The Boy Who Cried Wolf

The Boy Who Cried Wolf
(hey... i've been in labor since Sunday... I'm aloud to mess up the title)
(Peter and the Wolf)

For those of you looking for an update-- I'm still with child and feel like this could go on for another week but praying that this is my last day as a pregnant woman! If you heard rumors we were in the hospital (again) yesterday ... that would be true! I took a mid afternoon bath and got really light-headed so I got out and got into bed. When I woke up an hour or so later I was having strong contractions and was so lightheaded I couldn't lift my head or function. I quickly called Jon and my mom because I wanted someone to be with me and the kids. Jon called the doctor and she wanted us to come in. 

We made our way to the hospital and up to the 4th floor where all contractions eased and I sat there feeling silly and defeated for having come into the hospital knowing we were heading back home. I had two or three nice strong contractions while being monitored but when Dr. Cherry gave us the option to stay and walk for an hour or two and be checked or head home- we opted to get home to our kids and call it a night. Oy! What a roller-coaster. 

I'm trying to stay positive and just enjoy each of these days at home with Brayden and Ruthie. We spent all morning yesterday walking and getting ready to color Easter Eggs-- today I plan to sit down with them and let them dye some eggs. We'll see if I have any energy after that to do anything else remotely fun :) 

Keep praying-- I will try and stop calling wolf! 

3 cm

3 Centimeters

Last night I started timing regular contractions mid-afternoon. By evening they were consistent again and I had to focus to breathe through each one. I was excited for my appointment this morning. Last night, I woke up struggling through contractions. I became a bit excited. Each one kept coming stronger and harder and I decided around 4:30 am that we'd head to the hospital in the morning after the kids got up and moving if I could hold out long enough. I tried to let Jon sleep as much as I could but there were times I had to have him press on my back and help me relax through a contraction. How exciting!! 

And then my alarm went off... I realized they had calmed down enough and I passed out with exhaustion and by the time I woke up- they had calmed way down. That definitely  broke my heart a bit. My mom called in the morning and I told her to go ahead with her day and I'd call if something changed. Jon took Ruthie to school and I got ready for my doctor appointment. 

10 am and I was having contractions but they were irregular. I met with Doctor Cherry (who I love!) and she checked to see if the contractions were causing any progress. I told her I was uncomfortable and she quickly was able to tell me part of the reason was this little one's head is very very low (a huge encouragement) (Ruthie and Brayden never came down) She checked me and I was def 3 cm (when I left the hospital I was 2 going on 3) She also pointed out that the head was right there and she had to go around and behind the head to even check me!! Some big praises!!

She comforted me saying she didn't think I was going to be at this much longer-- once I hit 4 cm I am considered in full blown active labor and from there-- we'll definitely have a game plan!

So.... from here we wait, we breathe, and we pray. 

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After my appointment, we went and picked up Ruthie. We all took a family walk downtown to Baby's for a nice lunch. :) And then we walked back. It wasn't a long walk by any stretch but I enjoyed the fresh air and my family. 

37 Weeks

37 Weeks

14 Days ... dare I say less??

(I thought this was my last pregnancy photo... I was wrong!) 

Let me back up a few days... On Thursday, I had my hematologist appointment after such a stressful morning... I made it there only to find out that my test results were not in yet and that I was basically there for no reason other than to tell me that they want me to get another iron infusion before this little one comes into the world (yeah right!) On Friday, I was excited to get into my appointment to hear what Dr. Raquet had to say about my progress. To my horror, Dr. O'Shea walked into the room and from that point on-- I didn't care about progress, I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. He was not going to be checking me-- no matter what! (He has very shaky hands-- nice man... shaky hands!)

