Weekend Update

I have been busy at work and it's about to get busier so I haven't had a chance to post much. In addition to a busy time of the year and me trying to get some extra stuff done before I take leave; a co-worker had an unexpected death in the family that is taking him out of commission for a couple weeks. Yes, I said a couple weeks. Not the best timing for a number of reasons but what can you do?

Last week I felt pretty run down again. I have been following the doctor's orders but I think it's just the way things will be from here on out. So, yesterday, I put my big girl panties on and went with Miller to a birthday party at another bounce house establishment. Ryan had to work in the morning and met us there. Thank goodness! The bounce houses were much bigger and had very fast slides. The kids had a blast and the husbands appeared to as well since they were taking the slides with the kids.

After that, I head to Kohl's to burn some free money. I went with intentions of buying LBF#2 some stuff but after agonizing over things that I didn't really love and didn't really need, I bought myself a pair of shoes (which I did need since I can't wear my heels to work any longer-they are killing me). I did buy the little guy two onesies and Miller a fire engine sweatshirt for this fall. It's adorable and super fuzzy.

I put in a little more time organizing the baby room. It's almost complete (maybe one more weekend's worth of last minute stuff-organizing the closet, raising and making the bed, plugging in lamps, etc.). The clothes have all been washed. I am thinking I will skip washing the blankets. They were clean when I packed them away and honestly, I just don't care at this point.

Today I felt a little better and got up and started some chores. Lots of laundry, a little pool time with the boys (Jon, Pete, Ryan and Miller), a little work to calm myself down for the week ahead, a trip to Babies R Us and Target to get some more baby stuff on my list and then dinner at Jon's.

I was not happy with my shopping experience and think it's just the stores I was at. They aren't the best of the best for organization, selection, or help so I did what I needed and called it good enough. The main reason was to burn through the gift cards and get some final items before the baby arrives.

I think I have more than outdone myself for feeling like someone who's been sick with the flu for weeks on end. Time for some couch lounging. I would like to read but even that seems like a lot of work. Maybe I will find a trashy marathon of reality tv to numb myself.

Uncle Pete the Babysitter

Uncle Pete came over today to babysit Miller. Ryan and I had a surprise birthday to attend and told him it would be an easy few hours. Little did any of us know...

Miller had told us he had tummy aches over the last 2 days and had a little loose caboose. He was acting normal and things had solidified by the time he went down for a nap. We casually mentioned it before we left.

When we came home, we noticed the hose had been moved off the driveway. We walk in and were asked if they had been out skateboarding or riding the 4 wheeler,, jeep, bikes, etc. Pete gets a look on his face and tries to casaully mention he had to hose Miller off. He laughed it off and we stepped away from Miller.

He proceeded to explain Miller had an accident while they were out swimming. He had to go but didn't make it in time. He was very upset because it was his only clean pair of swimtrunks. So, Pete hosed them (and Miller) off so they could keep swimming.

For those of you that may not know, Uncle Pete was the first friend Miller pooed on as a baby (and quite possibly the only one). They must have a bond. Both reported that each other was good and not naughty. Although it was messy, I think they both had fun (and Pete was ready for some relaxation after babysitting).

Poor Miller had more issues throughout the evening. At 3am he woke up and Ryan went to check on him and help him to the bathroom. The poor kid's leg / foot was asleep and he toppled right over. That freaked us both out because we couldn't tell why he was so dazed and couldn't walk. He just had to potty and we held him until we could get him to confirm his leg was asleep. He just wanted to go back to sleep. After that, I pretty much tossed and turned until he got up, worrying about him.

Ryan was stopping to pick up Pedialite today for him to drink while they flew planes and watch Uncle Pete skateboard. I am sure he will have stories when he gets home. Poor little fella. He just didn't understand why he had butt problems. He was a trooper though-no accidents in his undies.

Surprise Visitors and a Baby Shower

I got home from work Thursday night to find two surprise visitors in our house. My mother in law and Ryan's grandmother flew down to FL from MN for the baby shower. It was a great surprise. They said it would be fun to do, found a deal on tickets, and worked out the details with Ryan and Jess. Very sneaky!

It was great to have them here and especially for Miller to get to spend more time with his grandmother and great grandmother. Then to top his weekend off, my mom and dad came down. Too bad grandpa Marshall wasn't here or the whole "grand family" would have been together.

Saturday we did a little shopping, had a good lunch, took a nap and then headed to the shower. Jess had a nice spread of goodies for us to eat, festive decorations, and no games (yay!). It's amazing she was able to organize the party while juggling two munchkins.

Many of my friends were able to come. It was a nice afternoon of adult conversation, laughs, and of course, great loot. LBF#2 won't be any less spoiled than Miller with friends like these. Thank you to all who sent gifts and well wishes. We really appreciate them.

