The Grand Canyon

The day after Christmas, we packed up the family and headed north, out of the valley into the high desert where eventually we came upon a giant hole in the ground. Some folks call it a canyon, others call it the Grand Canyon. (BTW, this is PSM talking) It was truly a spectacular sight and a wonderful family experience. We stayed in an historic cabin on the South Rim just off the rim trail. We didn't want to leave, and Mother Nature answered our call by snowing us in. We were then rewarded with the same picturesque canyon, except covered in snow. It was nice to see the canyon with and without snow on the ground. LRM enjoyed building a snowman and meeting many others along the way. Everyone had a great time. We're looking forward to returning to the canyon, next time to the North Rim for some primitive camping and easy hiking.

Merry Christmas!

Our little angels had a wonderful Christmas. LRM wasn't quite an angel the whole time, though. She was a little overwhelmed by all the gifts and we had to take a few breaks before she got through everything. Santa brought her Elmo TMX, but wouldn't you know, her favorite gifts were "Binkie Elmo" from Nana, a tricycle from Aachi and Thatha, and a bag of blocks from a consignment store. At least it wasn't the bag that the blocks came in! GGM will enjoy Christmas a little more next year.

GGM is growing...

Well our tiny baby is not very tiny anymore. She weighs about 11 pounds. Today she is wearing jeans bigger than her age. LRM never wore 3-6 jeans until she was at least 6 months old. GGM is almost 2 months and already wearing some 3-6 clothes. I want my baby to stay little!! She had a bout of acne that has come and almost gone. She's really cute, despite her scaly skin.

LRM is cutting her second molar so she is a little cranky. We love Ambesol around here! It helps with the sanity. She's getting really excited about Christmas. She loves to drive around and look at "more pretty lights." She knows that Santa says "ho ho ho." She's got a ton of gifts under the tree - it's going to take all day to open them! Santa is bringing her the Elmo TMX - I think she'll love it!

We don't get to go to OK for Christmas this year, but we're going to have a little adventure to the Grand Canyon. Hopefully, we'll have a fun update about that very soon.

GGM update

We took GGM to the doc today for a follow up and the doc says she looks great and that she appears healthy. The little chunk has managed to gain 12 ounces since we left the hospital on Friday! She's up to 8 pounds and 15 ounces. I'm telling you, the kid never stops eating. She's going to help me get back to high school weight by the end of the year! Not really. I need to lose 5 more pounds to get down to pre-LRM weight, 12 more pounds to get down to pre-GGM weight and 18 more pounds to get down to pre-OSU weight. My first goal will be to drop 10 more pounds (pre-marriage weight). PSM said he will race me to a six pack. I found a pic of me in my bikini on my honeymoon and that is going to be my inspiration to work out regularly. Can I look that good in a bikini after having two kids in 2 years? Stay tuned and find out next summer. Maybe I'll don the bikini now and take a "before" picture and then an "after" picture. If I'm successful, maybe I'll share. ;)

Puking LRM

The cherry on top of my GGM sundae was little miss LRM getting sick. I pretty much devoted my Saturday to giving LRM all the attention that she demanded of me. I nursed GGM and took LRM to the park, just the two of us. We played on the springy horsie thing, had a big swing, played in the sand and went down the spiral slide. Every time we went down the slide I would say "this is the last time" and we kept going. The real last time we were about to go down, LRM kind of gagged and then puked all over both of us. Not spit up - real puke. Then she puked again, and again, and again - 5 times!!!!! Down the spiral slide!!! It was so gross. We now call the park "Vomit Park." After all the puking I got LRM down the ladder and she puked some more in the sand. She was covered in puke and freaking out because there was old celery on her sleeve. I stripped her all the way down to her diaper because all of her clothes, socks, shoes were covered in puke. I was wishing I could have stripped myself! Anyway, we got home and both took a bath. She wouldn't eat dinner so we gave her PediaSure which she puked all over herself and PSM. She learned how to puke in the toilet after I caught two pukes in the towel that I wrapped her in to clean the first chocolate puke. We've been trying to keep her away from GGM for fear of passing on a stomach virus. She was puke free today and GGM seems to be feeling ok so I think we are in the clear. Could I have a break, please?

No more sick babies!!!

