One Week New

she likes to suck on her hands.

i love her hair, it's so soft :)

wide awake with her blue eyes. one week new.

sweet little feet.

love how her feet are curled together. she did that herself. 6 days new.

Tuesday Ziana turned one week old. She is such a sweetie little girlie. Here are some things about her now that she's one week old.

• When we came home from the hospital she just started drinking 2oz, now she drinks 4oz!






• She doesn't fit in newborn diapers anymore...size 1






• She doesn't fit in mostly all her newborn sized clothes...good thing I didn't buy too many, and the ones I did I got for cheap.






• She loves to be warm and wrapped up in the bigger blankets, cries when she's cold.






• At night she normally goes back to sleep after her feeding...sometimes fusses a bit. Most of the nights she has gone 4 hours between feedings. 3 hours during the day.






• When she wants to eat, she wants it NOW!






• Her cord fell off yesterday, I don't think it was quite ready to as it's scabbed back over.






• Her skin is starting to crack, especially around her ankle area.






• I noticed that she has a large "stork bite" on the back, middle part of her head under her hair. '






• She loves her pacifier...and sucking on her hands.
• She gets the hiccups quite abit, sometimes before she even eats.

.

The Newest Drama Queen...

ZIANA ANGELINA!!!

She was born on tuesday, November 11. Weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She has dark blue eyes and a ton of jet black hair!! We are so happy to have her healthy and at home :) I had to say she was the newest drama queen because after she was born she cried for quite awhile...definitely a girl ;) I hope to update more later, but for now it's just about time for her to eat.

One day old. Wide awake and taking it all in.

She was born with a birthmark on her left leg. It kinda looks like a star. Three of the kids were born with birthmarks, yet each one has a different kind of birthmark.

Look at all that black hair!!

Laying in mom's hospital bed...asleep and peaceful. Hours old.

IT'S AMAZING!!

Went to my doctor visit today. NST first...baby did great and sounded good. No fluid check since it was done on friday and I was already scheduled for induction.
My midwife asked if I've had any contractions. I said "not today, but yesterday I did." She said she had thought about me all weekend and was sending labor vibes to me :)
Had to get undressed from the waist down (I think it's funny when they say that) and she checked me. She had to do a little reaching, but not as much as last time. She said "oh, it's alot better!" I said "it is?" She said she couldn't believe it, but I was DILATED TO 3!!! Whoo hoo!!!
That's GREAT news...it means no cervidal!!
So, I get to go in bright and early...ok, I know it's not going to be close to bright out, but it's going to be EARLY, and start Pitocin. Yay!! No laying in bed for 12+ hours for the cervidal to kick in :)
She said hopefully we can have a baby by noon!! Wow, that would be great!!
So I'm EXCITED and exhausted...must go to bed soon. It works out great that Angela is off of work the next 2 days and can be here with the kids :)
Now I need to finish getting my bag packed.
And if my aunt happens to be reading this tonight...I will call you in the morning after we have gotten settled in and the sun is up ;)
YAY!!

Due Date...

came and went yesterday with no action going on. No surprise there.
Last friday I had my NST/doc visit. Baby's fluid was great (16.), highest it's been since they started keeping track of it. Her heartrate was 141. No contractions or anything on the monitor. The midwife came in to see me and she said she wanted to check me for any progress.
Whoa! That was a little painful!! I was thinking that my cervix must be located at the back of my throat with all the reaching she had to try and do! Nope...just very far back and no progress going on.
Surprise.
So, she called the hospital and made me a reservation.
Very early in the morning, I might add!
But at least there is an end in sight :)
I'm getting ready to go see her in about an hour and a half, and check to see if there's ANY sign of some kind of progress. I only hope!! I had a few contractions yesterday, but that's about it.
Well, gotta run...kids are out of school in 25 minutes and I need to finish getting ready!
I hope to update after my appointment.

Still Here :)

Thought I would just do a quick post saying that I'm still here...pregnant and ready to pop (as people keep telling me).
I had my NST/fluid check on monday. This week is pretty screwed up since I was in the hospital last week.
I was supposed to have my NST/fluid check on fri, but when I got there I was informed that it was canceled. That's nice to know. I do have 4 other kids that need someone to watch them while I'm gone. That really irritated me that no one called or anything.
So it was rescheduled for monday. But that's the day that my midwife isn't there...I normally see her the beginning of the week and then have just the NST/fluid check later in the week. Not this week. Which is a bummer.
Baby had enough fluid (10.something), so that was good to hear. She was sucking on her hand and her knee was almost up to her face...definitely getting cramped in there!!
The NST went well. She did have to be buzzed once and I had one contraction. That's about it.
I go on friday to see the midwife. This week has already seemed so long, since everything is spread out. I'm hoping to stay pregnant throught the weekend and then after that the baby can come ;)
We have been getting alot done in baby's room, but still have some to do. Hopefully get most of it finished tonight. Who knows.

