17 weeks....

Wow, 17 weeks and counting....

See the belly growing??

While we were doing some Christmas shopping last weekend (I know, it's still October, but I like doing it all -- at least as much as I can-- before Thanksgiving) something occurred to me. You know how when you're in a crowd, people you pass sometimes acknowledge you by glancing at your face and then moving on to the next person.? Well-- I made the observation that NOW people glance at my eyes/ face and then immediately direct their attetion to my stomach. I guess I can be reassuraed about the fact that I AM pregnant and they aren't staring for other reasons.... but it's slightly disconcerning. It's like I have this urge to say: "Look, up here! Ignore that big huge rounding mass on my mid section."

What's most humorous is when I see VERY pregnant women glance at my belly. It's a mixed reaction that reads *I wish my belly were still that small* or perhaps *Enjoy that tiny tummy while it lasts THIS  is what you have to look forward to!*

There isn't very much else to report... I went into the Doctor this week for my blood/ lab tests (fun stuff)... at least I only got stuck once by the lab technician. I've definitely had worse experiences when having blood drawn. Ever been stuck like 10 times BEFORE they drew any blood? I have. It's no walk in the park. So for the time being Maria is my new favorite blood draw-er. :)

I suppose there is some bad news/ good news too. During my appointment my doctor confirmed that I will most likely (like 90%) HAVE to have another ceserean. In some ways this is comforting-- like the part of me that gets to choose my delivery date and time. The part that gets to pack my bags and have my house cleaned. The part that gets to make child sitting arrangements for the boys. All these things are nice for my slightly OCD behavior and control issues.

The downside? I've had two c-sections before. A blessing and a curse. I know EXACTLY what I have to look forward to. A safe delivery, but LOTS of pain. I always react badly to the drugs, usually resulting in lots of vomiting-- which is always super fabulous after major surgery in your abdominal area. When I delivered Braxton I at least had all this knowledge from Quincy's delivery, however, even WITH anti-nausea medication during my c-section I STILL ended up vomiting afterwards. It was better than after I had Quncy, but still not fun. Eventually with the help of many nurses I found a patch put behind my ear to be most effective in making the vomiting go away. Again, good to have the knowledge-- since I'll be doing it a third time. Maybe we can try and make it more pleasant? Downside factor #2: I cannot take any pain medication. The only thing that my body will tolerate (and that is safe to take while still nursing) is Ibuprofen and extra strength Tylenol.

Have you ever heard of anyone who's had major surgery taking over the counter drugs to help them tolerate the pain? No. And for those reasons alone I'm feeling a little terrified about c-section #3.

It's a little difficult to accept the fact that my body isn't necessarily suitable for vaginal baby deliveries. I apparently have a heart shaped pelvis. The desired shape is oval. Thus my babies aren't able to descend their little heads down into the proper position to have a regular delivery. On the one hand I'm thankful for the fact I can have children, but discouraged about how much pain is involved each time. There is nothing natural about being cut open and re-cut open again and again to get my precious little ones out. No disrespect to any women who have had vaginal deliveries. It's just that there's nothing comforting about the knowledge of pain that will be involved and the fact that I basically can't do anything about it.

I'm a tough girl.

(Right? Says the tiny voice in my head.)

 I can handle it, or rather, I HAVE to handle it. There is no other way.

The good news---- don't worry there is some. I was able to schedule my ultrasound to find out Pula's gender. The official date is November 11th. Nice and early too. Tyler is still holding out hope of getting tickets to the BSU game that weekend and insisted I schedule the ultrasound early IN CASE we had to drive to Boise that weekend. So yeah. We'll be up REAL early for my 7:30AM check in. Even if we don't end up going to Boise, it will still be a nice way to start a 3 day weekend.

So... put in your last guesses family and friends as to what our little Pula will be. In just 16 short days we will know. :)

Boise State Boys

In honor of the BSU game that was on last Saturday I let the boys wear their Boise State Football jerseys. They do love them... although I would rather they walked around in some Ducks gear here in Portland. Tyler is always thrilled when he sees them wearing it, so how can I not let them?

 Quincy was excited to wear his new jersey... it's a little bit big, but he didn't mind tucking in the long bottom part.

 Braxton was even cooperating for a picture, although he's happy to have his picture taken (and then immediately look at it) he's still working on the the smiling part.

 Aren't they SO cute together??

I LOVE this one of the two of them. My mom even said it looked "Christmas card worthy". Ha. They are looking extra adorable in their little jerseys together. AND BOTH are smiling.

GO BSU... at least in Tyler's honor. :)

Halloween/ Harvest Apartment Party

Halloween is such a silly holiday.... what other time during the year can children and adults alike dress up in ridiculous costumes and still appear normal? However, it's a kids dream come true. Dress up, say "Trick or Treat?" and then get some candy in return? Who could deprive their children of such fun? Not me.

