Life Modifications

I've meant to write this post since Saturday, but I've been having a tough time getting the energy to do it. On Friday, I had a major blood pressure spike that sent me straight over to Labor & Delivery at the hospital. We got there at about 2:30ish in the afternoon - give or take... it might have been earlier, but I think that's about the time they started working on me.

We started off monitoring my blood pressure and the baby's heart beat/contractions. I wasn't sure at the time, because I thought Tyler was just ticked off at the monitor... but those tight feelings I was having were indeed contractions.

As the night wore on, my temperature was up and white blood cell count high... so they did a catheter to check for a bladder infection. (Not a pleasant way the end a week!!) At about midnight - they finally got the word from the doctor that it was okay for me to go home, and that for at least this week - I will be on modified bed rest.

Modified bed rest - as I understand it - means that I can still get up and do a few things, but that for the most part... I am to rest and stay off my feet. I'm hopeful that this will allow me to be able to rest while also getting James' Life Book completed for our next meeting with the adoption agency in a couple of weeks. Crafting fits in with resting, right?

James is still spending the week at the sitter's during the day so that I can rest, and we'll see what the doctor says. I go back tomorrow afternoon to see her, and possibly again later in the week. She mentioned seeing me at least once a week if not twice... so good times!

I've had some minor back pain and maybe one contraction since I've been home... and my blood pressure has inched toward the high side once, but nothing like it was on Friday. I guess that I'll have plenty of time to write on this old blog and hopefully catch up on some of the other blogs out there this week - while I'm trying to find things to entertain myself with... so those of you that have felt neglected because of my lack of reading/commenting... I'm going to give it my best shot to give you some love while I'm off work.

I will post some cute photos of James' adventures lately, and let you know how things are going with the bed rest stuff... and what the doctor is saying my future holds. Until then... I think I'm heading back to bed for a nap.

Lord, Help Me

Ya'll... in a little over 9 weeks at the most... I'm going to have TWO of these... anyone else think that's just CRAZY?! I'm still not always sure what to do with the one that I've got... much less how to deal with/take care of two of them.

Blessings come in abundance - and all at once for us... and we'll happily take them, but I can't say that it doesn't come along with a few nerves and a little healthy fear. Especially tonight as I sit here at 3:30 in the morning with James... who is full, happy, and should be sleepy... but the kid just doesn't want to sleep. AT. ALL.

I've tried all of our normal things... rocking, patting, more food, swinging... I refuse to put on his video at 4:00 in the morning, but other than whiskey... I've tried just about everything I can think of. I guess it's a good thing that Mommy has a doctor's appointment at 2 today - so at least it won't be a full day of zombie-ness. I'll likely try to fake out my system with a decalf coffee from Starbucks on the way to work too - but of course that's more of a pacifier for me than actually something that will help in anyway.

My body seems to be playing tricks on me with the blood pressure and stuff now - so I've got some serious concerns to talk to my doctor about this afternoon... I'll save the details until I hear her opinion and figure out what we're going to do. It's nothing super serious - but a dear friend of mine from high school who is an OB resident - has been giving me some guidance in the form of a second opinion. It's no secret that I've been less than happy with my doctor in some areas - so I checked in with this friend, and she's concerned about these symptoms as well... so it's time to stomp, scream, and/or cry until my main doctor hears me and talks to me about what is going on.

I hope ya'll have a GREAT day, and I hope that I can get in some sort of a nap when the little man and I get home this evening... hopefully a little earlier than normal since my appointment will likely finish out my working hours.

Shop 'Til We Drop

I thought it might be time to give you an update on some products that we are LOVING in our house... especially as Mr. James gets bigger.

1. Teething Tabs 125 tabs - These are all natural, and are life savers - I swear by them... we put them in James' night time bottles to help him not feel any pain during the night. Sometimes when he acts like he's hurting - we'll put them in his day time bottles too... and our wonderful sitter is equip with a bottle of them to use as needed too.
   
2.   Gerber 2 Pack Thermal Blanket, Sage - Not only are these my favorite fabric of choice when I was a small child, but these blankets seem to be our answer for keeping fuzz out of James' fingers & toes. He used to constantly have fuzz in the creases of his little fingers and toes from the other blankets that we used, but these don't seem to shed very much. I've bought them in just about every color combination now that would be suitable for boys... but of course I'm going to need to double/triple up on them for when Tyler comes.
   
