30 weeks!

I am so ready for March! Ready for warm weather and more daylight. January and February were so BLAH...which is why I haven't blogged very much. So now I'm playing catch up before the new month begins!


Me and Audrey on our last snow day (2/10/11)


Helping make Valentine's Day cupcakes



I've been trying to get into the lab to get my glucose screening done but something always seems to get in the way! Afternoon meetings, illness, ugh! I finally got up early on Saturday and went...only to get there and realize my lab slip was still at home. So I decided to take Audrey to Krispy Kreme for breakfast. She loved watching the doughnuts being made. When she was looking at the display case she kept saying, "Open it!" Then we went to Target to kill time before dance class. They were celebrating Dr. Suess's birthday, so we got a goody bag and she listened to Cat in the Hat.




I'm 30 weeks 1 day and feel pretty good. My feet don't seem to swell very much unless I have an extended day. I so look forward to hot showers and my heated mattress pad at the end of each night. It's getting so hard to breathe and if I sit for too long my ribs start to ache from being squished. I know this will go away when the baby drops, but that means I'll be waddling around and super uncomfortable when standing and walking. I hate to sound like I'm complaining all the time...in actuality I love being pregnant and every time the baby moves I'm reminded of how lucky we are!

My next appt isn't until 3/8...it's been such a pain scheduling these appts b/c the latest is usually at 4:00 and that's usually when I'm leaving school! Luckily I work with an awesome staff that are happy to cover my class during dismissal time so I can leave early. I need to save all the time I can for when BB gets here! I'm really hoping to make it to our due date so that I only have to return for the last few days of school. There's no way I want to miss out on those, esp since I've been with my kids for 2 years.

Audrey, my sweet girl! I miss her so much when I'm not around. I just love her little personality and she's so good! She loves to listen to music in the car. When a song is over she'll say, "SONG!" and we have to find another one right away. She talks all of the time and I never get tired of listening to her. She's gotten so good at saying "please" and "thank you." Her smile completely brightens the room and I can't help but kiss all over her. I absolutely cannot wait to meet this next baby and see what new joys we get to experience. I really, really love being a momma!

Things I can't wait to forget...

THIS ENTIRE WEEK.

It was a giant suck fest. It started on Monday (of course!) I got an email from Chris saying that Audrey had ben sick and that he was taking care of her. When I got home she was relaxing on the couch. She didn't get sick the rest of the night and slept great. So Tuesday I'm at work and about mid-morning I get another email...Audrey is getting sick again! I get her from Grandma's and she definitely looks miserable. She fell asleep on the way home and about 5 minutes from the house she woke up and puked, a lot. I got her home, cleaned her up and got her settled on the couch. She was ok the rest of the night but by this point she hadn't been eating or drinking anything (and what little she did consume would come right up.) We put her to bed at regular time but she was up soon afterwards getting sick. When she would throw up she'd say, "I sorry!" Heartbreaking.



Chris spent the night on the couch while Audrey stayed in the bed with me. After just a couple of throwing up/diarrhea episodes she was fast asleep and slept all night. Meanwhile I was up at 3:00 with the same symptoms as Audrey. So gross :( Luckily I was able to sleep off and on; even better- Audrey slept until nearly 10:00! Chris worked from home and watched Audrey while I stayed in bed most of the day. By the afternoon I was still not keeping anything down and my legs were so crampy. I was pretty sure I'd be taking a trip to the ER to get fluids but really didn't want to. By dinner I was keeping down food and water. Tylenol took away the cramps but I was still very nauseated and weak.

I was surprisingly much better on Thursday morning so I went to work and was fine (just had to sit down a lot b/c I was still feeling weak.) I was supposed to have my 28w check up and 1 hr glucose test. But they scheduled me too late and while I did get checked, I have to take the glucose sometime this week. I weighed in at 139, no weight gain since last time. They're not concerned but I think that's so strange b/c I haven't had a change in my diet. My belly feels really big, I feel like I'm carrying low and for the past 2 days I've had a terrible cramping in my lower left side. I honestly don't remember all of these aches and pains the first time around!

