2.5 Years Old

I can't believe my baby is already 2.5!!  She's turning into a little girl and yet I still want her to be my baby.  I sometimes tell her I don't want her to grow up.  I love this age and often wish I could just freeze time.  The things she has learned over the last 6 months have astonished me.  Her little personality continues to come through more and more each day.  She's so smart and funny and soo sweet!  There are so many times I look at her and think how lucky I am that she's mine. She always knows how to put a smile on your face and say just the right thing when you're having a bad day.  I know she is going to be an awesome big sister and I can't wait to see her and Evan interact.

She's starting to show a more independent side and can be stubborn at times too.  She definitely takes after her Daddy with the stubborness.  But, I see a lot of me in her too.  She has a very sensitive side and her feelings can get hurt easily. While we do sometimes see glimpses of the "terrific 2's", overall, she is a great toddler! 

She's a complete Daddy's girl!  Always has been!  She definitely knows what to do to test her limits with him, but in the end, she has him totally wrapped around her finger.  I love that they are so close and I hope they stay that way forever. 

Happy half-birthday my sweet girl!!  :)  I can only hope the next 6 months don't go as fast as the last 6 have.

And just a few random pics from this past weekend.  Shawn and Em met Shawn's mom and stepdad for dinner Saturday night.

On Sunday, Shawn took Em to the mall to do some shopping for me and then treated her to a ride on the carousel.  After shopping, Shawn blew up her bounce house in the backyard.

Bedrest Week #7

Yay!  7 weeks down and only 4 more to go!  I'm just getting so anxious for Evan to be here!  From my weekly post, you can see that I didn't have the week I was hoping to have, but in the big scheme of things all that matters is that Evan is still safe and sound.  I'm on the home stretch now!!! 

Shawn took off today and got quite a bit done in Evan's room.  The curtains are now hung and a wall decal with his name is on the wall over his crib.  All that's left is to find a couple pics for his wall, some accessories for his hutch and to hang the chair rail.  It's all starting to come together now.  It just makes me that much more excited for him to come.  I'll post pics of his room as soon as it's totally done.

I've started packing Evan's hospital bag, now I just need to work on mine.  We've gotten down the carseat, swing and bathtub for him too.  We were so unprepared for Em to arrive, this time I want to make sure we are totally prepared for whenever Evan decides to come. 

So here's to 7 weeks down and just a few more left!

The Many Faces Of Emily

32 Weeks (+1 Day)

•How far along are you? 32 Weeks!  I feel like I should be 36 already.  :(

•How big is baby?: At my sono today, he weighed in at 4 lbs, 12 oz.  So he's gained almost a pound in 2 weeks!  Still on track to be a big boy!

•Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes.

•Gender: BOY!! Evan Michael Baxter.

•Sleep?: Between getting up every 2-3 hours to pee and just being overall uncomfortable, I'm not sleeping well at all.

•Best moment this week?:  I won't lie, it's getting harder to find these moments, but probably getting to see Evan today on an unexpected sono.

•Movement?: Still lots of movement.

•Food cravings?: This week fruit (any kind) has sounded so good!

•Food aversions?: None really anymore.

•What I miss: Let's just say I've reached that point where I'm ready to be done!

•Symptoms: Not sleeping well, being uncomfortable, etc.

•Milestone: Of course making it another week with Evan safe and sound in my tummy.  Also surviving my SEVENTH week of bedrest! Only 4 more weeks of bedrest. . .please hurry!!!!!

So I went in for my routine NST appt today and it ended up being anything but routine.  :(  The monitors picked up lots of contractions  (1 big one that I felt and lots of little ones).  Since my dr. wants me to still make it at least 3 more weeks, she wanted me to go to the peri to get a sono and then over to L&D and be hooked up to the monitors for longer.  This was NOT what I wanted to hear today.  I feel like the last few weeks have been going so well and then this.  UGH!!  I called Shawn and he met me over at the peri's office.  Luckily, Evan looked great as usual.  Still on the big side, but at this point, that's really the least of my concerns.  She did measure my cervix and it was between 2.4 - 2.6.  So while it was shorter than it was 2 weeks ago, it was the same as it was a month ago, so that didn't worry me too much.  I was dilated, but only fingertip width, so again not too much to worry about.  The fluid was still on the higher end of the normal range, which the dr. later told me just adds more pressure and could be causing contractions.  Great.  The dr. kind of laughed when she told me one way to help lower the fluid level was to cut back on sugar.  She was laughing because she's already taken so much away from me (from having to be on bedrest) and now she's telling me I can't even enjoy sugary stuff while I have to lay around.  Anyways, so once I was hooked up to the monitors in L&D, it picked up lots of contractions (that I did feel), so they gave me a shot of terbutaline.  I had this shot during my last trip to L&D and I knew it wasn't fun.  It's great at stopping the contractions, but it makes me feel all jittery and shaky.  Fortunately, the shot worked well enough and after 4 hours of monitoring, the dr. discharged me.  The downside is I now have to go to the dr for NST's twice a week instead of just once a week.  But she said to make my next appt for Monday, so at least I can enjoy the weekend.  And as my friend said, on a positive note, I now get 2 outings a week.   :)   All I can say is, I hope this is the LAST time I go to L&D before Evan arrives.  3 trips has already been way too many!  I hate to say it, because there might be one day that I miss being pregnant, but for right now, I'm just soo ready to be done with all of this! 

