Smile

I started working on Dommie's 2nd Birthday DVD this past week. I know I still have a lot more pictures to look at coming up, including:

Halloween
Nick's Mom's birthday
The Reveal Party
Thanksgiving
Christmas Tree Shopping (We cut ours down after Thanksgiving)
Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
My Birthday Maybe

But I had to start and I have to say, I love it so far. :)

One of the songs I picked for the background completely describes my relationship with Dommie. I love this song now because it makes me think of my little angel and how much better my life is with him in it. I wanted to post the lyrics just because I think they are so true when it comes to Dominick.

Smile
You're better than the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip side of my pillow, that's right

Completely unaware
Nothing can compare,
to where you send me
let's me know that it's OK
Yeah, it's OK
And the moments when my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

Oh, you make me smile

Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower
poking through the side walk crack
And just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

Don't know how I lived without you
'Cause every time that I get around you,
I see the best of me inside your eyes.

You make me smile

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile.

Oh, you make me smile.
Oh, you make me smile.

No matter what is going on, and whether I see him or just think of him, Dominick always makes me smile. So many of these lyrics remind me of him. With him, Nick and I BOTH, dance like fools, sing like birds, laugh so hard we forget how to breathe, and we don't know how we ever lived without him. We both said last night that we don't know how our lives felt like they were full before we had him. He's such an awesome person and I love him so much.

Thanks Dominick for all the smiles! :)

My silly little man

Last night, we went out. We needed to get away for a bit. So we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill and then went to the Galleria. I wanted to check out the Bodies Exhibit (at least find out where it was, etc.) and Nick needed a stocking hat for work.

Dinner was good. Dominick doesn't eat much at dinner but I'm assured he eats a TON at lunch so we won't worry too much about that. After dinner we packed up and headed to the mall.

We started off in Macy's where Nick looked at hats. He didn't find one that he liked that was under $30 so we left there and started looking for the Bodies Exhibit. After going from one end of the mall, to the complete other, we found it. When we got there it was 7:15. The ticket booth closes at 7 and the exhibit closes at 8. Oh well. Now we know where it is for next time! :)

We left there and found the Mizzou fan store. Nick found a Mizzou Tigers stocking hat for under $30! So we bought it and left that store. Since Dominick had been so good, we bought him a chocolate chip cookie from Mrs. Fields.

Nick scooped him up and put him on his shoulders to walk back to the other end of the mall and to the car. As soon as Dominick was sitting safely on Nick's shoulders, he threw his arms up and yelled,

"Yee Haw!"

I have NO idea where he learned this but it was hilarious! He kept saying it the whole way to the car.

My little cowboy...who knew!?

Update

So I left work early yesterday. I left work at 2:15 and got home right about 2:30. I didn't even go let the dogs out. I went straight up to our room, put on my old sweats and a tee and laid in bed. I was still having the pains at that point. I slept on and off until about 5:15. Then I felt like a million bucks.

I went downstairs to see Nick and Dom and talked to Nick for a bit. I told him how I was feeling better and was going to go to Ladies Night with Michelle and Ashley still.

I got dressed and headed out. About 15 minutes away from my house, I started feeling the pains again. I felt them on and off until I got to the Melting Pot and even a bit while we were sitting down. I actually thought to myself that I was just going to stop by the Women's Evaluation Unit on the way home, just to make sure. Then I started drinking a ton of water and started eating and they went away.

The rest of dinner was fine. The drive home was fine. So far today has been fine...

So I'm hoping it had something to do with being dehydrated or something and it stops and stays away. Nick pointed out that he thought I've been trying to do a lot lately with school, work, and home and this might be my body's way of telling me to slow down. He also doesn't think I should lift Dominick anymore (which is SO hard, but I think he's right). So today, I only carried Dominick down one flight of stairs and he's that's it. For some reason he hates stairs and wants to be carried, but we walked a lot of them this morning! He also likes to be held for a bit in the morning and we didn't do that today either. Hopefully resting more and no carrying Dommie will be the answer!

Thanks for the comments and tips! If I start having them again and they feel worse, I'll probably call. Otherwise I'll just mention it to the doc. Next appointment is one week from today!

Contractions?

Today is not a good day for me. I feel awful.

It started yesterday...I woke up feeling like my throat had been rubbed raw with sandpaper. My throat hurt, my head was pounding, and I just plain felt awful. I went to Schnucks and loaded up on cough drops and Zicam.

Work was ok. Not my best day but not my worst. I relaxed all night and went to bed hoping to feel much better today.

My throat feels better. Much better actually. But I'm having some menstrual like cramps that come fairly frequently. My whole stomach (in the front and fairly low) cramps up and I feel sick. Then it goes away. Then it comes back. It's been going on since about 7:30.

I think this has to be Braxton Hicks because they aren't getting more intense. They are definitely cramps of some kind. I just don't know if they are contractions or not... I haven't been moving, I've been sitting the whole time. I've drank a lot of water. They are still coming and going...

I don't want to call my doctor because I'm afraid they will make me go in (and miss more work, etc.) just to find out that no, I'm not contracting, I'm fine, go home and "relax".

But I don't want to NOT go if something is seriously going on. This is getting a little intense. We're right at three hours of these pains. If I still have them around 12:30 or so, I might call...

What would you do?

Mini Photo Shoot

My cousin Sara took a few pictures of Dom last Monday at my parents house. Here are a few of my favorites!


















Thanks Sara! :)

I especially love the one of my Grandpa with Dom! I don't really remember any of my Great Grandparents (well, only 1 was alive when I was born I think...) and Dom is lucky enough to have 2! I want to capture as many pictures as I can of the Great Grandparents and the Grandparents with Dom (and eventually Baby #2!). :)

18 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

How your life's changing:

Hungry? An increase in appetite is pretty common about now. Make it count by choosing meals and snacks that are rich in nutrients instead of empty calories (chips, French fries, candy, and other sweets). Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline grow.

Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.

From now on, when you do lie down, it's best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.

If you haven't already had a second-trimester ultrasound, you'll probably have one soon. This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby's growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you're working with is accurate, and see how many babies you're carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking his thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby's first photo album!

18 weeks?! I'm actually really surprised. I still don't feel very pregnant so seeing that I'm almost halfway done is really exciting!

I've been noticing that I'm getting more and more uncomfortable already. Nick and I had a date night last night and went to the movies and I couldn't get comfortable in the seat. No matter which way I shifted, I felt "off" and kept moving. Luckily it was only a two hour movie so I was able to deal with it but I was struggling.

I have been noticing I'm MUCH more hungry lately. I've been "living it up" with the sweets since I'm not technically diabetic yet....probably not a good thing, but I'm working on it! This week will be better. I know it!

I'm noticing some movement (well, I have been for a few weeks now) but nothing so definitive that I KNOW that's the baby kicking or something. I'm really looking forward to a big kick. Hopefully that will come in the next few weeks.

That's all I can think of for now!

Upcoming Appointments:
Next Thursday - November 4 - Glucose Tolerance Test and Dr. Appointment
Wednesday, November 10 - BIG Ultrasound

Friday, November 12 is our big reveal party! :)

Poll

There have only been 4 votes so far, but right now GIRL is winning the poll!!

Uh oh Daddy! Look out! :) (Nick is terrified of having a daughter!).

Keep the guesses coming! We find out in 22 more days!

Bob O Latern

I stole this from my cousin's facebook page...

This is a picture of my Uncle Rob Bob:

Well, he's the man in the back.

When Sara (my cousin) got home the other day, there was a Bob O Latern at her parent's house! Someone at her dad's work, had carved a pumpkin of Uncle Rob Bob (what my family calls him) for a pumpkin carving contest...I think it's awesome! It's so good. It really looks like him!

I thought my family especially (probably no one else!) would want to see a picture of it.


Isn't that good???

Happy Halloween a little early everyone! :)

Sleeping

Before Dominick was born, one of the things we registered for was a sleep noise machine. One of those that has all the different natural sounds, like rain, ocean, womb, thunderstorm, etc. Dom didn't like it to much but we wanted him to be used to noise so we resorted to a simple radio in his room.

So that noise machine was just sitting in storage for the last year and a half.

Nick likes to listen to the radio at night. I can't stand that. I don't sleep with the radio on. I can't sleep with the radio on.

So Nick found this machine the other night. I need noises to be constant, like a fan or something like that. So we've compromised on the "rain" setting.

I think it's TOO good...You know how when you wake up and it's raining, all you want to do is snuggle more and stay in bed?? THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING!

Every morning I start to stir and I hear the rain and I get deeper into my covers and fall back asleep. This morning, I turned off my alarm without realizing it! I normally get up around 6:30 and woke up today at 7:12! Oops!

This thing is amazing. All adults should have one. Even though it's hard to get up sometimes, it makes for the best nights of sleep ever...

Although I should warn you. It has two downsides:
1) if you love to sleep to thunderstorms, and your dogs are afraid of thunderstorms, they will still be afraid of this setting and bark at the machine and try to hide under the bed.
2) after you snuggle deeper into the covers in the morning with the rain setting, your second thought will be "damn, I don't want to let the dogs out because they are going to get wet!" and you have a moment of pure annoyance before you realize it's just the machine.

Don't say you haven't been warned... ;-)

Dominick

is getting smarter and smarter every day!

We picked him up for daycare yesterday and Stella told us that he's been naming people all day. There were a few kids still there so he went around and showed off to us.

He went up to Jonathan and said, "Jonathan!"
Then he went to Stella and said, "La-la!"
Stella was holding a baby (Harlow) so he went over and gave the baby a gentle pat and said, "Baby!" (he doesn't quite get her name yet...there are two babies, twins, and he just calls them both baby).
Then he saw Ella and said, "La-la!"
He pointed to me and said, "Ma-ma!" and to Nick and said, "Dad!".

Then he did the cutest thing ever.

He slapped his hand on his chest and said,
"I Dominick!".

He's never shown any interest in his name. He actually never understood his name. When people say, "Hi Dommie!" he'll say, "Hi Dommie!" right back. He didn't realize that was HIS name. He just thought it was how they were greeting him. So he greeted them the same way back. But now he is started to realize that everyone has a different name. And I think it's adorable.

That's his new favorite thing to do. Name everyone (or everything) in the room and then tell everyone who he is.

That's my little man. Learning more and doing more every day. I'm such a proud Mama! :)

Reveal Party Idea

When Nick and I first found out that I was pregnant again, we immediately disagreed on when to find out the sex. Nick and I disagree on something, surprise surprise! :)

I wanted to wait until the birth. The first pregnancy was new. Everything was a surprise so I didn't need to save another one until the END of the pregnancy. And everything was great. Every kick, every hiccup, every appointment, every week's progress. Everything WAS a surprise. So finding out was no problem. I had so many other surprises, it seemed silly to keep one more.

This time is different. While this pregnancy is still very special and I'm loving it, I've done it before. I honestly sometimes forget that I'm pregnant. Each week I blog about it and that makes that week "new" and "special" because I did forget what happens each week. But it's not as exciting as it once was.

I wanted to keep that one bit of big news a surprise. I wanted to wait until the big day and hear the doctor yell, "It's a ____ !" and be completely awed by this new person, EVERYTHING about them all at once.

