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22 febbraio 6 months oldMy little guy is 6 months old. Everyone said it would go fast, I just didn't realize it would be THIS fast. Why does it go so quickly?! I want him to slow down and stay little bitty just a little bit longer. He's been sitting up for about a month now. He prefers this to laying down now, which I thought was a bad thing considering he still doesn't roll! Turns out he may just skip rolling and go to scooting and then crawling. He can push himself up really good when he's on his belly and even scoot backwards if he's on a slick surface. His two bottom teeth finally broke through and happy Preston is back! He's finally accepting baby cereal again after a long strike. It's still really soupy though, otherwise he frowns and spits it out. His pediatrician said to get him started on solids soon though, and go straight to stage 2 if he takes it well. His weight isn't where she wants it. So I bought a bunch of different veggies and fruits and I'm going to make his baby food. It's cheaper and contains a lot more vitamins and minerals. And, I'm bored. We're still breastfeeding and I'm really proud to be in the 36% that make it this far! I plan to go a year or when cow's milk can be introduced, hoping he makes it that far. Why switch to formula and pay for it when I make it for free?! Plus making and cleaning bottles, I'd rather do without. Preston has beena really poor sleeper the past couple months (could have been from teething). Last week I purchased a swaddling blanket and it has been WONDERFUL. Last night he slept from 10:30pm to 10:00am this morning, waking only once at 5:00am and not even crying then. I fed him and he went back to sleep. I can't remember the last time I got that much sleep! Or Preston for that matter! Preston weighed in at 16lbs, 4ozs, the 27th percentile, and he is 27 inches long, the 67th percentile. I was really expecting him to weigh more, and it made me sad that he was in the lower percentile. But I suppose if you look at genetics, he's coming from two thin people. I'm still supposed to push more food on him and get him eating solids. We'll see how he does. He didn't like the doctor or nurse. He screamed bloody murder when he was out of my reach both times, he's has bad seperation anxiety right now. He really didn't like the shots, but was instantly ok when I picked him up. He started looking all over the place for the nurse after his shots and I picked him up, like "Ha Ha, you can't get me anymore!" Overall, he's the sweetest, happy little guy. He's starting to snuggle on your shoulder when he's tired, and say "Ma." I don't think he associates it with me yet, but I love hearing it! He's just wonderful and I love him so much! 4 months oldPreston has his 4 month check up today. He would have went on Monday but the doctor called in sick. He has been given the ok to start rice cereal! We're going to be picking up a box soon to see how he does. She said if he's ready, most of it should go down, but if he's not then most will come back out. He checked out healthy! Still no ear infections (yay!, Justin had 4 sets of tubes in his ears when he was little), good eye sight from what we can tell, and still a small head. Oh well, it's growing and that's the important part. He's a healthy 14lbs 11oz (46%) and 25.5in long (66%). I thought he felt kinda hefty for his age and I often hear comments on how big he is, but he's a pretty average 4 month old! He received 5 shots and one oral again. He gagged on the oral, which made him upset and cry. The shots were no better. He gave it his all with the screaming! He grabbed my fingers so tight and squeezed harder with eat shot. With the last shot he was in such a frenzy that he stopped breathing in and turned bright read with little tears pouring out. It just breaks my heart! He calmed down pretty quickly once I picked him up though. He left out a few more cries when I put him down to dress him. As soon as we were in the car he was humming himself to sleep (It's adorable, but can get kinda loud when I'm trying to sleep also) and is still asleep now, an hour and half later! So it's back to the doc at 6 months. 2 months oldPreston is 2 months old today! My baby is getting so big. I was very worked up about his appointment today. If you saw Oprah a while ago, they were discussing the link between Autism and vaccines. I toyed with the idea a bit, but decided on his shots. Autism would be better than death. I was also just feeling sorry for Preston. I didn't want to see him in pain or associate me with the pain he was feeling. I made Justin come along... and hold him! He ended up getting 6 different vaccinations and Tylenol on top of that. Poor guy is all drugged up! He cried as soon as we got him undressed. He hates begin naked. When she wiped the area to be shot, he screamed. He hates cold too. As soon as Justin picked him up he stopped crying and fell asleep in daddy's arms. Traumatized! He's weighing in at 12lbs 1 oz. The 61st percentile for his age. He's 22 3/4 inches long. 48th percentile for his age. She said his head was small, but I don't remember how much she said. I guess all that hair on there makes me think it's bigger! He's doing really well though. He wasn't fussy for the couple hours he's been awake so far and I even got some cute pictures. Me? Take pictures? Never. As long as he doesn't end up crying in pain in an hour, he's off the Tylenol. I'll post some 2 month pictures soon! 6 week check upPreston had his 6 week check up today! He's now 21.5 inches long (at 2 weeks they told me 21 3/4...hmm... did he shrink?) putting him in the 50% for his age and weighs 10.14 pounds which put him at 75-90%. He's filling out quite nicely. They said breastfed babies gain weight quicker, but jeez... Some of him 0-3 months clothes are getting snug. He's also hit all his basic milestones and a few advanced ones. He can lift his head, follow objects (loves his mobile!), makes eye contact, and now does a social smile--so cute and melts my heart every single time! I just love, love, love him! My Pregnany Facts 38 weeksI'm 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I've been pregnant for 267 days. I have 12 days left until my due date. I am 95% of the way there! I'm dilated to 1.5cm and effaced 50% since 35 weeks. I've gained 26 pounds. I have no stretch marks... on my belly. I've had all my baby clothes washed since June 1st. I had the baby's room painted a week after we moved into our new house. The day of my baby shower, I had Justin help assemble and open every single item, including the high chair that he won't use until he's eating foods. I had my car seat professionally installed by our local fire department as well as safety checks done on it almost 2 weeks ago. I sleep an average of 5 hours a night because I have either A) Braxton Hicks contractions that are doing nothing to my body but annoying me or B) I have to pee at least once an hour. I have walked every single day since I was 36 weeks pregnant and I am now exhausted and sore, with no baby. I have had both the baby bag and my hospital bag packed and ready for 2 weeks now. I have cleaned my house from top to bottom at least 3 times now, hoping that tomorrow might be the day I deliver. I can't bend over to tie my shoes--I love my flip flops. Every time I get up from sitting, I have to limp because of a kink in my lower back. I can't sit in a recliner because the baby gets tucked up under ribs and I can't breathe. I haven't dropped. I've been carrying low since the very beginning. I get feet in my ribs every hour. Preston weighs about 7 pounds and 4 ounces. If I go another two weeks, I fear I may die during delivery, or worse, have a c-section. I'm terrified of the big needle they jam into your spine to shut you up. I have the most beautiful baby ever, at least in sonograms! I am ready to have this baby! Preston's BirthI know, I'm over 6 month late posting this. I've had computer compatibility problems. I'm using Justin's laptop for now while I have Preston upstairs. So here's his birth...