Oh and on a side note, poor Lily was at the dr. all day today too.  :(  Shawn took her to the vet this morning for a follow-up appt that she had 2 weeks ago.  She had a UTI and they wanted to make sure it was gone.  Apparently, her bladder was empty when he took her, so she had to stay all day before they could get a sample.  Bad news for her.. she still has a bladder infection and Lily had to get another antibiotic shot.  She'll go back in another 2 weeks.  I'm praying it's gone by then otherwise they will need to do an ultrasound (a very expensive one at that) on her to figure out what's going on.  So both me and Lily had a tough day today.  When it rains, it pours, right?  :(

One thing that did put a smile on my face today. . .my sister-in-law, Julie, sent this picture to me.  My niece Lauren did this at school. It says "This is me and my aunt.  Her name is Aunt Jennifer.  We were there with Natalie.  She is very, very, very, very nice to us."  :)

Weekend Recap

Shawn and Em had a fun and busy weekend!  Saturday morning, Em's school held their annual spring fling event at Frisco Commons Park.  We've never been to this park, so Shawn was excited to take Em and check it out.   In addition to the park, they had bounce houses and slides set up, face painting, and the "fun bus.".  Em had a blast and of course Shawn took pics for me, so I could see all the fun they were having.

Notice her shoes. . .Sperry Topsiders.  I had sent Shawn to the store a little while back to get Em some new tennis shoes and Shawn couldn't resist buying her these too.  Shawn loves his Sperry's and now him and Em match.  :)

Sunday morning, Shawn and Em met Tommy and Aubrey for breakfast at their favorite spot, Rudy's and then took the girl's over to the park to play. 

Bedrest Week #6

6 weeks down, only 5 more to go (at most!).  I know 5 weeks is still a ways away, but I'm past the halfway mark and that's what matters.  As each week goes by, the easier it actually gets.  I look back now and can most definitely say the first 2 weeks of bedrest were by far the hardest!  I know Evan needs to stay in longer, but I'm getting so anxious to meet him!!!  If only I could fast forward 5 weeks!

31 Weeks (+1 Day)

•How far along are you? 31 Weeks!  Woohoo. . .finally only single digit weeks left - feels so close, yet still so far away.

•How big is baby?: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt.  Obviously Evan is more than 3.3 lbs at this point.  :)  I'm hoping he just hit his growth spurt a little early and will slow down a bit now. 

•Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes.

•Gender: BOY!! Evan Michael Baxter.

•Sleep?: Depends on the day, but most days I'm not sleeping well - still having to get up a ton to use the bathroom during the night.

•Best moment this week?: Getting all sorts of good news at my appt. last Thursday and getting to see Evan on the sono.

•Movement?: Still lots of movement.  I've reached the stage where I can see different body parts poking out of my stomach.

•Food cravings?: Still loving bananas and popsicles.

•Food aversions?: None really anymore.  I am starting to get fuller much faster now.  Guess I'm just starting to run out of room.

•What I miss: Still a lot, but it's getting easier the farther I get.  I know the end is getting sooo close.

•Symptoms: Not sleeping well, not being able to move around as easily with my big belly, etc.

•Milestone: Of course making it another week with Evan safe and sound in my tummy.  Only 3 more weeks until I reach the next big goal.  Also surviving my SIXTH week of bedrest!  If he comes at the same time as Emily did. . .that would only be 6 weeks away!  It's crazy knowing he could be here so soon.  YAY!  And I have been telling Evan the last few weeks that as soon as I hit 36 weeks he is more than welcome to come!  We'll see how well he listens to his mama.

NST today went well.  Evan was SUPER active!  When they have the monitors on my belly, they start to make what sounds like static when Evan moves.  I was in the last exam room and the nurse was in the first room with another patient.  She said she could hear Evan moving all the way from the first room.  I've never felt him move this much!  He was acting crazy!  Note to self. . .don't eat Fritos right before an NST.  :) 

And of course, I can't forget Em's 31 week belly pics.

