This one is a long one!

Ok, first, another doc appointment. The 24 hour urine test came back normal. So no more worries. I imagine they will leave me alone now. No change in my dilation at all, which I expect. I don't imagine I will change until labor actually starts. I stayed at 1 cm with Dylan until labor too. So anyway, it was an easy appointment. The only problem was that I sat in that stupid exam room for over an hour before the doc finally came in! Completely crazy. How can you leave a patient sit like that! Grr!!! Next appointment is Tuesday.
Now, to Christmas. Busy few days. Christmas Eve was pleasant because Ryan was home from work early, so it was nice to just all be together. After Dylan went to bed we put the gifts under the tree and stuffed the stockings.

Sorry the pic is sideways. I really don't feel like uploading these again. You get the idea anyway!
So when Dylan woke up on Christmas morning he came in the living room to turn on the tree like he does each morning and saw all of the gifts. He kept saying "wow! presents!" I think he repeated that 3 or 4 times before he turned and looked at me. He was thrilled! So we ate a quick breakfast and then started on the gifts. Dylan wasn't so thrilled about taking time to take a picture before he got going.

So he got some nice gifts, but not too many. Here is one more from that morning.



Later that day we went to Ryan's parents for Christmas dinner. The meal was good as always. I was very happy that Dylan was patient when it came time for the gifts. I worried that he would try and 'help' everyone else open gifts. I didn't want the other kids getting upset because Dylan wouldn't leave them alone. But he did very well. He patiently waited his turn to open each gift. Once again, he got some really nice toys. Here is one pic from that evening.

Again sorry that it is sideways. It takes too long to upload!

Then on Saturday, my mom's side of the family was coming down here for a lunch. Mom came down early to help this large pregnant woman cook an entire meal. Thanks mom! We cooked all kinds of stuff. The meal turned out great. Most everyone in the family made it down. We missed a couple though because of work. All of the kids seemed to get along well and played well together. Dylan can get a little out of control sometimes around other kids. He did some-what, but held it together for the most part. It was so nice to see all of the kids tear into their gifts. There's just something so nice about watching that all unfold! They all tore into their gifts and had most of their toys opened in probably 15 minutes. They all made out pretty well! Here is one pic from that day too.



So Sunday it was time to relax. We did nothing. We were able to get all of Dylan's gifts out and set up. I got the house almost back to normal. Sunday Dylan started to complain about his ear hurting. We kind of sat around that eve because he wasn't feeling well. Monday he didn't get to go to school because of his ear. I made him a doctor's appointment and sure enough he did have an ear infection. He got started on antibiotics. Now he seems to be completely fine. We are finishing the meds but they seemed to have done their job.

So today I got the tree stripped down. Its just waiting for Ryan to take it apart. I have been busy getting baby stuff ready too. I got Dylan's overnight bag packed and ready. I put all of baby's clothes put away into a dresser and laid out the outfits I want to take to the hospital for him. I still need to get my bag packed though. Bassinet and car seat are downstairs and cleaned, ready to go. I feel ready for the little one now. As ready as I can be. Dylan's new room still has had no progress which upsets me every time I walk by it, but there isn't anything I can do about it. All I can do is get the little stuff ready and try to keep the house together until we bring the little one home.
Ok, that's all from me now I think.
Happy New Year everyone

Yet another appointment this past week. Group b came back negative which is great. No worries there. But docs are still worried about the amount of protein in my urine each week. I haven't asked why they are so worried, because I didn't want to get myself upset. So I let them worry and figure it out. So anyway, they wanted me to do a 24 hour urine test. I had to take home this hideous brown gallon jug and catch all of my urine in that for 24 hours. Then I took it back to the office and along with that, they took some blood. I will hopefully find out what is going on at my next appointment on Monday. I have been told that it can be a sign of preeclampsia. Here is some info from Web-Md. http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/preeclampsia-eclampsia

Today is Christmas Eve! Yay. I cant wait to have Dylan open his gifts in the morning. It will be a lot of fun. I got most of the house straightened up yesterday. I have the kitchen and bathroom to take care of today. I always leave them until the end, because they are so easy to wreck! I also have a few things to make today for tomorrow and Saturday. I could get a lot more done in a shorter amount of time if I didn't have so much discomfort going on in my lower belly. And then after I'm on my feet for too long, they swell. Oh well, should be a good day today!
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope to have some pictures to post next time!

I had my appointment today. Everything is going ok. No issues this time at all. I was tested for group b strep, and will get the results next time, but I don't think I have to worry about it. The appointment itself didn't last long. They did check my progress and said that I am dialated about 1 cm. No big deal. I go back each week now. The next appointment is on Tuesday.
So nothing else going on. We have a few things planned for the weekend. Nothing on Saturday, but staying home and staying warm. Sunday we have a couple of places to be.

We took Dylan up to the firehouse to see Santa last night. By looking at the pictures you can tell he is a little unsure about the whole process. Santa tried to talk to him, but he didn't say much back. Anyway, he sat on his lap at least and almost gave me a good photo op.



Other than that, not much. I almost got my Christmas shopping done. The only thing left is Ryan's stocking stuffers. Which isn't easy. I have a couple of ideas, but we'll see if I can get what I want. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I hope to take care of it all then after the appointment. Hopefully the appointment won't last long and everything is ok. Last weeks appointment didn't end on the greatest of notes.
I can't wait for Christmas!

Have you noticed, I don't do titles?

Yeah, I'm not creative.
Kind of a busy weekend. But it really has been a nice one. Friday we took Dylan and met with my Grandparents. They wanted to enjoy his energy for the weekend, so who am I to say no. So we met them, had a nice lunch and then it was just Ryan and I. We did a few things in town we needed and wanted to do. Then Ryan had to be up at the firehouse to help clean up for the Christmas dinner that was today. So we stopped in there. We were there very very late so after that, we crashed for the night. We didn't do much today though. Mainly a few little things around the house, getting things back in order around here. This eve then was the Christmas dinner at the firehouse for all the volunteers and their families. It was a nice dinner, good company. So here I sit, very tired, but happy.
I did call earlier and check on Dylan. Grandma said he wasn't being very good. Which is very easy for me to believe. He has been kind of rough to deal with lately. I really hope it is just some phase he is going through. But he can be, well, a pain. He has taken to back talking. And whichever form of punishment we try, nothing works. It is extremely frustrating. I just don't know what else to do other than what I am doing.
Anyway, I never have heard back from the doctor's office on my tests they sent out, so things must be ok. I have another appointment at the end of the week. This time, I will just watch what I eat before the appointment and see if that helps. Also, so far Dylan has shown no signs of chicken pox. So for the time being, that is great. Fingers crossed still though, because from what I read on the net, we are still within that window that something could still show up.
Christmas is sneaking up on me. I still have people to get for. Gift cards mainly, but I still need something for Ryan and I still need to get both him and Dylan's stocking stuffers. The week of Christmas we are kind of busy, so this week is really my last chance to get what I need. Oh, and I still have Christmas cards that need to go out! I ran out of stamps and kept forgetting to get some more. Great. Man this month is just flying by! Where does all of the time go anymore?

