My life in sweatpants...

The past week has been tough on me...

I have been a little more of an emotional train wreck than normal:)  First, last Saturday I was down and out with strep throat.  That was HORRIBLE!  I couldn't swallow, breathe, could barely sit up.  I hate being sick, because I really don't get a chance to lie in bed and recover.  Daniel wasn't much help either.  He kept bringing me a screaming baby to feed, let the kids make the BIGGEST mess EVER!  He kept the older two outside, but there was so much that I needed to be done inside, that it just made me even more pissed that I was sick, but still had to empty the dishwasher, and do laundry.

My husband makes me so happy in a million different ways....BUT, helping out around the house is not one of them.  Sometimes I wish I could just let the toys and crap pile up, so he would trip over something in the middle of the night or he would see what would happen if I just let it all go.  I am so not designed to just let things go...I can't stand it when the kids take out more than one toy at a time.  I sometimes feel like I am the meanest mommy in the world because I want them to clean up, so I hide toys and put things away just so I don't have to do all the cleaning up.  Jake drives me INSANE!!!  Seriously, INSANE.  All he does is DUMP toys.  And, it drives me nuts!  Daniel doesn't care, he can be surrounded by toys and trash and it doesn't bother him...is it because he knows I can't stand it and I will not let it sit and fester.  I think I clean up toys about 50% of my day with the kids.  It is these days that I cannot wait to get back to work.

Another thing that is hard is that Daniel didn't even ask if I was okay last weekend.  He didn't come in to check on me to see if I needed anything.  Is my husband the only one who does this?  Is there some sensitivity training that he can attend or a normal husband that can talk some sense into him?  He finished the toilet paper in our bathroom, and I asked him to get some more and he made me feel like I was asking him to move a mountain.  I mean, seriously....and then he only brings ONE freaking roll, when our dispenser holds 5.  I mean, I just look at that as lazy!  Maybe he should have gone to military school.  Ugh...So, needless to say, I was  pretty much in tears all of Sunday and the majority of Monday.  And, then he doesn't want to talk about anything, and he definitely doesn't want to talk about anything in front of the kids...well, sorry, he isn't really helping me in that department either.  Lately, all he does is come home from work, eat dinner and then pass out on the recliner.  I can't remember the last time he went to bed in our bed.  This is NOT normal and I hate it.  So, he basically knows that I will make dinner, clean up dinner, bathe the kids and put them to bed all while trying to breastfeed a new baby...I mean, I know that I can handle a lot, but I thought this was a partnership.  Needless to say I had a meltdown on him on Sunday and Monday.  And, I am up half the night with Emma - either feeding her, changing her, making sure she is warm.

So, now I am trying to simplify my life by getting rid of the toys and crap that I don't need.  This is so hard for me...but hopefully my girlfriend Ellen or my friend Jen (who cleans my house) will be able to help me in the near future.

Anyway, that was my week this past week.  I actually put on jeans on Wednesday for Emma's newborn photo shoot and on Thursday to visit my coworkers.  But, the rest of the time I am running late and barely hanging on - dressed in sweatpants.  I should rename my blog - My Life in Sweats...because that is what I am usually dressed in.

Superbowl is this weekend.  I am rooting for the Giants.  I am starting Weight Watchers on Monday.  I have to find our scale so I can start weighing myself.  I would like to be back down to my lifetime weight by the time I go back to work.  I think I have 12 pounds to go...

I think my parents and I are going to help be each other's motivators.  It is easier to do it with someone, and Daniel will just lose weight by eating the dinners I cook.  Should be interesting!

Have a great weekend....sorry about the Debbie Downer post...but I needed to get somethings off my chest.

Emma's Birth Story

It was Saturday Jan 14th and I had a pretty ambitious day laid out for us.  There was so much that I wanted to get done before the 18th (scheduled induction day).  First was a trip to Ikea in College Park to pick up some dressers for the boys' room.  Then to pay my grandparents a visit (since they live right down the street from Ikea) and who knows when I would be able to get my act together after Emma was here to go visit them.  And, I hadn't seen them since Christmas Eve and I just wish I could see them more...

Anyway, Daniel thought I was crazy for wanting to go to Ikea on a Saturday, and he was right, it was a little overwhelming especially since I walked through every showroom and wanted to look at everything. Did i mention that Daniel stayed in the car since all three kids fell asleep???  So, it was me and 1000+ of my closest friends roaming Ikea.  I knew what I was in search of but of course would get side tracked in the picture frame and organizing sections.

