Happy Birthday Uncle Karl

Happy Birthday!! Hope you had a wonderful day! We look forward to seeing you all real soon.

Baby Update - We saw the OB today - the check up went well nothing real exciting. We have a date set for May 2nd. Dr Hansen will be delivering us again this time, she also delivered Braxton. Dr Kemp is the doctor we saw today. She did say that they would most likely increase my insulin tomorrow when I call in to with my numbers. This was the first of my two week appointments. I go back next Friday since I will be in Paris at the time for the next appointment. Dr Kemp said that we will start Stress tests twice a week once I get back. I think this really stinks. I have to go twice a week for the 45 minute test. I know it is all for the best and it will make the time go fast, but I still think it stinks!
That is all for now. More to come in March!!!

Superman

Toady was a good day. Our weather was great! We were able to get outside and play, we took a walk in the wagon, went to the park, and played outside. We played so hard that this afternoon our nap was 3 hours long!! It was a good time for mom to get some things done.
I forgot to take the camera when we went to the park so I did not get any pictures from there. I do have a few good ones from tonight. After our bath tonight Braxton was putting on a Superman show for us. He was running around with his towel. Some of the pictures are attached.
We will have our doctors appointment tomorrow and are suppose to set the date for the c-section. I will let you know tomorrow what we find out. We also have an appointment to have Braxton's 18 month pictures made tomorrow. I will have them for all of you when we come in for spring break. We will be in Paris March 12 - 18.

Happy Birthday Aunt Andrea

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday Aunt Andrea happy birthday to you. Glad to see you made it another year. Wish we were there to share some cake - oh wait I can't have any cake! Enjoy an extra piece for me today. Have a wonderful day and celebrate your day well!
One picture of Andrea and Braxton blowing bubbles in the kitchen and another of Braxton hiding dads shoe down stairs.

Saturday

It amazes me how every day is a new adventure and another story. Braxton is growing by leaps and bounds. He is a live wire and an adventurous sole. I thank God daily that I have a healthy young man that has a lot of energy and never stops. He has been very busy lately trying to make words with every sound. He is our little song leader every day at the table he has to have time to stand in his chair and lead us in a song. We are trying to talk more and more about the baby and how he will be here soon. Braxton just smiles and walks or runs away. I know all the changes will be hard on him at first but I just pray that the adjustment will go well.

Rosa had adjusted fairly well to having a new brother but she still has some rough day as it is really hard to share all of moms and dads time. I hope that we will be able to make enough time between the two of them that he can still feel the love that he needs.

My sugar has still been high even with me following the diet they have set for me. At the last appointment they told me that even if I did everything they told me to that my sugar could still be off just because of all the hormones that pregnancy brings. We are trying hard we will just have to see how things go. I will call on Monday and see if they up my insulin or not.

More updates to come!

Play Day

Rosa came to play yesterday. We had a fund time. I found these wild children in all kinds of things. The pictures above are a few of the places I found them when it got "quite". Rosa was in need of some attention since he new brother come home. She has been feeling a bit neglected. Braxton also was needing some fun time. These two have been use to seeing each other almost everyday and the last two weeks have only gotten to see each other at church. They played real hard for hours. They both crashed well when nap time came. They enjoyed reading, playing, singing and dancing. We are hoping to get more time for the two of them in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for coming to play Rosa!

Update - my second appointment with the diabetes doctor. I went yesterday at 3:00. It was a good yet disappointing appointment. I have been able to control most of my sugar with the diet they have me on. I am only able to have 2000 calories a day. It will be good for me to get this under control now so that when the baby does come we will already be on track for losing any weight I do gain. I was able to control my daily sugar however my morning sugar has been really high. The doctor said that I was doing everything I was suppose to be and there was not really anything I could do about it except to take the insulin. So at this point I will have to take one shot of insulin a day. I have to call into the office one a week with my numbers and they will keep me on track. Although it is a pain to stick my finger six times a day if it keeps us (me and the baby) healthy then I guess it will all pay off in the long run.
Our next appointment will be Tuesday with the OB. They are suppose to give us the date to the c-section. I will let you know when I do what the big day will be. More to come!

