It's taking us awhile but I think we're finally getting into our routines. All of us. Life is a little crazy around this house most of the time but in a good way.
Dominick is in his new school and doing very well. It will be one month tomorrow. I'm so happy for him and love that he's learning so many things every day. I don't even mind doing homework with him because it means he's learning. He has friends and it seems like he's adjusting extremely well. My big boy is SO big!!
Annabelle has been in her school for about a month and a half. She's doing great too. When I drop her off now, she gives me a hug, then a kiss, then another kiss, then she waves goodbye and she's off. Breaks my heart a little but she's happy and that's all that matters. Her speech has improved but definitely still has room to improve so we're keeping an eye on it. We'll probably go to a place and get another evaluation done but I'm happy for her and happy that I'm understanding more every day.
Gretchen is ONE now!?! Holy cow this past year has flown. She's doing so many things. She can take about 3-4 steps at a time and I'm so proud of that big girl too! She's babbling all the time and for the most part a happy baby. She is definitely a mama's girl. More so than any of the other kids. If she can see me, and I'm not holding her, she's screaming for me. If she can't see me, she's fine. But I better not be in the same room. She goes to a sitter 1-2 days a week and to my mom's maybe one day a week and the rest of the time she's home with me. We're learning how to get things accomplished and still have fun at home. It's a work in progress.
Nick is pretty settled in at his new job. I think he's doing well. He's putting in a lot of time and effort so I hope he's doing well! He's been pretty stressed trying to make sure everything is perfect but I think he's settling in.
I am done with orientation!! I am officially an RN on my own! Yay!!! I go to work tonight and get to do everything on my own and I'm thrilled! I love what I do and I especially love getting to do it without a shadow, no offense to my preceptors!!
Nick's mom is helping us in our routine. When I work at night, I don't get home until 8 am the next day. Nick leaves for work at 6:20 so we have an hour and forty minute gap with no child care. She's been coming over in the morning and helping out. It's been amazing. I hope she doesn't get too tired of it!! Because we need her and love her and appreciate it a TON.
All in all, we are getting there. Just in time for fall. My second favorite time of year (after March madness, of course!).
Oh fall. That's another post all by itself.
But we're getting there. On another note, now that we're getting into a routine, I only have 4 more months on my 30 x 30...better get to work! :)
Happy Wednesday!!
Showing posts with label Nick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
One extreme to the other
So here's the deal. I'm not that neat. I don't like things DIRTY but I can handle clutter (while Nick on the other hand can NOT handle clutter). Nick's been on me for awhile (how many years have we been married now?) to turn that around and really work on that. Easier said than done. But now I think he fixed me too well.
I spent a few days last week going nuts and cleaning around the house.
Here are some pics of the work I did:
I spent a few days last week going nuts and cleaning around the house.
Here are some pics of the work I did:
BEFORE picture of the basement. YIKES!
AFTER of the new "Play Area" for the kids.
View over to the "adult area" of the basement.
Another view. Yay! Floor space!
BEFORE picture of my cluttered kitchen eating area.
AFTER. Yay!
Living room.
Dining Room.
Dominick and Annabelle's room (Yes, those are labels on the dressers. Dom likes to pick out his own clothes and this makes it easier for him).
View of Annabelle's crib and bookshelf.
View of floor space basically (we moved the toy rack thingy downstairs).
Dom and Annabelle's crib together. They sleep side by side now basically.
Anyway, all those pictures were showing you the work I did and how now I'm crazy. The whole basement has to be picked up before we can go to bed. All dishes have to be done and all clutter off the countertops before bed. If Nick leaves something out, I'm quick to glare at him and then pick it up. The floor gets swept every day and the basement vacuumed every other day. I'm crazy. I'm not saying this will last forever, but I'm not sure which is worst. Someone who doesn't care about clutter, or something who is crazy and won't let you leave anything out...Poor Nick.
Be careful what you wish for!!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
~ ~ ChAnGeS ~ ~
So many things are changing around our house!! And I Love it!!
First, I PASSED BOARDS!!! I'm now officially a licensed RN and can't wait to start working as an RN. Unfortunately they canceled June orientation at the hospital so I have to wait until July, but hey, I passed and I have a job, so I can't complain too much.
Second, Nick has a new job!! He moved to a new company and we are both thrilled about it! He's going to be running a big job and he's really nervous but I think, no I know! he's going to be fantastic.
Third, we are cleaning up our house!! We always go back and forth on whether or not we want to stay in the city or move back to the county. I figure we should just pretend that we are going to move so we get our house nice and fixed up and if we want to move we will be ready and if we don't, well our house will be nice and fixed up! So we are starting with some landscaping in the back. We will eventually get to the front but are starting with the back. It looks great already and we're just starting!
We dug up all the oldgrass weeds in one section of the back and relaid some sod. Then we dug up all the old plants in the flower bed and I'm planting new flowers and some hosta plants. I love it already. Next we'll dig up the rest of the weeds and resod the rest of the backyard. We are fixing up the parking pad too. Right now it's just the old parking pad but Nick's running pipe to add lights outside and make it a nice outdoor space. After that we'll finally redo the deck and be DONE with the back!!
I plan on redoing the front too, which won't be near as much work. Just digging up some old grass and planting some new flowers. Then our landscaping will be beautiful!!
Ahhh I'm so happy right now with everything we've been doing and I can't wait to do more! It's amazing how much time I have when I don't have to do homework or study!!
First, I PASSED BOARDS!!! I'm now officially a licensed RN and can't wait to start working as an RN. Unfortunately they canceled June orientation at the hospital so I have to wait until July, but hey, I passed and I have a job, so I can't complain too much.
Second, Nick has a new job!! He moved to a new company and we are both thrilled about it! He's going to be running a big job and he's really nervous but I think, no I know! he's going to be fantastic.
Third, we are cleaning up our house!! We always go back and forth on whether or not we want to stay in the city or move back to the county. I figure we should just pretend that we are going to move so we get our house nice and fixed up and if we want to move we will be ready and if we don't, well our house will be nice and fixed up! So we are starting with some landscaping in the back. We will eventually get to the front but are starting with the back. It looks great already and we're just starting!
We dug up all the old
I plan on redoing the front too, which won't be near as much work. Just digging up some old grass and planting some new flowers. Then our landscaping will be beautiful!!
Ahhh I'm so happy right now with everything we've been doing and I can't wait to do more! It's amazing how much time I have when I don't have to do homework or study!!
Friday, January 18, 2013
My little GENIUS!
So let's be honest. We all KNEW Dom was a genius, but now it's been confirmed! Dominick is a genius. Straight up genius. ;-)
We're trying to get Dominick into the St. Louis Gifted program. He had to get tested to see what his IQ is. He had to score at least a 125. We took him to the testing center and went to the waiting room and he was being weird. He was acting like he didn't know how to do things. He was asking us for help with puzzles and I was thinking "this is not going to be good!". But when we got called and went back to the actual testing area, he was very talkative. The man doing the testing told us that it could take anywhere from 20-45 minutes. Nick and I were nervous. It took the whole 45 minutes. We weren't sure if that meant that Dom was SO smart that he was just seeing how smart he was or if Dom wasn't showing how smart he was and it took so long because he was giving him more chances. :)
At the end of the 45 minutes, the man came back with Dom. Dom ran up to me and said, "I did a really good job Mama!!". We went with the man back to the room and he confirmed it! Dom did great!
Most kids Dom's age test between 90-110. Dom scored a 123 on verbal skills, 132 on non-verbal and 133 on spacial or something like that. Then there was another test that I didn't understand. And the scores don't average. I didn't get that either, but his final score was a 133! WOOHOO! Go Dom!
So he's officially eligible for the program! Now he's in the lottery. Let's just say some prayers that his name gets drawn so he can actually go to one of the two schools we picked!
Congrats Dommie Salami!
We're trying to get Dominick into the St. Louis Gifted program. He had to get tested to see what his IQ is. He had to score at least a 125. We took him to the testing center and went to the waiting room and he was being weird. He was acting like he didn't know how to do things. He was asking us for help with puzzles and I was thinking "this is not going to be good!". But when we got called and went back to the actual testing area, he was very talkative. The man doing the testing told us that it could take anywhere from 20-45 minutes. Nick and I were nervous. It took the whole 45 minutes. We weren't sure if that meant that Dom was SO smart that he was just seeing how smart he was or if Dom wasn't showing how smart he was and it took so long because he was giving him more chances. :)
At the end of the 45 minutes, the man came back with Dom. Dom ran up to me and said, "I did a really good job Mama!!". We went with the man back to the room and he confirmed it! Dom did great!