Daxton has been giving me a hard time since the time change. Been tough getting him to last until 3 for his usual naptime!! Plus he's had a bit of a cold, so he hasn't been the happiest camper.
In other news, I'm FINALLY getting his thank you cards and pictures sent out...only a couple months later!! I've been terrible and doing the kind of stuff. I'm ordering Xavier and Xandria's pictures (finally!), so once I get those back, I will send out their thank you cards. I'm glad I've had this extra time since I was in the hospital to get some things (and LOTS and LOTS of laundry) done!!
That's all for now! Oh...and I'm SO ECSTATIC that I made it through yesterday with the baby still inside ;)

Halloween Costumes...

Daxton as a shark. Someone commented "Land Shark!" :)

Drake as the Red Power Ranger. With his numchucks (sp). It was funny that when he first got them, he was so excited to get them out of the package, that he snipped the string that held them together instead of the string that kept them in the box, so Daddy fixed them. :)

Xandria the Monster Bride. She did complain that people weren't going crazy about her costume, like they did with Daxton's. I told her it's because he's a little guy. She's so funny. We had a hard time finding her a costume.

Xavier knew what he wanted right away. Since he's obsessed with Star Wars, it was only obvious he was going to be someone from it. He was Boba Fett.

The group shot. These were taken at the All Hallow's Eve Festival we went to the week before Halloween.

Drake was terrified of a kid there that was wearing a scary clown costume. Of course that kid seemed to be everywhere we were, so Drake would run off and hide behind someone :)

The Day I Came ThisClose To Having Baby...

that would be yesterday. It started with going to my 2pm doc appointment. The place was packed, so I had to wait about 20 minutes.
I was called back...stop at the scale (still 1 pound under my "Daxton delivery weight") then back to the ultrasound room to measure the baby's fluid. Her heartrate was 130 (normal) and she had her arm across her face (of course).
While the tech was measuring the fluid I could tell she wasn't finding a whole lot, and I saw it said 6.6 on the screen. Yea, I knew that was low. She said the baby looked good, and when we finished she said she would be thinking of me and hoping I have the baby soon.
Off to the NST room where I was hooked up to the monitors. Sat there for a few minutes and the lady came back to check on things...said it looked like i had a contraction and did I feel it? Not really. Then she was saying how baby was looking too comfortable in there and would need a buzz to get some movement on the monitor. So, she buzzed the baby in two different spots. It startled baby, but didn't do too much, the lady said we would just wait and see how it went.
Just after she walked out, one of the other NST techs (I don't know what their job title is, so I will just go with that) came in. She didn't realize someone had just been in. She looked over the printout and said the baby was having variables in the heartrate (going down), but she said it was coming right back up. She had me turn on my side so maybe that would help out. She left for a few minutes and came back.
Sh looked at the monitor printout and said it looked like baby needed to be buzzed. I said "Again already?" She said "oh it does say you were already buzzed. Have you eaten anything recently?" I told her I had just had a candy bar before I came. She thought maybe water would help get the baby moving, so while I drank the water, she grabbed my chart to look it over.
She noticed the fluid was down from 14 on fri to 6 now on tuesday. She said that was probably the reason the baby wasn't too active (low fluid). She saw that I was 38weeks and 2days so she tells me that I will probably get sent right over. Umm...right over where??? TO THE HOSPITAL!!
WHAT?! That made me just a bit nervous!! Just a bit!
She unhooked me and sent me to the room to wait for my midwife. I had to get undressed from the waist down so I could be checked for any progress.
I sent Nick a text saying "today might be baby day."
Finally, my midwife comes in. She asked if I had been leaking any fluid. I told her that I was pretty sure I wasn't. She said she would test to make sure I wasn't. It was negative for fluid. She also checked my cervix for any progress. There was none. Still long and closed.
She told me that since my fluid level was quite low I was most likely going to the hospital. She had to talk with the on-call doc to get his opinion.
She came back in to tell me that he had STRONGLY suggested (about 4 times) that I go to the hospital, be given an IV and cervadil (sp) placed on my cervix to get it ripe for labor!
Yes, that meant I was going to be induced!!
WHOA!! I was not ready for all that on what I thought was a typical doctor visit!! She told me I was to go right over to Labor and Delivery.
Well, I didn't go RIGHT there...I stopped to get the older 2 from school daycare and fill them in on what was going on. Thank God Angela was at my house with the younger 2 and didn't have to work that night!!
So, I got to the hospital about 4:25. Of course you have to sign a bunch of papers and answer questions. The lady came in with the IV and all I could think was Nick better be here before she does that (I hate the IV!!). Luckily, he arrived just in time!
The cervidal was put in at 5:55pm. I couldn't get up to go to the bathroom for an hour. It's supposed to stay in for 12 hours.
The time was going by pretty fast...my aunt stopped by for a couple hours, so that made it go by faster. Plus I wasn't in pain, so I could talk. Nick and I went to sleep about midnight. Well, at least he did. I tried...and tried. Of course that's when contractions started. They weren't "grip the bed, I can't take it" contractions though. But they were coming 2-3 minutes apart.
The nurse came in and checked on me and was surprised to see them so consistent and said that maybe one dose of cervidal was all I would need.
I could NOT sleep, so just after 2am, she gave me a sleeping pill and I was out after that.
She came in around 6am and took out the cervidal and checked my cervix. She said it was at 1. She told me the midwife on call would come in about 7 or so and we would see what step would be taken next.
She came in just before 8.
She told me that since I wasn't active in labor, we would go have a fluid check to see if the fluid had gone up any. If it was still low, we would continue with the induction. If it was up, then I could probably go home, since I was still 2 weeks away from 40 weeks and there would really be no reason to continue the induction, since the problem would be solved.
Also, being that I was still 2 weeks away from being 40 weeks, induction time would probably take longer.
So, off to ultrasound. The fluid was now up to 10. And baby had been looking great all night on the monitors.
She told me the decision would be mine, but she recommended going home and waiting for nature to kick in or til I'm farther along to induce.
I called Nick (he had taken kids to school) and told him what was up and our choices.
We both decided that I would go home. It was somewhat a letdown, since I had accepted that I was having this baby, but at the same time...I had things to get done still!! And as long as the baby is doing well...which she is...we can wait for her arrival.
The kids were pretty bummed out (especially because Xandria was going to be spending the night at Angela's tonight, lol), but the baby will be here soon enough!!

