Puff... Puff... Put!

Today I had to fll my gas tank when I noticed the customer in front of me. He started to fill his gas tank then got into his car wearing a serious golfing shirt (family crest with golf clubs on it) & hat while carrying a packet of cigarettes. Once inside his car, he lit the cigarette & started smoking. Afterwards he got out of his car with the cigarette in his mouth & took the gas pump out of his car.

Now there's a couple of things wrong with this scenerio. First, why would a serious golfer smoke in the first place. Shouldn't you be concerned about your health if you want to enjoy it? Second, isn't it dangerous to dangle a lighted cigarette in front of gam pump in use? Just a thought!

I can honestly say I never understood the attraction to cigarettes or cigars. I have a few friends who smoke socially from time to time. Smoke has always bothered me but they're always cosiderate about trying to keep it away from me. Still... I like the idea of my friends being around for a long time to come so I worry. My hope is that my kids never start smoking.

Into the ditch you go!

I was driving to the doctor's today when the wind was blowing the snow drifts across the road. When I started to brake, the car kept going heading the semi also braking in front of me. Although I was a little worried for a moment, I turned into the turn lane where I ended up basically even with the truck. Luckily it was easily handled. It definately was the last thing I needed.

Then on the way home, I saw a family four-door car which had slid into the ditch on the side of the road. The snow covered it halfway up the driver's side door & just a few feet from the top of the trunk. The fire department was there & digging the car out. Meanwhile the person was trapped inside the car but appeared to be unharmed.

Snow drifts on the road can definately be dangerous out here.

The doctor is happy!

My IVF doctor said he was very happy with the way my gestational bleed decreased in size. It didn't go much (from measuring 22.9 to 22.2) but a little after a week of bedrest. My hubby & family thinks I should still be on bedrest for the most part so it continues to go decrease.

The baby did awesome today. We go an amazing 3D picture which my hubby will hopefully san later. We saw the baby's arms, fingers & legs. I joked how it muct be a boy since it was staring down into the nether regions. Yes, I know the sex won't develop until March but it doesn't matter since we're not finding out again. It really looked like a baby. Then it started 'doing a jig' as my hubby called it. It started moving it's arms side to side, up & down while moving it's legs up & down. It was like nothing we've ever seen before.

I'm still not sleeping well so I'll probably take a nap later as I'm falling asleep while sitting ... zzzzzzzzzz... zzzzzzzzzzzz... huh? Oh... um, night!

The Cold Within

It's strange how the frigid cold can get deep within your bones without a way to ease it quickly. After I returned from the doctor today, I got my things & got back into bed as instructed by my hubby. Now after being under the covers (fully clothed) plus a sweatshirt, the cold is still deep in my bones & I'm sitting here shivering. Maybe I should add another quilt...

Today is the day!

Hopefully we'll get good news today from the doctor about my gestational bleeding. Let's hope it goes down or at least stays the same. Either way, I'll still have to relax & need help taking care of our son. Gotta do what you gotta do, right?

Jumping high!

My nephew, P, is growing up so quickly! He loves his jumper & loves to jump high (below). You can see his smile beginning while he plays with his Laugh & Learning Puppy we bought for him for christmas (below). It's great to see him enjoying the toy. He's going to be so big when he visits in March when my sister, J, gets married. Hopefully I'll be able to hold him then.

Fresh & clean

After almost a week of bed rest, I was able to take my first shower today. I can't tell you how icky I felt beforehand!!!! Ugh. Anyhow, now I feel like a whole new person (still stuck in bed mind you) that's fresh & clean. My hubby & I are in agreement though that even if the doctor takes me off bedrest that someone else should watch our son while I rest as much as possible (which equates to as little standing as possible with no lifting anything whatsoever) for this coming week. We've gotten many offers of help to watch our son from a few friends & family during this time. Everyone is being so great. I wish there was another way. I miss my son but he does not like to sit still!

