Random Thoughts

Just a few random thoughts I wanted to share:

1. The following conversation occurred on Tuesday night when Troy and I showed Luke the DVD of the 4D ultrasound.

Luke: I'm very excited for the baby to come out.

Troy: I'm excited too Luke.

Luke: Mom, you're excited too, right?

Me: Absolutely!

Luke has been happy and/or excited about this baby from the beginning. I truly hope he still feels that way after the baby is born.

2. At MDO yesterday Luke got a huge goose egg on his forehead and I mean it's big. Unfortunately his teachers didn't see what happened and he didn't cry when it happened so they didn't know he was hurt. Luke's a tough kid which is a bit scary for me. We all told him how important it is to let his teachers know if he gets hurt. I managed to figure out from Luke that he hit his head while on the slide and another child said he went down the slide on his tummy. Not until bed time last night when Luke was talking to Troy about it did we learn that another little boy pushed Luke down the slide. This is a hard situation for me. I want to let his teachers know what Luke said but I don't want to "tattle" on the other child. How would you handle this one?

3. Luke and I had a picnic lunch at the park today. It was some great Mom and Luke time. The weather was great; we had fun watching the squirrels; and Luke got to run off some energy. I love when spontaneous events happen and it makes your whole day that much brighter.

4. There are only 79 days left until my due date! Um, that's going to go by SO fast. I'm slowing ticking items off my to-do list but I need to get moving. Any volunteers for a swift kick to get me motivated would be appreciated (only figuratively of course).

5. I'm very excited for next weekend. My neighbor and I are going on a scrapbooking/quilting retreat from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon. I would really like to finish several projects before the baby arrives and I'm hoping to be in super go mode all weekend. I know this will be my last chance to do this for quite a while so I plan on enjoying it to the fullest.

6. I have a goal to be finished with my Christmas shopping at the beginning of November. That's a tall order because I find it very hard to shop for Christmas when Halloween hasn't even happened yet. I know that I will thank myself later for accomplishing this but if you receive a gift from me this year and it's a tad uninspired please understand.

Okay, that's all for now. Enjoy the weekend :)

4D Ultrasound

Today I had a 4D ultrasound. Troy and I were very excited to see this little one again. We got a CD with a ton of pictures and also about a 15 minute DVD which shows the baby moving (that's what the 4D allows). There are only hand and face pictures because the technician didn't want to risk us seeing what the gender of the baby was by getting pictures of the feet. The baby cooperated wonderfully and even brought one foot up by it's face at one point. Troy and I definitely agreed that this little one looks like Luke and without question has the same button nose as Luke. We also both thought that this little one has a more round face. After having a similar ultrasound with Luke I had a strong feeling that he was a boy but with this one I feel like the features could go either way.

I'll also let you in on a little secret. Troy and I have decided that if we go with having a VBAC we'll most likely find out the gender of this baby. We currently have a sealed envelope with two pictures in it telling us if it's a boy or a girl. We have an appointment with a midwife next Wednesday to discuss the risks and benefits of a VBAC and a repeat c-section. I'll keep you posted. Enjoy the cuteness below :)

Notice the eyes are open in the pic below

The next two you can see the tongue

Here's the foot along with both hands

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated my birthday over the weekend. Sarah was here hang out with us and we all enjoyed a great weekend. On Saturday we went to the OK State Fair; after we all enjoyed refreshing naps I opened my gifts and then we went to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse; finally we ate the awesome ice cream cake Sarah made for me. I really enjoyed my special day!

Luke and I checked out the baby chicks and piglets in the birthing center.

Troy took Luke through the inside of a dinosaur--Luke wasn't so sure about it and looked confused when they came out.

Sarah and Luke went through a bounce course that had ladders, slides and other obstacles to climb over and around. Luke was most disappointed they could only go through one time.

Troy and I at dinner. Luke really enjoyed watching our chef cook in front of us and was awed by the volcano made from an onion. He ate a ton of rice food and did a great job sitting through a long meal.

My big helper and I blowing out my candles.

27+ Weeks

So as of today I'm 27 weeks and 4 days pregnant. If I went full term that means I have 87 days to go. That's not very much time--it's actually less than 3 months. Um, YIKES!!! I do feel more ready than I did a few weeks ago but we're definitely not completely ready.

