Coloring is For Adults too

Great Markers by US Art Supply.  They are awesome for adult coloring books or any art project.  Two different sizes on each color so you can do fine detail work as well.  And 100 colors to choose from!

Three compartment laundry cart

Got an awesome new laundry sorting cart. Received it at a discount for my honest review. Casters are nice and sturdy so it rolls very easily. The three compartments come out easily so one section can easily be taken to the laundry room without having to take the whole cart. Have already had some people ask where I got it!
 

M.I.A.

Sorry for the long delay in posting but it has been chaotic here. We've all been sick lately. I had pneumonia, Natalie had a sinus infection and Fiona had bronchitis. She got her first nebulizer treatments. Reminded me SO MUCH of my own childhood when I had chronic bronchitis and spent a long time on breathing treatments. So here are the updates.
Fiona is now 4 months old. I still can't believe it! She had found her toes and loves to roll on the floor and grab them. She immediately flips to her tummy now when you lay her down but then gets upset being on her tummy!! We are trying to transition her from the pack-n-play in our room to her crib but it isn't easy. The mattress is much harder in her crib so she keeps trying to roll over. But we are still swaddling so that poses other challenges. She loves eating solids but we are taking it slow since they seem to irritate her tummy a bit. She is so smiley and happy most of the time. The one time she is definitely fussy and upset is in the car. She HATES it and screams the whole time..to the point of almost hyperventilating and getting sweaty! Now if we can just get her to sleep better at night (some nights she is wide awake for several hours in the middle of the night) then I think we would all be much happier! She is almost 14 lbs now and 25 inches. Natalie was that size at 7 months!!! She is also trying to "inchworm" along the floor. I think she is going to be an early crawler/walker for sure.

Natalie is growing leaps and bounds. She is so articulate in her speaking and is learning to read via the Bob books. We are also trying to work on writing her name with her. She is obsessed with all things Mario and Star Wars right now. We are still having a bit of a power struggle between the two of us. She is big into talking back to me (not cool) and is learning what behaviors will not be tolerated. So she is spending a lot of time in her room. She just started soccer and likes to play so far. She is actually pretty good at dribbling and shooting for a four year old who has never played before. She is finally wearing 4T clothing (although on the bottom who can still wear 24 month shorts!) She is just so long and lean. We are debating when we will start swimming lessons again. She loves the water so much!

Paul is in the thick of his semester. He is finally done with his search for a new professor so that is one less stress in his life. He is also getting his garden going. So we have the grow lights in the living room with our tomato, eggplant and pepper seedlings growing under them. We also put in 4 blueberry bushes, although we won't get any fruit from them until next year. We will put everything in the ground in early April, adding our herbs and cucumbers.

We are already looking forward to the summer. We are going to take our first family vacation to Myrtle Beach. Hopefully Fiona loves the beach as much as Natalie. And then we are going to TEXAS!!!! for 10 days to have Miss Fiona baptized. And of course to visit and get some good Mexican food and brisket!

Much love to all who read this! Leave me some feedback (even just say hi) so that I know that people are still reading!

Stats Update

Natalie is currently at 30 lbs. Only took her 4 years to hit this weight. We think she is about 38 inches tall. Fiona is 5.5 weeks old and weighs 9lbs, 14.5 ounces. She is about 22 inches long. Natalie has to get her 4 year shots this week. NOT looking forward to this. Paul has been prepping her that they are coming. Sadly I remember getting my 4 year shots and they hurt so really not looking forward to Monday. Fiona has either reflux or colic! We went to the doctor yesterday and they put her on some Zantac to see if that helps her tummy a bit. We are hoping to reduce the screaming. Of course, if it is colic we just have to wait it out.

Here is our Christmas card picture for this year!

We have a 4 year old!

Natalie celebrated her birthday in style with Mom and Dad! We opened one present every hour or so, making for an entire day of gifts. She got her first pair of roller skates!! The next day she had her party at our church. The kids were able to play on the playground, eat snacks and cake, watch Natalie open gifts and just run around! Overall it was a good birthday for her. She got an insane amount of gifts and has been enjoying them ever since. Here are a few pictures of the birthday girl! (This post was delayed due to Mommy getting 5 migraines in the days following her party).

Fiona's Birth

Fiona Elizabeth Dostert joined our family on November 1, 2011 or (11.01.11 - a nice binary birthday) at 12:03pm. She surprised us all by weighing 7lb and 10 ounces (we were thinking 6.5 lbs) and was a whopping 21 inches long. Mom was only in labor for 6 hrs with about 1/2 an hour of pushing. She is just as beautiful as her big sister Natalie. She is a very content baby so far and definitely a better eater than Miss Natalie was at this stage. We came home on Thursday and are adjusting to being a family of four. Natalie is having some issues with wanting only Daddy to play with her, especially if he is holding Fiona and has been feeling a little neglected we think (even though we have been doing lots of fun things with her since we came home). Hopefully we will all get use to this new normal soon and get into a good routine. Here are a few pictures to enjoy!