3. Gerber Rice Cereal with DHA - 8 oz - We've been given the instructions to start the little man on some solid foods now, and this actually was one of the tricks that got us through the stomach virus as well. We've been putting a heaping teaspoon in James' night time bottles to help him get through the night, and it seems to help some... of course not as much as we'd like, but it took him a little while to regain the 1/2 pound that he lost while sick. He's now gained that back - plus another 1/2... so I think we're good to start with the cereal in the bowl.
   
4. Munchkin Multi Bowl - 5 Pack, Colors May Vary - Of course no little guy can think of starting cereal without some colorful bowls to get the party started!! I've been told that I can't use the pink one... hahaha!
   
5. Bumbo Baby Seat, Blue & Bumbo Seat Play Tray, Ivory - We'll be using this initially to get the little guy started with eating - I think it'll be a little easier than a high chair because I can get even closer to him... and with Tyler being in the way a bit - any amount of closer I can get... is a good thing!
   
6.   Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat, Brunswick - Speaking of Tyler... we'll be ordering this for our newest little man to come home in... it appeals to my love of sage green and argyle... so what's not to love?!
   
7. Graco Quattro Tour Duo Stroller, Brunswick - the boys will likely be using this during the fall, that is of course if it'll fit in Mommy's car... we've tried everything to find the dimensions of the double stroller while it's folded, but haven't had any luck yet - so we'll have to call Graco or we'll have to go over to Babies R Us and test out another pattern in the same line... unfortunately Babies R Us doesn't carry the Brunswick line.
    
8. Graco Duo Dinner Highchair, Brunswick - We hadn't gotten James his highchair yet so we're planning to get him this one. Not sure if he'll move into something else by the time Tyler needs to use a high chair, but we'll get a second one so that they're matching if needed after the first of the year.
    
9. Graco Pack 'n Play Playard With Newborn Napper Station, Brunswick - Because I'm a big matchy dork... we are considering selling the stuff that we got for James just so that everything is in the same exact pattern... I don't know if we'll do it, considering the very limited amount of time that we've actually used the Pack 'n Play that we have... but maybe you start using them more when they get bigger? What would you do if you were me?
   
10. Bright Starts Ingenuity Portable Swing, Kashmir - We bought this for James to use whenever we need to go to his grandparent's house... because he has such a deep love for his swing, but he hasn't taken to the different motion of this one too well... so it might just become Tyler's swing. Either way - we knew we'd need a second swing with the new baby coming... so now we've got two. Heck - we might need a second portable one if we ever want to leave the house after October!  

I think it's starting to settle in that Tyler is coming soon - so we're getting a few things ready for him... it's hard because we have a strong feeling that he'll be born bigger than James, so we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. Likely we'll get some size 1 diapers stocked up around here, and just go run get some newborn size if we need them once he's born.

We are also going to make an attempt at breast-feeding as well... but I'm MUCH more comfortable with the idea of pumping and feeding him from bottles... so we'll be going that route once we get home from the hospital. So ladies of the interwebs... what should I be looking for in a pump? Would you buy it ahead of time? Knowing the expense of a good pump... should I wait a week or so and see how it goes? I've heard of several Moms lately that have had trouble with their milk supply and other issues preventing them from being able to breast-feed, so I guess I'm nervous spending $300 on something that we might not be able to use. Help me out ladies...

Too Stinkin' Funny

Yesterday, we spent a good part of the day at my Dad's new house - John helped with the move in... I pretty much watched and did some baby management. James had a fairly rough day - I think he was still having some discomfort from getting his shots on Friday evening.

If you can imagine a house so awesome - that 11 people can be inside it while it is full of boxes and it still didn't seem crowded! I can't wait to hang out there once they are all settled... and the guys start work on the pool in a couple of weeks - so I can't wait to see how that goes too! 

At one point in the day, John had James on his little play mat... and was about to change his diaper. Well, with all the kids - they wanted to watch... but John asked if James could have a little privacy. (giggle) My little sister, Gabby (6) immediately plopped down on a box about 2 feet from John & James and proceeded to watch.

About this time - I happened to walk over and just made a comment about how weird it is to have an audience for a diaper change. John of course tells me that he'd asked for a little privacy... but my little brother, Josh (7) in this exact moment... looks at me and says: "Well, you know it IS quite a show for the ladies."