Preston’s Birth Story On August 3rd, I woke up at 1:30am to what I thought was myself peeing. I got up, went to the bathroom and it stopped as usual. I laid back down and 15 minutes later it happened again. Back to the restroom and it stopped. So I put a pad on and laid back down. I knew my bladder was empty and half an hour later, it started seeping out again. I got up and got online to read about water breaking and by then the pad had filled. I didn't expect him to come 10 days early! I jumped in the shower and tried to relax. I was so excited though! Today was the day! I dried my hair and got dressed. The nurse called the doctor and he immediately said to start me on Pitocin. My body hadn't even had a chance to start working on it's own! I've heard a lot of painful stories that included Pitocin, so I denied it and asked for more time to progress on my own. Of course, since my water broke, I was on a timeline. I did have to have an IV for fluids though, which is fine with me. I didn't really come into this with a birth plan or anything. I wanted to just play it by ear since I really didn't know what to expect and in the end, I want what is best for baby. 23 giugno Happy Birthday to Me!Wow, over a month since I've updated. So not like me! In all fairness, I've tried a couple times, but this website was "experiencing difficulties." Okay, so where do I start? Baby Preston! I've been doing my 2 week appointments for a while now. Can you believe that in another 2 weeks I'll be going once a week!? I'll be 33 weeks tomorrow. I got the results from all my tests back. I'm not anemic. I do not have gestational diabetes. My urine is checking out good for no sugar or protein. My blood pressure is a little low still. They say it has to do with all my extra fluids and blood my heart is trying to pump. They ask if I get dizzy a lot, but I only have once and nearly passed out just from standing. That was back at 20 weeks though. My weight gain is right on target now as well as the baby's measurements! I'm running out of room for Preston to romp around in there. His kicks are strong and painful. He knows right where my ribcage is. Lately I've been experiencing what feels like him pinching or scratching my bladder and it HURTS! I'm not sure what's really going on, but I wish he'd stop. I don't sleep very well anymore. I can't lie on my back and I want to SO badly. I toss from side to side all night. Every time I move, I wake the baby and he wiggles forever in there trying to get comfortable again. Then my legs fall asleep from all the extra centralized weight. Did I mention that I'm constantly hot when I try to sleep? Flip flop all night until 5:30 and then the sun is up and shining through our windows because we don't have any trees! Once the sun is up, I feel like there's no point in trying to sleep anymore. Yep, only 7 weeks to go... I'm ready for this to be over already. Thank God it's summer because putting shoes on is getting really hard to do. I love my flip flops :) Aside from complaining about the baby, I "finished" his nursery! It's so cute! Theresa and Jack bought his bedding (a cute jungle theme from Target) as his housewarming gift when we moved into our new place. I brought a bunch of paint samples home and matched up a beautiful green color with the bedding. It's called "brush meadow." It looks great on the walls. My latest project for the nursery was buying wooden letters from Hobby Lobby that spell his name. I then painted each letter a different animal that matched his bedding. They turned out great! It's one of the only art projects I've done in a while and it felt so good to actually do something again. I also put together a slideshow for our family reunion today and I count that as art. I love making stuff! Also, we had Preston's 4D ultrasound done last week! Unfortunately, I was one of the lucky few that have a stubborn baby that wouldn't cooperate. He's shy like his daddy and me as a baby. We couldn't get a good clear shot of his face even once. They reccommend the ultrasound for 28 weeks but she never said why. I went at 31 weeks. It's because at 31 weeks your fluids start to decrease and the baby starts to take up more of the room. They need the fluid arund the baby to get a good clear picture. From what we could see, he has Justin's full lips, my chubby cheeks, and a cute little chin that could be from either of us. Justin and I look surprisingly similar as far as face shape. She couldn't tell us what color hair he would likely have, but she did say he had hair! Yay! No bald baby for us! Regardless of the outcome, Preston will look totally different from the pictures when he gets here. I know he'll be cute though. Ya just can't help it when it's in our genes! So yes, we moved into our new townhouse! I absolutely love it! 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, eat in kitchen, living room, and half finished basement. We've already filled up all the rooms. We're still looking at finding more storage space and shelves. I had no idea we had so much stuff. Everything is pretty much put away besides all my art stuff. There's just no where to put it! I'm still trying to figure out a good set up to have all my art stuff out so I'm more inclined to use it and create.When it's stored in a bunch of tackle boxes and rubbermaid containers it seems like more of a hassle than fun. So the only downside to our new place would be all the construction going on around us. When we moved in we were told they were building a grocery store and 14 room theater. What we didn't realize was that a major road would be put in just feet from our back door. Over the last weekend they put up the sides of the road. I think they're just waiting for the water to evaporate some so they can lay concrete now. Oh, and since it's a newer house, there isn't any mature trees, so the sun shines right in our bedroom even with the blinds down! I think staying at home all day is starting to get to me though. I miss human interaction and my mom's house. Maybe it's just because of where I grew up, but it just feels so much different from Normal. The lighting, the sounds, the smells, the people... I came home and took Alyssa on a walk and didn't have a single car pass me. I can't leave my doorstep without having a car pass no matter what ime of day. Oh well. The differences between the country and the city. Today is my 24th birthday! Oh my gosh, I'm so old now! I'm the same age as my mom when she started having kids and the same age as Theresa when she was done having kids. How bizzare. I got my first present yesterday in the mail. Brandy sent me a waffle maker!! I was so excited! I've been eyeing a waffle maker for over a year and I always have Brandy make me waffles. She couldn't have picked a better gift! Well it's finally 8:00am, on a Saturday, so I can turn on the TV without feeling too guilty if I wake someone. Been up since 5:00am today :) Thanks Preston! 