Thursday, December 31, 2015

December Highlights

December is always a little extra hectic in our family. Between three birthdays, the holidays, and throwing in a new pregnancy, this year was a little extra crazy. It was a great way to end 2015 though :)

{I just love this picture of David! He looks like such a big boy in this picture :')}

{David requested M&M Cookies instead of a cake. We made it work!}

{He had a hard time waiting for us to sing to him! HAHAHA}

{He got lots of great gifts, including this cowboy hat. Happy 2nd Birthday to my Davey Boy!}

{I helped host a babysitting event, followed by a lock-in for our youth group girls! The babysitting was pretty successful, and I think everyone had a great time. Boy, I'm getting too old for lock-ins ;)}

{I took another test the morning after the lock-in, just for peace of mind. Yup, still getting darker! Plus, the nurse made me a little nervous about my numbers earlier in the week, so I was using every last test I still had so I could stay calm}

{My wonderful daddy turned 60! I adore this man :)}

{We threw an Arty Party for Jillian's birthday on her birthday! Quick clean up pre-party}

{We had a great time celebrating with our friends! Jillian had a blast, which is the whole point :)}

{Jillian asked for this lei, but only kept it on for about 4 minutes. Oh well, that's our 4 year old! Happy 4th Birthday Sweet Pea!}

{The kids loved the pinata! I may have overfilled it, and we still have tons of candy left over}

{And finally, the amazing cake my talented friend, Elena, made! It was awesome, and delicious :)}

{We finally purchased a new over the stove microwave, and Phil decided to replace it. When he went to plug it in, he discovered this is what the old outlet looked like. I'm just glad it didn't cause a fire!}

{See this super tiny sticker? Jillian got mad at us, and stuck it up her nose... on a Friday night. Instead of going to an ER, I looked at her nose, and decided I could go "Operation" on her and get it out myself. Besides, I've seen Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs. Luckily, I was able to get it out, and Jillian barely noticed. You better believe we had a LONG discussion about sticking things in our nose.}

{We went to the Hearts for Hearing Christmas party, where Jillian got to sit with Santa! Davey was not interested at all, but Jillian was all about it. Plus, she told her audiologist, and speech therapist, (who are both pregnant by the way), that we're getting a baby too! Guess the cat is out of the bag! LOL}

{Jillian had her Christmas program for preschool. She did a great job, and she had the best dance for "Feliz Navidad"}

{It wasn't as inexpensive as it has been in the past, but we got our Christmas tree up, and decorated! This was the first year I really let the kids decorate all by themselves. The OCD in me wanted to fix it, but I was able to hold back.}

{Just caught a sweet moment :)}

{After making some cookies, we let the kids pick one cookie to decorate and eat. This was just before the decorating chaos ensued!}

{Our family after the Christmas Eve Service. I love my people :)}

{We FINALLY got to see/confirm the pregnancy on the 30th! It felt like forever waiting to see if my pregnancy was ectopic or not. We even found a good strong heartbeat, so I was finally able to relax... somewhat. August 5th, watch out for BB-3!}

{On the last day of the year, I wasn't sure if I should be mad or proud. The kids worked together, and got every single toy, and article of clothing from Jillian's room into David's. I mean... really?!? Daddy helped us clean it up, and all was right with the world again :)}

May 2016 be as full, and joyful as 2015!

The Details for BB-3

As much as I'd like to reflect on the previous year, I can't help but be excited about the new year. 2015 had many good points, and a few low. {Plus, I need to back date a few posts *cough**cough*}

I know last year, I was just ready for 2014 to be over. I don't feel like that this time, but I am more focused on next year than I am reflecting. If you really want to know how our year went, you can check out the monthly highlights posts I did.

Now, for the details of our little BB-3! Before you even ask, yes it was planned. We'd love to have 4 children total, but we'll see what the future holds :)

Starting in January, Phil and I couldn't quite pinpoint the best time to officially start trying for baby #3. Part of this was due to me not wanting another December baby, my brother's wedding coming up in April, and our super busy schedules. Nothing seemed really right, so we just went with the flow. We'd try for a month or two, take a month or two off, etc. until later this summer.