NO MORE BEDREST!!

No more bedrest restrictions! No more blood sugar checks! Went to the doctor yesterday and since I am past 37 weeks, I can stop doing both of those. So basically whenever Fiona is ready to come, no one is going to stop her!! Plus I finally got a real check-up yesterday since I saw my own doctor. 2cm dilated and 60% effaced. She still hasn't moved down any further but I am hoping with being able to get up and walk around, that those numbers will change again before I go back to the doctor on Monday. He also mentioned that he might induce me around October 27th!!! Would love that. I am so ready to meet Fiona and NOT be pregnant anymore. This pregnancy has been so much harder (physically) for me than Natalie's. I think I've had just about every possible pregnancy symptom this time around. Will keep ya posted!

Bedrest Sucks

So...for all of you who think bedrest sounds great (I thought this until recently!!), it actually sucks. Sure, you get to sit on the couch or lie in bed all day, BUT who likes daytime television? There are only so many times you can watch home improvement shows or reruns of reruns of shows like Law and Order before you get really bored. Even movies are getting boring (plus my parents are here and we have REALLY different taste in movies). Then there is the physical side of it. Sitting with your feet up all day puts strain on your hips and butt. And then when you stand up, all those muscles and tendons and ligaments in your legs protest to being under weight again.

And then there is the most surprising part of being on bedrest. First let me say that I have been on modified bedrest so I can get up to go to the bathroom, take a shower, walk between rooms, etc but cannot stand up for the time it would take to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So short spurts of standing. So what is this big surprise? Aside from getting a contraction immediately upon standing, you get short of breath REALLY REALLY easily. Who woulda thunk? I feel like I've run a marathon just trying to shower and often have to sit for a while before finishing things like brushing my hair or teeth after a shower. SERIOUSLY!!! And it takes a while to recover and to get my heart rate back to normal. Was not prepared for this at all!

So, finally, I had another dr's appt yesterday. NOT IMPRESSED. Didn't see my doctor but one of his partners. Did not even check me. Measured my tummy. Said I was suddenly measuring small which could mean Fiona is lower or that my amniotic fluid could be low. Said my doctor might do an ultrasound...NEXT WEEK! Then she had no clue how far along I was and I am pretty sure she never even looked at my chart before coming in to the room. REALLY REALLY hope she isn't the one who ends up delivering Fi. My doctor said he makes every effort to deliver his own patients but they rotate OB patients through the other partners just in case. UGH!!!

I'll leave you with a 36 week picture:

Dr's Report

I have no idea how many days of bedrest I've had. It's been a week so 7 or 8 I guess. Baby shower was really nice yesterday. We got lots of nice things for Miss Fiona from the ladies at church along with a few other friends who had dropped gifts by or mailed them. Went to the doctor today. Still not dilated but 50% effacement and she's at -2 station. Dr really wants me to go to 37 weeks (so another week and a half) but we will see what God and Fiona have on their agenda. I am still on bedrest (ugh!). Getting lots of sewing done and catching up on Downton Abbey. Loving streaming Netflix right now and a Blu-ray player that can handle it!

Natalie has a boyfriend! He goes to school with her and his name is Landon. They were holding hands at school on Friday! Seems like both girls are gonna be a handful for their Daddy in about 13 years (if not sooner!)

Days 5 & 6

Not a whole lot to report. The weather here is absolutely gorgeous at 64 degrees and I am stuck inside so Paul opened the windows for me to get some fresh air. (I haven't been out of the house since Wednesday morning). The pasta dinner went really well and raised way more money than we anticipated for Natalie's school. Our new TV FINALLY arrived (in one piece this time) and is great! My dad showed up today so we have all bases covered for whenever Fiona decides to come. Tomorrow is my baby shower; hopefully, Fiona won't come before then! And finally Miss Fiona has dropped so I can take a deep breath again. It feels weird after 2 months of being short of breath!

B.R Day 4

Pretty much an uneventful day. Spent most of it on the couch until I started getting really bad indigestion and a few contractions so back to my bed I went. I discovered that I get a contraction every time I stand up so bedrest is definitely where I need to be! I had at least 8 contractions over the day but most were just from standing up to go to the bathroom or to switch rooms. Natalie is still a bit confused why I can't get up to play or get her some juice, but I think she is adapting well to this change. We just keep telling her that Baby Fi is making it so that Mommy needs to rest a lot. Tomorrow is the big pasta dinner at church. Hoping that everything goes well. Really glad that we were able to help Natalie's school raise so much money but I will be happy when Paul's stress level can go back down. Then he can just come home and relax!!