I about died! How do you even react to that? John and I couldn't look at each other - and I just had to walk away and laugh. I mean WHERE do they come up with this stuff?!

It's certainly going to be interesting having them live so close... I expect lots of little moments like this one - too funny!

Crazy Days

I think a friend of mine explained my feelings on pregnancy this week. I think it is an amazing gift, and an incredible process... BUT inside of my body - I'm not enjoying it. There are some people that glow and feel great for the entire 9 months... but that's not me. My body seems to be more like the middle of a war zone - and since there is a good portion of the time when I'm NOT pregnant that I feel like crud... I'd have to say that it hasn't been easy.

That all being said - it is absolutely 100% without a doubt in the world... worth every minute of the process. To know that at the end of it - you will have created a beautiful little bundle of sweetness... I can't imagine anything more worth the struggle.

This week has certainly contained challenges that have gradually gotten a little more and more intense. I hit the 30 week mark this week, and with that came some extremes in the leg/ankle swelling... and my blood pressure starting to play tricks on me.

I'm guessing this is the point where I am figuring out why I've been called high risk for the last few months. My blood pressure up until Tuesday had been running right around 112/74... but then something sort of snapped and it started cruising higher and higher. Wednesday it started hitting 120/83... Thursday 125/86... and yesterday when I arrived at John's office in the afternoon it was 138/96! All of this comes with a side order of a monster headache...

I waited about 10 minutes or so and took it again... which brought it down to 132/91... so I went ahead and called the doctor's office. Basically when that happens my only course of action is to wait 2 hours, retake my blood pressure and if it hasn't gone down with some rest and an increase in fluid intake... we've got ourselves a pass to go straight to Labor & Delivery.

Thankfully, it did settle down last night - and we didn't have to reschedule James' 4 month shots for the second time. Poor little man had a rough night last night... I wish that with all the medical technology we have out there - that they could figure out a way to make the baby shots easier on their little bodies. Maybe 1 shot instead of 3? Make all of them oral, like the one they gave him that was made in that format? I'm not sure what the answer is, but I believe there HAS to be something!

We've got strict orders to try to spend as much time as possible relaxing, hydrating, and keeping my feet elevated this weekend... so hopefully mixed in with that will be some really lovely naps too!

Reflection

I've had a lot of time to think and reflect lately - you know, because with a teething & sick baby... sleep hasn't been plentiful for the last week or so. For whatever reason, last night while I was up for a late night feeding - I suddenly remembered the day that we lost the first baby placement in our adoption process.

In my life, I'll never forget that moment - the moment that the words changed my emotions from being elated to being completely crushed. I remember the lovely lady having to break the news to us - Cindy from the adoption agency - and I can't imagine how horrible that must have been for her. I also remember not being able to initially breathe... or even understand what the words meant. Then, in an instant - it all came together and I started sinking into that crying and depression that you would expect in a moment of severe loss. John and Cindy both prayed over us before we left the hospital that day - but I remember thinking that we'd never have a child... that was at the end of February... and what a difference a little over a month made, right?

Not much more than a month later - we were blessed with James... and finding out that we'd also have our own miracle before the end of the year. Sometimes (often - if not always) God works in mysterious ways...and that experience somehow prepared us for another moment in our lives. We might not have even reached that moment yet - maybe there will be an opportunity for us to minister to someone in a failed placement - or maybe there is no other reason than just our own growth... but we needed to go through that in order to fully understand the blessings we have been given.

I can't imagine my life without James in it - and I know that as soon as Tyler is here... the same will be true of him. That being said - there are times that being a parent is HARD. It is the biggest challenge imaginable, but anything worth praying for - is usually a challenge full of ups and downs, right?

As I approach the end of this pregnancy - I find myself having moments of severe anxiety over the delivery of Tyler. C-Section or Vaginal delivery... and the whole battery of things that will happen in that time of my life - scares the snot out of me. It just does - I know that I'll get through it, but the fear of the unknown is just intense at times.Even beyond the delivery - the idea of taking care of two infants is scary - again, we'll get through it somehow, but there are things about it that scare me to death too.

Then again, there will be moments just like this one - where the baby is sleeping - looking incredibly happy and at peace... and it is all worth it.

Still Infected...

Well, here we are having endured this virus for a full week now... between James and I - we're miserable! We were sort of having symptoms every other day, but I've now been suffering for a full 2 1/2 days so far this round. It's one of the worst things you can try to deal with while pregnant - diabetic - and taking care of a sick infant.