Most kids Dom's age test between 90-110. Dom scored a 123 on verbal skills, 132 on non-verbal and 133 on spacial or something like that. Then there was another test that I didn't understand. And the scores don't average. I didn't get that either, but his final score was a 133! WOOHOO! Go Dom!
So he's officially eligible for the program! Now he's in the lottery. Let's just say some prayers that his name gets drawn so he can actually go to one of the two schools we picked!
Congrats Dommie Salami!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
My Immediate Family Christmas
We always do our immediate family Christmas the Saturday or Sunday before Christmas just because the holidays get so crazy busy. This year, my sister and I took my mom to see Wicked at the Fabulous Fox on Saturday so we did Family Christmas on Sunday.
It was a great time. We went over to my parent's around 3 pm. We did dinner first because I knew my kids wouldn't sit through dinner if we did presents first. We had a great meal and then did presents. All of these kids are so loved and spoiled that it's ridiculous. :)
Dominick got a ton of stuff on his Christmas list, including: new Christmas PJ's, a new "piggy bank" which is a big green dinosaur, a big boy green cup, a new puzzle, Ice Age: Continental Drift, and a ton of the Melissa&Doug brand wooden food. What a lucky boy.
Annabelle got a new baby doll, a baby stroller, Melissa&Doug wooden food, new Christmas PJ's, and something else I think, but can't remember...
Gretchen got new Christmas PJ's and a TON of clothes. Just what I wanted her to get!
The food was great, the kids had a blast, everything was perfect!
We gave some presents and got some presents but of course, Christmas is now all about the kids.
Here are some pictures of our day:
It was a great time. We went over to my parent's around 3 pm. We did dinner first because I knew my kids wouldn't sit through dinner if we did presents first. We had a great meal and then did presents. All of these kids are so loved and spoiled that it's ridiculous. :)
Dominick got a ton of stuff on his Christmas list, including: new Christmas PJ's, a new "piggy bank" which is a big green dinosaur, a big boy green cup, a new puzzle, Ice Age: Continental Drift, and a ton of the Melissa&Doug brand wooden food. What a lucky boy.
Annabelle got a new baby doll, a baby stroller, Melissa&Doug wooden food, new Christmas PJ's, and something else I think, but can't remember...
Gretchen got new Christmas PJ's and a TON of clothes. Just what I wanted her to get!
The food was great, the kids had a blast, everything was perfect!
We gave some presents and got some presents but of course, Christmas is now all about the kids.
Here are some pictures of our day:
Dad, Dom and Celia all opening a few presents
Addie opening one of the presents from us, a bag full of baby accessories
Annabelle looking at her new Christmas PJ's (which she's wearing today!)
Celia opening her Lego Camper from Grandpa and Grandpa
Celia opening her play-doh present that Dom picked out
Gretch just taking it all in
Angela opening her gift from us, kitchen stuff!
Andrew opening a present from Mom and Dad, a signed copy of Tony La Russa's book
Another pic
Grandma opening the Cookie Jar the kids made then
Grandpa opening the calendar of the kids that Angela makes him and Mom every year
Annabelle playing with her new stroller and new baby that she named "LaLa"
It was a great FIRST Christmas. One of many that we got the pleasure of going to this year. What a lucky family we have. :)
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
My Hospital Stay
What a wild ride this past week has been. Not even a week! This may be a long post.
It started a few weeks ago actually when I started getting these headaches and dizziness that would go away. I started getting these headaches on the 7th of November. I didn't think too much of them, but they were BAD headaches. I took advil but they wouldn't really fully go away.
The day it all got very very bad was on Friday, the 16th. Nick needed to go up to his job site because he needed a permit number. Well, he never got the chance. After getting both kids (I already had Gretchen at home) and driving through downtown, I got a weird sensation. I had just turned around to tell Dominick something (Nick was driving) when I got a heavy feeling in my legs arms. I turned back around really quick and it almost felt as if it went away. Nick asked when was wrong and when I told him, he told me I had too much stuff in my lap and I needed to breathe.
He took a bunch of stuff out of my lap and when he did, I realized I could barely move my right leg. My left leg was fine though.
I was thinking maybe it fell asleep, but it wasn't a tingling feeling, it was HEAVY. Almost as if a lead weight was attached to my leg. Then I could feel it spread. The heavy feeling went up my right side and I couldn't move my arm. Again, only my right arm and not my left. At this point I started to freak out. We were stuck in traffic and I couldn't move any part of my right side. I kept smiling at myself in the mirror an both sides were smiling so I wasn't completely freaking out, but I was scared.
Then was the scariest thing to happen yet. I felt it go up to my face. When I felt it in my face, it was tingles and it wasn't just my face, my whole right side started tingling. I opened the mirror and smiled in the mirror and my worst fear was confirmed. I was only smiling with my left side of my face.
About the same time that happened, I lost my speech. I couldn't make out any words. They were just noises. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't make the words come out.
We had already been headed up north, so Nick brought me to Christian Northeast. We had all three kids with us so Nick pulled up to the ER and helped me out. He locked the kids in the car until he could get me in. I had told him I could walk but I was way wrong. He practically carried me in and a security guard brought me a wheelchair. Nick went back out to the car and brought the kids in and waited for my parents to get there.
They kept asking me questions and I knew the answers but I couldn't say them. I'm sure it was frustrating for a lot of people.
I just got home last night. I had a million tests done. 2 CT scans (one with contrast and one without), MRI, MRA, TEE, 2 D Echo, too many vials of blood to even count. At least 20. And by the time this is all said and done, they aren't 100% sure what happened to me. They are "suspecting" that I had a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA - or mini stroke) but they aren't positive. I had something happen that has affected my brain though. Even typing I know it's different than it used to be. But it's ok, it's not starting from scratch. It's like I just forgot where some of the letters are located on the keyboard. I'll be back to a fast typist again soon, I'm sure.
I'm off of birth control and back onto a blood thinner (something I was told would be fine because my disorder isn't a big deal but clearly it is more of a big deal than any of us realized). I'm still trying to shake this headache and somehow I caught a virus in the hospital and have been throwing up a lot lately, but I think that's on the way out. I've been drinking a lot of alka-seltzer and eating basically popsicles and crackers.
I have an appointment with a stroke neurologist on Tuesday. Hopefully they can figure some stuff out, because I have to go to work 1 week from today!
I'm very thankful to the many people who came up or called or texted while I was in the hospital. I know on Sunday and Monday I was in NO mood for company so I'm sorry I didn't talk to any of you. But the balloons, flowers, everything was beautiful and it means a lot to me.
I'm so happy to be home. Even though I still feel weak and kind of sick, I'd much rather be here than in the hospital. I'm so thankful to get to see my kids! I missed them being away from all 3 for 4 whole days. And I missed my husband.
Ok, that's enough. Sorry if I just bored you to tears! I'm actually feeling so much better that Gretchen and I are headed to JCPenneys to buy our Thanksgiving outfits! Wish me luck!
It started a few weeks ago actually when I started getting these headaches and dizziness that would go away. I started getting these headaches on the 7th of November. I didn't think too much of them, but they were BAD headaches. I took advil but they wouldn't really fully go away.
The day it all got very very bad was on Friday, the 16th. Nick needed to go up to his job site because he needed a permit number. Well, he never got the chance. After getting both kids (I already had Gretchen at home) and driving through downtown, I got a weird sensation. I had just turned around to tell Dominick something (Nick was driving) when I got a heavy feeling in my legs arms. I turned back around really quick and it almost felt as if it went away. Nick asked when was wrong and when I told him, he told me I had too much stuff in my lap and I needed to breathe.
He took a bunch of stuff out of my lap and when he did, I realized I could barely move my right leg. My left leg was fine though.