15 maggio I've been shot!Four times in one day! Yesterday I went back to the doctor for a check-up. I'm just over 27 weeks now and that means it's time for my Rhogam and Glucose test. I just wasn't expecting it to happen all at once. My appointment was at 10:45 and I ended up waiting for an hour again just to see my doctor for 5 minutes. I guess I shouldn't complain, at least I have a doc now! This time I had the other resident doc so that I meet both of them since both won't be at the hospital when I go into labor. She too was very nice. I told her abou tmy contractions and she said that as long as I don't have more thatn 6 in an hour, I'm ok. Since I'm "so little" I probably just feel them more than other women. When I get persistent contraction I am to drink 2-3 large glasses of water and lie down. Hm. Everyone is different, but she seemed a lot less concerned than the other doc. Preston is measuring right on target at 27.5cm for my uterus hieght. His heartbeat was a bit quicker this time at 160. She thinks he must have been active, and sure enough he was. It was getting to be lunch time! She also ordered my shot and glucose and told me to go to the hospital. Normally they have you fast before doing the glucose test, but I only had a bowl of cereal that morning and I was straving already so I went on over to avoid another trip. I registered at the front desk and they gave me an arm bracelet with my name on it. I went over to the lab and waited my turn. Although I love donating my blood, lately I've had bad experiences with them drawing my blood so I was a bit nervous. I just had to tell myself that this is a different hopital, and different country! Too bad it was the same old story... The nurse was young and super nice which made me feel comfortable. I looked away as she pinched my vein down to insert the needle. It was just a little prick and didn't hurt but my arm was starting to go numb from being tied so tightly. She commented that my blood was flowing very slowly, so I continued to grasp the plastic tube in my hand to make my blood pump quicker. Then she says to the other nurse in the room, "Her vein is already bubbling!" I didn't know what that meant, but the other nurse dropped what she was doing to come see. I was beginning to panic and still didn't want to look. I was tensing up and squeezing my hand tight. "Oh my God!" What? Don't say that! I'm starting to think I'm going to die soon. "Release your grip!" They undid the band from my arm and fresh blood brought my arm back to life. I looked down to see what was going on. "These stupid butterfly clips... we've been trying to find a new company..." Faulty equipment, great. My blood had been gushing out on to the table instead of the tube and I now had a pool of blood under my arm. The nurse's both apologized, but they still had to get my blood. So she went for my left arm, even smaller and harder to hit veins. She let me know ahead of time that she had to take it from a vein that would cause me a little pain later. She's right too, it still hurts today. They sent me out to the lobby with a bottle of an orange soda-like drink that had to taken in 5 minutes. Then I had to sit around for an hour so they could see if my pancreas was able to handle the sugar. If it can't, the extra sugar goes to the baby and causes a big baby, meaning I have gestational diabetes. I was so hungry at that point and I knew that sugar would only cause me a stomach ache. For the sake of science, I did it, and then suffered the rest of the afternoon on the toilet. Sugar and grease, 2 things my body does not like on an empty stomach! The hour wait took forever. I wandered through the gift shop, walked around outside, and called a couple people. I finally went back to the lab and they uncovered my left arm to draw blood again. She almost took it from the same vein, but then changed her mind right before sticking me and said she'd give it a break. This time it went smoothly and quickly. My poor arms. All 3 spots are bruised today, especially the right arm. She sent me up to the 4th floor to get my shot. I tried talking my doctor into letting me go without one since I know we're both negative blood types, but she said Justin would have to come in and they'd test his blood themselves. Booger. So off I go... When I got there, they sent me to a sugical room and started freaking out again. What's the big deal with this shot? Why does it take so long to prepare? They had to ask me several questions to get the right amount for me, as well as take my blood pressure again and temperature. Was I going to have to stay and be monitored? After 10 minutes, she came back with the shot and a booklet on the shot for me to read. This thing comes with a book!? She then tells me to lean over the bed and pull my pants down. Oh dear, and it was in the butt! I instantly tightened up when she stuck me and it started tingling. All done. They let me go. It hurt walking every time my cheek tensed up.When I got home I opened the book. I was so grossed out when I found out that this shot was made from human blood! No wonder it comes with a book and ID number... when they find out it was infected blood, they'll give me a call... ick. I know I feel good when I give blood, but I don't want somoene else's blood. All I think is germs.... yeah, I'm wierd. I'm now in my 3d trimester and scheduled to see the doc every 2 weeks now! We're getting closer and closer and I'm starting to get nervous about labor and delivery. It seemed to far away and when I look at a clandar and all the stuffI have to do, this time is going to fly. Preston will be here in 3 months!! 03 maggio Stressed!These past couple weeks have been so stressful! I haven't been sleeping well, and I've worrying about everything that's going on. After a week of not hearing from my interview, I applied to a couple ho-hum jobs just for some type of income. I applied at a flower shop as a cashier only to find that when I walked in, I was interviewed on the spot with the flower arrangment manager for an assistant position. I have a background in art, so I thought, why not? I was floored when she says, "Well, do you want to make me something?" Uhh... sure. She pointed to all the stuff and said, "There ya go." I told her I had no experience in this and yet she expected me to whip up this glorious bouquet of flowers. So I'm standing there thinking to myself... Do I fill the vase with water first? How much do I fill it? What kind of flowers do I use? What greenery do I use? Do I cute the stuff before I put it in the vase? How tall should they be? The lady turns to do her own thing and leaves me hanging. I can match up a pretty color combo for you, but come on, I don't know what I'm doing! I put together what looks like a blob of flowers. She thanks me for making it for her and then I kindly say bye and can't help but smile in disbelief that his actually just happened. AfterI get to my car I break out in laughter thinking about it. I so don't think this is the job for me... The other job I applyied for is an office assistant at a chiropratic office. They're looking for a warm friendly person--that's me! I was called the next day for an interview. So today I interview there with a woman that doesn't usually do the interviewing. She was a very kind woman, but I only had enough words for yes and no for her questions, which doesn't give a good picture of my true personailty. So I just smiled my way through, hoping to seem like I could fit the description. The pay is much lower and benefits start after 6 months. However, I don't see myself stressing out at this job. It's 40 hours a week, 10 hours a day. I don't have to stand a lot. It has it's pros, but also it's cons. I don't see myself staying there forever, which they're looking for long term employment. Yes, it's a job, but it doesn't help my career and I'd hate to see my degree go down the drain. Which brings me to my next situation. I finally hear from the my first interview after I e-mailed them asking if they'd made a desicion. They still haven't decided and have a few problems with me. 1. I asked for too much money. I think if they know what they want to pay, why in the world would they ask for a salary!? Of course I'm going to ask for lots of money. I don't want to underestimate what they may pay. 2. They felt that I had a desire to move up. I asked if there was opportuiny to advance, but it isn't really essential for me. Right now I need a job and experience. Don't most people want to advance though? I don't understand what kind of perosn he's looking for... Someone without ambition? Yet I still want the job. So I e-mailed him and tried to give myself one last cry for the job. I probably just made myself look pathetic, but if it's meant to be, it'll be, and at least I tried. More stress: We've been looking for a house, which doubles the pressure and anxiety for me to find a job. There's more to my story, but I have to run! Sorry! Ok, ok... Find a house. We've looked at probably around 40-50 homes in the Bloomington/Normal area over the past couple weeks. We had no problem getting approved as we both have exceptionally high credit