a while now, but it's amazing how kids can make you see things through their eyes sometimes.
Emma lost her other very loose tooth at school yesterday. I guess the peer pressure of leaving it for the tooth fairy was too much, and she finally decided she wanted to leave her tooth out so she could get money for it. Emma's teacher gave her a cute little tooth shaped box on a necklace to kep her tooth in until she got home. Emma decided to leave the tooth in there and put it on her nightstand so the tooth fairy could come and get it. She was worried though, because she was convinced the tooth fairy would not be able to open this box and the tooth fairy would have to just take the whole thing. I asked Emma why she though the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to get it open, and Emma said because the tooth fairy isn't big enough. When asked how big she thought the tooth fairy was, Emma held up her fingers just a couple inches apart and said, "This big, like Tinkerbell." In all my years of believing in the tooth fairy I never made the connection between the tooth fairy being a fairy and tinkerbell being a fairy, and therefore they must be the same size. I love seeing the world the way kids do. It's amazing how their brains work so differently.
Oh, and Emma got $1 for her tooth. Does anyone know what the going rate is these days? When Sean and I were kids we got a quarter most of the time.

Monday, December 1, 2008

38 weeks.

Dr. appointment update for the week: 3cm dilated, and 60% effaced (I was only 20% last week), and the baby has definitely dropped lower. I also lost 2 pounds! Don't ask me how since all I did was eat all weekend, but that is definitely another sign the end is near. I always lose a pound or two at the end of my pregnancies. Everything is going well, and both the baby and I seem to be perfectly healthy. I go back in a week, and my dr. said once I'm 39 weeks he'll induce me if I want to. Honestly, even though I'm tired and huge and uncomfortable, I don't like the idea of being induced just because I'm huge, tired and uncomfortable. Those things are just part of being 9 months pregnant, and I don't think you should induce labor early just because. I was induced with both Emma and Nathan, but Emma was 2 weeks late, and with Nathan I had horrible swelling, so to me, those circumstances are reasons that make induction a good idea. Plus being induced makes it more likely I'll want pain meds, which I'm hoping to avoid this time. There its out there, and I know you'll all be checking in to see how I did with that goal once the baby arrives.
Anyway, other note-worthy events in the last week are that Emma got another tooth knocked out, and another one seems like it will fall out at any minute. She and Nathan were wrestling around and she fell on her face in the kitchen. I am shocked at how many teeth this kid is losing before the other one's have time to grow back, but I guess every kid is different in this area. Emma also amazed me tonight by reading a book. She needed help with some of the words, and it was a beginning reading book, but she did a great job. It's amazing watching your child read for the first time.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

2 more reasons

...why I don't shop on black Friday. Granted the main reason is because I'm lazy, but things like this are just crazy. I know most people don't take their shopping this seriously, but sadly things like this happen, and you never know when or where the crazy people will be.
worker dies
shooting at toysrus
I know the second story said it wasn't Black Friday sale related, but I'm not sure I that the story they are releasing is the full story. I can'tbelieve people get this insane over getting a good deal. YIKES!

Friday, November 28, 2008

5 years

Today is our 5th anniversary. Early in the year our plan was to take a big vacation without the kids since we never had a honeymoon, but instead we spent today having thanksgiving at my mom's and waiting on me to have this baby. Not a bad way to spend today, but it's definitely not where I thought we'd be when we got married 5 years ago. I am so thankful for such an amazing husband and the family we've made. It has been such a great 5 years, even though it hasn't always been easy. I can't wait to see what amazing things life will bring us in the future.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

being thankful

I feel like I complain on this blog a lot, mainly because it's my outlet for whatever is going on that is bothering me, but I know I have a lot to be thankful for. Here are just some of the things I'm thankful for:
~Having fabulous friends and family that I truly love and care about, and that I know will always be there for me.
~Having 3 (soon to be 4) beautiful and healthy children, even if they drive me insane some days.
~Having an amazing husband who puts up with all my imperfections, and who is an amazing father to our children.
~Having a nice home, food to eat, and enough money to take care of our family, even if we aren't always using it wisely. lol!
~Being able to share wonderful memories of family members that are no longer with us with children.

There are so many things to be thankful for, and I know I often take them for granted. So what are you thankful for this year?

Monday, November 24, 2008

37 weeks

Had my 37 week appointment tonight, and I have made a little progress. I'm dilated to 2 now. I'm glad I'm progressing, but 1/2cm in two weeks is not much to be excited about. Especially when all weekend I was having some painful contractions. Everything is still fine with both me and the baby though, and that's really all I can ask for. Now I'm ready to get this labor business going.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

done deal

Well the AB INbev deal officially went through today. Now we just have to wait and see what happens. I am glad that the union guys got their contract renewed before today and they are good to go for the next 5 years. I really am glad that they don't have to worry about losing their jobs. Unfortunately Sean is not union, but we're holding out hope that he won't be laid off right away.
This is such a sad day for St. Louis.

Monday, November 17, 2008

36 weeks

I had my 36 week appointment tonight, and guess what... I didn't gain any weight! In fact if I'd taken off the ginormous sweat shirt I was wearing, I probably would have lost 1/2 pound or so. Anyway, the doctor did not check to see if I was dilated anymore, boooo. I know, I'm a freak. I like knowing if I'm dilated more than last time, but he said he'll check next week for sure, so let's all pray for progress. He did feel around on my stomach, and said the baby is head down, which makes me super happy. I've been nervous about that ever since the baby was breech at my 20 something week ultrasound, and at this point it would be really difficult and unlikely for the baby to turn, so I'm feeling good about the baby's position. My group B strep test was negative, so yay for more good news.
I'm also far enough along that if I did go into labor now I could go to our hospital of choice. The hospital we go to does not have a special care nursery, so if the baby was too early and/or had any complications, they would have to be moved to another hospital in the area that could help them. I love the hospital we go to, so I'm glad we've reached this milestone.
Only 25 days to go, unless I get lucky and actually have this baby a little early. Check back next week for more updates!

stupidity

I can't believe Motrin thought this commercial was a good idea in the first place, but then they went through with it and actually made the commercial and aired it.