Today I watched a movie 'Mrs. Henderson Presents' which made me laugh out loud. Although the ending is serious & dramatic, you have to admire the main character's gumption & growth for her time. If you get the chance, give it a see & let me know what you think.

I'm still getting my progesterone shots twice a day. They're getting painful now with the little 'real estate' we have to work with. After ten to eleven weeks, we hopefully will go down to one shot daily until I'm 14 weeks along (which is about mid-March). By then, I should be showing (even if I've already outgrown my regular clothes).

Where's the pics?

Sorry for the lack of pictures but since Ive been on bed rest, I do not access to my pictures (previously taken) or anything exciting to take pictures of except our cat staying by my side without fail (with the exception of when we go to bed to when we get up). She's loving this time without being terrorozed by my son with all the cuddling she could ever want.

Chicken or cow?

This afternoon my son & hubby & I were playing with me while I was resting in bed. We were blowing up rubber cleaning gloves. I blew up & tied one glove, our son took it in his hand & proclaimed, "I got a chicken!" After playing with the 'chicken' for awhile, he handed it back to me asking, "Make me a cow?" I couldn't stop laughing because he thought it was so simple for me to make another animal. LOL Maybe after I should consider getting a clown degree so I can make different animals for my son.

Connected to the world

After being on bed rest most of the week (which also continues into next week), my father-in-law lent me his old laptop to use. It allows me to surf the internet, blog & play my Sims 2 game. It's not a computer meant for gaming so although my game runs slow, it does allow me to play it. That alone does help this endless boredom some.

My in-laws took care of our son most of the week at their home. The house was so quiet with him gone. Yesterday my father watched him at our house. Our son filled his new sled with as many toys as possible, then sat in it & had Grandpa pull him all over the house for quite some time! I could hear how much fun they were having. After his naptime, our son spent some time snuggling with me. It was so sweet. He did that again this morning; he passed on his morning shower with Daddy to watch tv & cuddle with me. He decided it was okay as long as he could see Daddy in the shower. Still it's nice to know that he misses me even if he doesn't want to be more than 15 feet away from Daddy.

Last night I had bad cramps which hurt badly. It's those times that continue to make me nervous. I do believe the baby is doing good; although it doesn't help when her environment is having issues. I just need to be strong & think positive. The most ironic thing of all is now when I can sleep all I want, it's the last thing I want to do. Funny, huh?

Back where I belong

On Tuesday, a trip to our fertility specialist brought unexpected news. Although my estrogen & progesterone levels are good, a small gastational bleed (inside the uterus) has increased significantly over the past week. Although it's very common ( it occurs in 98% of women during pregnancy) & generally fades away, this was not the case for me. In my case, it's grown too much so the doctor put me on strict bed rest until my next doctor's appointment. After watching too much television & crotheting non-stop, I'm bored out of my skull. That cannot be avoided though because I have to do what's best for this baby. This is our last chance & I want to hold this second miracle of ours in my arms after she (or he) is born. This baby will be just as special as our son is & always will be. Whatever happens, we've been truly blessed.

Weekend life

This past weekend was good. My hubby finished up some side business on Saturday. As a result, we were able to spend Sunday together. We spent most of the afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese with our son & then ran a few errands afterwards. We discovered how two local towns (closer to our home) have some of the larger stores we use that we frequent from time to time. These are stores that aren't in our local town that we have to otherwise travel 45 minutes to & deal with much more traffic then. Anyhow, it was great spending the day with the three of us together. As quickly as my boy is growing up, I'm becoming especially thankful for those moments & memories.

Loss & pain

There are times in our lives when we each go through difficult transitions. We lose relatives we may or may not expect to. It is a heartbreaking loss which pains everyone at some time or another. Ten years ago, I went through it with my family when I lost my grandfather. I watched him suffer for several years suffering from cancer. I lost track of how many times I had to say goodbye to him. Now I know someone who's going through this situation & it breaks my heart. I know this is how life is & as we get older, it happens periodically. It would be so much easier if it didn't. When it does though, it's important that we are there for those we love & care about. That's what life is about... those we care about.

