Baby Update

This poor blog has been so neglected since we moved from Springfield!! Someday it will come back to life... today is not that day, lol.

I just wanted to give a quick update on the baby. We had our anatomy scan on Valentine's Day and found out our #3 is a BOY! We are so thrilled for our new little boy to join our family : ) During our ultrasound, we discovered that our son will be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palette. We had a follow up, level 2 ultrasound 2 weeks ago which confirmed a cleft lip. The tech and the specialist both said they think the palette is unaffected but we won't know for sure until birth. We have another ultrasound this Friday and will have at least two more before birth.

It was difficult news for me to hear at first but I'm doing better now. I gave myself a day to feel all my emotions at once then decided I wasn't going to waste time worrying. I've been doing a lot of research and seeing what our lives will be like post delivery and in the next few years. I'm going to start a blog about our whole experience over Spring Break. I've met a lot of nice women who have gone through this and some who are going through this with me. It's really made me want to document everything to hopefully help someone going through this and to help me remember what our experience has been. I'll post a link once I get around to getting everything in order : )

A Decision I Just Cannot Come to Terms With

As I mentioned in my previous post, I will be delivering this baby in the hospital - a decision that I literally cannot come to terms with. Let me preface the rest of my post by saying tow things Most importantly, I feel like I should stress that despite the extraordinary circumstances surrounding Ainzley's birth, this decision is NOT being made out of fear. Secondly, that I have a TERRIFIC OB. He is seriously the best. He delivered me 25 years ago, both of my brothers, several of my cousins and my own son. I am completely comfortable in his care and I don't feel like he brushes my concerns or wants to the side like I've heard other women complain about their OB's. I'm also delivering at a terrific hospital. They have incredible technology and one of the best NICU's in the St. Louis area. Their birthing suites have been completely redone and feature amazing, soothing decor plus every bath attached to a birthing suite features jetted showers and jacuzzi tubs. The hospital also (if your OB clears you) allows deliveries in the jacuzzi tubs. They encourage wearing your own clothing for delivery to make you more comfortable and trying various birthing positions.

I feel like if I had to go back to the hospital, this would be the place to go. There's just one problem...

I'm a control freak. I want control over every single aspect of my labor and delivery. I don't want to be hooked up to monitors, I don't want an IV, I don't want my baby whisked away for cleaning, weighing, measuring... I want my home birth again. I want my amazing midwives and my laid back atmosphere. I want my support team doing what I ask/tell/demand (bc let's face it, it's labor, lol). I want to be on my schedule, not theirs. I know that my OB is wonderful and that we have talked and have made decisions about my care, but I also know that once we walk through the doors of that hospital, that there is a third player in the game. One who will overrule and have the final say because of liability risks more than anything. For me, it's almost spirit crushing.

Every time I think about the labor and delivery of this baby, I get so giddy and excited. Neither of my other deliveries were a piece of cake yet here I sit looking forward to the day when I get to do it again.

I know most women would roll their eyes at me and say I ask too much - I should just be thankful for the healthy baby in my arms at the end of it all. But the fact is I do care about how the baby got their. I worked my butt of for 40+ weeks leading up to that moment and I want the end to be magnificent. Ainzley's birth was probably one of the empowering moments of my life - it was filled with challenges - yet it was simply spectacular.

So here I sit. Torn between what I want and what I know is coming. I am determined to still have my natural birth. After having a fully medicated birth and a fully natural birth, the two cannot compare (for me at least). I know their are obstacles ahead and I'm trying my best to stay optimistic about it. I'm working on accepting the fact that I'll be giving up some control and accepting some "risk" in going to the hospital. At the same time, I'm fueling my passion. I'm rereading my previous birth stories, picking them apart for the best of both worlds, trying desperately to grasp reality and not live in ignorance.