Where to start....well, first off, we got Dylan's future room all cleaned out. We put up the bed and got it where it needs to be. Now we just need the doorway. We have heard nothing from the guy who is supposed to be working on it. Who said he would have it all done by January. So yeah...still worried about all of that. We also got out Christmas tree put up. I am working on getting it decorated now. We've been staying pretty busy around here, but it feels good to get things done. No matter how little they are.
Yesterday when I picked Dylan up from school there was a sign on the door letting everyone know that there had been cases of chicken pox in some of the kids in the school. No one was every at the school with the actual spots, but had developed them over the weekend. So its possible that LAST Monday, Dylan was exposed to a child who was developing the virus. Although it was probably minimal exposure considering he was there for only a few hours on Monday, but it is still possible. I was completely ok with that. Chicken pox is really no big deal. Ryan and I chose to opt out of that particular vaccine for the time being with Dylan, so that he could be exposed and get natural immunity. So we know that he will get them at some point. We'll come back to this in a little bit.
I had my regular check up today. I am 34 weeks along now. Wow...
Baby's heartbeat was 144, which is good. My blood pressure was good as well. However, when they tested my urine they said that the protein and glucose in the urine was high. They are going to send it off for more testing. She said it could have been from my breakfast or there could be some sort of infection going on. The test will take 48 hours. So if I don't hear back from them by Friday, I will be in the clear. I really hope that there isn't something wrong. I am so close to the end of this pregnancy, it would be sad to have complications now.
So while I was there after all of that, I wanted to ask the doc about being exposed to the chicken pox. I told her the situation, told her we don't know yet if he has it, because there aren't spots yet, told her that I've had them already. I wanted to know if there were any precautions that I needed to take if Dylan does get them. Honestly I figured she'd say don't worry things will be fine. Well, apparently during pregnancy it doesn't matter if you've had them or not, they can cause problems. If Dylan does get them, then I have to go in for blood work so they can look for the virus and see if its old or new and then monitor me from then on depending on the results. It would mean more blood work and ultrasounds until delivery. She said that ideally, I should stay away from anyone with the active virus, but she knows that with your own child it's just not possible, so tests and more tests for me to make sure things are ok. I had NO idea that it would be a big deal since Ive already had them and the baby is safe inside of me, with my immunity! So instead of being ok or comfortable with Dylan getting the chicken pox I am now worried that he will get them. I know that if he gets him he will be just fine. Now its me and the baby that I worry about.
So let's all keep our fingers crossed that the urine test comes back fine and that Dylan does NOT develop the chicken pox!
With all of that worry its so close to Christmas. I just want the pregnancy to end well and Christmas to come and go happily. I am looking forward to Christmas. I just want it to be a happy time of year.
Speaking of Christmas 90% of my gifts have been bought. There are a few last minute things to get, but they will be very easy to get so it's not a big deal. I do still need something good for Ryan though. He isn't easy to buy for!

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Ours was pretty good. Dylan could have acted better though. Really it's my fault. I let him get away with a lot more than any other time. Our meal was good and it was so nice to sit and talk with family. We just don't get to see each other as much as we should. Dylan is tired. He played hard with the kids today. But like I said, he got away with more than he should have. Ryan had to work today so he was basically on call. He did a couple of runs. But he couldn't be with Dylan and I at my family's. In between runs, he was in the combine trying to run the rest of the corn. Hopefully in the next day or 2 they will be done with it all and finally put harvest to a rest. The weather certainly turned today. Its cold and windy now.
The sales this year at all of the stores just aren't as good as they have been I don't believe. Looking at the ads it seems like the price mark downs aren't as big as they have been in the past. Maybe I'm wrong. No going out for me this year. There just doesn't seem to be anything out there I want to get for anyone. If I had a bunch of money, of course there are things I could go buy for myself. I just don't have that big bunch of money! So this year now that it is cold, windy and rainy, I will still be asleep at 5am, rather than standing in line. I think I can handle that though.
Now it is on to thoughts of Christmas. I am anxious to put up my tree, but I think I will hold off for a little while. I really should do other things first before spending the day putting up a tree. But we'll see. I just need more energy. Or a maid. Really it would be someone that I would order around and do things FOR me. I could get more done if someone were to do the work for me, haha! But I don't think there is anyone that would go for that. Maybe one day it will all get done.

I had a doctor appointment today. All is well. I am 32 weeks along now. I really can't believe it. No problems with the baby or with me. It was another quick appointment. I was told that the baby is sitting head down right now. His heartbeat was 148 which is good. I go back again in a couple of weeks.
Let's see...what else has been going on. Not much really. We had a good weekend. I feel like we got a few things accomplished. Dylan still doesnt have a new room to go to, but we did get his mattress. Its leaning against the wall. And will probably hold that wall up for sometime. Who knows if that room will get done. Im not happy about the whole situation right now, but there isn't anything that I can do about it.
I still have some Christmas shopping to do, but I got a great start on it over the last week. We have a lot of gift cards to buy, which I will leave until last minute. So there are still a few people that I want to get specific gifts for. I have a lot of toys to wrap in the meantime!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tired. We spent all morning and part of the afternoon shopping. Dylan did great! He only had one little fit. I got most of the kids in the family taken care of for Christmas. The thing that I wanted for Dylan, I didn't find. So I am still looking out for that, but luckily it is still early, so I should be able to find it.
That is as exciting as its been around here. It felt good for me to get out for the day and do something. Of course it helped that Dylan was being so good. We don't have anything else going this week. Next week is busy though. There is something just about everyday.
It's almost turkey day!

I had another doctor appointment yesterday. All looks well. I did pass my glucose test. The appointment lasted only like 5 minutes. The little man's heartbeat was in the 150s, which is good. I forgot to mention to them that I went ahead and got the h1n1 vaccine. Oh well, no big deal. I go back in 2 weeks for another check up. Im sure that one too will be 5 minutes.
Things have been kind of crazy in the last week, but we all made it through.
November seems to be going by quite fast. The middle of the month is already here, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Of course all of this means that the baby's due date is that much closer.
I still worry about that room for Dylan being done. Im glad the bathroom is started, but I wish we knew someone else who could work on that room at the same time. I know I keep saying it, but I just want all of that stuff done before the baby gets here. I dont want to have to worry about anything like that going on after the baby gets here. I just want to focus on Dylan and the baby, not construction and mess.
Oh well, I could go on and on, but I won't.

We had a decent weekend. We actually got a few things done in Dylan's soon to be room. We got the computer desk moved out and went and got a new light for the room. Right now there is a huge gaudy chandelier in there. Hopefully Ryan will get time soon to put up the new light. There are somethings that I can do alone as well that I need to get moving on. Still now word from the guy to do the work though. Other than that we didn't do too much. I've got only about 10 weeks left in this pregnancy, give or take a few days of course. I can't believe it!

I also wanted to share some pictures I took of Dylan a few weeks back. I really love the second one, but it has those stupid sun spots in it! I don't know how to edit them out, even if it is possible.

We dressed up Dylan for trick or treating! Up until that evening we weren't sure if we were going to dress him up and go. He got a couple of hand me down costumes not too long ago, so we had something on hand. Ryan had to be at the firehouse to hand out candy, so I just met him up there with our little bunny rabbit. Dylan seemed to really like being in the costume. He didn't mind the ears at all. He wanted to keep them on. We went to about 5 or 6 houses around the firehouse. Dylan did well. He said "trick or treat" about half of the time. He seemed to enjoy the whole experience. This was the first time we took out for Halloween.