 Emily was more brave than me.  She decided to show her bare belly!

A Day In The Life (On Bedrest)

So my friend Steph asked me to do a post on what a typical day is like for me.   While I don't think I have much to share, I told her I would oblige.  Please try to contain your excitement and jealousy as I share what I do on a typical weekday.  :)

6:30 - wake up time.  I don't wake up because I have to, more because I want to.  Shawn wakes Em up at 6:30 to get her ready for school and I like to be able to see her each morning before they leave.  I usually head downstairs to the couch and wait for them to come down and then they head out around 6:55-7:00.

7:00 - 8:00 - I eat breakfast and watch the Today show downstairs on the couch.  If I'm real tired I'll go upstairs and lay back down to take quick catnap.  Some days I do actually get dressed and ready in the morning.  Other days I just stay in my pj's.  Not so much because I want to, more because after being on bedrest for so long, getting completely ready each day physically wears me out.

8:00 - 12:00 - Work time.  I lay in bed and work on my laptop.  Finally the first "normal" thing that I get to do.  Although I'd much rather do it at a desk with other people around.  :) 

Steph also requested pics to see what I look at each day.  So here goes (again try to contain your excitement).

I lay down in bed and put my laptop on a lap desk next to me.

The cradle that's been setup in our room for the last month or so, is a constant reminder of why I'm doing all this.



12:00 - 1:00 - I head downstairs to make a quick lunch and then lay on the couch and watch TV.

1:00 - 5:00 - Back upstairs to work.

5: 00 - 8:00 - Shawn and Em get home and I lay on the couch and try to entertain  / play with Em while Shawn cooks dinner.  We sit and eat dinner, then back on the couch to play with Em while Shawn cleans the dishes.  Shawn takes Em up to give her a tub around 7:00 and then they come back down til Shawn puts her to bed around 8:00 or so. 

8:00 - 10:00 - I usually head upstairs around the time Em goes to bed.  Shawn likes to stay upstairs after he puts her down because she's still in the habit of coming out of her room.  It's easier for him to stay upstairs rather than go up and down the stairs.  I usually just lay down and watch tv, read or blog.  And honestly, most nights I'm exhausted by 9:00 or 10:00 - I have no idea how, but I am. 

So are you all jealous yet??  It's funny because when I tell people I'm on bedrest, I will sometimes get the reaction "oh, that sounds great" or "I'd love to just lay around all the time."  Well I can say it's anything but a vacation.  If I could trade anyone to just have a few days of my "normal" life back I would. . .in a heartbeat.  Bedrest is definitely not what it's cracked up to be.  I leave the house once a week - and it's for dr. appts,  I spend about 23 of 24 hours a day laying down (on my side) and spend a lot of time by myself.  I know it's easy for people to make comments like that, but until you've spent a few days in my shoes (let alone 6 weeks). . .you have absolutely no idea!!!

30.5 Week Belly Pic

Just remember. . .this boy is in the 76%.  :)  That's my excuse on why my belly looks ginormous.

 And now here are Em's 30.5 week belly pics

Bedrest Week #5

5 weeks down. . .6 to go (at most)!!!  Woohoo!  I had a dr. appt. today and it went great!  I really was expecting bad news, but instead I got all good news!  I had a sono which means they can get measurements.  :(  I was expecting them to tell me that it got even shorter, but it didn't!!!  Instead it got longer!  2 weeks ago it was 2.4 cm, this week it was 2.8!  Pretty sure my mouth dropped to the floor when the sono tech said it was longer.  They said it's more than likely from all the laying on my side.  It just takes the pressure of the baby off.  I couldn't have been more excited and breathed a huge sigh of relief.  Next the sono tech looked at Evan's kidney that has been dilated for the last several months and guess what. . .it looked totally normal!!  Even more great news and such a relief that we don't have to worry about that anymore!!  They even said the fluid around him has decreased a little too.  This was nothing to worry about since it was in the normal range, but it was teetering on the high end of the normal range, so it's good that it went down.  Then we got to see Evan a bunch.  He was looking straight at us with his eyes wide open again.  The sono tech said she always calls the babys that have their eyes open, optimistic.  That's because it's pitch black in my stomach, but they keep opening their eyes hoping they will get to see something.  Evan kept opening and closing his eyes the entire time.  I love my little optimist.  :)  Finally the sono tech measured him.  He measured 16 in. and weighed in at 3 lbs, 14 oz.  That's in the whopping 76%!!  I might just be growing a giant in there.  I think all this laying around is making for one big boy.  Truthfully though, I'd much rather him be on the bigger side just in case he does decide to come early and if he decides to stick around, somehow they will figure out how to get him out.  :)