It's just that it sort of kills me to spend money on a costume that my kids will wear once (twice if I can re-use them for Braxton). This year I decided to be more creative. I thought Braxton would make the cutest cowboy. I had some fabric I got from my Grandma and figured I could sew up a little vest. Then, with the help of my mom... I borrowed the red bandanna and the black cowboy hat (from Unlce Scott, who's on a mission- I don't think he'll mind).

 Total cost of B's costume: $0.00! And doesn't he look ridiculously cute in that gigantic cowboy hat?

 Quincy decided this year that he wanted to be a skeleton. I looked everywhere for the cute skeleton jammies that are sold in lots of stores... problem? Everywhere I went they either didn't have his size or they didn't have them period, due to the fact that stores are cranking out Christmas stuff. It was rather frustrating. BUT my wonderful visiting teach informed me that she had not ONE, but TWO skeleton costumes-- one in Quincy's right size. The only problem with borrowing it is that she wasn't able to get it to me before the Apartment Party so we had to improvise with a costume for it. Q didn't seem to mind wearing the Micheal Jordon outfit again.

 At the party, they had a bubble machine. I don't care how old kids are.... bubbles are ALWAYS a hit. My boys spent lots of time over here by this. By the end of the evening Braxton's hair SMELLED like bubbles.

 The only downside for B was that there were kids Quincy's age that were bigger, taller, and faster at popping the bubbles before he could get to them. He seemed to handle it well....

 Quincy trying to sneak some pop.

 And speaking of pop... Braxton doesn't yet understand that pop has carbonation in it, he also can't describe the feeling that carbonation has in his mouth/ tummy. The only way he describes drinking pop is by saying "HOT". This pictures is him telling me the pop is "hot". lol

How DO you explain the feeling of carbonation??

 My little poser.

 Whenever B sees a baby that is sleeping he says "sssssss" instead of  "shhhh". I still think it's cute.

 CHEESE!

 "Where's the bubbles?"

 During the party the kids get to hit a pinata. They have all the little kids line up first. Each kid got two swings. I thought it was funny Quincy was surrounded by all these princesses. :)

 I told Q to hit the pinata as hard as he could-- try to break the candy out. He did a good job. I, however, did not do a good job capturing a picture of him hitting. The picture above looks like he didn't even hit it, but he did. There were too many parents in the way for me to get a good picture.

 Apparently since the cowboy hat was gigantic B felt the need to walk/ stroll around with his hands on it like this. To  keep it on?? I'm not quite sure.

We had a great time at the party and the boys already have a bucket full of candy. Good thing they just went to the dentist, right?

Crafty Project

I have always had a lavender spring wreath ever since we've been married. I think there's something pleasant about walking to your door and having a pretty wreath greet you before you walk inside. With that being said, I HAVE added a Christmas wreath and that had been the extent of my wreaths. A few weeks ago, while at my parents house my mom asked if I would like an old fall wreath she had made. I've never really been into fall decorations, but recently (perhaps it's old age, or pregnancy, or something) I have come to enjoy fall. The wreath originally consisted of fabric made leafs.... sort of etsy-ish looking. By themselves the fabric leafs looked a little dated so I thought that it would add to them. The wreath above is how it turned out. I really do like it.

Quincy even contributed to it. He was responsible for collecting the pine cones and the acorns. And I have to write a funny little story about Q, speaking of acorns. A busy street nearby has a lot of Oak trees lining a small shopping 'mall'. While we were on the side walk I asked if he would like to gather some of the acorns that were on the ground. He excitedly agreed and began filling his pockets. He was so happy and exclaimed as we were crossing the street to go back home, "Mom, my nuts are dropping!" Although I knew exactly what context he was using the phrase I couldn't help but chuckle to my self hearing it come out of his mouth. Then later as we reached our apartments to check our mail he said, "Mom, I'm holding my nuts in my pocket." Such irony... I'm sure he will laugh about this when he's older.  I got a little laugh or two out of it. :)

DIY Project

I have been looking for a club chair for a while.... something to use in our living room for extra seating or even in the bedroom corner for taking shoes on and off. I was going to buy one similar to this at the salvation army- it was $10.00, but Tyler vetoed it. Since that day I have regretted not buying that chair for such a good deal, until across this one:

BEFORE:

 It was just the right shape and size for what I wanted. What was even better was that it was $4.99. I guess good things DO come to those who wait.

 It was a little scuffed up in some spots, but I had plans to spray paint it white anyways.

 The only other downside was that it didn't come with a cushion. I easily made one out of some cute fabric I found on sale at JoAnns. Not too bad.....

After:

Not Bad,eh? I like it a lot. I think in total it cost me something like $20.00.

A trip to the Dentist for Quincy

Quincy went to his second trip to the dentist a couple of weeks ago. He did great, as usual, and they even let him do the "big boy" fluoride trays (they usually don't give them to kids under 5). Yay Quincy!

 He's such a good example for Braxton, who will be old enough to go next February.