Our kidney bean

This link will show you what our baby should look like this week. This may be the last 3D ultrasaound we get since we'll likely be released from the fertility clinic this week.

Rare snow storm

We have some friends & relatives who live in the Phoenix for the generally nice weather with the bonus of not having to deal with cold weather. The irony is the area received a rare snow storm last night & has a winter storm warning until noon today. The Phoenix area alone received 1.5 inches of snow. But hey, snow once in a great while must be kind of cool for them too. I have to wonder how many locals out there have warm winter coats for this weather though. I'm guessing not many & any sport stores are sold out! Never thought I'd say this... stay warm out there folks!

Dreaming again

I generally don't remember my dreams but ever since I got pregnant I do; either that I'm dreaming more than usual. Some of these dreams have been amusing, strange & a few horrible nightmares. Last night was the second time I dreamt about losing the baby (which terrifies me). The first dream shook me up but wasn't too awful. Last night's dream was so graphic & horrible. I dreamt I was taking a shower & started bleeding badly. It wouldn't stop & I had lost the baby. Afterwards I woke up sobbing! Then it took me 45 minutes to get back to sleep. When I woke up this morning, it still haunted me even though it was just a dream.

Let it snow... inside?

A few weeks ago, Grandpa gave our son some styrofoam to play with & this was the result!

Afterwards Grandma & Daddy vacuumed him off. He loved that!

Possible infection

Last Saturday I had a really bad reaction to my hormone shot. It caused my whole leg to spasm & cramp very badly for the remainder of the evening. Sometimes bad reactions can happen at this point because the area is so tender anyway. This morning however my hubby noticed that hip was stone hard & swollen. The nurses are going to check it for possible infection so we're supposed to avoid that area til further notice. If that's the case, I'll get an antibiotic since I still have seven more weeks of daily shots.

Farting cute

Yesterday when we arrived where we were going, this was our conversation with our son.

Our son exclaimed, "We're here!"

"Wow. You're so smart."

"Yup."

"Can you say I'm smart & cute?"

"I fart & cute!"

It's mine!

We've officially entered the 'selfish stage' of toddlerhood. Our son now uses a particular phrase quite often... "It's mine!" Yup... and what a tantrum he throws when we explain not everything is 'HIS'. At least he gets over it quickly.

Tired & Cranky

Hormones are kicking in these days. I haven't slept well, waking up every few hours feeling just as tired as when I finally got to sleep. The past two nights have been the worst. So this morning when I woke up tired, my back still spasming speriodically, bruised in my hips from my daily shots & my stomach feeling queasy... I was very far from a happy camper; probably about as far as you can get from a happy camper. After I managed a small nap, I feel better.

I called my hubby to apologize for my attitude this morning & he told me something so perfect for the moment. He said, "You'll have days like this. Don't worry. You son & I have thick skin." He's so understanding. I truly married the best man I could find. He even managed to make me laugh through my nasty attitude.

Pee on command

Although our son is still in the process of potty training, we've now gotten to the point where if he sits on his small toilet that he will generally pee on command. He still doesn't mind being wet or dirty but at least he goes potty like a big boy almost once a day! We're pretty happy with that. They weren't kidding when they said it can be a long process with boys.

Good news all over

We aren't the only ones in my hubby's family expecting a baby this year! My hubby's cousin & his wife are also expecting their first child June 2007 around their anniversary. Must be the year for new babies to coincide with wedding anniversaries.

My hubby's other cousin recently announced his engagement to his girlfriend. I've heard the wedding is scheduled for this summer in Texas (by her family).

Also my sister (who has three kids) is engaged to be married in early March to her boyfriend.

Then of course we're expecting in early September! It's going to be quite a busy year.