Well I had another appointment last week. Everything looks good. I had to take my glucose test. My weight is looking great this time around. So far I have kept it well under control. Which is so unlike last time! As far as the glucose test goes, if I don't get a phone call, then everything is ok. So far, I have had no phone call, so I am hoping that is a good sign. When I was pregnant with Dylan I just barely passed that test. I go back to the doc on November 12th. And every 2 weeks after that as well.
For the last few days I have been so congested. Not sure what is going on with that. No other symptoms except the congestion. It could be my sinuses a little messed up from this back and forth weather we've been dealing with. Hopefully it doesn't develop into anything else. Fingers crossed!
Today while the baby was flopping around I had Dylan put his hand on my belly. He felt a kick. The look on his face made me think it freaked him out a little bit. Of course I laughed. He kinda smiled and took his hand off my tummy.
Still no news on Dylan's new room. Really I am getting worried that it wont be done before the new baby gets here. I just don't want all of that happening with a new baby in the house. Its just too much. I keep hoping that he will show up one day and get started.

Dylan's birthday went well. We had to different parties to avoid too many people being cramped in the house. He got a fantastic mix of toys and clothes. Everything was just right, and he was so thrilled with the toys. He just loves his new toys. I was so nice to sit and talk with everyone too. Everyone stuck around for a while after gifts and cake and talked, which made for a great day. Dylan was thrilled about his birthday cake as well. For some reason the boy is obsessed with birthday cake! He blew out the candles like a pro. He knew exactly how to do it.
So lets get through some pictures!
Here are the cakes for each day. One is spongebob, the other is dinosaurs!



Here he is getting some of his gifts

It was a good weekend, but I am so tired. Dylan is too. He went to bed early both nights since he missed his nap on both days. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

This week we both have doctor appointments. It is Dylan's 3 year check up on Wednesday and then I have my monthly appointment on Thursday. That day I have my glucose test. It will be a long appointment that day. Hopefully I pass and don't have to worry about gestational diabetes. I try to watch what I eat. Aside from this weekends cake, I have been doing so good at staying away from the sweets. So I hope it all goes well. After this appointment I will be starting the 2 week appoinments. At the end of the week I will cross over into my third trimester. I can't believe it! If only we could come up with a name for the little man!

Well I think I finally finished straightening up the house. I am so tired from the last couple of days. By no means is the house perfect, but it looks so nice! Why can't it stay this clean? I tried telling Dylan that today was his birthday. He just laughs for some reason. Everything is ready for the weekend. Hopefully most everyone shows up. It will just be nice to see everyone again.
The last couple of nights I haven't been sleeping very well. My stomach has just been aching for some reason. So it's been keeping me up at night. Hopefully the exhaustion I feel now will just knock me out tonight!

Wow, I am 6 1/2 months along! Yay!
We had a nice weekend. Dylan was away, so I got a lot of things done around the house that I needed to do. While I was out on Friday, I finally managed to find a cute outfit for the new little one. I wanted to find him at least one new outfit from us to bring him home in. Finally something caught my eye. I bought 2 of the same outfit. I got one in the newborn size and one in the next size up, just in case he is a bigger baby. Dylan was a tiny one, just over 6 pounds, but this one could be bigger! He sure feels like it!
As I was putting some things in the attic that Dylan is grown out of, I drug out some baby stuff. Its all sitting in our bedroom until I can get it into the baby's room. The baby's room will be the one Dylan is in now. Dylan will move to a bigger room as soon as we get some work done on it. I find myself getting anxious over that fact that the work isn't done, or isn't started! I kinda stew over it every now and then.
This weekend is Dylan's birthday. I can't believe that he will be 3 years old already. Why do they have to grow so fast? Nothing too big planned, just family for his party. Either way, as long as there is birthday cake, the boy will be more than happy. He is fixated on birthday cake for some reason. I will post pictures next week. Hopefully all goes well this weekend.
This little one moves so much! I swear he is much more active than Dylan was at this time. I wish I could see what he was doing in there. The way my belly moves and changes shape makes me wonder what he is up to. Constant rolling, and flipping. I don't remember Dylan moving so much. I am not complaining though. I love to feel them move. It is the best part of being pregnant.

Ok, I just have to mention something. Today I go to Walmart, and decide to find a long sleeve shirt. Obviously it needs to be a maternity shirt. I find the one rack they have and its all short sleeve. I ask the lady at the fitting room if that's all they have. She tells me that's all they have because walmart thinks that maternity clothes are becoming a thing of the past! What?! She says they stopped carrying maternity pants and shirts will be next to stop. She said they think that women are just wearing normal clothes instead of maternity! I'm sorry but MOST women, cant wear normal clothes throughout their pregnancy. Certainly not pants. That is just ridiculous of a large store like that to stop carrying maternity! Honestly I am beginning to think that walmart isn't the only store either. Its just ridiculous.

Gloomy, rainy, blah. That's been the last few days here. I have been trying my best to get things done around the house. Basically trying to de-clutter the whole downstairs. So far it's not going all that well. Dylan has been my main roadblock. As soon as I get something done, the booger goes behind me and un-does it. I got the fridge cleaned out. That was getting bad. Lets just leave it at that. I want to get the soon to be bedroom cleaned out as well, but man that is not easy. There is a lot of stuff in that room. My hope is to move Dylan into the room where our computer is now and put the new little boy into Dylan's old room. Dylan will get a little bigger of a room that way.
We also want to get Dylan moved over to a regular bed. That could be interesting. I don't want to move the crib. Dylan is old enough anyway to be in a normal bed. The challenge will just be getting him to stay in bed once we put him there! Once we get a doorway built for the room we can get moving on all of this.
Basically we need progress in this house, and that is not happening. I am getting antsy with it all too. I want to get things moving.
It's killing me not to go buy the few things I need for this new baby. I want baby stuff! But there is no point in buying it so early, so I am doing my best to hold off. Its not easy though! Once Dylan is moved then I can get all of the clothes down and ready. Along with all the other infant things we stored away.
Anyway...

We finally made it to the zoo on Saturday! We went up to Columbus. It has been so long since I've been there. We made it through everything. I'm pretty sure we didn't miss anything. Dylan did very well. A couple of times he showed a bit of an attitude, but it never lasted long. When I got him up that morning I told him we were going to the zoo and told him what kind of animals lived at the zoo. After that he was ready to go. He seemed to focus a lot on the elephant for some reason. I don't remember what we saw first. We did get to see the elephant he was wanting to see.

Some of the animals were napping which did make it a little difficult for him to see, but it didn't seem to bother him much. The tiger was putting on a show for everyone. It kept pacing in front of the window.

Dylan was able to touch a snake.

The gorillas were out and showing themselves. It looked like one of them was meditating. The other was right up to the window showing off.

There was an orangutan that stayed close to the window. Taking pictures was a little difficult. The glares from the glass kept me from taking a lot of pictures. I kept the flash off in most cases. If I didn't then you wouldn't be able to see anything.

They had a lot of really beautiful birds through out the zoo.

This animal seemed odd to us. We had never heard of an okapi before. It looked like the animal had the head of a giraffe, and the legs of a zebra.

Once we saw the okapi, it kind of dawned on us that there were no giraffes or zebras!! I thought every zoo had zebras and giraffes. Guess not. They must be going for more unknown animals now.

We ate at a food court inside the zoo. Luckily they had stuff that I knew was ok for Dylan to eat. He ate well that's for sure. We got to the zoo at around 10 and left around 2 after we had seen everything. It was getting very busy by the time we were heading out. The aquarium part was a little disappointing. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Dylan didn't get to touch any animals in the aquarium either because the touch pool was closed for a break. I think they scheduled themselves an hour break and the aquarium was one of the last things we saw, so we weren't going to stick around for an extra hour.

