I'll post more details later, but here are some pictures. Let's just say, we didn't make it to the induction.
Big brother, little sister
Proud parents
an even prouder uncle...for Melayna.
Okay, so I've survived another day of work and contractions (more intense, a little more frequent, but not close enough). It seems these last two days have gone by sooooooo slowly. Even sleeping. I keep waking up (not just to go to the bathroom). I look at the clock and realize it has only been a few minutes or half an hour since I last woke up. Well, tomorrow is the day. I go into the hospital at 8:00pm to be prepped for inducement. So, I'll work my normal hours. I'll leave work at my normal time. We'll have a semi-normal dinner (my dad is joining us for dinner since he'll be taking Tristan home with him). We'll give Tristan hugs and kisses before he goes to Grandpa's. We'll double check our bags for the hospital. Then we'll head out. It will be the last time our home will just be occupied by three (plus the cat). It will be the last time our son will be an "only" child. It will be the beginning of a newer family. It will be the beginning of our family of four. It will mark the three month "stay-at-home" mommy-ness that I'll get to cherish (our finance and work situation doesn't allow for me to stay at home - oh, but how I wish I could).
Well, in preparation for our newest family member, I decided to get a bit crafty! I fished around for ideas for adorable, handmade birth announcements, took a trip to Archiver's for some cardstock and other essentials, and then, I got to work.
So, here's my prototype (please keep in mind, I used my son's picture - he's only a day old in it - I can't believe he was ever that small! - Oh, and of course the date, weight, and height are subject to change).
Materials I bought were enough for 60 announcements (you may have to adjust depending on how many you need).
Materials:
12"x12" double sided scrapbook cardstock - heavy (qty - 10 sheets) $0.99 per sheet at Archiver's
8.5"x11" neutral tan cardstock (qty - 8 sheets) $0.29 per sheet at Archiver's
100 count pack of gold paperclips - $1.79 at Office Max (I wanted to get tiny pink ones but couldn't find any at Archiver's :( I'm sure Creative Memories or Stampin' Up! has 'em).
double sided tape (SNAIL adhesive from Stampin' Up! or something similar works great)
After baby is born - 60 wallet sized prints (black & white or sepia tone preferred) & baby stats (I plan to upload one of my favorite shots on Walmart.com - you can use whatever photoprinting service you like or order extra wallet sheets when you get baby's pictures taken at the photo studio)
Here's what it'll kind of look like (I didn't use the tan cardstock for my prototype since I don't have all of baby's stats yet). I have instructions after the images if you'd like to re-create it. Its a great idea I found in a scrapbooking catalog (Scrapbooks etc. - Baby).
How to make file folder announcement:
...she'll be here!
Well, I had my appointment on Friday and no real progress from the previous week. She's dropped and I'm still only 1cm along. Since my doctor doesn't want me going beyond my due, she asked us about inducing labor. We agreed to it and we're scheduled to go into the hospital in the evening of Wednesday, October 1st. I'll go through some prep work, stay at the hospital overnight, and I'll be induced in the morning. So, if all goes accordingly (and baby girl doesn't come sooner), then she'll be born on October 2nd.
I'm pretty excited. Our wait is almost over. We'll get to hold her and see her beautiful face. We'll count her precious fingers and toes. I'll get to smell that new baby smell.
To finalize our preparations, I've finished packing my suitcase, Scott packed his bag (a small travel bag with just one change of clothes and essential toiletries - toothbrush and deodorant), and I packed Tristan's suitcase for his stay at Grandpa's house. Today, we did a major grocery run and shopped for about 2 - 3 weeks worth of food (you don't want to know the grocery bill). We bought a few extra necessities (a few bottles, just in case nursing doesn't work out, a changing pad for the changing table, and a comb & brush - I can be hopeful that she'll have lots of hair). After all sorts of running around today, we came home and cleaned up a bit. Kate, my mother-in-law, took care of dishes and the rest of the kitchen, Scott did the bathrooms and the kitty box, and I folded the laundry and cleaned up Tristan's room. I am completely exhausted, but still feel like there is so much more to be done. Oh well. I don't think that I can be fully prepared for a newborn - despite having had one already.