18 months

Here are two pictures from this week. One of our bubble bath. He loves the bubbles! The other is a picture of Braxton on the phone with aunt Andrea while walking around in moms shoes. He loves to put on our shoes and move through the house. He is getting really good at walking in them. Enjoy!

It is hard to believe but my boy is 18 months old. He is growing so fast and really starting to pick up on so many things. Today we went to the doctor for our 18 month check up and last shot till 5 years. We got a good report! After several months of decline and wonder we finally had a good growth report. The doctor was happy and glad to see things turning around. We weighed in at 21 pounds and 10 ounces! Yea~ He was a little over 31 inches long. We are so glad that Braxton is growing and headed in the right direction. We do not have to go back again until our 2 year check up and I know it will be here before we realize.

The Boys

I have always had some guys in my life. It seems that I made better friends with boys than with girls - I never knew why until now. God has been preparing me for what he had in store for the rest of my life.

In high school I had friends but the ones closest to me were guys, in college the same held true - I had girl friends but the ones closest to me were guys. I ended up marrying one of them. I could not have chosen better if I had done it myself. I am thankful that I am not the one who is in control of my life!

I would always refer to my group of friends as "the boys" because it just seemed to fit and people knew to whom I was referring. My life has taken many changes and this is another one of those changes. I married one of "the boys" and we moved miles away from the others. We made our home here in Iowa for the time being. After six years of marriage we brought another boy into our life and once again "the boys" has taken on a new meaning in my life. In December we had our ultrasound to find out what the sex of the new baby would be and it was really no surprise to me when they said - it's another boy. So in May we plan to add once again to "the boys".

My life is great and I could not have asked for anything better. I know these boys will be around for a long time and I look forward to each day to see what new and exciting things it will hold. I can only imagine what life will bring next. It has been a lot of fun so far with only miles and smiles to go.

Below are some pictures of "the boys" in my life - one is our nightly reading before bed and the other is what I found when I woke up from my Sunday afternoon nap. They are so cute. Thanks dad for letting mom take a nap and for making sure that Braxton got one too. You are an incredible man and I love you very much. I am looking forward to the next 75 years!

Friday

Fridays are fun days for Braxton and me. They are special in a lot of ways. Friday mornings are laundry time, we go downstairs and play with different toys while we wash and fold clothes. I usually lose Braxton around 10:30 or so for his morning nap. Once the laundry is done and Braxton is up from his nap we meet dad for lunch. It is the one day a week we go out for lunch. We either meet dad at work or we meet him at our place of choice. Once lunch is over Braxton and I hit the grocery store for our weekly visit. When we are done we head home to unload and put up our purchases. Then we are ready for play time. We play for an hour or two before it is time for our second nap. That is moms time to get on the computer and gets caught up. Once Braxton is up from his nap dad is home for a family evening at home. We have really come to enjoy our Fridays.

I am so thankful that I am able to stay at home and enjoy my son. It is so much fun to watch him grow and learn. I know this is not something that everyone is able to do and I am thankful for my husband and his hard work to make our dreams come true. He takes care of us in so many ways and I tank God daily for him and his leadership. I am truly blessed.

One last note in that my blood sugar is still fluctuating quite a bit. Today is the first day that I have had good readings at every stick. I have not changed a lot of things but hope that the small changes will kick in and do the job. I am really praying that I do not have to take insulin but I will keep watch and will find out for sure on Wednesday. Monday is Braxton's 18 month check up - I am looking forward to seeing how much we have grown. I hope that he will be over 21 pounds - that is our goal.

Here are some new pictures from this week. Braxton helping me shovel at path to the house, one at LTC practice, and another of him napping at work (he goes to work with me two days a week). Enjoy!

Updates

My son is so amazing. He is learning so much and growing every day. He loves to play and he loves his dad. We moved the office downstairs and so he was playing bye-bye in the desk. He has his phone with him in case someone calls. He is such a sweet spirit and we just love to watch him grow.

He is doing so well sleeping in his big bed. He has stopped crying when he goes down and is taking all of naps in his bed as well. We still have one big battle to conquer and that is the 3 am wake up. We still have three months and I think we will be able to sleep through the night before little brother arrives.