Nick disagrees. He wants to know NOW. He doesn't want to wait. He says it helps him "bond" with the baby...I think he just can't handle not knowing a "secret". :)

So we compromised. We all know that Nick would slip up and tell me and it would probably be at an inopportune time where I would be shocked and upset to suddenly discover the sex of our baby. So him finding out and me not, isn't an option.

Since I'm so hellbent on being surprised on something, we agreed on a reveal party.

Now, call me crazy!, but I had never heard about reveal parties before. We just wanted to get our close friends and family over and find out together. At first, we were going to have the ultrasound tech write down the sex of the baby on a blank note card and seal it and open it with friends and family. But then that seemed a little too "normal" for us. :) I wanted everyone to find out together. No one before another.

So my mom suggested a way to help. She had a friend whose daughter was having a party to tell everyone the sex of the baby. She was the only who knew and she made a cake and make the inside of the cake tinted PINK to tell everyone she was having a girl. My mom said that she would not tell anyone and she would make us a cake.

That sounded great to me! So I suggested it to Nick. He suggested bringing the envelope straight to a bakery and having them make it so my mom could be surprised with the rest of us. That was even better!

So that's what we're doing. We've had this idea planned for awhile now. Last Friday I typed into my Google search bar "Baby Gender Reveal Party" and over 600,000 results popped up!! This is a VERY trendy thing!? Who knew??

So when we went to the bakery on Saturday morning to make sure they could do this, they've done this before! So much for being creative!

But c'est la vie. We ordered the cake (even though we don't have the ultrasound yet) and paid for it. We have the invites out (to family and Godparents only) and we're all ready to go...now we just need that ultrasound!!

Even though we aren't as creative as I thought we were, I'm still really happy with our decision to compromise. I'm getting a big surprise with family and friends and Nick gets to know 20 weeks early.

Everyone wins!

Truly Honored

I've been wanting to blog about this since it happened but was asked to wait until a later date...well last week I got the "go ahead" to blog so here I am!

Two of my closest friends are getting married next year.

I met Jim our freshman year of college. He was a funny guy who everyone loved to be around and we got to be friends pretty easily. We've always been friends but these last few years we've gotten to be very close.

He started dating Leslie on and off through college and I got to know her through him. For awhile, she was always Jim's girlfriend. Who I still adored, but she was Jim's girlfriend. Over the past few years, she has become MY friend, and no longer just Jim's girlfriend.

This past April, they got engaged! Jim did such a great job planning everything and we are so happy for both of them.



That's not what I'm blogging about, it's just an intro.

So a few weeks ago, Jim and Les headed up to St. Louis. They asked if we wanted to go to dinner on the Friday night (which of COURSE we did!), so we all met at Rigazzi's on the Hill. We were seated outside and everyone was having a great time.

Before our dinner was served, Leslie told me she had something for me. She handed me a card and a book.



The card was on top, so I moved it to see what the book was. It was called "The Knot Bridesmaid Handbook: Help the Bride Shine Without Losing Your Mind".



Now Nick told me that he thought I was having something to do with the wedding. Well I wanted to be a bridesmaid but I wasn't thinking I would be! I was thinking I would get to do a reading or something. But I am SO honored to be a part of their special day.

I thought the book was the really special, give it away type present. But then I opened the card...It was so sweet!! I didn't cry at the table (Dominick was slightly distracting at dinner) but I re-read it at home and then the tears came!

Here's a picture of the card:



The card is personalized! And so beautiful!

The outside is a picture of me in my wedding dress with all my close friends hands together, then there are two pictures of me and Leslie and one picture of me and Jim.

The Words say, "Will you be..." and the inside says, "...My Bridesmaid?".

Then there is a poem. The poem is so sweet! I'll write it here for you:

"You've shared with me the special times, our friendship grows each day.
We've shared our secrets and our dreams, and laughed along the way.
You have always been there, you're more to me than just Jimbo's friend.
You know exactly who I am, and everywhere I have been.

I see so very clearly how this wedding's only one
of the many times you've helped me when things needed to be done.
Simply to say thank you just doesn't seem to share
the feelings here inside me when I see how much you care.

When I am walking down the aisle, a very happy bride,
it would mean so very much to me, to have you by my side.
Soon I will be married and I still look forward to,
the friendship, love, and guidance, that has always come from you."

Love, Leslie

I am so honored and touched that she would ask me to stand by her side when she gets married. Two of my best friends getting married, it's going to be such an amazing day!

What's even more exciting, is that she is getting married on 09-10-11. That is one day after my 5 year anniversary! It will be a great weekend and I can't wait to share it with them.

And on a selfish note: that gives me approximately 5-1/2 months to get into "dress shape" after having this baby! :)

Congrats again Jim and Les! And thank you so much for asking me to be a part of special day! I am so honored!

17 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

How your life's changing:

Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby. You'll also want to be sure to buckle up when you're in a car — keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly, drawn snugly across your hips, and also use the shoulder harness, which should fit snugly between your breasts.

You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.


So far I'm still feeling good. I don't feel off balanced yet, and my contacts are fine! :)

It's crazy to me, how fast time seems to be going. I can't believe I'm already 17 weeks. I'm almost halfway there! That's insane. And it means the holidays are coming faster and faster.

We keep a revolving calendar at our office. It's on a dry erase board and we just write in a new week as each old week passes. So right now we have from October 18-November 20 up on the board. After this week is over Thanksgiving will be on the board! Now THAT'S crazy!!

17 weeks down and only 23 to go! :)

Train Ride

Sunday morning, my mom, Angela, Cecilia, Dominick and I headed to Wildwood to go on the Wabash Frisco and Pacific train. Cecilia's school was having a mini field trip there so we all headed out.

The train ride was just a short 2 mile loop that ran parallel to the Meramec River. It was a short but pretty ride. Cecilia loved the ride...Dominick didn't really care. :)

Here are a few pictures from the train ride:












After we rode the train, we headed over to a nearby park to have a picnic. We had quite the spread! :)

Mom brought: bread, two kinds of cheese, water, diet root beer, and a cheese and sausage plate.