Teacher Connections

I think almost everyone has a few teachers that they really connect with during school. For myself, it quite a few that I rembember fondly. My two favorites are my first grade teacher, Mrs. Shermorhorn (which I know I spelled wrong), & my 8th grade homeroom teacher, Doc Friedl. While my first grade teacher taught me the love of reading, my 8th grade homeroom teacher lent me book after book from her classroom 'library' to continue my love. After high school I tried to keep in touch with both of them, although I lost track of my first grade teacher. To this day, my 8th grade teacher & I still keep in touch every now & then & with christmas cards/letters. I am very glad of this.

It's alive!

Today we saw the baby's strong heartbeat on the ultrasound. They said the baby had a good yolk as well. I'm an early six weeks along. We were given Sept 3rd as the baby's due date; although it'll be interesting to see if this baby comes a week early like our son. Everything is going well & we're both relieved to see the baby's heartbeat & making excellent progress!

We got a 4-D picture which I detailed & will try to upload tonight. It's having issues uploading currently.

My goodness!

Today is my sister-in-law's 28th birthday! It's hard to believe so much time has passed. I still remember meeting her when she was in 6th grade & still wearing pigtails. Now she's married, happy & successful. I'm really happy for her. She's such a sweet person.

Excited & nervous!

Tomorrow we should hopefully be able to see the new baby's heartbeat on the ultasound. I've been so careful to follow all my restrictions & try to get the rest I need. I'm so nervous that they won't be able to find it but I'm trying to remain positive. I just don't want anything to go wrong.

I think the double hormone shots I'm getting this time around may also be making me more tired with this pregnancy. My hubby & I think we're about halfway through the shots; hopefully only 6 more weeks left. That means about 84 shots left approximately... and yes, my hip is definately carrying some track marks at this point. In time, they shot 'points' fade away.

It occurred to me how when you're pregnant it feels like eternity waiting for time to pass & the baby to come. Yet after tha birth, it feels like the pregnancy was over before you know it. Funny thing is that you never feel that way during a pregnancy with all the aches & pains. I'm especially looking forward to feeling the baby move this time now that I know exactly what it feels like. Last time I thought fish were swimming in my tummy until I realized what it was!

"Isn't this fun Daddy?"

My son was having such fun sitting on Daddy a couple of nights ago. Daddy working hard on a project these days so it's nice when we can get spend time with him.

Still the best game ever!

Although the balls are scattered throughout the house, our son still loves to play with this net from a game he received from his great-grandma on christmas!

Future rock star!

Here's a few fun videos of our son from a few months ago.

Here he is marching & singing!

Here he is performing his own concert!

Here he is falling asleep during lunch!

Peaceful rest

Although it took me a while to get to sleep, I was able to take a two-hour much needed nap today while my son slept this afternoon. All week he's been only taking 30 or 45 min naps, which gives me enough time to get him to sleep, clean up & just get to sleep in time for him to wake up. So today was a huge relief. Too bad I'm already tired again! LOL This body is definately working overtime to make this baby.

The photo on the left was taken on New Years Eve at our friends' home. Our first family photo with the baby (even if it is inside me!).

The game on your head

My hubby's grandma gave this game to our son so we could play it on Christmas Eve with the family. Everyone got a chuckle out of it while playing around with it & it was our son's favorite toy of all. He played with it for the rest of the evening, even once we got home!

My hubby's cousin was so good at this that we all thought he was looking into a mirror.

Time to call ET!

His Demands

My son woke up this morning & crawled into bed with us to watch some cartoons while we got a little more sleep. Each morning he does this. If he does it especially early then he'll curl up against Daddy & go right to sleep. Today after one cartoon he 'demanded' to watch the Mary Poppins movie while eating hot dog & cheese in bed with us. Well there was no way that was going to happen. I was giving him hot dog & cheese for breakfast if that's what he was craving; it's eating those breakfast in our bed while watching tv. He already has gotten into a number of bad habits. After he screamed about going downstairs & not being able to watch the movie while eating breakfast, he finally relented realizing that I wasn't going to give into a toddler's irrational demands.

