It’s a boy!

Can you believe it?! We’re having a boy!  I am so freaked out!

Well, we went to have an ultrasound and talk with the high risk doctor at 16 weeks, and we got lucky.  Our little bundle cooperated and we found out early what we’re having. It was very exciting.

I’m a little nervous.  Tomorrow, I’m going in for my 1-hour screening for gestational diabetes. We’re doing it early because I’ve been having issues with blacking/passing out after I eat some times.  It’s scary, but I kind of hope that it comes back positive.  Then, at least I’ll know what is causing it, and I can get it under control.

Jade is doing awesome! She sings. She dances. She asks hundreds of questions a day.  She sits down with books and reads them to me.  She can identify every letter already, at 2 1/2!!!

And, I’ve started getting a little crafty.  I’m making matching outfits for Jade and her cousins for when they come to visit this fall.  Each girl is getting a tutu (red, white, and black … for Minnie Mouse), and then each cousin, including Anderson, will get a shirt with their name and a Mickey head on it.  So far, I have 2 tutus done, and 2 of the screens ready to be printed for the shirts.

So, since we got back from vacation, I’ve been busy.  Between blacking/passing out, and playing and having fun with Jade, I’m trying to be crafty.

And, Thursday is Jeremy’s birthday. So, for anyone who reads this and knows my husband, wish him a happy birthday this week!

Vacation fun

Today is Jeremy’s first day back to work after vacation, and I’m exhausted.  He has been so great and so much help, if you ignore the constant nagging to drink more water, and the constant questions about how I’m feeling.  I’m missing having him around.  I’m a very lucky girl to have such a helpful husband.

But, vacations must end, and we’re back to the busy summer grind.  Today, Jade started gymnastics.  She had fun, but it wore her out quickly.  So, I’m hoping she naps for a long while.  Of course, part way through my nap, I got a phone call, so I’m up with no hope of falling back to sleep.

I’m starting to feel a little better.  I am still throwing up about every other day now, instead of multiple times a day, but it is an improvement.  I’m not getting over the utter exhaustion that comes with the pregnancy though.  I’m still waiting for that 2nd trimester burst of energy.

Well, no such luck on her sleeping long. She just walked into my room telling me that she had good dreams about Sandy and Zoe sleeping.

Heart beat

We heard our baby’s heartbeat today!  Oh, yes, did I mention, we’re pregnant, and we made it to hear the baby’s heartbeat this time.  We’re 11 weeks and 3 days.

I am super excited, but have been so sick for the past 7 weeks, and it’s only getting worse.  It is funny because I tried so hard for 2 years to lose weight and couldn’t, but since I’ve been pregnant, I’ve lost 7 pounds.  It’s terrible!

So, what has this pregnancy been like so far.  Well, at 6 weeks, I couldn’t keep down water and I was having bad stomach problems, so Jeremy took me to the hospital.  They put me on Zofran and that helped for a little while. I still felt terrible, but I at least wasn’t throwing up anymore.  That lasted about 2 weeks.

Then, I started throwing up again, usually about 2 or 3 times a day.  Always after a shower.  Always after a BM. Always after I bathed my daughter.  Then, at random other times throughout the day with no rhyme or reason.  I always felt sicker from 4 p.m. until I fell asleep.  I always felt sicker if I didn’t get a nap.  I always felt sicker if I drank water.

Then, at 11 weeks, I started getting the worst pains in my right butt cheek!  It hurts to walk, to stand up, to move.  Now, is it because I’m dehydrated, or something else, we don’t know.

To make things even worse, right in the middle of this, my grandfather died.

Now, this is significant, because my grandmother died 3 years ago, while I was pregnant with Jade.  Then, Sunday, I told my grandfather that I was pregnant, and on Monday he died.  I am trying to look at this on the bright side, but it is hard, because I LOVE my grandfather so much.  But, I tell myself, that my daughter was lucky enough to get my grandmother’s soul, and now my next baby is lucky enough to get my grandfather’s. It is a little comforting, but it doesn’t make me miss him any less.  Of course, at the funeral, my aunt had to point out I was just so emotional because of all of the pregnancy hormones. Ugh!

It does make me smile that I told my grandfather I was pregnant on Sunday and he died the next day, but at his funeral, a couple of his closest companions knew (and I’m not showing at all yet and they hadn’t spoken to anyone else that would have known).  That means, he was excited and told them in that one short day. My uncle told me he talked about how much he enjoyed our visit on Friday, too.  That man was such a great man!  He may have been grumpy. He may have been crass. He may have told the same stories over and over again, but he was kind and generous and loving.  Don’t tell my dad, but he is a lot like my grandfather, even though he’ll never admit it 

So, here’s to hoping this baby continues to grow well and that I will get some relief soon!

Fed up!

I am so fed up with feeling terrible. I would like to just have a few minutes where I don’t feel complete and total crap.  My poor daughter’s favorite thing to ask me now is “Mommy, does your tummy hurt?”