Angela brought: apples and peanut butter, ham for the kids, and some other fruit (and other things I can't remember right now).

I brought: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, cut up strawberries, and cookies.

We had a feast!

We ate a great lunch and then headed over to the playground. We did a few things, but the park was definitely geared toward older kids. The slide was a weird slide where it was basically just a piece of plastic and you were supposed to ride with your legs dangling over the side....so NOT a small child friendly slide...at all!

But we did the swings for a bit and their version of the "round and round" (which is what Cecilia calls the merry go round).

Here are a few pics from our picnic and the playground:











Even though Dom was a tiny terror for part of the trip, I think he had a good time! He wore himself out too. The minute we pulled out of the parking lot to go home, he was out like a light. :)

16 week Dr. Appointment

Good news/Bad news...

So I had my doc appointment yesterday. It started off hopeful! I got there at 3:26 for a 3:30 appointment. I went to the bathroom to leave my urine sample and then I took a seat. I pulled out my flashcards for studying when someone came out from the back and went to make their next appointment. When she was leaving she stopped to me and said, "He's doing really good today! I was only here for 30 minutes!". Well that's awesome, I thought. He's always about 45 minutes behind so this could be pretty nice.

But we should all know that I wouldn't be that lucky.

I got brought back to the room about 3:45, which was fine. We took my blood pressure (110/60) and listened to fetal heart tones (155 bpm). Then the nurse left...and I waited...and waited....and waited...

The doc came back around 4:40 (so much for 30 minutes, in and out, right?). He felt my belly and said everything felt great. He pulled out my chart and said my weight gain is fine, as long as I'm promising I am eating and eating healthy foods (I've gained 1 pound so far this pregnancy). I assured him I am eating and then I brought up my blood sugars.

He looked at my print-outs (yes, I'm a nerd and typed up my blood sugars, printed them off and brought them along...) and he sighed and looked at me.

Good news:
My levels aren't dangerous to the baby (as of this time) and he thinks I should stop pricking my finger 4 times a day.

Yay!!

Bad news:
He's 95% sure I'm developing gestational diabetes and I have to do my glucose tolerance test at 19 weeks instead of 28 weeks.

Boo!!

He said based on my numbers, he's fairly certain that I do or will have it. Right now the levels aren't affecting the baby and they aren't that high. But when I get to 20 weeks and beyond, I need lower numbers. So we'll do the glucose test. If I pass that one, we'll do another one at 28 weeks. If I fail, well then I'm back to pricking my finger 4 times a day.

I knew this. I cried about it. I prepared for it. I started eating better because of it.

But it still sucks to hear the doctor confirm it.

Oh well! Baby is doing great! So we'll focus on the positives. I have a healthy baby growing in my tummy and I find out if it's a boy or a girl in just a few short weeks!

November 12 is the big reveal! Can't wait! :)


Upcoming Appointments:
Doctor (w/Diabetes test) - Thursday, November 4, 2010
Ultrasound - Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Adusting??

Or just being healthier?

I don't know what's going on but my blood sugars are looking so much better. I'll be talking to my doctor, but for the last three mornings, I've had the exact same breakfast (a banana and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese).

Monday - 142
Tuesday - 119
Wednesday - 97

So what changed between those days? I ate the same thing. I ate within 15 minutes of the same time for every day. Either my body is adjusting or something is going on. Either way, I'll take it! Healthy numbers is all I care about!

Six Flags!

I wanted to post about this before I forgot! Nick and I took Dominick to Six Flags on Saturday night. He LOVED it. :)

We wanted to go soon and get season passes for next year (if you go to Six Flags now, you can get a one day ticket for $49.99 -OR- get a season pass for next year for $69.99 and use if for the rest of this year...it's a no brainer!).

So we drove out there after my class and paid and entered the park...well it was packed. It was 80+ degrees out and it seemed like everyone went to Six Flags. We started off heading to the kid area. Dominick was in awe. There was so much going on that he couldn't keep up with everything. He was staring and pointing and squealing! :)

We went to the Carousel and I was nervous. When we went on the carousel at Grant's Farm, he screamed and cried and hated it. I kept asking him if he was SURE he wanted to go on it and he would say, "I sure". Then I said, "We aren't going to cry this time, are we?" and he shook his head and said, "No cry". So we tried it...



He was PERFECT! He LOVED it! He was smiling and clapping and even said, "Whee Ma-ma!" a few times. :) I was so proud of him.

After we got off the carousel, he was ready for another ride! He and Nick went on the kids train. And again, he loved it! I still can't believe how big he's getting.

Well the other rides looked too big for him, but we found the swings....now I'm posting a picture of some kids on the swings, I do not know these kids and neither kid is Dominick (obviously). The reason I am posting this picture is that I want you to see how the kids sit in the ride...BY THEMSELVES.



We put Dominick in the swings and buckled him in. At first, he was upset, because he was "Stuck! Ma-ma!". Dominick hates being confined. In any way. Car seats take awhile to get used to. There's a lot of telling me he's stuck and wants out. So he started screaming for help because he was stuck. We told to wait and he was going on a ride, and it would be fun! But he was still yelling. The lady asked if she should start the ride, and we said yes. Nick and I both knew he would love it once it started and if not, we'd ask her to stop it and get him off right away...

Well he loved it. He loved it so much he BEGGED to go on it "Again! Again!". So we asked if he could stay on and the nice lady said yes. He did the swings ALL BY HIMSELF TWO TIMES IN A ROW! (Can you tell I'm proud!?).

He is such a big boy!

