Bittersweet

I suppose that this day is more sweet than bitter, but I just feel like this little dude is growing up way too fast! Here is a picture of Ian in his bassinet at 10 weeks.

He's too big! Granted, he usually sleeps with his legs curled up so technically he still fits, but as soon as he stretches out, he hits his head. Sooo, I figured it was time to put up the crib. We decided to put him in the girls' room and it is a little scrunched in there, but the girls are very happy to have him as a roommate.

He's happy in his new bed

My handsome little man

Finally, the boy actually looks tiny. ;-)

Isn't that bedding adorable? It's from Ikea and I love it. And he did great for his first night in the crib - he only got up once at about 3 a.m. I love this little guy so much, and it is soo nice to have my bedroom back to normal, but I gotta admit I'm gonna miss having him close to me at night...

PS...don't worry, I did not leave the pillow in his bed. I know that is a no-no. I just put it there for the pictures.

Ian's Blessing Day

We drove down to Fallbrook last Friday to bless Ian. Usually a baby blessing is done in the church meeting, but we have always done ours at Eric's parents' house. It is so much more intimate and special to us. My brother and his family were able to come and the kids got to play with their cousins. Ian is such a good baby, and we are so blessed to have him in our lives.

Here are some pictures from the event.

My brother Jeff, Eric's brother Neal, Eric's Dad, Eric, Ian, my Dad, and the Bishop

Little Man folding his arms reverently

Big smiles...That's Eric's head in the corner...gonna need to photoshop that out...but Eric can always get this boy to smile.

The whole group. Notice my girls are the only ones not smiling?

Life With Three

If the frequency with which I have been blogging is any indication as to how I am doing with three children, well, you'll notice I haven't blogged since BEFORE the baby was born...things are much busier now. For example, it is about 1:00pm and this is how my day has gone: Haylie came in at 5:00am complaining that her ear hurt. Eric gave her Tylenol and she went back to bed. She came back in at 7am crying - her ear still hurt. I called the nurse line and begged for a phone appointment since I had my own doctors appointment at 9:45am that I could not miss. Then I called my neighbor to see if she could come sit with the girls during my appointment. At about 8:00am I was sorting through the kids medications looking for the kids' Tylenol. Something had spilled in the basket and all the medicines were sticky. As I was washing the sticky bottles, Anna grabbed the basket and took a bite out of an adult Tylenol tablet that had fallen to the bottom of the basket and had been soaked in whatever medication had spilled. I panicked and took her straight to the bathroom and stuck my finger down her throat to get her to throw it up - she wouldn't throw up but then I remembered the poison control number on my refirgerator. Called poison control, was assured that she was going to be just fine. (For the record, a 25 lb child can tolerate 2000mg (!) of adult Tylenol before you have to worry) Why didn't I call the poison control line before sticking my finger down her throat??? Well, she didn't seem to mind, she was actually laughing as I did it. Nice. Moving on...Doctor called at 9 am and thankfully agreed to give Haylie a prescription over the phone. Neighbor arrived at 9:15, I went to my appointment, then waited at the pharmacy for 2 prescriptions - fed Ian in the pharmacy while I waited. Returned home to find two happy girls hanging out with our sweet neighbor. THEN, Anna was playing with her Zhu Zhu Pet (a small hampster toy that rolls around on the hard floor and makes noises) - decided to lay down next to her Zhu Zhu Pet and got her hair caught in the wheels. I had to cut her hair to get it out.

Then, just as I was beginning to write this post, Ian spit up all over me - I had to change my shirt AND my pants, AND scrub the couch. And somehow he only managed to get one little drop on himself. Needless to say, I am staying busy, but loving it. Oh, and I should mention that the little dude is just getting over RSV (Respiratory Syncitial Virus) as well. For a couple of days he was so congested that he could barely eat and couldn't sleep on his back, so I ended up sleeping sitting up with him on my chest. He came out of it pretty quickly and without incident, so I can't complain too much.

My Zoloft is working great - I've had no signs of post-partum so far, thankfully. I'm tired and exhausted, but wouldn't trade it for anything. I am so blessed.

38 Weeks

It was not my intention to post this picture on my blog. But when I saw Anna in the shot, I just had to share. Originally, I had Eric take the picture to send to my sister-in-law - who was teeny tiny with both her pregnancies and just can't believe how huge my belly is. So anyway, after Eric took the picture I noticed that Anna had jumped in the shot and was sticking her little belly out as far as she could.

