December 27, 2014

elsie - twenty two months

Seeing as this post is well overdue, and the blog has been on radio silence, I figured I better get it done!  Sorry it is late E, love you!

I asked Elsie how old she was the other day, "TWO!" Ha.  Let's not get ahead of our self kid.  I'm hanging on to the last two months of you being one!  It is strange though, I refuse to say she is two, because she isn't, but I also feel weird saying she is one.  She seems so much older than how I perceive a one year old.  So, she's almost two.

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My lazy bum didn't measure her again, but when we were at the hospital she wasn't quite 26 pounds.  I was surprised by that.  I can't remember how tall she was.  They never told me, it was just written on the dry erase board in our room, and I forgot to write it down.  But tall.  She has to be tall.  She seems huge.  There are a handful of 2T clothes in her closet that already seem too small.  It is her height, combined with her belly that is still a force to be reckoned with.  And it just hangs out of her shirts.  I can't imagine what she'll look like when that baby belly disappears, I'll miss it!  Still size 4 or 5 diapers, and size 6 shoes.

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E's night time sleep hasn't been quite as good.  She goes to bed around 8pm, and wakes up at 6:30am.  Not terrible, but I liked not hearing her until 7am!  Ha.  She is, however, napping again.  So I'll take it.  I seriously didn't know what I was going to do with myself if that kid gave up napping.  Probably cry.  Elsie is still regularly taking off her pajamas after we put her to bed.  And once, just once she took her diaper off as well.  I walked in to her room in the morning, she stood up, shook her little bum and said "I'm naked!!"  I was so shocked and didn't know whether to scold her or laugh.  It was kind of (a lot) funny.  Minus the part where she peed in the bed.  But so far that has worked to our benefit.  She lost her regular blankets for a day because they had to be washed, and we told her if she ever pottied on her buddies we'd have to throw them in the trash.  She is rather protective of those buddies (all like freaking 11 of them now) so I think that is keeping her in check.

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Elsie is definitely learning more and more every day.  I'm still pretty bad about actually sitting down and working with her on things, but she has picked up most of her colors, lots of shapes, can count to 15-18 and can sing the ABCs.  Not as well as she can sing Let it Go, but hey.  She's got her priorities.  Side note, she has watched this light show set to Let it Go maybe one hundred times.  She's obsessed.  Thanks Meg.  :o)  She can pick out the letter O and the letter Y when she sees them in print.  I'm trying to work on E since it seems like a logical one, or A, but she is obsessed with O's and Y's.  Whatever works.  She has gotten pretty good at puzzles (not the jigsaw kind of course) and stacking/sorting type activities as well.

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Some of the things that come out of Elsie's mouth are just the cutest.  My favorite by far is when she says "I so ex-SIGH-ted!"  She says it about random things.  Sometimes at night as I put her to bed I'll tell her our plans for the next day, to which she'll reply "Yay mommy! I so excited! Yay!"  Sometimes when she says she is all done eating I'll ask her if she is sure, does she need anything else.  She'll reply, "No more.  My belly happy!"  Also she regularly tells me, "hair bodder me!"  Haha, lots of time when I lean over her or something my hair will get in her face, like when I'm buckling her in to the booster seat and such.  Or she'll say it when she is trying to lay her head on my shoulder and my hair is in the way.

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roaring like a dinosaur

One not so cute thing, Elsie is, um, kind of a turd.  She loves to torment Ryann so incredibly much.  It drives me crazy.  She picks fights all the time and does anything to push Ryann's buttons.  She chases her around the house.  She pulls her hair.  Sits in Ryann's chair.  Steals her stuffed animals.  Anything she can do to get a rise out of her.  It drives me absolutely crazy.  What a punk.