Well, Melayna Kait will be here soon and I can't wait to see her. :) My next post I'll have pictures! I promise.
I know, it is still early. I'm officially 38 weeks pregnant as of Sunday. So, she could come anytime from this point forward. I found out that I am 1 cm dilated as of Friday. My doctor told me that she doesn't want me going past my due date. In other words, she'd like to schedule inducement sometime during my 39th week. We'll see what happens at this Friday's appointment. I've been getting contractions still. Some intense, but nothing too painful or long. Nor are they close enough for me to be considered in labor.
Alright, so what did I do if I didn't have the baby yet. Saturday, I had a prenatal massage. That was very relaxing and an interesting experience for me (it was my first massage ever). We did some shopping for last minute baby and hospital essentials. I washed all of Melayna's clothes and packed her diaper bag for the hospital. Next goal: pack my bag for the hospital and pack Tristan's bag for Grandpa's.
In the meantime, we got some interesting snapshots of Tristan.
Here is a "parrot" (although at one point it was a giraffe, too)
I'm so tired, exhausted, and achy all over. I waddle when I walk. I struggle to bend over and pick up things from the floor. My belly hurts. I've been getting contractions (nothing too painful and not too frequent). I think my body is telling me that it is ready, in fact, overdue. In reality, I'm about two and a half weeks out from my due date. She can come anytime quite honestly, but we'll see about that. I have an appointment tomorrow. We'll see if I've progressed any. Last Friday, I wasn't even dilated yet. :(
Well, last week we had a golf tournament to run. That was completely and utterly exhausting. I had to leave at five in the morning and didn't get home until after 5:30pm. We hired a photographer to take pictures of the teams and just the tournament in general. We did a group picture and fortunately I was far enough away from the person next to me that I was able to crop myself out of it. So, here it is.
I know, I'm huge. But I'm big, beautiful, and pregnant. :P
I realized that this is one of the very few photos of me pregnant. So, here's one for the scrapbook and blog! :)
So, the day after the tournament, I came to work with my desk covered in confetti, streamers, and pink balloons. Oh, and a plastic top hat (the kind from New Year's celebrations) decorated with pink felt rattles and duckies, and the words "It's a girl" on the front. They had munchies, sandwiches, and cake in the breakroom. They also planned games and everyone pitched in to get me some gifts. Adorable outfits, a picture box, small photo frame, small photo album, burp cloths and bibs, and $125 gift certificate to Kiddie Kandids! How blessed am I to work with such great people. I can't wait to get baby girl's pictures taken. I may have big brother join her in a few pictures!
Then this past Sunday, was my baby shower. Rebecca did a wonderful job of everything. The decorations, the cake, the games, the food, everything. She's so awesome. I'm so thankful to have her as a friend. I wish we lived closer so that we could hang out. I got lots of cute clothes, a baby bouncer, and other cute baby things. And throughout this week, I've gotten a few other gifts from friends who couldn't make it to the shower. One of my friends can sew and make quilts. She made a quilt and two receiving blankets (they are perfectly sized - big - and nice and thick)! They are absolutely adorable. I love handmade gifts.
So, aside from being showered with gifts, this week has been pretty stressful. Tristan decided to climb his dresser and pull the whole thing on top of himself. Scott called me at work to tell me that Tristan had done this. My first thought, panic. I broke down and freaked out. Scott told me that he went into Tristan's room, after hearing a loud crash followed by our son's screams, to find his tv had fallen all the way across the room and the dresser on the floor, no Tristan in sight. Using one arm to lift and hold the dresser up, he used his other arm to pull Tristan out. Besides being shook up, our son only suffered minor bumps and bruises on the face, head, arms, and back. Since I had the car with the car seat (Scott drives a motorcycle back and forth to work), I took off from work. In tears the whole time, I couldn't get over what could've been. We took Tristan to the doctor's, doctor said he was fine, offered a flu shot since we were there, and made use of our copay by getting Tristan his flu shot. Then we were off to Target to find a temporary solution to Tristan's broken dresser. The good news: while we were there, we picked up a costume for me and baby girl. We're going to be matching bumblebees! I'm so excited. We tried getting something for Tristan, but he's refusing to put it on. :( Oh well.
