32 Week Appointment and Pictures

Shawn, Keira and I went to my 32w check-up yesterday. I was scheduled for a NST and an ultrasound in addition to my regular prenatal appointment. During the NST, Reagan was pretty active, and her heartrate was between 145-160bpm. After the NST, we went down the hall for the ultrasound. The technician measured the amount of amniotic fluid (it was in the normal range), and then we got to look at our baby girl. She actually showed us some cool 3D images. They're amazing! Reagan and Keira seem to have the same little nose! Too cute!
Dr. McBride said that Reagan is weighing in around 3lbs. 12oz. (just 2.5oz shy of Keira's birthweight) and that she's between the 25th and 50th percentile, which is completely normal. She's head-down and looks good!
Here are a few pictures of our coming attraction. Enjoy!

The End is in Sight

I got a call from my doctor's office this morning. At my 30w appointment on Friday, we discussed scheduling another C-section if I didn't go into labor on my own by my due date. I really want to try to have Reagan naturally, but I also don't want to be overdue. So, now we have a definite plan. If I don't go into labor and deliver on my own ahead of time, I will be having Reagan by C-section on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 7:30 a.m. That was the soonest date my doctor had available...and it just happens to be my due date!

I was hoping that we'd be able to schedule it earlier, like the week before, so I'd be at home for Thanksgiving. However, it looks like that's not the case. Shawn and I had talked about having Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year, but if I end up having Reagan on the 21st, that won't be possible. So, I guess we need to talk to our families and encourage them to make other plans for Thanksgiving, which may not be a bad idea anyway...even if I do have her earlier. Our little family may not be able to be there for the celebration, but we'll be celebrating with them in spirit! At any rate, our newest baby girl will be here by Thanksgiving...yet another blessing for us to be thankful for!

Random Pics of My Little Darling

These are just a few random pictures of Keira. I hadn't posted any pics in a while, so I thought I'd go crazy tonight!

Belly Pictures

Here are a few photos of my pregnant belly that I found when cleaning up our camera's memory card today. The one in the maroon shirt is around 20 weeks. The one in the black shirt is about 24 weeks, and the ones in the blue shirt were taken today at 30 weeks. It's neat to see how much I've grown during the past 7 1/2 months. Enjoy!

In Her Own Bed

We put Keira in her crib...upstairs...by HERSELF tonight! I'm actually pretty excited. I was sort of tired of people asking when we were going to move her (I mean, who is it hurting that she was still in our room?). I spent about an hour in her room after I put her in bed. I was sorting clothes for Reagan. I can't believe that in 10 weeks I'm due to have another baby! And my baby is getting so big! She was 18 months old yesterday. Where does the time go?

Poor Baby

This is beginning to get old...Keira is sick again. Since she started daycare in August, she's been sick 3 times. I know her body is just adjusting to the "new" germs, but it still sucks! The first weekend after she started, she ran a fever and was crabby. After that, she developed a runny nose that she still has.

Well, yesterday we went to Mom and Dad's for a family reunion, and she was great all day. When we got home last night, she felt warm. We put her pajamas on and gave her a cup of milk before bedtime. She drank most of it and then THREW UP EVERYWHERE! We got her cleaned up and she and I climbed into my bed (around 11:00). She ran a fever all night and tossed and turned. Neither of us got much sleep. Shawn ended up sleeping on the couch.

She still has a fever this afternoon (it's been hovering right around 102.5F) all day when the Tylenol wears off. Right now she's sleeping on the couch. I feel horrible for her. She just wants to be held, and she keeps crying, "Mooooommmmmyyyy, Daaaaadddddyyyy" until we pick her up. I know she feels awful.

As long as she doesn't get worse overnight, I'm planning to take her to Aunt Sis's house tomorrow while I'm at work. I really wish I could stay home with her, but I already have to take off Friday to go to the doctor, and I can't miss Monday and Friday.