After about 90 minutes, I was loaded upend in the check-out line when Daniel calls and says that Hank needs to use the potty.  So i leave my cart praying that no one takes it, I walk outside and as you can imagine Daniel is parked in the furthest spot away from the door where no other cars will come close to scratching our car (this is one thing I love and dislike at the same time about my honey).  So, I grab Hank and take him inside to use the facilities (of course, I have to go as well - and did I mention that I lost my mucous plug that morning???  Is that not the grossest word ever???)  Hank then helps me check-out and by this time, it has been 2 hours that Daniel has been in the car, so he is eager to leave Ikea and get to my grandparents house to eat and then go home, watch some football and fall asleep.

So, we get to my grandparents house and sit down and eat, then I start to not feel so good.  I feel a little nauseous.  Then I feel like I have to go to the bathroom.  I come back to the table and I just feel like something is off.  I then feel the need to run to the bathroom and I get sick...I feel like the baby is coming out.  So, we quickly gather the kids (luckily my parents are also at my grandparents house as well and they help get everyone in our car.)  Mom takes dad home, switches cars, and meets us at the hospital.  Michael and Katie get a phone call and they also meet us at the hospital to take our car and kids home, Katie then brings our little car back to us, so Daniel has a way to get home later on that night (after we have Emma).

I call the doctor on the way to the hospital and I'm not having regular contractions, but my water might have broken or I might have peed myself (which is not an uncommon thing in pregnancy).  I have the on-call schedule for my doctor's office and I know that Dr. Penn is on call on the 14th, and he is one of my favorite doctor's at my practice.  He delivered Jake.  So, we get to the labor and delivery floor and I get checked into the Triage.  Dr. Penn checks me and I am only 3.5cm, water not broken and I am not contracting regularly.  They are going to let me walk around for about an hour to see if there is any cervical change to indicate that I am in labor.  I have never been into labor without pitocin before, so this is all new to me.  So, instead of walk...I am doing squats, I am skipping, I am doing jumping jacks, anything to make my cervix CHANGE!!!  The deep squats seem to be the most effective.  I was literally sweating...I hadn't worked out this hard in 9 months.  So, around 9pm, Dr. Penn checks me again, and I am only at 4cm, but still not contracting AT ALL!  So, I ask him to strip my membranes.  This is the worst pain ever.  It feels like he is jamming his hand up there so far and then trying to stretch everything out.  It was horrible...but it WORKED!  I started having all kinds of contractions...and they were strong and regular.  Oh, also, during my walking around, Daniel went down to the lobby to find a TV and watch the end of the 49ers/Saints game and the Patriots/Broncos game.  So, my mom got to the hospital and she kept me company until the football games were over.  There was no TV in the triage room...so Daniel wanted to be admitted so he could watch the games...nice, right???  Anyway, when the contractions started, they were painful so I would make some noises and my mom would tell me to breathe...I know she was trying to help, but I just wanted them to go away...all I kept thinking was, can I be admitted so I can get my epidural, please???  So, around 10pm, Dr. Penn came in and said I was at 5cm, we were getting admitted and we were gonna have a baby!  Woo hoo!

At 10:30, I was wheeled into a L&D room, I had the nicest nurse, she was awesome.  She called for the anesthesiologist who was amazing.  I have both of their names written down somewhere, I just need to find it.  The anesthesiologist sort of messed up my epidural.  He said that my back didn't have very much fat on it (which he kept saying was a good thing) but that it did make it a little tougher for him to get the catheter in to my back.  He had to do the epidural twice and said I may get a spinal headache a day or two after giving birth.  My good friend Dana had one of these before so I knew it would be awful if I did get a headache.  Anyway, he hooked me up.  The nurse told me that by getting the epidural, it might slow my contractions down (which it did.)

At around 2:30am, the nurse checked my cervix and said I was still at 4cm.  The next time I saw Dr. Penn he came in and broke my water (at 3am).  My nurse came back in around 3:45 and I told her that I didn't think the epidural was working, because I kept pressing the button and nothing was happening.  I was feeling ALL the contractions.  She checked me, said I was at 9cm and she quickly started getting things together.  She called Dr. Penn.  I had to wake Daniel up...I had to yell at him 3 times to get him out of bed.  Then he wanted to brush his teeth and I almost kicked him out of the room.  I said (probably screamed at him) "There is no time to brush your teeth!!!"  Dr. Penn and the nurse got everything together VERY quickly and at 4am, I was crying due to the pain, and I said to Dr. Penn - this baby is coming out NOW!  They got my legs in the stirrups or whatever they are called.  Daniel and the nurse pulled my legs back toward me and I pushed once to get her head out, and then one more time for her body.  At 4:10am, Emma was here!!!  They gave her right to me and Dr. Penn had to run to deliver another baby, but he came back shortly thereafter!  It was quite the experience.