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On the flip side, Miss E absolutely loves being my little helper.  She is obsessed with unloading the dishwasher and throws a huge fit if I try to do it without her.  She also constantly asks to do the laundry.  "Go downstairs?  Do laundry?  PEEEEEASE!"  She will fling herself on the floor and cry if I don't take her down with me.  And she just randomly gets it in her head that it is time to do laundry.  I generally try to go down to the basement when she is napping to have it all sorted and ready to go, but sometimes she just plain demands to do it before I'm ready.  At least she keeps me productive?  Ish... Elsie always wants to help me vacuum too.  So very cute, and so very annoying.  She just can't actually get the thing going because it is bigger than her.  And even if I try to be in control while letting her hold it, it just doesn't really work.  But it makes her happy for a bit.  Oh and if I'm wiping down counters or something, she has to open the cabinet and get herself a paper towel to wipe stuff down too.

Which reminds me, one day she was doing just that.  Opened the cabinet to grab a paper towel so she could clean too.  Well she pulled too many, and then all of the sudden she was running across the room and spinning all while emptying the entire roll and laughing hysterically.  It was a scene straight of a sitcom.  I was so pissed but couldn't stop laughing.

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Elsie girl, you keep me on my toes and make me smile every day.  I love you!

December 26, 2014

seven weeks

how far along:  7 weeks (compare to 7 weeks with Elsie)

size of babyaccording to the bump a blueberry, doubling in size from last week to about half an inch.  He/She is developing a permanent set of kidneys, and the arm and leg joints should also be forming.

weight gain: -4 pounds.  Just as the stomach bug disappeared, the nausea and aversions set in.  Yay.

maternity clothes:  nope

symptoms:  I've just felt gross the last few days.  Food sounds disgusting, it smells disgusting and I simply can't make myself swallow much of it.  I'm even having a hard time forcing down water.  No puking, which is good I guess, but ugh.  I hate this useless, helpless feeling.  Thank God for Christopher, he has totally taken over and tries to help me as much as he can.  Getting me things, taking care of the girls, going out of his way to try and help me feel my best.  I love him.  I've also been getting dizzy and feeling like I'm going to pass out.  That is super fun.

exercise: This week was pretty much a wash.  Between feeling like crap and Christmas and just having a lot on my plate, I ran once.  3.5 miles.  Hoping to do better next week!

cravings/aversions:  The only things that ever sound good are Pink Lady apples (and only Pink Ladies, no other apple will do), Townhouse crackers, fruit smoothies and onion rings.  Oh so nutritious.  I need to grab some stuff to make green smoothies, at least that would be good for me.  The thought of almost all other foods makes me want to puke.  I don't even want chocolate.  What is wrong with me?!?!  That might have been the most depressing part of Christmas.  Not wanting to eat all of the delicious things that I love so much and look forward to at the holidays.  Wah wah.

movement:  nope

sleep:  Meh.  There just isn't enough sleep.  Ever.

gender:  I really have no idea.  The Chinese gender chart and the Mayan gender predictor or whatever both say boy.  I've referred to the baby as a boy.  Maybe it really will be a boy this time?

looking forward to:  All I'm wishing for right now is a healthy baby, and not having the urge to vomit 24/7.

worries:  Nothing and everything.  There are so many what if's in the back of my mind.  A miscarriage could still happen.  We are going to freaking have 3 kids!  Yadda yadda yadda.  But I'm not consumed by any one thing, nor do I feel overly worried.  Woot.

what's different this time:  Nothing is jumping out at me right now.  I have a feeling the lack of nap time during the day might take its toll on me this time around.

best moment this week: Christmas was pretty great despite not feeling the best.  I also told my Dad that there is another baby on the way.  It was brief, without any build up or cutesy reveal, but it was the best opportunity I had without the girls overhearing.

December 19, 2014

six weeks

Dearest third child.

There will be no photo this week.  And uh, probably a big ol' fat chance of one next week.  I promise I love you no less than your sisters.  But honestly, life is crazy and it is only going to get crazier, so please excuse me for not documenting my non existent belly for a few weeks.  Thanks.  I promise once there is an actual belly I'll at least take a picture on my phone.

I really do love you.

Whew, ok, moving on.