After we did the swings, Nick went off to try and ride the boss and Dommie and I started walking around. Nick caught up to us about 10 minutes later and said the wait time was almost 2 hours!?!? So we went to a little cafe and bought Dominick some dinner.

Now things are expensive at amusement parks, I know, but I was really impressed with how "cheap" his dinner was, considering where we were.

He got:
a bag of chicken rings (there were like 15 in there)
applesauce
chocolate pudding
string cheese
fruit snacks
and
a drink in a sturdy cup with a straw (like a souvenir cup)

all in a lunch box for $7.99!

That's awesome! At least we thought so.

After Dom's dinner we headed over to the Screamin' Eagle for Nick to try and ride that before we left....that had an hour wait!

Just too many people there. So we decided to call it a night. Dom rode on three rides, we got him dinner, he had a blast, and we got our season passes. It was a good night.

Now we'll just have to go back since we have season passes! :)

16 Weeks!

I am 16 weeks pregnant today! Woohoo! :)

Here's what Babycenter.org says about this week:

How your baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

How your life's changing:

The top of your uterus is about halfway between your pubic bone and your navel, and the round ligaments that support it are thickening and stretching as it grows. You're probably feeling a whole lot better as you settle into pregnancy, too. Less nausea, fewer mood swings, and "glowing" skin contribute to an overall sense of well-being.

Soon you'll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, many don't feel their baby move until about 18 weeks or more. (And if this is your first baby, don't be too impatient — you may not be aware of your baby's movements until 20 weeks or so.) The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they'll grow stronger and you'll be able to feel them much more frequently.


I am looking forward to feeling the baby move! The other day Nick asked me if I felt pregnant yet...I really don't. I'm wearing maternity clothes but I feel like I'm just wearing them for no other reason than I'm gaining weight. I don't have the definite baby bulge yet (it's still just...a bulge!) and I haven't felt any real movement yet. I think once that happens this pregnancy will feel more real.

And "glowing skin"?? Ha! I have more breakouts now than I ever did in high school! It's getting a little ridiculous, but it's all worth it. :)

I'm excited to know that the baby will be going through a growth spurt in these next few weeks! I love looking at the ultrasounds and seeing how much bigger he or she has gotten!

Oh and speaking of he or she, Nick and I are starting to get closer to agreeing on a baby name! Nothing too exciting yet, we are still very different, but we're getting closer! :)

Next appointments:
Dr. Office - This Thursday at 3:30 pm
Ultrasound - November 10th at 8:30 am

Happy 16 weeks bean! :)

Pumpkin Patch

Friday night, Nick and I took Dommie to the Pumpkin Patch, along with his Nani. We decided to go to Thies Farm and Greenhouse which is at North Hanley and Highway 70. It was close and we heard great things about it so we decided to check it out.

Dominick had a blast! There were a TON of things for him to do. They had slides and swings and mazes and a wagon ride! We were really impressed with how much they had to do there.

We did the slide about 15 times and then took a picture by the pumpkin sign. We did some more sliding, and then the maze. Finally we took a wagon ride. Dom loved it at first and then wanted to sit on the edge of the wagon, well that wasn't going to happen, so we screamed the rest of the ride. Luckily we were the only ones on it!

After the wagon ride we picked out our pumpkins (two big ones that Daddy carried and two smaller ones that Dominick threw so we had to buy them..ahem I mean carried).

I've been trying to take more pictures so here are some pictures from Friday!

One of the mazes that Dominick did NOT like. :) Too dark.

A little petting zoo they had (well they had two). This one had goats.

A climb to the top of a slide!

Playing on a tractor.

Trying to get evidence that Dominick is 3' tall exactly but he wouldn't cooperate...So you'll just have to take my word for it!

Dommie posing as a scare crow - how adorable is he?!?

Our little family

Dommie and Daddy on the big slide

My baby looking TOO grown up!

The MAC Daddy pumpkins....I had to take a picture with my purse there to show how big they are. My purse is pretty huge! :)

So that was our Friday night! We got 4 pumpkins and Dominick had a blast. A great Friday night if you ask me! :)

Gestational Diabetes??

Or not??

Remember when I told you that I was calling my doc to see if I could start testing my blood sugars early?? Well they called me on Friday and told me that they thought it was a great idea. So they called in a prescription for new testing strips and new lancets. I picked up those two things Friday night from Walgreens and took my blood sugar for my 1 hour after dinner test....109.

So now I'm trying to remember what my targets are for blood sugar testing...I thought that 1 hour after eating my number was supposed to be under 120, but now I'm finding info that says that 1 hour after eating it should be 140. I'm like the 140 better!!

So I was all upset all weekend thinking that I have GD for SURE and now maybe I don't?!?!

Well anyway, here are my numbers:
Saturday:
Fasting - 103 (I KNOW that's high, supposed to be under 90 or 95 when fasting...not sure which one)
Breakfast - 136
Lunch - 132
Dinner - 153

Sunday:
Fasting - 94
Breakfast - 126
Lunch - 164
Dinner - Didn't take it

Monday:
Fasting - 95
Breakfast - 142
Lunch - 166

I take my breakfast number around 9:20 so I'll let you know.

I have my doctor's appointment on Thursday afternoon so I'll definitely be talking to him or the diabetic nurse trying to make sense of these numbers, but in the meantime, I'm going to try a diabetic diet. For the most part.

Today's food includes:
Breakfast (2 carb choices and 1 oz meat or meat sub)
- 1 large banana
- 1/4 cup cottage cheese

Morning Snack (2 carb choices and 1 oz meat or meat sub)
- 1 cup milk
- yogurt
- 1 oz cheese

Lunch (3 carb choices, 1 nonstarchy veggie, 3 oz meat or meat sub)
- Smart Ones Frozen meal
- 1 cup raw carrots

Afternoon Snack (2 carb choices, 1 oz meat or meat sub)
- 1 oz string cheese
- 1 large apple

I'm not sure what we're having for dinner since we'll be at my mom and dad's but since my dad has Type 2 diabetes, I'm sure I'll be fine. Moderation, moderation, moderation!