I was thinking maybe it fell asleep, but it wasn't a tingling feeling, it was HEAVY. Almost as if a lead weight was attached to my leg. Then I could feel it spread. The heavy feeling went up my right side and I couldn't move my arm. Again, only my right arm and not my left. At this point I started to freak out. We were stuck in traffic and I couldn't move any part of my right side. I kept smiling at myself in the mirror an both sides were smiling so I wasn't completely freaking out, but I was scared.
Then was the scariest thing to happen yet. I felt it go up to my face. When I felt it in my face, it was tingles and it wasn't just my face, my whole right side started tingling. I opened the mirror and smiled in the mirror and my worst fear was confirmed. I was only smiling with my left side of my face.
About the same time that happened, I lost my speech. I couldn't make out any words. They were just noises. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't make the words come out.
We had already been headed up north, so Nick brought me to Christian Northeast. We had all three kids with us so Nick pulled up to the ER and helped me out. He locked the kids in the car until he could get me in. I had told him I could walk but I was way wrong. He practically carried me in and a security guard brought me a wheelchair. Nick went back out to the car and brought the kids in and waited for my parents to get there.
They kept asking me questions and I knew the answers but I couldn't say them. I'm sure it was frustrating for a lot of people.
I just got home last night. I had a million tests done. 2 CT scans (one with contrast and one without), MRI, MRA, TEE, 2 D Echo, too many vials of blood to even count. At least 20. And by the time this is all said and done, they aren't 100% sure what happened to me. They are "suspecting" that I had a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA - or mini stroke) but they aren't positive. I had something happen that has affected my brain though. Even typing I know it's different than it used to be. But it's ok, it's not starting from scratch. It's like I just forgot where some of the letters are located on the keyboard. I'll be back to a fast typist again soon, I'm sure.
I'm off of birth control and back onto a blood thinner (something I was told would be fine because my disorder isn't a big deal but clearly it is more of a big deal than any of us realized). I'm still trying to shake this headache and somehow I caught a virus in the hospital and have been throwing up a lot lately, but I think that's on the way out. I've been drinking a lot of alka-seltzer and eating basically popsicles and crackers.
I have an appointment with a stroke neurologist on Tuesday. Hopefully they can figure some stuff out, because I have to go to work 1 week from today!
I'm very thankful to the many people who came up or called or texted while I was in the hospital. I know on Sunday and Monday I was in NO mood for company so I'm sorry I didn't talk to any of you. But the balloons, flowers, everything was beautiful and it means a lot to me.
I'm so happy to be home. Even though I still feel weak and kind of sick, I'd much rather be here than in the hospital. I'm so thankful to get to see my kids! I missed them being away from all 3 for 4 whole days. And I missed my husband.
Ok, that's enough. Sorry if I just bored you to tears! I'm actually feeling so much better that Gretchen and I are headed to JCPenneys to buy our Thanksgiving outfits! Wish me luck!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Out for a Night!
Nick and I were fortunate enough to go to my cousin Ben's journeyman party last week. A week ago today, actually. My parents watched all three kids so we could go up to Cugino's and congratulate Ben. While we were there, I played darts for the first time ever. Apparently I have some natural talent with darts and I LOVED it! I played so long that Mom had to call me and ask me to come home. :)
Well on our way home from Cugino's, I was talking about how much fun I had and Nick told me that while I'm still off of work and school he thinks I should go out one night a week. What?!? OK!!!
So last night was my first night out. My cousins Sara, Ben and I decided to go to Friendly's bar in Tower Grove. Sara's friend, Marcus, joined us and we had four people to play darts. I had a blast!!! I left my house at 6 pm (with the kids eating dinner of mac and cheese, apples, grapes, corn and milk, Nick's dinner in the oven and a bottle ready for Gretchen) and played darts, had a few beers and a light dinner of fried pickles (light as in not much food, not as in light in calories).
We played a lot of darts (301 wipeout, 501 double out, shanghai, stop watch, high score, and cricket) and even a game of shuffleboard. I had so much fun. I love love love my children and my husband but I was so happy to be out of the house. I literally spend almost every day doing laundry, cleaning up toys, doing dishes, etc. I maybe get out on a Wednesday to hang out with my Mom but that's the most exciting day of the week. So getting out last night was fantastic.
Here's a picture of me and Ben taking a break from darts. Ben was practicing his new picture face. :)
Well on our way home from Cugino's, I was talking about how much fun I had and Nick told me that while I'm still off of work and school he thinks I should go out one night a week. What?!? OK!!!
So last night was my first night out. My cousins Sara, Ben and I decided to go to Friendly's bar in Tower Grove. Sara's friend, Marcus, joined us and we had four people to play darts. I had a blast!!! I left my house at 6 pm (with the kids eating dinner of mac and cheese, apples, grapes, corn and milk, Nick's dinner in the oven and a bottle ready for Gretchen) and played darts, had a few beers and a light dinner of fried pickles (light as in not much food, not as in light in calories).
We played a lot of darts (301 wipeout, 501 double out, shanghai, stop watch, high score, and cricket) and even a game of shuffleboard. I had so much fun. I love love love my children and my husband but I was so happy to be out of the house. I literally spend almost every day doing laundry, cleaning up toys, doing dishes, etc. I maybe get out on a Wednesday to hang out with my Mom but that's the most exciting day of the week. So getting out last night was fantastic.
Here's a picture of me and Ben taking a break from darts. Ben was practicing his new picture face. :)
Monday, September 10, 2012
Happy Anniversary!!!
I guess I could take a second and mention that my wedding anniversary was yesterday.
Nick and I have been married for 6 years. HOLY COW! 6 years. It doesn't seem that long ago, honestly.
And I truly can't believe that just six years after saying 'I do' we'll have 3 children. THREE. That means we are outnumbered. Yikes!
It has been an amazing six years though. We've gotten to do so much and we are still so happy. We've gone on trips (Mexico, Chicago, Las Vegas, Park City, Gulf Shores, Disney in Orlando, etc), we bought a house and have done some big construction (re-finished the basement, re-did the bathroom, built Dominick and now Annabelle's room, knocked out a wall to enlarge our kitchen, and coming soon, making the new baby's room!), I went back to school and changed careers (accounting to nursing - big change!), and we've done all these things with each other 100% supporting the other and having the time of our lives doing it.
This past year has been tough. VERY tough. Me getting a new job and going back to school and not making much money and not being home a lot has been hard. But Nick hasn't really ever complained about it. At least not to me. Which I'm surprised by and super impressed with. It can be easy to just get frustrated that he's bringing home 95% of the bacon and taking care of the kids 85% on his own. But he's done it and even quizzed me for tests along the way. He's amazing.
In just a few short months, this journey will be over. I'll be done with school and working a more normal schedule and home to help with the kids almost every night. But the journey that Nick and I get to take together will continue and I'm so excited about that. What will the next chapter bring as we are a family of five? I can't wait to find out. I picked the best partner to do this with and I'm lucky enough that he wanted me as well.
Happy 6 year anniversary Nick! I'm confident that since we've gotten through this past year, we can get through anything. These last 6 years have been perfect and I can't wait for MANY MANY more to come.
Nick and I have been married for 6 years. HOLY COW! 6 years. It doesn't seem that long ago, honestly.
And I truly can't believe that just six years after saying 'I do' we'll have 3 children. THREE. That means we are outnumbered. Yikes!
It has been an amazing six years though. We've gotten to do so much and we are still so happy. We've gone on trips (Mexico, Chicago, Las Vegas, Park City, Gulf Shores, Disney in Orlando, etc), we bought a house and have done some big construction (re-finished the basement, re-did the bathroom, built Dominick and now Annabelle's room, knocked out a wall to enlarge our kitchen, and coming soon, making the new baby's room!), I went back to school and changed careers (accounting to nursing - big change!), and we've done all these things with each other 100% supporting the other and having the time of our lives doing it.
This past year has been tough. VERY tough. Me getting a new job and going back to school and not making much money and not being home a lot has been hard. But Nick hasn't really ever complained about it. At least not to me. Which I'm surprised by and super impressed with. It can be easy to just get frustrated that he's bringing home 95% of the bacon and taking care of the kids 85% on his own. But he's done it and even quizzed me for tests along the way. He's amazing.
In just a few short months, this journey will be over. I'll be done with school and working a more normal schedule and home to help with the kids almost every night. But the journey that Nick and I get to take together will continue and I'm so excited about that. What will the next chapter bring as we are a family of five? I can't wait to find out. I picked the best partner to do this with and I'm lucky enough that he wanted me as well.