She's so pitiful...it breaks my heart when she's like this. I'm praying that she starts feeling better soon.

Anyone out there?

Hi everyone (that is, if anyone is still reading). It's about 10 minutes til 10:00 on Monday night. Shawn and Keira are both sleeping on the couch. I've got the TV turned to Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, and I'm BORED TO TEARS! I hope this doesn't turn into a rant...if so, please forgive me!

I can tell the third trimester has arrived. This pregnancy has followed the stereotypical pattern that I've heard so much about....tired and sick during the first trimester, energetic and excited during the second, and so far tired and cranky during the third...and I've only been in the third trimester for a week!

I have seriously been so crabby lately...for about the past week or two. It's making me nuts, and I'm sure it isn't too pleasant for Shawn or Keira either, not to mention my students and coworkers. It isn't that I'm ready for Reagan to come...I definitely need some more time to prepare for her, and she needs to GROW and get strong. I'm just sick of feeling so darn moody...

I'm really not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. The extra day off this weekend was nice. We ended up having lunch with my family on Saturday for my dad's birthday. Then, we went shopping for some fall/winter clothes for Keira. We even got her Halloween costume (she's going to be a chicken!). We also got a cute outfit for Reagan that may end up being her coming home outfit.

Yesterday, Holly, Jeff and Tyler, Becky and Aidan, and Kelly came down. We'd planned for Holly, Jeff and Becky to get here around 1:00, so we were up, dressed and ready, and I think Shawn was looking forward to going over basement plans with Holly. But, they didn't actually get here until around 4:00 or so, so we ended up just hanging out and playing with the kids. It was a good visit anyway. When everyone left today, we relaxed for the afternoon. Then, we went to our neighbors' house for their son's birthday party.

And now, here we are...another weekend gone...and I REALLY don't want to go to work tomorrow (have I already mentioned that?). URGH! At least it's only a 4 day work week.

Have a good night all...

Updates

Let's see...what's new since I last posted? Things at work are going fine, I suppose. I feel like a bad teacher because I haven't really connected with my new class yet. To be perfectly honest, I don't like them as much as I liked my class last year. (Don't judge me!!) I've got a strange mix of kids. Overall they're pretty good kids, but they aren't a good combination. I have 20 students this year...6 girls and 14 boys! And my boys NEVER STOP TALKING! I would have thought I would have a problem with chatty girls, but nope. Anyway, probably the kids are fine, and I'm the one with the problem. I'm going to blame it on pregnancy hormones.

Keira is still adjusting to daycare. I knew it wouldn't be 100% problem-free. She's been sort of sick lately. She ran a fever a week or so ago. It hasn't come back, but now she has a runny nose (that she HATES to have cleaned, and SCREAMS when we try to clean it). I'm hoping that it clears up soon. She's also had a bit of separation anxiety the past 2 mornings I've dropped her off. I think it's as tough on me as it is on her. Monday morning, she cried when I gave her to the teacher and left, and I cried all the way to work. Yesterday was a bit better...and hopefully tomorrow will be even better. We'll see.

Pregnancy update: I have officially begun my SEVENTH month. I was 28 weeks pregnant yesterday. If I were to have her on my due date, that means I'd have 11 weeks and 6 days to go. Hopefully I'll have her a bit early. Also, we decided to switch middle names. We were going to name her Reagan Marie, but we decided the other day to go with "Malia" instead. She should have her own name and not have to share a middle name with me! (Plus, I like Malia better.)

Shawn is doing well. He's been working on plans for finishing the basement, with some help from Holly and her CAD skills. Hopefully we'll be able to get it started soon. We'd love to have it done by NEXT Christmas...so we'll see...it'll take time and money, neither of which we have in great abundance right now (I'm sure none of you can relate to that *laughing*).

Anyway, I guess that about covers it for us. We're just living life and taking care of our (almost 18 month old) baby girl and waiting to meet our new baby girl. Hope you all are doing well, too.

