Baby Pool

If you haven't already gotten your guess in for the baby pool, leave it in the comments. I will list what other guesses there are below the rules!

Let the baby pool begin! Pick a date, time (am/pm), weight & length.
Sam: 8 days early, 8 lbs 11 oz, 20", 9:46 am
Nash: 5 days early, 9 lbs 4 oz, 20.5", 7:30 pm
Caleb: 7 days early, 8 lbs 1 oz, 19", 1:42 am
DUE: May 15
Winner gets called first (leave me a cell # if I don't already have it!)!

Shannon- May 5, 8 lbs 7 oz, 19.5", 5:55 pm (If Nash would have cooperated, he could have been born on 5-5-05 at 5:55!)

Michelle- May 9, 9 lbs 1 oz, 19.5", 5:30 pm

Alex- April 24, 8 lbs 9 oz, 20", 7:37 pm

Terri- April 25, 8 lbs 8 oz, 21", 4:00 pm

Misty-April 24, 9 lbs 6 oz (no, I'm not hoping I just have a feeling!), 20.5", 3:37 pm

Aleisha V- May 6, 8 lbs 2 oz, 20.5", 8:28 am

Amanda- May 8, 8 lbs 4 oz, 20.5", 3:15 pm

Catching up with pictures!

Customize a photo slideshow

Another day, another trip to the dr.'s office

Since I was still having contractions today I called the dr.'s office to see if my dr. still wanted to see me. Stupid question with an obvious answer - yes.

Went in at 2:45 today. Last week I was a -4 and dilated to about a 1. Today I'm at a -2 or -3 and still dilated to about a 1. Got the pleasure of having another non stress test. This time it picked up a few more of my contractions.

Result of visit: since Trav is gone 2/3 of the time, I get to be upgraded to "modified bed rest." This means I'm down when he's home and do the bare minimum when he's gone. Nothing with a lot of walking (specifically no taking kids to the park or zoo any time soon). To quote Dr. Fowers "If you're doing something that starts giving you contractions, do something else." This means I can sit & sew still as long as sewing in itself doesn't give me contractions! Which is good (see below). At least I'm not on strict bed rest! I was going stir crazy today & had to get out (so I went to see my cute niece).

Thursday is Literacy Night at the kids' school. During the day they can dress up as a character from a book. Since they read Indian In The Cupboard, I thought maybe Sam would want to dress up as the girl indian in the book. I figured I could modify the pillowcase dress & it would be a cinch. No go. She wanted a full on authentic indian dress. Um...no. Not this time. What did she settle for? Only a pioneer dress so she can go as Kiersten from the American Girl books. I told her she'd better wear the dang costume a million times or I'll have to kick her butt! When the girls at JoAnn's saw me & asked how I was doing, I said "This is me...on bedrest." A guy was walking up behind me and said, "Well I'd like to see you in a coma then!" No joke. I'm hoping the chaps my grandpa made my brother when he was between Caleb & Nash's age will fit Nash so he can go as the cowboy from The Indian In The Cupboard. I'm NOT making chaps!

Bed rest

I hate bed rest. I hate being told to "slow down and take it easy." I don't know HOW! I'm one of those people that has to be doing something even when I'm watching tv!

On Saturday I did actually take it fairly easy. I didn't end up doing maternity pictures because the weather wasn't great. My brother kept the boys while I went to town by myself. I was going to use my pedicure gift certificate my sister gave me, but they were booked that day. So, I went to JoAnn's and WalMart by myself (that NEVER happens!). When I got home my brother, the boys and I went and watched Sam dance at her Hype Hip Hop showcase. She did good. She had a lot of fun. I have a feeling she'll be wanting to go back next year too.

On Sunday Caleb woke up around 9. I just put cartoons on for him & hung out on the couch. I was having contractions already. So, around 11 I decided to get in the tub to see if they'd stop. Unfortunately getting in the tub only made them worse. Once I was out of the tub I started having contractions that were so bad they stopped me in my tracks. I had flash backs to when I was pregnant with Nash and my water broke & contractions started coming 1 minute apart. The contractions weren't consistent in their time apart, so I just laid down on the couch and called my mom (Trav had to head to North Dakota at about 5 that afternoon). My mom convinced me to call the dr. I argued that maybe I should wait until the contractions were consistent. Mom argued that it might be too late by then.

