Happy 2nd Birthday Isaiah!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Prince Isaiah

(Picture taken with phone on 7/7/2010)

I can't believe my Little Man is 2 years old already!!! Where have those 2 years gone?! I feel like just last month I was snuggling with him in the hospital bed, thanking God he was doing ok after a scare at birth, then being at home with him for the first 3 months of his life-thinking man he is so easy going, so relaxed, not a care in the world. Now, here we are 2 years later celebrating my little ball of energy's 2 year birthday!!!!

The kids made fire cracker shirts at Christi's!!

We didn't do anything crazy this year for Isaiah's birthday. With Nick not working very much at this point of the year, we decided to just have family and the Stednitz's over for dinner, cake/ice-cream, and swimming. Even though it wasn't a huge celebration, it was perfect and tons of fun!!! Isaiah (and the other kids) had a blast!!! It is so fun to watch our kids and Christi's kids play together so well (even after being together all day at daycare!!!)

Thank you Spencer, Christi, Olivia and Ady!!

Isaiah did a good job on gifts! Man is he spoiled....I mean loved! He is for sure loved and people really showed it that day. I do have to say his two favorite gifts had to be his "John Deere Big Tractor," and his dump truck (although he calls it a "dumb *uck"-I will star out the first letter and let you guess what goes there!!!!)

Thank You Grandpa Mike, Nana and Papa!!!

As mentioned before, the kids were able to swim, run through the sprinkler, and just enjoy the out doors. It was a beautiful evening for the outdoor activities!!

Yah, somebody got ahold of sunscreen! :)

After everybody left, Julia and Isaiah decided they wanted another cupcake. I do think they had more fun PLAYING with the cupcakes than actually eating them. Please remember as you read this, Isaiah is a boy that does not like his hands dirty usually-he will whine and ask for a napkin to clean them off. Well today, he must have thought-"this is my birthday and I'm going to enjoy myself!"

He may have tried to be somewhat clean before he really decided to have fun!!!

Julia had tons of fun as well with the cupcakes!!!

Needless to say-it was BATH TIME after they were done!!! The bath water turned blue from the frosting! The kids LOVED it!

Well Isaiah, your day has come to an end! I do hope you had a great birthday. Mommy and Daddy are soooo proud of you and love you so much. You amaze us every day with the things you say and do and the way you pretend. You are growing up so fast (PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!) I can't wait to see what this next year with you holds!!! You mean the world to me Bubba!!! XOXOXO!

Just think....2 years ago, this is where we were....

One last time....HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAIAH MICHAEL!!! We LOVE you!!!!

Happy 4th of July

We had a very relaxing, yet fun 4th of July weekend! We hung out with our good friends Elizabeth and Brian Watters (Alexis and Aubrey as well.) Cousin Sara was able to come visit with us for the weekend also!!! It was so nice to be able to spend time with friends and family that we don't see all the time.

We went to The Watters' house both on the 3rd and 4th of July. They had bouncy houses, pools, TONS of yummy food, and LOTS of fire works. The kids had a blast!!!

Sara and I did end up taking Isaiah to the urgent care close to The Watters' house due to a BIG bug bite that Isaiah got. It really looked like he had a good reaction to it. Luckily, she said he had some reaction, but really not enough to do anything. She said to keep an eye on it and make sure it didn't get any bigger. Thankfully it did not!!! Here is the best picture I could find where you could somewhat see the bit on his back.

When we got back to the house, it was time to start fireworks. Some of the kids there did the smoke bombs, sparklers, etc. before it got dark. Me and my kids-well we're scared of that stuff (lighting it I mean) and just sat back and watched. I don't like the thought of my kids lighting things! :)

After the stuff the kids could light, it was time to watch the big ones! We are not a family to spend money on fireworks, but Elizabeth and Brian....lol well they are! They had some pretty amazing ones!

I really do think the kids had a blast this year. It was so fun to be able to have them both old enough to enjoy. I know Sara and I enjoyed the food...probably a little too much. Which reminds me, I still need to get Sara a recipe from that weekend! Ooops, again something slipped my mind!