Back to Work and Keira's First Week at Daycare

I went back to work on Monday morning. Keira spent the day at my aunt's house while I had meetings at school ALL DAY LONG!! Then on Tuesday, I took her to daycare for the first time. She did really well when I dropped her off. She just smiled and waved at me as I left. She was much more concerned with playing with the other kids than dealing with me! I did not fare as well, I'm afraid. I was teary all the way to work (what a baby I am!).
I called to check on her only once, and her teacher said she ate lunch and was getting ready to take a nap. When I picked her up that afternoon, the ladies in her room welcomed me saying, "We have an accident report for you to sign. She was walking with a block, tripped over a truck, and bumped her cheek on the cabinet. We're so sorry! Welcome to daycare." I assured them that it wasn't a big deal and that she already had so many bumps and bruises and scrapes that I hadn't noticed the newest one.
They also told me that they really enjoyed her and that she was very funny. But, she did have to spend a few minutes in TIME-OUT! That's right, my 17 month old got put into time-out on her first day at daycare. I'm in for a handful with this kid :)
It seems that she was climbing on the table and they told her to get down, to which she replied, "GET DOWN!" They told her again and asked her if she wanted to go into time-out. She said, "No", and they said for her to get down again. She (again) said, "GET DOWN!" and continued to stand on the table. They finally got her and put her in the time-out chair. Once they let her out they said that she didn't climb on the table again, so I guess it worked.
She spent yesterday at home with Shawn and went back to daycare today. She didn't have time-out today, but they did have to change her entire outfit right before I picked her up because of a diaper blow-out. I'm just glad I didn't get there 20 minutes earlier.

Today was the first day of school. I have 21 kids this year (15 boys and 6 girls). They seem like they'll be a pretty good class...at least I hope so. My class last year was my absolute favorite of all time, so I'm really hoping that I'll connect with these kids, too. I guess we'll see.
Today was just a long day filled with rules, procedures, etc. Believe it or not, I was actually tired of talking by 3:00! We didn't do any work at all. Tomorrow I'm going to introduce our Missouri History books and give some math pretests, then teach a math lesson. They'll also have a writing assignment to do. Then on Monday, it'll be business as usual. I'm looking forward to settling into a routine. I'm also looking forward to the WEEKEND! I appreciate my weekends so much more when I'm at school all week.
I also appreciate Keira more when I don't see her all day. I was tired during the summer after being at home with her all day long. But, I'm a completely different kind of tired after being at work again. Only 14 more weeks until my due date. So, I should finally catch up on my rest again....in about 10 years or so.

My Day at Labor and Delivery

So, as I was leaving my house this morning, I was carrying Keira, her diaper bag, my purse, and my laptop bag. We started out the kitchen door into the garage when I lost my balance and FELL down our garage steps scraping my leg and landing hard on my butt! Luckily I managed to keep Keira from getting hurt, but I was pretty upset and worried. Shawn heard me fall and came running out to check on us. He took Keira from me and helped me up. Once I'd calmed down, Keira and I left the house. I planned to take her by my parents' house so I could go work in my classroom for about an hour or so.

After a while, I started to worry that something may be wrong b/c I wasn't feeling the baby move as much as I usually do. So, I called my doctor's office and spoke to the nurse. She said that they recommend going to the hospital to the Women's Evaluation unit to be checked out. Well, the hospital where my doctor practices is an hour from my house and an hour and a half from Mom and Dad's house (where I was by then). I went ahead and went to school to work for an hour, and then back to my parents' house to pick Keira up. Mom and Dad had to go to the "local" hospital to see my dad's oncologist, so they said they'd take her with them if I wanted to go ahead and go to the ER, just to make sure everything was ok.