I have some new things to report. The first is that I'm gaining weight and probably a little too much. I had an appointment yesterday and learned that I've gained 11 pounds in the last 5 weeks. That's a bunch. It means that total I've gained 17 pounds. It is less than with Luke but I do not want to continue to gain at that rate. The thing is that I don't feel like I've been eating a ton or even "bad" stuff. I guess I just need to watch my calories a bit closer.

Second, the baby has established a pretty regular schedule of activity and rest. Unfortunately for me one of the most active times is right when I go to bed. The one benefit is that it gives Troy a chance to really feel the baby moving around which he loves.

Third, the baby has started having hiccups. This is relatively recent but I expect they will only continue and get stronger. Luke had hiccups at least once a day while I was pregnant with him so I'm expecting a bunch with this one.

Fourth, at my appointment yesterday I had my glucose test (to test for gestational diabetes). I was a bit nervous about it because of all the weight I had gained but the nurse called this afternoon to let me know that I had passed it. Hooray!

One final note: Troy and I have been discussing our/my decision to have a repeat c-section. We are now considering a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). There are definitely pros and cons for each and we want to make the best decision for the baby and me. At my appointment yesterday I learned that my current doctor does not perform vbac's and she wasn't very willing to have an open discussion with me about it. There are so many factors in this decision that I'll probably have an appointment with a doctor who is at least willing to discuss the topic openly with us before we make a final decision.

This final picture is from last week. Luke has really gotten into feeling the baby move. He asks me several times a day if the baby is kicking me. In this pic he is trying to get the baby to move so he can feel a kick or two. I love it!

Week in KC

Last week Luke and I went to Kansas City. We stayed with Grammy and PawPaw from Tuesday through Friday. Troy flew up on Friday morning and he and Luke had some man time before lunch and nap time. On Friday afternoon we took Luke to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Hogancamp for the weekend so that we could go to a wedding Friday night and also enjoy a two night stay at a bed and breakfast for some us time.

Our activities through the week included a trip to Deanna Rose Farm where Luke enjoyed his first pony ride; some shopping; eating out a few times; and of course playing and having fun with all the grandparents and Aunt Sarah.

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures with Luke and Grandma and Grandpa Hogancamp because I wasn't with them all weekend. However, Luke had a great time with them. He has mentioned several times since we've been home a small tidbit about his time with them and he's mentioned more than once the man time he had with Grandpa on their trip to Lowe's.

Troy and I really enjoyed our time alone together. We stayed at a great bed and breakfast just off the Plaza. It seemed like all we did all weekend was enjoy really awesome food without rushing. It was great to have some us time before baby #2 comes along.

May We Never Forget

Today is a day that we should never forget. This day ten years ago will forever be imprinted in my memory. Anyone who was alive and can remember that day knows how horrific it was and will always remember what they were doing and where they were when they heard the news.

I had just gotten to work at Black & Veatch in Kansas City. One of my co-workers came in and loudly asked if anyone had heard the news. He told us that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Many thought it was an accident but my co-worker immediately said he believed it was a terrorist attack. Then we heard about the second plane and knew he was right.

One of my first thoughts after the second plane hit was about a very close family friend living in NYC. I called my mom to see if she knew if she was okay. Thankfully she was safe. My friend works for CBS news and over the next weeks was one person responsible for going through all the footage to decide what should be shown to the public or not. I cannot begin to imagine the horrible images she saw on a daily basis.

As the events of the day unfolded my co-workers and I would come together around the one TV in the office for brief periods of time. No one was able to concentrate for long and not much work was done. At lunchtime I went to a Chinese buffet with several co-workers. I can still clearly remember sitting in the restaurant watching the TV there in disbelief. It just didn’t make sense.

That night my mom and I ate dinner in front of the TV in our family room again in complete disbelief. We could not understand the terrifying horror the people in New York, Washington D.C. or on those 4 planes had experienced but our thoughts and prayers were with them. We listened to the president address the nation and I can honestly say I have never watched a presidential speech with such concentration and pride for our country.

There are three events that occurred within a few months time of that day that will also be imprinted in my memory forever. The first was my birthday. I have a picture of Troy and I in my mom’s front yard with the American flag proudly flying in the background. As we were getting ready to go out to dinner that night I remember thinking that I shouldn’t really be celebrating after such tragic events. I also realized that was exactly what the terrorists wanted--for us to stop living our lives with freedom and joy and I wasn’t going to give them that satisfaction. The events of that day without question changed our lives and the world forever but I for one am still proud to be an American and thank those who serve and protect our country with all my heart.