Happy 6 year anniversary Nick! I'm confident that since we've gotten through this past year, we can get through anything. These last 6 years have been perfect and I can't wait for MANY MANY more to come.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Antepartum
Not as in the place I work, but as in the place where I've been admitted and the place where I am stuck...
It all started Saturday morning. I was having severe pains in my abdomen and contractions pretty much all morning. I've been contracting for weeks so I wasn't overly concerned but I was keeping an eye on it. I started feeling better when it got closer to noon. I wanted to feel great because it was our baby sprinkle bbq at Jim and Leslie's and I wanted to feel good for it. By about 2 (when we were dropping the kids off at my parents) I was feeling decent. Not great but better than the morning.
We went to the shower (I mean, sprinkle) and had a fantastic time. Really an awesome time. We got to see friends we hadn't seen in forever. We were SHOWERED (not sprinkled) with love and diapers and we just had a lot of fun. The pain was there but mainly in the background the whole time. But when we got on the road, the pain was back and in full force. I was miserable the whole drive to my parent's house to get the kids. Miserable. Almost in tears. But we made it and we got the kids loaded up and headed home.
The whole drive home I was almost in tears. We got home, got the kids in bed and went to watch a little TV. I bailed on Nick right away to go upstairs to bed. I couldn't focus I was in so much pain. If I moved, there was shooting pain in my abdomen. If I took a deep breath, there was shooting pain in my abdomen. I also had a pounding headache that wouldn't go away with anything. I was downright miserable. I tried to sleep, honestly. But I couldn't. At 3:15am I was done. I couldn't stand it anymore. I woke Nick up and told him I was going to the hospital. He offered to come along but I wasn't sure what was going on and I didn't want to wake the kids up or anything. So I drove myself in.
I got to the Labor and Delivery unit at 4 am. They got me checked in and admitted and I was hooked to the monitors by about 4:30. The nurse was asking me lots of questions while I was getting settled and asked me if I was feeling any contractions. I told her no, I was just in constant pain. They started an IV, drew some blood, and took my vitals. Around 5 am, I told her I could feel contractions. Shortly after I started feeling them, they got stronger. And stronger. And my head was still pounding...
Around 5:30 or so, a resident came in and talked to me. I was contracting every 2-3 minutes at this point. She checked my cervix and said I was 1 cm, 50% effaced and at -2 station (goes from -5 to 5, 5 is when you are pushing the baby out). She started me on fluids and gave me medicine for my headache (which worked for about 4 hours, thank goodness) and told me she'd be back in an hour. Around 6:30, she came and checked me again and I was the same. So that was good. I was not in active labor but the contractions weren't stopping. And the other abdomen pain wasn't gonig away. She started me on procardia to stop the contractions, or hopefully stop the contractions.
My new nurse came on around 7:00 and had me sign all kinds of paperwork. I had already signed an admission form but with all the contractions, they had me sign a consent for a c-section, a consent for circumcision if I have a boy, consent for blood transfusion if I would hemorrhage. I started to get nervous. I called Nick and told him to come in when the kids got up. Then I called my parents and told them what was going on. I was getting a little worried.
Luckily Nick got there shortly and the contractions were spreading out. I don't remember the time, but the on-call doc came in to talk to us and gave us unexpected news. She told me that since the pain was constant and in the upper middle part of my abdomen that didn't seem to find any relief, she thought it was one of two things. 1) a hiatal hernia or 2) that my abdomen muscles (from c-sections and pregnancies in general) had stretched and were actually coming apart. Both of these things are very painful and neither have a solution...at least not until the baby comes and they can repair the problem. So she gave me two options. 1) Go home. Deal with the pain and maybe (probably) come back. or 2) Stay the night in antepartum. Let them do a trial and error on some pain meds and try to get me home in the morning.
I told her I wanted to talk to Nick about it. She left and Nick and I talked. I wanted to go home. But we were both afraid that I would get home and be in constant pain and end up coming back. So after a long talk, we decided I would stay. After a few hours, Nick left and then I got moved from Labor and Delivery to Antepartum. I had a nice afternoon. Stuck in bed but I had a TV and they give you a laptop to use while you are here and I felt ok. Still in a lot of pain, but ok since I was in good hands.
My mom came up to visit and that was nice. Even though I had only been in the hospital for a few hours, I was already lonely. So she stayed for a few hours and then she left. Nick came back up with the kids around 7:30 and that was kind of a disaster. :) The kids were hyper and crazy and couldn't stand being in a room and confined. So Nick only stayed for about 30 minutes. I told him to go home and I'd be home in the morning...
How wrong I was.
I received some pain meds and ambien to help me sleep and I slept great. I was feeling decent when I woke up this morning. Still in pain, but convinced I could handle it at home. I ordered breakfast and met my day nurse and was having a decent morning.
Then the contractions started again. And wouldn't stop. They put me on the monitor and I ate breakfast and waited for my doc. She came in and gave me the bad news. No way was she letting me home while contracting like this. So I got more procardia and told I would probably be spending the night. Again.
I'm not going to lie. I cried. I called my sister and cried. She talked to me for a bit and calmed me down. Then I called my parents and told them and I cried. They calmed me down, then I talked to Nick and told him, and I cried. I know it's what's best for me and the baby. I know that. But I want to go home. I want to be in my bed. I want to see my kids and my husband. And even that darn dog. :)
I'm trying to look at the brightside. While I'm here I have someone to help me with everything. I get to hear the baby's heartbeat twice a day. I get to order whatever food I want and someone brings it to me and then cleans up after me. Sounds pretty good right? I still miss my family and still want to be able to get up and walk around (I'm still on strict bedrest except to go to the bathroom).
I haven't had any contractions since the second dose of procradia. Hopefully I don't have any more and can go home tomorrow. I know I'll probably be on bedrest when I go home and I think I can handle that. I'm eager to talk to my actual doctor (I've only seen his colleague and not him yet) and see what he says. I know now that I probably won't get to VBAC. Especially if they are having to repair a hernia or separated muscles. No point in pushing a baby out and then having surgery anyway. But I'm wondering if he'll do the c-section early now that this is going on. If he does the c-section at 37 weeks, that's just a week from Thursday. I can handle bedrest until then. If he waits until 40 weeks, that's a month from tomorrow. Obviously I'll do whatever I have to do but would rather have this baby earlier than later.
Oh well. I know I'm in good hands and luckily we have wonderful family and friends. Hopefully Nick can get some help while I'm out of commission.
I'll let you know when I know more, but as for now, I'm holed up in the Antepartum unit waiting for those magic words that I get to go home. :)
It all started Saturday morning. I was having severe pains in my abdomen and contractions pretty much all morning. I've been contracting for weeks so I wasn't overly concerned but I was keeping an eye on it. I started feeling better when it got closer to noon. I wanted to feel great because it was our baby sprinkle bbq at Jim and Leslie's and I wanted to feel good for it. By about 2 (when we were dropping the kids off at my parents) I was feeling decent. Not great but better than the morning.
We went to the shower (I mean, sprinkle) and had a fantastic time. Really an awesome time. We got to see friends we hadn't seen in forever. We were SHOWERED (not sprinkled) with love and diapers and we just had a lot of fun. The pain was there but mainly in the background the whole time. But when we got on the road, the pain was back and in full force. I was miserable the whole drive to my parent's house to get the kids. Miserable. Almost in tears. But we made it and we got the kids loaded up and headed home.
The whole drive home I was almost in tears. We got home, got the kids in bed and went to watch a little TV. I bailed on Nick right away to go upstairs to bed. I couldn't focus I was in so much pain. If I moved, there was shooting pain in my abdomen. If I took a deep breath, there was shooting pain in my abdomen. I also had a pounding headache that wouldn't go away with anything. I was downright miserable. I tried to sleep, honestly. But I couldn't. At 3:15am I was done. I couldn't stand it anymore. I woke Nick up and told him I was going to the hospital. He offered to come along but I wasn't sure what was going on and I didn't want to wake the kids up or anything. So I drove myself in.
