37 Week Update

I went to my 37 week appointment and everything looked good! I have lost 2lb which the Dr. wasn't too concerned about considering I have run out of room to put the food. Heart rate was 147BPM and Elsie was right on track as far as size. I think she's still running a little small, but we'll see. She doesn't feel that small... lol.

Internal exam again, and although my cervix is "very, very soft" I'm still not dilated at all, and no where near. So hopefully, Elsie follows in her brothers foot steps and I go into labor without actually dilating at all.

Merry Christmas

We ran out of Christmas cards this year to send everyone, so in case you did not receive yours in the mail, here is what they looked like. We would like to wish everyone a very, very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 2010!

36 Week Update

I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and everything looked good! Heart rate was 149BPM. I was measuring a little small again, but nothing to be worried about. I also had my first internal exam. Those are fun!! (<-- sarcastic). It's not that bad, but you get crampy after wards and that's the part that I don't look forward to. Anyways, the Dr. said that my cervix was "very, very, VERY soft" but I was still have not progressed. He reviewed my chart from when I had Lee and he said that I should be able to cut my labor in half with Elsie (yahoo!!). He also said that I should progress a lot faster with Elsie because of how soft my cervix was. So that's good enough news for me!! Today I started feeling like she was dropping more. She was pretty high up until today and now I have more room to eat and more room to breath!! So that's good as well!!

I'll try to get Steve to take a picture tomorrow so I can post a belly picture. I feel like such a slacker because I had one for every couple weeks with Lee and poor Elsie only has 2.

Christmas Card Rejects...

With all the pictures I took of Lee for our Christmas Card this year, I couldn't help but post the reject ones that didn't make the cut. As you remember last years fiasco with trying to get Lee to sit still and take a picture, this year went MUCH better ;)

I tried a session before lunch and Lee just wasn't into it and wanted to play. Here's an example of the pictures I got.

Card would of said: "Merry Frick'n Christmas"

So... I got Lee undressed, fed him lunch, we had our neighbors over at the time and played for awhile and after they left I thought I would try one more time to get a smiley - sortof picture for our card before naptime. Although I did get some cute ones, here's some that didn't make the cut.

Please note: Although I could get Lee to put his button down shirt on, I could not get him to put his jeans back on. So the following pictures were taken with Lee in a nice shirt and no pants!

Christmas Card: "You don't need pants to have a great Christmas"

Christmas Card: "Just peeking in to wish you a Merry Christmas"

Christmas Card: "Hamming it up for Christmas so my Mommy stops torturing me, I mean taking my picture"

There you go! I have mailed out the cards and if you haven't received yours, I apologize, I have run out, so I will post the card here in a few days so you can see it. I'm sorry again we couldn't mail them out to everyone, we do want to wish you the Merriest of Christmas' and Happiest of New Years in 2010!

Snowy

There's something about little boys and playing in the snow. The first morning we woke up to snow on the ground this is the conversation Lee and I had.
Me: Lee, look outside, there's snow on the ground.
Lee: Know?
Me: Yeah, look out the back window.
Lee: Oh KNOW! I need my glubs (gloves)
Me: Why do you need your gloves?
Lee: To play in the know (snow)

He was so good about wearing them and keeping them on too! I was very proud of Lee!! He had so much fun and when we came inside he told me that he was "so tired" and took a good 3 hour nap that day. I had so much fun watching him run around and stomp in the "know".

Decorating the Tree

I never would have imagined decorating the tree would have been this fun! For some reason I envisioned Lee not being too into it, or vice versa, being a little too into and breaking something. We have lots of ornaments that are either paper, wood or metal all of which are unbreakable, so we dove in and started decorating.

Lee remembered that at the bottom of the tree went the "polar express" train. Papa and Grandma Shoes gave us a tree train last year that was put away almost immediately because we were afraid he would break it. This year is a different story. He was SO excited to get the train set up that it was up before any of the ornaments were on the tree. He just laid there and watched it go round and round. It was so neat to see him so excited.

It took about an hour for the train to wear off and then we started putting on ornaments. He was so excited for his "polar express" train, that I got out the official Polar Express bell and gave that to Lee to hang on the tree first. He kept shaking it by his ear to hear the bell. It was so sweet and such a great memory that I will cherish. He loves the movie and I'm so glad he has the train and the bell for the season.

Lastly, we put the angel on top, Lee again was a huge helper. He clung to Steve as if Steve would throw him up there and let go. We got it up and turned off the lights and Lee said "oh SO beautiful". As you can see, Lee put all... I mean A.L.L... of his ornaments in one teeny, tiny section of the tree. For the first week, he would take off a few and redecorate, but he always put them back in that one section!




Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you enjoyed decorating your tree as much as we did. It really makes me want Christmas to come that much sooner!!!

30 Week Appointment

Went to the OB last Tuesday and everything looked good. I'm measuring right on. I only gained 2lb (woo-hoo). Elsie's heartbeat was 138. Lastly, my glucose test came back perfect so I don't have to do the 3-hour one this time. YEAH! I'll try to post a picture later this week. Only 10 more weeks to go. I can't believe how fast time if flying!