I got to the hospital at 11:30 and they took me back to L&D to put me on the monitor. Reagan's heartrate was nice and strong and she was very active (thank GOD!). I wasn't having any contractions, bleeding or leaking any fluid, so after an hour of monitoring, the doctor said I could go home. I felt sort of silly going in, but I also didn't want to take a chance on anything being wrong. They said that women who have fallen come in all the time and not to be embarrassed. I guess I didn't realize how unsteady I am now that my belly is getting bigger. I'm just so thankful that everything is fine!

Back to work...and other updates

Well, I have to go back to work on Monday morning. The kiddos come back on Thursday. I've been in and out of my classroom working last week and today, trying to get some stuff done bit by bit so I won't be quite so worn out next week. I took Keira with me last Tuesday and today. It's hard to get much done with her there, but I couldn't stand the thought of leaving her with someone while I went in to work. It's bad enough that I have to leave her starting next week. I think I'll be ok (and I KNOW she'll be fine) once we settle into a routine. The first few weeks always stink though.

This is how the next few weeks will go for us...
WEEK 1: Monday-Aunt Sis's house, Tuesday-Daycare, Wednesday-Shawn, Thursday-Daycare, Friday-Gramma
WEEK 2: Monday-Gramma 1/2 day (I have to take a half day at work b/c I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon), Tuesday-Daycare, Wednesday-Aunt Sis's house, Thursday-Daycare, Friday-Gramma
WEEK 3: Monday-Aunt Sis's house, Tuesday-Daycare, Wednesday-Shawn, Thursday-Daycare, Friday-Gramma
WHEW! Hopefully we'll be able to keep track of everything. Basically she'll be at daycare every Tuesday and Thursday, with Gramma every Friday, at Aunt Sis's house every Monday, and with Shawn every other Wednesday.

I'm just really dreading having to be away from her. If it's possible, I'm having worse separation anxiety this year than I did last year. I think it's because she's older now and we've had so much fun together this summer. She learns something new and amazes me every day. I just feel like I'm going to miss something. *SOB* Poor Mommy!

On a more positive note, I'm 25 weeks pregnant today. That means only 15 weeks until my due date. THAT MEANS, only 14 weeks of work until I'm back at home again for 6 or 7 weeks of maternity leave!! I don't think my doctor will induce my labor since I want to have a VBAC this time. But, I'm going to ask her if she'd do another C-Section IF Reagan doesn't come on her own by 39 weeks. It sounds selfish maybe, but I really don't want to be in the hospital for Thanksgiving. Ideally, I'll go into labor on my own somewhere between November 7-14, have a "natural" delivery (with epidural if necessary), stay in the hospital 2 or 3 days, and be home and recovering spending time with my girls by Thanksgiving. I'd really like to have everyone (both Shawn's folks and my folks, my siblings and his siblings) at our house for Thanksgiving this year because I REALLY don't like the idea of taking a newborn out in November AND it would be awesome for everyone to be together. I guess we'll see how it goes. In a perfect world we could schedule everything according to our wishes, couldn't we?

Let's see...what else? We had to spray our living room and bedroom with flea spray this evening (and on Saturday). Since giving Max away, we've noticed a few FLEAS (YUK!) around the house. I guess they don't have anywhere to go now that Max isn't here. I HATE FLEAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, hopefully we'll get rid of them...and NO MORE inside dogs again EVER!!!!!!! What a pain in the butt! Of course even though the labels on the spray say that it's safe to sit/walk on the treated surfaces after an hour, I'm still hesitant. Hopefully it isn't harmful to small children and pregnant women! It's been 1 1/2 hours now, so I'm guessing it'll be safe. What a worrier I am...

Anyway, it's Keira's bedtime and Shawn's teasing me ("Are you writing a novel over there?"). I guess I'd better end here and put her to sleep. I need to get a clean crib sheet out...I'm off now. Goodnight!

Countdown!

Reunion Photos

This first one is of my friends Kelly, Amber, Erin and I.


The next one is of Kelly (just a bit tipsy).


Then, here's Shawn and me.