Our sweet little GGM came home last night after spending 3 days and 2 nights in the hospital. We awoke early Wednesday morning to feed GGM and found that she had a temperature of 101.9. Being that she was only 18 days old, we took her to the Emergency Room where she endured a urine collection, blood draw / IV stick, and spinal tap. She also had to be admitted for a minimum of 48 hours to ensure that she did not have a bacterial infection such as meningitis, which could be fatal in infants as young as her. Needless to say we were quite worried. Her initial tests all came back negative but they had to do cultures on all of her fluid samples to watch for bacterial growth. Meanwhile her fever was up and down and we were watching for chicken pox because we had been exposed when she was only 5 days old. After two long days of waiting for test results, they all came back negative and we got to go home!

Our stay in the hospital was not bad. The hospital where we went has a pediatric ER so everyone working there is used to dealing with babies and children. I got to eat yummy hospital food because GGM is nursing. I also got to sleep on the very cozy hospital recliner. GGM had her vitals taken every four hours and had to have IV injections every 6 hours. She also eats about every two hours. With all the activity, I hardly slept. Our nurses were pretty good. We had all NICU nurses because GGM was so little. It was nice knowing that the people caring for her were good with very small and very sick babies, especially when they had to poke her tiny veins to have blood drawn.

Luckily, PSM's parents arrived on Tuesday evening and were at home to care for LRM while PSM and I spent time in the hospital with GGM. LRM has had a great time playing with her Aachi and Thatha and we're very thankful that they have been here!

BOO!

This year for Halloween we did our typical "try to scare the kids" bit, which seem to have worked because we are still eating left over candy! On Sunday before Halloween, PSM took LRM to her playgroup's Halloween party while GGM and I hung out at the hospital, waiting to go home. On Tuesday, I took them both trick-or-treating while PSM scared the kids.

Miracle Baby

Since I've been out of touch lately, I haven't had a chance to ask my own friends and family to pray for my dear friend Kristen and her family. Kristen was blessed with a beautiful baby boy, Drew, 2 days before GGM arrived. Drew has been dealing with some serious medical problems but seems to be recovering beautifully. Less than two weeks after brain surgery, the little man is home with his mommy and daddy. You can view Drew's blog at http://dwgehrig.blogspot.com/. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Kristen, we all love you guys!

Mommy of Two!

So I've been very very bad for the last 2 months. Here's the quick and dirty and then the good stuff. LRM had a febrile seizure, which totally stressed me out and put me into preterm labor at 34 weeks, so Doc put me on bedrest. How does the mother of a 16 month-old do bedrest? With a wonderful husband, that's how! So for 6 weeks I waited for this baby to arrive. After all the anticipation of an early baby, our beautiful GGM was finally born on time on October 28. As we assumed from the 4D ultrasound, she looks just like LRM, but with MRM's nose. Actually, I think she's going to be my clone!

My labor was easier than with LRM. I labored for 9 hours but only had to push for 20 minutes. What a relief! I pushed for almost 3 hours with LRM and I was tired. GGM was a good girl, though. No cord around the neck (like her sister) but she was sunny side up. I'm afraid if she had been face down then she would have fallen out at home during week 34! So far she's a good girl. She LOVES to eat, especially at night. She eats about every two hours and is a champion pooper. :) She loves to cuddle and doesn't cry much. Let's hope that doesn't change.

My mom and sister Mariah just left today after spending a week with us. PSM's parents arrive later next week and we'll have them for a month. How lucky can I be to have help for so long? We have great parents!

Ok, so I guess you want to see pictures? PSM created a beautiful slideshow that can be viewed at
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=1679b2a01fded9bd2c375e&skin_id=0&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=email. Enjoy!

34 Weeks and looks like LRM

Baby had her first portrait taken today - in utero. It was hard to get good pictures because her face was smushed against the placenta, but from what we can tell she looks just like LRM! She looks like LRM's 3D ultrasound anyway... She looks like she may have her mommy's nose, whereas LRM has her daddy's nose. We think Baby will have her daddy's lips, though - just like her big sis! We think she is going to be a beautiful little girl and we can't wait to meet her in the next few weeks.