Jess raised a good point/observation. At my last shower, half the ladies needed to call for a ride home. This time around, we drank all the sparkling cider and hardly any wine. We must be getting older (or wiser). I, on the other hand, figure that when these friends start breeding, I will be the drunk aunt at their shower. Maybe...

I think this is one of very few preggo pictures of me. I figured I better document this in at least one blog post.

Thanks again for the great surprise visit and the shower. It was a very good weekend and helped take my mind off of Tuesday's ER trip. As an update to that...drinking 110+ ounces of water every day is not fun. It's helping a little but I really wish my iron would produce some more hemoglobin and that added benefit would kick in. Until then; I just keep repeating "only 7 more weeks!"

Trip to the ER

I posted on FB this morning that I wish every day had a theme like Miller's school so I had some thing to look forward to. Today's theme for me ended up being the ER; not the theme I had in mind.

Today started as a normal day. I got up and ate breakfast with Miller, got him out the door for school and went back to bed for half an hour. Then things went wrong. I was in the shower and it was getting really hot. I didn't feel quite right so I stepped out and took some deep breaths to cool down. My ears started ringing and I felt dizzy. I knew I was going to pass out but I thought "I will just rinse off a little and sit down or get out." Next thing you know, whammo. I smacked my head on the wall.

So much for rinsing. I got out, grabbed a towel and hobbled over to the bed. I said the quick "Dear Lord, please give me a sign the baby is ok" and he kicked so I figured I was ok there. Then I called Ryan at work. Not really wanting to scare him but I think I was slightly dazed myself. He asked me if he should come home and I said no. I said to call back in 20 minutes to make sure I was ok. Instead, he was home in record time to make sure I was ok. I had managed to put on some makeup and was thinking about getting dressed when he came in.

He made me call the doctor. I figured I was just overheated and short of breath. Nothing a little water and cooling down wouldn't help. Then he told me in the nicest way possible to stop being stupid, call the doctor and "you are not going into work!"

I called and they got me in right away. I did the usual check up (same as yesterday). The doctor told me to go to the ER for a full work up just to be safe but she assumed I was ok. Not to panic and that she would be following up on me. I actually said "yes mom" and went to the ER.

First observation-the ER is slow regardless of if you are in pain or not. It took over half an hour to admit me and I was the first in line.

Second observation-it's a good thing they ask you to verify yourself and reasons you are there multiple times during a visit. I was asked if I was there for my c-section. Umm...not today I replied.

I went in for an ultrasound for a full baby workup. LBF#2 checked out well. It was kind of a nice surprise. They let me see his face, hands, heart, etc. (and his boy bits so I could tell Ryan he is really a boy). He was very active so that was a bonus since they were concerned about him and his movements.

Next it was time for the baby heart monitor. He passed with flying colors. I had extremely low blood pressure and supposedly was having contractions. If what I felt was contractions...I have been having them for months.

After that, I had an EKG. It took longer to hook me up to all the nodes and wires than the 10 seconds it took them to run it. I passed that test too.

Lastly, blood draw. The outcome was low iron/iron deficiency. I have been taking iron pills every other day but need to boost them to every day AND increase iron rich food intake. I was also told I was dehydrated. I knew that but didn't realize it was that bad. I am still a little shocked at how low my blood pressure was/is but the baby is ok with it so I guess that is what counts for now.

The nurse I had was very nice and all the staff was friendly. My head still hurts and I feel a little light headed but I think that's par for the course today.

The good news. I stopped at Chipotle afte I was released. No one greeted me or took my order even though there were a million people standing around. When I went to pay, the manager told me lunch was on him. I was super suprised because I didn't wait that long. I must have looked desparate for my burrito bowl.

32 Week Check-Up = Check

Ah, home stretch here I come. I had my 32 week check-up today and all was well. I finally met another doctor at the practice. He was pretty nice and friendly. He seemed to be a little calmer than my regular doctor and he was on time. Two positives for him.

When asked if I had any concerns, I mentioned I haven't gained any weight from my last visit. I was fully anticipating the pound a week theory from here on out. He said "You might not gain too much more. I am not worried about it. You will probably be thankful afterwards when it's time to lose it." Holy crap...did a doctor really say that?!?!

He also told me that I shouldn't be afraid to push jr's feet down when he kicks me in the ribs. I said don't worry, I push on him quite a bit. He said some women are scared to move them. Really? Not me, I push on this kid all the time moving him here and there trying to find comfort.

He's also head down (which I figured by the feet in the ribs thing). No swelling in my ankles or feet. He said to keep doing what I am doing. For Ryan that means 2 more months of me complaining about how uncomfortable I am.

Weekend Recap

Ryan was at the racetrack all weekend so I had a Miller filled weekend. We watched Indian Jones and the Crystal Skull (Miller's new favorite movie). We got some play time in (fire trucks, play doh, books, tractors, monster trucks, you name it).