Luckily, my own doctor was on call. He reminded me that my protein test had come back negative and that was good because it meant that I was "unlikely" to deliver in the next two weeks. I told him I had been nauseous since the contractions had started too. He asked if anyone at our house had been sick. I told him "not even slightly" (which is HIGHLY unusual for this house!). He told me that if my contractions became 10 min. apart or closer (six in an hour) or they got worse, to go into the hospital. He told me to stay off my feet, drink enough to stay hydrated, and keep what food I could down. He said that if my contractions continued, to make an appointment to go in and see him this week and he'd check me out.

So, yesterday my mom came and got the kids (despite feeling like junk herself). My brother brought the kids back around 8 and spent the night. He helped get the kids to school today and pick them up as well. He's staying again tonight to help me out tomorrow. My home teacher brought me dinner tonight too. Theoretically Travis will be home tomorrow night (late, but tomorrow). Lucky for him! Just in time to join in all the chaos and fun!

Since I'm still having contractions today I'm planning to call the dr.'s office tomorrow and make an appointment for when Travis is home. I'm crossing my fingers that I won't have to stay on bed rest for long. I think I'll go insane! I've contemplated hauling all my bow stuff into my room since there is a plug right next to my bed. However, I don't think a hot glue gun and a water bed are the best combination! Guess I'll have to have my brother move the couch closer to the wall so I can "lay" on the couch & do bows!

Caleb cracks me up

Anyone that has spent a great amount of time with Caleb knows the kid has quite the imagination. Ever since we went to Yellowstone last summer, he's had a love of "The Buffalo". There are a few kept here in Hyrum that are right next to main street and every time we go by them Caleb points them out. When asked what the buffalo says, you'll get the reply "Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo". Last night Caleb just wouldn't go to bed (getting to be quite the ordeal to get him there). Finally around midnight I thought if I laid down by him he might zonk out. Off we go to my bed. He was still talking up a storm, so, I went with it.

He proceeded to inform me that his dad is in fact NOT working, he's hunting. When I asked him what he was hunting, he told me "Buffalo (surprise), chickens and goose." I asked him why his dad was hunting buffalo. The only reason I ever got out of him was "because." I asked him if he thought dad would shoot a buffalo. "YES!" Guess I should've expected that answer. I asked him what his dad was going to do with the buffalo after he shot it. He told me "Him bring it home and cut it up." I asked him why he thought I'd want a stinky, dead, cut up buffalo at our house. He looks at me, very serious this entire time, and says "I kick it's butt and run away." Oh! That explains everything!

I couldn't quit giggling through the entire conversation. He kept going on about it for around 20 minutes. I thought this morning he wouldn't say anything about it. That's what I get for thinking, right? Nope. He's still set that his dad is buffalo, chicken and goose hunting. I told Trav he better bring a buffalo home! Good luck finding one of those!

3 hours at the dr.'s office....

Today I had a dr.'s appointment. Little did I know it would be such an adventure. My appointment was at 2:15 pm. I left the dr.'s office a little after 5 pm.

Part of the problem was that the person in front of me had "a procedure" done that took way more time that it "should have". Hence, I wasn't taken back until 2:45 pm.

My blood pressure looked good. My weight? Well, let's just say I've gained 8 lbs in 2 weeks. NOT happy about that. That means I've gained 53 lbs so far. Yeah, I said FIFTY THREE. I'm fairly certain I'm going to hit the 80 lb mark this time. Any takers?

Baby's heart beat sounded good at 144 bpm. Nurse asked how I was doing and I told her about the killer contractions I had ALL DAY yesterday. We're talking I even got into a warm tub to see if they'd stop & they only slowed down a bit. They were back again today too.

Dr. Fowers comes in. Decides that he wants to do an exam & check for protein. If I have protein then it's a red flag indicator for preterm labor. Great....Get the exam done and he checks me. He said she's still sitting pretty high but that he thinks I'm dialated to a 1. He said it's hard to tell for sure because she is high. I'm at a -4 too. Hmmmm...second urine sample. Urine sample turns up clear of protein - that's good. Belly measurement = 34 wks (same as 2 wks ago). Dr. thinks it might just be the way she's sitting?? Still makes me about 3 wks bigger - normal for me is 2.