Alright, I'm exhausted and I still need to put Bubbies down for bed. Hopefully, I'll have more to report tomorrow after my appointment.
This morning, I could barely move, but I mustered up enough energy to start a load of laundry, finish the dishes, clean up Tristan's room (for him to mess it up again - already), and do some straightening up. Afterwards, I was even more exhausted than when I woke up. Since Scott didn't have to leave until 1:00 to go to work, I asked him if I could sleep a bit and he look after Tristan. I slept for about an hour and a half. While still tired, it really helped. The main reason I didn't wait until Tristan's nap to sleep, too, is because Tristan hasn't really been napping. The last two days, he stayed in his room reading, singing, talking to himself, and probably playing quietly with toys. I couldn't count on him today, but of course, he slept for two hours today! We put him down after I got up. He came out of his room once, but after that not a peep. I took advantage of his nap to try and plan this week's menu. I, of course, got distracted at Ikea's 2009 online catalog. If I had the house (we rent an apartment) and the money, I would go nuts with their store. I absolutely love this bed for children. It is a mini bunkbed with the under side left open. I'd create a little alcove for my son to hideaway in. Maybe combined with a few other Ikea storage solutions, it can be his reading area. Put in a cushion or a bean bag, a reading lamp, some of his favorite stuff animals, and voila - it would be complete.
Oh, I almost completely forgot! We decided (finally) on a name for our sweet, baby girl. I've been stuck on the first name for a while. The middle name is sort of after Scott's mother, but a twist in the spelling (he's been reading a lot of novels lately and saw this version and immediately liked it).
So, baby girl's name is....
Okay, so I'm horrible at this. Sometimes I get so revved up and do multiple posts in one day. Other times, I'm lucky to get one in an week. I blame the pregnancy. Yeah, that's it.
Anyway, I never posted last week's menu - but honestly, I fell by the wayside and didn't have a good plan. Come to think of it, I think I missed out on the last two weeks. Should I even bother? Wow, how horrible am I? Well, the week before I remember following the game plan. Yes, I did go over budget, but there were a bunch of non-food items (diapers, wipes, mason jars, and so on) on the list, too. Food-wise, we were within that $65 budget. Last week, I decided to use the existing meats we had in our deep freezer. All of which was pork - pork loin roast, pork spare ribs, and diced pork. Our crock pot got plenty of use this week. We had a teriyaki pork roast one night with white rice, sesame ginger ribs in the crock pot, and fajita/burritos with the dice pork - cooked in the crock pot with green chili sauce and enchilada sauce. Tonight was freezer dinner night (after all that crock pot cooking - we were needing a break) - so we had boxed pizza.
Okay, so why the unplanned week? Scott started a new shift. His work redid all the shifts and he got the bottom end of the barrel. He now works evenings - 1:30pm - 10:00pm. I am a firm believer in sitting down for meal time as a family and now that is in shambles. Tristan I think is feeling it too because the first night, he threw a major fit getting ready for bed - which he doesn't normally do. Scott was barely getting used to his new shift when his mother called with some bad news. In search for her mother (who has been missing for a decade - long story), she found out that she had passed away five years ago. Being the only grandchild and fairly close to his grandma growing up, Scott took the news pretty hard. His work has been understanding and allowed him to take bereavement leave (despite how long ago she passed away). While I've lost two grandmothers before, I didn't know what to say or do. Either way, all I can do is love him, give him a hug if he needs one, and let him grieve how he needs to. So, due to all that has happened, we haven't truly gotten used to his new schedule. He's back to work tonight and due home in the next 30 minutes or so.