After the sono, they hooked me up to the monitors and while I did show 1 contraction in the 20 min, the dr. didn't seem too concerned.  She just wants me to continue laying down as much as possible, drinking lots of water, and taking my contraction medicine.  Finally, I asked my dr. what week she would allow me to come off bedrest.  She said she will definitely let me come off at 36 weeks, possibly 34 depending on how things are going.  I'm focusing on worst case scenario at this point, so only 6 more weeks. . .at most!!  After she said that, I pretty much didn't hear anything else she said.  I knew I had a goal to work towards now.  I've made it 5 weeks, surely I can make it 6 more (and really a little less than that -since I'm 30 weeks, 2 days today :) ).    I won't lie. . .it would be nice to have a couple of days off bedrest and then I would totally be okay with Evan coming.  I'm ready to meet this boy that has caused me all kinds of trouble.  :)

Pretty sure, this has been one of the best days in the last 5 weeks.  Nothing could ruin my day after hearing all this good news.  I soo very much needed a day like today!  It's these kind of days that make all these weeks of bedrest worth it!!  I will go back next Wed. for an NST, but I'm not thinking about that appt, yet.  For now, just focusing on the next week. 

Family and friends continue to be a great support system.  My friend Court came over last Friday and kept me company for a bit - I had off, but Shawn had to work, so Em went to school.  My mom continues to do a ton - she's keeping Lily for us for a bit (she's been sick recently and harder to take care of) and has done lots of shopping for Evan.  Steph continued her weekly cards and surprises also.  And last but not least, the director and assistant director at Em's school sent us home tonight with enough food for 3 dinners!  It was totally unexpected!  We are soo grateful for how much everyone is helping and for the endless thoughts and prayers that are being sent our way!  It's been a long journey, but I feel like we're starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel!  Hmm . .sounds like Evan's optimism is starting to rub off on me.  :)

So here's to another week of bedrest down. . .6 more to go!  I can do it, I can do it!  :)

And just because my sweet girl always puts a smile on my face, thought I would help put a smile on your face.  :)

30 Weeks

•How far along are you? 30 weeks!!  So glad to be in the "30's."  It just sounds so much farther along!

 •How big is baby?: Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage).

•Maternity clothes: All maternity pants and mostly maternity shirts.

•Gender: BOY!! Evan Michael Baxter.

•Sleep?: It's been ok this week. Still getting up often for bathroom trips in the middle of the night.

•Best moment this week?: Being able to be home to celebrate Easter with Em this weekend.

•Movement?: Tons of movement!

 •Food cravings?: Bananas and popsicles

•Food aversions?: Plain grilled chicken

•What I miss: Still a lot at this point.

•Symptoms: Still just uncomfortable from my belly getting larger.  Also, I continue to be hot all the time and the heartburn continues to get worse.

•Milestone: Making it another week with Evan still in my tummy!!!! And surviving my fifth week of bedrest! Also, being in the first week of the "30's."  At most I will only have 9 more weeks to go.  My dr. gives the option to induce at 39 weeks.  With Em, I didn't have to make that decision since she came at 37 weeks, but I can guarantee I will take her up on that option should Evan decide to hang out until then (although I really don't see that happening).

I have a sono scheduled for Thursday morning.  Sono appts make me way more stressed out than just NST appts, since the dr. can get actual measurements.  I'm not sure the magic number that will send me to hospital bedrest, but let's hope it doesn't come this week!!!  I'm getting so close now, I so badly just want to be able to finish bedrest out at home!  Please send good thoughts my way! 

I ordered a few fun things for Evan last week and had to share.  Some soft blocks and a bib and burp cloth. I've been doing lots of online shopping.  :)

Happy Easter

Hope everyone had a good Easter!  While I wasn't able to partake in the Easter celebrations with our families, we still had some fun with Em at home.

Saturday morning Shawn and Em dyed Easter eggs and then headed out in the afternoon to go to Burleson to celebrate with Shawn's side of the family.

Please excuse Em's bedhead. :)

Sunday morning, Em enjoyed seeing what the Easter Bunny left her in her basket and also had a good time hunting for eggs in our backyard.  My brother picked Em up late morning to bring her to my cousin's house to celebrate Easter with my whole side of the family.  My parents brought her back to our house, along with a TON of Easter goodies.  She got Easter baskets from Mimi and Papa, my cousins, Nana, etc!  Even baby Evan got an Easter basket full of goodies.  :)  I was too busy seeing what Em got to take pics of all these goodies.

Since I didn't know what all we would end up doing for Easter this year, we fore go the traditional Easter dress this year.  Instead Em went casual.  :)