for our age. Our only problem was finding a descent house in our price range. I couldn't believe some of the dumps we looked at for $120,000!! Justin commented that he wouldn't even let the dog in some of those places. Sloping floors, cracked walls, broken windows, lead painted, holes in the floors, ceilings, walls, uneven floors, dirty carpet, smelly rooms (cat, B.O., smoke, rotten food). It was starting to feel like we'd never find a descent home and that we should just settle for O.k... but for the amount of money we're spending it should have been superb! That's the difference between the city and a small country town though. We put a bid in on a house that was a little out of our price range. It was brand new and not even finished yet. It was in a neighboring town. Someone else put in abid the same night and we had to put all our eggs in one basket. Highest bidder wins. I knew then that we'd lose the house and he was probably going to make even more money than he asked for. We couldn't afford it. So we put a big in on a cute bi-level house next to Kasi and Erics on a busy road. It was lovely, but still out of our price range. They wouldn't budge much on their price, so we walked. Our last resort was to bid on a Zero-lot line house. It's pretty much a condo. It has a lot of the feaures we were looking for minus a garage, fenced yard, and attached neighbors. There's a jogging trail right next to these houses, as well as a park. Although we wouldn't have a yard for Max or the babe, we could still take them down the road to play, or take them on the paved trail for a walk. It was 3 bedroom, 2 and half bath, partially finished basement, big kitchen and living room, all redone. The place was only built in 2001, so nothing is really that old in it anyway. Jack and Theres managed to come and look at places with us to help us decide. When we met with the realtor, she informed us that 2 of the condos we were going to see were alreay pending, and the particular condo we were going to big on SOLD! I couldn't believe it. It was only on the market for 10 days and at our first walk through, the painters were still right outside! I was heartbroken. She did tell us that another one would be openeing up soon though, but they hadn't started the renovations yet. I wanted this one because it was on the end, but guess what--so is the other one! It's supposed to have exactly what this one has, plus a washer and dryer because we asked for it! The first 2 houses we looked at we pretty much junk. I'm not sure I even felt safe in them, they might fall apart! For the money, everyone agreed that it was crazy! When we showed them the condo though, everyone fell in love! It outweighs having a garage and yard by far. We stopped looking at places and decided to put in a bid. Jack and Theresa left and we waited to hear from the realtor. She said we should probably know by that night. An hour later we got the call. It's ours! We'll get the keys on May 25th! We're SO excited about our first home/condo! Now that we found a place to live, I'm feeling the anxiousness to get a job so we can pay for it. I feel like I can't settle my mind about everything still. The worrier in me :) The baby has also been a complete run around. As you know, we don't have insurance so I had to meet with the health department several times. When I finally got that taken care of, they assigned me a doctor at Brommen, supposedly one of the best! I couldn't wait for my doctor's appointment to make sure everything was ok with Preston. I feel him kickly constantly, but it's always reassuring to hear it from the doctor. At my first doctor appointment, the waiting room was packed. Just what I wanted to see. I knew it was a bigger city, but wow! I waited a good hour before seeing anyone. I did the urine sample, and it came back good. They weighed me, my favorite part, and I've gained almost 20 pounds. I was one tenth of an ounce away! I think every pound I gain, is an ounce for Preston :) They couldn't really do too much that day because they didn't have my previous medical records. I signed a release for them and talked with my doctor. I told her about the contractions I have been feeling that are painless. She looked a bit alarmed. I thought they were normal Braxton Hicks. I'm having them too much though so they took a cervical culture to determine if I'd go into preterm labor. If it came back postive, I'd have the baby in 2 weeks, negative is good and if the contractions haven't stopped, I'll get another test in 2 weeks. I was kinda frazzled after that. She told me I need to relax as much as possible and drink lots of water. I told her I was under a lot of stress right now and she said that can trigger it too. I don't even have a job right now! what's it going to be like if I find one? They decided to hook me up to a fetal monitor to see if I had any contractions and how the baby responds to them. They set me up in a big comfy chair and turned on the TV. They strapped me up and gave me a clicker to push every time I felt the baby move. It was about lunch time and Preston lets me know when he's hungry because he squirms and kicks. I was pushing that button every couple of seconds. I think the straps were too tight and he didn't like them. I stayed hooked up about 20 minuntes and had no contractions. She said the baby's heartrate was good and she wasn't too worried about him, but wanted to schedule a sonogram ASAP. I had another apponitment for the next morning there. At the sonogram, the office was much quieter. There is hope that it won't be as swamped everyday! The sonographer was nice, as all the nurses and doctos are there. (Did I mention they're all gorgeous too?!) She did the basic measurments of Preston and said he was measuring a couple days ahead, as usual. His weight is about 1.5 pounds which is the average for a baby at this week. His heartrate was steady at 143. We also got new pictures! There's a new one of his profile and then kind of a s3 quarter view of his face. If it were stright on, he'd look like a creepy skeleton. He's gaining weight in his little cheeks. Everyone keeps saying that his profile looks just like Justin. He's doing good though, so less worries there. I am so meet Preston already! But there is clearly a lot that needs to be taken care of before he gets here, so it's best that he waits until closer to his due date! None of this preterm labor stuff for me please! I go back in 2 weeks for another regular check-up, and then again for my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. Yum...I get to starve myself before coming in and then drink a sugary liquid and wait for an hour for them to draw blood and check the levels of sugar in my blood. If it's postive, I got back for more tests. Then I have to come again for the Rhogam shot because I have a negative blood type. If my baby is postive, my body will make anitbodies to try and fight him off. I'm not worried though because me and Justin are both negative blood types. They do it anyway "just in case." We also heard back from one of our claims. We're recieving one of them back in full and the other is "being investigated." So there is a little good news in there. Transitioning from military life with a baby on the way is so much harder than I ever expected. Though I don't reccommend it, I wouldn't change anything. God knows what he's doing and I just have to trust him! 23 aprile Job InterviewOk, so after much anticipation, I tried to clam myself as I walked to the store from my carwith my unmistakable basketball belly. It's just a job, just a job. Ha! Whatever eases my mind anyway. Just a job that could potentially support my husband and child. I proofed my portfolio a few times before even leaving the house. I had to have it perfectly organized and sifted through to reflect my best pieces of work. I kept reading online that 10-15 examples was plenty to show at an interview, but I just couldn't part with all my pieces. I ended up with more like 25 pieces including the business packages mounted on foam core.