Saturday we made a trip to Rack Room Shoes. Miller got two new pairs of tennis shoes. One was a Lightening McQueen pair and the other was a Toy Story pair. He's going to be sad when he realizes the next size up doesn't come in blinky lights anymore. I really wished he would have gotten some cool Sketchers or Nikes until I looked at the price. At the rate he goes through shoes, I will stick with the Disney boy shoes.

We wasted some time at the fish store looking at sharks and Dorie. Then we bought Ryan lunch at the track. It was too icky to swim so we hung out the rest of the afternoon indoors. The humidity was killing me.

Sunday we ended up at Target for some bathroom supplies and boring stuff. For those that don't know; a week or two ago Ryan bought new socks. This is monumental in our house because I am always complaining about his disgusting socks that won't come clean or have holes in them. Well this time, he bought black ones. They are fine under his jeans and in his black tennis shoes but look silly with his shorts and other shoes. Miller thought they were funny too and has been giving him a hard time. At Target today, I asked if he wanted new socks like Daddy. He instantly said no, he didn't want silly black socks!

We picked up some lunch and brought it to the track again. It was brutal outside so we headed home quickly. Miller took a good nap and then Ryan came home for some pool time. It felt great to float and the humidity today was much lower. I was able to actually breathe.

Miller was happy to have his dad home. I have been pretty much an afterthought since Ryan walked in the door. I am ok with that today. 2 full days of a kid who wants me to crawl on the floor with him and push cars, trucks, tractors, etc. is too much at this stage in the game. It was much more pleasurable sitting at the table playing. I think LBF#2 was happy for me to chill out this afternoon too. He's sick of being squished.

Pregnancy in the Summer

Up until this point, pregnancy has just been pregnancy. Everyone asks me when I am due and when I say September, they say "oh, how horrible you have to be pregnant during the summer," or "my planned it so they wouldn't be pregnant during the summer months."

First of all, I get that you can plan your pregnancy to an extent but guess what, Ryan and I didn't think to ourselves, let's get pregnant in the winter so Erin can be extremely pregnant during the summer. If I had that much control over when we conceived, I really would have opted for a different time frame.

Second, it does suck but only slightly more than normal. I am already short of breath and hot so the heat and humidity do make it more unbearable. I try to stay inside more than usual because of this. Today it was so muggy I actually looked up the effects of heat and humidity on pregnant women. Guess what, the articles I read said the same thing. Pregnant women are already short of breath and have an increased body temperature. Mixing heat and humidity makes breathing harder and strain on the body.

Their suggestions are things I have already been doing. Staying inside, resting, and drinking fluids. Notice I didn't say water. They actually recommend you don't over hydrate with water and keep your electrolytes up. That makes me feel a little better since I drink no where near what is recommended but I do get plenty of milk and usually a small juice or soda in. Yes, I have been enjoying 7 Up and Sprite quite a bit. One can only drink so much boring water.

I have been extra irritable this week because I am struggling with my breathing, not sleeping well, and also having some mysterious pains I don't remember having with Miller. I go to the doctor Monday for a normal check up. I am pretty sure it's all normal pregnancy related items. I just wish the next 8 weeks would hurry up. I know that the first few months after the baby is born aren't that great either but being able to sleep for a couple hours at a time that's restful seems heavenly. Not to mention going back to being heart burn free (read that no more Tums or Pepsid, and no more half puking and choking it back down) is like a dream state. I can't remember what it felt like to feel good.

I am going to take advantage of Miller's nap time and try to sneak one in for myself. Maybe I will wake up less irritable.

Lazy People

Since I started my new job in January, I have been introduced to one of "those" types of people that you just hate working with. The person causes more unnecessary drama because "to remain nameless" is just plain old lazy. This person likes to look important but really is so far detached from what's going on, they look stupid to everyone else who knows the truth. We receive multiple emails about the same subject that make no sense because to remain nameless hasn't stopped to listen to the information provided by the support team, read the information provided, or even really stop and think before shooting off ridiculous demands. This person thinks that firing off emails minutes after something is raised will speed up the process and make us jump through hoops when in fact, it has the opposite affect. Up until this point in time, I have just let it roll off and shake my head when it happens. Now, after countless hours of wasted time do nameless's poor work habits and inability to communicate, I am officially annoyed and putting this person on my list of not one to bend over backwards for.

As you can tell, to remain nameless wasted my morning so I felt it was time to vent. Does everyone have one of "those" people they work with?

Random

Random post today.

Our home computer monitor died this weekend. Now, any normal family would probably wait 2 weeks to get a freebie from their parents when they visit but not us. Ryan researched a little and purchased the day of its death. I think it's because we use it so much (and he's in the middle of converting all of our music over to one format, one copy, one backed up drive). I honestly didn't realize how expensive they were. Mom, if you are reading, I will still take it as a second monitor for work so I can multitask better.