That brings us to Friday. It was a pretty awesome day (the weather....GORGEOUS!) until I picked up Audrey. She'd had diarrhea twice that day and not a single wet diaper. The nurse's line suggested we take her to the ER so we met Chris there. She was acting perfectly fine....playing, talking, just being very well behaved. They took her temperature and wrapped some kind of bandage-looking thing that had a red light on it around her thumb (checking her oxygen levels.) We waited forever to get into a room and she was still doing great. I can't really go into detail about the rest of the visit because they're too awful and traumatic. I had no idea what we were getting into. They drew blood, catheterized her, and gave her an iv. I truly hope we never have to go through that again, with her or with any of our children. I have to say that once she had the iv in and everything was over, she was amazing. She rested and was SO good the rest of our stay. We got home around 11:00 and she slept all night, waking in the morning with a full diaper and an appetite. Our girl is back, healthy and happy.



What a week. I'm so glad it's over and done with. We are ready for warm weather and all the goodness it brings :)

I'm so mad at this baby right now.

It really feels like I could puke from this excruciating pain in my ribs. I went to bed before 8:00 (I know, lame!) and felt fine. At about 10:30 I awoke with this major soreness in my left ribcage. It comes in waves but never lets up very much at all. I just ate some ice cream hoping the sugar will get him/her to move the eff out (plus I wanted ice cream.) Then I remembered I had some Tylenol w/codeine. I'm hoping that kicks in real soon, like 10 minutes ago. If the pain won't go away at least I can be knocked out. Seriously, kid, I've got things to do tomorrow...please give Momma a break!

Where did my baby go?!

I'm not one to be all depressed at over at how fast she's grown, but seriously...it's like all of a sudden she's such a KID. The things she says, the way she behaves. It's kind of overwhelming sometimes (in a good way, though!) Just recently, for example, she's demanding and needs certain things at certain times. This morning she woke up and wanted her "Shoes on? Tutu on? Bow on?" When she sits down to eat she asks for her "friends" (Mickey, Minnie, the whole gang.) I love this stage, the beginnings of 2-way communication.



I've been noticing it for awhile, but it really hit me yesterday as I watched her in dance class. She was doing things that she couldn't/wouldn't do just a few months ago when she first started. Simple things, like standing still on her star, watching and copying the teacher. I just love watching her learn and grow. We've been working on colors and I *think* she finally knows them all! She knows all of her shapes too. I started teaching her a few signs last week (please, thank you, eat, love, baby.) Not that there's any point, other than I think it's fun and cute! She gets pretty excited about it too. Her memory is so good! When we watch an episode of Mickey or we read a book, she tells me what's about to happen. I can't wait to see what she's like in school...hopefully she'll continue to love reading and be as enthusiastic about learning. Fingers crossed!

Her favorite new phrase is "I'm funny!" Anytime she does something silly she says it. When Chris does something funny she says, "Dad's funny!!" It's....funny :) She's also been saying "I did it!" an awful lot!



I'm feeling good at 27 weeks, but I'm trying to stay off my feet as much as possible to avoid swollen ankles and back pain. It's hard to believe I'm starting my 3rd trimester... I'm really enjoying the peace and the predictability of our routines...once Baby Burns is here it will be complete chaos! But I am so looking forward to meeting him/her and helping Audrey make the transition from "one and only" to "big sister."


27w 1d

Double Digits

99 days to go, as of today. Probably less than that since there's no way I can carry around another 8+ lb baby. Ugh.

Snow Day :)

Perhaps Mother Nature reads my blog? The original storm that was supposed to bring snow turned into rain on Wednesday morning but then another storm appeared out of nowhere! We had a delay Wednesday morning but it started snowing later in the afternoon as we scrambled to dismiss the kids. By the time I left at 4:00 the roads were AWFUL...I drove white-knuckled to pick up Audrey, then drove way below the speed limit on the way home. I've never driven in such terrible conditions but luckily we made it home safely. I've been reading commuter nightmare stories on WTOP.com. People up north had it so bad, I just can't believe some of the horror stories! You can read a few of them yourself here.