This has been quite the week!  My first doctor's appointment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.  My mom was in town with my dad for some meetings and she wanted to go shopping, so we ventured to the mall, with the excuse that I wanted to get home a little early to work on wrapping presents or something.  Naturally while there, my doctor's office called asking if I could make it there in 30 minutes because a surgery had been pushed back and she wouldn't be available that afternoon.  I was flustered, but tried to play it off like it was a follow up from my chemical pregnancy.  So my mom took me home and I headed over there.

The appointment went fine, my blood pressure was 102/76, I chatted with my doctor, and they drew some blood.  I was in and out really quick so I texted my mom and asked if she wanted me to meet her for lunch.  I headed her way, and we sat down at California Pizza Kitchen for some food.  While we were waiting for our meal she asked me how my appointment went.  I said oh fine, everything looks good, I'm alive.  And she responded with, "And you're not pregnant?"  Haha, shoot.  She was on to me, and I couldn't hide it.  So I told her :o).

The high of the day was short lived, because by that evening I was run over by a stomach bug semi truck.  It was miserable.  I stopped throwing up in the wee hours of the morning, and had ventured out of the bedroom around 9am.  Not much later I got a call from the doctor's office.  My HCG quant looked good, with a number of 27,105.  They had also checked my progesterone, and while it was within normal pregnancy limits (they said they look for above 10), it was low at 12.  So they called in a script for progesterone supplements.  The nurse also said my doctor wanted an ultrasound for viability, and was I able to be there by 11:30am?  Mind you I was still feeling somewhat close to death, but I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to see that little baby.

I was nervous, because at six weeks it really is a toss up whether or not the heart will have started beating yet.  So not seeing a heartbeat wouldn't mean the pregnancy wasn't viable.  But it sure would have stressed me out.  But almost immediately after the tech started the scan I saw the little flickering heart.  I was so relieved and happy.  The baby measured 3mm, or 5W6D.  Off by one day from what I thought, so for now I'll go with that.  I scheduled my next appointment for January 21st, I look forward to hearing the heartbeat! 

how far along:  6 weeks (compare to 6 weeks with Elsie)

size of baby:   according to the bump a sweetpea, a mere .25 inches.  Baby should be sprouting some eyes, a nose, ears and cheeks this week!

weight gain:  As of this morning, I'm down 4.5 pounds from my starting weight.  But seeing as I was puking my guts up for about 10 hours straight with some hellish stomach bug I'm not all that surprised.  I haven't had any real food aversions or lack of appetite yet, so I'm sure I'll gain that all back soon.

maternity clothes:  nope

symptoms:  Slight nausea and headaches.  And bloating.  Bloating is so damn annoying.

exercise:  I managed to run a total of 11.65 miles and walk 1 mile.

cravings/aversions:  Sometimes nothing sounds good and sometimes I want to eat everything right at that very moment.  The latter isn't very helpful with this whole bloating thing.  Really more than anything I am just too plain lazy and tired to cook anything.  Suppose I should remedy that.

movement:  nope.

sleep:   I go to bed freezing cold and wake up sweating like crazy.  And then I'm just really uncomfortable and can't sleep.  Plus my children haven't been sleeping well so nobody in our house is sleeping.  UGH.

gender:  I'm leaning towards a boy.  Then again, I've thought a boy the last two times and been quite wrong, so there's that.

looking forward to:  Christmas.  Other than that, nothing really.

worries:  Really hoping that the progesterone supplements do their job, and my levels don't drop low enough to endanger the pregnancy.

what's different this time:  The progesterone supplements.  Also, I have this really heavy feeling low in my belly.  I don't remember it the last two pregnancies.  It is different than the bloating.  And I feel like I was more tired the last two pregnancies.  I'm sure the fatigue will come, and I have been tired, but not like I'm going to die if I don't go to sleep tired.

best moment this week:  Seeing the little babe's heart beating.  I don't think it matters how many pregnancies you go through, an early ultrasound with that itty bitty heart beat is just amazing.  Somehow my body is taking two little cells and turning them in to a freaking human.  There is a speck measuring just millimeters inside me, with a beating heart.  How is that even possible?