In the last three days - I've literally only had:
- 1 yogurt (yesterday at 1 PM)
- 6 whole grain crackers (yesterday at 7 PM)
- 1 piece of toast (today at 5 AM)
- 3 crackers (today at 11 AM)
- Kraft Easy Mac & Cheese Bowl (today at 2 PM)
- a mug of vegetable soup broth (today at 8 PM)

I went a full 24+ hours with nothing other than Gatorade G2... between Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch... and my blood sugar levels are all crazy. They seem to be going from extreme highs to extreme lows because of this critter that has invaded my body.

It's crazy - because I can sort of see the symptoms mirroring between James and I to a point. Right now - I think he might be a little better off than I am... but 'lil man is not liking going back to formula from his grape flavored Pedialyte. (I sure wish the doctor would have told me to use the unflavored version!!)

For me - I tend to be fine... feeling okay until the moment anything other than clear liquids hit my stomach. Then there is intense cramping and bloating - like whatever the virus is starts having some sort of ROCKIN' frat party in there. It's quick too - this morning before I even finished 1/2 of my piece of toast... I was experiencing that joy.

As you can imagine, when you're stuffed full of baby... 29 weeks along in the morning - all of your organs are pushed into your ribs... and then you bloat up like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon... oh yeah, it's REALLY craptastic!

We have a growth scan scheduled for tomorrow to see how Tyler is doing...so hopefully over the weekend - I'll have some more pictures of him for ya'll. As for the rest of the weekend's plans - um, yeah... to get better! Ironically - it was the same plan we had last weekend!

Mostly Mute Monday

Daddy giving the boy a massage...if only I can get in on some of this massage action!

This is how we dress when we stay home with Daddy...

This makes me laugh - because he loves being swaddled and not having use of his arms... but his hand is on his knee.

My new Baby Einstein toys... not quite big enough yet - but I know I'll love it when I grow into it.

My new thing when I'm sleepy is to rub my eyes...

Some of James' 3 month photos...

He looks bored here, doesn't he? HA!

Mommy & Daddy's wedding rings on James' feet....

And finally... for those of you that have been waiting... baby bump photo 1

Bump photo 2... ugh... I look HUGE!

Poor Baby

Well, we are still sick. James hasn't been able to transition to the half formula/half water mixture today. We started that yesterday, but he just wasn't eating much of it. Today he hasn't been able to nap much, and his soft spot was seeming to be a little sunken in to us... even though he has been going through the wet diapers like a crazy mad-man.

John called the doctor around noon - and she told us to go back to the Pedialyte only. We gave him 4 ounces of that over about an hour - and he finally went down for a nap. About 45 minutes in to his nap - he woke up and spewed every bit of it back out. Poor thing. It was like a scene from the Exorcist.

We were prepared to take him to Texas Children's Hospital - or Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital... but after our second call to the pediatrician - she advised us to cut him back to about 1/2 an ounce at a time and see how he does. He has only had one more episode since then - so we've just kept him home and are doing our best to keep him hydrated until his tummy can get better.

None of us got much sleep last night, but apparently that is a good sign for the doctor. She said that if he was lethargic - she'd be more worried about him than she is with him not wanting to sleep. It worries me though of course because you can just look at him and know he's exhausted. He has little bags under his eyes.

We just put him down for the night - so I'll be praying that he won't have any vomiting episodes through the night, and then John will likely take him back in to the doctor in the morning. The hardest thing for me in the world is to have to go to work tomorrow while by baby boy is sick... I am a mess, worried about him in ways I couldn't even imagine... and of course more than slightly tired myself.

Keep James in your prayers, if you don't mind... pray that he'll get better soon, and bounce back to normal quickly. We love this little guy so much, and it's probably hurting us much worse not being able to fix this than it is hurting him.

Going Viral...

You thought that I had some majorly popular video on YouTube with that title, right? Nope... but there is a viable reason for the title... I'll get to it in a minute.

Can I tell ya'll about another new grocery product that I just heard about?! Have you heard of these...

I saw a commercial for this today, and it looks yummy. It's Kraft Macaroni & Cheese that you bake in the oven - and I think it comes with a bread crumb topping... uh...come to Mama! They have three flavors to choose from - Classic Cheddar, Old World Italian with Parmesan and Romano, and Hearty Four Cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Colby, and Cheddar) - the Kraft website says that it bakes in 20 minutes... so that would be a good easy side dish with a different twist than the yummy powdery cheese goodness that we're used to from Kraft.