The second event was watching the Country Music Awards and hearing Alan Jackson perform for the first time “Where were You?” It moved me to tears then and even now when I hear that song I sometimes tear up. The song summarizes so well what I think each of us felt that day. I encourage you to listen to it if you’ve never heard it.

The third event was a K-State football game. I believe I was there for siblings weekend with my sister. It was the first sporting event I attended after September 11 and thus my first time singing the national anthem. At some point during the song everyone started holding hands with their neighbor. I was moved to tears yet again.

The emotion I felt ten years ago still amazes me. I have to say that I’ve felt it again the last few days and it’s something that I hope I never forget. We need to remember the horror, pain and tragedy of that day so that those who perished did not do so in vain. May God continue to be with their family and friends and may we all never forget.

First Days of MDO

Yesterday was the first day of MDO. Luke will be going to school two days a week this year, Wednesday and Thursday. Yesterday went great. Luke got up without much fuss, ate a good breakfast and even smiled for some pictures before we left. When we got to school he didn't hesitate at all. Luke willingly carried his lunch bag (we're working on carrying the backpack) and walked up the flight of stairs to his new classroom. He helped me but his stuff in his cubby and then he found his school bus name and put it on the tree all by himself. I then gave him a big hug, said I love you and left.

Instead of going inside to pick up your child this year, the parents line up in our cars and the teachers bring your child to you. This will be a super big help once the baby is here. Yesterday was a little hectic figuring that out for the first time but it went fine. I also don't get a note telling me about Luke's day this year which is a bit of a bummer. So on the way home yesterday I tried to get a description of Luke's day from Luke. I didn't get a bunch but he was excited to tell me that he now gets to play on the "big" playground; he also said they watched "Veggie Tales" during rest time (no nap this year either); Luke was happy to tell me he went potty on the big potty (I'm hoping watching other kids helps Luke with this); Luke said they didn't sing any songs or work on numbers, shapes or colors but that is part of his curriculum so I imagine they probably did. I'm sure as the year goes on I'll be able to get more info about what happens through the day. I do know that Luke was one tired boy when he got home. He went to bed about 30 minutes early and didn't make one peep after I left his room.

I wish I could say this morning went as well as yesterday but not so. Luke didn't want to get out of bed, eat breakfast, get dressed or get in the car. He had about a 15 minute temper tantrum saying over and over that he didn't want to go to school. These mornings are so hard! I am hoping my decision to go to school two days in a row wasn't a bad one--I guess time will tell. Once we managed to get in the car Luke settled down fairly quick and we got inside the school without any problems.

As I'm typing this Luke is watching "Dinosaur Train" and having some chill time. The first thing Luke did today when I picked him up was a big, huge yawn. I asked him if he was tired and of course the answer was no but he almost fell asleep on the short 7 minute ride home. Our conversation about the day today was even more sparse than yesterday. His first answer to what did you do today was and I quote, "Nothing." Great, my child is only 3 and we've already started with the nothings. After a bit more prying I learned that they played outside, watched another movie at rest time and ate lunch. As I said above, hopefully I'll be able to get more information as the year goes on.

Oh, one final note. This morning when I dropped him off both of his teachers made a point of telling me that Luke is such a sweet boy. Of course that made me feel great! I realize that they could have said that to several parents this morning but I'm glad that they could tell that after spending only one day with Luke.

Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day we spent the weekend in Topeka with Troy's parents, his brother and sister-in-law. We all arrived on Friday night and stayed until Tuesday. Some of our activities included a quick trip to the KS History Museum, feeding the fish with Grandpa, feeding the ducks and a trip to the park with Grandma and Aunt Georgia, golf for the guys and a round of dominoes for the adults.

The biggest event of the weekend though was the family reunion on Sunday afternoon. The weather could not have been any better and in fact was a bit chilly after the sun went down. Luke had a blast playing with all the big kids especially Laura (who shares the same birthday as Luke) and Cara. It was also fun for me to talk to Michelle and compare pregnancy notes and bellies--she is due at the beginning of October.

The Museum

Looking for the fish and feeding the ducks

The Reunion

Pregnant Ladies

A rare shot of Troy and I together (25 weeks pregnant)

Fun times with Grandma and Grandpa

A Few Pics

I recently bought this pool on sale at Target for next summer. Of course Luke and Benjamin had tons of fun trying it out a few weekends ago.

I just love these two! Cute boys in their orange shirts :)

Troy and I recently cleaned out/rearranged the attic. Troy decided to use some boxes we found to make a train and tender for Luke to play in. He absolutely loves it!