December 12, 2014

five weeks

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how far along:  5 weeks (compare to 5 weeks with Elsie)

size of babyaccording to the bump an appleseed, a wee .13 inches.  The major organs are starting to form.

weight gain:  A whopping .2 pounds.  Although based on the amount of hunger I've been feeling in the afternoons and evenings it is going to be a whole lot more than that soon.  Unless morning sickness sets in of course.

maternity clothes:  nope

symptoms:  I get queasy here and there, but nothing crazy.  I am so incredibly irritable.  It is insane.  I almost can't stand myself.  I did have some terrible reflux during my longer run this week.  That was gross.

exercise:  Two 3 mile runs, a 5.5 mile run and one barbell class.  I want to try and lengthen my runs a little bit, but being cold and dark in the mornings isn't really motivating.  I'm hoping to run a 10K in February, so I don't want to start slacking off.

cravings/aversions:  In the mornings nothing sounds good.  I can't decide if I don't want the food, or I'm too lazy to cook.  A little of both maybe.  And eating some chicken sausage the other morning felt like torture.  It isn't that it doesn't sound alright, but trying to chew it, I don't know.  It was just gross.

movement:  nope.

sleep:  I'm so restless throughout the night.  Tossing and turning and in and out of sleep.  I'm still anxious about getting to the next day, paranoid that I'm going to have a miscarriage.  I'm hoping that once I see or hear a heartbeat I'll relax and sleep a little better.

gender:  No idea.

looking forward to:  My first OB appointment on Wednesday (12/17).  I doubt that I'll get an ultrasound or they will really be able to settle my nerves, but still.  I'll be a day shy of 6 weeks at that point, and I feel like that would be a good step towards a healthy pregnancy.

worries:  Just still so paranoid about a chemical pregnancy or miscarriage.

what's different this time:  Even though I think about the pregnancy regularly, I keep having to remind myself I'm pregnant.

milestones:  Forget this line.  I hated it the last two pregnancies.  It disappears next week.

best moment this week:  Because I'm terrified about losing this pregnancy, I've taken an absurd number of pregnancy tests.  A few days ago the test line was actual a fair amount darker than the control line, and that is giving me some confidence!

December 5, 2014

thanksgiving 2014

Per the usual, I didn't take as many photos on actual Thanksgiving day as I would have liked.  But I was a wee bit occupied chasing Elsie up and down the stairs a million times.  Seriously, she has rug burn on her belly from sliding down over and over again.

We had a wonderful time with Christopher's family on Thanksgiving day.  Plenty of tasty food was had by all.  Well, Ryann didn't eat anything but the fruit cup and squeezy pouch that I brought for her, but the rest of us were quite pleased.  Elsie discovered she loves mashed potatoes, it is just something I don't really make.  The girls also received some gifts since we do Christmas with my family.  We are now the proud owners of a giant unicorn and an 8 foot caterpillar thanks to Grandma 'Nita (she did ask me if I'd allow it before giving them to the girls, I think we'll have enough space in our new house to handle them!).

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Friday morning the girls and I headed to my parents.  Shortly after we arrived my sister and her boyfriend made it over, and Chris joined us in time for dinner.  My mom's food certainly didn't disappoint.  And the weather over the weekend was amazing.  The girls spent plenty of time in the bounce house and driving their car around the driveway.  We made some brownies and helped decorate my mom's Christmas tree.  And my mom and I did some holiday shopping online.