Dr. puts me on the non stress test machine for around an hour. Baby's heart beat was between 129-192 which he says was good. I just hope I don't have to do the non stress test again. I had to have it done like 4 times with Nash because the kid never moved around (gee, I think being 9 lbs 4 oz might have had something to do with that??). It's SOOO boring! Next appointment I'm taking my book!!! Was SUPER DUPER glad I didn't have Caleb with me today. Oy! That would have raised my blood pressure for sure!

Dr. says "I'm not putting you on bed rest yet, but take it easy." Should've asked him to clarify what "take it easy" means. Does that mean don't go out & rake up wet leaves & use the snow shovel to throw them in the garbage again? Or, does that mean slow down some while your husband's gone & then really slow down when he's home? Probably shouldn't carry Caleb anymore? Not that I carry him much now. Probably shouldn't prime the boys' room downstairs...bummer, now I have to wait for Travis to do it (sigh...that could take AGES!). Probably shouldn't do my spring cleaning...sigh again. I don't do "take it easy" very well if you can imagine! Especially with 3 kids and no husband around. Perhaps I can get the kids to help out a bit more now?? Doubt it!

On the bright side, Dr. did say "You really probably only have about 6 wks left." I'll take that over 8 1/2 any day!

Here's to hoping the annoying contractions stop soon!

We're good at random...

31 weeks with Brookelyn...

30 weeks with Caleb...

I think I look a lot bigger with Caleb at this point than I do with Brookelyn. I feel like I'm carrying her more like I did Nash - all up front and only pregnant in the belly. If you look close at this picture, you can tell my ankles have started to swell. Right now, I still have ankles! Even my face and arms look pregnant in this picture. Maybe it's because it was about the end of May in this picture?? Just glad I'm not looking quite this pregnant with Brookelyn right now!

Samantha danced at the MC Caprielle Review on Friday...

We love, love, love the 3 barrel curling iron Great Grandma & Grandpa Reeder gave her for her birthday. We've used it LOTS and LOTS!

Last night Caleb fell asleep fast once he sat down and quit moving. He just looked too dang cute to not take a picture of! I think I have the most pictures of him sleeping than either of the other 2! Guess he just sleeps kinda funny!

My new niece

Sunny June Bradshaw

Born Tuesday March 8, 2011

12:21 pm

8 lbs 12 oz

21 inches long

Skiing the Beav with Dad

Today Travis took Samantha & Nash skiing at Beaver Mountain. This was Sam's second time & Nash's first time skiing. Apparently they did great! I was sure glad when I found out that their Aunt Jamie took her camera with to take pictures!

When I asked Trav has the kids did he said, "Well....Nash...he's just Nash." Can't put it simpler than that, can you? I laughed & asked why. He said that when they got to the top of the mountain and put the skis on him he didn't want to wait for instructions, he just wanted to zip off down the mountain without help! Thank goodness mom wasn't there or I'd a had a heart attack! Trav said it snowed on them all day so it was a bit difficult for the kids because they got drenched. It looks like it too!

All they said to me about their day when they got home was "Thanks for the lunch today mom!" Guess they got hungry!

This is my favorite picture of the bunch!

For Ashlee

My cousin posted about her little girl & how much she likes m & m's and has recently combined the love with her love of cookies. Needless to say, I was inspired....Here's to Ashlee!

This one is also for Ashlee. Remember how close you said Rylee was sitting to the TV? Well, you are not alone my friend. I think I asked the kid a half dozen times to scoot back before I took this picture. Eventually he scoot back about 6 inches from this exact location.

Some fun pictures

You can see her super chubby cheeks really good in this picture. No, she's not missing part of her arm. The placenta was blocking her face, so the ultrasound tech deleted the placenta & it took the part of her arm that overlapped it out of the picture too.

You can see her little slugo nose pretty good in this picture.
This one shows the cord draped over her head like a dreadlock! You can also see her chubby cheeks and her slugo nose pretty good in this one.
This is the one she's sticking her tongue out at us in. You can actually see eyelashes too. I don't think you can see the slugo nose in this picture as well. Back by her head you can see her little fingers though.