I spent the whole weekend really upset about my blood sugar levels, but now I'm much better. No matter what, whether I have it or not, I'll be fine. All it takes is some self discipline and I can do it.

I'll keep you posted! :)

UPDATED TO ADD:
My breakfast number was 142. So either a little high or medium high...I'm eating lunch now, so I'll update with my lunch number in an hour!

UPDATED TO ADD (AGAIN):
My lunch number was 166! :-( Really high no matter how you look at it...grrr!! I've been eating good things! I had raw carrots and a weight watchers lunch that had only 2-1/2 carb choices! I'm bummed out now...Thursday can't come fast enough to talk to the doc.

Countdowns

I have lots of 'tickers' and 'countdowns' for when Baby #2 will be here on my blog. Most of them just intimidate me! I have "approximately" 171 days until the next baby will be here. That sounds like forever away!

But one of my tickers (at the VERY bottom of all the blog posts) is a ticker that shows development. I just looked at that one, for the first time in forever, and it shows you what month you are in. I'm in my FOURTH month! Which I knew since I'm in my second trimester, but to see the baby in the fourth month highlighted and knowing there are only 9 months total, it was pretty cool.

It's nice to think I'm ALMOST halfway there, as opposed to thinking I still have over 170 days to go!

The glass is half FULL, my friends! Positive outlooks can mean everything!

City Garden

Last night, Nick and I decided to take Dominick downtown to City Garden. It's a really neat place for kids and families in the downtown area. We walked around and Dominick loved running from sculpture to sculpture. He was having so much fun. He discovered the fountains (which are really neat!) and was being very good until a teenage boy came up and was trying to be nice and play with Dominick, but really he just taught him how to get wet...so we had some kicking and screaming when we left the fountain area.

It was really dark and I only had my cell phone so these pictures aren't very good but here's a few pictures of us at City Garden!






In the summer, they call the fountains "pools" and kids can play in the water and splash around. Next year we'll have to go down there to let Dommie play in the fountains for real.

I'm really glad that our downtown area is growing and getting new and exciting things. Downtown is being revitalized and I love it. Nick and I have always talked about moving downtown after the kids are older and I really hope we do it! There is so much our city has to offer and I'd love to be right in the middle of things!

We bought a...

COW! :)

Nick and I (as well as Angela and Andrew) belong to an organic food co-op called "Fair Shares". It's a place where we go once a week and pick up a "share" of organic food locally grown. For example: We pick up our food every Thursday. Here's what we got yesterday:

Troutdale Farm Trout - 1 lb.
Ozark Forest Mushrooms
Yellow Dog Lettuce Mix
Lee Farms Butternut Squash - 1
Marble Creek Bell Peppers - 1
Blue Heron Apples--winesap - 5
Ivan's Fresh Figs or Tomatoes - 5
Greenfield Farms Pears - 5
Missouri Pecan Growers Pecans - 1 bag
River Hills Poultry Alliance Eggs - 1 dozen
Marble Creek White Potatoes - 1 lb.
Companion Country Baguette

It's really amazing food. You don't really know what you're missing if you don't eat organic food until you try it. We are turning into food snobs! :)

Anyway, they have american grass fed ground beef at our food co-op and it's AMAZING. Seriously. You never knew a burger or meatloaf could taste so good until you've had it with organic grass fed beef.

Since we all love the beef so much, Angela, Andrew, Nick and I went in together and bought a quarter cow from The American Grass Fed Beef Co. It came last week and Nick and I have to get over to my sister's so we can pick up our 1/8 of a cow!!

Here's what's included in a quarter cow:
2 Tenderloin Filets (8oz.)
6 Rib Eye Steaks (8 oz.)
6 NY Strip Steaks (8 oz.)
6 Sirloin Steaks (8 oz.)
1 Round Steak (2#)
2 Cube Steak (2#)
1 Rump Roast (3#)
1 Arm Roast (3#)
1 Chuck Roast (3#)
1 Sirloin Tip Roast (3#)
1 Skirt Steak (1#)
1 Flank Steak (1#)
1 Breakfast Steak (1#)
70 # Ground Beef (2# tubes)
1 Beef Bratwurst (1#)


In case you don't know where the cuts are (and I have NO idea) here's a picture to show you what they are. (I won't post it in case people don't want to see cuts of meat on here!).

I'm really excited to get our cow! We make so much with ground beef (lasagna, meatballs, burgers, meatloaf, etc.) and I try to give Dominick mostly organic food if I can help it. All of his fruit, milk and juice is definitely organic and if we're eating at home, I try to make sure his veggies and meat is too, but sometimes that's hard to do.

Starting next week, you know what we'll be eating at our house! Organic beef and Time For Dinner meals! :) Yum!



We got it on Saturday morning!! :) Here's our cow!

'Beat It'

So "Uncle Mike" thinks that this will be Dominick in a few years! He does love to dance and sing so we'll see!

Enjoy!

Current Safe Results

We got our report yesterday from Kay Bee Electric. It was a nice report! (looking...it didn't have GREAT news inside, but it wasn't too bad either).

It was a 24 page color printout that included pictures of our house, inside and out, and all the problem areas.

For the most part, our problems are very minor. A lot of our problems were we have a LOT of light bulb burnt out! So it appeared that our light wasn't working, and made more work for the electrician to check the light and make sure it was capable of working, we are just too lazy to go to the store for light bulbs! :)

Some of our other problems include, we have some original 2 wire wiring in our house and some outlets aren't grounded. We need to fix that. We also don't have a panel cover on our electrical panel...I don't know why, but we need to fix that. We have some light fixtures where we don't have the globes on (we are looking to replace the entire fixture and just haven't done it yet) and that's a problem.