Unfortunately I'm still very tired & not feeling that great. I haven't been sleeping well because I'm feeling uncomfortable & getting back spasms fairly often during the day. I'm hoping that some Icy Hot will help some of that today. I really need to do something about it & usually that gives me some relief.

Curious cookie making

Today while my son & I were making sugar cookies, he kept saying "Oooh, what's that?" He's very curious about everything & wants us to tell him what everything is & what we're always doing. He especially loves to mix & bake with mama. He helps us with dinner or baking, matter of fact. When I bumped my head on the cabinet door, he was very concerned & asked "if I was okay". He's talking so much better & becoming clearer. He whines a bit sometimes but generally he's pretty good about being polite.

"One Little Duck went out to play

Over the hills and far away."

"Fall in love with a bright idea

And the way a world is revealed to you"

"I don't want a pickle

Just want to ride on my motorsickle

And I don't want a tickle'

Cause I'd rather ride on mymotorsickle"

"It's just me and Mom and Daddy

but there's lots of things to do."

Earth's Resources

I read an article today about this 'Compact' group which pledges to not buy anything (with the exception of groceries, neccessary attire & health/safety materialistic items. The goal is to continue NOT replenishing the Earth's resources. After thinking about it, it's a very admirable to do but I can't imagine doing it myself. I wish I could, point in fact. It's not that I'm unware of how were depleting Earth's resources; actually I'm very understanding & try to do what I can in our lifestyle to prevent filling up the landfills. Most of our home is filled with items we received from Freecycle or other online trading sites similar to it. Heck, everything in our backyard cost us about $15 total.

My hat is off to these people who choose & follow this lifestyle!

The lone tree

The lone tree

A dead horse

There's so much talk about this photo on the internet! It's a man wearing a top hat & suit, ready for a fancy party yet he's sitting on a dead horse!

Here's an article about the photo itself.

Partying family style

New Years Eve was a fun day for us. In the morning, we went to the Tropical Bubble Bash at the Children's Musuem with our son. He had a ball doing different activities which also included making his own hula skirt & edible volcano (with chocolate pudding & a sugar cone). Afterwards we came home, played with our neighbor's pet & then went to our friends' house where they were hosting a small party. The guys watched the football game while the women talked about everything. The kids had fun playing together too. It was fun hanging with our friends again. Maybe again soon...

Happy Belated New Year!

Happy 2007 everyone! It is a very happy for year as we are already anticipating the birth of our next son or daughter sometime in September (providing this baby doesn't come early like our son did). We saw one "gastational sac witha good yolk" (to quote the technician) which means a good start for an early pregnancy. With any luck, next week we'll see the heartbeat which will make me feel better.

This will be the last of our children; although I was hoping for twins (since it's our last shot) it's a miracle it worked at all. We only had a 25-33% chance of conceiving & we did! I cannot complain because I am grateful for the chance to be the best mother I can be to another child; as a bonus, the child is actually made by us! This pregnancy has made me generally much more tired than I ever remember being with my son. Then again, maybe we forget how dramatic everything feels during pregnancy after we have these miracles in our arms. Who knows? I do know I'm requiring daily naps (when my son naps that is), going to bed earlier (hubby's implemented a 11 pm bedtime on me - smart man) & am resisting the urge to keep up with housework & laundry (since I'm supposed to take it easy & not lift anything over 10 lbs). I do not do well living in a partly-cleaned home after being able to maintain regularly. I guess that sounds silly to some but it's the second part of my job description as a stay-at-home mom. I have to keep reminding myself that my first priority is to my son & unborn child.

Typically I think about making new years resolutions but this year I'm just striving to be the best person I can be for my hubby, children, family & friends. That being said, I'm off to nap!

PS - Sorry about the lack of pictures. For some unknown reason, it's not uploading them correctly for viewing. As soon as the problem is resolved, I will be posting pics again.