I got to the Labor and Delivery unit at 4 am. They got me checked in and admitted and I was hooked to the monitors by about 4:30. The nurse was asking me lots of questions while I was getting settled and asked me if I was feeling any contractions. I told her no, I was just in constant pain. They started an IV, drew some blood, and took my vitals. Around 5 am, I told her I could feel contractions. Shortly after I started feeling them, they got stronger. And stronger. And my head was still pounding...
Around 5:30 or so, a resident came in and talked to me. I was contracting every 2-3 minutes at this point. She checked my cervix and said I was 1 cm, 50% effaced and at -2 station (goes from -5 to 5, 5 is when you are pushing the baby out). She started me on fluids and gave me medicine for my headache (which worked for about 4 hours, thank goodness) and told me she'd be back in an hour. Around 6:30, she came and checked me again and I was the same. So that was good. I was not in active labor but the contractions weren't stopping. And the other abdomen pain wasn't gonig away. She started me on procardia to stop the contractions, or hopefully stop the contractions.
My new nurse came on around 7:00 and had me sign all kinds of paperwork. I had already signed an admission form but with all the contractions, they had me sign a consent for a c-section, a consent for circumcision if I have a boy, consent for blood transfusion if I would hemorrhage. I started to get nervous. I called Nick and told him to come in when the kids got up. Then I called my parents and told them what was going on. I was getting a little worried.
Luckily Nick got there shortly and the contractions were spreading out. I don't remember the time, but the on-call doc came in to talk to us and gave us unexpected news. She told me that since the pain was constant and in the upper middle part of my abdomen that didn't seem to find any relief, she thought it was one of two things. 1) a hiatal hernia or 2) that my abdomen muscles (from c-sections and pregnancies in general) had stretched and were actually coming apart. Both of these things are very painful and neither have a solution...at least not until the baby comes and they can repair the problem. So she gave me two options. 1) Go home. Deal with the pain and maybe (probably) come back. or 2) Stay the night in antepartum. Let them do a trial and error on some pain meds and try to get me home in the morning.
I told her I wanted to talk to Nick about it. She left and Nick and I talked. I wanted to go home. But we were both afraid that I would get home and be in constant pain and end up coming back. So after a long talk, we decided I would stay. After a few hours, Nick left and then I got moved from Labor and Delivery to Antepartum. I had a nice afternoon. Stuck in bed but I had a TV and they give you a laptop to use while you are here and I felt ok. Still in a lot of pain, but ok since I was in good hands.
My mom came up to visit and that was nice. Even though I had only been in the hospital for a few hours, I was already lonely. So she stayed for a few hours and then she left. Nick came back up with the kids around 7:30 and that was kind of a disaster. :) The kids were hyper and crazy and couldn't stand being in a room and confined. So Nick only stayed for about 30 minutes. I told him to go home and I'd be home in the morning...
How wrong I was.
I received some pain meds and ambien to help me sleep and I slept great. I was feeling decent when I woke up this morning. Still in pain, but convinced I could handle it at home. I ordered breakfast and met my day nurse and was having a decent morning.
Then the contractions started again. And wouldn't stop. They put me on the monitor and I ate breakfast and waited for my doc. She came in and gave me the bad news. No way was she letting me home while contracting like this. So I got more procardia and told I would probably be spending the night. Again.
I'm not going to lie. I cried. I called my sister and cried. She talked to me for a bit and calmed me down. Then I called my parents and told them and I cried. They calmed me down, then I talked to Nick and told him, and I cried. I know it's what's best for me and the baby. I know that. But I want to go home. I want to be in my bed. I want to see my kids and my husband. And even that darn dog. :)
I'm trying to look at the brightside. While I'm here I have someone to help me with everything. I get to hear the baby's heartbeat twice a day. I get to order whatever food I want and someone brings it to me and then cleans up after me. Sounds pretty good right? I still miss my family and still want to be able to get up and walk around (I'm still on strict bedrest except to go to the bathroom).
I haven't had any contractions since the second dose of procradia. Hopefully I don't have any more and can go home tomorrow. I know I'll probably be on bedrest when I go home and I think I can handle that. I'm eager to talk to my actual doctor (I've only seen his colleague and not him yet) and see what he says. I know now that I probably won't get to VBAC. Especially if they are having to repair a hernia or separated muscles. No point in pushing a baby out and then having surgery anyway. But I'm wondering if he'll do the c-section early now that this is going on. If he does the c-section at 37 weeks, that's just a week from Thursday. I can handle bedrest until then. If he waits until 40 weeks, that's a month from tomorrow. Obviously I'll do whatever I have to do but would rather have this baby earlier than later.
Oh well. I know I'm in good hands and luckily we have wonderful family and friends. Hopefully Nick can get some help while I'm out of commission.
I'll let you know when I know more, but as for now, I'm holed up in the Antepartum unit waiting for those magic words that I get to go home. :)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Doc Appointment
Just had a great appointment today. Doctor came in and felt my belly and said this baby is big and almost ready to come out! :) He thinks I'll go early and we'll check to see if I'm dilated at my 37 weeks appointment. He'll also strip my membranes to try and help me go into labor on my own. That would be great if some of these tricks work and I go on my own. I really want to try and VBAC. I understand I might not be successful, but I want to give it a shot.
Since this baby is coming sooner or later (and I'm kind of hoping sooner) we really need to get stuff together. I've been nesting all day. All the laundry is folded and some of it is even put away, haha. I'm going to go through baby clothes tomorrow and see about washing everything and packing a few things for the hospital. I also started packing my hospital bag today. Nothing big, just a few travel size things I already had. Hopefully we can stay on top of things, now that we're actually trying, and be ready when this baby comes.
I was looking through a few old pictures on iPhoto and came across a few from when Annabelle was born. I honestly can't believe we're getting ready to do this again, but I'm thrilled. I really am. It took me almost 35 weeks to get to that point but I'm so excited to have this baby and have a family of 5!
I can't wait to duplicate these photos!! Just a few more weeks to go!
Since this baby is coming sooner or later (and I'm kind of hoping sooner) we really need to get stuff together. I've been nesting all day. All the laundry is folded and some of it is even put away, haha. I'm going to go through baby clothes tomorrow and see about washing everything and packing a few things for the hospital. I also started packing my hospital bag today. Nothing big, just a few travel size things I already had. Hopefully we can stay on top of things, now that we're actually trying, and be ready when this baby comes.
I was looking through a few old pictures on iPhoto and came across a few from when Annabelle was born. I honestly can't believe we're getting ready to do this again, but I'm thrilled. I really am. It took me almost 35 weeks to get to that point but I'm so excited to have this baby and have a family of 5!
I can't wait to duplicate these photos!! Just a few more weeks to go!
A family photo (I look bad, and Dom looks sad...we'll have to make the next one a little better! haha)
My momma holding Sweet Baby A
Dommie holding his baby sister for the first time
Sue and Annabelle
Nick and the "BIG BRO"
Andrew and Angela holding Adelina and Annabelle (Holy A names Batman!)
Me and the BIG BRO. I think he's trying to give me a pretzel or something.
Nick, me and Annabelle
Just a few more weeks! :)
Baby Names!
I thought that we had names narrowed down to 2 boy names and 2 girl names. I was wrong...
Nick told me last night that he doesn't like either of the boy names anymore. Not that he doesn't like them, but that he doesn't think they are right for our baby boy (which he is sure this is a baby boy, I'm still not convinced...).
So we went back to the drawing board. Then I had an idea this morning. I called him and told him of my new boy name and SHOCKER he likes it!! :)
So I think we have changed our baby names. The girl names MIGHT still be ok. We'll see if he changes his mind on those in the next few weeks, but I think we have a new boy name. And I think I'm going to keep it a secret this time...
Stay tuned!
Nick told me last night that he doesn't like either of the boy names anymore. Not that he doesn't like them, but that he doesn't think they are right for our baby boy (which he is sure this is a baby boy, I'm still not convinced...).
So we went back to the drawing board. Then I had an idea this morning. I called him and told him of my new boy name and SHOCKER he likes it!! :)
So I think we have changed our baby names. The girl names MIGHT still be ok. We'll see if he changes his mind on those in the next few weeks, but I think we have a new boy name. And I think I'm going to keep it a secret this time...
Stay tuned!
Monday, August 27, 2012
We survivied!