We ended up getting around 3-4 inches here. We had a wonderful day at home...I was more than happy be with Audrey. We went outside for a little bit and made a bunch of little snowballs. She didn't want to ride on her sled or even walk around. Oh, and she ate pears for the first time today....pretty big deal :)

Luckily our teacher workday is still on for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a full day of working in my classroom. Usually we're stuck going to meetings and professional development classes. I have a long list of things to do and I'm hoping to leave tomorrow with everything checked off!


Photo courtesy of Stacy Hart Photography

Edit 1/28/10: I got to work this morning as it began snowing, only to see fellow teachers slipping and falling! I was super careful & only ended up staying for about 30 minutes, until they canceled the workday (20 minutes before everyone was supposed to arrive!) Two custodians walked me back out to my car and luckily the drive back home was fine.

Things I Don't Want to Forget, and other Monday randomness

I've got the winter blues! Part of it is hormones, I know. But I also keep aching for a snow day (I know, I know...we had one last week!) The weather keeps messing with me, giving me hopes for snow and then it misses us each and every time. It's not that I need a break, it's not that I dislike my job, it's not that I'm terribly uncomfortable...I just ache for more time with Audrey. I simply can't get enough of her. So when there's a glimmer of hope that a snow day is coming and then it gets taken away I get pretty bummed. Oh well...the 19 other kids in my life do a fine job in making it all better!

I've also been stressing about all the changes coming up. It's hitting me like a ton of bricks and I'm worrying about everything! Taking maternity leave so close to the end of the year, taking care of a newborn, toddler, and myself. I keep flashing back to those early days of sleeping on the couch, trying to pump around the clock and keep up my supply for Audrey, bottles & dishes piling up, crying for no reason (me AND her!) and just the general crapfest that was our lives for such a long time. I'm hoping I get over this rut soon...it's starting to wear me down.

Anyways, enough negative. There are a few things I am loving right now, that I never want to forget:

-How easy Audrey is...she's just amazingly happy and wonderful. Her daily routine is fantastic. I love that at the end of the day we can put her in bed and she's done. She loves going out to stores and restaurants and she is so GOOD! She wants to chat with everyone and point things out. I know this can change so I'm writing it down now and relishing these days!

-Story time! Oh, how she loves to read. We keep books all over the house. She gets a book, brings it over and sits in our laps. We read the book (she's gotten so good at filling in the blanks and talking about the pictures.) And then, oh my, this is adorable...she says, "Anudda book?" HAHA! Off she goes to get another book and it starts all over again. The look on her face as she's running over to hand me a book is priceless!

-She is eating chicken again! This is MAJOR because she hasn't eaten chciken in over 6 months. Tonight she kept asking for more.

-She pretends to "eat." When we're reading a book that has food on the page she pretends like she's scarfing it down, "Yumyumyumyum..." We were passing the bakery in Giant today and she yelled, "CAKE!" She leaned over and pretended to eat it. I laughed so hard.



I love this girl so much...makes everyday so much brighter and helps kick the winter/pregnancy blues.

Check-ups

All is well with Audrey, myself and Baby Burns. We had Audrey's 2 year check up at 9:30 this morning and the office was so busy, we were there for nearly 2 hours! She weighs 27 lbs and is 34 in inches tall. They're not at all worried about her diet...she'll eat what she likes and as long as she growing and developing (and we keep offering) there are no problems. She had blood drawn and she's slightly anemic. We'll either be giving her iron drops or giving her a vitamin with added iron. They also tested her cholesterol and apparently it's a bit high. It's hereditary, so they test all kids at age 2. Nothing to worry about, but something to keep an eye on. She only needed one shot today (Hep A.) She left all sorts of happy with a lollipop and Bugs Bunny sticker.

My dr appt was scheduled at 10:30, but we didn't get there until after 11:30...luckily they could fit me in. We waited forever and I have to say, Audrey is the best company! She's just so cheerful and talkative and so interested in everything. She listened to the baby's heartbeat and when the dr finished measuring my belly she said, "All done, Momma!" I'm apparently starting to measure big and I weighed in at 139 (total of 11 lbs gained so far.) Dr. K mentioned that we'll do a sonogram about a month before the due date and if the baby looks big (like Audrey did) he'll want to strip my membranes and get things started. I secretly said a few curse words but agreed. Maybe by the time May rolls around I'll be ready, but I am just so fine with staying pregnant for as long possible! I scheduled my next appt for Feb 21st since I'm off for the holiday (GD test.) Note to self: skip the Pop Tarts for breakfast that morning.