Overall it was a good day. We all enjoyed ourselves. But my feet were a little swollen after all the walking. I kind of expected that though. Dylan finally fell asleep when we were about 15 minutes from home. I was hoping he would fall asleep shortly after we left the parking lot. You could tell he was exhausted. But he fought sleep just about the whole way home.

We had our ultrasound on tuesday. We are having a boy! They say from what they can see that he is growing well. We were told that he appears to be in the 60th percentile for growth which is good. He was moving around a lot during the ultrasound so it didn't take long for the tech to get the measurements she needed. It was nice to finally see the little booger. Now we can start to work on names. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to decide. The more we mention that he is getting a baby brother, the more he starts to listen. I don't think that he completely gets it all, but I don't expect him too. But he gets that there is a baby in mommy's belly. Obviously he has no idea what a brother is though.


Other than that there hasn't been much happening. Kind of uneventful. Not sure what he have going on this weekend yet.


Anyway, below are some pictures of from the ultrasound.


legs and boy stuff

face and midsection

There were a few more pictures but mainly of the same stuff. There is no denying the boy in this one though!

It's been a little while since I have posted. Not much going on. Tuesday is the big day for the ultrasound. This week has just been dragging on and on! I have been feeling pretty good lately. Aside from the headaches things aren't going too bad. We haven't been up to a whole lot really. We just had our 5 year anniversary! We didnt do much, just went out to dinner. But dinner went well.
I dont have much to say really. I am just so excited to get that ultrasound on Tuesday! Then I think it will finally feel like I am getting somewhere with this pregnancy. I am almost 22 weeks along and it seems to be dragging! Anyway I hope the baby cooperates so we can see the gender!

This weekend I will be 20 weeks. That is officially the halfway point! Seems like way too long to go though. Hopefully once the holidays hit, it will all move faster. I feel movement all day everyday and it is wonderful. I didn't feel so much so early with Dylan, so this is fantastic. I enjoy every minute of it. When I get up in the middle of the night to pee, I must wake the little on up, because once I lay down again, I can feel him or her flip flopping around. Still counting down to 15th. I can't wait to see him or her!
Not much else happening. The Durango is out of service for the time being. The check engine light came on the other day. Ryan took it in to have it looked at and we need a new computer for the transmission. We will take it in on Monday. Until then we can't drive it because they told us that the transmission could fail at anytime. Ugh. Luckily it is still under warranty, so we won't have to pay that bill.
No plans for the weekend. I'm so glad that it wont be hot outside either!
Sometime in the next 2 or 3 weeks, I will have to get a plan together for Dylan's 3rd birthday party. This year we are scaling it back to only close family. Every other time, we invited everyone just about on Ryan's side and its getting to be a little too much. So from now on, we will go smaller. I just have to get a date set really. But that is not easy with every ones schedule.

Nice weekend! Saturday we didn't do anything. The weather was so nice this weekend. It was cool enough for me to be comfortable. I had bought a bunch of meat that was on sale at Kroger. Slabs of pork ribs and a couple of big pork loins. Today Ryan cooked a couple of slabs of ribs in the big smoker along with a pork loin. So good!!! Smoked meat is just awesome. This was the first time cooking ribs in the smoker, so that was a learning experience. Hopefully next time we will get them a little more tender. Still tasted great. A couple of people came over to enjoy the meal with us. It was a nice evening.
Not much in store for this week. No plans for anything. I am ready for a good nights sleep!

I had another baby appointment today. Once they found the baby, his or her heartbeat was strong. It was about 156. It was a very short appointment, but they said everything looks good. My next checkup will be on September 15 which will be the ultrasound. So hopefully the little one isn't stubborn and we can find out the gender. We could have had the ultrasound sooner, but it just made sense to wait until the next appointment anyway, that way he or she is developed well and the doctor can see everything they want to see, and we can see what we want to see. So until then no big news on the baby front. But all is well!

Well I said that I have been feeling the baby move for a little bit now. Last night I was able to put my hand on my stomach and feel the movement from the outside! This is so much earlier than what is was with Dylan. Feeling the baby move is just the best part of pregnancy. I am so thrilled to feel all of this already. My next appointment is on Monday. Nothing too exciting I'm sure, just the usual heartbeat, blood pressure, "how do you feel" type of things.
We haven't been up to a whole lot. The heat has been horrible on me. Mainly the high humidity. The air is just so heavy most days. Today was actually a decent day, but it isn't going to last they say. Back to the humidity tomorrow. Monday Ryan and I are going to Hollywood Casino for a short getaway. I'm looking forward to it. A short break will be good for me. Its not Vegas, but I guess it will have to do for now, haha! We will go back to Vegas at some point though!

Not much.
Monday we finally put the sand in Dylan's sandbox. He played in there for a long time. That was the last thing to do on the play set. I haven't been feeling too bad most of the week. Still not much of an appetite. Now its going to get hot outside which will make me downright miserable.
Last night Ryan and I went to a Reds game with some friends. They ended up with 2 extra tickets. Luckily Ryan didn't have to work so we were able to go. It was fun. The Reds actually won too! A night out without Dylan was kind of a refresher for me in the middle of the week.
I realized the other day that I haven't taken any pictures lately at all! Ive been slacking on that. So I am charging the batteries tonight and hope to get a few in the next few days. Its probably been a couple of months since I have taken a picture of Dylan and that is just awful!
Occasionally I can feel the baby move now. Ryan thinks I am nuts, but I know that is what I am feeling. I can't wait until Ryan and Dylan can feel the little one move.
No plans for the weekend.

We had a nice weekend. My grandparents offered to take Dylan for the whole weekend! So of course, I couldn't turn that one down. They said that he did well. I am sure that he enjoyed himself a lot. They picked him up on Friday and brought him back on Sunday. I didn't get much done on Friday, but Ryan and I did get to go to a late dinner, which was just so nice. Saturday turned out to be a busy day. I did get a few things done around the house that needed to be done. I feel like a got a lot accomplished that day! Saturday I actually felt well too! Sunday morning Ryan and I went out to breakfast. I don't remember the last time we went to breakfast anywhere!
This morning we are back to normal. I didn't feel great yesterday for some reason. This morning didn't start off well either. I hope the rest of the day goes better. Dylan was ready for school this morning. When I dropped him off he didn't give me a second look! He was gone. At least he enjoys going. We have quite a few things going on this week in the evenings. Should be a good week.

Is it too early?

Ok, so I have another stupid habit (which I blame on boredom) in the afternoons while Dylan is napping comes on the weekends. Its called QVC. Ryan is working, Dylan is napping, so I am alone with myself. I sometimes find myself watching this shopping channel. Especially the kitchen shows. Anyway, this weekend again Ryan is working, Dylan is asleep. I would love to take a nap, but for some reason, I cant fall asleep. QVC here I come. They are doing "Christmas in July" right now. Everything they have on focuses on Christmas time.
So is it too early to be wanting the holidays to be here? I wish that it were Thanksgiving time and getting close to Christmas. First of all, the food. Always ready for all the food. But also, the families. Its nice to see everyone and just sit and talk. Usually everyone clears the whole day, so nothing is rushed and it is so nice to have that time. At Christmas time, I really enjoy having everyone here. I enjoy cooking the food and having all my family in one house. Its so nice to watch all of the kids rip open their gifts. It brings back good memories for me as well. Again, no one is rushed and we all just sit and talk. Christmas usually brings us all into one room for the gifts and allows us all to talk. Now, that doesn't happen very often. There seems to be so many of us anymore, its hard to get everyone together, let alone in one room! I just hope that this year, I won't be too uncomfy in the end of my pregnancy to have everyone here. I will do whatever I can to have them all down here. Its just so nice to invite them all here.
And since I mentioned it, Thanksgiving and Christmas time means that the baby will be here soon. And that in itself is enough to wish for the holidays!
I could do without the snow and ice that usually comes with that time of year.