Wow, that was alot of typing! But I wanted to have it all down :)

A Halloween Baby...

probably isn't going to happen. Unless, it happens on it's own. Tuesday was my 37 week appointment and we discussed induction dates and I was saying how I would love to have a Halloween baby. She was all for it, but had to check and see how far along I would be (have to be 39 weeks), of course I was 2 days short of 39 weeks. Oh well. I don't think I would be ready by then anyway...will I ever be ;)
I had my fluid check and NST before I saw the midwife. All was good :) No contractions. Measuring right on. Baby girl did have to be buzzed awake...twice! I know it's because she kept me up when I was trying to go to sleep the night before!! I don't know what it is with her and monday nights!! My lab results were back and there was no Group B Strep so that's good news! After we talked about Halloween, she looked on the calendar as to when she will be on call and said "what about Nov. 4?" WHAT?! NO!!! I told her that was the ONE day I absolutely was not going to have this baby!! It's my sister's birthday. And it can stay just that. She mentioned the 7th, but we didn't decide on anything. We'll see what happens. I just can't believe it's SO CLOSE!!!
And there's so much to still get done first! I got all the clothes washed last night, so I feel a little better about that.
Here are some pics that I took at the apple orchard by our house sunday. Daxton studying his apple. About the one and only time he actually sat still! Sigh...he's ALL about getting around and doing his own thing now :(

He LOVES the red apples the best!!

Helping Daddy pluck the apples off the tree. He managed to get this one pulled off.

I don't think I'm ever going to get a decent group shot of the kids again. This was the best I got and I had to crop it because someone's underpants was showing, lol.

I had my NST/fluid check today. Baby has enough fluid and was practicing her breathing again. That's so cool to see. Couldn't see her face really...just mainly the top back of her head, which the tech commented on "wow, she has alot of hair!" She did great on the NST...didn't need to be buzzed.

Munching on some of Daddy's apple.

Drake ate so many apples, I lost track. Of course he didn't completely finish each one. He would eat a strip or two around the whole apple, then toss it. He always had two apples in his hand at a time :)Xavier was on the hunt for the different kinds of apples and making us try them. Toots in the apple tree.