I walked into the store to a pleasant woman in her forties. I intorduced myself ans he took me next door to Blimpie's and directed me to the back of the restuarant where a man sat in the dim light. It felt like I was in a strange book set apart from my world. All of this felt so unfamiliar--the lighting, the smell, my clothes, my make-up, and of course the man in the corner. As I approached him witha smile, I sucked in my belly trying to hide little Preston. He shook my hand and introduced himself as I did. I felt a bit more comforatble as he joked with me that he was talking with his coworker rather than reading over my resume like he'd planned to during lunch. I sat across from them and felt strangely comfortable looking at this man. His hair and facial expressions reminded me of a previous boss whom I got along great with. Hmm, is this a sign? I felt like I answered the questions pretty good in the beginning. It was basic factual answers. Then towards the middle he starts in with the questions that for some reason make me feel brain dead when asked. "How would you describe your previous employer?" What do I say? I tell him he was crazy! What was I thinking?! I loved my last boss! I could feel my face burning up with redness as I tried to recover from my foolish answer, but then the words just got stuck somewhere between speaking and thinking. Doh! Personality flaw. I don't do well at "public" speaking or being on the spot. I just laughed it off and prayed for a smoother question and answer to follow. "How would your last boss describe your work?" I so had this one nailed in my practice questions. I say "punctual." What the heck!? That's me, not my work! Recover... "clean." He says, "As in not dirty?" I had to laugh at myself again as I realized then he wasn't an artist or designer. He was a mangaer over a store and had no clue as to what I meant by clean. Showing him my work later he said he then understoof what I meant by clean. I took it as a compliment and smiled as I told him I was a bit of a perfectionist. I sure hope that's an important quality he's looking for!
He then goes on to talk about the duties. I would be the designer and production team. Just me. I am the team. While it would be nice to not have others to have to compare myself to, I'd also like a helping hand. How am I supposed to learn? With a 2 week straight training in Dallas, Texas of course! I think it counds fun! I think I could enjoy this position in the tight knit store. There are 5 employees. The bad? No benefits until after a year and then I get a 401K-like IRA. No health insurance. The good? Paid holidays and a salary income! Both men seemed like nice people and I could see myself working for and with them.
I left with no real sense as to whether I would get the job or not. They still had a couple more interviews and I feel like my salary erequirements were a bit too high for them after I researched their company online. But I have to remind myself that I shouldn't sell myself short. I did afterall go to college for this and that counts for something. It's just a job and as of a few weeks ago I was completely content with being a stay at home mom when Preston arrives. We'll see though :) 19 aprile Time for an update!It's been an intersting couple of weeks. AFter Alyssa was born, I was able to visit with her everyday for a week before moving to Bloomington. She seems to change daily so coming home this weekend is very exciting for me! She's such a little cuddlebug. We had our special time while Ashley would shower :) It's amazing how long I could spend just looking at her. Then of course I think of Preston and what he's going to look like. He makes himself known as his kicks are becoming much stronger and higher. I think I squish him when I sit hunched over because he kicks the crap out of my right ribcage. His kicks and punches are still all over the place for the most part, so I'm confident he hasn't settled head down. My long torso accomidates nice stretching room!
I moved to Bloomington last Thursday after I got all our paperwork together and faxed for our car claim. I have a feeling we won't see much of a return for the damage. The left strut was broken at the site so it was towed literally down the street for $40. Whoa! The garage it was taken to was clearly not a professional business with high standards. The older man in charge let us stand in the cold for 10 minutes while he chit chatted with the tower. After that he brought us in only to tell us no one was at work today yet. Goody. We waited for someone to come to work only to find he sent the guy to work on another car. Mom and I had plans, so we couldn't stick around for hours waiting. Finally someone else comes back with his lunch-a whole chicken-and tells us he has to eat and then finish a truck that's alredy in the shop before he'll even look at our car, which could be a couple hours. Forget that. Mom and I drove an hour an a half back home instead.
The next day I called to see the progress of the car and they said it would be done by noon, definetely by 2:00. What?! It was in fact a broken strut and they replaced as well as putting a new alignment on it. At the shop, they told Jack and I that it couldn't fully be aligned with the old strut but he did the best he could and still charge us for it! Urgh! To make it worse, the shipping company was under contract and didn't have to abide by any rules they didn't want to. It said in writing that if the amount was under $1,000, the shipping company would pay us on the spot. They refused and told us to go to the nearest Base. So much for that since we can no longer get on any base! Jack tried to get ht police invovled but by law, they couldn't since it was a contract. I forked over the money in hopes of getting it back later. I faxed all the paperwork later that day and still haven't heard from them.
