It's A BOY!!!!

We're having a baby boy!!!!

We are over the moon and thrilled beyond words. We are just so excited!

We had an ultrasound today and immediately, our sweet baby boy made it very apparent that he is, indeed, a boy. And I know that Madison was quite active, but this little guy was literally bouncing off the walls. Per today's ultrasound, he was very healthy - heart, brain, spine, organs. He weighs 10 oz, is measuring 5 days ahead of schedule, and is most likely about 5 1/2 inches long. The cervix has lengthened! Great news! Which means I was on my best behavior... :) I'll go back to the dr in 2 wks for another fetal fibro. test to look for any signs of preterm labor again. Then we'll have another ultrasound with the specialist in Houston on Sept 19.

Our son's name will be Hunter, after Mark's Dad, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather. We're not 100% set on the middle name yet.

Our Weekend

Fun at the park
And look at my new cute Nikes!
Dirt, what dirt?
She fell face-first in the mud...
... but didn't mind being dirty at all!

Baby #2

After several days, I finally got the results from the Fetal Fibronectin test. (It's supposed to come back to us "same day", so that's something we'll bring up to the dr next time we see him.) It came out negative - which is good! I don't have to go on bed rest. Wonderful! They said I can actually now get out of the house (this week, at least), but take it easy and don't push too much. We'll repeat this test every two-three weeks. Baby is doing fine. They'll check the cervical length again on Tuesday...as well as try to find out if we're having a boy or girl. :) If, Baby cooperates, right? I've gained only one whole pound in my pregnancy so far, which is really hard to believe. I definitely don't look like it. Perhaps weight shifts to your tummy? I don't know. We're going to wait and watch that, too. But for now, we'll celebrate the good news!

Madison's doing well

Madison's procedure to insert tubes in her ears went really well. She is acting like her normal, active self today. The procedure didn't begin until over an hour late because the doctor had something come up. We knew the procedure was going to be quick - it only took about 10 minutes. I wasn't worried, but when the nurse took Madison away for the surgery, in her special pajamas, I started to cry. I just didn't want her to be scared. Before long, a nurse came back and said all went well and Madison did just fine. Prior to beginning the surgery, she got a little angry. The nurse said she absolutely did not like the gas mask and kept swatting at it and turning her head. When they forced it on her, she turned bright red and got mad. But, she said, when babies get mad, they breath really deeply...and after two deep breaths, she was completely out! She was a little cranky yesterday and slept more than usual, but - like I said - is bouncing all around today.

My dr. apt went well. Still waiting for the results from yesterday's test...

Fingerpainting with Pudding

At the very end of our chocolate pudding fingerpainting escapade...as you can see, she enjoyed eating it and smearing it on her face and in her hair. :)

Very serious about painting her masterpiece.
...When you're too lazy to actually take your toys OUT of the toy chest...might as well join them.
Our friend Avery - what a cutie!

CURLY hair... Just woke up and about to eat breakfast
She loves her new Fisher Price kitchen. Lots to do on it!
Smile for Daddy!
Her very own preschool size backpack with her name on it.
Posing for a picture at Avery's house

We had a fun morning attempting to fingerpaint with chocolate pudding. No, this activity is not tidy. No, it is not condusive to a mom supposedly on partial bedrest. But...it was fun to watch. Mad first thought it was cold and gooey, but then she got right into it. Her favorite part was eating it, though. And then smearing it all over her face and hair. Mmm, fun to clean up!

We had a great weekend. I am very much obsessed with the Olympics and have stayed up until midnight or later watching them fervently. Mark has been wonderful and participated in cheering them on with me. Aside from the Olympics, we enjoyed a fun cookout with Jamie, Brian and Avery, and Jenny, Cooper and Emma - some of our neighbors. It rained here on occasion, so we spent most of our time indoors...not that I can really go out anyway.

Tomorrow is a big day for us. Mad get tubes in her ears early in the morning - 6:30 am! I'm sure it will all go very well and she won't even notice, as the procedure is very short. Following that, I have my next dr apt. Let's cross our fingers I don't have to go on bedrest. I'm feeling baby #2 all the time now, which is great. I'd never take that for granted, that's for sure.

16 week prego pic

Here is a picture Mark took of me last week at 16 weeks pregnant. However, I have to say...and Mark even brought it up (the only time it's safe for a man to bring it up!)...that my belly looks quite more round this week...

Cutie Pie

Out for a walk in Madison's new wagon, given by Grammy and Papa for her birthday
With our great friend, Avery, who lives a few houses down from us. Her parents also went to N.C. State!
Right after Madison woke up...about to eat breakfast...see her curly hair

Cuddled with Daddy
Say "cheese" with Mommy
Look who's trying to open doors?
Hey there!

Aw, we just got a packet of information from Madison's preschool...including her school supplies list...she's getting so old! :) haha. Instead of putting her in two mornings/week, we are now putting her in school for three mornings/week now that I'm on modified bedrest. It will be great for her, though. There are so many activities and the curriculum for her age looks fantastic. We go to meet her teacher in a couple weeks. I talked to the director of the school, and she said that behaviorally, going two and especially three days/week is much better than just once/week because it gives the kids more of a routine. They adjust much better and behavior really improves. This will be really great for Madison and will give her lots of social interaction with children on a regular basis - other than the nursery or playgroup.