I don't know how I'd survive without my carriers, and honestly my back and arms are less tired and sore when I use a carrier. If it hurts when you are baby-wearing, chances are you are doing it wrong.
Anyway, because of this commercial, one of my favorite stores has put all their carriers on sale. To save 10% on any carrier at Cotton Babies use the code WEARME. The sale is good through November 23rd. Happy shopping!
And here is a picture of Megan happily riding in the Ergo with dad. Don't they both look miserable?!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

family

I love my family, and I'm not just talking about Sean and the kids. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing extended family. Today we had our annual get together with my dad's family. There were 50 of us there, and that isn't even all of us. I love my family and the time we spend together. Thankfully Sean enjoys spending time with my family and loves these gatherings too. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins, even though they are still trying to figure out what a cousin is. I love that we all make time once a year to get together like this. It is getting harder and harder now that we are all growing up and have families of our own, but I think this weekend is special to all of us because everyone always makes it in, even if they have to drive 5 hours, and sometimes more, to get here. I wish I had pictures to share with you of the kids being silly, and Sean playing beer pong, but of course I forgot my camera. Luckily one of my cousins is going to send me some when she gets home, so I'll share them as soon as I have them.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

35 weeks

I had my 35 week appointment today, and yet again, all is well. My weight gain is finally at a normal rate, thank god! The doctor did the group b strep test today, and checked to see if I was dilated at all. I am dilated to 1 1/2cm which isn't much considering I was 4cm before I was even in labor with Megan, but it's more than zero, which is what really matters. I go back in a weekw, and will be hoping for even more progress.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

slowing down

I know this may sound compltetly contradictory to my last post about nesting, but I'm getting so big that I've had to slow down on how much I can do. Thankfully Sean and the kids have been helping out a lot with the housework. It has hit me recently that the kids were not really doing any housework regularly except cleaning up the toys, and that is not ok. At 4 and 5, they are quite capable of so much more. Please don't think I'm planning on turning the kids into slaves, but I do think it's important that they start doing their part of the work. They really can do a lot, and do it well. I am just going to have to give up control over exactly how things get done. I've been working on this as Sean has had to take on more housework lately, and I think I'm doing a good job of not second-guessing him. Of course you'll have to ask him for the official word on how I'm doing. I don't know how I ended up being such a control freak about how it all gets done, but I was really bad for a while. It was stupid, and I'm still working on it. In reality I know that teaching the kids responsibility by giving them chores will benefit our whole family in the long run, and it really doesn't matter if the towels are not perfectly folded. So here's to less work for mom, and responsible kids who are proud of what they can do!

nesting

I think the nesting has finally set in. I have been really inspired this past week, and we've gotten a lot done finally. I sorted out all the gender neutral baby clothes, and washed all those, plus all the sheets and other neccesary items. We've also cleand and organized the rest of the house. There is always more work to be done, especialy with 3 kids who keep making messes right after I clean up, but we are making progress. Hopefully we'll get the crib assembled today, and finish organizing the baby's room. Stay tuned for pictures of the nursery.

Now I just have to resist the urge to put up my Christmas tree already... or not

I also updated the ticker because my doctor said my due date was actually the 12th, and not the 15th. It's not like those 3 days make a huge difference since babies rarely come on the due date.

Monday, November 3, 2008

15 years

This is something I really don't post about, because it's sad, and I hate to be a downer, but I just felt like I couldn't let today go by and say nothing. For those who don't know, 15 years ago today, my dad died. I really can't even remember how I felt when I found out. I was only 10, and to be honest no one had really prepared my brother or I that dad was really that sick. I really think they told us the night before that the doctors felt there was nothing else they could do, and the next morning he was gone. Don't get me wrong, he had cancer, and we knew it, and we got that he was really sick, but I know I had no idea he was going to die until then.
At the time I didn't really understand all that he and I were going to miss out on. But as I got older I realized he would never know me as an adult, he wouldn't be there to walk me down the aisle, and he wouldn't get to be a grandpa. I know he'd have been a great Papa too! I hate that he is missing out on so much with my kids, and that they will never know him, at least not the way they deserve to know him. I am thankful that we have such a big family, and everyone loved him and has great memories to share with us about him. He really was a great man that everyone loved being around.
Sadly I am not the only one in my family to lose a parent way too soon, and when my uncle died, my cousin asked me when it would get better. All I could tell her was that it doesn't get better, it just gets different. You learn to live and go on without them, but you never forget or get over them not being there. There are still days I miss my dad more than I probably should, and all I can think about is how much it sucks that he isn't here with us. And then there are days that it almost seems completely normal to be living this life without him.
I can only hope he is looking down at us, and is proud of who I've become. I certainly didn't take all the "right" paths to get here, but I'm happy with how it all turned out, and I hope my dad would be too.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

packing

I signed up to get daily emails from a website and the email today kind of freaks me out. It said I need to pack my hospital bag! Chances are I had my bag packed around this time in all the other pregnancies, but this time I'm really having trouble grasping the concept that this baby will be here in 6 weeks or so, whether I'm ready or not. And we are so not ready. The crib is not assembled, the clothes are not put away. The baby's room is a huge mess right now because I've been using it as a dumping ground while sorting through Megan's stuff. In fact the whole house is a mess right now because I've been lazy and just let everything pile up everywhere instead of dealing with things in a timely fashion.
I do have to admit that the list of what to pack is rather extensive and makes me giggle. I 'm sure I packed almost everything on the list when I had Emma, and with each kids it was scaled back based on what I remembered using/needing, but I still took too much stuff. This time I'm being realistic and Iwill probably only pack about 10 things. Compare that to the list of over 30 items the website's checklist had on it. To me all that extra stuff is just more crap we have to carry inside and then bring back home, and at least half of it won't get touched.
Holy crap, I can't believe it's time to pack!

Monday, October 27, 2008

33 weeks

7 weeks to go. I didn't think it was possible to gain weight more rapidly than I had been, I was wrong. The weigh-ins seriously make me want to cry. It's ridiculous! Anyway the car seat arrived today. We decided to get this seat:

We both liked it and it is neutral enough to me. Plus I found some good coupons online for 20% off and got free shipping. My advice for today is anytime you are shopping online, always do a yahoo search for coupons for the store you are shopping at. There are tons of coupons, both printable and online codes, available for free.
Anyway I go back to the doc in 2 weeks, at which time he'll be checking to see if I'm dilating at all. I guess the reality of that had kicked me in the butt to start getting things ready. I am finally sorting out all the baby clothes and transferring all Megan's stuff to Emma's room. Megan loves being in Emma's room and has adjusted so well. I can't believe we're going to have another baby in 7 weeks!

Friday, October 24, 2008

kid free

Sean and I will be spending this weekend kid free. Unfortunately it's not as exciting as it sounds since we have to go and do some deep cleaning on the camper and winterize it, but it will be our first time alone with no kids overnight since Megan was born. For the record, that's almost 2 years! And it's just in time to start the cycle of never getting out of the house with no kids again. Originally we'd hoped to take a big anniversary trip this yer since it's our 5 year anniversary and we never took a honeymoon. But since I'm going to be 8+ months pregnant on our anniversary, I can't fly anywhere. Maybe on our 10 year I won't be pregnant...