Alright, now the other bum news. My dad called me today to tell me of his visit with my grandmother (I had three grandmothers growing up - my dad's parents divorced at some point and my grandpa remarried - the one alive is my dad's mother). He told me that my grandmother wanted me and him to sign some documents. She has named my dad her attorney-in-fact and executor of her estate. I am his back-up. Why all of sudden draw up paperwork? Apparently, according to my dad, she isn't doing too well. I always joked that she'd be around forever. It never occurred to me that she'd die someday. But, knowing of her situation, she is pretty much ready for the good Lord to take her away. Long story, but let's just say my dad is the black sheep amongst him and his brothers - and by black sheep, he's the good one (well off, self-sustaining, and so on). I love my uncles, but they have unfortunately, taken advantage of mom's love for a very long time. I don't even know what will happen to them if and when my grandmother passes away. Regardless, my dad (and my grandmother) feels that her time will come soon (whether it be a week, a month, or longer, who knows). I will be happy for my grandmother as I know that she will feel more at ease without life's pains and troubles will no longer bother her. I will be sad, as she is my last living grandparent, and the only one that I have been able to visit more than the others (my mother's parents lived in the Philippines). She taught me how to make chicken dumpling soup. She tried to teach me how to crochet - I was too impatient. And despite being an odd ball in the family, she still loved me. I only hope that she gets to meet her newest great-grandchild before she leaves us.
Now the good stuff. I had an appointment last week and so far, so good. I have gained less than 10 pounds this pregnancy. My goal - 11 - 15 pounds. Not too shabby, I'd say. I am on the big side weighing 240lbs now. There I said it. I am not ashamed to say it. I am ashamed to say that I haven't done much in the past to control my weight. I'm paying for it big time with this pregnancy. Fortunately, I've stayed withing the prescribed limits (for now) and haven't gotten any of the conditions we initially worried about (pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and so on). I hope that I keep a good attitude after having the baby and make a good effort to losing the weight. I'd like to get down to 175. I think that is reasonable. That's a 65lb drop from my current weight. With any luck, I'll lose most if not all the weight gained this pregnancy. If so, then I'll have only 55lbs to work off. Breastfeeding will help shed the pounds, too.
Well, that is about it. I'll have a menu plan, hopefully, tomorrow. I have to go shopping anyway, so I better have a plan - so that I can have a list. Wish me luck!
In the meantime, have a wonderful evening and Happy Labor Day! (I have the day off - I love having banker's hours)
This week I had another appointment. At my last appointment, I was told that she may be measuring a bit big - so this time I got another ultrasound. Dr. Christensen confirmed Dr. Rygiel's suspicion after measuring my belly and doing an ultrasound. She is measuring a bit on the big side, which means that she may come before my expected due date (October 5th). I'm half-and-half with this news. While it means that I'll see my little girl sooner, it is less time to get work done. On the bright side, she's got hair - Dr. Christensen pointed it out on the monitor when she was measuring her head. With 7 1/2 weeks to go, she'll probably have bunches of hair. It'll be a nice change from Tristan - he didn't have much and was practically bald most of his first year.
Besides my appointment, this week has been busy. I finally got back on board with weekly meal planning (I'll probably post it up weekly on this blog to keep myself in check - you can learn more about weekly meal planning at blog link in the bar to the right - I'm an Organizing Junkie). So, Monday night (I started late, so my weekly meal plan started Tuesday), we went shopping after dinner. This week's meals were tricky to plan because two of the days I had engagements to attend to in the evenings. So this is how it went:
Tuesday:
Pizza-dilla Margaritas (Rachael Ray recipe), tortilla chips, and salsa
This is a quick, tasty, meatless recipe. If you like quesadillas then this is a great recipe. It takes only a few minutes to prepare the tomato mixture and four minutes per quesadilla (total of 3 - 4 sliced up into pizza wedges). The basil and oregano really bring this recipe to life.
After dinner, I headed to our bi-monthly Toastmasters meeting. I wrote on this once, you can see my original post here. Since starting it has been a blast. I've done my first two speeches and numerous impromptu "table topics" speeches. I've been Toastmaster twice and evaluator twice. I thoroughly enjoy the structure of each meeting, the company (all from work), and the idea of improving my public speaking skills. Unfortunately, this is my last meeting until who knows when. Scott's schedule has been changed and he'll be working nights starting in about a week. This leaves me with no option for childcare. While I'll be missing out on the great meetings, I feel I already learned so much in my short stay.