Feedback

Thanks so much for your many emails and comments - how helpful! Thought I'd post some of the ideas, in case anyone else could use them, too! Here are some tips and ideas to help keep young kiddos busy for Mommies who can't necessarily run around and play...and who are confined to their own house! Yikes. And even if you are perfectly healthy, perhaps you could use some of these tips, too!

- Baby Einstein, Praise Baby or Baby Faith series DVD's (we've got lots and they're wonderful)
- Kids interactive internet sites (Disney, etc.)
- Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Kitchen or the Laugh & Learn House evidentally keeps your toddler busy for hours...lots of activities! We have the kitchen coming soon...
- Playdough (for the texture) - maybe when Madison is older, but for right now, she'll just eat it.
- Fingerpainting with pudding - good if i could sit up at a table with her, but too messy.
- Invite our playgroup friends over to our house (at least a couple kids at a time) to play here, since we can't go to others' houses.
- Set up a "toy exchange" with other neighborhood moms. Exchange a few toys each week with a family - then you can recycle and your child will get to play with new (but free) toys.
- Blowup pool in the backyard - one large enough for Mommy to lay in...while baby plays with all sorts of pool toys. (We'll just have to look out for any snakes in our backyard...that's TX for ya!)
- Any books (Little People, Karen Katz) with flip up pages - Madison loves reading these and we read them all the time.

Sarah and Dave's NEW website (updated link)

Here is the correct link:
http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=6724516330691718

Sarah and Dave's new web site

Here is Sarah and Dave's wedding web site they made, if you'd like to check it out...so cute and funny.

http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=6724516330691718

Tips are welcome...

It's proving to be a real challenge to be on some kind of "modified bedrest" while having a one year old. Especially yesterday, when I was in so much pain. Although Madison will soon start "school" a few days a week, I need some new ways to keep her occupied while she's at home...preferably ways in which I can spend time with her, but also lie down at the same time. We already watch lots of Baby Einstein, read and play with all of her toys. But her toys are starting to get boring...

Do you have any ideas? Any new toys that keep your kids really busy? Again, she's only one, so she can't sit down and color or do anything like that...

Let me know if you have any tips!

update II

I got a call from my dr's office today. The dr. said he's worried about the state of the pregnancy, so he's having me come in on August 19th for a Fetal Fibronectin test - this helps to determine if you will likely go into preterm labor within the next two weeks. If it comes back negative, that's good! If it comes back positive, then I'll have to go on strict bedrest. I'm getting plans in place for Madison, in case that happens. Additionally, I'll have another ultrasound on August 26th, as well as a follow up dr's appointment. Until then - modified bedrest. Not the easiest, but I'll do my best to ward off any strict bedrest, that's for sure. I keep reminding myself that even if I have to go on bedrest, it is so temporary in the long scheme of things. What's five months, compared to years and years of happiness with both our kids?

We had some bad rain and wind during the tropical storm, but nothing extreme. Our power went off, but only for a few hrs.

update

my computer is sick again...what is going on? It's a new laptop! So, I'll have to bring it in again to get worked on. Before I do that, I wanted to update you on what's going on. I've received many emails - thank you and I promise to get back to you soon.

I was on bedrest starting Thursday and then Friday morning, went to the hospital for an ultrasound. The baby looks very healthy, was super active and appeared to be happy...sucking its thumb, playing with its legs, flipping around, pointing, etc. Still too early to tell with 100% certainty whether it's a boy or girl. The baby measures about 4+ inches long, and almost a week older than we thought, and they moved up my due date to Jan 18. My body, on the other hand, looked less than stellar. I just don't have the amount of cushioning others have to keep the baby inside safely and securely. So, we have to be careful and watch that. After that, we were sent home and told to wait for a call. That call never came.

Here in our little town of Beaumont, I believe (but will have to do further research) that I'm at one of the best high-risk OB/GYN's. (I also see a specialist in Houston.) But, our insurance dictates that I must have all bloodwork and ultrasounds done by a third party outside the doctor's office - the hospital. The issue with this, is that it takes up to 72 hrs for my dr to receive the results, then up to 24 hrs for him to call me. Unless, as was in this case, the ultrasound is labeled "Stat". then, the results are supposed to get to the doctor right away. Long story short, we've had lots of trouble with this. And this weekend...we NEVER got a call with results or further instruction...until this afternoon. We are not pleased and uncomfortable with this, especially because this is a high risk pregnancy. We're in process of trying to work something out with the dr and insurance agency.

For the time being, I'm on modified bedrest. Supposed to lay down as much as I can and no heavy lifting. Hahaha...well, I'll do my best, considering Madison is a healthy 26 lb one year old who just learned to walk everywhere. Lots of good tips have been given to me, of which I am very thankful!

This morning, I took Madison to the dr...she has ear infections...again...in both ears. bless her heart. We'll see an ENT specialist in a few weeks to discuss the possibility of putting tubes in her ears. She isn't acting sick, though, so that's great. I could just see signs which indicated ear infections...so I took her in this morning.

We are preparing for Tropical Storm Eduord...however you spell it. Should start raining tonight and hit land near us tomorrow morning around 9 am or so. Mark is super busy at Exxon putting plans/processes in place in preparation. I'm sure he'll be on the phone most of the night and tomorow.

Talk soon....