baby robinson

yeah, I think we're sticking with that. Katie, we have looked everywhere for names. I have a book of 20,001 names, and you'd think there would be something in there, but nothing seems to fit. Either I like it and Sean hates it. Or Sean finds a name he really likes that makes me want to yak! Then there are the names we both like, but don't really fit with the other kids' names. Emma, Nathan, and Megan, are all-American names, as Melissa said, so something slightly different just sounds odd when you say them all together. Melissa, the boy names you suggested are all in use by close family members, except Jacob, which is the most popular boys name right now. I can't remember the girsl names you said, but I think Sean doesn't like most of them. We have both been making a list of names we like seperately, and hopefully some of our names will be the same. I think at this point we're going to have to just pick a name we both like and agree on, even if it doesn't "fit" with the other kids.
On the topic of names, Emma came home from school the other day and said she didn't like her name. When we asked her why she said, "Because it's not a thing. My friend's name is Paige, and her name is a thing, like the page of a book. So I'd like my name better if it were a thing." I told her we'd change her name to Wall. The jury is still out on that one!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

busy busy

We are getting busier by the day it seems. Our weekends are pretty much full between now and Thanksgiving, and once thanksgiving is over, I'll only have 3 weeks left in this pregnancy. I am excited about the busy schedule because it means time will go by fast for me, which is a major plus since I feel I'm getting bigger by the day, and that means more uncomfortable by the day. I really don't feel too bad yet, though. I'm so glad about that because with all I have going on, I can't imagine trying to get through the next 8 weeks feeling like crap. I'm just glad I'm not an elephant with a 22 month gestation period!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

31 weeks

Went to the doctor again, it's weird going back so soon. I'm still gaining at a frightening rate, but not much I can do about that. All is well with the baby as far as we know. My blood pressure is still good, 116/74, and things are going just fine. I go back in another two weeks. I hate these every two week check-ups. I feel like they just weigh me, check my bp, and check the babies heart rate. In all honesty, it's not really worth the trip for me. If something were wrong, or seemed off I'd call the doctor, but otherwise I don't see why I can't continue going every 4 weeks until we are right at the end. I know doctors like to be on top of everything with pregnant women, and god forbid if I did develop pre-eclempsia they might catch it in office before I had symptoms, but I feel like going every two weeks is rather silly right now. All well, only 9 more weeks. Let's start making guesses on boy or girl, and I still need name help people, seriously!

Friday, October 10, 2008

we have a problem

So with only 9 weeks and a couple days left in this pregnancy I am starting to stress. Not about the delivery, or adding another baby to the family, but about the fact that we have no names picked out. Not even like a top 5 or anything. We do need both girl and boy names, so please help us. Reply with a comment with your kids names, or names you like, although don't post something you are thinking of using when you have children because we might like it and use it, and then you'd be mad someone stole your name. Anyway I'm really getting deperate, so please pass this request on to everyone you know. You know you don't want out child to end up with a horrible name, or no name at all. Maybe we'll steal George's idea and name it 7!

Monday, October 6, 2008

registered to vote?

Funny thing, we were outside letting the kids play tonight and Sean and I were talking with the other parents on our street. Two young people came by and asked where Emma was. I said in our house, why? Then they asked if she would like to register to vote. WHAT? I said, "No, she's 5." They looked dumbfounded as to how a 5 year old ended up on their list. I kept asking them questions about how they got the list or where the information for their list came from. They had no real answers, so now I'm a little concerned. I mean how does the Obama campaign get a list of people in the area not yet registered to vote, and then to top that off, how does my 5 year old daughter end up on that list?
Also just a reminder for all your Missourians; October 8th is the last day to register to vote, so get that taken care of tomorrow so you can vote on November 4th.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

just call me Santa

This weekend I got a big jump on Christmas shopping. I took advantage of sales going on and free shipping offers and did most of my shopping from my couch. I still have several things to get, but i'm well on my way, and because I'm an organized dork I have a spreadsheet of what I'm buying for everyone. I'm so happy I am finally making progress in this area. This is one thing I just can't afford to put off any longer.
Another exciting thing this weekend was taking the kids bowling for the first time. They loved it and did surprisingly well. Granted they used the bumpers, but Emma even got a strike in one frame. She was so excited! Of course I'm a bad mom (and blogger) and forgot my camera.

Other news: only 10 weeks to go this pregnancy. We still need to buy the baby a new car seat, but I'm puting it off for whatever reason. We also don't have the crib put together and Megan is still in the nursery. I'm thinking we'll be moving her towards the end of this month so she can get settled in her new room with Emma long before the baby arrives so she doesn't feel like she got kicked out of her room by the baby.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Sharing

Obviously the only things my kids are really good at sharing are germs. I have caught a cold from them and have been feeling really icky the last few days. Has anyone else noticed that I always get a really nasty cold when I'm pregnant and can't take anything? I feel like I always get sick when I'm pregnant and nursing, and it's usually something that meds would help, but I can't take anythiing so I suffer. Maybe it's just because I'm always pregnant or nursing?!

Monday, September 29, 2008

miscellaneous

I have lots of things to post about, so I'm just lumping it all together here.
Tonight I had my 29 week appointment. All is well, except that I'm a big fatty. No the doctor didn't say that, but I am. Thankfully everything else is perfectly normal, so I am just gaining a lot of weight for whatever reason. The baby was really active and had a heart rate a little higher than it has in the past, but nothing abnormal. I also found out I passed my gestational diabetes test. YAY! Now I can continue eating carbs and sugar. YIPPEEE! I go back in two weeks, which is totally freaking me out, because it means I'm nearing the end. Yes, I realize pregnancy ends in a baby, and I'm definitely ready for the baby to be in my arms instead of my stomach, but I always get a little freaked at the end thinking about it all. Only 11 weeks to go!
A couple of weeks ago Nathan had his annual firehouse field trip with school. He of course loved climbing all over the trucks and spraying the hose. The field trip is kind of funny because they take the kids on a tour of the firehouse and show the kids where the fireman eat, sleep and go to class, but that always do that first, and you know all the kids can think about is getting to climb on the turcks and spraying the hose.



Yesterday was Sean's company family day. This year was at Six Flags. It was a really long day for me, but everyone had fun. I was bummed I couldn't ride anything except the train. :( But Nathan rode the Screaming Eagle and the Mine Train with Sean. He was a little freaked out on the ride, according to Sean, but clearly loved it because he kept asking for more. Emma also rode thunder river and the log flume with Sean and Nathan. She and Nathan also rode a couple of the kid rides they have. Emma is clearly the more anxious and tentative child. I'm hoping for her sake she outgrows it so she doesn't miss out on a lot of fun things in life.