Emma was so pink and had the darkest hair and A LOT of it!  She was 7 pounds, 6.8oz.  She was 19.25" long.  She was gorgeous!  They gave her to me right away and she started eating!  Then she went to sleep for a while.  

Teresa took her kids down to NC on Friday for the long weekend.  We called them Saturday and told them we were on our way to the hospital.  We weren't sure if we were going to be admitted, so we called them when she was born and my in-laws came to the hospital the next day.

It was Sunday, and I had the spinal headache already...I was so exhausted because I didn't get any sleep the night before.  Michael was GREAT!  When Daniel got home in the morning, Michael took the three kids to his house, so Daniel could get some sleep.  Then, Michael and Daniel came to the hospital with the kids so they could meet their new baby sister.  This was the best part...the kids (Elli and Hank) were OVER THE MOON!  They wanted to hold her and pass her back and forth to each other, it was so sweet.  Elli ended up spending the day in the hospital room with me.  She took a shower with me and everything...I can never get a shower by myself.  I felt a little better in the afternoon and my friend Siobhan came to visit - she brought the yummiest brownies - so good!  My in-laws came, my grandparents, my dad.  It was great to see everyone.

On Monday, I was ready to go home.  I just wanted to get home and sleep in my own bed without being poked or prodded.  So, after they did all Emma's checks, I lied about not having a headache (so I could get out of there) and we were discharged!  Thank goodness my mom stayed over to help me the next few days.  I really did not feel great.  And, Teresa helped out with Elli, Hank and Jake taking them overnight on Tuesday night.  It was weird just having the baby to watch on Tuesday night.

ANyway, this is really long and I think I am going to stop writing.  The delivery was great, the nurses were awesome and I absolutely love Chesapeake Women's care and Dr. Penn!

My 91 and 94 year old grandparents

 4 generations

Proud siblings

Taking Emma Home

All the Oxendine Cousins

Okay, as I type this, I am 37 weeks pregnant with baby #4...I am so over this pregnancy.  I go to the doctor once a week now and I was already measuring 1cm dilated last week.  I hope there is some progress this week when I go.  I need to start getting out and walking...

Here are my stats from last week - 36 weeks:

Weight: +22 lbs

BP: 101/72 (which is a little high for me)

Baby's HR: 138

Everything is on track for me to have another induction the week of January 17th...at least that is what I am planning.

The holidays were CRAZY!!! We didn't leave the state of Maryland, but managed to travel all over or so it felt.  I felt terrible the whole time and eventually went to the doctor on Monday, the 26th.  Upper respiratory infection - awesome!  Elli then came down with something the week after Christmas - just a virus...

I am now in organizing and simplifying mode - getting rid of all my tupperware (especially the ones with mismatched lids - there is nothing more annoying to me).  I got new pots and pans for Christmas so I am recycling my old ones...I hope you can recycle them - they are in the yellow bins...we'll see if they take it later this week...

Christmas decorations, tree, etc came down after our last Christmas celebration on the 27th, then I got a bug up my butt to sort and organize the kids toys.  We have too much crap.  I need to donate 50% of what we have...it is so hard though...maybe this will be a spring cleaning effort.  

My goals for this new year start with financial stuff - get my financial house in order and get rid of my one credit card...it is annoying that I carry a balance and I really need to get serious about getting rid of it.  I have been following a lot of money saving mom blogs, and hopefully they will give me a jump start and motivation to follow through.  It will be tough for the 6 weeks where I am not working...and our maternity leave plan SUCKS...it isn't a maternity leave plan, it is short term disability and it is just crap.  I love my company (well, I love the people that I work with) but the benefits are not that awesome when it comes to maternity leave...I will keep harping on the President until he fires me or until he retires...

Packing my bag for the hospital - this has been quite a challenge for me.  I think because I am just lazy right now and I keep putting it off because I know that I will probably have to be induced and it will be a night before I am scheduled to have the baby.  The problem is that with my last pregnancies it was always hot out, so I didn't need to really bring anything EXTRA.  This time it will be freezing out and I just feel a little unprepared.  Oh well, my strategy is LESS is MORE.  As long as I can take the laptop and get a connection at the hospital, all will be fine.  I will only be there for a day or two...

I installed the car seat this morning, after washing everything so it smells wonderful!  It will be weird to have 4 car seats in our suburban.  We will no longer be able to take the camry anywhere - for emergency cases, we were able to fit 3 car seats in the camry by slamming the doors shut, but not anymore...no room for 4!