Doctor Visit and other happenings...

from last week. Tuesday was the growth ultrasound/NST/doctor visit. Gained 2 pounds, putting me at the weight I was when I delivered Daxton. Baby girl, still head down and had her arms across her face. The girl must be camera shy! She was looking good there...had her little legs crossed at the ankles :)
After the tech had all the measurements, she was able to figure out her weight. It was 6lbs 9oz. They say give or take 1/2 lb to 1lb. Baby's supposed to gain half a pound a week, so that would put her at roughly 8lbs 9oz if she came full term! If that was the case, she would be the biggest one yet...Drake's been the biggest so far, weighing 8lbs 80z at birth.
My fluid level was 10.2, so not too bad at all.
The results of my Group B Strep came back negative! But, that also happened last time...it wasn't until my urine was tested that it showed up in that, so she said to go to the lab at my next appt to have the urine tested.
The NST went fine. Baby was moving like crazy! I had some small contractions, but that was about it.

I had to go back friday for the NST/fluid check. Funny, that I was down 3 pounds, though I hadn't really eaten much yet. I'm sure it will be back up when I go back! Baby looked good on the screen and was pretty much positioned the same as last time. This time during the NST she had to be buzzed awake. It was funny, right went the buzzer went on she jumped! I was just telling Nick on tuesday at the NST that the baby has never had to be buzzed awake...this time she did! I know it was because she had kept me up the night before and was probably tired.
Thursday night was HORRIBLE!! She was moving like CRAZY when I was trying to go to sleep, which doesn't usually happen...plus the top of my uterus has been really bothering me lately. Feels like it's being stretched and pulled. Not very comfortable!!
On top of it, I've been SO EXHAUSTED lately and have had to take little naps when I get the chance. I told Nick last week, that it already felt like I had a newborn with the little sleep I was getting and being so exhausted. He had to let me know that's nature's way of getting me prepared.
Sorry, but I don't want to get prepared in that department!!

Yesterday we went to the apple orchard. It's about 20 or so minutes away. We were all excited to go apple picking! Yea. Well. We pulled up and the place was as busy as can be, BUT we noticed the lines for the tractors to take you picking weren't that busy. That was a good thing!

Or so we thought. We got parked and walked over...then noticed the sign saying that there was only pumpkin picking, NOT apple picking!!
The apples were done, except for some that picking starting on the 31st. Ugh. That sucked. Bad!

We did manage to get into the big barn, before the line was too big and get some apples, warm donuts and fudge, so it wasn't a complete waste ;)

There is a smaller apple orchard down the road from our house, so we drove back and went there. It was nice because there wasn't many people there, but their apples are more expensive and not quite as good. We ate LOTS of apples and had alot of fun. We came home with a bag full from there as well!

Nick and Drake really like the yellow apples best. I gave Daxton a small one of those. He didn't really get much of it in his mouth...just some teeth marks. Nick let him have some of his since the skin was already broken. He ate some...but once we gave him a red apple he went to town!!! He had the juice running all over him and Nick! He ate that whole thing COMPLETELY!! So, he obviously prefers the red apples!!

Well, that's all I have time for now...and my back is KILLING me!! I'm off to the doctor's again tomorrow. Twice a week from now on. Only 3 weeks left!!!

I have to get pictures posted SOON...don't let me forget ;)

Lots Going On

Wow, the past week has been a BUSY one!! I guess I can start with last week's doctor visit/NST. Tuesday was my appointment. Stepped on scale and was happy to see that no weight was gained :) Headed off to ultrasound to check fluid. Baby still head down...smashed up to the placenta. She was moving, moving! Her heartrate was 157. Only got one picture, not a very good one, but she's yawning in it. She must be a tired girl because that's the second photo I've gotten of her yawning :) She was also practicing her breathing.
After ultrasound, it was off to sit in the chair for the Non Stress Test for 20 minutes. This time I was checked on frequently and not forgotten about! No contractions and baby sounded good.
Time to go in the room and wait for the midwife. She came in and told me that everything looked good with the NST, but the baby's fluid was a little on the low end (9.7), but it wasn't bad.

The pants had to come off so I could be swabbed for Group B Strep. I have tested negative with the first 3 babies, but with Daxton the results were positive, so I was given antibiotics prior to his birth. It's not harmful at all to moms (and they don't know how you get it), but it can be harmful to babies if they pass through the birth canal and their mom's haven't been treated.
I could test negative this time, but was told that it will probably be positive.