So there you have it, my huge belly at 38 weeks - and my little Anna Banana trying to be just like her mommy. :-)

One week from today our little dude will be here!!! :-D

Waiting...

...not so patiently. So, this baby is not due until Dec. 15. My c-section is scheduled for Dec. 10. It has become obvious that neither of those dates bear any relevance anymore. On Monday, I was having regular contractions all day - not strong ones, but regular. I had an appointment yesterday and I am already dilated 2 cm (this after being on bedrest for 2 weeks!) and the baby is still engaged at zero station. This morning, I lost my mucous plug. This little dude is ready. However, it is not in the "standard of care" to schedule a c-section before 39 weeks at Kaiser. In order for them to take the baby, I have to be contracting every 4-5 mins and dilated to at least 3 cm. So I basically have to go into labor before they will do anything. Not cool. The best part about scheduling a c-section is that there is no labor, there is no waiting and wondering. You just know. I've been spoiled, I know. So, I guess the good news is, the last two weeks of bedrest worked as far as getting us to 36 weeks safely. But now that we are safely here, I just wanna get it over with! I have no doubt that this baby is STRONG...I have the bruised ribs to prove it. Of course, I want him to be ready and healthy, etc. But the "unknown" is making me crazy! Not to mention that my doctor is going out of town this weekend, so if I do end up going into real labor then, she won't be able to be the one to do the surgery! Grrr. Anyway, this is just me being whiney. Keep is in your prayers, bless me with patience and bless this baby with strength - and let's do this already! ;-)

Enjoying the Silence

Last Wednesday, I woke up feeling "funny". I was at exactly 34 weeks pregnant and I was pretty sure I was going into labor. I had the strangest (and excruciatingly painful) feeling in my right leg...like a contraction going from my pelvis through my hip and all the way down the front of my leg. But no contractions in the usual places. I was also feeling a LOT of pressure - like the baby was trying to get out...Anyway, I went to the doctor and had a Non-Stress Test (NST) which is just a monitor placed on the belly to see if there are any contractions. I had one contraction in a 25 minute period, and my cervix was not at all dilated. But we did find that the baby had dropped down to "zero station" - which means that he is ready to come out. Here's a picture to show you what that means...click the picture to make it bigger.



So zero station is like...that baby is knock-knock-knockin' on the door...ready to come out! (+1 means the baby is on the way out!) He was apparently sitting right on a nerve that was causing the pain in my leg. Thankfully, he moved the next day and that pain went away. However, the discmfort of having him so low is still very much present. Anyway, my doctor did not put me on bedrest "officially" but did say that I need to take it easy and stay off my feet as much as possible.

Sooo, I had friends take the girls for me that day while I was at the doctor, came home from the doctor and found two of those friends cleaning my house, making my dinner, doing my laundry, and just basically making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Our church has a lovely program for women called the Relief Society. My friend contacted the relief society and asked for some help for me - watching the girls, bringing dinner, etc. So I have had wonderful women coming and taking Anna for me while Haylie is at school, and even getting Haylie after school and giving me the entire day to myself. I have been able to literally stay in bed all day and do my best to keep this baby happy inside my body! I am sooo grateful for all the help I've been given. It amazes me just how willing people are to help - at a moment's notice.

So we've got to keep this little dude in at least until the 17th of this month - but preferably longer. My doc did say that due to his position at this time, he probably will come early. Our c-section is scheduled December 10th...but we'll see!

Thanks to everyone who has helped me - I am truly blessed - and enjoying the silence!!! And for your viewing pleasure (haha!) here's a shot of me at 34 weeks.

Calling all Mommies

I need some help! I've never had a baby swing before...and we are definitely getting one for this baby. I've been doing some research online and found these adorable little portable swings that sit lower to the ground than the traditional swings. I like the idea that they are smaller and take up less space, and that I can also travel with it easily. But I am worried about the Anna-mal having better access to the baby that way. I mean, I can't totally protect the baby from her in a full-size swing either, but it seems that having it lower to the ground would make it even more tempting/accessible to Miss Anna. Has anybody had one of these smaller swings and if so, can you tell me about it? Pros? Cons? Any information would be fabulous. Leave a comment here or on Facebook please!!!

Here are some pictures that show the difference...the first one is full size, the second one is "portable".