B.R. Day 3

Rough night sleeping last night due to the fact that I basically laid down all day yesterday. Went to the doctor this morning after having a few contractions. Basically still only having contractions but no other signs of labor. Still on modified bedrest but he said I could walk around the house a bit and can go to my baby shower on Sunday at the church. Have to go back again on Monday for another check. Hoping we can make it a few weeks longer but we are at the point where there isn't really much that any medicine that would stop labor could do that would be more beneficial than harmful. So hopefully my contractions will stay only a few a day (had 2 all day yesterday). If they get more frequent and closer together, then it is back to the hospital.

Update: Ended up having 7 contractions over the day. Not too bad. As long as they stay that infrequent, everything is ok! Paul is just hoping she hangs in there through tomorrow night since he is cooking dinner for 140 people as part of a fundraiser for Natalie's school! Natalie is having a blast with her Nana! It is so hard to not be able to do much with her. We did some crafts yesterday from the couch but I can't even brush her teeth or put her to bed so it is an adjustment for all of us. Apparently the fact that I had a positive result on this preterm labor test means I am more likely to have her in the next 2 weeks. So we may meet her sooner than we thought which means she will be smaller than we thought!

Bed Rest Day 2

Got a good night's sleep last night! Don't remember waking up due to contractions so hopefully that means I didn't have any. Hips were very sore from being in bed all day so woke up several times from that. Poor Paul spent the morning running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He had to get breakfast for all of us (which means cooking eggs for me due to my gestational diabetes) and get himself ready and Nat ready and anything that I needed. Then he took Natalie to school and came back to keep me company for a while. Mom should be here soon! I've spent the morning either on the couch or in bed watching TV and working on a Christmas stocking for my friend's little boy. Hoping this means I get more time to work on it! Paul has to take Natalie to get a flu shot this afternoon. YUCK! Feel so disconnected from life today. I miss picking Natalie up from school and hearing about her day. I miss picking her up period. And it is hard to explain to a 3.5 yr old that Mommy can't get up to help with anything, including tooth brush, bed time, etc. Hopefully this will get easier for all of us.

Update: Mom got here and helped out with Natalie. Her flu shot went well and now that is one less thing to worry about! Having a hard time staying on the couch or in bed though.

Bed Rest Day 1

So I woke up at 1:30 this morning with awful pain in my stomach - like the organ not my intestines. Figured it was heartburn or indigestion since it was so far under my ribs. Would cramp up and release but figured there was NO WAY it was Miss Fiona. Called my dr's office when they opened and they managed to fit me in an hour later. Told him what was going on. Had my normal check-up with Fiona measuring at 35 weeks (actual gestational age was 34 weeks, 3 days) and my blood pressure was nice and low. Decided to do a pelvic exam. He told me that my cervix was still closed (yay!) but that he had felt me have a contraction. Said he thought maybe the pain was my gall bladder. Since I got rid of mine in 1999, that seemed highly unlikely!!

Instead I got my first glimpse of the labor and delivery floor at our hospital. They hooked me up to a monitor that measures fetal heartrate, uterine contractions, and all that fun stuff! After a million questions, they left me watch TV and Paul (who had been teaching) finished up his classes and came to keep me company. (I told him to finish his classes since I knew I wasn't in "real" labor yet!)

2 hrs of monitoring later, they told me that I had tested positive on the fetal fibronectin test which indicated preterm labor. Also I had four REAL contractions in an hr of monitoring and had earned myself bedrest! Luckily I didn't have 6 of them or I would have had bedrest in the hospital. So I was sent home with directions to only get out of bed (or the recliner or couch) to go the bathroom or take a fast shower.

So I spent the rest of the day watching TV and lying down. As most of you know, I am not a sit-still kinda person so this has been a hard day. Luckily, I am also a prepare-ahead person so Fiona's room is done, bags are almost completely packed for hospital, carseat is in the car, and we are ready whenever Fiona is!

Hoping to make it through the Cowboys game tonight but not sure I can stay awake. My mom is flying in tomorrow to help out and Dad will drive out once we know for sure what is going on. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday for another check-up. The contractions have slowed to 1-2 per hr so hopefully Fiona will stay in the womb and bit more and grow a bit more. I'd love to make it to at least 37 weeks.

