So I had a baby the other day...

Tuesday I went to the Dr. Shanbour who predicted he'd see me for my regular appointment the following Tuesday.  He informed that he'd be out of town Thursday-Saturday (I should've known then that I was going to have my baby!  Just my luck!) and again beginning August 10th (my due date).  So we decided that the next appointment we'd set up an induction date so that he'd be able to deliver me.

Wednesday after my workout at Body and Soul I did this (planking):

Thursday after the kids' naps we packed a supper and drove to Arbuckle Wilderness, an exotic animal theme park, about 1 1/2 hours from our house.  We had planned on doing this on Monday afternoon, but Luke threw up Monday right before Body and Soul so we had to rearrange our plans.  Once there, Luke and Leta got to get out of their car seats and ride in our laps and we drove through the park.  Most of the animals roam free and believe me, they know the drill.  They come right up to your car window and will stick their heads right in begging to be fed some of the feed you can buy there at the park.  Luke thought this was great, Leta mostly liked to see them from a distance.  We kept our window up when the animals were near.

The kids really enjoyed it and I'm really glad we managed to get that little outing in...as it turned out, our last as a family of four.  In the middle of the night that night (1:45am Friday morning) my water broke.  We called our good friend Shanna to come over.  Kyle packed up, helped me finish packing and getting things together etc.  I've learned a thing or two since having Luke so I was sure to grab a shower before we left for the hospital.  We arrived around 3am, wishing we'd got to bed earlier than we had =).

At 7:00am they decided that at the rate my (non) labor was progressing I might never have a baby, so they went ahead an induced me me.  I got my epidural at 10:30, and was soon feeling fine.   A little after 11:30 I sent Kyle off to have lunch knowing that it was probably now or never for him and eating.  5 minutes after he walked out the door, Max's heart rate dropped below 90 bpm.  He sure had me worried, but nothing was going to phase my veteran nurse (whom we had when I delivered Luke) and she was not worried since he was recovering nicely.  Dr. Goff (who was pinch hitting for Shanbour since he was gone) got to my room at 12:10 and Max was born at 12:30pm July 22, 2011.  He was 37 weeks 2 days along, so almost 3 weeks early.  He weighed 6lbs 8oz and was 19 1/2" long.  We noticed the nurses all clustering around Max's umbilical cord and then even measuring it.  Turns out, a normal umbilical cord is 28-30" long.  Max's was the longest that any of them had ever seen measuring in at 40".  When I take Max to the Dr. next week I hope to remember to ask him if he knows what determines cord length etc.  Max is completely healthy and doing great.  He's got a very high pitches cry and looks more like Kyle than the other two, I think.  He has less hair than Luke had, but more than Leta.

Leta's a big sister!

Big Brother!

Leta is pretty possessive of me and doesn't like it when I hold Luke (which isn't much of a problem since Luke isn't snugly with me at all.  But when he does let me hold him, she has to be held too and will hit him and try to push him off my lap.  I was VERY nervous as to how Leta would adjust.  So far, it seems I had nothing to worry about.  Leta is simply glad I had her baby for her.  She has to check on "BABY!" all the time and is very attentive when I change his diapers and will hand me a clean one to use.  She is very observant while he's eating and spends a great deal of time kissing his head.  Nothing will be able to distract this child from eating with all Leta's training!  We're doing well, but the true test will be when mom goes home and I don't have full-time, live-in help.

New Year's Resolutions

I know you have been dying to find out what my New Year's Resolution is.  I have, after all, made you wait until January 18th for this post.  Your minds are racing...

Here are a few things that I think you might be guessing.

1.  Stop procrastinating.
2.  Begin to wash all clothes by hand and then line dry them.
3.  Start making sour cream from scratch.  And my own aged cheese. The stinkier the better.
4.  Become the perfect mother.
5.  Discover a method so I will never have to feed my children again.  (They eat ALL the time.  Like 3 times a day plus snacks!)

Well, all your guesses are wrong.  My New Year's Resolution is so Resolution-y I didn't even wait until the new year to begin it.  I began in October.  That's right.  October.  And I'm still stickin' with it.

My New Year's Resolution:


To only wear yoga pants 1 day a week + days that Kyle is gone.