Here is what she is up to these days:

In week 35, the average baby weighs around five to six pounds and measures about 16 to 19 inches in length. Your baby will begin to gain weight more rapidly than ever before…adding about one half to three-quarters of a pound each week from this point forward. And healthy fat is being deposited all over your baby's body, especially around the shoulders.

Because of her size, your baby may move around less as her surroundings become more cramped. Her head may be resting on your pubic bone in preparation for labor and delivery.

Other developments are also taking place this week:

• The central nervous system will continue to mature.
• The lungs will most likely be fully developed by Week 35.
• Baby is beginning to develop daily activity cycles. You may notice that Baby is often more active at night when you're trying to rest!
• Even though they won't be considered “full-term” until the end of the 40th week, Baby's respiratory and digestive systems are nearly mature.
• Baby's immune system is starting to develop.
• The umbilical cord is now about 20 inches long and one to two centimeters in diameter; at birth, it will be about two feet long and a half-inch thick.

LRM Goes to Flagstaff and Mommy is Getting Large

LRM and Mommy were invited to hang out with some friends in Flagstaff. We had a wonderful time. We had our own private suite, there was a huge playroom for the six babies (ages 3 months to 3 years), horses to ride, and plenty of dirt to play in. The weather was a perfect 75 during the day. This morning we had a nice fire going while we ate our breakfast. We really hope to be invited back; it was very relaxing indeed! See the pictures at http://money.shutterfly.com/action/

Pregnancy Update
This week marks some major changes for your baby's eyes. Most notably, the iris in your baby's eyes will become pigmented. However, no matter what color eyes your baby is born with (most are born with dark blue-brown or blue-gray eyes) the color almost always changes after birth. In fact, your baby's true eye color won't appear for six to nine months after delivery, because the final eye pigmentation occurs in response to the strong light of the outside world.
By the end of this week, Baby will weigh about 3.5 pounds and will be about 14.5 inches long. From now on, your baby's weight gain will exceed her growth in length.

Each day brings new developments inside the womb:
Baby's eyes are now usually open during waking, and are closed at naptimes.
Baby's lungs and digestive tract are continuing to develop.

As you near the end of the second trimester, your baby will begin to settle head-down into your pelvis. However, some babies don't make this journey until late in the last trimester, and about four percent of babies don’t make the switch, remaining in a breech position at delivery.

LRM Goes Camping

We headed north to beat the heat this weekend and had a fabulous time in beautiful Sedona. It was our first time there and we were quite impressed. The landscape is amazing - makes you wonder how the settlers made it across this land in covered wagons. We think it's beautiful but I'm sure they thought it was a pain to travel.

We thought LRM would have trouble sleeping in the tent with us, since she doesn't ever sleep with us. But she barely napped on the way there and we kept her up late so when she was tired she just crashed. The four of us (P, me, LRM, and Dags) were cozy in our two-man tent. We hiked a little and played in the creek. LRM was not a fan of dirt on her hands but eventually she learned to wipe it off herself instead of just cry about it. On the way home we stopped at Slide Rock State Park, which was really neat. We couldn't bring Dags to the water so I stayed with him while P and LRM played. I have lots of pictures of our trip posted at Shutterfly. You can view even more of LRM's newest pictures on Shutterfly by clicking LRM Photos to the right of this post. There are pics from our recent trip to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta as well as some new family portraits.

We can't believe we've been here a year and haven't camped before now. Shame on us. We're looking forward to more camping, especially visiting the Grand Canyon. We'll have to hurry though, because I'm growing quite large and I don't want to stray too far from medical care should I go into labor. Once baby arrives, though, we'll be back in the woods!

26 Weeks and Growing

Baby and I are growing - luckily my weight has steadied off a bit so it looks like I might not end up the size of a house. Maybe just a small shack. :) She's kicking around a lot and I felt the hiccups for the first time the other day. She really loves Cold Stone ice cream - it gets her moving. We're still on the search for the perfect name, so don't ask.

LRM is doing her own share of growing. She said "turtle" the other day. She's got lots of words in her vocabulary but turtle has to be the cutest. We go for her 15 month check-up next week. I think she's getting some chubby on her legs so hopefully she's bigger than the 3rd percentile in weight.

The weather here is still very hot so we spend a lot of time in the pool. We're thinking of doing some camping soon, north of here of course where the weather is much much cooler. Not only will the heat keep you in but we have a couple of serial killers on the loose. Last night one shot a girl only about 4 miles from our house.