I woke up with severe pain in my ribs early this morning. It stayed around most of the morning and when I mentioned it to my dr he confirmed it was my ribs expanding. But when I mentioned that it spread to my chest and shoulder he said it was more than likely heart burn or acid reflux. Time to get some Zantac.

Audrey had a great time at dance on Saturday. New things she does: puts her hand on her hips and bends her knees up and down (as she says, "Up and Doooown"), jumping off the mat and rolling on the floor, and flamingo stands. I love taking the class with her. She's so fun to watch and she's learned so much! She also loves to sing and clearly has a new favorite song...



Hard to believe January is halfway over!

Things I Don't Want to Forget

-When I explain something to Audrey or I give her directions she now says, "Okaaaay, Mommy!"

-I sing the ABCs and stop at certain letters...she fills them in!

-I ask if she wants to feel the baby...she'll put her head against my belly and I'll push my belly out. She says, "Again?!"

-The way she says, "BIIIIIIG SISTERRRRRR!"

Snow Day...with no snow!

Over the weekend I had high hopes as I stalked the weather forecast...Not one, but TWO storms were going to come together and give us 1-3 inches of snow! But on Monday afternoon I felt like a deflated balloon when I heard that one storm moved out to sea. I was still hopeful though! I continued to follow the forecast but was sad to see that the snow totals kept dropping...and then finally it was down to just sleet and ice. We were released 2 hours early on Tuesday because it was supposed to begin in the afternoon. I was totally shocked to see that we were closed on Wednesday! I thought maybe we'd have a delay at most...but of course I'll take it!

Now we have a 3-day weekend and I'm so happy. I took a 23 week belly picture last weekend but I swear this week alone my belly has doubled in size! Last night as I lay on my side the baby was doing some serious moving. We were pretty excited :)


23 weeks

My 24 week appt is Monday, as well as Audrey's 2 year check up. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Things I Don't Want to Forget...first installment

I'm starting a new series of posts. I've been inspired by my blogger friend Shannonlea, fabulous mom to adorable twins Josh and Emma. Every Thursday she posts about things she wants to remember. I'm not committing myself to a weekly schedule, but I love the idea of taking time to write down all the things I want to remember, big or small...after all, that's what this blog is for! Here goes...

I never want to forget Audrey's newest craze....the shower! One day last week I had just stepped in. She immediately dropped the toy she was holding (the toy I purposely brought in to keep her occupied) and said, "In there?" I figured, why not? I stripped her down and she stepped right in. She loved it! I was able to shower and keep an eye on her at the same time. She really just likes to stand there and get wet (and play with the sponges!) She'll ask to be picked up and I put her right under the spray. As soon as I turn the water off she says, "More?"

I never want to forget our newest bedtime ritual...kisses through the crib slats. I kneel down and she gives me a kiss. Then she moves over to the very next slat and says, "Over here?" and we kiss again. It continues until we get all the way down to the end...then we say, "Yaaaaay!" and high-five. Perfect ending to my day? Definitely!

And for Baby Burns...I never want to forget what it feels like to watch him or her dance around in my belly. I've been feeling kicks for awhile, but to actually *see* my belly move is simply amazing. I wish I could hold that little hand (or foot!) and give it a million kisses. I love you so much, baby!

Thanks Shannon for the great idea. I'm looking forward to keeping up with these posts :)

Back to the daily grind!

What a nice break this has been...hanging out with Audrey every day, getting things done around the house, even preparing a little here and there for Baby Burns. The only downside is that we've been under the weather for most of it...stuffiness, sore throats, headaches...and poor Audrey has an eye infection. It started in her right eye and has moved to her left. The pedi gave us an ointment and it seems to be clearing it up (hopefully in time for her birthday party on Saturday!)

The Christmas decorations are put away and it was bittersweet...by the time we put them up again we'll have a 7 month old AND a 3 year old! I'm feeling great (22 weeks) but when I stand for too long or move around too much I have major pain in my lower back. Other than that pregnancy is awesome :)

We had some snow the day after Christmas. It's all gone now, but I'm really hoping for more soon, I can't get enough time with my girl!