Okay... so Sunday morning around 3:30 am I woke up having contractions. I started timing them and they were 3-4 minutes a part. They continued into the morning when I finally decided to stop timing them and try and rest. It worked! At around 8 am I woke up and was still having them but decided to get out of the house with the kids and head down to PVCC for the morning. Things were going great. I was still noticing contractions but they weren't keeping me from participating in listening to Doug's message. Towards the end of the service I noticed they were coming every 2-3 minutes and called Jon to tell him he should probably atleast give the doctor a call. I received a message from him shortly after saying that Dr. Hardyk was on call and wanted to see me ASAP. I dropped Ruthie and Brayden off at my parents, returned home, quickly finished packing my bag and Jon and I headed up to the hospital. There, I walked into the room with the big birthing tub!! Oh yeah!! (well-- until they told me I couldn't get in!) My favorite nurse from Brayden's birth was on call and she hooked me up to the monitors to see that I was indeed having contractions 2-3 minutes a part and baby had a strong heart beat!! Dr. Hardyk checked me from that point and I was a tight 2 cm dilated. (a huge improvement from my other two pregnancies!) She said she was going to keep me for atleast two hours, have me walk some and see if the contractions were indeed active labor or if it was okay to head home for now. Jon and I hung out, walked around together, and just shared smiles and excitement as we prepared to become parents again! I can't remember the complete progression of the events that afternoon but around 6 pm I was checked again and I was 3 cm dilated but because my contractions were more irritating then painful, she decided to send me home. I felt discouraged knowing that even though they were still consistent we were probably not coming back tonight. 

We settled in for the night, I got into the hot bath and continued to contract about every 2 minutes. I got into bed and quickly fell asleep and only woke a few times a tad uncomfortable. This morning I'm still having contractions but they aren't consistent. We'll keep praying and see what happens.

36 Weeks (19 Days)

36 Weeks

(19 Days or Less!)

I'm really getting antsy as our due date approaches. I cannot wait to meet our son or daughter. We've had some exciting news in the last few days... On Thursday, Jon left for a training conference in DC. I was irritable throughout the afternoon and in a lot of pain but it wasn't until 9pm when I finally sat down for the first time that I realized I was having pretty intense contractions. Of course, I called Jon to let him know that something was going on and I was having trouble breathing... he immediately wanted to turn around but I felt pretty confident that although I was contractions, it wasn't going to turn into full blown labor. Three hours later I finally got some relief. It was so intense, but I was thankful that everything stopped. I really didn't want to be in labor without my husband home and by my side. I eagerly await for my appointment on Friday to see what's happening with my body. 

I'm in quite a bit of pain these days. This child (a honeydew melon) is so active. I keep waiting for my water to break when the baby moves and jumps around my growing belly. We shall see! 

A few nights ago I was having a horrible time trying to fall asleep. When I was shifting from my side to my back I heard a pretty loud "pop" and a sharp pain-- I laid still for a few minutes wondering if my water just burst-- but after a few minutes I realized I must have pulled something tried to fall back to sleep- guess who has labor on her mind :) Constantly!!

Today I decided it was time to get packing!! I have all our baby clothes washed and ready for this little one-- but I'm still waiting on the changing table. Hopefully is comes soon-- I"m ready to get everything put away and just sit back and wait (patiently?!?!) 

Up Next: Tomorrow- last (hopefully) hematology appointment to go over blood work and one last action plan. Friday, March 22nd- OBGYN appt with Strep B test. 

Interview With My Children

Ruthie- 4 Years Old

About Ruthie
What is one thing you're afraid of? Buckets at the pool
What makes you happy? Mommy
What makes you sad?  Daddy yelling at me
What's your favorite thing about school? Playing with my friend Ryan
Who is your best friend? Ava
Who is your favorite person to play with at school? Ryan
What is your favorite color? Purple and pink, silver and gold!
What is one thing you cannot live without? Daddy, Brayden, & Mommy
What is your favorite movie? Lady and the Tramp
What is your favorite T.V. show? Bernstein Bears
What's your favorite song? Jingle Bells
If you could be any cartoon character who would you choose? Princess Pea
What's your favorite food? Chicken Nuggets
What's your favorite snack? Goldfish