I am also fed up some people around me.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some very wonderful, helpful, and supportive people in my life.  But, there are a few who have me up at night wondering how things can be different. How can some people be so completely selfish and rude?!

I would love to cut out all rude and negative people from my life.  Can I do that?  Is it really an achievable goal?  Unfortunately, it is not.  So, I’m looking for ideas from my friends and fans.  When I’m already down and out, how do I co-exist in a world where these negative people play such a big role in my life?

On a more positive note:  My daughter is wonderful.  She is a stinker, and she’s taking advantage of me not feeling well. She’s testing to see what she can get away with. But, she’s 2, and that is to be expected. She’s also learning so much.  She can identify almost all of her letters and 0-9 of her numbers.  She knows about a quarter of the sounds the letters make too.  I am amazed by her every day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a smart girl.  I’m going to Michigan in a couple of weeks, and I’m going to check my baby book to see how far ahead of me she was.

I love my family

I have the most amazing family in the world.  My daughter is so smart and so wonderful. My husband is supportive, caring (sometimes over caring), and loving.  I am so thankful that I have both of them.

I am also very thankful for my wonderful friends. I couldn’t get by without them.  We have been having a very hard year, and they have been there for us the whole way through. They say it takes a village to raise a family, and I truly believe this. The difficult part is that my family all lives very far away, and are not here to help us out.  I have never been a person who easily asks for help from anyone, especially friends.  It’s hard for me to not do everything by myself.  But, I am learning that I have to ask for help in order for my daughter to grow up strong in this world. I can’t do it all by myself.  It’s a tough lesson to learn, but I’ve learned it.

Now, just because I know this, doesn’t mean that it’s easy for me.  I still take on too much by myself, and I still struggle every day with when I should ask for help and when it is ok for me to do it by myself. I will probably struggle with that for a very long time, but knowing that I need to ask for help is the first step. The second step comes in baby steps. Each time I get the courage to ask for help, I grow a little more.

So, to all of my friends that are out there and reading this, thank you for everything you do for me. Thank you for your patience with me.  And, thank you, most of all, for everything you do for my family!

Mothers

Mothers Day is a big deal to a lot of people around  me.  To me, since I love my daughter so much.  To my mother-in-law and to my mother, because they live so far away from their children.  This year was special to everyone.

So, my mother-in-law has been in town for over a week now.  But, she got sick 2 days after arriving, and so we haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time with her

My parents flew into town on Friday, and we drove down to South Florida on Saturday to meet up with them and my brother’s family.  My niece, Isabella, was turning 2 years old. My brother was throwing her a birthday party.  It was a lot of fun. They had it at the Boca Play Station, which is a play lounge similar to Amaya Papaya and Peanut’s Playhouse.  Jade had so much fun, bouncing in the bounce house, sliding down the slide, and dressing up in costumes, especially the pirate costume.

Jade loved spending time with her cousin, and especially with Grandma and Grandpa.  After Saturday, we had Mother’s Day brunch with my brother’s family, and my mom and dad, and then drove back up to Orlando. Our 3-year tradition continued.  We went to an early dinner at Cafe Tu Tu Tango.  It was so yummy and so much fun, as always. Then, we went over to Granny and Grampy’s house to see my mother-in-law and deliver her a Mother’s Day present.

Now, we’re 2 days away from the MOMS Club Annual Banquet and there is still so much to do.  BTW, I was elected President of the club for next year. I have to make a slide show for everyone, but I haven’t been able to get the pictures from Becca. I’m so nervous we’re not going to have a good banquet, but I know we will.  We have a great board, all working very hard to make it special.

More to come soon. I’ll look forward to being able to tell you all about how much money we made and how much fun we had.

Teaching

I didn’t get to write yesterday, because I was substitute teaching in the 3-year-olds class at Jade’s school.  They sure are a handful compared to the 2-year-olds.

I have a meeting with the pastor tomorrow to discuss my future there, including summer teaching and fall teaching.  I’m excited and nervous all at the same time.

The Chef

I’ve made some really interesting things the past couple of weeks. I started last week out with chicken stir-fry, but instead of the awful soy sauce, I use peanut butter and wine. Much healthier and so yummy. Then, I made sweet potato cauliflower soup with Ribeye. And finished the week with a Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo.  I also made strawberry shortcake, since it is the end of strawberry season.  This week, I made lasagna and barbecue chicken bites, and tonight I’m making pizza.  I also made a chicken casserole and brownies for a friend who just had a baby.

If anyone is interested in any of these recipes, let me know and I’ll post them.  Just comment below.

Next week’s post should be much more exciting. My mother-in-law is currently here, my mom and dad are arriving on Friday, we’re going to my niece’s birthday on Saturday, and Mother’s day is Sunday, so I’ll have lots to talk about!