Fiona's Nursery

With the exception of a few things here and there, we have gotten Fiona's room all ready for her arrival. 95% of the room is just recycled furniture and decorations from Natalie's room when she was a baby (and one of the night tables that matches Paul's and my bedroom set). The rocking chair was my great-grandmother's. My girls are the 4th generation to be rocked in it. Still need to add a TV in there for me when I am feeding her and some other odds and ends but I LOVE the way it turned out. Here are some pictures:

Baby Moon

Paul and I went away to Charleston this past weekend as a last weekend before we have 2 little ones. I still have 7.5 weeks to go but you just never know! We rested Friday night and went out to eat at a place called the Charleston Crab House. We didn't know it when we made our reservations to go to Charleston, but it was restaurant week so we had lots of fun choices of dinners at cheaper prices.

Saturday we started out at a wonderful little cafe with really good food! (We even went bakc for breakfast there again on Sunday). We then explored the Old Market in downtown and picked up a few Christmas presents (I have a baby coming between now and Christmas, remember?). Then we took a one hour tour of Charleston in a carriage. It was really nice and we got to see so much of Charleston without wearing out this preggo. We then checked out a park that was right on the water before heading back to our room to rest and watch a little football. We ventured out later for a FAB.U.LOUS dinner at Carolina's restaurant. My steak was so tender it basically melted in your mouth. I snuck a few bites of the dessert - a pecan praline basket that held ice cream, hot fudge and fruit. We then headed back to that park for a few pictures.

Sunday we did breakfast and then went to Trader Joe's. Can never pass up a trip there if we are near one. We came back up well-rested (we slept til 8:30 BOTH DAYS!!!) and were delighted that Natalie had had a wonderful time with my parents all weekend.

First day of 3K

So Natalie starts 3K today! And it is the last first day of school with only one child!!!! Baby Fiona will be here in about 10 weeks.

First Day of 3K

Still trying to capture "3K"

So grown up

3K on our tummy

Goofball

Got my backpack and I'm ready to go!

Mommy and Natalie

Family Shot

Preggo Mommy (10 more weeks)

Good-bye kiss from Daddy!

Hostage

So the only thing worse that your child having a fever (and no other symptoms) for 3 days, is the fact that you are basically quarantined to your house for that long (at least). We have been in the house ALL week. And by in the house, I mean, it is too hot to go outside, not to mention they are replacing the siding on our house from the hail damage so there are nails and hammering and all sorts of things keeping us inside. And it is LOUD!!!! And things are falling off the walls from the hammering. We have only left to go to the doctor to make sure Natalie didn't have an ear infection or strep. And then there is the sleeping! Or lack thereof. Waking up at 2 or 3 am to a toddler with a fever of 103 can only be made worse when she wants your preggo self to crawl into bed with her and "sleep" in her bed. And Natalie is a roller/kicker/talker. So the first night I was up with her for 3 hrs before she went back to sleep and the 2nd night, after an hr and a half, I got up and Paul volunteered to go in. I GLADLY accepted. I love my child. I am EXTREMELY sorry she was sick and not feeling well, but throw in a cranky, sore, tired preggo lady and being stuck in the house just SUCKS!!

Thankfully, she has been fever-free for 24 hours so we were FINALLY able to go to the grocery store. And visit Daddy on campus for a few minutes. I'm not the only one who felt trapped by the way. Natalie cried the whole way home because she didn't want to go back in the house!!!

7 month comparison

I can't believe I am in my third trimester. The first one seemed incredibly long with the morning sickness but the second flew right by. 12 more weeks til we meet Miss Fiona.

Litchfield Beach

We spent last week at Litchfield Beach with my parents. Unfortunately, it poured the first 3 days we were there. But Natalie got to go see a mermaid at the aquarium with my parents while Paul and I did some shopping. And then she got to go the beach (under cloudy skies) with them while we went to see the last Harry Potter movie so I can't complain too much. Even though we got lots of rain, we were able to play at the beach almost every day. And we hit the pool and lazy river 2 days as well. Natalie LOVED the lazy river and helping Nana find shells on the beach. We brought home SO many shells. Paul made me two planters at the beginning of the summer out of concrete stepping stones. They look like these but are just plain grey. Once we get past this insane heat (102 today with a heat index of 110+), I plan on gluing shells to the outsides of the planters. I figure each summer we can get more shells to add to them! I'll leave you with a few pictures from our trip!

Rolling in the waves

Family shot at Murrell's Inlet Marsh Walk

Lovin' the Ocean

The Ocean is the BEST!

Hangin' out in a Hole

Lazy River with Nana and Papa

WAVES!

Playing in the Waves with Daddy

26 wks

Another view!