Around July, my primary care physician wanted me to stop taking Metformin so he could do a blood test. That made me a little nervous, but I trusted my doctor. The results came back showing that I didn't need it to regulate sugar anymore. {Side note: I previously went off it, but my cycles got really erratic, so I went back on} He asked that we try for 6 months without it. If I was having trouble ovulating, then I could check in with my OBGYN and get something else to help with that. This is also around the time I started to Carb-Cycle. I did have a chemical pregnancy during this time, but I wasn't entirely convinced I could conceive and carry a baby without Metformin. I mean, I never had before!

I was really convinced that we had conceived in October. I mean, I was prepared to see a positive test, and I'm usually not that confident. Well, my period came a day early on the 30th. To say I was sad is completely on the mark. I was just so confident! Plus, the upcoming month was going to be a little on the busy side.

The first weekend of November, we ended up adopting our dog, Olive! We decided to put in the application if we didn't conceive in October. Within 24 hours of applying, we had a call saying she was ready for adoption if we were willing. Good thing we had been preparing for a dog for a few months! Just two days after we brought Olive home, Phil went out of town for 5 days for work. I had two sick babies, and a brand new dog to take care of. It was overwhelming, but we made it! I was pretty sure we had missed my fertile window with Phil being gone, so I was certain November was a bust. To add to this, I got rear-ended by someone on my way to church. It wasn't bad or anything, but enough that I figured even if I had conceived, the baby couldn't attach because of it. {Trust me, I know that is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever typed!}

Right before Thanksgiving, I had a meltdown of epic proportions. I'm talking, crying in my closet like a drama queen! Now, I am an emotional person, I totally admit that. However, I can usually harness my crazy a little. This was one of those times where I could not, for the life of me, calm myself down. I knew I was overreacting, but I could not stop it. This was my first clue. The only other points in my life where I've felt out of control with my emotions was during pregnancy. I ended up taking a cheapie test, and the line was so faint, I didn't even mention it to Phil. I wasn't even fully convinced it was there. That was 11/25.

Thanksgiving was great! My parents were in town, we did minimal cooking, and we just had a great visit! I am so thankful for the holiday we had. The morning after, I took another test. This time, Phil could see a line too! So on 11/27, we were optimistically hopeful for baby #3. I did tell my mom what was going on, but didn't want to tell anyone else until after my blood tests. I took one more at home test on 11/29, and the line was darker enough for me to feel ok.

On 11/30, I went to the doctor for a blood test as early as I could. Now, in the past, if you went early enough in the day, they would call you by 5 pm to tell you the result. This is no longer their policy :-/
Anyways, they called me on 12/1 and said my hCG levels and progesterone were both pretty low, (77 and 13 respectively), so they needed me to come in the next day to confirm everything was progressing as it should. I went in and took another blood test on 12/2. They called me on 12/3 saying my hCG more than doubled, so they would put me on progesterone to raise those levels. I was put on progesterone for both Jillian and David, so this was fine with me. I tried to ask if not being on Metformin would make me more susceptible to miscarrying, but no one seemed to answer that. It made me pretty nervous. When I finally got an appointment with an ultrasound to confirm it is not an ectopic pregnancy, I couldn't get one until 12/30 due to the holidays. This about killed me, but I knew there was not much else I could do.

For the next few weeks, my pregnancy symptoms were just different from Jillian and David that I would panic about every other day. I got sick later, the sickness wasn't too bad, my eczema flared up really bad, etc. Like I said, it was just different enough to make me worry. I can't tell you how many times Phil and I had conversations about how this pregnancy is ok, and how it was probably due to the fact that I was not on Metformin anymore.{My NP yesterday confirmed that is most likely why I am not as sick this time}.