Okay - so anyway - back to the reason for the post.

Shortly after I posted yesterday - I got a frantic phone call that I needed to pick up James from the sitter. The call was from John - but our little buddy (and now his parents too) is sick.

It started with a projectile vomit - like beyond spit up and comes out his nose - yesterday morning before we left for work - which has happened once before in James' life... but was nothing... so we just cleaned him up (accidentally not noticing that we should have cleaned up John's black jeans he was wearing for the day too) and went on about our day.

The only other time this has happened - he was about 2 weeks old, and the doctor's office said that if he acted fine - just to feed him like normal and not worry about it. Well, he did it again at about 9:30 or so with Mrs. Amanda, and because he was heaving a bit - she called John. Since I had the car for the day - he called me to go get him because he had a couple of meetings he couldn't miss.

Off I went to pick him up and take him to see the pediatrician... do all pediatricians keep their offices/waiting rooms so warm? WHEW... I was melting! Maybe it won't be so bad when I'm not pregnant... but yikes. She checked James out and even though he hadn't really eaten anything all day - the appointment was at 11:30... and hadn't had any wet diapers... she didn't find anything majorly wrong with him.

He was still good and hydrated, but we determined that he must have some sort of a stomach bug. So she put him on a 24 hour formula restriction - gradually building back up. We were to give him Pedialyte for 24 hours, then do 24 hours of a half formula/half water mix, and then finally we can get him back on a normal diet.

I brought the little guy home to try our first dose of the Pedialyte - and he totally spewed it all over the two of us... then promptly fell asleep. So I let him sleep, and we started him on a 5 ml (1 tsp) syringe of the stuff every 10 minutes... he took two doses and then had another nap... we did work up to him taking 4 ounces of it sometime around bedtime.

We tried starting him on the half/half solution around noon today - and it's been going a little more rough. I think my son has now developed a liking to the grape flavored Pedialyte over his formula... and really, who can blame him... have you smelled that stuff lately? Formula is nasty!

He might have spiked a tiny little fever this evening - so we've given him a dose of baby Tylenol (generic - because of the recall... but deemed safe by our pediatrician) - and we'll try him again at bedtime. Poor guy - when Mommy said she needed a relaxing weekend at home... she didn't mean that it had to be under quarantine!

It looks like I've got a version of this bug - and while I'm not 100% sure - I'd bet that if Daddy doesn't have it yet... it'll happen before the weekend is over. I guess on the bright side - this is a good way to keep my weight down before my appointment on Tuesday with the OB! HAHA!

How is YOUR weekend going? I totally just cracked myself up over the starting of this post with food - and then talking about stomach viruses for the remainder of the post... only I could do that!

One fun thing that happened this weekend is that I'm being featured over on Life with the Dietrich's... so go check Katie out and say Hi!

Random Friday

Has another week escaped me mostly undocumented on this little ol' blog? Of course it has, because once a gain - I've been so whipped by teething and pregnancy that I basically haven't even begun to attempt looking at my computer in the evenings. So I thought I'd finish out the week with a little bit of randomness...

1) I'd really love to try some of these Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Cheese Crisps - I don't even know why, but they just look so darn yummy to me! I love cheese crisps of any form - so I figure that they'd be a hit with me.

2) Have you heard that Jamba Juice is now putting products in your local grocery store? I'm so thrilled... of course they aren't putting MY favorite in a bag yet - but there is hope... Jamba folks... branch out and do Caribbean Passion next, please?! Currently you can find the flavors of: Razzmatazz, Mango-a-go-go, and Strawberries Wild in the store... all complete with the signature Jamba Juice Antioxidant Boost mixed right in the bag!

3) Had enough of the grocery store run down? HA! I actually found a pretty cool website that will list monthly (or at least they have through June 2010) the new grocery products coming out on the market... and since I'm sort of a junkie for trying new grocery items - I find that to be really fun!

4) Mr. James is growing like crazy - and it looks like he has tooth buds on both sides where his inscisors will go - so he really will be a vampire once this suckers come in. He's doing really well though - and just gets cuter and sweeter everyday. We did an unofficial weigh in on him this week one night before bath time and it looks like he's right about 14 pounds 6 ounces... so he certainly will be ready to start cereal next week after his 4 month doctor's appointment.

