::10 weeks::

Dear Nugget,

This may be the wrong time to write this, as I just brushed my teeth from our morning praying to the porcelain god session.  Sorry I forgot to take my Zofran last night.  I will get that refill ASAP.  You bossy little fetus you.  Yes, your a fetus now.  Congrats.  Your moving right along.  No really much going on with you this week.  We told my extended family at Thanksgiving last Saturday.  They don't have any kids on that side and I think most were a little stunned.  3.5 kids.  That's 3.5 too many.  But they were still happy for me in their way.  Your Daddy's family want to throw a parade from joy and your Mommy's family wants to pat me on the arm and ask me if I meant to get pregnant.  I'm used to that nonsense.  Why do you think we hang out with Daddy's family so much?

I hope your doing OK in there buddy.  Your name this week is still John Thomas (Jack) or Gweneth Anna. I still think your a Jack and not a Gwen.  But I really don't care that much.  As long as your not a gastro-holoproencephaly-hypoplastic left-transpostion-trisomy 4million-mylomenigocele etc that would be great.  Work on that this week OK?

Love,
Mommy

::welcome back::

Us - November 2008

This pregnancy has sucked away something that I really love, something that I think of as my super hero power.  My hyperactivity.  I get about half of what I was getting done in a day.  Lucky for me, Josh is home right now so everything is still pretty much on track.  But I am scared that the kids are suffering.  They are still crafty and making art, but its been awhile since I made any good suggestions of stuff to make.  Max and preschool has been partially on hold - but Lily saw me do it one day and is obsessed with working with him now.  So even though I am just freaking tired all the time, it is time to suck it up and get it together.  I have one girl at work that asked me once - how do you possible do all the stuff you do?  And I told her I just make it happen.  Not so much right now, and I don't like it.  I feel like the fuzz around the corners of my brain is starting to go away and now I need to show some discipline and get it together.  I have other shorties and I don't get the luxury of sitting around being half assed.  

With that said here are some goals -

1.  Do AT LEAST A weekly craft with the shorties  (already found on for today)

2.  Re-find my passion for blogging.  Not hard.  I am already feeling it building.

3.  Do my share of the house, just cause Josh is letting me doesn't mean I should take the easy road.  He will go back to work in two weeks and I will be lost.  

4.  Get out and walk every day.  My pedometer has to say at least 7,000 every day.  Or I will be like Jaba the Hut trying to deliver this kid.  Not healthy for me or for nugget.

5.  Stop being selfish and get it together with Max preschool.  He had a little vacation, now shape up.  

 Nov 2009

::new job option::

This picture has nothing to do with this post, but I just like it

I have decided to make an active effort to get back to my good mood at work.  I lost it for a little while, I still adore my babies of course, but it is time to stop the slide into a bad mood.  One of the things that I want to do for my future is expand my skill set.  I have gotten the chance to cross train to PICU (pediatric intensive care unit).  I am really excited for the chance to learn some new things.  And when this little baby is born is gives me another place to go work weekend option if I have to.  Nugget and I are excited to go learn some new stuff.


Side note - I just entered the cutest picture of 4 year old Lily in a photo contest.  Link over to purplelilyphotography if you want to see it.  I miss her that little.  

::a house husband::

Max loved the leaves.

Josh has to take a yearly month off.  It is usually a very financially stressful time, but this year due to the glory of ebay we are managing to get by ok.  AND I AM LOVING HAVING A HOUSE HUSBAND!  No joke!  I really enjoy him all the time, but him well rested every single day is amazing.  Plus he spends lots of time  dealing with wood.  HAHAHAHA! (Please insert immature laugh)  For real, he has been gathering, cutting, and stacking wood for our little wood stove and there is something kind of manly-hot about the whole process.  Plus we has been running the house.  Cleaning, cooking, etc.   Not laundry, but really he can't be that perfect.  It has taken a great deal of pressure off me.  Which has allowed me to rest up and grow some more red blood cells so I am not so dizzy.  The biggest part is I just love having this much face time with him.  And so do the kids.  As always he has just stepped up and just made life so pleasant.  The only real growing pains have been remembering Lily's homework and spelling words.  Which is pretty darn good. 
    

Alberta liked the leaf piles too.

Best buddies

Things he has done this break:  (And it is only half over)
     Rake two acres of yard (we don't rake everything)
     Pile 24 inches of leaves in my garden beds, as instructed
     Set up a cow isolation pen that is rigged to give him a run  in area in the barn
          The horses eat his food

Big helper

     Get a HUGE tree out of the POND, cut, split and stack it
     Babysit Max every day - a serious chore
     Cook dinners when I am at work
     Play games with the kids
     Assist in all cleaning
     Do our 40 loads of dishes
     And be generally adorable

::girl scouts - daisy's::

Sometimes I am a big snob.  Sometimes I think I am just a little bit too punk rock to do traditional things.  

Ego.  Silly.  But it's true.  And if I hadn't gotten over it I wouldn't be having a wonderful time with Lily in Girl Scouts.  She asked me to do it last year but I didn't pursue it.  I didn't want to do it.  I thought it would be too boring to tolerate.  But when she begged me again this year I gave in.

And we are rocking it out.  She is a Daisy, so she wears this adorable blue smock and get to have some serious fun with me and her little friends.      

Here we are going to the mother daughter dance.  She thought it was really big stuff because she wore my necklace and my wrap.  

::chicago sneak away::

Not so long ago we got the load up with two of our best friends and sneak away for a kid free overnight.

We went to visit my brother in Chicago.

This is the view from his private rooftop deck.

Here is another amazing piece of fun in my brothers apartment.

And some real amazing pizza.  

And my Hannah in love with my brothers couch pillows.  

::9 weeks::

Dear Nugget,


You are nine weeks old today.  I had my first ultrasound last week.  THANK GOD there is only one of you.  Twins would be fun in retrospect but at the time, with 2.5 other kids, it would be pure survival mode. I would rather have a little time to focus on one little snuggle warm yummy smelling baby.  CAN'T WAIT to actually meet you.  


The real meat of the ultrasound was that we have decided to do first rimester screening.  Some people may not like that idea but working in an NICU and seeing every single thing that goes wrong I need that screen.  The good part of that is you will get a screening for galactosemia before you are even born.  I don't want to get into the details of it yet but it is a rare recessive disorder that your brother carries.  It means that your body would  not be able to process ANY form of lactose.  You don't get sick from it, you slowly build up toxins in your eyes, kidney's, and brain until they fail.  It can be controlled by a VERY strict diet.  But it is still pretty nasty.  After our horrible experience with Max (they told us he had it, scared the crap out of us, made me stop breast feeding, and then he was just a carrier) I want to know about you right away.  I'd like to get the the bottom of this and find out if just Mommy or Daddy is a carrier.  I also want to make sure that everything else with you is fine.  Plus that means we get to see you at 12 weeks too.


AND you will be getting the usually 20 week ultrasound and a 36 week ultrasound.  The last one will be to check your size.  Since Max was 9lb6oz they want to make sure that you are not a 12 pounder.  


Another big point from today was my fault.  Mommy is too chubby.  I hate that.  I was so excited/nervous to find out if Daddy's reversal worked that I  didn't take the time to loose the weight and get fit before hand.    I am too big right now, so I am going to have to be extra careful.  Mommy is going to have to do a really good job of not over doing it with food or she will have all kinds complications.  I am working on a plan right now.  


Love you,
Mommy