Meshing two very different experiences together is difficult for sure. I'm determined to make this birth the best I've experienced. I'm very much looking forward to the marathon again, this time in a less comfortable surrounding, but surrounded by love with Jason by my side. I'm sure this won't be my last post on the subject but writing this made me feel more at peace.

Last semester!

Welp, here I sit - 18 weeks pregnant and finishing my final semester before graduation - YAY!!! I could not be more excited! We have a lot going on in our lives right now.

Ainzley is growing and growing! She is such a busy little Miss and really such an easy baby. She is learning at a fast and furious pace and I feel like I just can't keep up with her curiosity some days! She loves to play with her "boy" who is such a great teacher to her. A couple of weeks ago, they were playing in David's room. Just giggling and enjoying their playtime. David came out of his room (followed by Ainzley) and said, "Mom! Ainzley has something she wants to tell you!" David turned to her and said "Ainzley, how much do you love Mommy?" Ainzley said (very giggly) "Very, very much!" We've always told David we love him very, very much and he says he loves us very very much... and now he taught his sister. It was flat out adorable!

David, besides being an awesome teacher to Ainzley, is such a busy little boy. He goes to Preschool 4 days a week in the mornings and he loves it. He has two really great teachers and tells me all about all of his friends - I just love seeing him be excited about school and making friends. He also started Primary this year and he's doing pretty good. He's only been twice this year due to sickness. He does have a hard time going in to sharing time most weeks but he calms down and starts enjoying himself. It helps that he has a teacher who is super nice with an abundance of patients.

Jason is working busily with his agency. December and January are typically difficult months to sell insurance since everyone is paying for Christmas during those times but we've already seen a huge turn around and we're looking forward to the Spring and Summer months. We're going to be expanding the agency and taking on some employees in the next few months as well - I can't believe we're to that point already! Jason is eagerly awaiting Spring and Summer for one thing - Cardinal's Baseball!

As for me, I'm still enjoying pregnancy. Things are still pretty uneventful which makes me happy. We'll find out the gender on Valentine's Day. I wasn't planning to find out this time but I want to know ahead of time for my own preparation sake. I want to have the clothes washed and ready, I want to be able to buy a few special things for this baby, and I want the kids to be so excited about having either a brother or a sister... not just a baby : ) I've been feeling the baby kick for about 3 weeks now. The first time happened when Jason was giving me a blessing. He mentioned the baby in the blessing and I felt what I knew for sure was a baby kick. It was so special. I really, honestly, 100% have been enjoying my pregnancy this time. Knowing it's going to be my last has really helped me to stay positive and enjoy the moment. One decision I'm still in the process of making (well, I'm fairly sure I've made the decision... but I'm just trying to come to terms with it) it having the baby in the hospital instead of at home. After Ainzley's birth, I swore I would never go back to the hospital again. As I shared in her birth story, her birth was far from uncomplicated BUT it was amazing. I was well cared for (as was she) and prefer being at home 10000000% over being in the hospital.... but I don't think a home birth is going to be the way we go this time. A blog post in the next couple of days will explain more fully.

Awesome giveaway!!!

Hi All!

In the midst of winter, colds run rampant through our house for some reason. Being the "crunchy"  person I have become over the last few years, I hate using medicine when I'm sick - I especially hate giving it to the kids! But what do I hate more? Giving the kids medicine or letting them feel miserable?
Anyway, when I was super pregnant with Ainzley, my midwife introduced me to essential oils - I was skeptical at first but was sooo converted after using them. I have never felt better quicker during a cold and am so glad to not be putting artificial yuck into my body. One of my favorite features of EO's is that your body can't build up an immunity to them they way it can to medicine. I just cannot say enough good things about essential oils.
Except that there is an essential oils giveaway going on in the blogosphere!!!! Housewife Eclectic is giving away some great EO's from Plant Therapy Oils! Head on over and check it out! : )

http://www.housewifeeclectic.com/2013/01/how-essential-oils-changed-my-life-and.html

The Finish Line

We have finally crossed it! The glorious finish line at the end of the semester!!!!! Jason completed his Associates of Arts degree and I will finish my AofA next semester. Jason is waiting for me to finish my last semester and we'll graduate together in May - YAY!!!!! We'll move on to the next chapter of our lives already in progress, lol.