When we got the car back to Nokomis, we took it to our trusted mechanic. He told us the alignment was totally off and the other strut needed replaced so the tires didn't wear on one side. Looking closer he saw that the brakes were wearing funny so those needed replaced as well. We had those put on in Germany on post where they also made our roters too thin! Those also needed replaced. On top pf all that, the car was in desperate need of a tune-up and required a rather expensive part to do so. The bill was a few hundred more than I was expecting and I'm pretty upset with the moving company and previous mechanic. He over charged us for the strut and alignment. So I tried to file yet another claim since we had to get the other strut replaced because of the broken left one, but again, I have yet to hear from them.
So with the car being fixed, I was able to move to Bloomington this past weekend! Our bed wouldn't fit on Justin's truck so there were a couple nights that I slept on the couch an Justin on the airbed until Jack and Theresa came up wtih our bed later that weekend. It was soooo nice sleeping on a bed, but right away we noticed it's just too small for us! I have to sleep on my side with my legs curled up and they go right into Justin's back. I can't wait until we get our big bed set up... in our new house... that we still haven't found.
We've been searching online and driving around for a house. We've even contacted a couple realtors but we keep getting the same response, we need to talk to lender to see how much we can actually afford. Good plan. I called a lender and had an appointment set up for today but had to reshedule when she asked for 3 years worth of information about us! We have last years taxes but the other 2... most likely in a box in the garage at Justin's parents... We've also recently switched banks, jobs, and bought a truck, which doesn't help us. The good news is we only have my student loans as debt. Now we just need to gather up all our information somehow. I called Theresa because she seems to be our suprehero in any times of need. She willingly went to the garage and started sorting through boxes searching for these paper that could be anywhere. She did find last years tax returns!
While I had her searching, I got an e-mail from a place a applied to over a month ago. He has a graphic design position open and he's scheduling interviews! He asked for my saraly requiremtns and I had a mini heart attack because I think everything is 10 times more dramatic while pregnant. I gave him the low end of the average in Bloomington for graphic designers as well as told him it was negotiable. He e-mailed back and asked if I'd like to come in for an interview! Yay! Then this morning he writes and says to seriously consider my salary requiremtns because he's looking for the best overall value in an employee which makes me think I asked for too much and that I won't get the job if I stay firm on this amount. Now I don't know what to think. I also applied at State Farm as they had a position open up yesterday for a graphic designer! I fear my belly will alter everything for me though :( I called Theresa back and asked yet another favor--can you look for my portfolio? It seems to be missing at the moment.
So now if I get the job, we'll have to go through the loan process agin after a month because obviously we could afford something better. I know I'm not garunteed the job though and I'm already nervous about it. I guess I shouldn't be with all things considered. The right job will come when it's supposed to!
So if I don't get the job, Justin and I will go in for the loan counceling and start looking for a house in the spare moments he has between work and their actual open hours. I would LOVE a place of our own. Right now I've become the live in maid at Kasi's. I clean during the day and cook for everyone at night! Kasi has an axam comig up and often works very late at State Farm and Eric has finals coming up so he's studying (and also very sick right now.) Justin, well he's Justin. He's have McDonalds every night if I didn't cook. I finally got him taking a sack lunch to work which he's kinda happy about because now he doesn't have to go out of his way to find a McDonalds and gets off work a little earlier.
I also got my computer this weekend and uploaded all 600+ photos from my camera from the past couple of months. I made a little college outta my belly pics. I was sad to see that I had missed a few weeks in there while we were moving from Germany. I guess there's always next time! Lol! 09 aprile Happy Easter!What a lovely Easter it was too! Ashley had her baby on April 4th. Alyssa Brooke is 6lbs 7 ounces, 19.5 inches long, and has a full head of black hair. She absolutely beautiful! Ashley did a great job in the 12 hours of labor. She had to have 2 epidurals because her first one fell out and was only numbing one leg. The doctors rushed the baby at the last minute because they thought the baby had cord distress. They used a vaccuum, but Alyssa was fine with no cord around her neck. It took 40 minutes before we could see her. They had the door cracked and we could hear a little of things going on inside, but not much. They've been home since Friday and both doing great. So for Easter everyone got to see their new family member. Our family is baby crazy so Alyssa had no problem making her way into everyone's hearts. Aside from Alyssa, Justin surprised me with Preston's first Easter basket. He picked out all the candy, the basket, and the grass. I was pretty impressed with his sweet thoughtfulness and excitment for our baby. Good job, Daddy! Mom and I also had things planned for Preston. We painted my belly like and Easter Egg and wrote, " Preston's First Easter," on it. My young cousins liked it as I joked with them that he'd hatch in 4 months. I'm not sure they fully understood their crazy cousin Shannon. :) Justin is still in Bloomington working. I did finally get my car this past week, but a strut was broke so we had to get it fixed. Now my other strut is squeaking and needs changed because it doesn't match the other one. Grr... The Army... I guess this was more the shipping company. Now I'm waiting to join Justin as my car gets repaired. I'm torn between my new niece and my husband! 30 marzo We're having a...BOY! A beautiful baby boy! Justin wasn't able to come with his new job, so I had other troops come along. Both our mothers and my bestest from Paducah KY came up. I had so much built up anxiety and anticipation for this sonogram. I was worried we may not be able to tell the sex if the baby was all curled up and cross legged. Nope! As soon as she put the instrument on my stomach, she says, "Who wants a boy!?" We were all in shock! Really?! "Oh yes, really!" She moved the image so we could see better and there's no mistaking that she was right! A combinations of emotions swept over me and layed there and cried the entire time. I promise I wasn't sad that he's a boy! I'm just so happy to finally know, be able to shop, better prepare the baby's room, and envision my future with my boys :) His mother was able to point out that his profile looks just like Justin. My sister even had a dream that it was a boy and he looked just like Justin except for the eyes, which were mine. Now my thoughts are set on what he looks like instead of what he is. I plan on going back in 8 weeks for a 4D sonogram. These are the best prices I've seen by far and I just can't wait a second longer to see him! After the sonogram I was still crying. (Pregnancy hormones! Oye!) We walked out to the car and Brandy had a boy balloon and outfit set waiting. I just couldn't contain myself! I cried some more and called Justin and wept as I told him we were having a boy. Proud Papa Justin couldn't stop beaming with joy though. When he called back later he still sounded as though he had been handed a million dollars. We're both estatic about our new addition. We think we even have the name picked out but we're going to have 2 names ready just in case he comes out not looking like the name. I'll share those later ;) 19 marzo Baby Girl's RoomThis weekend I decided it was time to get Ashley's baby room in order for