Aside from all that my new partylite business has kept me pretty busy. I had a pretty good first month, and am working on building up my business and learning new things. I really love it so far, and that is what really matters. I can't imagine working at a job I hate.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

newest addition

No, this post is not about the baby, it's about our NEW CAR! After lengthy discussions between Sean and I about the future of breakdowns with the van, we decided to go car shopping. We were not sure we were going to buy now, but we wanted to know what was out there that would fit our family's needs. Deciding to buy now was a major decision, and we got lucky and all the pieces of the puzzle fit together just right. I really like our new car, and I'm happy to say I am no longer a minivan driver. hehe! So here it is, our new Ford Taurus X. It is a 7 passenger crossover vehicle. This picture is from the Ford site, but hopefully if it's not raining tomorrow I'll get a picture of ours. Our car is black with silver trim. It looks great!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

regression

Things have been going so well with Emma and school, I guess it was only a matter of time before things blew up in my face. Yesterday Sean was working from home, so he got up with Emma to get her to school. Well, he wasn't paying attention or something, and Emma missed the bus. She was ready to go, and they were getting ready to go outside, and they saw the bus go by. So Sean drove Emma to school, and she had a meltdown when they got their to her classroom. So of course I was nervous about today. Thankfully since the van is still not up and running, Sean is telecommuting again today and he was getting Emma on the bus again today, and he promised her she wouldn't miss it. They were outside in plenty of time, but even up in our bedroom I heard her screaming and crying before the bus even got here today. She yet again refused to get on the bus and threw a huge fit. Sean had to drive her to school again, and I'm sure she cried again.
I really don't know why she is acting like this again, but I'm about to move out if we can't get all this straightened out. I absolutely can't drive her to school every day, especially once the baby gets here. How insane will that be if I have to put all the kids in the car to drive Emma the 7 minutes to school, and then get all the kids out at school to walk Emma inside? Yes, we have to get out and walk them at least to the door because we have to park in a side lot and it's too far for a kindergartener to walk by herself. Grrrrr...

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Yay and boo

Yay for having two awesome partylite shows this weekend! A huge thank you to my hostesses and to all their guests that helped to make both shows successful. Also a big thank you to those ladies that booked new shows with me. I'm so excited about them, and can't wait to help you earn lots of great free stuff.

Boo, for the van having "issues" again. We just replaced the battery this summer, but Saturday on my way to my show, it started acting weird. The radio kept going off and then coming back on, and then all the electronic displays started flashing. Thankfully I made it to the show safely, and Holly's husband came over to look at the van. He says he thinks the alternator went out. He charged up the battery in the van so I could make it home, and I did thank goodness. Sean has been taking things apart on the van all day trying to make sure it really is the alternator that is bad. No sense in replacing $190 part if that's not the problem. So far we can't find anything else that is wrong though, so Sean is taking the alternator off the van tonight, and is going to have Autozone test is tomorrow. Why is it I feel like we are always fixing something on the van?

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

26 weeks

Had my dr. appointment today, and all is well. The scale was not as nice as I'd hoped, but it was still better than the past couple of months, which is what I was hoping for. I also got my orders for the lab to get my gestational diabetes test done. This time they actually gave me the crappy drink to dirnk at home and then just drive to the lab and get my blood drawn. In the past I had to go to the lab, sign in, drink the drink, and then sit there for an hour bored to death, and then get my blood drawn. I'm so excited I don't have to sit in the lab bored for an hour this time. Yay!

Today was also my first ever live Partylite show. It went pretty well, and I felt I did ok. I found it hard to cover all the items I had without just jumping from piece to piece. I guess I need some more tips on making my show flow better. I do have a dvd I need to watch again of a show demo, and maybe that will help. I also didn't get another show booked from today, but it's not like I want to hound people about it or make it a huge issue. I just need to learn some better tricks to get people to want to book. I'm stil happy I had a good show, but there are always things to work on to make my business better and more successful.

Monday, September 8, 2008

98 days

Yay! We are finally under the 100 days to go mark. Such a small thing to be excited about, but saying 98 days sounds so much better than 100, and it's only 2 days difference. I go to the doctor again tomorrow, and I am hoping my weigh in is much better. I have eaten better this month (I think), so hopefully the scale agrees.

Friday, September 5, 2008

need more lysol

Obviously a whole can of lysol isn't enough. All the kids had been fine since Wednesday, and then tonight Emma threw up again. Seriously, I'm so tired of cleaning up after sick people. Thank goodness our pediatrician has Saturday hours because she is going to the doc tomorrow. I don't understand how she can be fine for 2 days and then puke again. So frustrating!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Still Recovering

I thought by now we'd all be better, but whatever bug we had is taking a little longer to get rid of. I'm hoping we are finally at the end of this nastiness. A whole can of lysol and a container of Clorox disinfecting wipes should do the trick right? I hate this kind of illness, HATE IT!!!!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Weekends like this...

make me wonder why I wanted another baby. Our family has spent this lovely 3 day weekend at home sick. Nathan, and then Emma and now Sean have that stomach virus that has been going around. I know Megan is going to get it because she just doesn't understand that she needs to leave the older two alone right now. And well, how am I going to avoid it when cleaning up after and living in the same house as all these sick people. I'm sure having the stomach flu when you're 25 weeks pregnant is just a ton of fun! BLAH!!!!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Enjoying the reward

I guess riding the bus was all worth it.

Plus Nathan got to have some fun too!

and a picture of Megan being Megan

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Bribery

It totally works, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'll be taking full advantage of it in order to maintain my sanity. Sean made a deal with Emma that if she rides the bus willingly and without crying every day this week he'll take her to the go-karts this weekend. It's working, and I'm less angry at her every day. I decided to print off a calendar for September to make a sticker chart for Emma, and if she earns enough (not sre how many), she will get a special treat at the end of each month. That seems fair to me, and if it keeps me from going insane I'm all for it. Now if stickers could only make Megan nap well daily...

Monday, August 25, 2008

I was right

There is something about intuition because I was right. That is all

up again

I hate not being able to sleep. At least I know why tonight, but it doesn't make it any better knowing how exhausted I'll be tomorrow. I'm so worried about how Emma is going to act in the morning. I don't know if I can deal with what went down last week. It's just too much for me right now. Plus I am stressing out today about everything imaginable. Do you ever have those days that you just worry about everything, even things you can't control? I do that a lot, especially when I'm pregnant, and then I just can't turn my brain off and relax to go to sleep. It's so frustrating!

Friday, August 22, 2008

better day

Today was a much better day. I wish I knew why so I could repeat it Monday, but I really think Emma is the only who knows why she's doing things the way she is. Sean went in late to help get her on the bus, because I knew if she had another meltdown today I would lose it even worse than I did yesterday. I'm hoping dad being here is not the reason Emma did so well this morning because he can't stay late and get her on the bus every morning. There were no tears at all this morning, and she willingly got on the bus, and I havne't heard from her school at all, so I'm assuming no news is good news.

Nathan started preschool again today. He was so happy he finally got to go to school too, and he danced around the house all morning saying, "I'm going to school today, I'm going to school today!" It was really cute and a much welcomed change from Emma's reaction to school. When we got to school he said, "I'm going to miss you mom." I said, "I know, but you'll have so much fun with your teacher and I'll be back soon." Then he said, "Ok, bye!" And that was that. He's so easy going sometimes it's hard to believe he's even related to Emma.
And here's a picture of Nathan today.

and here is a picture from last year. He has grown up so much!


and here are Emma's pictures from last year and this year just to compare.

and this year:

Thursday, August 21, 2008

school called

But thankfully it was good news. The counselor called and said Emma wsa in class and fine now. She said she and the teacher who was helping get Emma inside actually had to carry Emma into her office one holding her arms and the other with her legs because she wouldn't go. She said it was good that I left like I did, and that it's important to get Emma to school every day even if she throws a fit and even if she can't make it the whole day without me picking her up early. She also said Emma's teacher would call me later. Now, how do I get through that phone call without crying? It's like I just can't stop today. UGHHH!