This pregnancy has been an absolute BREEZE! Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a better first trimester. No nausea and no running to the toilet - my two least favorite parts of pregnancy. I've been tired but that's really been about it. Honestly, the only difference is the fact that I'm in shape this time around and continue to keep up an exercise routine. I wake up early every morning (a challenge on it's own when I'm pregnant) and get an exercise in. Working out in the morning works great for me because I'm up before the kids, getting some me time and honestly, first thing in the morning, I'm too tired to argue with myself about not working out LOL! I feel good about my weight so far and hope I can stay motivated. We had our first ultrasound on November 19th and the baby was looking great! Heart rate was 180 and baby was only measuring 3 days small so we were pleased. My due date was set for July 3rd but since my other two were 2 weeks late, that'll put me closer to July 17th - my little brother's 16th birthday! What a present for him ; ). David is very excited about the baby. Ainzley doesn't really get it - every time we talk about the baby, she runs to her room and gets her favorite baby doll, lol. Jason and I think the baby is a boy. We won't find out for another 8 weeks and have a great gender reveal planned!

I don't have too much else to say right now. We're getting very excited to celebrate Christmas with our families next week. We have so many fun activities planned : )

Just a short update

My oh my how I have neglected my blog!! My sincerest apologies. This semester has been kicking my butt! It's been far too many years since I was enrolled full time - and I've NEVER been enrolled full time in online classes. I've been trudging through happily leaving myself only two classes to complete in the spring before I graduate : ). Jason's work is going amazingly. I would say he has successfully learned how to be a salesman and amazes me how good he is, lol. David is doing well. Last month, we learned he has OCD and some sort of sensory processing disorder. We're currently working on seeing a specialist for a more defined diagnosis but until then, we're learning all we can and are just enjoying him. We know he was given this special quality for us all to learn and he's really doing well with the new info we're able to help him with. Ainzley is simply amazing. Her vocabulary is so broad and her little personality is so big. It's so fun to see her and David (who she calls "the boy") play together. She gets so excited when "the boy" gets home from school or wakes up from his nap - she runs right over to him and gives him the biggest hug. My kids just melt my heart. We also recently found out a couple of weeks ago that we are expecting our third! The new baby is due late June or early July 2013. This will probably be our last so I'm just enjoying every moment of pregnancy. So far, my pregnancy has been delightfully uneventful. I've been tired and get an uneasy tummy when I go too long between meals but other than that, I give it two thumbs up : )

So, here we are. Still working hard and playing hard and enjoying each other. More to come after I crawl out from under this school semester

Holy Wow!! It's been FOREVER since I've updated!!! What can I say, it's been a busy summer! We're relocated and (temporarily) settled into our rental home. Jason's new job has been going really well! We got off to a slow start but things have really started started taking off for us in the last couple of weeks : )

The kids are doing AMAZINGLY! They really love all the grandparent time they've been able to get in while we've been here. David starts preschool next Thursday which is absolutely crazy to me - how on earth do I have a kiddo old enough for that!?!? Ainzley is growing and has a HUGE vocabulary!

As for me, I'm working again. Well, I work for Jason. I'm the Office Manager/Administrative Assistant/Quote Runner... basically, I do everything except initial client contact and presentations. I work from home so I do it all with the kids in tow until we have enough clientele to warrant hiring an outside person.

Jason and I are enrolled in school for the fall - me with 12 hours and him with his last 6 (I have 7 more to finish in the spring before I graduate). We're very excited to finally have degrees! I'll continue on to my bachelors but Jason is going to stop (for now) and focus on building the business.

Overall, things are going amazingly for us. We are feeling so blessed and optimistic right now. We really feel like we can do it all! : )