The last one is of Kelly, Amber and me.

Man, I'm Getting OLD!

We had our TEN YEAR high school reunion tonight!! That may not sound like a long time to some of you out there, but to me, it's a long time! I feel so old all of the sudden.

We met at a local park during the day for "family day", and several people showed up with their kids. Then this evening, we went to the banquet center of a restaurant/hotel for dinner, drinks and dancing (I skipped the drinks and dancing). It's so interesting to see how people have changed since high school. People that I NEVER talked to (and who never talked to me) the entire 4 years of high school were giving me hugs, talking, and just catching up tonight. It's good that people grow up and realize that there is more to life than high school, you know?

I hadn't been dreading it really, but I wasn't really looking forward to it either. However, in the end, we ended up having fun. I think Shawn even enjoyed himself. I guess we'll do it again in 5 or 10 years.

WE HAVE A FLOATER!

I'm sitting here, watching TV and catching up on my e-mail and stuff while Shawn gives Keira a bath. All at once I hear him yell, "Diana!! GET IN HERE!!" My first thought is that Keira has hurt herself, so I RUN into the bathroom.

When I get there, I see Shawn holding Keira (naked and screaming) over the tub. I ask, "What's wrong? Did she get hurt???!" To which he replies, "We have a floater...our first submarine!" I look into the tub and see......poo! So, I scooped it up with a cup and flushed it. GROSS!!!!!!!!!

He said that she was just sitting there playing in the tub, looked down and started crying. He thought it may have scared her. Poor thing (and poor Daddy). I'm just glad I wasn't the one bathing her tonight! Hee-hee-heee:)

Ahhh, kids....

Cool Picture

I saw this picture on a message board and thought it was really cool. So, I decided to put it on my site for you to enjoy. It would be awesome to be able to see my kiddo's foot like this...

Movement!!

I've been feeling Reagan move around for about 2 1/2 weeks now. Last night, Shawn got an unexpected birthday present. We were lying in bed about to fall asleep, and I felt Reagan moving around, kicking and squirming. Her movements were actually strong enough that I could feel them on the outside of my stomach. So, I told Shawn to put his hand on my stomach and wait....in just a few minutes she kicked him! I think he was pretty excited.
He felt Keira move for the first time on Thanksgiving Day 2004. And now, he felt Reagan move on his birthday.
I'm so exctited that her movements are becoming strong enough for other people to feel. What a wonderful part of pregnancy!!

A New Home for Max :(

Well, we did it today. We found a new home for Max. We've been thinking lately that he isn't getting the attention and affection that he needs from us. He spends all day inside and is in the basement when we aren't home. What kind of life is that? No doubt, we love him, but it's just not fair to expect him to live like that. Add to that the fact that we have another baby on the way and the little bit of attention that he gets now will be diminished even further...poor Max.

Luckily, Shawn found a young couple (Alisha and Tim) who have two children (ages 5 and 2) who were interested in taking him home with them. They have a yard (that they're in the process of fencing), and time and attention to give to him (no babies at home). Alisha and her little girl came tonight to meet Max. He went to her (Alisha) immediately and she bent down to pet him. He didn't move away from her the entire time they were here. When she finally said that they'd like to have him and we put him on his leash, he was so excited! He went straight to their car and waited for her to open the door. As they drove away (sob!) he was standing on the back seat with his paws on the front console beside her. He seemed perfectly happy.

As they drove away, I had such mixed emotions. I was happy to see him go to a happy and loving home. I was also a bit sad because he's been our baby for the past 4 years. I hope he's happy and I hope they're happy with him.

We exchanged numbers and e-mail addresses. Alisha said that she'd e-mail us photos of him, and Shawn told her that if they couldn't keep him, we'd take him back. I think it's going to work out. He's such a great dog. We'll miss him!

(NO more dogs until Keira and Reagan are old enough to care for one on their own!)

Keira's birthday countdown!