...the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Umm, this morning has sucked. It's not the worst morning I've ever had my whole life, but it's right up there. Emma woke me up this morning at 6:30 to tell me she had a cough. I told her when it was time to get up we'd eat breakfast and then I'd giver he some medicine. She seemed ok and went back to bed since we don't have to get up until 7:15. It wasn't long before she was back whining that her stomach hurt and she didn't want to go to school. I did good today and told her she was going to school, and if she was really sick the nurse would call me to come get her. She cried all morning, refused to eat breakfast, and alternated between saying my tummy hurts, I don't want to go to school, and I don't like school it's not fun there. I told her she was going to school today regardless. We took her to the doctor yesterday and he gave us medicine for the only thing that might be wrong with her, so there was nothing else I could do.
At least she willing walked to the bus stop today. Then the bus arrived and she started screaming. I don't mean crying louder, I mean screaming, "I don't want to go to school!" while she cried. This of course led to me crying and begging her to get on the bus. I actually physically drug her onto the bus and when I backed up so the bus could leave, she ran off it. That happened 4 or 5, maybe more, times before I gave up and said I'd just take her to school myself so the bus wasn't any later than we'd already made it. God love Emma's bus driver. She's been doing it for 15 years and gave me a sympathetic smile and said Emma will get used to school and things will get better.
So I walked Emma back home, woke up Megan, and put everyone in the car. We got to school Emma got out of the car and walked inside willingly. At the door most of the other parents were stopping, so I gave Emma a hug there and told her I loved her and I'd see her later. I watched her walk in and turn the corner to go to her class and then turned around and started walking back to the car with the other two. Ten feet later I hear it; Emma screaming. I turn around begging in my head for it not to be her. It was. Luckily a teacher was coming after her. The teacher asked if Emma was mine, and I said yes. Thankfully this teacher took pity on me and said she's take Emma to class. Last I saw Emma was clinging to the handrail by the sidewalk outside of her school screaming and crying. The good news is school started 30 minutes ago and I haven't gotten a phone call yet.
I am a mess now. I am hideous when I cry, so just imagine what I look like after two days of it. I don't know what to do, but if things don't get better with her really fast, I'm going to need serious psychiatric help to survive. I can't believe I have "that" kid, and all I can do is cry about it.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

not anymore

Emma hates school, so much so that the last two mornings have left me on the verge of a nervouse breakdown. She doesn't just complain about it and say she doesn't want to go, she throws a fit, screams and cries and well, you the idea. Today she even started in with the whole, my tummy hurts crap. I think it really did hurt, but she went to the bathroom and then life was good and she finished breakfast and was ready to go. We got shoes on headed out the door and got just past the neighbors house when she wigged out and wouldn't walk any further toward te bus stop. I tried telling her she'd be fine and we'd just go up and wait for the bus and she'd feel better. Nope, nothing. So we went back to the house with her screaming like I was killing her. I decided fine she can miss the bus because school is less than 10 minutes away and I'll drive her in a little bit once she calmed down. She didn't calm down. She ended up not going to school today, making me cry, and Sean had to come home from work and take her to the doctor to make sure she was ok. The doctor did say she seemed a little tender in her belly in the area that would suggest reflux, so now she has some prevacid to take every night. I hope to God this helps because I can't take anymore of what went on today. It was awful!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

first day of kindergarten

Today was much better than expected. I did not cry. I came close, but Emma looked up at me with a worried look, so instead I smiled and told her she was going to have so much fun, and I put her on the bus. She was so excited all morning and didn't seem nervous at all, until the bus arrived. As soon as that big yellow bus pulled up and she realized she had to get on it by herself, she got this freaked out look on her face. That was when I just smiled and told her to get on the bus. As soon as she was on the bus she was fine. She sat in a seat on the side we were standing on and waved excitedly with a huge smile on her face as the bus pulled away.

I think it helped all of us that Sean went in to work a little late and he was there to say good-bye as she got on the bus. He also called me around lunchtime to make sure I was ok and I hadn't heard anything from school. Thankfully we didn't get any phone calls today, and Emma was perfectly fine when she got home.

It was such a quiet day in our house. Megan is really too young for Nathan to fight with the way he does with Emma, so things were pretty pleasant here today. Nathan did seem a little lost without Emma this morning until Megan got up. But once she was up he was fine since he had someone to play with. It's amazing how different kids are without their siblings.

Emma was still excited when she got home, but that lasted about 10 minutes and then the fighting with Nathan, and the whining began. I know it's because she was really tired, so I tried to give her a break, but bedtime couldn't come soon enough. I know next week is going to be really hard on Emma after seeing how tired she was today, but she'll adjust and things will get better...right?
and now for the pictures:



hodge-podge

There are a bunch of things going on around here, and rather than making several super tiny posts, you get one big hodge-podge post instead.
( I wish I knew how to make bullets on blogger)

-I think nesting has hit me ridiculously early. Either that or I've completely lost my mind. There truly is no logical explanation why at 22 weeks pregnant I decided to steam clean the carpets myself (with Sean moving furniture of course), reorganize Emma's and Megan's closet (Nathan's is next), and start cleaning out our storage area in the basement.

- Because of said cleaning projects my office is now full of stuff I want to get rid of. Some of it I have listed on craigslist and some things we have just donated to goodwill. 3 trash bags full of clothes actually! So if you come buy anytime soon and see something laying around you might want, make me an offer I'm in a selling mood!

- I have also decided that I need to start sewing things for our family instead of buying them. Don't worry I haven't gone all Laura Ingall's on you and started making our own clothes. Right now I'm making baby wipes and nursing pads, both items are pretty expensive when buying disposable one's from the store. The ones I've made are not gorgeous, but they are functional, which is what really matters.

- This new found love(lol!) of sewing has mad me decide I really want a serger. Of course in keeping with the theme of saving money this is not going to happen anytime soon.

-I finally drug the hideous pink chair out of the basement and steam cleaned it while I had the machine for the carpets. Unfortunately it is still hideous and in need of some serious help. Because of trying to save money now, re-upholstery is just not an option. Instead I found a fairly cheap, but decent looking slipcover on overstock.com. The one thing I didn't think about is that my chair has no seams between the arms/sides and the back, so there is a lot of material kind of just bunched up in those areas right now, hence the afghan in the "after" picture.
Keep in mind when you look at these pictures that I was lazy and opened the package the cover came in and put it right on the chair. There was no ironing involved at all, and there probably won't be any for a while since I hate ironing.
Photobucket
Photobucket


- On top of the insomnia, the Olympic coverage is killing my sleeping time. I am an Olympic junkie! I can't get enough. I wish they had an all Olympics, all the time channel right now. I will watch pretty much any sport. The only sport I don't enjoy watching is water polo. I think it's really because I have no clue what is going on. It's probably pretty simple; they swim around and try to throw the ball into the other teams net, but I just have no desire to sit and watch it long enough to figure it out. Watching Michael Phelps has been amazing, but my favorite moment has to be when Jason Lezak beat that french guy to win the mens 4x100 relay. AMAZING!