The midwife also checked my cervix to see if anything was going on. Nope...still tightly closed. Just how I would like to keep it for a few weeks!! We talked about a "birth plan". Which basically consists of EPIDURAL, EPIDURAL, EPIDURAL :) Seriously though, that's about the only time I dilate. I can have painful contractions forever and not have any progress, until I get the epidural. Then I go QUICKLY!! That's when my body can finally relax and do what it's supposed to. I'm the one who gets in the way of it happening apparently.

She said we could probably plan an induction date. Which would be A-Ok with me. Makes things easier in general. Especially with the other kids. She said I would have to be 39 weeks and my cervix would have to be favorable. I can handle that! I'm not a fan of Pitocin, but I just think: EPIDURAL, EPIDURAL, EPIDURAL! With my other pregnancies I have been induced due to different reasons and the one time my water did break (with Xandria at 3am), I ended up having to have Pitocin later because labor had slowed down after a period of time.

So, we will see how it goes and if happens on it's own than GREAT, if not that will be fine too. I'm getting more nervous and excited as each day goes by!!

I'm off to the doctor again tomorrow. I will have the NST and also a growth ultrasound. We will see how the baby is growing and all that, so it's not just a fluid check. I'm excited to get to see her again.

Other things that went on this past week...real quick, cuz I need some peace and quiet before I'm headed off to bed...it's been a long, tiring day!

• Last sunday we had X and X's birthday party at the skating rink. It turned out to be alot of fun and everyone had a great time :)
• Thursday was a nice day with the kids, they didn't have school. We went out to eat at Beef A Roo and talked and everyone behaved so well :) Then we stopped at Target to get some things. Drake and Toots killing each other over opening the car door when we left :(
• Friday afternoon I took X and X to meet up with Heather for their birthday pictures. The kids actually had fun doing it and we got ice cream afterwards. The youngest two were with Angela, so that was helpful! I can't wait to see how their photos turned out!!
• Friday night we had a surprise birthday party for Nick! He turned 30 today! He didn't have the slightest idea and was definitely surprised...even though there was a couple things that I thought might have tipped him off!! His face was priceless and I'm so glad we did that for him!! His dad, Theresa and Christina are the ones who put it all together for me. :)
• Saturday we got to have an alone day!! The older kids were with my parents and my aunt stayed with Daxton (thank you!). My aunt even got some of my laundry done, which was a GREAT surprise!! Nick and I went to Spring Hill Mall and picked up a couple things...went to the gambling boat in Elgin to eat at the buffet and do a lil gambling...came back to Rockford and the two of us went and played pool. I was nervous about going to play pool...I never have and I have social anxiety in new places, but it was SO NICE and I'm SO GLAD we did!! We had a GREAT day and it was DEFINITELY needed!!!!
• Sunday (yesterday) we took the kids to Midway Village for the annual Scarecrow Festival. You go and make scarecrows. It was fun, though it was like 80 degrees out. Then we headed to Red Robin to eat and sit in the much needed air conditioning!!
• Today the kids and I went with Angela to Lockwood Park for Pumpkin Patch Day. Since kids were out of school due to Columbus Day, they had activities and games set up for them to play and do. It was nice, but there was so many damn bees!! I swear there was 3-4 on or around the stroller at all times!! Luckily, none of us got stung. Since today is Nick's actual birthday we got him a cookie cake and went to Happy Joe's to eat supper.

Well, that's all I have for now. WOW, that was sure ALOT! I plan on posting pictures of things I listed soon. Also, our little Daxton is officially toddling around. Just in the past week, week and a half, he's REALLY taken off with his walking! I think that is now his main mode of transport! He looks so cute doing it :)

If You Drink ALOT of Water...

your baby will have more amniotic fluid!! Had my doctor/nst appointment on wednesday. Gained 1 1/2 pounds. The ultrasound was first. The tech did all the measurements...I didn't get to see the baby for very long because there was someone else out in the waiting room having a fit because they were told to come in with a full bladder, and I guess she just couldn't wait...though the tech told me it was still 10 minutes before her appointment time. Grr. Oh well, I will get to see the baby again next week.
After the ultrasound, I was hooked up to the Non Stress Test machine. It was supposed to be for 20 minutes, but I was definitely forgotten about! I was in there for about 40 minutes before the midwife came in. It was nice to have some peace and quiet and read, but by then I REALLY had to go to the bathroom!!
The midwife said that drinking so much water helped the baby out tremendously as my fluid was at 10! Yay!! She asked if I felt any contractions and I said "No." Then she showed me on the paper that I had had some. I was shocked!! Didn't feel them. I was telling her that I definitely wasn't ready for the baby to come anytime soon and she asked if I was ever really ready for it and of course I never am :) I told her 40 weeks would be just fine for me, and she said that you never know, especially since it was just last year that I had a baby. EEK! I haven't planned for anything earlier than 40 weeks...I hope baby can hold out.
So, I will continue to go every week and have the fluid check and NST until the baby does come.