REAL. I'm taking part of the blame for it not being done since she was taking over my old room that still housed pretty much all my stuff. I had no idea how much I didn't bring to Germany with me! Over the week I packed up little bits here and there as the boxes came. I have 3 copier paper boxes full of Cherished Teddies! Wow! It was fun packing them up and remembering about the time I bought each one. Yes, I remember each and every one as well as about half of their names on the bottom of each figurine. They haven't moved from those shelves for quite a while and I don't plan on unpacking them until I have a curio cabinet. I'm surprised there wan't more dust! There were a couple large items in the room that were holding us pregnant women back from fully assembling the room: my big old dresser and huge bookshelf the dad built me. It was a pretty finish on the wood, but seriously, who can use something THAT wide in a room that isn't very big to begin with. After clearing it off, I managed to push it into the bathroom. It fit nicely in the corner and I started envisioning a baby changing table! Theresa had to come over and help move the dresser. I couldn't make it budge and I know a few people that would be upset if they knew I was pushing heavy things around. (I got my lecture when I helped push Ashley's car out of the snow!) On Saturday I came home and told Ashley we were going to get paint and start the baby room. She needs the motivation as she says so I had no problem enforcing it! My carpet is a tealish green color and I had white walls when it first got painted. Looking at it that day, however, that walls were dingy from taped up posters, art pictures, and photos. There were several little nails holes that were not properly put in place and tore chunks of drywall out. I had glow-in-the-dark stars and moons on my walls from Freshman year or earlier of high school that when taken off the wall took the paint right with it. Ick. The wall painting was a must in my opinion. Baby girl deserves the best we can provide :) So off to Storms for paint. Ashley and I guessed at the carpet color and tried matching a nice neutral color with it. Her bedding has frogs and friends on it so we could go lots of directions with paint. With the carpet green, we we with honey-pear yellow. We bought a small tub of white in case we needed to dab down the brightness. I haven't seen the bedding or trim in person, but looking at it online, I think we made an excellent choice! It took us a good hour to get organized enough to even start painting. We found a banquet table roll in the basement (where was this for Ashley's shower!?) and laid it on the carpet for "protection." Ha! We still found way to get it on the carpet. We went up and down those stairs so many times to get this and that! I was near pooped before we started. We plugged in the little space heater to warm our freezing fingers and toes and started away. Before long, the walls were finished with the first coat. We had to take a sandwich break though. Can't go long without food before we get cranky! I was eager to finish up the room. Once I envision something I want to see the finished product right then. I definetely overworked myself and pushed through the second coat. We decided to stop since Ashley had plans, but once she left I HAD to finish it! Before I went to bed that night we had the socket covers back on, the curtains back up, and the shelves back in place. It was soooo pretty! I wanted to put the baby bed up and move all the other baby items back into the room right then, but knew I had to stop. My back and legs were killing me. Yesterday we finished it all up. Ashley and I painted a couple special touches to the room. I did a frog on al lily pad with a fish underwater and Ashley painted a Monet scene of water lilies on a small oval carpet. They both turned out nice. I have just a couple other ideas to paint, but they shouldn't take long. I want to add a butterfly and ladybug on some grass. We had Theresa, Kala, Ashley, Me, and Mom all moving baby stuff out of Ashley's room and the bathroom back into Baby Girl's room. Once everything was put away, it didn't look like nearly as much stuff. Boy did it take up a lot of room before it was placed away though! Adam came by later that night and assembled the crib. The room is so soft looking. I love it! I can't wait to do my baby's room! The giant shelves did end up being the baby changing table. The mountain of diapers and wipes fit nicely into the deep shelves and the changing pad fit perfect on top, with a little room to spare. Now all that really needs to be done before she can come is have her mama's hospital bag packed and ready! Ashley has been complaining of cramping and pain the last couple days so it may happen soon, or the baby could be stubborn and make her wait the full 3 weeks left. 12 marzo Baby Shower/ Maternity PicsThis weekend was so much fun! On Saturday I woke up at 4:30am to ride with mom to Fairview Heights to get Krispy Kreme doughnuts for the Junior High fundraiser. It's always interesting with us two. We didn't get lost, but we ran short on time and ended up driving the beasty school van quite quickly down the blacktop. After setting up for sales, I went home and changed for the maternity photo shoot for Ashley. Yeah, it was for Ashley, but while we had the place we might as well take some of me too, right? Terry let us borrow his house since he has the extra space to actually back up and take a picture without hitting something. Mom was my assisstant and held the gobo until my flash batteries died. :( With a black backdrop you can't even see the shadow though so I was happy about that. We took a few together and then I managed to get Justin to take a few with me too. I'm only 4 months, but I've had so many belly picture requests! I swear people just want to see me fat :) That's cool though. I will get back to my prematernity weight or at least fit into half of my old clothes! After the shoot was Emma's birthday party that we ended up being late for since we spent too much time taking photos. Surprise surprise! I can't believe she's 1 already. We caught her attempting walking on film and it was so cute. Her little wobbly legs still don't always agree with what her body is saying to do. I'm so glad to be home now so I can be there to see the rest of her life as well as my other nieces and nephew. It's time for family! After the party, Kasi and I headed to Wal-Mart for last minute Baby Shower items. Kasi made the most adorable diaper cake! I haven't been to a baby shower in a very long time, but I guess this is something people do now? The shower took up all our time on Sunday. As soon as we got up and together we started putting together punch and fruit kabobs. It would have been sooner except for the time change that kinda slowed us all down. By 1:00 we had a bunch of stuff still waiting to be packed up and taken to the shower. We got the hall at about 1:20 and had to rush to decorate and finish the kabobs. The fruit and dip turned out to be a great hit. Laurie made the cutest little chocolate baby items that topped the cupcakes she made. Kasi and I made fortune cookies with fun facts about Ashley in them. Kasi ended up doing most of the work after dipping a side of the cookies in pink choloate. It all turned out great! Ashley got soooo many presents. Her baby is going to be set from 0-3 months in baby clothes. When we brought everything home, it filled the entire baby room plus some. We ended up going through all the stuff to see if there were any duplicates (just socks!) and what age group the clothes were. Everything was still being strung out on the living room floor at 11:00 last night. I finally asked her to go to bed so I could sleep! (I had the couch since it was so late already.) Justin is in Bloomington starting his first day of work. Good luck! I'm enjoying the 72 degree weather! 06 marzo Update #2Gosh, it's so hard to keep up to date with things when I don't have my own computer. I want to updload pictures and edit them in Photoshop so badly! I've been pretty much lazy the entire time we've been home. Most time is spent in a car going somewhere to "shop", visit, or eat.