I ran over a lizard in the garage today. There are guts. I'm not cleaning it up. Maybe P will find it but I'm sure he won't clean it up either. It will just dry up in an hour or so. See how exciting my life is - I write about squished lizards in my garage. Here's a thought. The lizard is lying on its back. How does one run over a lizard on its back?

Here's even more excitement. My latest obsession is the Grocery Game. Can I really save $300 a month on my groceries. Tune in to find out...

It's a Girl!

Ok, so I realize I've been away for a loooooong time, but we have been traveling to Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia and have had family in from Oklahoma and Kansas since my last post. I've been a little busy - give me a break.

Between trips we had our ultrasound and it looks pretty certain that our next little peanut definitely is without nuts. :) The baby name adventure has begun. If you have any great ideas for little girl names, please let me know. We need all the help we can get.

LRM is doing great these days. She's walking all over the place and FINALLY started saying Mama, though it comes out MomMoma, which I think is soooo cute. She's learning how to use her temper and is being very clingy (actually very sweet when she just wants to cuddle). I can't WAIT to have another one! :) She loves swimming in the pool and she kicks all over the place. She doesn't mind going under so we're practicing staying under for longer periods of time. This morning she ate her oatmeal with a spoon all by herself. What a big girl! Now if she can only master the stairs I'll have it made.

As for our trips, we visited my family in Oklahoma - we stayed a week with Grannie and I left LRM with my mom while I drove to Dallas for Memorial Day weekend for a wedding. I must say it was a fantastic weekend with the girls I hardly knew. Mostly it was just nice to not have mommy duty for a few days. The next week my mom and sister and P's sister came for a visit to Arizona. We did some swimming, watched some TV, visited the Desert Botanical Gardens (very cool), and ate a lot. It was a nice visit. The next week we were off to Atlanta where P was in a wedding. We were busy with wedding stuff but had a great time. Also, my sister and her family were in town so we all visited the Georgia Aquarium (also very cool). Hopefully, I'll soon get some pictures posted to Shutterfly with our trips. We stayed with Sarah, who is a fantastic host and wonderful mommy to her precious dog. We love Piper!

Pregnancy Update
By now I'm about 21 weeks gestation. I feel lots of movement from baby but nothing too extreme yet. I forgot to note my weight last doctor visit (funny how that happens) so I'll have to update my fatty chart next month. I am eating healthier now so I don't think I'm porking out too much, though my boobs continue to overpower my appearance and my baby bump. God bless cosmetic surgery when this baby stuff is over!!

Anyway, so here is what baby is up to this week...

This week nerve endings become functional enough so that Baby can feel! She may experiment with this new sense of touch by stroking her face or feeling other body parts to see how they move. You may feel Baby stretching her muscles by pushing against the muscular wall of your uterus with her feet or head. In addition, Baby's liver is busy breaking down bilirubin, a substance formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin in blood cells. Because a baby's liver can only break down a limited amount of bilirubin, the excess is passed on to you through the placenta to filter from your liver. Baby weighs almost a pound now, and is seven to eight inches long. Although she's filling out, her body still appears wrinkled because she lacks a significant layer of fat beneath her skin.

Other developments taking place this week include:
• Baby will form distinct lips.
• If Baby is a boy, testes, which have been tucked up inside the pelvis, will begin to descend into the scrotum this week and immature sperm will form in the seminal vesicles.
• Baby's eyes will complete formation, although the iris (the colored part of the eye) will still lack pigment.
• The pancreas, essential to hormone production, will continue to develop steadily.

16 Weeks...

Not much new to report. I know I promised you my weight (bad idea), so here it is. I cannot be held responsible for its accuracy. :) PSM got me an ice cream maker for my birthday so looks like this baby might be pretty well fed. The good news is that I don't gag at the thought of vegetables anymore so my diet is improving somewhat (with the exception of waaaaaaay to much ice cream).

Here's the action in the womb this week:

As your pregnancy progresses, your baby's first feces are starting to build up in her bowels. Called meconium, this sticky substance is made up of dead cells, digestive juices, and swallowed amniotic fluid. Meconium is usually not excreted until after birth, although occasionally Baby may release it into the amniotic fluid before delivery. Baby is now almost five inches long and weighs about four or five ounces. She is firmly anchored via the umbilical cord to the placenta, which continues to grow with her. The placenta, which is now more than an inch thick, contains thousands of blood vessels that exchange nutrients and oxygen from your body to your baby.