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Valentines Day
What can I say other than I have a wonderful family. My father never ceases to amaze me. Every valentines day he seems to surprise each of us (the girls including mom) with something special. He is such a wonderful dad, husband, and grandfather. He knows how to love and be loved. He has set such a wonderful example for his daughters to follow and also an example of what his daughters should look for in their mates. He is a hard worker and just never seems to stop. He is a strong man and a wonderful sounding board. He is an amazing man who loves the Lord and has taught his family to do the same. I just could never say enough about how much I love my dad and how very proud I am of him each and every day. He said at my wedding that he prayed for each of us everyday and I am so thankful for that. What he does not know is that I pray for him daily also and I have to say a prayer of thanksgiving everyday also for putting he and my mom in our lives. I have been blessed by God with a wonderful family. Thanks dad for the memories and thanks also for the valentines day surprise!

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One last update and that is I met with the doctor today and found out that all I need to do for the diabetes. I will have to do blood tests six times a day and a urine test once a day. I know that this will not be the most fun but it will help us both in the long run. I have to go back in a week to review my results. Based on the results from the test on Monday and the ones we did today my sugar is really high and there is a great possibility that I will have to be put on insulin for the next three months.
The good news is the test for the last three month average came back okay showing that this really just is a gestational problem and the possibility is high that when the pregnancy is over the diabetes will go away. I am not looking forward to all the finger pricks but other than that the changes are pretty minor. No more sweets! But I sure that won't hurt to bad!
Well that is all the news for now. More to come!

It's Official

Well the results are in and it is official - I have gestational diabetes. They called today with the results of my blood tests from yesterday and I failed. They did not tell me the numbers so I do not know how far off I was only that I did not pass.
I will see an endrocranologist 0(sp? tomorrow at 2:00 to find out more. I think this will be though but I can do it. My husband is wonderful and I know he will keep me in line. I will let you know how it goes.
Other than that things are going well. We are taking things one day at a time.
More to come later!

Happy Birthday Tio Jorge

Happy Birthday tio Jorge. Sorry we can't be there to give you a real birthday but hope you have a wonderful day! Hope the day finds you well and full of love and support.

Another Day

This weekend was somewhat eventful and fun. Logan joined us in the world. We have enjoyed seeing him and getting to hold a new baby again. Braxton and Rosa have gotten to play together quite a bit this weekend and I am sure there will be more of that as time goes on.

Rosa is adjusting to having a new brother. I am sure the real adjustment will come when they come home tomorrow and see how real life will be.

My glucose test will be in the morning at 7 am. I am just ready to find out how it will turn out. Will let you know when I find out.

Our New Friend

The phone rang early this morning with the news that our friend Rosa was going to be a big sister soon. We went over and played with her this morning while her mom and dad went to the hospital. We went to the hospital at 1:00 to see the new arrival Logan Paul entered the world today weighing in at 9 pounds and 3 ounces. He is a big one. Mom and baby are doing fine. Rosa is still not to sure about everything but all in time.

Even being there today and seeing all that was going on it is still not real to me that Logan is here and their family is another member strong. I can not believe even more so that we will be adding a new addition to our family all to soon. Looking at them today I know that it is going to happen and nothing but love will come from the new addition - I just can't seem to wrap my mind around it yet.

Things have been busy. The kids and adults did a service project this morning at the building getting things ready to next week and the Bible bowl. LTC is in strong motion and at this point we are trying to keep up. Sunday practices have been going well and time really seems to be moving right along. I hope the kids are getting what they need from the whole experience. We can really see them grow from year to year.

Above are some pictures of the new family and some of Braxton (Braxton has found a new horse in the trash can - he gets on it sideways and says nay nay the other is him using the vacuum he thinks it is fund now - I'm sure that will change!)- enjoy!