Jake started his new "structured" playgroup this morning.  It is a one-on-one intense learning environment.  He cried the almost the whole time he was there.  The poor guy, in the past month, he has been to a neurologist, he has seen a sensory specialist, Thursday he is having his hearing checked, and we are still waiting on confirmation back from Kennedy Krieger to see if they will schedule us an appointment at their Center for Autism Related Disorders.  The structured playgroup is a free program offered by our county infants and toddlers program.  I love the county program and have been very satisfied with them so far.  Jake is 27 months old and not talking.  He babbles, but he doesn't say "Mama" or "Dada" or "Baby" - none of the words he is "supposed" to be able to say around the 12-15 month range.  So, he will go 3 days a week for 90 minutes each day to be seen by an Occupational Therapist, a Speech Pathologist and a Sensory Specialist.  We have been doing a lot with the sensory "diet" and he seems to be comprehending things more now, but not vocalizing anything...so, I hope this playgroup helps him.  They thought he might be on the Autism Spectrum, and they might still think this.  But, I had him evaluated by Dr. Marc Disabella from Children's Hospital and he said he thinks he just has a developmental speech delay.  More to follow on his progress later.  He is such a sweet boy.

Hank is just as lovey as ever.  He does this "thing" where he kisses my whole face.  He kisses my eyes, both of my cheeks, my chin, my forehead, my nose, and my lips and he is just so freaking adorable.  It just melts my heart.  I hope he always does this to me.  He also tells everyone all the time that he loves them...could there be anything more sweet???

Elli is also doing extremely well.  She was very interested in where Santa lives and why we celebrate Christmas and how old is Jesus?  She is so cute and in this questioning sort of phase right now.  She is also goofy as ever.  

Anyway, this is a long overdue update...

Did I say that I am DONE with this pregnancy???  Who knows maybe I will go into labor naturally???  Ha!!!

5 year anniversary

Our 5 year wedding anniversary is this Friday!!!  Every year, Daniel and I, do the traditional wedding gifts for each other. 
1st year - Paper - I got Daniel tickets to a Redskins game, he got me a card and diamond earrings (which also was my push present for having Elli).
2nd year - Cotton - I gave Daniel a cotton Redskins hat and a jersey, Daniel got me a Lacoste shirt that only fit after I lost all the weight last year.
3rd year - Leather - I got Daniel leather slippers and a wallet, I can't remember what he got me, he might have skipped this year and gotten me a gift card (which I will gladly accept any day of the year:)
4th year - Fruit and Flowers - I got Daniel a candied apple (he loves these) and a dozen Georgetown cupcakes (they come with fondant flowers on top of them, so I thought I was clever).  Daniel got me flowers and I don't remember if anything else.  It is really the thought that counts in these gifts, and the time spent...I know that Daniel isn't into it as much as I am.
5th year - Wood - I have been thinking about what to get Daniel for a while.  I try and keep the gifts reasonably priced and I hope he will like what I got him...we'll see.  I keep reminding him how many days left he has to shop - he is totally a last minute shopper and usually just gets a gift card. 

So, reflecting back on our 5 years of wedded bliss - I have been more happy than sad, more pregnant than not, and more in love now than I was 5 years ago.  We have danced so much in our kitchen with the kids.  Our house, although we have lived here for almost 3 years still needs a lot of work, but we are so happy.  I am so grateful that I met Daniel.  I truly believe that God brought him to me and I couldn't imagine my life without him. 

Daniel and I met on February 6, 2004.  I had just moved back to the East Coast in December and started my shore duty at USNA in January.  It was a rainy Friday night, I was flying out of BWI to Tampa to visit Emily for Gasparilla.  I DO NOT LIKE TO FLY - is the understatement of the century.  I am truly afraid of the plane plummeting into the ground or even worse into the water.  So, when I got to the airport, I headed straight to the Southwest bar.  It was an L-shaped bar, I sat on the corner and Daniel was a seat away from me.  I started talking to an older man and Daniel will say that he tried to chime into our conversation, but I don't remember that.  Once the old man left a younger guy took his seat and I started talking to Daniel and this other guy, I decided to buy shots.  Daniel asked for Tuaca...but we are at an airport bar, he got Tequilla.  We were on the same flight to Tampa.  He was going to Gasparilla too to meet up with some friends.  It was time to board our flight.  We both were in the same seating area, I asked him if he would carry my bag and he gave me a smart ass comment like, "well, if they ask me if I packed your bag, I'm not going to say so."  I told him to just tell them that you are my boyfriend;)  He was cute. 

Little did I know at the time that this was going to be the best flight of my life! 