Pumpkin Art Project

Lee has been obsessed with pumpkins since everyone in our neighborhood has been decorating. We spent the past week slowly getting out all our fall stuff and today I thought I would do an art project with Lee. He made his first pumpkin out of construction paper. I cut out all the pieces but he glued them all and put them where they go. I think he did a great job! We've also been working on tracing lines and patterns. As you can see I dotted his name out and he did a pretty good job following it. He had a lot of patience for the "L" and first "E" however we lost him on his last "E". I guess that's a two year old for ya ;)

24 Week Update

Sorry about the background. All the computer stuff is downstairs now in the basement and that is where this was taken. As you can see, my belly is getting bigger and rounder. I feel a whole lot bigger than that, lol. I am getting braxton hicks contractions pretty much every night, but they are few and far between, so I'm not too worried about them. Also, having a lot of pressure "down". Other than that feeling great!!

22 Week Appointment

If you haven't already heard through Facebook, we're having a GIRL! The Dr. gave us a 90% chance it's a girl, because she didn't see any "parts". However, "parts" can hide and surprise you at delivery. So we'll have to see. HB was 137 on the ultrasound and 152 on the monitor. Baby was also measuring a full week behind schedule which is fine, she'll just be on the small side I guess. We'll see.

We have also come up with a name! It was a lot easier this time around than with Lee. Elsie Rose will be her name. Elsie is another form of Elizabeth (which there are a lot of on both Steve and my side) and Rose is after my Grandma Schumacher.

I was so excited today that I went out and started shopping. I got some of Elsie's bedding and two blankets. I also got about 5 outfits. It's SO fun shopping for a girl, I love it!

I'll post ultrasound and belly pictures soon. I have to get better about that! Sorry.

20 Week Update

I had my 20 week appointment yesterday and it went really well. So far I've gained 16lb which is right where I'm supposed to be (YEAH). With Lee I was starving all the time, plus I wasn't on thyroid medicine. This time around I'm being much more cautious and eating smaller meals, more often.

The baby is right where they would like it to be. Heart rate was 150BPM. My heart rate was a little high, but nothing to worry about. My thyroid Dr. (who I see every month as well) ran more tests and called me back today saying that I can stop taking the PTU, because my levels have now dropped. So we'll see what they say after next month.

That's all I have for now. I will take a picture soon of my belly and post it.

2 more weeks until the ultrasound to find out what we're having! YEAH! I can't wait!

16 Weeks

I am 16 weeks today and had my OB appointment. Everything looks really good. HB was 150 and the Dr. said I'm carrying pretty low still, so that is why I have so much pressure "down there". In 6 weeks we go to find out the sex of the baby so stay tuned to see what it is.

Any guesses?

Dino World, KY

15 Weeks

15 Weeks along now and nothing really new. I'm not feeling light headed or queasy anymore and I have more energy back. We've been working on Lee's new room so we can move the baby into Lee's old room. We're almost finished and will be moving Lee very, very soon!

I haven't started feeling the baby kick yet, but I will get lumps to the left or right of my lower stomach and it will be a hard ball. That feels very weird. I'm looking forward to feeling the baby start moving and kicking!

Here's a belly picture that I took today.

A Camping We Did Go...

Hi-ho the dairy'o, A camping we did go!

I have about 300 pictures just like this one. They are all the same. Steve and Lee. Lee and Steve. Those two are like two peas in a pod! He wants nothing to do with me at all. Putting shoes on "daddy do it". Make breakfast "daddy do it". Buckle him in his car seat "daddy do it". Change diaper "daddy do it". Wash hands "daddy do it". Go potty "daddy do it". Are you getting the picture yet? This whole trip (4 days), was all about Steve and Lee. I loved sitting back with my camera and watching every minute of it. Lee is turning into a miniature Steve right before our eyes.

We went to dino world. We pet kangaroos. We climbed in caves. We played putt-putt golf. We played at parks. We walked/ran trails. We ate lots of yummy food. We did something new... camping.

It was so nice to get out of the house for a few days and away from our normal everyday living. Lee did way beyond either of our expectations. He was thrilled to do everything. We didn't need the stroller but for about 5 minutes. He was climbing and walking right along with the big kids and adults. The adults would get tired, and Lee kept on going. Lucky for us, no breaks :) He napped and slept wonderfully and even enjoyed the car ride.

Lee helped Steve: build a campfire, take out garbage, cook hot dogs, clean up outside, sweep, unpack the car, repack the car, look for sticks, read maps and kill bugs.

He's just turning into a little man. More pictures to come soon!

Names

We went with a family name when we named Lee and this time around we are most likely going to pick a name just for the heck of it. No rhyme or reason. I really like Makenna for a girl. Now all I have to do is convince Steve!


For a boy, Steve really loves Cole. I liked Griffin for awhile, but now Cole is started to grow on me too. We'll see!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a great 4th of July. Parade, food, family, friends and fireworks. What more could you ask for? This year was the 1st time Steve didn't have to work, so we were all able to go to the parade together. The rain held off too, so that was nice.