In other news...we have no heat. So that makes the house between 63-64 degrees. Fun. I noticed on wednesday that it wasn't working. The heating guy came and when he went to open up the heater (whatever it's called) water came pouring out. Yea, not a good thing!! So we have had to let it dry out. Not sure when he's supposed to be back again...hopefully soon!

Tomorrow we are having Xavier and Xandria's birthday party. It's going to be at the skating rink. Too bad I won't be able to roller skate! I love skating! Funny that last time we had their party there...4 years ago, I was pregnant then and couldn't skate either! Xavier is now 11 and Xandria is now 7. Really, WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?!
I hope to do a post on them soon...for now I need to go get ready. I'm having my maternity pictures taken today. I really hate having my pictures taken, but I figured I might as well get them done...I wish I would of had them done with the others...even though my face is fat and my butt is huge ;)

34 Week Baby Update

Last friday was my 34 week doctor appointment. Getting close!! Anyway, shortly before the appointment I was walking down the stairs and slipped on Xandria's doll shoes that I of course couldn't see due to the belly! I slipped down a few steps on my butt (those extra pounds in that area helped me out!), but caught myself. I didn't have any pain...just my left side felt a little achy. I sent Nick a message about it and he said at least I was going to the doctor, so I would let her know.
So, I went to my appointment...got weighed...gained 3 pounds...did the urine and waited for my midwife to come in. She comes in and asks how I was doing. I said "good, but I did slip down a few stairs before coming here, but I feel okay." Right away she's says "well we have to do testing" and leaves the room. Wow, ok. So, I was off for a Non Stress Test. It's where they put straps around your belly to measure the baby's heartrate and movement and also to see if you are having any contractions. I had to be on it for 20 minutes. The baby was active the whole time :) She had been moving before I went to the doctor also, so that was good! After the NST, I had a quick ultrasound to check on everything. Baby was still head down...and had her arms crossed over her face. Heartrate was 157, so that was good. The tech told me that baby has alot of hair (see pic below). Yay!! I was excited to hear that :) Now I will be able to put the hair bows to good use! She finished up the ultrasound by checking the kidneys and fluid level.
I went back to the room and waited for my midwife to come in. She came and told me everything looked good...except the amniotic fluid level. It was low, 7.7. Oh. She asked if I've had any leaking and I said "no." Asked if I was drinking enough water and I told her I had been drinking alot more of it lately...I even had a bottle with me that was almost gone. She said that I will need to drink as much water as possible and if the fluid was low again I would have to go to the hospital and be hooked up to an IV. That's obviously not what I want to do, so I have been drinking water more and more and hoping that the fluid level will be up!! I have to have it checked every week now. When she did the measurement with the tape measure on my belly, baby was right on with the growth :) Tomorrow I go to the doctor and on friday I go for another NST/ultrasound to see where it's at. Praying that it goes up and we can keep this baby in until 40 weeks. I know full term is 37 weeks, but hey, I need all the time I can get to prepare!!

32 Week Appointment

Last tuesday I had my 32 week ultrasound/midwife appointment. I was so excited to have another ultrasound! Unfortunately, I wasn't very excited when I saw who would be doing my ultrasound. She has a very thick accent (making it hard to understand her) and she's not very talkative or interested in making it fun. We brought Drake with, so he could get a better idea of his baby sister inside me...but with her, it was a bummer. I had to try and describe everything on the screen to him.
Anyways...the baby looked great (yay!) and she is in the head down position. The baby is still a she...which is good news considering the clothes and things I have bought!! She weighed 4lbs and we were told she will be in the low 8 pound area...no surprise there!
We were trying to get a good face shot, but her face was lying right next to the placenta, so not much luck. I wanted to know if she had alot of hair, but we couldn't see that either thanks to her snuggling with the placenta. Oh well. All that matters is her health and that she's growing properly.
Of course just before the ultrasound was over, my midwife got called to a delivery. I had to wait to see the other midwife...which ended up being an hour! That sucked, but I could understand.
She told me everything was looking good and asked if I was having any problems. Just back pain. Not much you can do about that though. I was excited that I had only gained 2lbs in 2 weeks :) I REALLY don't need to gain anymore weight, though I know it's going to happen.
Well, gotta get the kids and things together and we are off to Xandria's gymnastics class!

More From the Renaissance Fair...