I hope you all had a great holiday as well!!!

And So it Begins...

It is the time to start getting rooms ready for the new addition! At first, Julia and Isaiah were going to share a room, so I was deep in thought on how to decorate a boys and girls room, with Julia's bedding colors. I couldn't think of anything! Then, Julia decided she wanted her own room and I was a-ok with that (especially because the two would talk until WAY TOO LATE at night!!!) So Julia moved into Isaiah's old room (which was her room as a newborn) and Isaiah and Baby T will be in Julia's old room.

The paint was purchased today.....

Some of the odds and ends were purchased for the boy's room the other day...

These are the colors that will be in the boy's room-green/brown/light brown

Paint color for Isaiah and Baby T-light green.

Paint color for Julia's-well there is 2-a pink and a light tan. Yes, she will have pink walls....

Only a few people have seen what we want to do with Julia's room, but I don't think I'm going to share it on here right now! I am excited and hopefully it turns out well and I will post a picture at the end!!! Lets just say, dots will be involved!!!

Not this drastic of dots though :)

Some of the other accents I want to do in the boy's room are brown curtains, a lamp and monkeys!!!

Cute little monkey rug!!

Dots and stripes of the above colors! There is the cutest changing table cover with this set! LOVE IT!

And I REALLY think I will be purchasing something like this!!! I've seen wall decals with this sayings as well. I will just have to keep looking and make a decision!!

(This would go perfect in my house for my monkeys who LOVE jumping on the bed!!!)

There is a sneak peak into our little construction zone! I can't wait to see how things progress and the final project! I hope it comes out cuter than I am even imagining! :) I hope to show pictures as we go!!!

20 Weeks Down, 20 (or so) Weeks to Go!!

Here is our little one last week!! So amazing!

I can't believe how quickly the last 20 weeks have gone. They have been full of some ups and downs, but I am so pleased we have made it this far. I trust the Lord that we will will make it MUCH further and we will be able to hold a very healthy baby in our arms at the end of October,beginning of November.

I have had ultra sounds quite frequently due to the placenta issues, so over the course of the scans we have had a few times of guessing what the little one would be, to just about sure, to be 100% POSITIVE! This little bean was NOT afraid to show us what it is (I guess I shouldn't say 100% positive b/c well I don't know, there could have been an issue with the scan, lol. Until that baby is out, we can't say 100%. I will stick with 99%!)

IT'S A......

LOL-see what I mean-HE was not afraid to show us what HE is!!!

We are soooooo excited to be adding another little man to the already male dominant family!!! Julia at first really wanted a baby sister, but as the time got closer (and they were guessing boy at the doctors office) she started saying she was ok with another little brother and she would love him anyways. :) Well that's good Julia, I would hope so! She is excited and at times she starts to cry and says, "I'm sad because I want my baby brother to be here now." (I do hope one day, we can give her a little sister though! Yah I know, I'm pregnant with one and already thinking about more. That's how I work. I want lots of babies!! *grins*)

Little Man is pushed up against my back right now! Ouch! That's why my back hurts so bad!

(I think it is so amazing what an ultra sound can show you! His spine is so cool looking in these pictures.)

His heartrate has remained strong throughout the pregnancy! YAY! I can't believe the old wives tale of "a fast heartbeat means girl." Both Isaiah and this little one have had fast heartbeats the whole time. I believe Tobias did as well, but I would have to double check with either Nick or Christy on that one. Little Man's heartrate this last time was 162!! When I went in at 19 1/2 weeks along, he was a whopping 11oz!!! (My little pregnancy updates I get emailed to me weekly said at 20 weeks they should be 10.5 oz. So I guess he's doing pretty good! (Let's just hope he doesn't stay ahead in the weight area too much, I don't need a BIG baby!!!)