We sat together, he paid the flight attendants to keep the beers coming.  Somehow we exchanged numbers on the plane and THANK GOODNESS we did!   I don't remember a lot of the plane ride - especially getting off the plane, but luckily Emily picked me up.  I, apparently, met Shireen and Micki that night...which sadly I don't remember.  Emily took me straight home because her, Kristen and I had to be on a boat at 7am.  Daniel went out and tried to call me that night, so I gave him the same courtesy and called him at 6:30 in the morning:)  Neither of us answered our phones.  We both did different events on Saturday, mostly involving beads, drinks, boats and floats!  Somehow later in the day, I got a message from him that said they were going to Jared's or something like that.  I left Emily and braved the hike, by myself, to find Daniel.  It was fate, because I found him.  I saw him and the first thing he did was pick me up, and then we kissed.  Then he said, "you want to dance?"  I had found my dream man, and his dancing abilities only made him so much more attractive.  I was in love!  We spent the rest of the night talking, walking, making out...I spent the night at his hotel...Emily picked me up in the morning and I think I told her that I met the one! 

Daniel flew back to MD on Sunday, and I didn't fly back until Monday morning.  We spoke on the phone after we left each other on Sunday and agreed to have a date on Monday night.  I was going to cook for him and we would just hang out.  Needless to say, we haven't spent that much time apart since.  I am so thankful for him.  He makes me want to be a better wife, mother and partner everyday. 

I wish I liked being pregnant because we would have more kids...4 is good for now, right???  Maybe I'll consider 5...maybe...

So, that is our story...I love it!!! 

Dance Party 9-2-11

I recently got a new video camera.  I, honestly, have the worst voice...but the kids are hilarious.  They have a toy that plays music and Elli and Hank are too funny with their dance moves.  They freeze when the music stops...so I am sharing.  Hope this makes your Friday a little brighter:)

Slacker...

So I was able to schedule Hank's induction on the 25th of September.  They scheduled me at 7pm that Thursday evening.  I asked for an epidural right after they hooked me up to the pitocin, before the doctor checked my progress.  That was probably the smartest thing that I did.  I got the epidural and then about 4-5 hours later, I was ready to push.  I actually watched the birth of Hank.  The delivery was much easier this time around.  The recovery was 100% easier as well.  I didn't have to use any ice packs and the bleeding was not as bad either...

So, Hank Daniel Oxendine was born on September 26th at 2:35am.  He weighed in at 8lbs, 14oz.  and was 20 inches long.  He was a BIG baby.  

We went home on Sunday, September 28th and have been busy ever since.  

Another big happening is that I went back to basics with Elli sleeping in her crib.  Ever since we went to Mexico in March Elli had been sleeping with us in our bed.  Mostly because I was pregnant, tired and lazy (I didn't want to hear her cry).  On Thursday, I started putting Elli back in her crib and staying right by the crib until she fell asleep.  It took her 45 minutes to fall asleep that first night, then 25 minutes on Friday night and last night it only took 18 minutes.  I have been re-reading "Good night, Sleep tight" by Kim West to give myself the motivation and kick in the pants I needed.  

I thought that I would wait until we moved into the new house, but I thought we would have already been in the house by now.  I wanted my bed back.  Hopefully tonight will go as smooth as last night.  I am going to keep putting her in her crib and going to stick to our schedule.  She thrives when she is on a schedule.

We met up with some friends last night that we hadn't seen in  almost 2 years.  JD and Lora have a beautiful 1 year old, Daniel and it was great to see them last night.  Lora barely looks like she has had a baby in her skinny designer jeans.  Daniel was so adorable, despite being  on west coast time.  It was great to see them!!!

We are rooting on the Redskins today, they play the Lions at 1pm today.  It is a beautiful day and after the game we may try and venture to downtown Annapolis just to get outside and walk around.  They have a wonderful playground for children that Elli really enjoys.

On the double stroller front...it is between the BOB and the Phil and Ted Sport.  Argh it is so hard to decide between these two strollers, but they are so expensive and such a big investment...I am leaning towards the Phil and Ted's just because of the width...

Anyway, less than two weeks until our trip to Tampa...should be exciting.

Lots of Happenings

So, I have been a little delinquent in the blogging world. I have had good reason. Since the middle of May we have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off. We went to the beach for Memorial Day weekend, planning bridal showers, my cousin got married, Elli turned 1 and we had a party, our house got delivered, and I have been sick and exhausted.

Memorial Day weekend: we found out we are having a little boy! It took me 11 days after having the sonogram and the "envelope" to rip it open and find out that we are expecting a BOY. That figures why I have been sick and even last week I had some sort of stomach virus...great!!!

Anyway, we had a blast at Bethany Beach. Elli loved the sand and water. She actually liked the sand so much that she ate the sand and then had a nasty diaper rash right afterwards and I learned that I will only dress her in two-piece bathing suits when we go to the beach until she is out of diapers (it just makes changing her a whole lot easier).