Big happenings this week include:
• Layers of fat are beginning to develop under the skin to help keep Baby warm and protect her after birth.
• A rubbery skeleton continues to develop, although Baby's bones are still primarily cartilage, flexible enough to enable her to pass through the birth canal.
• A protective coating called myelin is slowly beginning to cover Baby's spinal cord. This coating will help protect the cord for the rest of Baby's life.

15 Weeks and Counting

So, I'm up to 15 weeks now. I feel like I'm really showing but I might just be lazy about sucking my gut in now. If I suck in I don't look so prego. But who wants to go through all that effort when you have an excuse not to? I've gained another 5 pounds this month and I'm still within the recommended range, but right at the top. Maybe now that I'm feeling better I'll lay off the perogies and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches - YUM! Plus I've been feeling a bit anemic so I really need to eat more beef and veggies. I went to the doc this week and heard the heartbeat for the first time. Doc said it "sounds like a boy," whatever that means. We have our ultrasound in 3 weeks to determine the gender. Keep your fingers crossed for a boy!

So, here's what is happening in the womb this week:

Baby can now make facial expressions because of the development of her facial muscles. This week she can squint, smile and frown. This is probably not an indication of mood, but may be linked to random impulses in the developing brain. Overall growth continues—your baby now weighs about 2.8 to three ounces and is about four or five inches long.

Other highlights this week include:
• Her ability to make some voluntary muscle movements means she can now hold her head somewhat erect.
• Baby is developing a sensitivity to light, and may respond with heart rate accelerations to projections of light on the abdomen. This can serve as a test of well-being before birth.
• Hiccups may start now, but you won't hear or feel them because the baby's system is filled with fluid rather than air.
• Baby's heart is now pumping the equivalent of 25 quarts of blood each day.
• Arm and leg movements are becoming more coordinated.
• Baby's bladder will empty about every 40-45 minutes.

LRM Walks!

She took three steps on her birthday but we were coaxing her with pizza. Since then she's taken a few half steps and one step journeys but this morning she took 4 steps. I think she's off and running very very soon...

She's really cranky today (already, at 9:00 AM) so I think she must be about to cut another tooth - her third.

LRM Turns One

After Mommy had an eventful weekend in Las Vegas, LRM had an eventful day by turning 1. We had her party a week early but she never knew the difference. She's still trying to recover from the sugar high she got from her cake. Thanks to everyone who attended her party - she had a great time!!

You can see her birthday pictures at our Shutterfly location http://money.shutterfly.com.

LRM Encounters the Easter Bunny

No words needed...

Prego Update

Here's what is going on in my womb, according to www.verybestbaby.com

Your baby's growth will really pick up speed over the next few weeks. By the end of this week, Baby will be about two inches from head to bottom, and still weighs about half an ounce — but she'll double in size and weight in about three weeks. To handle this growth, the blood vessels in the placenta are increasing in size and number, providing Baby with more nutrients. Other changes you can expect this week include:
• Baby's ears will move toward their final position on the sides of her head.
• Your baby's external genitalia are beginning to develop, and in a few weeks you may be able to tell whether you're having a boy or girl.
• Baby will begin to swallow and kick.
• Bones will begin to slowly solidify, although most of the skeleton is still made of flexible material.
• Nerve cells in the brain are busy connecting with each other, building pathways for future communication.
• All major organs will be fully developed.
• Spinal nerves will begin to stretch out from the spinal cord.
• Fingernails will begin to appear.
• With a special hand-held device, your doctor will be able to hear the fetus' rapid heartbeat.

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So I've gained 7 pounds. I think that's right on track but I feel like my arms are fat. I'm in a wedding in May so I really need to be lifting some weights but I'd rather take a nap. Plus Long John Silvers is my new best friend. :) I'm going to be very brave and share with all of you my weight chart. If it gets too high that will be the end of my sharing. The good news is that I was 7 pounds lighter post-LRM than I was pre-LRM. Breastfeeding is the miracle diet!!!