He is saying "Hi" to everybody! :)

The doctor said my ultra sound looked very good when it came to the placental tear. She said it is not 100% attached, but MUCH better. She said she feels good about things. Her goal is to get me back to work. I am home for another 4 weeks and then probably heading back to work. I am excited about that, but also not. I've actually been ok at home lately and not too down. It's been a nice break. I do miss some people from work and it will be nice to have that interaction with them again. I am also so thankful for this time at home in order for things to heal. GOD IS GOOD! We have continued to pray over the course of all of this that he would keep our little one safe and I am just so happy and relieved how things are gone.

I need Nick to take some belly shots of me! I haven't been good at all with that this time around. As of last week, I gained my first 3 pounds! If my scale at home is correct, I've gained even more since then! YIKES!! :) The doctor was very happy I gained last time, b/c I was scolded that I haven't been gaining. Well now, she may tell me to SLOW DOWN! :) We shall see in a couple weeks.

Well there is your update on the little one and myself. I can't wait for these following weeks-feeling the baby move (which I do a lot not) is my favorite part of pregnancy and it's that time where I feel him SO much more. LOVE IT! Please continue to pray that things heal, stay strong and that we have a healthy baby and NOT EARLY (or too early I should say!)

Here's a couple more pics of the big kids! :)

Toby being a kid :)

Julia being...a stubborn looking model

Isaiah with his cousin Eli :)

18 Weeks Pregnant!

We're almost half way there!!! 18 weeks pregnant!

(copied from Similac Strong Moms)

Baby's Growth and Development at 18 Weeks Pregnant

At 18 weeks pregnant, growing is your baby's number-one priority. Take a look at some of the developmental changes:

•This week, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, or about the length of a large tomato.

•Your baby's skeleton continues to harden during the 18th week of your pregnancy. His leg bones and inner ear bones are the first to ossify (harden).

•Your baby now can hear! He might hear your heart beat or your tummy gurgle.

***I just find this soooo amazing!!! Seriously, the baby is only approximately 5 1/2 inches long and can not only just move, but can hear!!! ***

•He might hear loud sounds outside the womb.

 

These past few weeks have been a bit, what's the word?! FRUSTRATING! Here I am supposed to be resting more than anything and I just have all this energy and want to go go go and clean clean clean, but I physically can't! I do try to do little things that I can do to help around here (put a load of dishes in dishwasher or fold some laundry), but then I get scolded that I am doing too much! I can't win! :) I'm kidding, I know everybody is just looking out for me. I need to also look out for myself and this little bundle of joy that I am baking!

 

I can't believe how fast the past 18 weeks have gone! EIGHTEEN WEEKS!!! That is almost half way there!!! The past 18 weeks have been full of ups and downs, but I do feel really good right now and feel the baby move more every day. I do have to take those as good signs!

 

At my last doctors appointment last week, my doctor gave me the lecture I seem to get at least once (usually more) in every pregnancy! "You need to try and start gaining some weight!" I am trying! I really am! I do feel I eat all the time! I do admit there are days that I just can't force myself to eat much, but majority of the time I feel I eat all the time! Nick even spoke up and said, "She eats all the time! I get her whatever it is that she wants. I just don't get it!" I am still throwing up a few days a week and I'm sure that has something to do with it, but I am trying!! Lets hope next Tuesday that I have gained a few pounds! We shall see!!

 

The other 3 kiddos are doing awesome and enjoying summer break so far! All the kids are getting tan, YES even Tobias! (he actually has a lot of color right now!!!) They have enjoyed playing outside a lot and swimming!!! It's been so fun to sit outside and watch them-blow bubbles, swim, ride bikes (well Toby has helped them,) play in the mud, etc! Oh to be a kid again! I will leave you with a few pictures!

 

 

A Newborn's Conversation with God

I saw this on another blog and just had to post it. It is so sweet!

Another sneak peak of Baby T on 05/05/2010

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, "You will simply call her, "Mom."

FIRST OF ALL-Let me say-I'm SORRY for being so absent!

There has been a BIG change in our life and a change that has made me soooooo tired-We found out on February 27, 2010 that we would be welcoming another baby into our family. This was a total shock, but a happy shock. It's a baby-how can one not be happy!