It was nice seeing my family, although we missed my Grandma and Grandpa, we had to leave before they were able to make it to my Aunts house. I didn't think Lee would do good with the fireworks being so loud, so we opted out and headed home so everyone could get a nap in. My neighbor Liz has two little boys and she knows of some areas where you can watch fireworks but not hear them, so she invited us over for dinner and convinced us to go and I'm so glad we did. It was a lot of fun! Next year I think he'll be ready to handle them full blown! It worked perfect though because in Naperville, there's an area where you can sit in a well lit parking lot and see them pretty clearly. So we just parked and stayed right by the car! Lee was interested in them for all of 1 minute and then wanted to get down to run around.

Waiting for the parade to start.

Wanting to run up and down the hill like big kids, but was too scared.

My cousin Megans brand new baby girl! She was so sweet and cuddly!

My Aunt Kathy, Uncle Milan and their two girls, Steph and Lisa.

My cousin Megan, her husband Brent and their newest addition Lucia. They have a 4 year old as well you'll see in other pictures. Beth and Lee got along really well together and had a lot of fun playing!

Beth helping Lee too run up and down the hill!

Steve's new trick. Jumping over Lee!

Climbing!

Grandma and Lee waiting for the parade to start!

Waiting...

Beth and her Daddy Brent

Here it comes! The sirens were really loud!

Getting and grabbing candy. Grandma was helping Lee and showing him what to do!

Beth and Lee had a lot of fun grabbing up the candy!

The clowns. They are so fun!

Cheery girls.

Thats my Grandma. She was on the old people float and Jackie tells it! She was throwing us candy.

Steve, Lee and my Dad. My Dad and Jackie were in the Elgin parade and weren't able to make it to the Rolling Meadows one. So we saw them later on at my Aunts house.

Asleep in the car. It took all of 2 minutes before he was asleep. Too much excitement!

Naperville fireworks show! These are all the boys! They are also our neighbors.

Lee with his flag!

Sitting in the back of the car.

Letting off some poppie thingies. Spencer is eating Lee's snack. That boy just might eat anything you put infront of him, lol. Lee was totally not into eating a snack, so I'm glad someone ate it!

Happy 4th of July!

12 Week Ultrasound

I've been feeling really, really good. No morning sickness at all and I'm starting to get my energy back. I'm not asleep by 7pm anymore. The only bump in the road that we have hit is that my thyroid isn't working again. It did this with Lee, but they decided not to put me on any medication. However this time around, I'm taking a 25mg pill 3 times a day to keep it in check. The Endocronologist is pretty certain that I have Graves Disease. It's really not that big of deal and he says that it can go into remission at anytime. So we'll see what happens after the baby si born. The only problem with it being pregnant, is the medicine can make you Hypo-thyroidism and that is really bad for the babies brain function. Hyper (which is what I am right now) can cause miscarriage. Hypo - brain damage. Their monitoring me closely though so I'm not worried. Just trusting God and saying lots of prayers!

Today was the 12 week check up. Everything looked great and I was so proud of myself for only gaining 2lb. YEAH! The babys heartbeat was 162 and is 2" long already. The Dr. tried to find the heart beat with his little microphone, but because I'm taller, the baby has more room to hide and couldn't find it. The ultrasound was able to detect it though. Speaking of ultrasounds, here are the pictures from today.

Arms and rump.

Front view of the baby. Looks like an alien. Their arm is also up by his head. The head is on the right and body/bottom is on the left.


Here's a profile shot of the baby. It was pretty tough because the little booger was pretty active in there. Arms were flailing all over the place.


And last but not least, the 3D ultrasound. How cool are these? I'm so glad my Dr. office has started doing them for free! It's neat to see their little nubs for arms and legs. The eyes, nose, ears and mouth have not fully developed yet, so they are just sockets. You can also see the umblical cord which is neat too.

Steve and Lee came with and were able to stay for the whole thing. We were sure how Lee was going to do, which he could have really cared less, but at least he was part of the family. He kept asking for more "movies". LOL.

Happy Father's Day 2009!

When I asked Steve what he wanted for Father's Day he said that he just wanted to rest and relax. He had been working some long hours the week before and was out of town the whole week. So we stayed home and chilled. Here's what a 2 year old looks like when Momma lets him paint however he wants.

We decided to make Steve a card for Father's Day and Lee wasn't too sure about the paint on his hands at first.

Thinking "hmm, maybe this will be ok"?

Getting the hang of painting and putting handprints on paper.

Wondering what the paint tastes like. Can you see the blue in his teeth?

He didn't like the taste, so he rubbed it all over his arm like lotion.

Here's a birds eye view of what a mess he can make in 5 minutes.

Father's Day morning. Lee was explaining to Steve in great detail how he made his card for him.

Lee sneezing and Steve imitating him. I just thought this picture was funny!

Lee was so proud of his card. It was cute!

This is the cheesy smile I get when I asked him to show me the card and smile. He just too cute and funny!