Last night I finished 11 pillowcase dresses. Samantha wants to keep the brown one on the end. I made the 1st one on the left for a friend's little girl. The remainder are ones I thought would be fun to get made & put on my etsy. Obviously I had intended to have them done before Valentine's Day, but that just didn't happen. Oh well, they are still super cute. By my calculations, I have 7 more to cut out & finish that are either ordered or for friends before I can start stock piling some for the 4th of July booth I'm doing in Hyrum. I also have 5 reversible bags that I need to get finished up (should finish today or tomorrow), 2 carseat canopies and another reversible bag that was ordered but isn't cut out yet. I also have 10 Christmas stockings that were ordered & need to be done, but that isn't too high on the priority list right now because it's MARCH! I'm hoping I can get 3 aprons done for gifts before Mother's Day as well. After all those are done, I have blankets for the kids that I've bought flannel for. I cut Caleb's out & Sam's is laid out but not cut out and I'm waiting on the pattern for Nash's from my mom. These quilts are awesome. They are about 5 ft by 4 ft and are shaped like different animals. They are flannel & you rag them. Hopefully they aren't too big of a bugger to sew (cutting them out is a serious pain in the rear!). I really need to quit buying fabric & just use what I've got & get stuff finished! Too bad they keep putting super cute fabric on sale for 50% off & I keep going into JoAnn's thinking - "Oh! That would be a cute _____."Last night we made hamburgers & fries. While Trav was out back grilling the hamburgers he got the kids to come out & build a snowman. I figured the snow would be too slushy and gross, but apparently, it was perfect for building a snowman. They had a great time (even the dogs were out there).
The next two pictures are of Caleb. The kid totally cracks me up lately. He's started replying in complete sentences & restating the question that you've asked him. For example: Me: "Caleb, did you leave your sippy cup in dad's truck?" Caleb: "Yes. I left my sippy cup in dad's truck." Trav was surprised at how much he's talking since the last time he was home. I guess I just don't notice it because I'm around him all the time! I think it was about the 2nd or 3rd time Trav commented on how much Caleb talks that I said, "Yeah. I know. He never shuts up these days!" There is one time of day however that he will be quiet....when Go! Diego, Go! is on. I found a Diego DVD at WalMart for about $8 that has 4 episodes on it. I'm starting to regret buying that. Since we have DVR, we record new episodes for him to watch too. So, everyone in the house gets to watch a LOT of Diego these days. In fact, last week I had the entire theme song stuck in my head for about 3 days straight!

This first picture of Caleb is when he was watching Diego in my room on my bed. It just cracked me up how he was laying there like he owned my whole bed. He was so into his Diego episode he didn't even notice I took his picture!
Nash got this Spiderman hat last winter to keep his face warm. Recently Caleb has discovered it. It's not like he's a huge Spiderman fan, he apparently just likes the hat. The night I took this picture he pretty much refused to take the hat off to do anything! Last night I thought he was going to wear it to bed because he was quite reluctant to take it off to put his pjs on and then he insisted on wearing it with his pjs! What a goofy kid! He is by far the best comic relief of my day!

29 week ultrasound

I had an ultrasound again today. They wanted to be sure the placenta had moved & I wasn't going to require a c-section. Thankfully everything has moved & looks good. Brookelyn is still a girl (thank goodness for Sam!). She measures big though (surprise?). My due date measurements have gone from May 15, 13, 8 & today they said the 1st. My belly is measuring at 34 weeks instead of 29. I usually measure 2 weeks bigger (in fact, I even measured just that a month ago). Dr. Fowers said we're going to have to keep a close eye on things because otherwise she could be huge. Gee...thanks. I wasn't already worried about that because I have such TINY babies!

I've gained 45 lbs so far too. That means I can still gain 17 lbs and only gain as much as I did with Caleb. Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT asking to gain that much more, I just don't want to gain any more than that!

I can still see my ankles these days too (unlike my poor sister). Dr. Fowers assured me that will change soon enough. Gee...thanks again! ;)

When they did the ultrasound today they did some of it in 4-D. She wouldn't quit wiggling - even the ultrasound tech was surprised at how much she was moving around. She did get a few good pix though. In one of them Brookelyn is sticking her tongue out at us! She seems to have chubby cheeks & has that slugo nose that's so popular here at our house. The ultrasound tech said she could see hair on her head too. Goodie-something to put all those bows I've made in! I wanted to upload the pix they printed for me, but they don't scan clear so it looks stupid when I pull them up. If I can figure out a better way to do it, I will put them up.