I told you so

When Braxton was born everyone told us that we should let him cry himself to sleep. Don't hold him to much and never rock him to sleep at night. We knew better! We have been rocking Braxton to sleep at night since he came home from the hospital. We wanted him to know that he was loved and we did not like to hear him cry. At a year old we decided that we were going to change things and let him cry himself to sleep so that he would be able to go to sleep on his own. It was hard at first but only took about two weeks before we had conquered our goal. We were able to put him in bed and slowly walk out of the room as he worked his way to sleep. This worked well for us until he stared getting sick every night from what we now know were allergies. Feeling sorry for him and not knowing what to do we once again began rocking him to sleep at night so that he would be comforted. Which brings us to today!

Last night we went and purchased Braxton his big boy bed - a toddler bed so that we would have enough time to get him adjusted to his new room and bed before Brazos arrives. He as excited and helped dad put it together. We made the bed and he played for over two hours. We thought we had it made - he was excited and so were we. Bedtime rolled around and it was time to go to bed in the new room and new bed! The first two minutes were enjoyable and soon went from fun to the realization that he was going to have to go to sleep there in his own bed.
We went from happy to screaming in about three seconds. The crying only lasted about 15 minutes before we were out for the count - not as bad as we expected. He lasted only three hours in the new bed last night - but we are off to a good start.

Today we are taking our naps in our new bed - we will get adjusted - we still have two and a half months to get it all worked out. I hope we as parents can stick to our guns and make this work. He is such a good boy and we want the best for him.

For all those out there who have just one child or are expecting your first child, listen to what they say. Let them cry themselves to sleep! You will be glad you did. Rocking is okay from time to time but when it becomes a habit it is really hard to break.
Above are some pictures of dad and Braxton putting the new bed together and Braxton napping in his new big boy bed.

Snow

I had a whole post done and ready to go. I went to add the pictures and lost everything. This one will be shorter than the first as Braxton has now been down for an hour and will be waking soon.
A couple of pictures of Braxton - one eating with Dad - pizza and bread. The other is walking in mom's shoes. He is getting really good at getting around in my shoes and dad's. We find our shoes all over the house but it is a lot of fun to watch him learn.
Our weather has been crazy - December was one of the coldest months on record here in the north. We had record snowfall and record temperatures for the month. It was one to remember. January was another story with record temperatures on the warn side. We had a few days that were warm enough that we were able to play outside. That does not happen much here in January. We only had one inch of snow in January! You did not here any complaints coming from these southerners.
February has started with a bang. We have been warn and cold and were surprised to wake up to two inches of snow on the ground yesterday morning. The ground is still white, but all the roads and sidewalks are clear. You just never know what the weather will bring.
One more update - this blog is filled with lots of miscellaneous information. Monday was my monthly check-up for the baby. My weight was still fine as I have not yet gained any weight with this pregnancy, however this was the check-up where they tested my blood sugar to make sure that I did not have gestational diabetes. Well I failed and I failed by a large margin. The sugar level needed to be 140 or below and I tapped in at 170. So I will be paying the hospital lab a visit on Monday morning for a three hour blood test and a Rogram shot (shot I have to take because I am a negative blood type). I am just ready to get the test over with and find out what I need to do from here. I know that what is suppose to be will be!
More to come tomorrow!

Getting Started

Well over the last two weeks I have had a lot of wake up moments. I realized that I am working to much, not spending enough time with my child, not keeping my house clean, and I am only three months away from adding a new member to this crazy life!
This week I told my boss who has been on leave and just returned that I need to reduce my hours back to what I signed on for. This week I am going back to the 10 hours that I enjoy compared to the 30+ that have been required of me over the past three months. I am thankful that my husband is able to provide for our family so that I am able to stay at home with our children.
My husband is such a leader and a very Godly man. He has recently been asked to be a deacon at the congregation where we attend - what an awesome compliment. He is working very hard and still finds time to make sure that we are taken care of at home. He is a wonderful man.
Braxton is growing more and more every day. I really can not believe some days just how big he is getting. He is really starting to use words and let us know what he wants. He does not know what is about to hit with the arrival of his brother - we talk about it but the comprehension is not there yet. We will get there soon enough. We have been working over the last two weeks to get his new room painted and ready to him and his new toddler bed. He is just getting so big. We are lucky to have such a wonderful son.
I have so much to say and so little time to get it all down. I will do my best to keep the site updated for family and friends.
More to come tomorrow!