One of my best friends, Emily, is getting married in July and so I threw her a bridal shower in the beginning of June and it was so fun. I love planning showers and parties.

The next weekend, my cousin Kyle on my dad's side got married. The wedding and festivities surrounding the wedding were in Baltimore, so that was so nice not to have to travel a very far distance. We did hire a babysitter for the Saturday night wedding. It was great!!! Carolina was amazing with Elli and we are totally going to use her again...

Then last week our house was delivered. What a process that is...and we had some issues. First, a girl ran her car into one of our boxes. She was on her cell phone and didn't see everyone pulled over on the side of the road and she almost decapitated herself. Luckily she didn't, so we didn't have to send the house back. The company just brought in an engineer and fixed the outer part of the box where she hit. The poor girl had to be cut out of her car...she is okay and the house seems to be fine.

Then Elli turned ONE last Friday. It is hard to imagine that a year has gone by since she was born. Time just goes by so fast...

She had a party on Saturday in the townhouse, so it was a little crowded, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It was a busy weekend. Then on Sunday, another one of my oldest friends, Siobhan, had a bridal shower. It was a lovely party. I was glad to just relax a little Sunday night with Daniel and Elli.

I have been feeling ill lately. The doctor is a little concerned about my blood pressure. I think it is just because I am gaining weight. I am almost to the third trimester, I am trying to enjoy eating. Last Wednesday, I was sick, and then on Friday I was throwing up. I even had to pull over on the side of the road twice. It was awful...

Anyway, I will post some more pictures of the birthday party. We now have two digital cameras and now have twice the pictures, so it might take me a while to sort through them.

One of the pictures above is of Elli's eagerness and aggressiveness to give out kisses and hugs. The little boy is a co-worker of mine, Allison's son Andrew. Andrew is 3 months old and here Elli is loving him. She is a little aggressive with the hugging, she has even knocked down my 4 year old niece a few times trying to get a hug. It is pretty funny, and I am glad that she is a lover.

Anyway, we are off to North Carolina in a few weeks for the annual 4th of July Pow-Wow! My parents are coming down to see it too. My brother Michael is taking his girlfriend Katie to Key West or I am sure they would be coming as well. It is a sight to see. I am excited, just not excited about the humidity.

Alright, I am off for now!

Horrible...Where does time go?

I can't believe that I did not post one thing in the month of March and we are half way through April...shame on me. So much has happened. Well, I am in my 16th week of pregnancy #2, we have our ultrasound/sonogram appointment set up for May 14th. Daniel wants to know the sex of this baby (he wants a boy) and I am on the fence. I think it would be neat not to find out, but I don't want to stop Daniel if he wants to know. I think it is another girl because I was so sick a few weeks ago. Knock on wood, this is the first week that I HAVEN'T gotten sick in four weeks.

In the middle of March, Daniel and I took our first vacation without Elli. We went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with our good friends Mike and Ellen (who also left their daughter for the first time.) We left Elli in North Carolina with Daniel's parents and she had a blast. She started crawling while we were away and is now a tornado in our house...we can't turn out head for a second and she is off, pulling herself up on everything that she can (tables, chairs, legs, etc.)

Elli had her 9 month appointment and she weighed in at 23 lbs, and 31inches long. She is growing like a weed. She is feeding herself with her bottle and sippy cup. She eats more and more table food, but she still likes her sweet potatoes. She is on a pretty regular schedule and I have been trying to move her bed time up to 7pm.

Right before Easter I was in a car accident. I was hit from behind by a big Chevy truck and it totalled my car. So, we found a new(er) car. We purchased a 2005 Toyota Camry. It gets great gas mileage and that is what I need right now to get me back and forth to work (the two days that I go into the office.) This picture is the night we purchased the car, Elli is playing with the car keys.

Anyway, another big milestone in our lives happened this week. We FINALLY got our building permit. We signed our construction loan and we are finalizing our house plans at the end of this week. Hopefully, within 6-8 weeks we will be out of the townhouse and in the new house. I can't wait...

I hate the first trimester

I have been feeling so ill and extremely tired lately. I got sick for the first time yesterday, thank goodness all I had in my stomach was water. I have an achy back and my stomach feels queasy all the time. Okay, that's it, no more talking about this stuff.

Elli is wonderful. She has managed to scoot herself around the house and loves to try and pull herself up on tables, pulls herself up in her crib. We (Daniel) finally lowered the crib this past weekend and she loves to stand on her crib and hold on to the rail.