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Just a little tidbit I wanted to remember... Elsie loved looking at the tree, and picked out the carousel as her favorite ornament.  It just so happens to be the 2013 ornament my mom bought to represent her birth year.  A little crazy to me that she actually picked 'her' ornament as her favorite!!

four weeks

Baby3_4Weeks

how far along:  4 weeks (compare to 4 weeks with Elsie)

size of babyaccording to the bump a poppy seed.  The baby is currently just a blastocyst.  A tiny ball of cells.  Crazy to think that itty bitty speck is going to turn into a baby.

weight gain:  0 pounds.  This week will be my starting point.  Starting off 1 pound heavier than I did with Elsie, but still in much better shape than when I got pregnant with Ryann.

maternity clothes:  nope

symptoms:  I had a day with some nausea, but otherwise nothing.  As much as I don't want to feel like crap, I just wish I had some symptoms for reassurance.

exercise: I've been terrible about recording my workouts lately, but if I had to guess I'd say I got in 3-4 runs.  Hoping to stay active again this pregnancy.

cravings/aversions:  nothing really.

movement:  nope.

sleep:  Staying up too late and not getting enough of it.  Which makes me super tired and crabby during the day.  Good plan, obviously.

gender:  I don't have a clue.

looking forward to:  seeing a heartbeat.  I desperately need to see a heartbeat.

worries:  After a chemical pregnancy my last cycle, I'm currently terrified of another.  Or just a miscarriage in general.  I worry every morning that when I get out of bed I'll find blood.  I'm trying to think positively.  Just because I had one chemical pregnancy doesn't mean I'll have another.  But I'm scared to the point where I'm essentially pretending I'm not pregnant to keep myself from getting my hopes up.

what's different this time:  Not really feeling excited yet.  I hate that.  Of course I'm happy to be pregnant again.  But I just have this weight on my chest, and I hope that it will be lifted soon.

milestones:  I'm pregnant!

best moment this week:  Seeing those two lines again.  Even if I'm not able to truly feel it, I am excited.

December 2, 2014

that's what she said

listening to Lorde's 'Royals'
Ryann:  "... we're driving Cadillacs in the trees."
Me:  "They're driving in their dreams.  A Cadillac is a kind of car, so they're dreaming about driving a nice car."
Elsie:  "To Hobby Wobby?  Drive to Hobby Wobby?"
Ryann:  "I think they're driving their Cadillac to magic land where there are unicorns and castles and dragons."

Ryann:  "Elsie, can you draw a caterpillar?"
Elsie:  "Yeah!"
Ryann:  "Oh Elsie!  That is a very good bird!  But not a very good caterpillar."

Elsie:  "Dadooo dadooo!"
I have no idea.  Ryann was sitting next to me while I was typing this and insisted I include that Elsie says that...

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And man these two.  We were at my parents over the weekend, and the 'pink car' finally got some serious use since Ryann received it for her 3rd birthday.  Something clicked and Ryann does a better job driving (though better does not = good!), and Elsie freaking loves going for a ride.  There was so much laughter and squeals of joy filling the air as Ryann did continuous circles on the driveway.

We were crazy enough to give Elsie a shot at driving.  The first time she actually connected with the gas, for just a moment, there was a look of sheer joy and power on her face.  She definitely felt like a queen at the wheel.  She was AWFUL at driving, and regularly would just lay on the gas without caring where she was going.  I was laughing so hard that I couldn't control the car at all.  We may have smashed one of my mom's rosebushes.  But hey, she was having fun!  Haha.

December 1, 2014

our advent activity calendar

At some point this week I hope to go back and get some of our Thanksgiving weekend photos on the blog.  But if anyone else is scrambling to put together activities for an advent calendar (as I am) I thought I'd share what I've come up with so far.  You can see the first set of activities I put together back in 2011 here.

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We're a bit heavy on the 'look at lights', but I don't care.  It is easy, and the girls love seeing the lights.  I don't have all my cards pre-made anymore, I just do it the night before.  That way I can easily switch stuff up or change my mind if we need to.  Some of the days are just geared towards Ryann, but I don't think Elsie will really notice.

I'm just so dang excited for the month.  My mom picked up some coloring and activity countdown placemats for the girls, they are super cute and made by Two's Company.  Our Christmas tree just makes me smile.  Our elf is back in action, but most likely won't do anything terribly exciting.  I'm giving myself bonus points just for remembering to move it.  Festive pajamas and holiday themed bows.  Christmas cookies and gingerbread houses.  I'm just giddy!

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