25 Weeks

I've made it over the half-way hump.  This pregnancy has been the most challenging of all the others.  I say this mostly because I have two little kids to keep up with.  Vince, especially, requires a lot of energy because he is in to everything.  Carrying him up and down the stairs several times per day is especially exhausting.  Overall, the summer hasn't been too hot yet.  We have had a few hot, humid days, and the heat does bother me more than it normally would.  I've had a few charlie horses at night and some trouble with my legs and hips aching and throbbing while I sleep.  At the end of each day, I'm pretty tired.  But overall, I feel really good and can't complain much.

25 weeks 2 days

I've been fairly forgetful with the details of this pregnancy.  I was several weeks late in getting some blood work done.  I have a hard time remembering how far along in the pregnancy I am.  Before 29 weeks, I have to do my 1 hour glucose screen, and I can't forget to do that on time!

I haven't had too many strange cravings; it's been mostly the usual that I had with my other kids.  Ice cream, cold cereal and sweets have always been favorites.  This time around, anything with lemon has been a weakness: lemon pudding, lemonade, lemon cake, iced tea lemonade, water with lemon....  I guess there are worse things, right?

I had an ultra sound at 18 weeks, which was earlier than any of my other kids.  Dr. Budhadev did the ultrasound, which was also a different experience.  Everything looks healthy and normal.  I only came home with 3 pictures, which aren't the best shots, but it's nice to have them.  We did not find out the sex of the baby, though it was tempting.

We've started to talk about names a little bit.  Girls names have always been easy.  We have a few prospects for a boy, but none that we're completely set on.  We've also started to talk about sleeping arrangements for Vince and the baby.  In our best interest, we decided to get another crib so we can contain both kids.  Vinners is too young to sleep in a big bed; he will be up and roaming around all the time if he has that freedom.

It's also starting to set in for me that life is going to be pretty crazy for a while.  The more active Vince becomes, the more I realize how challenging this will be.  But, I keep reminding myself that once we settle into a routine, that will help a lot.  Vera will become more independent, and Adam does a great job of helping out.  We're excited to watch our family grow, and anxious to meet the littlest Pearson.

First Trip to the Dentist

Vera had her first real appointment at the dentist last week.  She was not excited about going at all.  I assured her that I would go first, and it wouldn't hurt a bit.  After my appointment, she was fighting back tears, saying she was scared, especially of the suction straw.  But, she was intrigued by my goodie bag filled with a new toothbrush, toothpaste and floss.

The hygienist did a great job with Vera.  They explained everything to her in terms she could understand, and they were excited and positive about everything.  Vera was very brave.  I think having Disney Jr. on the TV helped a lot too.  ;)  The dentist and hygienist both commented several times on how tiny her mouth is.  And then, Dr. Phil commented that usually the patients with the tiniest mouths are the ones who do the most talking.  He sure is a smart guy because that couldn't be more true with Vera!  :)  Vera had two x-rays taken of her teeth, and she did super at sitting still.  The x-rays showed good news: no cavities!

Vera was so thrilled to pick a prize from the basket, and especially to bring home a goodie bag with the same surprises as mom.  She did an excellent job.  On the way home, she told me that it was fun to go to the dentist, and she had to call dad to tell him all about it.

Summer Shenanigans

Hooray for summertime!  Our family has thoroughly adjusted to our summertime routine, and we love it!  Adam and I so appreciate having a more relaxed evening where we don't feel pressured to get the kids bathed and to bed by 8.  The kids (and I) have adjusted to sleeping in, and I'll continue to savor it for just a few more months.  (Another baby will surely bring sleep deprivation!)

We've already enjoyed backyard pool time, sprinkler fun, public swimming pool days, camping weekends, picnics in the park, library time, plenty of playing at home, and of course summertime projects around the house.