She is getting another tooth. I saw yesterday that she has another top tooth coming in. So, needless to say, she has been chewing on just about anything that she can get her hands on.

12 days until Mexico. I spoke with my OB today (the practice that I am leaving) and she said that she wouldn't prescribe me anything. She told me to take Tylenol PM or benadryl. We'll see what my new OB says next week when I go meet them for the first time.

On Thursday, I am going to get my passport updated with my new name. All you have to do is be within two weeks of travel and bring all the required documents and, of course, the money. I hope it doesn't take all day...

Last week

So, every Monday or Thursday, I try and make a visit to my grandparents house. It is fun for Elli and I to get out of the house and go have lunch with them. She gets to try all kinds of different foods. In the first picture, my grandfather, is giving her a pickle and she LOVED IT!

This next picture is from Friday night. Elli was so tired that towards the end of her dinner she was falling asleep in her high chair. It was so funny, Daniel and I were cracking up that I had to take a picture and video. We would be laughing so hard that it would wake her up for a second and then she would go back to sleep. She is so cute!!!

The next few pictures are from this past Saturday. Adelina, our niece, came over to visit and she spent the night with us. She is 4 years old and such a doll. I actually met Adelina for the first time when she was just 5 or 6 months old. It has been neat to watch her grow up into such a big girl! We went to the playground in our neighborhood, where Adelina climbs on everything and can get on the swing all by herself. Elli loves Adelina and tries to give her hugs and kisses every time Adelina is close, even if Elli has to pull Adelina's hair to get her closer.

We went out to dinner on Saturday night with Mike, Ellen and Olivia. This was the first and last time I will take Elli out to dinner after 6pm. We didn't get to the restaurant until 7:20pm, which happens to be Elli's bedtime. So, needless to say she was a little out of her routine that night. But, Adelina and I got to share a big steak and crabcake. She even tried the cream of crab soup and liked it. She tried the spiced shrimp too, but didn't really care for it. But, I am glad that she tried it.

By the time dinner was done, I was exhaused, but I still wanted to go to Vaccaro's and get a little something sweet. Then we went back to Mike and Ellen's and I played the Wii for the first time. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I loved the Wii. I totally want one!!! It was so much fun.

The next day, we had a birthday party for Addison Sladky. I will post some pictures from that later on this evening. We had so much fun! The food was AMAZING!!! Lacey cut out all the fruits, veggies, cheese, bread with these little animal shaped cookie cutters. It was amazing!!!

Alright, well, that was our week, in a nutshell. Oh, we did go test drive the new 2008 Toyota Sequoia. It is my dream car. I wish it didn't cost $58k. It was so roomy. We looked at the Dodge Grand Caravan first and then the Sequoia and I think I am hooked on the SUV vs. the Mini-van. I always thought I would love the mini-van, but after sitting in the Sequoia, I feel I would be squooshed as my niece would say it.

Weekend Activities

This weekend was pretty low key. We stayed in both Friday and Saturday nights, this makes four weekends in a row that we didn't even go out to eat. Now, Friday we ordered food from one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the area, Diego's. Lacey recommended it and I absolutely love their guacamole!















Saturday we spent pretty much the entire day over at my parents house, trying to help them get the house in a little bit better shape. My Aunt MJ and cousin Lauren also were helping. It was a family affair and it was good to see them. We are almost done with my mom's room, and we started on the kitchen. My mom is such a great sport, because I know how hard it is to let go sometimes...but she has been GREAT!




But, before we headed out to Columbia, I gave Elli a bath and dressed her up a little bit. I am very much into hair accessories right now. I love finding little headbands or barrettes to put in her hair, even though she doesn't have a TON yet!


Today, we just hung around the house for the most part. Elli has this nasty cough that we are trying to monitor. I even had her in the bathroom today with the shower going so that she could inhale the steam...hoping that it would make her feel better. She is in so much pain because of her top teeth. The third tooth finally broke through the other day, but her fourth tooth - the top left one is coming in now. She keeps trying to chew on my fingers. It hurts soooo....bad. On my mother's recommendation, I gave her a mesh feeder with some ice cubes in it and she absolutely LOVES it! She was so tired today, Daniel got her to fall asleep in his lap. I thought it was so cute, so I took a picture.

House Update

So, I went last week to turn over a check for the Grading Permit Bond. While there I found out that we owe another $13k in building fees until we get our permit. Today, our engineer, Doug, should be meeting with the soil conservation guy to get that signed off and then we get our grading permit. One step closer...

I am hoping that we will be in the house by spring...keep your fingers crossed!