- Emma starts school tomorrow, and I'm in shock. I knew it was coming, but this really means my baby is growing up, and fast. It is going to be so weird to be home without her all day long. I'm going to miss her because she is so helpful, and she likes to help. She has already informed me that she is going to be really good while she's at school, and then she'll be bad at home. At least she warned us, right?

- As if cleaning and organizing the house, and working on sewing projects weren't enough to keep me incredibly busy, I've also been working really hard on the partylite thing. It is difficult trying to get things going and getting people to have shows for me. I swear I'm not trying to guilt anyone reading this. I'm just talking about what's going on here lately. I'm hoping all my hard work is going to pay off, but I'm definitely afraid of failing.

- Sean and I still have not discussed any names for this baby. Well ok, that's not entirely true. We have talked a lot about names we don't like, but have not come up with a list at all of names in the running. This is the only time I think it would be nice to know the gender. Then we would only need one first and middle name instead of a girl name and a boy name. Any suggestions for names that fit with our other kids' names and aren't super popular right now?

Check back tomorrow for pictures of Emma on her first day!

Monday, August 11, 2008

22 weeks

I had another doctor appointment today. All is well. He said I'm measuring a little larger than expected, but all that means is we'll probably have a big baby again. Who's surprised by that? He also looked over my ultrasound info the hospital sent over and he said everything looked good. So nothing new to report today. Check back in 4 weeks!

Insomnia

So the pregnancy insomnia has set in. This weekend has been awful with me getting hardly any sleep Friday night, and now here I am at 3am Sunday night/Monday morning. Saturday night I got a decent amount of sleep, but I'm still tired. I have not missed this at all. Anyone have any ideas that actually work? I feel like I've tried a lot of things in the past and nothing seems to help. So here I sit, bored to death at 3am. This sucks!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

busy week

We have one busy week coming up. Monday I go to the doctor again, Tuesday is open house night at Emma's school and Sean's last softball game, and Thursday is... Emma's first day of kindergarten. I can't believe Emma is starting kindergarten this year, and it's alreay time. I felt like it was so far away when we went to the lake, and now it's here. Emma could not be more excited, but I'm already freaking out. I know she'll be just fine and she's going to have so much fun, but I can't believe in 5 days my baby is going to be getting on a big yellow bus and heading off to school for 7 hours everyday. I'm totally going to cry. Ugggh!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

new business

In an effort to make a little extra money I've decided to get a part time job. Lest you think I'm crazy I'll tell you I did not take a job waitressing or something incredibly taxing like that, instead I've decided to sell Partylite. I know it seems like everyone is selling something these days, but I really love Partylite stuff and it will be a great opportunity for me. So if you need any candles you know who to call!

Friday, August 1, 2008

new baby purchases

We got a new crib for the baby. Yes, we already had 2 cribs because of Emma and Nathan being so close together, but Nathan's crib was part of the major crib recall, so we got a voucher for a new crib. The voucher we were given was for the highest retail price charged for the crib, and then if we bought a more expensive one we would pay the difference. Since Megan is just now in her toddler bed, and I don't know if she'll be ready to go into a twin bed when the baby arrives we decided to use the voucher and get a new crib. It was a little more expensive than the amount we had to spend, but not by much, so we went for it. I know it's early to be buying the crib, but I wanted it done now so it's one less thing I have to think about.
Here is the crib we decided on. It pretty much matches the furniture in Megan's room now.


The other major purchase we'll have to make is an infant car seat because the one form when Emma was a baby expires in December, which makes it pretty much unusable for the new baby. We know we want a graco so it will fit into the strollers we already have, and I want something neutral. It is really hard to find a car seat that doesn't look too gender specific.
These are the ones I like so far:


Tuesday, July 29, 2008

ultrasound

The ultrasound went great. Everything looked just as it should and the bay was measuring perfectly based on the due date I was given. The tech also said the baby weighs about 12 ounces now. I told Sean if the baby only weighs 12 ounces, why have I gained waay more than that? Can someone explain this to me? The only thing that bothers me a little is that the baby is breach right now, but we have 20 weeks for it to turn, so I'm not too concerned yet. If we get close to my due date and the baby is still breach I will be talking to my doctor about turning the baby. I do not want a c-section if I can avoid it. I know c-sections aren't bad, but I will do what I can to avoid having one. And here is a picture we got today.

Monday, July 28, 2008

home again

I'm home again. I went back to Cloud 9 for the last 11 days. Sean came down both weekends to help us set up the camper and put everything away. My cousin came down for the week with her two kids and everyone had such a great time. I did not want to come home at all. But, I have my ultrasound at the hospital tomorrow, so I kind of had to. If I could have things my way I would live at Cloud 9 all summer. I will post tomorrow and let everyone know how my ultrasound went. Remember we are not finding out this time if it's a boy or girl, and I'm considering writing that on my forehead in permanent marker this time so the tech can't forget.




Monday, July 21, 2008

18 months old

I feel like time is going by so fast, and yet Megan is advancing at such a slow rate, that each month brings nothing new to report. She is still not talking much, but trying to repeat more and more often. She is quite stubborn though and I'm pretty sure she can say way more than she's letting on. She loves to be read to, and some days I feel like that's all I do is read books, so it's not like she's not being exposed to things that would help her learn. She's just taking her time.

We have changed her crib into the toddler bed configuration now and she's doing great with it. No falling out or climbing out to play. She still cries every night at bed time, but she's always been a crier at bed time, no matter what we do. Please don't tell me I'm being awful letting her cry every night at bed time. It usually lasts less than two minutes, and she's not screaming or freaking out. I think it's how she winds herself down. Us going in there only makes it much worse.

She is also the child who is always crying at the store. She hates to be in the cart, but I can't stand to chase her around while trying to shop, and my belly is getting to big to comfortably wear her in any of the carriers we currently have. So she cries almost the entire time we are at the store, and I do my shopping pretending not to notice. Most women want to help or ask me if she wants something. I just tell them she's just my fit thrower, and really that's all it is. She throws fits way more often than Emma and Nathan ever did. Thank good ness she's my third child and not my first. IF she were my first I'd go crazy trying to please her. Now I know just to wait it out and she'll get over it quicker than if I try to fix it. So if you are ever in the grocery store and you see us, run the other way so you don't have to endure the crying.