So far I've done it.  But I've noticed a few miscalculations on my part.  First.  It's Tuesday.  I've already used my one day for this week.  Second.  I'm pregnant and aren't yoga pants kinda like a uniform for pregnant people?

Leta's Room!

Here are pictures of what Leta's room looks like currently. Kyle just finished painting and WHAT A PAINT JOB IT WAS! There is still much to be done. Haven't organized her closet, thought about her bathroom, still need get started on curtains and hang something up on her walls! But, it's a good start and we'd be ready enough if she came tomorrow. Hopefully NOT, but her room is ready enough for her!

Another Dr. Visit

Luke coloring at his table.

I had another doctors appointment this afternoon. Which means I did TWO things today. Body & Soul, and the doctors appointment. A big day for me, so now I don't feel like cooking supper =) All is well with Leta, although I've moved into a new number in the tens place on my weight, which is never a happy time. My glucose test came back fine as I'd anticipated, but I did find out I'm anemic. I think I was supposed to know that my prenatal supplements were supposed to contain iron, but I'd been taking the ones without this whole time. Well done me. Anyway, I have some samples and a prescription to be filled now.

I reminded the doctor that Luke was 3 1/2 weeks early and asked if that means anything for this pregnancy, and he said, "Yes, generally expect to be about 3 1/2 weeks early this time too." So we'll see. I do have care for Luke all lined up. Luke's "Gigi" and Great Grandpa Wilbur will care for him the whole time we are in the hospital. If we have leave for the hospital in the middle of the night again, our kind neighbors are going to stumble across the street and go back to bed in our guest room and stay with him until Georgeanne and WT arrive to take over.

Kyle has one square left to paint on Leta's room and then I can really get in there and organize it and clean it up. It's a major construction zone right now and will be a pretty big job to get it looking halfway decent.

I'm 32 weeks along right now, and a doctor prediction at delivering early, so everyone needs to start locking in their delivery dates and Leta's length and weight. The person closest will win the bragging rights of ...well...being closest = D

On a side note, I was using a 3 hole punch last night and pinched my belly skin in it. Yeah. It hurt. My belly is just all sorts of in the way these days.

Body & Soul baby shower for Leta!

The wonderful ladies in my Body & Soul class had a shower for Leta and I this past Monday. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't prepared for what I got! It turned out to be a huge shower, with tons of yummy healthy snacks and way more generous hearts that I thought possible. Leta basically got all clothes (a few books and a blanket, too) and they were all SO CUTE.

Here is Luke holding Leta's mouse. It goes with the book, "If You Take a Mouse to the Movies"

Some of the gals. The girl in front is Kerri and she made the WONDERFUL diaper cake pictured below. That's her little boy, Jack, whom Luke loves. He's just a few months younger, but makes a good partner in crime back in childcare.

Sara (from Nebraska) and her three boys. Talk about determination to attend a baby shower!!!

Our wonderful childcare workers. Hope and Vicki, whom Luke calls "Bicki". Hope has her son Matthew with her much of the time and Luke loves them all. "Go Body Soul. Play Bicki. Play Hope Maf-ew".

I will say this for all of us. We just got done sweating for an hour...none of us has on make up, so trust me when I say, none of us are pictured at our best!

Ruth Ann Dreyer. My partner in crime.

AND THIS WASN'T ALL!

GORGEOUS!

Like Mommy

Luke and I at Leta's shower my Body and Soul girls threw for me.

Luke wearing Leta's tutu. Kyle was NOT impressed.

Luke was coloring this morning and dropped his colored pencil. He bent to pick it up and let out a huge grunt, "Aaaaggghhh" when he stood up, the looked at me and said, "Like Mommy."

So yeah. This is what being 31 weeks pregnant has done to my family.

Doctor Visit

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Shanbour. I was apparently supposed to take my glucose test, but I was completely unaware and you're not supposed to eat beforehand and I did, so I got to skip it. Until next month that is. Leta and I are both doing fine. I am supposed to get the flu shot AND the H1N1 vaccine. Stink. I guess we'll be getting that taken care of here in the next couple of days.

I am almost 27 weeks pregnant now so we're clicking right along. Luke's "big boy bed" is supposed to come today so we'll be moving the crib out of his room and into Leta's. I guess it's time to get started getting her nursery set up.