Can you imagine wearing all this in the sweltering heat?? I tried to get a picture of the kids standing by him, but oddly enough, no one wanted to. I wonder why?
We stopped this guy perched on top of a little house.
The kids tried archery and weren't too bad at it.

At first Drake didn't want to ride the camel, but sister bribed him with the promise of a dollar...and the black car she has from the Cars movie. She paid him the dollar right when we got home, but must of forgotten about the car. He didn't. A couple days ago he came to me and showed me the black car saying he found it in her drawer :) He wasn't going to forget!

Renaissance Fair

We took the kids to the Bristol Renaissance Fair in Kenosha, WI last sunday. Since it was their last weekend they are open for the year, adults were $15 and kids were free...which is good, because just about everything inside costs you!
This was our 2nd time going, last time was 2 years ago I think. This time I think there was triple the amount of people, but it's SO BIG inside that it wasn't too bad. It was quite hot out though, but manageable.
I love walking around and seeing all the different outfits and characters. Oh and the turkey legs are a plus! I could use a cage like this at home, except the holes couldn't be that big...they would crawl out ;)
Watching my gang on this ride cracked me up...Xavier's face is priceless, he could of sworn him and Drake were going to fall out! Nick had to pull the rope to make it go...and he didn't hold back! *click on pic for full effect*
Xandria picked a unicorn to be painted on her cheek. It literally took the guy about 3 minutes to do it.
Group shot on a bench that says "Imagine" on it.
Another shot of all 4 kids :)

First Day of School 2008

Tuesday was the first day back at school for the older two. Xandria had been looking forward to going back to school for a long time! Xavier was moaning he didn't want to go back, but I think he was looking forward to it also. They were both excited to wear their new shoes...Xandria got some that are made by Pastry and Xavier of course, had to get DC's. I remember when Jordans were the cool shoes, but no, Xavier had to have DC's.

Everyone got up quickly...even Nick, to my surprise! They got dressed and had to stand on the front porch for the annual "1st Day of School" picture :) I didn't have my contacts in, so they turned out a little blurry.

Nick takes them to school, and it's back to bed for me until the younger two wake up...I'm NOT a morning person!

Xandria has the same teacher Xavier had when he was in 1st grade, so that's pretty neat. Xavier gets to have a locker this year in 5th grade and was happy he got a top one.

Here's to hoping for a great, stress free school year!!

So, it's just me and the 2 little boys at home (until our new lil miss comes), so I'm trying to enjoy them and spend extra time with them. I do have to say how amazingly QUIET it is around here!! No bickering, whining or complaining...except when Daxton needs a diaper change!

Their first day at school Drake was saying he missed them and was ready to pick them up. It is a big change and I miss them...but I'm also enjoying the peace ;)

Tonight we have Open House. Well, gotta run!

Things That Have Made Me Happy In The Past Week

I thought I would write these things down, since it's been a really good week this past week. They aren't in any particular order...just whatever comes to my mind first.

• Having a great time at Daxton's 1st birthday party and our friends and family being here with us.
• Having the Merry Maids come clean the bathrooms, living room, dining room and kitchen the day before the party!! Huge relief and felt SO GOOD to have someone do all the stuff I haven't been able to get to...the floors and showers!!
• My husband busting his butt to get the things done around here that I wanted him to and making our house look that much nicer! Who cares that he didn't get my pictures that we had printed out hung up ;)
• Watching Daxton devoure his cake!
• Having leftover pork sandwiches and potato salad my aunt made!
• Having leftover cake! This is a HUGE thing for me! I LOVE my cake and frosting from By The Dozen Bakery!
• Staying up WAY too late sunday night, lying in bed talking to Nick about Daxton's birthday and everything.
• Having Heather come and take pictures of the party, so I didn't have to worry about picking up the camera at all!
• Xavier staying up the night before the party to help me decorate.
• Drake being so lovey and sweet to everyone at the party...especially my grandma...he even asked her if she loved him. Melt my heart.
• Being told I don't look like this is my 5th baby by 4 guys in an elevator at the doctor's. Ha ha!
• Being told by the doctor that the baby sounds great and things are going well with the pregnancy.
• Our new 2008 Suburban. Ok, technically we got it a couple weeks ago, but everytime I get in it I am in love with it all over again! With a sunroof, heated leather seats, remote start, automatic back door, lots more cargo room, DVD player for the kids, seperate heat/ac in the 4 seats, navigation, back up camera, OnStar, XM radio, and other things, who wouldn't love it?!
• Seeing the "hole" in Toots' mouth from where her first tooth fell out two days ago.
• Spending the day just Toots and I @ a Paint and Fun store painting. Our little outing, just her and I before school starts next week. I painted a big carriage plaque and she painted a smaller one and also a box with a horse on it.
• Watching Toots have a HUGE grin on her face when we all went to watch her at her new gymnastics class last night. She LOVES that class...even more than ballet, she says.
• Angela watching Xandria and Drake today (Xavier was with his grandpa), so I could get some much needed picking up and freezer cleaning done while Daxton napped today. Aah the peace and quiet was nice!
• Nick taking me to Red Lobster tuesday night, because after I watched Jon&Kate Plus 8 the night before, I was dying for crab legs!
• Crunchy bacon...what I've been craving lately.