We had one problem that they detected on infrared and we need to switch an actual light switch hookup but that's easy and I'm glad we found it! It was a potential fire hazard and could start an electrical fire at any time. EEK! But we are ok now. :)

Each page was looking at a specific room in the house. It had pictures and descriptions of everything. We even saw the infrared picture of the switch that was a problem! It was pretty cool.

I highly recommend this service. If you live in an older home and aren't too sure of the electrical, or if you are getting ready to buy or sell a home, it would probably be a good thing to get. If you want any more information just leave a comment or email me. Or better yet, call Kay Bee Electric!

No sleep

Last night was a rough night for our family, sleep wise. Well the whole night was a little "off" to be honest. But the actual sleeping part was the worst.

The night started off great! I got home around 4:20, and Nick called me and told me that they reached a decision in his jury case and he was officially done with Jury Duty (for at least three years). So we were in good moods. Nick told me we were celebrating (Nick HATES jury duty) and he was picking up ice cream. I was ok with this. ;-)

So we had ice cream and relaxed for about a half hour and then I headed to get Dom. We got home, I changed him, and we headed down to the basement. We played for a bit and had dinner around 5:30. Well....at this point now we were completely out of diapers at our house. I have NO idea how that happened but we had NONE, ZERO. No overnights, no regular diapers, none. So Nick headed off to Target. He left around 7:20. Dom and I watched an episode of the Backyardigans and then headed upstairs around 8. I called Nick to find out where he was. He was at his mom's. He told me he was leaving and would be home soon. At 8:30 he got home.

He changed Dom and put him into his PJ's and put him down about 8:45.

Then we watched TV for a little bit. Around 9:30, Nick and I headed up to bed. We checked on Dom (sleeping soundly in his new Mizzou Tigers PJ's Nick bought him at Target) and then got ready for bed ourselves.

We laid in bed talking about baby names (we are NOT agreeing right now, but we're working on it) and finally fell asleep about 10:20.

I felt like I had JUST laid my head down when we heard Dommie start to cry.This was around 12:20 am. I went in since Nick had been working in the morning and going to jury duty mid-morning until evening and was tired a lot. Dom was laying in his crib with a binky in his mouth...so what was going on? Why was he crying? He looked at me and said, "Binky??" and started crying again. So I looked for his "spare" binky we keep in his crib. I looked under the crib and found one. So I handed it to him. It wasn't the one he wanted (but believe me, he wasn't letting that one go either), so I looked harder and found the "gween" one that he wanted and handed it to him. He laid his head right back down and I covered him with a blanket and he went back to bed. I went to the bathroom and then climbed back into bed myself.

At 1 am ish, he started crying again. 'Your turn' was all I said and Nick got up to check on him. I went to the bathroom AGAIN (gotta love pregnancy) and then waited for Nick. He was gone for a few minutes and then came back to bed. We fell back asleep again.

At 2:30, he was up screaming again. Well, it was my turn again, so I went back in there and he was crying for his binky again...this is something we are going to have to correct. My ANGEL (haha) wasn't crying because he didn't have A binky...he was crying because he didn't have THREE binkies!! Come on Dom! I didn't have the energy to argue last night though, so I gave him his third binky and went back to bed...oh but not before going to the bathroom again.

I think I went to the bathroom again at 4 and maybe 6....until I finally got up at 6:45.

Blah. What a night. I'm hoping tonight is a MUCH smoother night for sleeping at our house. Fingers are crossed.

Time For Dinner Month 2

I am very excited to go back to Time For Dinner one week from today! I was looking through my freezer this morning to pull something out to defrost and I am down to two dinners! I do still have my breakfast burritos and meatball subs for lunches, but only two more actual meals. I guess getting the 6 split meals is perfect for one month for our family.

One week from today, my Mom, Mike, our cousin Cheryl and her daughter Kara, and myself will be going back to get more meals done. I'm really excited. I had so much fun last time and the meals have all been fantastic.

Last time, Ashley and I did a full order (which is 12 meals that are divided into two portions) and split it. We each got a full order of some things (like the apple butter bbq pork) and we split some orders (so we each got a half order of the chicken chardonney, etc.). Ashley has been saving her meals for her time off with Little Will so she isn't ready for more yet, but I am! So Mike and I are doing the same thing that Ash and I did.

Here's what we're ordering:

I'm getting:
Chicken Parmigiana Rotolo (1/2 order or 3 servings)
Elegant upgrade of the Italian favorite. Tender chicken breasts wrapped around a 3 cheese mix then topped with red sauce and cheese...a luscious treat everyone will savor.

Dixieland Pork Tenderloin (1/2 order or 3 servings)
Exquisitely tender pork dressed in cornbread stuffing, smoked sausage and Cajun spice makes a memorable, moderately spicy meal.

Pumpkin Pie Cake (1 order or 24 servings)
Do not pass up on this one! It's moist, it's sweet, it's not a pie and it's better than a cake. Our customers have been begging for this awesome dessert since last Thanksgiving!

Sausage in Puff Pastry (2 orders or 24 servings)
Offer your "ghouls" and boys this spooky meal at Halloween. Mild pork sausage mixed with finely chopped mushrooms and onion and wrapped "Mummy-Style" in puff pastry for a fun presentation! Kids will not know they are eating mushrooms - promise!

I'm hoping this means husbands won't know they are eating mushrooms too! :)

Sesame Grilled Chicken (1/2 order or 3 servings)
Succulent, moist chicken breasts in a medium-spicy sesame glaze are absolutely delectable.

Sicilian Steak (1/2 order or 3 servings)
This tender steak is smothered in a combination of onions, garlic, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and bold Madeira wine.