Wednesday:
Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up with Curly fries
This recipe is relatively quick and very, very easy. I got it from a Kraft recipe magazine that I get for free quarterly. There are a lot of great recipes I've tried and we've even tried our own variations. If you want the free quarterly magazine, just go to www.kraftfoods.com and click the sign up button in the upper right. When filling out your profile, you'll have the option of opting to receive the magazine. Great thing about getting the magazine is that you'll usually get some coupons for the products featured in recipes and such.
After dinner, I went to my friend, Rebecca's house. She's about a half hour drive away but it was totally worth it. She offered to do a baby shower for me and I'm so stoked about it. This was my first visit to her house and I have to say that I think it is absolutely gorgeous. I love her decor and there is so much room! I guess living in a two bedroom apartment, anything bigger would be much more impressive. Rebecca seemed to not think her house was that great, but I beg to differ. She keeps it so tidy. We sat at the kitchen table for a few hours chatting about stuff and planning the party. I found out that we have a few things in common - scrapbooking (but we haven't done it in a while), Guitar Hero (Yeah!!), and a need to keep things under certain control (she's probably more so than I - I just give up to easily). I didn't get home until 11:00pm! I'm usually asleep by this point.
Thursday:
Filipino Beef Steak served over white rice
This was a first for me, but a variant on something Scott came up with. Whenever steak is on sale, we usually stock up. Scott tried a simple marinade of Soy Sauce and minced garlic - which we absolutely love. When I came across this recipe, I had to do a double take. It uses the same ingredients, in addition to a few others. So, I thought, 'what the hey', let's try this. The lemon juice balances out the salty soy sauce and topping with onions just gave it that extra twist of flavor. I was going to make fried rice with it, but it recommended topping the rice with the sauce mixture. So, I'll do the fried rice tomorrow.
Friday:
Leftover smorgasborg.
This is to keep my sanity and have a night of no cooking, no pots and pans to scrub, and worry free night. This only works if you make enough for leftovers, though. Fortunately, we had enough. It is best to do this on a week day - towards the end of the week - so that when you get home relaxing can come immediately (hopefully).
Saturday/Sunday:
Tonight I will be making pork roast with roasted red potato wedges. Both new recipes that I am looking forward to. Tomorrow, is an unplanned night - good to have one of these because changes do happen - such as the fried rice. So, I'll make fried rice with something I can find in the freezer. Easy!
Tonight, I'll be planning out my meals for next week and preparing my grocery list for the week. I'm limiting myself to only $65! I hope this is doable. I've got some non-food stuff to buy - like wipes for Tristan.
Well, I have good news...
No gestational diabetes!
Last week I had an appointment where I learned of the results of my test, met the other doctor in the practice, and did my regular two week check-up. Here is what I've learned so far:
...well not really, but he certainly looked like one. Tristan has been into that copycat stage, especially when it comes to Mommy and Daddy. Well, Daddy drives a motorcycle, which Tristan so gladly points out in the morning when we head out. One part of Daddy's ensemble that Tristan absolutely loves is Daddy's helmet. "I want on" he says, as he attempts to bring the helmet to either me or Daddy. We first thought that he wouldn't like having it on his head (not much stays on his head - his helmet, his hat, etc). How wrong we were! He had a blast running around the living room with "his" helmet on.
....the past.
As baby number two quickly (yet sometimes slowly) approaches, I've been thinking of all the wonderful moments I've had with Tristan. He has been such a delightful child. While he does have his moments, more so now since he is 2 1/2 years old, overall he's been easy going, quick to learn, and just so darn lovable.
Since I'm reminiscing about the past, I'd like to dedicate the next number of blog posts to my son and his first two years.
Tristan came into this world, December 16th, 2005.
Below are some pictures taken of him around the end of his first month:
To Be Continued...
...a little baby girl!