Nick went out of town for the annual golf trip and I was on my own with Dom, Annabelle, Ruby and Peyton from Friday to Sunday afternoon. Oh and I'm almost 35 weeks pregnant. :)
But I had a TON of help and we survived! It actually went pretty flawlessly. For me anyway. Nick left Friday afternoon and I had to work on Friday from 3-11:30 pm so Nick's mom picked up the kids from school and kept them overnight. So Friday was a breeze!
I picked them up around 8:30 am on Saturday and we headed back to the house. For some reason I was really nesting on Saturday. When Annabelle was down for a nap, I cleaned the first floor and switched out Dom's furniture (by putting it on a little rug and pushing it. I didn't exert myself too badly, I promise). In case you were wondering, the nesting is already over. I'm back to wanting to nap all the time...
We stayed at the house until about 2:40 and then we headed north to my mom and dad's. Now let me back up and tell you that this is no small golf trip. This is like every male on my dad's side of the family. They've been doing it for years (this is Nick's 4th or 5th year) and about 70 or 80 guys go. It's a big deal. A big weekend. So my dad was there and so was my brother in law. And since my sister lives in Springfield now, she came up with the girls. So when we went to my parent's house, it was 3 adults and 4 little ones. It was crowded! In a good way.
We got there a little after 3 and I was a little nervous about how Dom and Celia would play together. They love each other and are always talking about each other and sending each other pictures, etc. but when they actually get together...sometimes it's a different story. But that's being 3 and 4 years old I guess.
But they did really really well together! And the little girls did well too!
We had a wonderful dinner, mainly put on by Angela with help from Mom...I seasoned asparagus for the grill. That's all I did. But dinner was an awesome salad (my sister makes the BEST salad I swear), grilled shrimp, grilled vegetables (asparagus and corn on the cob), grilled salmon, and hot rolls. It was awesome. I ate so much. And lucky for me, it was mostly food I could eat!
After dinner the kids played some more and then we attempted some dessert. We tried making cookies from the cookie dough Mom bought from Dom's school and it did NOT turn out well. I don't know if we didn't let it thaw enough or if it was the cookie dough brand is just bad or what the problem was, but it was not good. So we settled for ice cream instead. The kids were ok with that. ;-)
After dinner, I stayed for a bit longer and then I headed home with Annabelle around 8:45. Dom was lucky and got to have a sleepover with Celia.
Sunday morning Annabelle slept in until 7:15, which was perfect, because then we got up, got dressed and headed back north. Mom wanted to go to 9:00 am mass and didn't want to leave Angela alone with the kids. So we headed up and got some donuts on the way (Old Town Donuts in Florissant = awesome; if you've never had it, you should!). We got there about 8:40 and Mom went to mass. We just hung out and the kids played some more (and each had a donut - of course).
When Mom got home we started prepping for brunch. Michelle came over with Eliza and Baby Tucker (her hubs, Adam is part of my family and also on the golf trip) and we added two more little ones to the party! We made breakfast and it was also awesome. We had watermelon, scrambled eggs with cheese, made from scratch plain and blueberry pancakes, sausage patties, coffee, orange juice and I don't even know what else. But it was good.
After brunch, I stayed until Nick got back (he had ridden with Dad out there so his car was at my parent's). Nick got home about 3 ish and we left shortly after that to go home.
It was a great weekend for both me and Nick and I had SO much help with the kids (thank you Sue and Mom and Angela!!!!) but it was great to get the four of us back in the same house again. I love having the whole family at home where we belong. I told Nick that I hope he had fun because that's probably his last trip out with the boys for awhile! Not trying to be mean, but I can't stay home with three of 'em for awhile!
But I had a TON of help and we survived! It actually went pretty flawlessly. For me anyway. Nick left Friday afternoon and I had to work on Friday from 3-11:30 pm so Nick's mom picked up the kids from school and kept them overnight. So Friday was a breeze!
I picked them up around 8:30 am on Saturday and we headed back to the house. For some reason I was really nesting on Saturday. When Annabelle was down for a nap, I cleaned the first floor and switched out Dom's furniture (by putting it on a little rug and pushing it. I didn't exert myself too badly, I promise). In case you were wondering, the nesting is already over. I'm back to wanting to nap all the time...
We stayed at the house until about 2:40 and then we headed north to my mom and dad's. Now let me back up and tell you that this is no small golf trip. This is like every male on my dad's side of the family. They've been doing it for years (this is Nick's 4th or 5th year) and about 70 or 80 guys go. It's a big deal. A big weekend. So my dad was there and so was my brother in law. And since my sister lives in Springfield now, she came up with the girls. So when we went to my parent's house, it was 3 adults and 4 little ones. It was crowded! In a good way.
We got there a little after 3 and I was a little nervous about how Dom and Celia would play together. They love each other and are always talking about each other and sending each other pictures, etc. but when they actually get together...sometimes it's a different story. But that's being 3 and 4 years old I guess.
But they did really really well together! And the little girls did well too!
We had a wonderful dinner, mainly put on by Angela with help from Mom...I seasoned asparagus for the grill. That's all I did. But dinner was an awesome salad (my sister makes the BEST salad I swear), grilled shrimp, grilled vegetables (asparagus and corn on the cob), grilled salmon, and hot rolls. It was awesome. I ate so much. And lucky for me, it was mostly food I could eat!
After dinner the kids played some more and then we attempted some dessert. We tried making cookies from the cookie dough Mom bought from Dom's school and it did NOT turn out well. I don't know if we didn't let it thaw enough or if it was the cookie dough brand is just bad or what the problem was, but it was not good. So we settled for ice cream instead. The kids were ok with that. ;-)
After dinner, I stayed for a bit longer and then I headed home with Annabelle around 8:45. Dom was lucky and got to have a sleepover with Celia.
Sunday morning Annabelle slept in until 7:15, which was perfect, because then we got up, got dressed and headed back north. Mom wanted to go to 9:00 am mass and didn't want to leave Angela alone with the kids. So we headed up and got some donuts on the way (Old Town Donuts in Florissant = awesome; if you've never had it, you should!). We got there about 8:40 and Mom went to mass. We just hung out and the kids played some more (and each had a donut - of course).
When Mom got home we started prepping for brunch. Michelle came over with Eliza and Baby Tucker (her hubs, Adam is part of my family and also on the golf trip) and we added two more little ones to the party! We made breakfast and it was also awesome. We had watermelon, scrambled eggs with cheese, made from scratch plain and blueberry pancakes, sausage patties, coffee, orange juice and I don't even know what else. But it was good.
After brunch, I stayed until Nick got back (he had ridden with Dad out there so his car was at my parent's). Nick got home about 3 ish and we left shortly after that to go home.
It was a great weekend for both me and Nick and I had SO much help with the kids (thank you Sue and Mom and Angela!!!!) but it was great to get the four of us back in the same house again. I love having the whole family at home where we belong. I told Nick that I hope he had fun because that's probably his last trip out with the boys for awhile! Not trying to be mean, but I can't stay home with three of 'em for awhile!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Time for a BREAK!
Nursing school is done for the semester!!!!! I'm 2/3 of the way done with this program and in desperate need of a break! And now I get one! 4 beautiful months until I go back. Then 4 hellish months until I finish. I can do it!
Today was my last final of the semester. I have to say this was a MUCH better semester than last term. Last term and I was fighting to get a 78% and just PASS the classes and I ended up with a B, a C+ and 2 C's. This semester I was doing pretty well going into my HESI's (computerized state finals) and my lowest HESI grade was a 92.36% (and my highest was a 99.99% not to brag but heck yeah!). I finished this semester with 2 A's, a B+ and a B. WAY better than last term!
And now I can focus on work, the house and the baby. Well and my other kids. And Nick. And you know, LIFE, but no more school for awhile. Thank goodness.
A quick thank you to the best husband EVER who made this last semester go almost flawlessly. He's amazing who takes care of so much and I'm so incredibly lucky to have him in my life. He's amazing no matter what, school or not. But he's been super supportive while in school (and even right now he's making dinner for the kids while I post this and then take a shower and go to work until midnight). Yeah, he's awesome. :)
Oh and if anyone wants to hang out since I've abandoned everyone this year, just call or text me now. :) I have a break until January 7th!