Phil did have to work yesterday, but he offered to watch the kids so I could go to my ultrasound and appointment at 8:30 without having to juggle the kiddos. I was grateful, but nervous to go alone. Plus, I was the only lady there without her husband in the waiting room. When I was called back, I let the tech know that I was a bit nervous. She immediately showed me our "little nugget" as she called it, and got the heartbeat at 177 bpm. It was a beautiful sound :) All my fears melted away! I was measuring 1 day behind, so they gave me a due date of August 6th. I then saw my nurse practioner, and we had a good conversation. Plus, she said I am not at a higher risk of miscarrying since I was off Metformin long before I got pregnant :)

I do have a few things to look out for: postpartum depression popping up before the baby is here, and I have to do extra glucose tests because I may end up with gestational diabetes since I am off the Metformin. Those are all things I can deal with! I have to go back for my bloodwork and the 1 hour glucose test, but I have 3 weeks to get that done.

So here we are! Now it's time to plan on mini-vans, and how to juggle 3 kiddos. I am beyond excited, and I can't wait to meet him/her :)

Love you, little one!
{Not the best picture, but I love it anyways :)}

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Star Wars

If you know me well, you are aware that I'm geeky. I may not flaunt it, but it's there!

Phil is geeky, some of my closest friends are geeky, and my children are slowly becoming geeky.

We love video games, (like Super Mario Bros, Halo {Phil}, Lego Harry Potter, etc.), puzzles, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Superhero movies, comics, Walking Dead, and Star Wars. With that in mind, it was no question that I would come up with this...


BB-3 is on the way!
{And yes, it is a play on the BB-8 droid ;)}

More details to come!

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Jillian: {4 Years}

{We had her party today, and in the excitement didn't do an "official" picture by the door. This will work though :)}

Jillian –

You are 4 years old today! I remember watching the Birthday episode of Yo Gabba Gabba when you were around 9 months old. The character, Brobee, is turning 4 years old. I felt like that was such a long time before you'd be celebrating your 4th birthday. Yet, here we are my love! {EDIT: According to the doctor at your well check up in February, you are 33 lbs, 0 oz and 38-1/2 inches long. That is 4 lbs, 0 oz heavier & 3 inches longer than at three years old, and 26 lbs, 10 oz heavier & 18-1/2 inches longer than at birth!}

You wear mostly 3T, and a few 4T clothes, but you can still fit in some 2T clothes. You wear size 4 underwear, and wear size 7 shoes.

Eating is a bit more challenging than before. You don't always want to stop what you're doing to eat. Even if we serve you something you love, you won't always eat it. Sometimes we have really rough dinners together. Other times, you eat seconds, and you're just a dream at the table. Hopefully, this phase will move through quickly :) You like whole milk, water, lemonade, broccoli, chicken, cheese, and plain spaghetti noodles. Other than that, you'll eat here and there, but nothing is guaranteed ;)

You have all of your teeth, and you had another dentist appointment that you rocked! You are a great patient both at the dentist, and at the doctor's office! You very rarely cry or make a scene. Plus, you give the doctors high fives and hugs, which I'm sure they don't get all that often.

Sleep is good considering your age. You very rarely take a nap, but when you do, it usually lasts about 1-1.5 hours. Those are the days we've really tired you out! You sometimes fall asleep in the car, but even that is relatively rare. You got your own room, and you seem to love the independence! You still love your big girl bed. We had a few rough times involving staying in bed, and not getting up too early. However, I feel like we've worked out the kinks, and you do really well overall. You have the occasional night when you need us, or you're just too wound up to sleep. Even then, we can usually coax you back to bed easily.

This fall, you started a new preschool class at church! You really like school, but you have had a harder time adjusting than you did last year. I'm not sure if it's because you have new teachers or a brand new class. However, things are a little easier, and we're working hard with your teacher to help you be successful. You are SO very smart. It's hard to keep you interested simply because you understand what's happening already. We have learned that you LOVE to paint, and color. You could paint for hours, and never be bored! You have transitioned out of your hearing clinic preschool, so you go to church preschool 3 days a week for 3.5 hours.