Questions About Mommy
What does mommy always tell you? that she loves me
What makes mommy happy? cleaning up my toys
What makes mommy sad? when i don't clean up
How old is mommy? 4
What does mommy love to do? loves to give me hugs and kisses
What is mommy's favorite food? lasagna 
What is mommy's real favorite snack? candybars
How do you know mommy loves you? because she tells me so
Where is mommy's favorite place to go? to Cracker Barrel with me

Questions about Daddy 
What does daddy always tell you? that he loves me
What makes daddy happy? special breakfasts in bed
What makes daddy sad? that i don't clean up!
Where does daddy go when he leaves the house in the morning? to work and I get very sad
What is daddy doing at school? takes pictures
How old is daddy? 4
What is daddy's favorite food? toast
How do you know daddy loves you? because he loves my heart

Questions about Brayden
What is Brayden's favorite food? peanut butter and jelly
What is Brayden's favorite toy? Thomas
What makes Brayden happy? that I give him love
What is Brayden allergic to? Butter, Milk

Brayden- 2 Years Old

About Brayden

What makes you happy? Why Writer

What makes you sad? the train going off the railroad

Who is your best friend? Ruthie-- but shout out to Grayson cuz he was mentioned :) 

What is your favorite food? Waffle

What is your favorite snack? Goldfish

What is your favorite toy? the ducks
What is your favorite letter? W
What is your favorite number? 2

34 Weeks

34 Weeks

This belly continues to grow as does this beautiful mover inside of me. As we move closer and closer to our due date our anticipation grows. Ruthie is super excited and it's been so fun to watch her with the little girl I watch as she kisses her and hugs her and often times calls her little sister. In those moments I pray she'll be receiving a little sister. In almost the same moment, I can't imagine sharing my little girl with another girl. Growing up as the only girl- I cherish how special of a relationship I have with my parents and I want that for Ruthie. I also get excited for Brayden to possibly have a little brother to "rough house" with. Either way-- I know we are blessed beyond words-- and that-- is very very exciting. 

TWO ... no Five!

Two

No Five!

Two beautiful years ago I welcomed my son Brayden Timothy into our beautiful family. The overwhelming emotions that poured over me as I held this little man for the first time will never be forgotten. I still get choked up when I think back to that amazing night. God answered so many prayers and showed me his outpouring love for me that night. 

Two years later I am more in love with this little man. He is such a huge blessing and full of spirit. For Brayden's birthday we woke up and went to the Waffle Shop as a family. The kids LOVED this!! The staff brought out a cinnamon bun (candle and all) and sang him "Happy Birthday". He loved being the center of attention and wanted them to sing to him again. 

I also surprised both kids with Super Why rings on top of their pancakes. Yes!! Success!! Both kids thought this was so awesome and Jon and I loved watching their faces light up!

The rest of the day was relaxing. We went to my parents house to let Jon get some work done while the kids played. The big party celebration is coming up in just a few weeks. I cannot wait to see the look on his face when we surprise him with his Super Why Birthday Party. 

Brayden's Stats:

Weight: 26 lbs  2 oz (50%)

Height: 2 ft 9 1/2 in (25%)

Dr. Jarvie was blown away by Brayden's speech and how well he knows his ABC's and 123's. :) Of course, he showed off for me big time and took Dr. Jarvie's pen and started writing "W's" and "V's". I love this little man!! 

We celebrated Brayden's birthday on March 2nd with friends and family. Brayden asked for a Super Why so a Super Why party he got!! Brayden entered his party to Hip Hip Hooray!! He was a little shy at the beginning but quickly got excited to celebrate. Mommy made cute little super hero capes for the kiddos to wear and why writers to zap zap zap-- I believe they were a huge hit-- atleast with all the friends and family. Brayden and Ruthie talked a bunch of friends into playing Duck Duck Goose and Red Light Green Light so even though Brayden was the only one to solve the Super Big Problem-- it was a lot of fun!! Here are some fun pics of the party:

 Super Hero Capes

 Duck Duck Goose

My Sweet Kiddos

 My adorable nephew

 Besties

 Sweet Little Birthday Boy!

Red Light Green Light