Today was my last final of the semester. I have to say this was a MUCH better semester than last term. Last term and I was fighting to get a 78% and just PASS the classes and I ended up with a B, a C+ and 2 C's. This semester I was doing pretty well going into my HESI's (computerized state finals) and my lowest HESI grade was a 92.36% (and my highest was a 99.99% not to brag but heck yeah!). I finished this semester with 2 A's, a B+ and a B. WAY better than last term!
And now I can focus on work, the house and the baby. Well and my other kids. And Nick. And you know, LIFE, but no more school for awhile. Thank goodness.
A quick thank you to the best husband EVER who made this last semester go almost flawlessly. He's amazing who takes care of so much and I'm so incredibly lucky to have him in my life. He's amazing no matter what, school or not. But he's been super supportive while in school (and even right now he's making dinner for the kids while I post this and then take a shower and go to work until midnight). Yeah, he's awesome. :)
Oh and if anyone wants to hang out since I've abandoned everyone this year, just call or text me now. :) I have a break until January 7th!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Apple/Peach Picking
The other day I had a mini panic attack. I have these frequently, to be honest, and they are usually over really stupid things. But the other day I was thinking about the things we do with the kids and I decided that I'm a horrible mother. OK not horrible...I love my kids and treat them well with kisses and everything, but I don't take them to do anything special. I know I've been busy but that's no excuse. My kids are only little once. So I decided to change that.
I want to try and take the kids on fun little adventures. They don't have to be expensive things (and to be honest, they won't be expensive because we have very little money right now!) but I want them to be fun and to count.
So I told Nick about my revelation and he rolled his eyes (as usual) but decided to play along and we piled up and went apple/peach picking on Sunday. My mom offered to come along to help chase kids since I'm not so great at that these days, and we were off. We went to the Eckert's in Grafton, IL and it was fantastic.
There was so much to do! We picked apples and peaches and there was a big play area that the kids LOVED and there were goats to feed. They were in heaven. And it cost me $9.95 for my apples (my momma bought me my peaches). Not bad for a little family fun, right!?
Here are a few pics from our adventure!
I want to try and take the kids on fun little adventures. They don't have to be expensive things (and to be honest, they won't be expensive because we have very little money right now!) but I want them to be fun and to count.
So I told Nick about my revelation and he rolled his eyes (as usual) but decided to play along and we piled up and went apple/peach picking on Sunday. My mom offered to come along to help chase kids since I'm not so great at that these days, and we were off. We went to the Eckert's in Grafton, IL and it was fantastic.
There was so much to do! We picked apples and peaches and there was a big play area that the kids LOVED and there were goats to feed. They were in heaven. And it cost me $9.95 for my apples (my momma bought me my peaches). Not bad for a little family fun, right!?
Here are a few pics from our adventure!
Nick and Dommie on the top of the wagon.
Mom and Annabelle on the wagon.
One of our last family pictures as a family of FOUR!
Annabelle checking out the apples on the way back from the orchard.
Dommie playing on the John Deere tricycles.
Dommie feeding the goats.
Me and Annabelle feeding the goats. Me NOT such a fan of this but Annabelle loved it. :)
Mom and Annabelle reaching WAY UP HIGH to get a perfect apple (that I think Annabelle dropped as soon as Mom got it down!).
As you can see, it was a good day. I'm looking forward to doing more things like this. Hopefully we can keep it up! School, work, 3 kids, etc will probably be very busy but I'm going to try my hardest!!!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
LEG CRAMPS!!!!
Holy cow. I never knew leg cramps could hurt this badly. NO JOKE.
I get them all the time now. I feel bad for Nick because he's trying to help me and I'm literally going into hysterics. I'm hyperventilating and I can't calm down because I literally feel like my leg muscle is going to snap in half. I get a cramp in my calf and when Nick tries to stretch it out, I get a cramp on the front of my lower leg and can't pull my foot back. Then I get cramps in my toes. Then my hips. Then it goes to my other leg and they are both cramping and when I try to walk I just fall down because I LITERALLY CAN'T MOVE MY LEGS! It's awful. It's horrible. It's worse than contractions I'd even say.
I don't know what to do. I'm trying to drink water and eat things with potassium but what else can I do?? Poor Nick and I can't take this for another 10 weeks!!
I get them all the time now. I feel bad for Nick because he's trying to help me and I'm literally going into hysterics. I'm hyperventilating and I can't calm down because I literally feel like my leg muscle is going to snap in half. I get a cramp in my calf and when Nick tries to stretch it out, I get a cramp on the front of my lower leg and can't pull my foot back. Then I get cramps in my toes. Then my hips. Then it goes to my other leg and they are both cramping and when I try to walk I just fall down because I LITERALLY CAN'T MOVE MY LEGS! It's awful. It's horrible. It's worse than contractions I'd even say.
I don't know what to do. I'm trying to drink water and eat things with potassium but what else can I do?? Poor Nick and I can't take this for another 10 weeks!!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Oops!
I disappeared again! Darn it! : )
Life is busier than ever. It seems like every day it's a struggle to keep my head above water. I know lots of people are like this, so I'm not trying to complain, but I can't wait for life to slow down!
I survived my first round of tests this semester. They went a lot better than the first round last term. One test wasn't great but for the most part, I'm doing well. Thank goodness.
I'm loving my clinicals right now. Every Tuesday I'm on a cardiac floor and get to learn about different heart problems, tests, and treatments. Every Wednesday I'm on a Women and Infants unit and get to take care of new moms and their babies, as well as see some babies being delivered. I'm very lucky to have already seen 1 vaginal delivery and 3 c-sections. I really want to be a labor and delivery nurse so this is great experience.
I'm already almost done with the 5th week of school so that means only about 8 weeks to go! Well 9, but one of those weeks is a Summer Break so that totally doesn't count.
Work is still going good. I love where I work and who I work with but sometimes it's hard when I know I have to get up early for school the next day. But it's a great opportunity and I definitely want to stick with it.
Kids are amazing. Dominick is starting to push our buttons a LOT but he's so great it's hard to stay mad at him...He's so smart. Too smart actually. And the kid is a sponge. He remembers everything. EVERYTHING. It's kind of a pain sometimes, but mostly I'm happy he's so smart.
Annabelle is also amazing. She's no longer just walking, she's RUNNING everywhere. She can climb upstairs but not down so we definitely have to keep an eye on that one. :) She actually has her 15 month appointment today. She's getting a few shots, so hopefully she's ok tonight. I don't want her to be sick.
Nick is awesome. Just awesome. I've been doing so much with school, work, doc appointments, etc. and he just does what he needs to do. He hardly vocalizes how hard it is that he's almost always on his own with the kids. He does laundry. He does bath time. He sweeps and vacuums. He's an amazing husband. Truly amazing. I'm one lucky girl!!
I'm really going to try and keep up with life on here. I really want to be able to look back and read all of these posts but it's so hard right now. Hopefully soon I can be done with all this and look back and just smile about all this.
Not too much longer until I'm done and I graduate! :) Let's pray time flies!
Life is busier than ever. It seems like every day it's a struggle to keep my head above water. I know lots of people are like this, so I'm not trying to complain, but I can't wait for life to slow down!
I survived my first round of tests this semester. They went a lot better than the first round last term. One test wasn't great but for the most part, I'm doing well. Thank goodness.
I'm loving my clinicals right now. Every Tuesday I'm on a cardiac floor and get to learn about different heart problems, tests, and treatments. Every Wednesday I'm on a Women and Infants unit and get to take care of new moms and their babies, as well as see some babies being delivered. I'm very lucky to have already seen 1 vaginal delivery and 3 c-sections. I really want to be a labor and delivery nurse so this is great experience.
I'm already almost done with the 5th week of school so that means only about 8 weeks to go! Well 9, but one of those weeks is a Summer Break so that totally doesn't count.
Work is still going good. I love where I work and who I work with but sometimes it's hard when I know I have to get up early for school the next day. But it's a great opportunity and I definitely want to stick with it.
Kids are amazing. Dominick is starting to push our buttons a LOT but he's so great it's hard to stay mad at him...He's so smart. Too smart actually. And the kid is a sponge. He remembers everything. EVERYTHING. It's kind of a pain sometimes, but mostly I'm happy he's so smart.