Monday, July 14, 2008

18 weeks

Went to the doctor tonight, and he said everything looks great. I gained a lot this last month, but I knew I would since we were on vacation and I ate whatever I wanted. I'm kind of resigned to trying to eat decently and not really worry about the numbers on the scale. I hate stressing about my weight, and it doesn't seem to do me much good when I'm pregnant because I usually gain the same regardless of if I'm obsessing about what I eat or not.
Anyway, the baby's heartrate was in the 150's, which is normal, and my blood pressure was surprisingly good. I go back to the doctor in 4 weeks, but I have my big ultrasound in just two weeks. Normally this would be when we would find out boy or girl, but we don't want to know again this time, so we'll all find out in December.

sad sad day

Well it's official, Inbev has bought AB. As a girl raised in St. Louis and was taught that there is no beer other than Ab products, I'm really sad about this deal. Now we are in for more waiting to see if Sean's job will be spared. We are hoping to make it at least until the end of the year so we have health insurance to cover the birth of this baby. There is no way we can afford a delivery out of pocket, so we're hoping for the best at this point. I am stressed beyond belief about all of this, and I think Sean is too. But Sean doesn't seem to want to talk about it at all. I'm not sure if he thinks it will make me more upset knowing he is worried, or if it's just one of those weird "I'm a guy and we don't talk about our feelings," kind of things. Anyway, I hate being such a downer, but this really is a sad day for me. I keep telling myself we'll be ok even though I don't know how things are going to end up. I have to tell myself that or I'll go nuts!

Ps. I go to the doctor tonight, so hopefully my blood pressure won't be frighteningly high.

Here is the latest story from our local nbc news station KSDK


Anheuser-Busch and InBev announced the merger together during a Monday morning web conference with stock analysts and large stockholders.

InBev CEO Carlos Brito and Anheuser Busch President and CEO August Busch IV were both on the call.

"We went thorugh some difficult times together and our employees did as well?but in the end, this is a friendly transaction?and we are going to work very hard for our new shareholders," said Busch IV

The $52 billion merger won't happen until at least the end of 2008. The deal is $70 a share and comes just a week after A-B sued InBev saying the firm was launching an illegal scheme.

Brito said the combined company, of which A-B will be a subsidiary, will work on saving money, as much as $500 billion a year over three years.

"We'll deliver annual cost synergies of at least $1.5 billion phasing on the next thre years buidlling on A-B Blue Ocean Plan," said Brito. "This does not include significant revenue from combining our businesses."

Brito said the new company will retail the Clydesdales as a marketing tool, and he doesn't see any changes at Grant's Farm, which is owned by a Busch family trust.

Employee buyouts have already begun at A-B, under the Blue Ocean Program. People who are over 55-years-old are being offered early retirement. Those letters went out 10 days ago.

August Busch IV will keep his job. He will serve on the new company Anheuser Busch InBev's board as a director. But, he will no longer have a management role.

Brito said all 12 U.S. beer factories will stay open.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

We're home

We're home finally. We had a great vacation, and I did not want to come home at all. Coming back to the real world is definitely a bummer for all of us. I actually thought about staying at Cloud 9 with Sean's dad and sister, but Emma wasn't feeling great, so I decided to come home. Hopefully we'll get to go back very soon. I love it there.
The lake was high as I said before, but we still had lots of fun. It's hard not to have fun being on vacation with 31 people that are some of our best friends. Yes, there really are 31 of us that vacation together, but we all have our own cabins so we don't go completely insane. Sean's dad let us borrow his boat again. I don't know what we'd do without the wonderful family we have.




Cloud 9 was also lots of fun, but very hot. We spent lots of time riding 4-wheelers and swimming in the pool and playing in the creek/river.





In other craziness, when I got home yesterday and called my mom to let her know we made it home safely, I found out my brother was in the hospital with acute appendicitis. He had surgery last night and is already home tonight, which seems way to soon to me, but I'm not a doctor. Thank goodness he's ok, but now my sister-in-law has a 3 year old, a 3 month old, and a husband recovering from surgery to take care of. So let's hope he recovers quickly.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

vacation

So far vacation has been great. Megan hasn't been feeling well though, so she and I stayed off the lake today so she can rest and I could wash her diapers. The weather has been great and the kids have had so much fun. The water is super high, as I thought it would be, but it's still somewhat clear.
Megan on the boat

Popsicle night (there are more kids than this that are down there with us)

Maddie jumping off "Big E" Normally it is much higher.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Good news

I don't really expect you to read this whole thing, although feel free to as it is informative. Basically The AB board of directors has turned down the inbev buyout offer. They also said they are making plans to cut costs and make other moves to make the company more profitable. Now we can only pray that if this deal goes into hostile takeover the shareholders will vote no, and that the cost cutting measures don't include Sean losing his job. I know that a lot of shareholders only see this offer as a business deal, but I see it as much more personal than that. How can you ignore the fact that Ab employs thousands of people all over the country who's job may be lost if this goes through? And then consider all their families who will not only be without income, but without health insurance and other important benefits. Another major factor is all the charitable work Anheuser-Busch does not only locally, but around the country. It would be a shame to see all that end and so many people's lives turned upside down for the almighty dollar. So please, continue to pray this will all be over soon and AB can focus on the really important things, like making yummy beer!

Sean just forwarded this to me:
All Anheuser-Busch Employees
All Anheuser-Busch Wholesalers

The Anheuser-Busch board of directors has determined that the unsolicited, non-binding proposal it received from InBev is financially inadequate and not in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch shareholders. We have issued a press release moments ago announcing this, see copy below.

The value of InBev’s proposal was below the value created by Anheuser-Busch’s own strategic plan, which Randy Baker and I will outline in detail to investors tomorrow morning in a conference call.

We have a strong plan, and it is important that we remain focused on our business and delivering results. We have an experienced, motivated workforce and family of wholesalers working together. Thank you for your commitment to high performance that will continue to assure our success in the future.



August A. Busch IV








ANHEUSER-BUSCH REJECTS INBEV PROPOSAL AS FINANCIALLY INADEQUATE, NOT IN BEST INTERESTS OF SHAREHOLDERS

ST. LOUIS, June 26, 2008 – Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. (NYSE: BUD), a leading global brewer, today announced that its board of directors has unanimously determined that the unsolicited, non-binding proposal by InBev (Euronext: INB) to acquire all outstanding shares of Anheuser-Busch for $65 per share is financially inadequate and not in the best interests of Anheuser?Busch shareholders.

“InBev’s proposal significantly undervalues the unique assets and prospects of Anheuser?Busch,” said Patrick Stokes, chairman of the board for the company. “The proposed price does not reflect the strength of Anheuser-Busch’s global, iconic brands Bud Light and Budweiser, the top two selling beer brands in the world, with Budweiser selling in more than 80 countries today. The proposal also undervalues the earnings growth actions that the company had already planned, which have significant potential for shareholder value creation; the company’s market position in the United States, the most-profitable beer market in the world; and the high value of its existing strategic investments.”

The board thoroughly studied the proposal with independent financial and legal advisers on multiple occasions during the two-week period since the proposal was made, and the board’s independent directors also met alone to fully examine its merits.