So far I'm not feeling too bad today. Big difference from the last few days. Dylan and I ran some errands this morning. I am so thankful that it is cool outside and will stay cool for at least another week. I could not handle this morning sickness and the 90 degree weather. I am so glad it has been a cool month. Keep them coming!
Well it happened last time I was pregnant and it is happening again. In the afternoons now when Dylan is napping, I have a bad habit of watching baby shows on TLC or Discovery Health. Shows like "A Baby Story" or "Birth Day", and there is another one but I can't think of the name! I cant stand watching them when I am not pregnant, but when I am, I really enjoy them. Really don't know why that is, but oh well!
We have nothing planned for this weekend. Ryan works both days, which will make for a boring weekend. I hate when he works both days, but its hard to turn down overtime. We need all we can get while its available.
Wow, nothing really exciting to tell...big suprise!

We had a good weekend for the most part! Friday I wasn't feeling well, but I made it through. Saturday we went to a family reunion with Ryan's mom's family. It went well. That morning Dylan woke up not feeling well. We still don't know what was wrong with him. He never would say. Anyway, it was almost like he may have had a migraine. But we really don't know. So we went to the reunion, it was nice. We didn't know a lot of people, but that's to be expected I think. Dylan got to see his mamaw and papaw, so that's always nice. Afterwards the plan was for us to take Dylan to mom's so he could spend the night there and Ryan and I had tickets for the Nascar truck race in Kentucky so we were going to go there. Well, we left the reunion later than expected and with Dylan not 100% we really didn't want to be all the way in Kentucky. But after the reunion we just didn't really have to time to get all the way down to the track. So Dylan still stayed with mom and Ryan and I ended up back in Wilmington just running some errands and having dinner.
Dinner by the way was NOT very good at all! We went to Damon's because we had a coupon for one free dinner. We weren't all that hungry so we just ordered burgers. Mine was a little over cooked, and both of our side dishes were way too salty! The waiter was a spaz too. We tried to make the best of it. We took our time and played trivia. But it was nice to get out together. Dylan did great with mom. Somehow he even convinced her to go to walmart. He got some new blocks out of the deal. When I picked him up the morn we ran to the outlet mall in hopes of me getting some maternity clothes. We only got to one store before Dylan had a meltdown. I did get a couple of shirts. I hate buying clothes! They cost too much!!! After that we came home and ended our weekend!

Today was my doctors appointment. It went well. I was not feeling well at all this morning. I started of staring at the toilet! Anyway, made it to the doctors. Today was the first time hearing the heartbeat. Basically it took forever to find the heartbeat, and I was panicked for a bit. The doctor told me while she was looking for the heartbeat that if she couldn't find it soon they would do an ultrasound. Thankfully she found it, and it was good. The little one's heartbeat averaged 140. All in all I was told things look good. I told the doctor that I was paranoid and worried this time around, and she kind of laughed and said "its not ignorant bliss this time around is it?" Hearing the heartbeat relaxed me a bit. I was given another med for the morning sickness. I have only taken my second dose, so no idea on how it will work yet. I have to watch my weight for a while too. If I loose much more before my next appt, then I need to go back for more drastic measures. So I will do my best to prevent that. Overall, I am happy with the appointment. Like I said, I am relieved to hear the heartbeat. It will be September when we get our ultrasound! Hopefully then we will know if it is a boy or girl.
Oh, on that note, the nurse today when she was looking for the heartbeat, she kept referring to the baby as "he." Ryan told her not to say that because its a girl! I keep telling him otherwise and he isn't listening, ha ha!

Today was another rough day. Sick for almost the whole day. Did I mention that I made it through the first trimester?? This weekend was the end of the first trimester. Only 2 more long trimesters go.
Thursday I go back to the doctors. We will get to hear the heartbeat this time, finally. I hate waiting this long to get confirmation that things are going ok. I only get 1 ultrasound too. I wish they would check to make sure things are ok sooner than now. Some practices (although none around here) will give multiple ultrasounds to check heartbeats or development. I wish I had that security earlier. I don't know why it is bothering me so much this time around. With Dylan I was anxious, but it didn't really bother me that we have to wait so long, but this time it is. If they would have just added an earlier ultrasound then I would have been happy.

First things first. I am so tired and frustrated with being sick every single day. The frustration of all of this is really getting to me. 24/7 it feels like I am going to puke. I can barely function most days. I am just so tired of this. I just feel like sitting down and crying my eyes out. Its stressful.

Ok, now on the other things. Nothing new around here at all. Like I said I can barely function so nothing is happening.
I was having a conversation with mom the other day about the sex of the baby. I am 13 weeks along now, so I could be anywhere from 4-8 weeks away from finding out if it is a boy or a girl. I got out the name book we have and was going over my list of boy and girl names. I have a decent list for each. A couple of favorites for each as well. Now Ryan on the other hand only has a list of girl names so far. That seems to be the only thing on his mind. Girl names. He really would like to have a girl, so honestly, I don't think he has put much thought into boy names. I told him he needs to! I feel like this will be a boy as well. With Dylan I had no feeling one way or the other. I don't know why I feel like this will be a boy, I just do. Ryan says I will jinx it and make it a boy if I keep referring to the baby as 'he' or 'him'.
So which would I like to have this time around? No clue. If we were to have another boy, great, we already have all the clothes we need, we wont have to buy anything other than diapers and wipes. If we were to have a girl this time around, then great. It will be a new experience all around. But, just one thing. I am scared to raise a girl. Boys seem to have things easier growing up. School life especially seems easier for boys. Girls are cruel to one another. Clothes, social status, cliques, and looks in general just seem to be more important to girls growing up than boys. Boys seem to make friends easier. I'm not a girly girl, never was. I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to be a girly mom. I don't fix hair, I probably couldn't braid to save my life, and I hate pink. I know nothing about fashion. I buy my clothes as cheap as possible and plain. I'm afraid I wouldn't dress her well enough, fix her hair right, or do the things she needs to make enough friends. There just seem to be so many scary things or situations that come along with trying to properly raise a girl, and I doubt myself a lot in that area. Yet even with all of those fears, I would still like to try. So I guess there are pros and cons to either one, and I am so glad that WE aren't the ones who decide boy or girl. I am so glad that it is out of our hands. I could never make that decision myself.
Soon we will know one way or another (hopefully). We havent really talked about it, but I imagine we will do things the same this time around. Tell everyone the sex of the little one, but keep the name quiet until he or she is born.