I told Nick by starting a scrapbook for the baby. One I planned to keep up on, but again-that fell through! I wanted to take pictures weekly of myself, but everytime Sunday rolled and my week would change and I would think about it, I just didn't want to get up and take a picture. I feel bad and really wish I would have kept on it, but sadly I didn't this time around.

As soon as I found out, I had to start the normal doctor appointments that I have had to do with both Julia and Isaiah, after we lost our first baby. I have to go in every couple days to make sure my HCG level is doubling. I was also put on progesterone. Fun stuff! ;)

At 6 weeks 3 days, we had an ultra sound. I am pretty sure it looks just like a little blob at that time :) (sorry our scanner isn't working and I can't get the screen on the camera working to really take good pictures-so these are as good as I could get!)

Things were going well, or as well as a first trimester could go! I had (well still have) nausea, vomitting, and have been EXTREMELY exhausted. Exhaustion is why I haven't been on here to update. By the time I would get home from work, I couldn't imagine trying to sit at the computer and think and blog. I am sorry I let so much time pass.

Then things drastically changed-and not for the better-but for the worse!

On Friday April 23, 2010 I was sitting on the couch and felt something, something I knew I shouldn't be feeling. I ran to the bathroom to find out I was right-This was not supposed to be happening. I was bleeding, bright red blood! I thought the worst, right then and there. Been there, done that and I looked at Nick and said, "Here we go again!" I called the after hours number for my doctor and my dr was not on call, so the one that was called me back and said to get to the ER for an ultra sound.

I went to change clothes quickly and went to use the restroom again right before we left-the bleeding was done, everything was clear. I still knew I had to go, bright red blood is not a good sign during pregnancy.

At the ER, I had blood tests done, urine analysis done (to check for an infection), an ultra sound done, and other not so fun tests. The news I got that night was the baby looked great!!! (Which is very GOOD.) We saw it kicking, waving, the heart was just fluttering away. Here is a picture from the ultra sound at 11 weeks 5 (or 6) days! Sure has changed from about 5 weeks ago, huh?!

The BAD news I got was that a I had a large placental separation. I was told that it wasn't the end of the road for me, but that I was at higher risk of a miscarriage or pre-term labor. I just bawled. I told the doctor that, that if I was going to end up losing this baby, I wanted it sooner than later, I by all means do NOT want to lose it, but I also don't want to get further and further along, only to lose it. She said she completely understood, but I had to change my thinking. I had to think positive, that they do see very happy endings with these things.

So I had an appt that following Monday where my doctor put my on bed-rest. At that time she told me at least 2 weeks possibly longer. She said they see a lot of times between 14-16 weeks the placenta re-attaching itself and that's what we were hoping for.

I went for another ultra sound yesterday. The Baby still looks great...

13 weeks 1 Day

HOWEVER...I have a large blood clot under the placenta from when it tore, it bled. The dr said that it could re-absorb itself in me or release. He said he sees the large separation and he couldn't tell me if it was any better from the ultra sound before, b/c this doctor was just going to do the US for the ultra screen for down syndrome testing, etc. He said he would send the results to my OB and she would know if it looked any better. He wants to see me in 6 weeks and make sure the clot is getting smaller and the separation is less. (At first they ran across the idea that I originally had 2 sacs and actually miscarried a twin and this one was fine, but after the further review, he put that idea to rest-for sure only one sac, my placenta was separated.)

I then saw my OB-at that point she had not received the results yet (the appt was RIGHT afterwards.) She too could not tell me if there was any progress. She sat me down and said, I want you to know your separation was large and I am very worried. She said, to keep praying b/c it is not over yet and we're going to do all we can to have it reattach it self. She said she sees a lot where they do, but again emphasized, "but yours is very large." I am on bed-rest for another 2 weeks, then another US. We will see where we go from there. Hopefully some progress. It is possible that I will be on rest for the remainder of the time. I am 13 weeks-that could be A LONG time-but worth it, if I get to see a healthy baby after this.

I have not had any bleeding or old blood since that one incident. I am still throwing up every day. I still have a lot of signs of pregnancy. But the separations SCARES ME!!!

Please keep me and the baby in your thoughts and prayers. We really need it.