“The InBev proposal fails to be competitive with alternative plans the company has developed in recent months to generate significant top-line and bottom-line growth, which will increase value for the company’s shareholders,” said Douglas A. Warner III, the board’s lead independent director. “The board will continue to consider all opportunities that build shareholder value.”

The board communicated its decision in a letter sent from August A. Busch IV, president and chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch to Carlos Brito, chief executive officer of InBev. Full text of the letter follows:

June 26, 2008




Mr. Carlos Brito
Chief Executive Officer
InBev nv/sa
Brouwerijplein 1
3000 Leuven
Belgium

Dear Carlos,

This is to provide you with a response from the Anheuser-Busch board of directors to your unsolicited and non-binding proposal submitted June 11th.

First, let me express our appreciation for your public comments about your high regard for Anheuser-Busch, its employees, leadership and wholesalers, remarking on the success of our company in building iconic brands and the independence of its board of directors.

We have noted that your letter is expressly not an offer, but only a non-binding proposal. Notwithstanding the non-binding nature of your proposal, the Anheuser-Busch board carefully and thoroughly examined all aspects of your proposal with the assistance of independent advisers.

The board unanimously concluded your proposal is inadequate and not in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch shareholders. In reaching this conclusion, the board considered the advice of its independent financial advisers.

The Anheuser-Busch board believes that your proposed price substantially undervalues Anheuser-Busch, its key assets and its prospects, among them:

Premier, iconic brands – Anheuser-Busch has built coveted, highly valued brands over the past 150 years. Budweiser and Bud Light are among the top 10 global consumer brands and are supported by valuable marketing properties. Bud Light is the largest?selling beer brand in the world and Budweiser is the second-largest. These brands have strong consumer loyalty. Recent change of control acquisitions of other major consumer product companies with iconic brands have been valued at much higher multiples than what you have proposed for Anheuser-Busch shareholders.

Market leader position – The strength of these brands and the close relationship the company has with its wholesalers have made Anheuser-Busch the U.S. market leader with almost 50 percent share in the world’s most-profitable beer market. In sheer size, the United States is the world’s second-largest beer market and continues to grow.

Growing international partners – Anheuser-Busch has large, strategic investments in two international brewers in important growth markets. We hold a 50 percent direct and indirect interest in Grupo Modelo, the leading brewer in Mexico, another very profitable beer market. Modelo also has a strong, growing business in the United States. We hold a 27 percent interest in Tsingtao, the leading premium beer and one of the largest brewers in China, which is the largest and fastest-growing beer market in the world.

Global brand business – Budweiser is a leading global brand, sold in 80 countries around the world, and is the largest-selling beer in Canada. Budweiser is the leading international brand in China, the world’s largest and fastest-growing beer market. We own our Budweiser brewery in India and recently entered Vietnam. We see strong growth for Budweiser in Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay and other Latin American markets.

Accelerated Earnings Growth – Our company already has developed a detailed, accelerated earnings growth plan that 1.) expands our cost initiative through an enhanced productivity plan that we refer to as the Blue Ocean effort to deliver more than $750 million in savings through 2009 and $1 billion in savings through 2010, while furthering environmental sustainability; 2.) extends the strong revenue growth from our brands that we’ve seen over the past five years; and 3.) drives additional volume growth for core brands through new consumer opportunities and for our successful, higher-margin new products.

Anheuser-Busch’s beer brand building expertise is an asset without comparison. Our brands sell in countries around the world and are sought by consumers everywhere. Our award?winning advertising, U.S. and global sponsorships and superior-quality image are second to none.

As you state in your letter, there is limited overlap in our respective businesses. Many of the suggested synergies seem not to be synergies at all, but are instead profit enhancements. We believe that we can deliver similar enhancements to our shareholders independent of a transaction, and have included these enhancements in our accelerated earnings growth plan.

From your standpoint, we see that now could be opportunistic timing for you to make this acquisition, given the weak U.S. dollar and sluggish U.S. stock market. From the standpoint of the Anheuser-Busch shareholder, however, a transaction with InBev at this time would mean foregoing the greater value obtainable from Anheuser-Busch’s strategic growth plan. We are convinced that pursuing our program will enable Anheuser-Busch shareholders, rather than InBev shareholders, to realize the inherent value of Anheuser-Busch.

While Anheuser-Busch pursues its plan, its board will continue to consider any strategic alternative that would be in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch shareholders. The board is open to consider any proposal that would provide full and certain value to Anheuser?Busch shareholders.

Our two companies know each other well and have a close dialogue and relationship. This has developed over the years through our joint agreements in the United States, Canada and South Korea and through our exploration of other joint business deals. As you say yourself, you dream big. We respect your desires to grow your company. But your growth should not come at the expense of our stockholders.

Very truly yours,




August A. Busch IV

cc: Board of Directors of InBev nv/sa



About Anheuser-Busch:

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.5 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country’s best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2008. Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

Anheuser-Busch Advisers

Goldman, Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Capital Markets Inc. and Moelis & Company are acting as financial advisers to Anheuser-Busch. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as legal adviser to Anheuser-Busch.

Conference Call

Anheuser-Busch will conduct a conference call with investors to discuss its rejection of the InBev proposal and its plan for accelerated earnings growth at 7:30 a.m. Central Time on June 27. The company will broadcast the conference call live via the Internet. For details, visit the company’s site on the Internet at www.anheuser-busch.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding the company’s expectations concerning its future operations, earnings and prospects. On the date the forward-looking statements are made, the statements represent the company’s expectations, but the company’s expectations concerning its future operations, earnings and prospects may change. The company’s expectations involve risks and uncertainties (both favorable and unfavorable) and are based on many assumptions that the company believes to be reasonable, but such assumptions may ultimately prove to be inaccurate or incomplete, in whole or in part.

Accordingly, there can be no assurances that the company’s expectations and the forward-looking statements will be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ (favorably or unfavorably) from the expectations stated in this release include, among others, changes in the pricing environment for the company’s products; changes in U.S. demand for malt beverage products, including changes in U.S. demand for other alcohol beverages; changes in consumer preference for the company’s malt beverage products; changes in the distribution for the company’s malt beverage products; changes in the cost of marketing the company’s malt beverage products; regulatory or legislative changes, including changes in beer excise taxes at either the federal or state level and changes in income taxes; changes in the litigation to which the company is a party; changes in raw materials prices; changes in packaging materials costs; changes in energy costs; changes in the financial condition of the company's suppliers; changes in interest rates; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; unusual weather conditions that could impact beer consumption in the U.S.; changes in attendance and consumer spending patterns for the company’s theme park operations; changes in demand for aluminum beverage containers; changes in the company’s international beer business or in the beer business of the company’s international equity partners; changes in the economies of the countries in which the company, its international beer business or its international equity partners operate; future acquisitions or divestitures by the company, including effects on its credit rating; changes resulting from transactions among the company’s global or domestic competitors; and the effect of stock market conditions on the company’s share repurchase program. Anheuser-Busch disclaims any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors concerning the company can be found in the company’s most recent Form 10-K