I know there are more, but time's run out for me. There are some things I'm happily looking forward to...going to Gurnee, going to the Renaissance Fair, and enjoying a long weekend with Nick and the kids before they go back to school on tuesday

More pics from Daxton's first year

showing his lil toof bud poking through @ 9months

Here are some more photos from Daxton's first year. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that he's ONE YEAR OLD!! He still looks like my lil baby to me. Yea, it's going to definitely take some getting used to.

We had his birthday party yesterday here at home. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. He had a monkey theme party, so there were monkeys hanging out in different spots. He had a blast, and didn't get cranky at all. I think he enjoyed seeing everyone. When it came time for his cake, he was a little slow at the start...I think it was from everyone standing around watching him. He's not used to having an audience when he eats! Didn't get a chance to do the candle, as soon as he spotted the cake, he wanted it! We did do the candle on his actual birthday, so that's ok.

Anyway, once he was warmed up enough, he dug RIGHT into his cake...not holding back!! WOW did he eat and eat it!! Or should I say shovel and shovel it in!! He kept making "mmmm" noises which were so funny :) When the cake was just about all gone, he decided he would just bend down and stick his face in it! TOO FUNNY!! Sadly, there came a time when the cake was all gone...he even picked up the plate to make sure! I could NOT believe he devoured that WHOLE cake...not much ended up anywhere other than in his mouth, though don't get me wrong, he was covered in frosting!!! It was definitely very entertaining to watch!!

He was whisked away right to the bath :)

Daxton had Daddy to help him open up his presents. I know one of his favorite gifts was one my parents got him...a SpongeBob furry blanket. Drake has a Cars one like it that Daxton LOVES...he crawls in Drake's room, right to his bed, grabs it and leaves the room with it! So, my dad thought he should have his own...when he pulled it out of the bag he held it to his face and didn't want to let go!!

He didn't have a nap at all yesterday and remained a happy guy until we put him to bed just a bit before his usual bedtime, and slept until after 11am today.

That's all for now...gotta run!

ONE YEAR AGO...

Seeing my new little man for the first time. Aww.
In Daddy's arms before we left the hospital.
Sporting his name on his hat that I got when he was still in my belly.
Not wanting to be stuck in the boppy pillow :)
Just learned to sit up by himself on my old blanket.

One year ago this little man entered our lives. And brought more joy and love into our lives. I honestly can not believe it has been a year. I remember when I had him I told myself I was going to enjoy each and every little thing and think I did that, but it's still gone by faster than I can imagine. And with each baby it seems to only go by faster :(

Anyway, yesterday he was officially a 1 year old. We gave him a cupcake with one candle on it (which Daddy helped him blow out) and he couldn't eat it fast enough!!He didn't care about the candle, he wanted the cupcake! He ate it ALL in record time and was looking for more!! I couldn't believe it at one point he just picked it up and SHOVED it into his mouth!! It was too funny!!

That's one thing that boy can do with great speed...EAT! And he eats by the handfulls!! Don't mess around with him and his food! My dad learned that the other night...he had given Drake a hot dog and turned his back to get something and when he turned around Daxton had half of it in his mouth...and it wasn't cut up! My dad was afraid he was going to choke, but knock on wood, that's something he hasn't done, no matter how much food he has shoved in his mouth!

Here's some photos of our sweet little Daxton from his 1st year.

I'm going to add more photos later...I ran out of time!

It Works!!

My internet is finally back up and running!! It's been a long week or so without it...when I've really needed to use it, of course! Luckily, I have a very persisent (and sweet) husband who was up until 2am messing with it...which still didn't work, but before he went to work he got it running. Yay!!
Anyway, for those of you wondering...Daxton's 1st birthday party is sunday the 24th @ 1pm. Just got the invites today in the mail (finally!!) and they will be going out tommorrow.
Hope to update more later...it's been a long time!