June has been so filled with appointments too...OB appointments, dentist, eye doctors, and hair cuts!  Right now we're busy getting ready for Vinner's first birthday party.  (Cannot believe it!)  We've also begun to install a home office in our basement.  I'm so excited to have storage and organization in that room!  July will be a fun month.  We have a camping trip scheduled and vacation to Norris Lake.  August will also be fun, but busy: another camping trip planned with friends and lots of planning and preparing for a new baby!  Oh yeah, and getting ready to go back to school.  But, let's not talk about that now.  Here's what we've been up to...

Vera and I have done a few crafts while little brother naps.  As you can see, she needs practice using a scissors, and I got the raw end of the deal.  She chopped the skin right off the top of my knuckle and it bled like a stuck pig.  She got me good!

This rotten boy is in to everything.  He stands more than he sits in the bath tub.  He's taken a few spills that weren't so graceful, but he still hasn't learned to sit on his bum!

Loves playing in the pantry and especially loves that silly yardstick.

Father's Day.  First time for Vince in the water table.  First sprinkler day for Vera, and she absolutely loved it!

Poultry Days 2015

I can best summarize Poultry Days this year as HOT!  It was so humid and muggy on Saturday and Sunday that it was difficult for the kids (and mom) to have a good time.  It was also rainy throughout the weekend.  But, we made the most of it and enjoyed the memories of Vince's 1st Poultry Days.

Grammy and Papa left this surprise for Vera prior to Poultry Days.

Vince devoured puffs and other snacks during the parade.  He was hot in his stroller, but did well as long as he had action to watch.  Some of the sirens and loud race cars scared him a little, but he was ok if someone held him.

Vera, as usual, was very passive during the parade.  She mostly stood back and waited her turn to pick up the candy and other handouts.  She, too, was hot, but was a trooper.

 After the parade, we made our way to the rides.  Vera and Bailey were really excited, but eventually split up because Vera's level of bravery compared to Bailey are quite different.  Vera said her favorite rides were the cars and the merry-go-round.

The rides lasted for about an hour or so until we gave up.  It was much too hot, and Vince and mom had enough.  We got our chicken dinners to go, and headed for home in the AC.  The thermometer said 90 degrees when we got home around 2:30.  We ventured back on Sunday and checked out the petting zoo and race cars.  Of course, we had chicken one more time, and then headed for home.  Until next year...

A Rough Start to Summer

Monday, June 1 was my teacher work day at school.  Mr. Vin woke up with a 102 fever that morning.  Knowing I only had an hour or two of work to do at school, I sent him to Patty's.  At 10:00, I picked him up and took him to the doctor.  He checked out with clear ears and a negative throat culture.  We went home, and tried to rock and relax.  It turned out to be a miserable evening of crying and moaning in pain.  Something was definitely not right.  

At 5:30 on Tuesday morning, Vinners was awake and screaming.  After gulping his bottle, I tried to rock and comfort him.  Nothing worked.  He cried all morning.  He didn't want to sleep, he didn't want to play or rock or anything that I offered him.  It was a total flashback to the first months of crying that he did.  I was so frustrated and felt so bad for the poor guy.  At 8:15, I called the doctor's office back.  We went back to be checked out.  Once again, his fever was still high, but had clear ears.  We tossed around a few ideas, and eventually decided on Amoxicillin for a possible UTI.  

Just miserable!

A few doses of antibiotic and constant Motrin did not help.  He was still fussy, squealing and uncomfortable.  Finally, on Wednesday morning, he cried himself to sleep because he was refusing a nap.  He slept for 3 hours and woke up without a fever.  He was slightly more active, but still squealing about every little thing and not himself.  

This was really not himself.  He fell asleep in his seat within 3 minutes while I was cleaning strawberries in the kitchen.  

The fussiness and squealing went on for several more days.  We could tell he was feeling better, but he was just not happy.  While we were camping, he slept and ate well, but wasn't too happy for very long.  Finally on Monday, one week later, he perked up and stopped the squealing and neediness.  Thank goodness!  We have no idea what he had, but we're glad it's past and looking forward to a healthy and fun summer!

First Camping Trip 2015

I think everyone was excited to begin the camping season.  Adam worked hard several evenings and weekends to get the camper all ready.  Vera asked "How many more days?" plenty of times.  I was excited to get away from housework and cooking for a few days and not feel guilty about sitting in a chair doing nothing.