I know we'll be ready since he's been waking up at about 3AM every morning for another bottle to tide him over for the night. I guess 7:30PM bedtime to 3AM is a good long stretch of sleep - but when you wake up for work at 4:45... it can be mighty depressing! HA! He's getting so predictable though - at about 6:45 he's ready to start winding down for the day... he gets a little fussy and is ready for his bath routine to start... but then the little stinker doesn't want to drink his bottle because it's like he knows that it'll make him fall asleep - and he would rather fight that. Isn't it funny that even at this young of an age - he instictively knows to fight it - even though he's exhausted!?

We probably could start him on the cerreal sooner - but would rather just wait because we've already talked to the doctor about our worries with him becoming more constipated with changing his diet... and he's already on the edge with that - so we want to know what she recommends to add in to help with that. Likely either mixing in some diluted juice with the cereal - or a little prune, apple or pear juice with another bottle during the day. (I'd opt for the apple or pear...but that's just because the idea of prunes - kills me!)

5) This week has been particularly hard on the pregnancy front for me - I generally haven't felt well at all. I went about 24 hours without eating between Wednesday and Thursday - and have a strong feeling that from here on out... I'll be a one meal a day kind of girl... maybe two if I'm lucky. I just am running out of room and things are crammed so tightly in there that my organs have zero room for anything else. On top of that I've been having a lot of cramping - so I've been timing them and writing each one down since yesterday morning.

For now - I'm having about 2-3 an hour at varying intervals, but should we reach the 4 within an hour mark... we'll be off for a trip to the hospital. I know that I could call my doctor's office, but at this point - I have a good idea of what is more than likely going on... and if anything changes, gets more intense, or gets into a regular pattern - I think that they'll just tell me to monitor it closely as we've been doing.

6) We got some great news yesterday about our birthmother - we are technically not allowed to see her for 6 months after the placement... so we had to tell her about my pregnancy via a letter that I wrote last month. She's had some major things going on in her life - so she just went by the agency to read the letter yesterday... and she's happy for us. It's a relief -  because we were a little worried that she might be upset since she chose us because of the fact that we didn't have other children. I think though that God really gave me the words to explain to her how we feel about it - and hopefully that put her at ease with it.

She also saw a picture of James for the first time - she hasn't wanted to look at them in the past - so that was a big step for her. She is moving back to another state very soon, and won't be here when we'd be able to have our 6 month meeting... so thankfully the wonderful ladies at the agency are going to bend the rules a little for us and let us all see each other before she leaves. We aren't sure if she wants us to bring James to the meeting yet or not, but either way... we'll be thrilled to get to see how she's doing since it's been 4 months since we saw her.

I'd love for her to see James too - and get to see how happy he is... and how happy we are... and maybe even one of his signature million dollar smiles - complete with dimple!

Thankfully she does have family that lives in the area that she will visit from time to time - so hopefully we'll be able to see her that way... since she likely won't be here for the agency's annual picnic in March each year. She's such a wonderful person - and we'd love to see her as often as she is willing and able.

7) It looks like it'll be another low key weekend for us at home - since I haven't been feeling well, we haven't been getting much sleep, and it's just too darn hot to do much of anything else right now. I've got a pile of movies that we can watch... books that I can download on my nook... and of course we have a little man to keep entertained.

I basically want to enjoy a relaxing weekend - with the option of getting up and doing something if I want to... because at this point - with these cramps... who knows what next week will bring - and while bedrest sounds like a vacation at the moment... I can only imagine how big of a TEST that would actually be - since it's not comfortable for me to lay down all night - much less for weeks on end... and entertaining yourself while stationary can be a nightmare after a while - there is only so much television, reading, and internet one can stand before it gets really old. We'll do whatever we have to do of course - for the safety and health of Baby Tyler.

We officially are in the 3rd trimester on every different measuring system now - some have 27 weeks as the beginning of the 3rd, and some have 28... so now I'm in it regardless. We're 2/3 baked... and ready to get the last 1/3 moving quickly. We've started a registry for Tyler this week - which seems silly I know, but it's just in case anyone asks - and for our own shopping so that we can make sure that we get the best deals on the things that we'll need in addition to what we have: like the double stroller, another carseat, a portable swing so that we can have two, and breastfeeding supplies. Other than that - we'll likely add some things that James still needs: like his high chair and stuff like that... because we can get extra discounts by buying it off of a registry - even if it is our own.