You have successfully completed speech therapy! After much discussion and testing, we decided that you are doing well enough to graduate for now. You are very verbal, and just about anyone can understand what you're saying. We did learn this fall that we should really consider/look into getting a cochlear implant for your right ear. It won't be easy because, even though the medical research is there, insurance won't cover it. If we are able to do this, you will most likely go back to speech therapy while you adjust. We'd like to do this before your 5th birthday, but we'll have to wait and see. You certainly don't let your hearing loss slow you down! Your personality is still shining through. I get so many comments about how friendly and sweet you are. You really have never met a stranger, and you love telling anyone and everyone your life story. Even though it's not in my personality to do that, I try not to keep you from doing that. Partially because it's what makes you you, and also because it really seems to brighten other people's day when you smile and hug them just because :) For the most part, you are just sweet, loving, funny, and a joy to be around.

You are a sensitive child, and we're still trying to find ways to help you manage these emotions. Having them is not wrong, but there are better ways of expressing them. We have been seeing a family counselor once a month that has helped us a bit. With her help, I know we can help you! We started going to the counselor because I was worried you were still mad at mommy after she was gone when Davey was in the hospital. It seems like we've moved past that, but it is still beneficial to us to go :)

Running is still your favorite way to exert your energy! You run laps around the house/couch, you love to play "catch me" with anyone that's willing, and you love to show off how fast you can run. We're going to have to enroll you in some type of sport soon to help you with all this energy you have! We seem to have your grass allergy under control for now. You need your inhaler every so often, but not as much as before. You handle the nose spray pretty good, but you HATE the taste of your allergy medicine. I wish it came in a different flavor :( You enjoy singing in the children's choir at church. You don't always sing loudly during "performances," but your enthusiasm always makes up for it :)

There is no real favorite thing of yours that I could list. You fixate on a show or character for a bit, then move on to the next one. Some of the things you have enjoyed are: Thomas & Friends, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Yo Gabba Gabba, Octonauts, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Doc McStuffins, Animal Mechanicals, Care Bears, and Peg + Cat. You do love arty stuff, and we're having an Arty Party for your birthday today! Aside from that, you're usually pretty easy going.

You're a great big sister to Davey, and we just recently told you that a new baby is coming! We don't know if it'll be a boy or girl, (you are insisting it be a girl, even though we told you we don't get to choose!), but you're already telling everyone! In fact, we had to announce it a little earlier than we planned because you were telling everyone you saw. Like with the new baby someday, you do have moments with David where you two don't seem to get along real great. I promise that's normal! Other times, you tell me he's your best friend. I know you two will always have one another, and I hope you will always consider him a close friend!

Jillian, I just don't know how we got so lucky. You are such a gift to our family, and life would be so boring without you! You make us extremely proud, and we can't wait to see what 2016 will bring. We love you sweet girl! :)

Comparisons:
{Left: 1 Month Right: 4 Years}

{From Left to Right: 1 Year, 2.5 Years, and 4 Years}

{3 and 4 Years Old}
{What a difference a year makes!}

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

David: {2 Years}


David –

You are 2 years old today! I cannot believe it has been that long since we drove through the fog and met you faster than we anticipated! You are going to the doctor in a few days, so I will update later with your official stats. According to our at home measurements, you are 27lbs, 3 oz and 33 inches long. 

You wear mostly 18-24 Month, and a few 2T clothes. You wear size 4 Luvs or Pampers Cruisers brand diapers for the daytime and size 4 Huggies Overnight for bed. You currently wear size 6 shoes.

Eating is still relatively easy with you, but you are starting that phase of "You can't make me eat if I don't wanna!" that has a nice little pouty face with crossed arms to go with it. You are fed three meals and two snacks. If we let you, you’d just graze all day long, and seem to like smaller meals over large ones. We are fortunate that you are not really picky eater, and I can count on one hand the foods you absolutely will not eat. You will at least try most foods you see. You drink whole milk and water. Juice is ok from time to time, but it is usually too sweet for you. You use both sippy cups with straws and cups without a lid.