We traveled to Wapakoneta KOA last weekend with grandma, Mandy, Jeff, Blake and Nora.  The Homans wanted to try out their new camper.  Though the weather was windy and a little chilly at times, I'll consider the weekend a success.  We had no rain and no one got hurt or sick.

I bought a large, inflatable pool that has a dual purpose:  a play yard for mobile babies and also relief from the heat for kids.  We didn't fill it with water on this trip, but it was a savior for the adults.  The babies could play and crawl around without eating sticks or dirt, yet they also could not crawl out.  I will say that Vera and Blake may have had more fun playing in the pool than the babies did.

Vera and Blake played and played.  They played hard and so well together.  I must say that we had no major meltdowns or fighting at all.  They're buddies right now.

Grandma brought "glowers" as Vera calls them.  They had balls, bracelets and tomahawks.  They served as Vera's nightlight that evening in her bunk.

I love this picture.  They were trying to hit the leaves in the tree with the noodles and were giggling and chattering the whole time.

Vinners slept well each night in his bunk.  He, too, was tired at the end of each day.  He was "shown up" by his cousin Nora.  She eats table food, crawls on her hands and knees, and is happy sitting in her stroller watching the action.

Grandma gave the wild man a celery and he gnawed for a while.

Bathing children in the camper is always an adventure.

We enjoyed the hayride on Saturday after we hit up the pool.  The kids did really well in the pool.  The water was warm, but the wind was a bit brisk.  Vince enjoyed splashing and playing with toys.  Vera swam like a fish with her float.  Unfortunately there aren't any pictures of the pool time.  I do owe a thanks to Mandy for sharing many of these pictures.  I didn't have my phone handy when there were good photo opportunities.

We ate like kings all weekend.  Jeff and Adam did all of the cooking, and everything was super.  The best part was that the women just did the clean up detail, which was fine with me! :)  I wish I would've taken pictures of some of our meals; they were delish!  On Friday we had steaks, potatoes, and pineapple upside-down cake.  Jeff made the cake in his new dutch oven.  It was amazing!  On Saturday, we literally ate all day!  It started with a huge breakfast in the morning, then pizza in the dutch oven, BBQ chicken halves for supper, and popcorn over the fire that evening.  (Good thing we went swimming that afternoon for a little bit of physical activity!)  Sunday morning was another yummy breakfast over the fire!  :)

It was a fun weekend.  Vera cried when we drove out of the campgrounds to go home.  I can remember doing the same as a kid.  She told me twice over the weekend, "Mom, thanks so much for bringing me camping!  I'm having so much fun!!"

We have at least two more camping trips scheduled for the summer.  We're looking forward to quality family time, good food, and fun memories.

Mother's Day 2015

We had a very busy Mother's Day this year.  It was nice to see our families, but we ran from one get-together to another, which resulted in tired kids and a tired mamma!  Since we knew it was going to be a busy Sunday, my Mother's Day treat was a day of shopping on Saturday.  It was nice to do something that I love at my own pace (and alone!)   :)  Everyone in our house needed new spring/summer things, so it was a productive day out.

Patty, who never lets us down, made Mother's Day surprises with Vera and sent them home a few days early.  Vera was so very excited to share the surprise with me.  I loved all of the special crafts, but perhaps the thing I loved the most was the box that had the word "mom" written in her preschool handwriting.  I'd never seen her write "mom" before, and it was just the cutest thing.

Inside the box were some yummy muffins.  Vera also made this cute craft that she was really proud of.

While I was out on my shopping day, Adam took the kids to Greenville to pick out my Mother's Day surprise.  They picked out a nice, sturdy flower pot for our back patio.  Then Vera picked out the flowers to put inside.  She chose quite a variety of flowers, but they're growing really well, and I love them.  When I stand at the kitchen sink and look outside, I see the flower pot and it makes me smile to see the mixture of flowers she chose just for me.  :)