Some people from work went to the Poison/Motley Crue concert last night. I had completely forgotten about it until they posted on FB. I am jealous I didn't get to go but knowing how pregnant I feel, I would have had a tough time standing/dancing in my spot and singing my heart out. This made me think of another random thought.

I have been pregnant for every holiday this year. New Year's, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, more than likely Labor Day unless I go early. I didn't necessarily miss out on any fun but it's weird to think of pregnancy that way.

Ryan painted half of the baby room. It looks pretty good so far. He took the approach of shuffling furniture from one half of the room to the other so we didn't have to take it apart and put it back together again. Works for me. I am just glad he's doing it all. I will have plenty of "organization" work to do once it's ready for me. I am itching to get in there and go through the old clothes, make my list of needs, wash and organize, etc. I didn't think we would need much with number two but I am finding out my list is growing.

I really want to take a vacation. I mean a serious vacation but it's not in the cards for this year. It's bugging me more knowing it's our 10 year anniversary in August. I guess we will have to wait until next year to celebrate big time. This has me thinking about a good gift idea for Ryan which then makes me think about what I want. I wonder if all of these random thoughts and bouncing from topic to topic are hormone related? They seem more random than usual. Maybe it's related to hanging out with Miller. He's pretty random in his train of though too.

Our 4th of July Weekend

We had a fairly productive weekend considering the rain and thunderstorms. Saturday, Ryan was a work-aholic on the yard. What started out as "I am going to mow the backyard before it rains" turned into mowing both front and back, trimming bushes, and starting to mulch the last section of the yard by the AC unit. Miller was hit and miss that day with tantrums so we figured we had an extra long weekend in store for us.

Sunday was my turn to be productive. I picked up the house, ran some errands, made the food for Monday's party, and got in some play time with friends.

Monday Ryan got about half the baby room painted. Miller and I put together some new Lego's and were lazy. Then we headed to Brian and Crystal's for the 4th celebration. Lots of food, fun, and sun. Miller played in the pool, played with Uncle Jerry and his firework stash, and saw a fire truck (Brian's neighbor is having one restored. The fatal mistake, he put a dummy fireman in it. Scared the bejesus out of Miller; which I had to hear about all night after that.) We didn't make it until dark to watch any real fireworks. I was overly hot and tired and Miller's goodness was about to wear out too. Plus, I knew getting him up for school would be a chore today (it was).

Overall, a nice, uneventful weekend.I don't know why I am so tired. The heat zaps what little energy I have. I could seriously use a nap right now. Do you think anyone would notice if I curled up under my desk at the office?

4th of July Weekend

Facebook has a ton of posts this week talking about all the things people are doing in MN that relate to the 4th of July and summer in the midwest. I don't miss much about MN but there are a few memories I would like to share.

4th of July Traditions:
1) My poor father worked insane hours but we always got to visit him at the waterfront or ride with him at the head of the parade (unless we got to ride in our friends antique cars). That usually meant we also got to go on a few rides that he deemed "safe" at the time. No carnie wants to mess with a cop's kid while he's watching.
2) Kiddie parade on Saturday.When we were little, we were in the parade (baton twirler or marching for the skating club), or we watched for the best candy. The route was short and it was fun.
3) Real parade on Sunday. As I mentioned we got to ride with my dad in the police car or with our friends in their antique cars. Some years we watched. One year I think I had to march for marching band (that stunk).
4) Party at the Otterstad's cabin on Lake Bemidji. Food, fun, tubing, and if we were lucky, boat rides out on the lake to watch the fireworks. Other years my mom would haul us to Diamond Point Park to watch them in the car while it rained with the radio on (the big deal was the local station was supposed to be "timed" with the fireworks. It never quite worked out like the ones at Disney.)
5) College years meant I could go in the famed "beer tent." It was over-rated but I went any ways. You would always meet someone you knew at it and of course, watch all the crazy drunks make fools of themselves. I recall I might have been one of them one year...just maybe.

When we moved to FL, we tried to find a local parade. It wasn't the same. We didn't know anyone. They were all politicians, and hardly any candy. Top it with we weren't acclimated and 90 degree weather almost killed us. So we started our own tradition.

In our old house, we hosted a party with lots of food, drink, and fireworks. I have to say, it's one of the best parties the crew has all year that most of us look forward to. Then we sold the house on the lake and the last couple years, we have had to try out new locations. It's still a great celebration with the same people, same great food, and explosives. It's just a little scarier blowing stuff up in the street or someone's yard rather than out over the lake.

With the kids now starting to infiltrate our parties, we may have to find or start some new traditions that are a little more kid friendly. One thing we won't add to our tradition, MN mosquitos!