Annabelle is also amazing. She's no longer just walking, she's RUNNING everywhere. She can climb upstairs but not down so we definitely have to keep an eye on that one. :) She actually has her 15 month appointment today. She's getting a few shots, so hopefully she's ok tonight. I don't want her to be sick.
Nick is awesome. Just awesome. I've been doing so much with school, work, doc appointments, etc. and he just does what he needs to do. He hardly vocalizes how hard it is that he's almost always on his own with the kids. He does laundry. He does bath time. He sweeps and vacuums. He's an amazing husband. Truly amazing. I'm one lucky girl!!
I'm really going to try and keep up with life on here. I really want to be able to look back and read all of these posts but it's so hard right now. Hopefully soon I can be done with all this and look back and just smile about all this.
Not too much longer until I'm done and I graduate! :) Let's pray time flies!
Friday, June 1, 2012
22 Weeks with Baby #3!
How your baby's growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.How your life's changing:
At this point, you may find your belly becoming a hand magnet. It's perfectly okay to tell folks who touch your tummy that you'd rather they didn't. And if people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that each woman grows — and shows — at her own rate.What's important is that you see your practitioner for regular visits so she can make sure your baby's growth is on track. You may start to notice stretch marks on your abdomen as it expands to accommodate your growing baby.
At least half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks by the time they give birth. These small streaks of differently textured skin can range from pink to dark brown (depending on your skin color). Although they most commonly appear on your tummy, stretch marks may also show up on your buttocks, thighs, hips, and breasts. There's no proof that lotion helps prevent stretch marks, but keeping your skin moisturized may help with any itching.
Things are still going fine. Not great anymore but fine. Nick actually put me on his version of bedrest, which I have to admit is pretty awesome. I've been trying to do way too much. WAY too much. And he has cut me off. He made a good point. The last thing we need is for me to go on bedrest and not finish this 2nd semester of nursing school. So I'm listening and taking it easy.
The main reason we were concerned is I got sick the other day (dizzy, nauseas, seeing spots) and I had my blood pressure checked and it was 142/90. I freaked out about pre-eclampsia. But I've been resting and my BP is down to 122/78 and the spots and nausea have gone away. Now I just need to continue to take it easy. And I see my doc on Tuesday so I'm sure everything will be fine.
In the meantime, I'm worrying about work, classes and homework. That I can handle. Or at least attempt to handle.
I'm still feeling this baby move all the time. This baby is a squirmer! And I love every movement. LOVE every movement. I'm still thinking it's a girl. But Nick is still sure it's a boy, so we'll see! We have two girl names picked out and no boy names so we'll see. If it's a boy, I'll be thrilled, of course, but this baby might not have a name for a few weeks! :)
Well, I'm off to bed to get some more rest.
Happy 22 weeks Baby!!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
~Soul Surfer~
Nick and I had our own little version of a date night last night. It wasn't very exciting, but it was just us. We stayed up late (for us) and put the kids to bed by 8:30 and rented a movie off of On Demand. We rented Soul Surfer.
For those of you who don't know, it's an amazing true story of a girl in Hawaii who was attacked by a shark. She lost her left arm and had to learn to do everything with just one arm, and I mean everything. It's amazing how many things take two arms/hands. I take for granted that I can just put my hair up in a ponytail anytime I want. In fact, it's a bad habit of mine to take my hair down and re-do my ponytail like once or twice every 20 minutes or so. I'm constantly messing with my hair.
One of the things that Bethany Hamilton was determined to do, was surf again. And it's such an emotional story. It's amazing the determination and faith that she has while adjusting to this new life.
I've been emotional lately so of course I cried. But it was a great story and a great movie.
I recommend it if you get a chance.
Happy Date Night to us! :) Hopefully we'll get another date night one of these days. Maybe we'll actually even get to leave the house!
For those of you who don't know, it's an amazing true story of a girl in Hawaii who was attacked by a shark. She lost her left arm and had to learn to do everything with just one arm, and I mean everything. It's amazing how many things take two arms/hands. I take for granted that I can just put my hair up in a ponytail anytime I want. In fact, it's a bad habit of mine to take my hair down and re-do my ponytail like once or twice every 20 minutes or so. I'm constantly messing with my hair.
One of the things that Bethany Hamilton was determined to do, was surf again. And it's such an emotional story. It's amazing the determination and faith that she has while adjusting to this new life.
I've been emotional lately so of course I cried. But it was a great story and a great movie.
I recommend it if you get a chance.
Happy Date Night to us! :) Hopefully we'll get another date night one of these days. Maybe we'll actually even get to leave the house!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Back
My goal this month is to blog at least every other day. Or every day if I can.
I don't have much to report, but I'll tell you about my wonderful kids.
Dom is doing great. He's so smart and so funny. This morning when I brought him to Ms. Stella's, I was wearing glasses. He looked at my with a funny look when he got out of the car and I asked him, "Why are you looking at me funny?" and he replied, "Not looking at YOU Momma. I'm looking at your glasses!". I laughed and said, "Are my glasses ok?" and he said, "Yes. I think I like them.". What a goof!
He's HUGE! Almost 42" tall and running around like crazy. He plays great by himself and has a crazy imagination. He LOVES his sissy more than anything in the world and if she cries, he runs straight over to her to make it all better.
We are so lucky to have him.
Annabelle is perfect too. She's getting to be at such a fun age. She's smiling and laughing and putting EVERYTHING in her mouth. She is such a happy baby and we are shocked by that. We thought Dom was our good baby and that our next one was bound to have colic or something. Nope. She's just perfect!
Nick and I have been stressed a lot lately with money. I don't make much at the hospital and I'm going to school and everything. But we'll be ok. We just have to make it another year and a half. We've been cutting a lot of things out (like cutting back on cable and not eating out EVER) and we'll be fine. Just one day at a time.
I'm really enjoying working at the hospital and can't wait until May when I'll know enough and move from a unit secretary to a student nurse tech! Then I'll be able to get vitals and do actual medical stuff like that! That's not too far away!
Until then, I'll just keep working, studying and clipping coupons! :)
I don't have much to report, but I'll tell you about my wonderful kids.
Dom is doing great. He's so smart and so funny. This morning when I brought him to Ms. Stella's, I was wearing glasses. He looked at my with a funny look when he got out of the car and I asked him, "Why are you looking at me funny?" and he replied, "Not looking at YOU Momma. I'm looking at your glasses!". I laughed and said, "Are my glasses ok?" and he said, "Yes. I think I like them.". What a goof!
He's HUGE! Almost 42" tall and running around like crazy. He plays great by himself and has a crazy imagination. He LOVES his sissy more than anything in the world and if she cries, he runs straight over to her to make it all better.
We are so lucky to have him.
Annabelle is perfect too. She's getting to be at such a fun age. She's smiling and laughing and putting EVERYTHING in her mouth. She is such a happy baby and we are shocked by that. We thought Dom was our good baby and that our next one was bound to have colic or something. Nope. She's just perfect!
Nick and I have been stressed a lot lately with money. I don't make much at the hospital and I'm going to school and everything. But we'll be ok. We just have to make it another year and a half. We've been cutting a lot of things out (like cutting back on cable and not eating out EVER) and we'll be fine. Just one day at a time.
I'm really enjoying working at the hospital and can't wait until May when I'll know enough and move from a unit secretary to a student nurse tech! Then I'll be able to get vitals and do actual medical stuff like that! That's not too far away!
Until then, I'll just keep working, studying and clipping coupons! :)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Wedding Photos
I'm finally scanning all my wedding proofs to have a digital copy of them...it only took 4 1/2 years. :) I'm very excited about this. It's like getting married all over again. haha
Here are a few pictures I have already scanned. I've only done about half, but I'm getting there!
Largest Wedding Party ever. :)
Smiling in that silly forced smile pose, but I still like it.
My immediate family. :)
Here are a few pictures I have already scanned. I've only done about half, but I'm getting there!
Just a close up of our beautiful flowers (courtesy of Dooley's in Florissant, MO)
Walking down the aisle - we're married!
Largest Wedding Party ever. :)
Smiling in that silly forced smile pose, but I still like it.
My immediate family. :)
I'm hoping to get them all scanned within the next week or two. Maybe I'll add some more favorites on here every once in awhile. I just love all my wedding pictures.
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