We had an ultrasound today at the hospital. It was one that lasts much longer than the usual kind in your doctor's office. The technician asked us if we would like to find out if it is a boy or a girl. We said that if it was possible, we'd love to know. We didn't find out until halfway through, but we got to see all sorts of stuff. Her little heart beating, her little squiggles and squirms, her little nose, and everything else. They were mostly trying to get measurements and make sure she's got everything she's supposed to have. Overall she was looking good. There is one measurement that was abnormal, but my blood tests should reveal more later. In the meantime, it is nothing to worry about.
Anyway, though I posted the pictures to my flickr site, here's a couple:
To Be Continued...
...for a few weeks.
Okay, I know what you're going to say. 'You made a promise'. 'Once a week, you said'. Well, I have no excuse. I only have an apology.
My birthday is coming up. A little over a week, actually. Scott has asked for $150-200 from the budget to spend on my birthday. My first thought: excessive! But when I look back to his birthday, well, not quite as much. Back in January, I threw him a World of Warcraft themed party. He went on a quest where he found his gifts through clues. He got a video game (his mother chipped in for that), I made him a t-shirt with a screen shot of his gnome mage, and I bought him this uber gamer chair (it looks almost like a race car seat but it rocks). Before this chair, he went through a few others - cheaply made, of course. I bought a custom picture cake using a screen shot of his gnome mage. Oh, and that night, we went to a Colorado College hockey game (in fact, I had to be out on the ice during one of the breaks). So, I did go all out with food, gifts, and fun.
But when I think of myself, I believe I am not as deserving or that I really don't need or want much. I have asked for only one thing: Estee Lauder's Beautiful (perfume). It was something my mom wore and I love wearing it, too. Besides that, my ideal birthday would be: sleeping in (Scott could take Tristan and let me sleep until 10!), homemade breakfast served by two of the most important men in my life: Scott and Tristan, a dinner out or in with family (includes my dad and mother-in-law and brother), and a day of just relaxation - no worries. Honestly, as far as gifts go, I really want clothes to go with my growing tummy and accommodate rapidly approaching summer temperatures. That, and a new pair of shoes - comfortable, yet somewhat stylish. If anyone reading this knows me well enough, they would know that style and being hip aren't at the top of my list. I'd rather be comfortable and look frumpy, rather than be uncomfortable and look stylish. Good thing is that there are clothes and shoes that you can be both.
I don't need or want video games. I don't want any movies. I don't desire any electronics. Wow, I really don't want anything. I've got everything I need and want at the moment. Well, most everything.
Honestly, we're tightening our budget to work off our debt. So, $150-200 is quite excessive. I don't know if I can convince him otherwise. I don't want a party. I don't want too much. I don't want what I don't need. Eh, oh well. I can't control what he does. And obviously, he wants to surprise me.
Well, until next time have an enjoyable, worth-while day (or week).
to be continued...
...is due October 5th, 2008. From my previous posts and my widgets, you've probably gathered by now that I have a two year old son and that we're expecting our second child this fall. Tristan is an amazing child. I know that according to books on child development that he is, for the most part, right on track. Nothing spectacular about his learning or his speech, but I still think he's the smartest, the cutest, the brightest, and the best kid out there. Although, I think every mother thinks that about their own child. Now, since I ever first thought about having children I always wanted more than one - at some point I wanted a whole household of children (four to six). After having Tristan, I felt like how could I share my love with him and other children. Would I have enough love for all of them? Would my son, my precious baby, feel like he isn't getting loved enough when another child enters our lives? This thought frightened me and for a bit, I thought of just having him. But, then I thought, would his life be richer by sharing his love with his parents and his sibling(s)? Would he cherish being a big brother? Would he like a new companion to care for, look after, play with, and love? I believe Scott already knew we would have more than one child together and in my heart knew that this is what I wanted as well. We didn't want the two to be too far apart; but not too close together. We wanted Tristan to be at least two years old, no more than three years old, and potty trained (we're still working on that). We weren't actively trying to conceive, we kind of left it up to fate. Late in January, we found out that we were pregnant. We were very excited.
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