And her name is...

Luke "monkey crawling" on the wall at swimming lessons this morning.
Getting ready to JUMP!
He loves to jump in from the side. Here he is jumping to his swim instructor. Something he would NEVER have done last session. He wouldn't go to anyone but me. He's more brave about that this session.

More monkey crawling.
Riding a "noodle" with Mommy.

Here are some close ups of the quilt. I know most of you probably don't care, but I love this quilt. And I know Vicki (Kyle's mom) at the very least will appreciate seeing the colors we'll be doing in her room.



AND HER NAME IS:

LETA ELAINE SOPER. (Leta pronounced Lee-tah)

Bedding? Check.

Luke and Daddy digging in the dirt.
I tell you what! If you're wanting bedding that isn't super babyish (me thinking I don't to redecorate in a year etc) or that is super girly...you've got your work cut out for you! I finally settled on this Little Boy Blue Baby/Toddler quilt...meant for a boy, but I think it will be perfect for our Little Miss. This will go with the brown chair and green crib and changing table she will be inheriting from her big brother. I can't WAIT for it to get here in the mail so I can start matching colors from it and planning Kyle's future paint job =)

Cute Luke Story: Tonight at supper, Luke was telling us what/who he wanted to tell God thank you for, as he does every night. Tonight he said, Traver, Mommy, then looked at Kyle. And just looked with this VERY mischevious grin and burst out in huge belly laughs. Because he was on purpose "forgetting" Daddy. Cracked us all up.

Swimming lessons start tomorrow as does the Lapsit program at our local library. Luke loves that program. They play, sing, play games and read a story. He has no idea how much fun he's going to have tomorrow! Now that Kyle will be going to the same gym we take swimming lessons from, mabye I'll be able to get some pictures of Luke swimming. He's very splashy.

PS I made the Italian Omlet tonight with Mom's hashbrowns and they were both a hit. I'll have to include the Italian Omlet recipe in my next Meal Plan post. Very yummy and very inexpensive to make. Me gusta!!

And here she is!

It's a....

Girl!!!

We just wanted to be like Michael and Audra ; ) So now we'll start picking out names. I have ultrasound pictures, but our scanner is being stubborn so you'll have to wait to see her cute profile. She's healthy, has a brain and all her vital organs.

Oh yeah.

I felt the baby move for the first time two days ago.

Another Visit

This time to Dr. Shanbour. I completely forgot I had the appointment today until I saw the reminder on my email this morning at 8:30. My appointment was for 9:15. So I showered and got ready as fast as I could and made it there by 9:17. 2 minutes late. Not bad. I will try to do better next time. Kyle working from home definitely saved me today!!

I am almost 13 weeks pregnant now. I'm still in my regular clothes (except Sunday, when I wore a maternity dress to church, my skirts are not working for me any more), but I definitely have a "baby bump" to those who know me.

Dr. Shanbour came in to see me and before he listened to the heart beat mentioned that I would be having my big ultrasound in 6 weeks (They still have to call me to schedule so I don't know for sure when that will be yet) and I'll get to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. So I said, so I'm not having an ultrasound today then? Because last pregnancy I got one at my 11 week appointment. It was my favorite one because I could see the entire baby the whole time and could see him moving and kicking. *insert sweet, winning smile. AND IT WORKED! Shanbour went to see if that room was available and it was so I got to have an ultrasound today! The baby was laying face down, hiney up in the air and looks much more pregnant than I do. At first it was just lying there still, sleeping I guess, but then all the poking on it from the ultrasound got it going and it started kicking and wiggling. So cute. It was almost too big to see all of it at once, and I know that even next week, part of him would have been cut off. So I'm glad I got to have that ultrasound today. Here are the pics.

Breaking News. You heard it here first.

Well, if you think you can't see anything, that's because there really isn't much to see. There is a head. And a body area. Really the thing is more tadpole like than anything else. It's scheduled to make it's grand appearance January 23, 2010. Right now, it's keeping me on a quite rigorous napping schedule which is making it hard to get anything done, but this too shall pass.

We are VERY excited. Hip hooray for tadpole babies!