I hate to complain even more, but it's going to happen. So Saturday night, late I started feeling pretty bad, and started to lose my voice. Just figured it was the weather as we were outside all evening. Sunday, no better. Woke up in the middle of the night with horrible ear pain. With the ear pain I decided to go to my family doctor. Turns out, I have a sinus infection as well as an ear infection. Great. I am still miserable today. I have partial hearing because I am so clogged up in my face. And my face just hurts. I can't get the stuff to move out. Doc gave me a RX for an antibiotic, and told me to take it only if its not getting any better since there is a slight risk (very slight) to the baby. Also told me to get the final ok from my OB before I take the med. So since I'm not doing any better today, I call the OB office to get the ok. Now keep in mind all I need from that office is a 'yes' or a 'no' and nothing more. Its now 9pm, the office is closed and they haven't called me back! I'm so frustrated! And now, if they do manage to call me back tomorrow, then I won't be able to fill that RX. Ryan will have to try to do it while he is at work tomorrow if he has time, because my car is out of commission for a couple of days. No car means no driving to the pharmacy. I am so mad at that frickin office for not returning my phone call!
So yes I am complaining yet again, but I think in this case I am allowed. Morning sickness, and now this stupid infection in my head. GRR!!!
I wish I had something more interesting to talk about, but nooooooo

Well Dylan made it through the Reds game. Ryan said he did very well. They had most of the row to themselves so he was able to move around. They also walked around the stadium a bit. Im glad that he did so well. He was wound up when they got home!

When I woke up this morning I thought I may be past the sickness. I felt well, but still had no appetite. Well now that I ate lunch, I don't feel so great. So I guess I'm not over it yet. Last night I was actually able to make a decent dinner. My first trimester is over on July 11th I think so, I should start feeling better around then, I hope!
I finally popped though the other day. I think I can safely say its not bloat anymore. Its a little earlier this time around than it was with Dylan, but I expected it to happen earlier. With the extra weight I have been carrying since Dylan didn't help matters. The insides are pushing against the fat on my gut so thats probably why I am showing earlier. I will probably "look" further along than I really am during this whole pregnancy.
I am so glad the weather has been cooler. I know that is helping me feel at least a little better. Tomorrow Ryan is going to that Reds game. He is still planning on taking Dylan, so that will be a nice break for me!

Ok, so today I am starting medicine #2. Today was not a good day. I called the doctor and she got back to me very quickly. So we will see in a few days how this one is going. The first one didn't help at all.
Headaches have been hitting me off and on these last few days now too. We haven't been up to much lately. It's been so stinkin hot out! The heat, humidity and my nausea do not mix. I can't take it, and it only makes me feel worse. So Dylan and I haven't been outside much either. If I werent sick, then I could handle it.
Next week Ryan and his dad have tickets for a Reds game. Ryan is thinking about taking Dylan with them. I don't think Dylan would do that well through a 3 hour game, but I guess we may find out. If he decides not to take Dylan, then I will understand! Then of course it is the 4th! We have plans to get together with friends, so that should be nice. Dylan will enjoy it also. He will finally be out of the house!

Today wasn't the greatest. I haven't felt well at all today, but what's new, huh?
Friday we took Chloe to the vet to be spayed. So we don't have to deal with any puppies. I thought for sure that she would be sluggish and lazy today recovering, but NOOOOO she was hyper as can be. If I had stitches in my tummy I know for sure I'd be laying around for a few days! She's a tough one.
Last night we had a line of storms go through. They weren't a big deal, and not a lot of rain either. Well, 2 hours after they go through our stinkin electric goes out! So its about 5 am when it goes out. So I do my best to go back to sleep and get a little more sleep before the house heats up too much to sleep. I managed a couple more hours. The power company didn't get the power back on until 11:30! How does the weather cause an outage, when the weather is calm? Yeah I don't know either. But according to the power company there were widespread outages. I called 3 other people in the county and some how, our road seemed to be the only ones with out power! Go figure.
Dylan was wound up today! Not a good thing when I feel like poo. We made it through the day though. Im hoping I feel better tomorrow.

Back from my doc appointment. All the tests from last month came back and everything is normal. It's all normal. Uneventful appointment, but I figured it would be that way. We should be able to listen to the heartbeat next appointment. I have lost some weight, which I knew. It's kind of a given when I can barely manage one meal a day. So they gave me something to hopefully help with the nausea. I took it about 2 hours ago and it is making me very sleepy. I hope it helps, but only time will tell. If this one doesn't work, then there are 2 more to try. I hope we don't have to go that far. So that's all of the news here!

I haven't been on here lately because it has been the same old stuff. The weekend was rough. I felt pretty bad. I dropped Dylan off this morning at school. He was looking forward to it. He does every week though. We didn't do anything over the weekend. Ryan worked on Sunday. Ryan's truck was starting to fall apart on us so last week after a lot of looking around we decided to get another truck. We wanted to trade the old truck off before it fell into a pile of rust! So that took up a lot of our time last week.
I have another doc appointment tomorrow morning. Probably won't have much to report from that one. I think it will be too early for them try and listen to the heartbeat. I am 9 weeks along now. We wanted this so bad and it seems like it is just dragging on! Only 9 weeks!

*Sigh* Not much here. I have been pretty sick since last night. It started right before bed. Luckily I passed out as soon as I laid my head down. Shortly after I woke this morning it started again. Thankfully mom wasn't working so she came down to help me with Dylan. I am so thankful that she was around. She fed me too! So I am starting to feel better. I hope I continue to feel better as the day goes on.
Dylan has been great lately with me being sick everyday. The other day I was feeling decent so he and I went to the outlet mall. I wanted to get him some sandals. I really prefer to buy him shoes from Stride-Rite. They are supposed to be really good shoes for his developing foot. So anyway, they had everything on sale so I got him a pair of sandals and a pair of Crocs for next to nothing. We went to a few more stores and got him some thinner Pjs and a hat for the summer. He was such a good boy that day. I think he was just happy to be out of the house for once!

I thought I'd jump on here and post an update. The well driller has been here off and on lately and is finished with the new hole. It turns out, that too is dry. So we paid the man and he is supposed to remove our lawn ornament tomorrow. We will just have to buy our own tank and haul water in as we need it. After 2 holes it's time to give up. So we will keep an eye on our water level and add if we need. It's probably our best option at this point. So that is what is new here!
I still feel nauseous. That hasn't changed!

We had some family over yesterday for a cookout. Even though I was unable to eat hardly any of the food, it was nice to see everyone and get to talk to them. I got a little sun burnt on my face and arms. I don't know why I didn't think to put on sunblock. Stupid me! I'm still nauseous most of the day, so that hasn't changed yet. Other than family yesterday we haven't done much. Ryan finished up the planting on Saturday, so at least that is done.
I'm sitting here racking my brain trying to think of something to say, but I have nothing. Being so sick lately, we just haven't done much. I keep hoping that the nausea will go away, but it hasn't yet. As soon as it does, we can finally get back to doing things around here.

Be prepared, here comes more complaining. It's just not right that you finally get pregnant and then have to deal with morning sickness. Pregnancy is supposed to be a wonderful thing, but until this passes, wonderful does not exist. Today was filled with horrible nausea. I almost didn't make it through dinner. No, I haven't thrown up yet, but I feel like I could at any time. I can barely fix meals. We haven't had a decent, home cooked meal in days, because I just cant do it. I need to go the the grocery store so bad. I should have went days ago, but again, I cant. Being around all of that food would just be awful, plus, I don't feel good enough to go anywhere. Other than feeling bad, nothing going on. Dylan is in the tractor with Ryan again, which helps out a lot. Sorry it's all whiny, but that's how I feel.