Tilapia Mornay (1 order or 6 servings)
Baked tilapia covered with a delicious crab stuffing then topped with creamy Mornay (white cheese) sauce.

So I am getting 42 servings of food for dinner and 24 servings of pumpkin cake (yum!) for $120.55. That's only $2.87 per serving of dinner and it's like I get the cake for free! :) We spend more than that going out to dinner anywhere. And this way it's all prepared, totally together, and all I have to do is defrost and bake. AND NO DIRTY DISHES! Always a plus for us with no dishwasher.

I can't wait until next Wednesday! :)

Pumpkin Butter!!

I made it last night! It is really really good! I LOVE apple butter and I LOVE pumpkin so this is right up my alley. I made it last night around 6 and had some on an english muffin for an appetizer to dinner (organic Dogtown Pepperoni Pizza - YUM!) and had some more this morning for breakfast. It's really good and was so easy. I'm actually kind of impressed with myself...

Tonight I'm going to try another one of those recipes from Gina's Skinny Recipes Blog...Pumpkin Spice Crepes! (She's on a pumpkin theme on her blog right now and I am 100% ok with this!).

I'll keep you posted on that as well!

Pumpkin Butter??

I follow a recipe blog that has weight watcher friendly recipes on it. Since October hit, there have been a LOT of pumpkin recipes. I'm 100% ok with this as I LOVE pumpkin anything. I'm not so sure about the pumpkin butter but it looks amazing and people keep raving about it...I might have to try this one.

Nick and I have NO plans this week for the nights (for once) so I'm looking forward to staying in and maybe making a few new things. This might have to be one of those things. I'll keep you posted.

Here's the recipe if you are interested.

*Picture and recipe from "Ginas Skinny Recipes" at www.skinnytaste.com

Current Safe

For those of you who don't know, my Dad's family runs a union electrical contracting company. My Grandpa and his friend started it in 1948 in their garage and now my dad, my uncle and the sons of my grandpa's friend run it.


They are getting ready to start offering a new service to their customers and it is called Current Safe. I don't know the specifics yet but it seems really neat! They send an electrician to your house and they use infrared technology to look inside your walls to detect any potential problems or safety concerns. It's a pretty cool concept.

The electricians who perform this work had to go to the East Coast to get certified in using this equipment, so the workers are top of the line with a certification. Now my husband is an electrician, so you'd think our electrical is pretty good. But he can't look through walls (that I know of!) and he has no control over what was done in the house before we moved in. With having one child in the house, another on the way, and three animals who live in the house all day while we're gone, I really think this is a good idea to get all this checked out.

My dad wanted his employees to get some experience with all the equipment and especially get to see some older homes, so we had a Current Safe Electrician come to our house at 7:00 am this morning. We did a tour, and I showed him all the switches and outlets in the house along with where our electrical panel is. He pulled out a computer and a camera and was setting stuff up when I left for work. I know there will be things wrong in our report (there always are) but I'm hoping nothing too major! Although I'd rather know that we have a problem than keep on living in our house with all our precious family and not know.

I'll keep you posted on what the report says when I get it. He said it may take a few days to go through everything in our house. I don't know how long the process is, but our house is a decent size house (about 2,600 sq feet), so it may be a few days before I get the report.

I think this service would be especially beneficial to people who are trying to sell their homes or to people who are buying a new home and want to know exactly what they are getting. I hope this part of my dad's business really takes off and people can really benefit from this technology. Isn't it amazing what we can do these days because of technology??

Here's Kay Bee Electric's website if anyone is interested in this or any other service.

15 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

How your life's changing:

You've probably gained about 5 pounds by now (a little more or less is fine, too) and are well into the swing of your pregnancy, but you may still be surprised by an unexpected symptom now and then. If your nose is stuffed up, for instance, you can probably chalk it up to the combined effect of hormonal changes and increased blood flow to your mucous membranes. This condition is so common, there's even a name for it: "rhinitis of pregnancy." Some pregnant women also suffer nosebleeds as a result of increased blood volume and blood vessel expansion in the nose.

If you're having amniocentesis, it'll most likely happen between now and 18 weeks. This test can identify hundreds of genetic and chromosomal disorders. If you're getting very anxious while waiting for the results, it may help to know that most women who undergo amniocentesis get good news about their babies — bringing welcome relief from their worries.

Don't be surprised if you and your partner are feeling a little stressed out these days. Many pregnant couples worry about their baby's health and how they'll handle the changes ahead. But with physical discomforts on the wane and energy on the rise, this is also a wonderful trimester for most women.


Well nothing is really new for me, pregnancy wise. I'm still doing fine. I'm waiting to hear back from my doc this week to see if I can start getting my diabetes testing supplies early and start taking my blood sugar. I don't know how much weight I've gained, I'll find out next Thursday, the 14th, when I go back to the doc. I'm definitely showing though. My tummy is really starting to bulge out. Nick actually put his arms around my after the half marathon and said, "woah! Where did that belly come from??" so yup, it's definitely there!

We aren't too worried this time around, I guess that comes with being pregnant with your second, and we definitely aren't doing an amniocentesis. Whatever is going on with this little being inside of me, is perfect. This is our baby and we can't wait to meet him or her. In just about 25 more weeks! EEK. That's kind of scary!

We are going back to "time for dinner" on Wednesday, October 13th, and I'm excited about that too. Even though I'm supposed to have more energy, I still don't. Not yet anyway. I'm pretty tired pretty often. But hopefully that energy is coming soon!

My next ultrasound is tentatively scheduled for November 10, so that's when we'll find out the sex, although Nick and I won't find out for a few more days. Probably the 14th is when we'll find out...more details to follow! :)

That's it I think! I'll keep you posted with anything new that happens.