 Quincy's funny... as his prize, he picked out play money. What I thought was even more funny was that the bills consisted on 10's, 20's, and 100's. Are kids really spending that much these days? lol

The Tale of the Pregnant Woman's Woes:

It's been a long time coming that I document some more of this pregnancy's adventures... The past 3.5 months have been rather rough, to say the least. However, I am now in the middle of month number 4 (Second Trimester) and things are stating to look up. A long gradual incline kind of up. Finally.

At least I can honestly say that I feel more human now instead of that previous barf machine I was EVERY single day. I am officially 16.5 weeks pregnant now... though some of these pictures are a week or two old. We are all growing in excitement as we near the halfway mark. Grammie made Quincy a little countdown chart for the weeks (obviously this picture was taken 2 weeks ago). It helps him to see the progress because lets be honest, 40 weeks is a long time for anything. :)

 To help Braxton understand the changes that are happening I drew a little family picture. He smiles when we say: "Where's the baby?" Sometimes, if he's in the right kind of mood. He will even give Pula a kiss on my tummy. This makes my heart melt.

 Like I was saying... things are starting to look up (slightly) and that means that during the glorious second trimester I am gaining back some of my time to put towards productive things... like making our monthly meal plan. I really have learned to love to cook over the years that we've been married, but in the previous 4 months it held no appeal. Especially the smell part. Oye! It was awful being around food at that point. Thank goodness I am starting to be friends with my beloved food again. In fact, I recently tried to explain to Tyler that I feel like a giant grizzly bear who's been hibernating all winter and has finally awoke to realize that he's STARVING! I feel like no matter how much food I eat my appetite is rarely satisfied. I am trying NOT to indulge in every food item in sight so I don't end up gaining like 100 pounds. I guess if Pula's hungry I better listen. Though I try to be mindful about what I'm scarfing down. :)

As a little added bonus... I thought I'd post some ultrasound pictures.

They are pictures of my print offs (so not the best quality), but I wanted you all to be able to meet Pula!

 I think you can make out the picture... Head on the left (see Pula's cute eyes, nose, and mouth) and note the little hand by the mouth.

 This one's a little blurry, but I love that it appears Pula's giving a 'thumbs up'. Lol

 This is the side profile picture. Head at the left, arm/ hand, and leg/ foot to the right.

 And, although I dread taking tummy pictures... I thought everyone else might like to see Pula's progress. Front isn't too terrible yet, I'm still able to slightly conceal my belly with baggy shirts.

 But, as you can see the side profile is getting big. (These pictures were only taken at 14 weeks) I meant to have Tyler take a picture at 16 weeks to show the difference, but I forgot. You will be able to better see what I mean about how much I'm showing now!

Overall, I'm much more human now.... my family is grateful for that part. :) And lastly, I'm so excited to announce that we have about 4 more weeks until we find out what our little Pula is.

(I make my appointment next week for that gender ultrasound).

Until next time....

Fun at the Sellwood Park.

So I had one of those blond/ pregnant moments last month. The weather got all hot and we figured we could spend it cooling off in the Sellwood pool. Well, I went to see what time the pool opened and thought that it said 1:00PM. Seeing as how it was only 11:00AM... we thought we could mange waiting 2 hours playing in the Sellwood Park. Ha. Ha. It turned out that the pool had closed for the year a few days prior. Ooops. Our boys did get to have fun playing at the park though, right?

You have just got to love Portlandians... see the pretty outfit above?

"Mom Date"

Isn't this picture of Braxton so cute? I love that he brings his books out to the patio to sit on his camping chair and "read". He's like a little old man. :)

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to take the boys out for a "Mom Date". I had to go to a doctor appointment last month and in the last minute I ended up having to take the boys with me. Luckily it was a short appointment. They were pretty good. I figured since they were on their best behavior during my appointment that I would treat them to some fun stuff.

Normally I would have taken them to the park, but it's a lot harder to get them to leave the park when I'm by myself... so I decided that I would take them to the next best thing: the mall play area. :) As an added bonus it's enclosed so less chasing for me.

They, of course, loved it! I don't know what it is about boys but any chance they have to run, jump, or climb they are all over it.

Little Junior Monkey.

The serious child.

I love my little climber.

"Look what I can do, Mom!"

After going to the mall a few times now, Braxton has yet to master the tree slide by himself.... however, this time around he worked up the courage and dove in.

And look at that sweet little smile after he accomplished it! :)

And speaking of smiles... my number one son is a pro at them.

An attempt at getting a shot of BOTH of them smiling at the same time.... impossible! The Mom Date didn't end there. While we were at the mall we splurged on a Pecan Cinnabon and also had the pleasure of sampling some Jamba Juice smoothies. Am I a great mom or what?

After we went left the mall I took the boys for a brief walk on the Mt. Tabor Nature Park. Our walk was short lived because we had to go get Tyler... however, I think it's safe to say that it won't be the last Mom Date my boys have. Well, at least until they don't think I'm cool anymore. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.