All bundled up...her snowsuit from last year fits perfectly even though it's 12 months! Also, notice the Mickey & Minnie in her hands :)






Uncle Craig got her a sled for Christmas...she loves it so much! After I pull her through the yard she says, "Again?" LOL



I've enjoyed the break but I'm ready to get back into our routine and I can't wait to see my kids! Dance starts again- she's perfected her "princess turns" and "alligator kicks" over the break. I'm very curious to see if she actually does them in class :) We'll be busy this week preparing for her little party and getting back into a good routine. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2010 was incredible for so many reasons! Audrey had just turned one and began walking...her growth this year has been incredible to witness. I had a terrific year at school and was able to loop up with my awesome class. We became pregnant with another little baby and couldn't be happier!

I'm sure 2011 will be amazing as well. We're healthy & happy & together. What more could we ask for?

Happy New Year!

Audrey's 2 year photo shoot

Before Audrey was born I began looking for a photographer who would come to the house for photo shoots. I had seen many blogs and websites with such gorgeous images of newborns and babies...and while I think studio photos are very nice, there's just something so special about the home setting. So we've had photos taken at home (or at some other pretty outdoor location) for her milestone birthdays (nb, 6 mo, 1 year, 18 mo.) The problem with these shoots is that our photographer was SO EXPENSIVE! The session alone was pricey and the prints were outrageous (for just ONE print!) But I sucked it up because the photos were always gorgeous and they would last a lifetime.

Then my friend Stacy from high school became a mom and started her own photography business. Through FB we'd kept in touch and she started blogging, too. I absolutely loved seeing her work, mostly of her beautiful daughter Addisyn. She now lived in DE but often visited her family who still live in the area. I knew she'd be perfect for Audrey's 2 year portraits.

Our sneak peak was posted on her blog last night and I love how they came out so far. Stacy was so great to work with...she directed us, had great ideas, and even insisted we take pictures on Main Street. If you are in the northern VA/MD/DE area I highly recommend her...you get more than your money's worth and it's such a fun experience!








One thing I love about Stacy's work...she also focuses on the parents...what a change! After all, it all starts with 2 people in love...




All photos courtesy of Stacy Hart Photography.

Christmas x3

On the 23rd we celebrated at Grandma & Grandpa's house with Aunt Sarah & cousin Bella. The girls got so many cool toys including a MMCH table with chairs and an indoor play tent with a tunnel. They had so much fun unwrapping gifts and playing with their new toys.






On Christmas morning my family came over for breakfast and to open presents...there were so many!






After all the presents were unwrapped she walked around and gave everyone a hug. Adorable!


She got so many cool toys; Little People zoo & scooters, Minnie's Bowtique, books, a sled, clothes, a basketball hoop and much more. Santa knew she was a very good girl this year :)

After Christmas morning with my family we headed up north to see Mom Maw and the rest of Christopher's family. More birthday gifts and Christmas presents!



She loved playing with cousin Teddy. He's so funny!

I love this picture...we're both looking at the camera for once!

By this time Audrey was pretty tired of opening gifts. She got new PJs, books, DVDs, a jewelry box and a beautiful silver bracelet. What a great day!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to spend it with loved ones. I'm so depressed that it's all over! I'm going to start putting away Christmas decorations today but the tree stays up until January 1st :)

Audrey Cate is TWO!

It was a wonderful day...we began with a photo shoot and ended with a party. She got some really great gifts: an art easel, a bathrobe with matching slippers, MMCH stuffed animals & laptop, a Radio Flyer tricycle, a Nerf gun (lol!) and more. She was much more into unwrapping her gifts this year... she would say, "Open!" after it was unwrapped. She had a wonderful birthday!


Traditional birthday breakfast: pancakes with candles


Blowing out the candles (she got one!)


Balloons!


So many presents...


Loved the bike from Nana!




Really loved the stuffed animals


She was super excited about the Nerf gun...we set up Woody from Toy Story as target practice, lol




Loved her cupcake




She didn't want her party to end :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Audrey!