On a completely separate note. One of my best friends, Siobhan and her fiance, just decided on a wedding date - August 23rd! They will be getting married up in Taneytown (pronounced Tawneytown), MD. The place is called the Antrium and it is gorgeous. We are so excited for her and Jason. I can't wait!!!

Thankful

I thank God everyday that I met Daniel. I may not tell him (Daniel or God) out loud, but I really am blessed. He is such a wonderful husband and an even better father. It is so neat to see Daniel interact with Elli, sometimes I watch when he doesn't know I am looking.

Skiing

So, on Saturday, my brother, Michael, graciously offered to watch Elli for us all day while we went skiing. It was my first time skiing since college. Needless to say, I was nervous. We went to Ski Liberty up in PA, near Emmitsburg, MD. It was so much fun. I took a few runs on the bunny slopes and then gradually got the nerve to take the lift to the top of the mountain. I only had one spill where I lost a ski. I have to say that Daniel is SO good at snowboarding. I thought he would have been so awkward because of his height and center of gravity being so high. But, he was so good. I was so IMPRESSED. And I am not just saying this because he is my husband.

We went with our friends Mike and Ellen and I am going to post a few pictures of us getting ready to go to the lodge. I thought I would be really sore today, since I haven't skied since 1999. But, I feel pretty good today. Tomorrow I probably won't be able to walk...well worth it. I would like to go skiing a few more times this season...we'll see.

One thing that I did notice was how many little kids there were on the mountain and I can't wait until Elli is 3 so we can take her with us. I saw so many cute little girls with their pink skis and helmets and pink polka-dot snowsuits...so adorable...

Anyway, that was our weekend. Today we are just lounging around watching football.

My grandmother, Nana, is back at home and is doing well. She goes back to the doctor on Tuesday to get checked out, but she said that she can move her leg. For those of you that don't know, she had a spill a few weeks ago and broke her left hip and left wrist. She had surgery on both and left the hospital only after a week. She is 90 and doing great. I can't wait to see her again. Elli and I try to visit her and my grandfather, Pop-Pop, at least once a week.

On another note, I stopped breastfeeding about two weeks ago and started charting my basal body temperature in the mornings. Hopefully, I will either get my visitor soon or be preggo again! I will keep you all posted!

27 Dresses

On Friday, Elli and I went to see the movie 27 Dresses with our friends Ellen and Olivia. Olivia is 6 weeks older than Elli and was an absolute gem during the entire movie. I wasn't sure how Elli was going to do in the movie. I spent most of the movie on my feet in the hallway just listening, but got the gist of what was going on. It was such a cute movie and Elli and I might try again for another movie, however, we will try and go to one around 1pm which is her nap time...

Olivia had the cutest hairdo...and Elli was dressed up with a headband that was way too big for her, but she tolerated it for about 15 minutes....

Baptism vs. Christening

So, I would really like to get Elli baptized before she turns 1. Daniel and I are from opposite ends of the religious spectrum, but neither of us are really practicing (we don't go to church).

I was raised Catholic and he was raised Southern Baptist. When we got married we wanted a non-denominational ceremony, and we haven't been to church since...(can you hear the guilt as I type?)

We are moving to Beverly Beach/Mayo area and there is this really cute Episcopal church (St. Andrew's - which I think is a sign that I/we should be members of this Parrish) right around the corner, which I think will be perfect. Because if it is close than we really have no excuse not to attend church. So, I put a call in yesterday to talk to someone at the church just to find out more. And, I am not set on belonging to a Catholic church because I don't really consider myself to be a Catholic anymore. But, I also would like something a little more formal than a Baptist church. Somewhere in between, which I think is a fair compromise.

What is the difference between a baptism and a christening? Is it just words that we argue about, two different beliefs? Can we have a baptism and just call it a christening? If we get Elli "christened," I don't plan on having her "baptized" again later... I would like her to get confirmed later on in life. But, I don't even know if that is the way Episcopalians do it?

Growing up. I really enjoyed going to church and I loved the Catholic school that I attended from K-8th grade. I thought it taught good values and that is what counts. Right?

Anyway, that is what I have been thinking about lately...

First Entry

Good morning! This is my first entry into the blog! I am going to try and make weekly (if not more) entries. This will most likely be for friends and family that I don't talk to everyday. Also, to keep everyone informed on how Elli is doing and our house progress, etc.

I will most likely post some pictures and things from the beginning of our/my adventure through pregnancy and Elli's progress over the past 7 months.

Elli is almost 7 months old, she weighs 20 pounds and is over 29 inches long. She grows by the minute...it is so amazing to watch her. Her hair is getting longer, and she has had two teeth since the beginning of November. Attached is a picture from the 22nd of December. She was helping me wrap some last minute Christmas gifts. She is so adorable...I am biased...