Not a whole lot. It's been HOT! I'm not fond of hot and humid weather unless there is an ocean within 100 yards of me. And since my house is not oceanfront, I hate it. It seems a bit early in the year for mid 80 temps. I'm still nauseous a lot of the time. It seems to hit me mid morning. Then sticks with me off and on through the rest of the day. Yuck. When I was out today I picked up some peppermint candies to hopefully help with the nausea. They didn't help last time with Dylan, but I figured I would give it a shot this time around. So far so good! I felt queasy on the way home and popped one of them, and it did help. So lets hope that keeps up, at least for a little while!
Ryan is still in the process of planting. So whenever possible, I send Dylan to ride in the tractor with his dad. Dylan just loves it. The kid's face lights up when you ask him if he wants to go in the tractor with daddy.
For some reason I feel this overwhelming need to go do something with Dylan. Like the zoo or aquarium. I wouldn't mind taking him to a beach, but honestly, the lakes in this state are nasty. Especially ones close to us. Have you walked around a beach at a local state park in the last few years??? I think they stink, the water bothers me...ick, and the loads of goose poop piles is nasty. I hate the sand too. So we wont do that now will we! Maybe once Ryan gets done planting we can take Dylan some where one day during the week. Weekends can be way too busy. I think he would like to go do something. He can talk more this year and understand a lot as well. Lets just hope I don't pass out in the heat, ha ha! But yeah, we should go do something, it would be fun. We got a recommendation that the Columbus Zoo is better than the Cinci Zoo. I went to Columbus when I was younger, but don't think I have been to the one in Cinci. Other than a zoo or aquarium, I don't have many ideas. Anyone else have any interesting ideas for a 2 1/2 year old??? I will take suggestions!

I had my first doctor's appointment today. It all went well, nothing exciting. They took blood and made me pee in a cup. My due date according to them, is January 17. They say I am about 5 weeks and 3 days. I was also told that I am able to go ahead and take Tylenol for my headaches. So I got home and tried that, but it hasn't helped yet. I go back in mid June.
I dropped Dylan off with Ryan today before my appointment. Ryan is working in the fields now, so Dylan rode with him in the tractor. He said Dylan did well. Dylan was happy to be in the tractor. When we left up there today and Dylan realized that we were leaving he started crying. saying "I want daddy, want daddy...want daddy." I think he may have ridden in that thing all day! I need to remember that when they move down here to work ground!

Ugh, well I fear morning sickness isn't too far away. My gag reflex is getting stronger, smells are bothering me a lot, and I don't have much of an appetite lately. Breakfast and lunch I am usually forcing myself to eat, knowing an empty stomach will only lead to me feeling worse. But by dinner I'm usually starving because, well, I don't eat much for the first 2 meals. I was so hoping that I would escape the morning sickness this time. All signs are pointing to a big NO on that one!
The well driller guy showed up today! I guess it's official, there will be a hole #2. Supposedly he is coming back tomorrow to move the rig and get ready to drill. I say supposedly, because its likely he won't be here tomorrow. That's just how he operates!
Not much else. We were outside this morning before lunch. We weren't outside but 5 minutes and I saw a tick just starting to crawl on Chloe. Not much later, one on Dylan's sleeve! Shortly after that, I saw one crawling on a board on the bottom of the play set! Unbelievable!!! Why are they so thick this year? Grrr!

Well I think its safe to say that I feel like poo. Its my allergies. My nose is going crazy. Of course right now there isn't anything I can take, so its just one of those times I have to deal with it. I've been pretty grumpy today because of it all. Nothing much happening really. It rained the last 2 days. Way too much rain. Had lunch yesterday with a friend. Kind of a last minute thing, shockingly Dylan was good. Last time we went he was horrible. So I was worried. But he surprised me and was good and ate all his meal. It was nice to get out, but we really didn't get much of a chance to talk. With 2 kids between us, our attention was mostly divided. Oh well, maybe next time Ryan can stay home with Dylan.
I am so anxious for my doc appointment next week. Maybe the pregnancy will finally set in. This time around, my attention is mainly on Dylan and well, life, that I tend to let the pregnancy slip my mind. With Dylan, all I thought about was being pregnant. I was able to enjoy the thought of being pregnant. This time around I haven't really been able to do that. Don't get me wrong, we desperately wanted this child, and I am so thrilled, but I have so much else to focus on. I guess part of it is that it is so early that I don't feel pregnant. The only symptom so far is bloating after I eat. Yeah, I know you all wanted to know that one, ha ha! I guess I just want to get further along so I start to show and can feel like I am pregnant. Who knows how long that will be though, since I have more weight on me this time around. So a few more days until my appointment on the 20th.

Well I think most of my family and friends know, so it is safe to post here. We are having another baby! I have a doc appointment on May 20th so I should get my official due date then, but I think my due date may be January 16. Either way it won't vary much from that date. We are so happy! We have been planning this baby for quite some time. This weekend was a busy one, but it was good. I am so tired though.
Really, nothing else. Baby news and same ole same ole!

Raining. Yep its raining. I'm a little cold too...so we haven't done much today.
So I have a beef roast cooking in the crock pot and it is making me so hungry. All I can think about right now is food, ha ha. Ok, so we have a giant can of mixed nuts that I bought at Sams Club the other day. So last night I'm going through the cabinets and I see a bag of chocolate chips. So I melted them down, and stirred in the nuts, then dropped them on wax paper in clusters to cool. Today there were set, and they were so good! Homemade choco covered nut clusters!! Yay me!
Food...I am going to make noodles with my roast, and I am going to try to make some corn bread as well. We'll just have to see how cooperative Dylan is when he wakes from his nap. Last night I put a bag of mixed veggies on the microwave (broccoli and cauliflower) and then made a quick cheese sauce. My hope was that with the fairly healthy cheese sauce I made on top of the veggies, that Dylan would eat them. He ended up having 2 and a half servings of those veggies. Any other time he wouldn't touch those veggies! Yay!! Now I just need to buy more cheese so I can use it again. The kid loves cheese!
Ok, ta ta for now!

Ryan and his dad have started planting. That means we won't see much of him for a few weeks. I am glad that they are finally getting this going, but every year I dread this part of the year as well as harvest. You'd think I would be used to this by now, but I guess I'm not. I mean I know that it just has to be this way, but its still rough. Its made worse by having Dylan. Ryan and Dylan just don't see much of each other these times. Probably about a thousand times a day Dylan asks if daddy is working. Now all I can hope for is that the weather stays decent for the next few weeks, so that they can work straight through and get it done. If it stays nice, then they can have it done easily and quickly. Right now they are planting corn and working ground to get it ready for the beans. So let's all hope for nice weather!
So that's what's new here.

I changed the backround as you can see. I am a little bored...I don't know how long I will keep this look. Until I find something I like better I guess!
Thats all!

Not much here. Did a few things yesterday. I got a chance to get my hair cut, so that was nice. Its a lot shorter and layered. It feels so much better than all the heavy hair! It will be long again though, you can almost count on that. Dylan definitely has a cold. It still hasn't affected his mood or anything. So yeah that's about it.

Grrr!!!

Already. Ticks. Ugh!!! In the last few days of being outside I keep coming across ticks. 2 of them were when we were playing on Dylan's play set, on the mulch! Today, if I wouldn't have had Dylan keep his hood on the tick would have been in his hair. It was sitting there right on his hood. I hate those things! Now, just now, relaxing on the couch one crawled on my elbow. It must have hitched a ride inside with one of us this morning. I know that happens, but crap, I hate those things. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about them. They are everywhere. I could just scream!! I don't remember seeing them this early last year.
Well, I'm not sure, but I think Dylan has another cold. It could be his allergies, but this time I am leaning more towards cold. Runny nose, sneeze, occasional cough, that type of thing. No fever yet, which he normally doesn't get. Vick's allows him to sleep so that's good. I guess it's the time of year for colds huh. They are just an inconvenience. They don't seem to affect his attitude much. He always plays and acts normal. I just hope this one doesn't last long.
My allergies have been going haywire off and on these last few days. This morning they were rough, but now all I have is a headache. It rained yesterday, and some the day before, and it is supposed to continue clear through Tuesday morning. By that time we will all be going stir crazy.