You have 16 teeth! All we’re missing are those two-year molars and you’ll be done growing teeth.

Sleep is great! You take one nap, (or have quiet time) in the late afternoon for about 3 hours. Nighttime sleeping is going well too! You still take a paci for naptime, but you sleep overnight without a pacifier. You have your new big boy bed sheets, but your daddy will be making your big boy bed in the next month or two. Hopefully the transition isn't too bad :)You also have bad dreams every so often, but a quick cuddle usually helps.

Speech is finally improving! Having a very talkative sister made it hard for you to get started. Now, you can say about 30 words, and can make about 10 animal sounds! Most of your words are pretty clear, but some only mama and sometimes daddy can understand. Also, you are beginning to mumble to prayers or songs we sing on a regular basis. No full singing yet, but you're getting there! You can also point to most body parts when asked. Your personality is starting to really show. You are a sweet and caring boy, and you are also very flirtatious ;) However, you have your mama's, (and sister's), stubborn side. {Your poor daddy!} Recently, you began bowing if people clap for you. It's so funny! You also wave hello/goodbye, blow kisses, fake hiccup, make faces, and squeal/scream at the top of your lungs just because you can. You like to help pick up, and you already put your lunch dishes in the sink without being asked! You are also incredibly ticklish, and we love to hear you laugh! You've only belly laughed a few times, but it is the sweetest sound in the world to me :) 

You are a man on the go! You absolutely keep us on our toes by running and climbing on everything in sight. And boy, are you fast! We are lucky that you haven’t had any major spills, but you definitely have had a few injuries. We joke you'll either be a chef or a drummer. You love to watch, and help in the kitchen, and you love banging on anything that makes noise. You've even snuck off with some drum sticks at church ;) You have been relatively healthy all year! You just had the end of either a really nasty cold, or two back-to-back colds. Either way, we think you're finally on the mend!

Some of your nicknames are: Davey, Davey Boy, Bud, LT, and Mister Man.

Things you love: Cookies, the color red or blue, Mickey Mouse, Yo Gabba Gabba, silly faces, pizza, broccoli, riding bikes, strawberries, Scout from LeapFrog, Super Why, climbing, sliding, swinging, playing with Sissy if she's being nice, big hugs, church, books, food, the TV, and milk.

Things you don't like: Bubble baths (most of the time), ice cream (or any cold dessert), car rides (long or short), having your toes or ears messed with for any reason, getting your nails clipped, getting wiped off after a meal, having people in your face/space when you're first waking up, and being told no.

Since your first birthday, you've had your first hospital stay, your first haircut, your first words, your first steps, and your first car accident (just a small fender bender). It's been quite a year for our family, but you seem to take everything in stride. You're not as sensitive as your big sister, but you certainly let us know how you are feeling. You are opinionated, sweet, and love fiercely. You even give mama hugs and smiles when she seems sad or frustrated. Unfortunately for us, you also know you're cute, and try to use it to your advantage ;) Also, we adopted a dog just a few weeks ago! You were not very sure about Olive, then warmed up to her, then got dis-interested again. HAHAHA I can tell you like her, but I think having her be the same height as you can be intimidating. Someday, I'm sure you two will have a great relationship!

David, you are such a gift to this family. You make our lives so much richer, and we just love watching you grow up. We truly believe God has great things in store for you. How lucky are we to be there with you. We love you little tomato! :)

Some outtakes:
{Wait! What's over there mama?}

{This is his flirty look ;)}

{Cheese face!}

And comparisons:
{David in the last 12 months}

{David at 1 month, 1 year, and 2 years}

{Left: Jillian 12/2013 Right: David 12/2015}

But I Know What It Feels Like

This post is going to be awfully vulnerable and hard for me, but I really want to finally say it out loud. I got permission for my daughter ...