This past weekend was an exciting event for me. I was hired to shoot a wedding reception for one of Kasi's friends in Bloomington. It was a small but very pretty reception. After 9:30 Justin had enough beer in him to make him want to dance and not stop dancing until it was time to leave. I danced for a while but I was dressed nice and in boots so my feet were killing me. Justin mentioned to me that night that he could tell I was pregnant while I was taking photos. Yep, 17 weeks of growing baby in there!
Jack and Theresa have been so very kind to me and Justin! They pretty much bought me my whole wardrobe right now! They surprised me with new maternity clothes since it was obvious that my old clothes no longer fit. My shirts rise up on my belly and a few pants won't button anymore while others simply won't go on! I'm not fat by any means, I'm just now seeing how small I really was! I was on the borderline for too small for my height, but I quickly gained that weight plus some. It's so strange! The doctor still suggests a slower weight gain though. If I want to avoid stretch marks I should probably listen.
My belly is at a noticeable buldge now. I can't help but look at it every time I pass a mirror! Next week is 4 months! I can't wait to get to the doctor on the 28th to find out the sex. I've been shopping for baby clothes for Ashley and after seeing both sets of clothes I don't care what it is, I just want to know! She could wear adorable little dresses, or he could wear cute little polos with khakis! I've gotten a few gifts such as a carseat and bassinet that are blue. Either sex will us them! I have a couple bibs that say I love mommy and daddy that are pink and purple. I'm sure baby won't mind.
Back to Bloomington--Justin and I applied to a few places for work. Justin was hesitant about applying to a lawncare place, but the ad said it had good benefits and good pay. He walked in and back out with a job offer! He went in the next day for his 2nd interview and was welcomed to the team. He now has to pass a test in Peoria sometime this week. I'm not sure when he'll start. We also found out while we were there that he was accepted to ISU! I think that's our sign. We plan to move there soon and live with Kasi and Eric until we can find our own place. As much as I want to be a Stay At Home Mom, hopefully I'll get a job too so that we can afford a decent place!
Before we left for Bloomington, we bought a truck. It's a hunter green 99 Ford Ranger with the sport package. Justin LOVES it. Now we just need to get our car over here so I can drive too!
While visiting Kasi, we decided to get Max neutered. He kept peeing on new animal scents in people's houses. I don't think we'll find another female english cocker spaniel to breed with him, nor do we need that on our plate right now, so it's snip snip for Max. He was so excited to go to the Vet this morning. I wonder what he's thinking now? We'll pick him up tomorrow morning.
I got my offical notice in the mail yesterday. I won't be receiving any unemployment. They said I voluntarily left when I moved so I "quit." I'd try to fight it, but honestly it's not worth it. I'd rather just find a new job.
I think that's just about everything for now. Gonna go waste another cold day in front of the TV... 25 febbraio Little UpdateWe're back in the good ol' USA and here to stay. Though we're both unemployed, we still seem to fill our days running here and there with different people.
I have the doctor situation under control for now. As long as we don't move anywhere far before the baby is born, I have my doctor and coverage. I met her at an appointment for Ashley who by the way is super cute with her basketball belly! She has 6 weeks left and I'm now 16 weeks. My belly is ever growing and as a nurse had casually mentioned, a little too quickly. Oh well. Food is good and the baby is happy :) I have my one allowed sonogram scheduled for March 28th which should tell us the sex of baby should baby decide to cooperate this time.
We've both applied for unemployment but I do't htink I'll be receiving any because of my "quitting" status at the studio. In all defense, I kinda had to. My sponsor and husband left the country making me an illegal alien in their country since I had been there for longer than my allowed 3 months on a passport. Justin should be getting it though. However after seeing the amount, a job is a much better route.
And now I'm out of time again and have to run! 13 febbraio 14 week PicsGood news! I used the scanner at work today and got the new sonograms on disc! We're also out of the apartment now too. We have internet in our Private Suite at the Bamberg Inn though so it's not as bad as I thought it'd be. Usually its a shared bath room, but this is cozy! We had almost $200 in damages we had to pay for our crappy wooden floors that warped when we had Max (potty training) and cleaned them with too strong of cleaner. Oh well. Could have been worse. They didn't charge us for the giant hole in the wall that Max chewed! Almost done here. Sigh... Here's our little "peach" (That how big it was last week, this week is the size of a fist!) 12 febbraio We're Having A...baby! Yep, the baby pulled an Ashley's baby trick. It's Daddy's little baby... Justin couldn't come to my appointment today because of an award he was receiving. I think the baby knew he wasn't there and wanted Daddy to be there too when we found out the baby's sex. The baby was all balled up with it's legs crossed and upside down making it difficult to get between the legs. When we finally could see between, it put it's hand in the way! Urgh! So who knows when we'll actually know the sex. I did get to see my baby in 4D though! It was so neat! The bone structure hasn't formed all the way on the head and you could see the big gap. You could also see all 10 fingers and toes! How neat! My test results from the 1st trimester screening came back "as good as possible." Our odds of having a baby with a disability went from 1 in 1,000 to 10,000. It was still a good visit even though we must keep waiting. By the way, we no longer have a telephone or scanner. So no phone calls unless you call my cell, and no baby pictures until we come home! |
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