...Well this ended up getting kind of long, sorry!

Well not much here. I spent the last part of the weekend sick. That wasn't fun. I think I'm finally over it now, at least I hope. Ryan got our washer and dryer hooked up. I started using them today. They are smaller than what we had before, so that will take some time to get used to. That is about as exciting as it has been here.
I will say one thing. All this talk about the so called "swine flu" is getting old. I haven't looked it up, but if they were to put the number of people who are sick and/or have died from this swine flu up against the number of people that have gotten sick and/or died from this years strain of ordinary (for lack of a better word) flu, then it would all be put into perspective. How many thousands of people get sick from the flu in this country alone, and how many hundreds (probably more) die in this country from the flu in the same amount of time? Most likely a lot more or just as much as what is happening from the swine flu. Flu can be serious, swine or otherwise, the media is to blame for all this ridiculous hype.
And I think as a result of this and "this" being called swine flu, the pork industry in this already tested country will take a hit. I think the CDC calls the strain H1N1 (but don't quote me on that). Don't blame your local pig farmer. If you want to "blame" someone, blame Mexico or being under developed and not being able to treat their people for common illnesses. Blame your neighbor for going to Mexico on vacation, then realizing he was sick but CHOSE to go the the grocery store or work anyway to infect others.
So the last thing the media built up was Avian (bird) flu, or was it West Nile Virus? Oh who cares, each year or 2 it's something they runaway with. Couldn't the media also be partially blamed for the economy taking a crap? Yeah. All you hear about it all the negative. There are also a lot of positive going on as well. There are so many industries thriving right now. Companies who are still doing well, but we never hear the encouraging news. If we did, I think it would make a huge difference with everyone. Honestly, the economy could probably benefit somewhat from positive reporting. Oh well.
I'm done now!

First off, well driller guy, says hopefully Monday. So my guess is he won't be here on Monday. Ok, now that's out of the way.

Well I got some pictures of the play set and Dylan outside yesterday playing on it.

He noticed all of the dandelions growing in the yard and went to pick the flowers. I don't know how many he picked, it was a lot. Then he'd smell them. After we came inside, the skin right below his nose was yellowed from all the smelling he was doing!

So the well driller dude didn't show up. We should have known. So should we say, maybe tomorrow? HA!
So yesterday evening, we took Jed, Chloe and Diesel to the vet. They all checked out good! Chloe was a whopping 4 pounds!! She was a pain in the butt last night! Wow. She just would not sleep. She whined and cried a lot. I thought she had to go to the bathroom, so each time I would bring her down to go, she'd just sit at my feet. I think I finally got some sleep at some point, but it was rough.
It seems as though our dryer is leaving us. It still works, but it's making an awful noise, so it won't last much longer I'm afraid. It acts like there is something wrong with the drum inside. Also, our TV in the living room isn't working right. It has streaks of yellow across the screen, and it is showing doubles on one side. We called a couple of places and they seem to agree that it is some sort of box thing inside that is going bad. Great. At least they are both still working. We will see what we can do with them and if we can't do anything, we will start looking for sales I guess. Both are over 10 years old.
On the bright side, it is so nice outside today!

Well well well

So we have news I keep forgetting to share about the well drilling. So hole number 1 is done, with no water at the bottom. Since there is no water, thats why there is a hole number 1. So now on to hole number 2. The new hole will be a little further away and I hope it won't take as long to complete and hope there is water. So this was all decided on Saturday, and we hope the guy shows up sometime this week to start. Now it was raining the last 2 days, so I will give them that, but no one showed today either. So lets just shoot for tomorrow. There is no reason why someone shouldn't be here tomorrow. We shall see though!
Other than that, nothing new. It is so cold and windy out right now. At least the weather will be improving in the next few days. We had a nice morning. Did a few things around the house, kept busy so no one got bored. Dylan is napping and so are the rest of the kids (the furry ones).

It's Monday!
We got Dylan's play set done this weekend. We have yet to buy sand for the sandbox, but no big deal. The actual play set is built and ready to go. He was out playing on it Sunday before it rained. He did good. He can even hold on the the chains on the swing. He doesn't need a baby swing like we thought he might. Granted we don't push him very hard. He had school today. I dropped him off without any tears on his part, so that was nice. When I picked him up he was ready to come home.
Chloe is doing well. Dylan worries about her at times. But he doesn't like it when she gets in his face if he didn't instigate it. When he wants to play though, he gets right in her face and eggs her on. She has been sleeping a lot! Last night she didn't whine to go to the bathroom until 5:30 this morning! I was shocked when I looked at the clock. She just completely passes out when Dylan goes down for his nap. When he is awake, she can't usually nap well, because he makes it a point to wake her. They do well together. Its nice to know that she will never outgrow him.
The cats are still adjusting, but doing better. Max allows her to get withing slapping distance and then takes a swing. She then proceeds to chase him. Now Diesel will hiss and slap if Chloe even looks at her. Its pretty funny though!
Not much planned for the week. As of now, Ryan is supposed to have all weekend off, and it is supposed to be nice outside. So hopefully he doesn't get called in to work. We won't do much, but it will be nice to just all be home together for once!

Chloe

Ok, so Chloe decided to take a nap, so I'm going to do this quick. Dylan is doing well with her. He can say her name and pays a lot of attention to her, when he's no busy of course! He doesn't like it when she gets in his face though, so we will work on that and hopefully she will learn not to do that. We gave her a few toys to play with from Dylan's old stock. She likes to play with a rubber ducky, an old stuffed animal, and a plastic Easter egg. I could only get Dylan to give up one, out of his stock of 30 some! He's so funny.

Now the cats are having a harder time adjusting. I knew it wouldn't be easy for them, especially Diesel. Poor Diesel has been hiding most of the time. When she did come out, Dylan bothered her so she went back into hiding. Max has been cautiously curious. Both cats are twice Chloe's size, so they could easily put her in her place if they'd just get some courage. I think Max will adjust well, I just hope Diesel does as well.

Dylan is being nicer than I thought he would. I thought he may get a little rough with her since he's never been around a puppy before. He can tackle and waller Max, and does, so I just assumed he'd do the same to a puppy.

Chloe knows where to go to get her food, and does so whenever she wants during the day. She has yet to leave the kitchen (where her food is) though. We have a air return for our heating system just outside the kitchen door, and it scares her, so we won't go near it or around it yet. She seems to be napping quite a bit. I hope she will sleep tonight. Last night we went to sleep around 11 and she had me up shortly after that at about midnight and I took her to pee. She slept until almost 5 before she was crying hard again. So I brought her back down to pee, then she cried for a while and finally went back to sleep until we got up at 8. She cried a few times in between the 5 and 8 times. The lady we got her from said she was always up at 4:30 in the morning and would feed her then, so I imagine that Chloe's crying between 5 and 8 was hunger. But once she gets on our schedule she will do fine. She sleeps in a small crate beside the bed for now. Until she is fully house broken she'll be there. We are going to need a bigger one soon though. She likes to stretch out. She loves to have her belly rubbed, and right behind her ears.

I think she will make us happy. Of course it won't all be roses, but life never is. I do have to say that I am proud of Dylan for being so good.

He seems to be coming out of his 'no' phase and his recent boundary testing phase. So I hope that continues to improve.