I think that's about for it... thank goodness it's Friday!!

Perspective

I just got done with another doctor's appointment - only this time with my primary care doc... who is FABULOUS. I told him about some of the concerns that my OB has been having, and he thinks I'm doing beautifully.

I told him about the birth control pill issue - but he really didn't have any thoughts on that right now - we'll talk about it again later and I'll more than likely be asking his opinion on a new doctor for all things female. I just don't feel like the current female doc is with the program on my body enough to know that so far - I'm 27 & 1/2 weeks pregnant... and have ZERO blood pressure problems. It is still running right around 112/74... so I'd say that for me... that's DARN good!

I also talked to him about the weight gain issues... I'm up another 3 pounds since last Tuesday - which I mentioned... and he put it into perspective for me. He said that everyone's hormones are different...and doesn't understand why she's giving me so much grief about it. I told him that I felt like her point is that I should have enough extra weight to sustain another human life, but he said that he doesn't think it works like that. Even if it did - he told me that he doesn't think that nutritionally that is a very sound way to look at things.

So there ya go... I might be as big as a house... but Tyler will be healthy! HA! I'm not far off on that assesment either - because I would swear that my stomach enters a room about 5 minutes before the rest of me does. I know you guys want to see a photo... I'm working on that courage... maybe this weekend.

In other news:

It looks like I'm the mother of a teething baby now... both John and the sitter think that they've noticed a knot or tooth bud under the skin on his gums... and because we like to be different - it looks like James' first tooth will be an inscisor... I've got a vampire baby, ya'll! :-) That's okay though - because he's so incredibly sweet... and he's starting to like short snuggles with Mommy... so you can't beat that.

At some point in the near future - John's office wants him to fly to Memphis for a few days... so it looks like James and I will be on our own for a little bit - Lord help me! Not that he's a bad baby, but John sure does a LOT to help this preggo keep it all flowing. I've always missed him terribly when he's gone on business before - and that was before we had a baby!

I guess that's about all that is going on for today - other than me cracking up at my family... who wants to all move to a compound in the country and become a self-sustaining enterprise... I don't know if there is a parcel of land big enough for the 15 of us! (at some point we'd like to be 18 strong... so even scarier!) It is hysterical to plan with them though... it's sort of like a human version of the book Animal Farm.

Life-Savers

I think that every child has those particular items that calm them down in ways that nothing else can... am I right? Well, James has grown more and more independent as he has gotten a little older - he will be 4 months on the 9th and just plainly does not like to be held continually anymore. He likes cuddling when he's sleepy... but he will get to the point where he just plainly wants to be put down in his swing or on the floor.
This morning, while at church he had one of those moments - but it led to his being put in the church nursery for the first time... which was a success. They had a portable swing in there, so when he got fussy - I took him in...put him in the swing and he promptly fell asleep after I walked out the door.
Anyway - items that we can't live without - because they calm our little guy down:
1) Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle n Swing
2) LeapFrog Hug & Learn Baby Tad Plush - we use this thing EVERYWHERE... in the car it works wonders!
3) Fisher-Price My Little Lamb Deluxe Infant Seat - White/Brown
4) Baby Einstein - Baby Beethoven - Symphony of Fun
5) (image won't work) Bright Starts Hop Along Friends Play Gym
6) Summer Infant Swaddlesquare Cotton Knit Sprinkles, Mocha Dot
7) Infantino Vibrating Grape Teether
8) Summer Soothing spa and shower baby bath - boy colors - we've never really used the spa portion of the product - but he loves playing in his tub!
9) (image won't work) 5 - In - 1 Adjustable Gym - we just opened this one too, and he was a little tired and ready for his evening nap... but I know that his love of lights and sounds will make this toy a BIG hit.
10) (image won't work) Baby Einstein Around The World Discovery Center - this one we just got... but I know when he gets just a little bigger that he'll LOVE it.
Want to give me a little advice or wisdom from your experience? James will be 3 months old here in about a week, and he still hates laying on his tummy... so we've not gotten anywhere near him rolling over. Now, he will pick up his legs while on his back and start to turn his bottom over... is this okay? Should we be pushing him onto his tummy? Or just let him do his own thing and not worry about it?