Kids

Just a quick post. 

I walked in to the kitchen one of the evenings this weekend and found this:

 She is an interesting child.  I can't imagine how that would possibly be comfortable, but Cory and I both admitted to her that we were very jealous and would both love to be able to be that flexible and lay on our stomachs right now. 

And then there is Ethan.  He is getting so comfortable with the water and is loving it!  He did better than ever at swim classes this past Saturday.  Then on Monday he was swimming around in our pool with just a noodle.  He was smiling from ear to ear.  Seriously proud of himself! 

35 Weeks - just 35 days to go!

I am so ready, so so so ready to have this baby.  SO ready!  I have 35 days left.  That may not sound like a lot of days; however, when I think about tossing and turning all night long for the next 35 nights... well that sounds like a lot.  When I think about the weight of my body on my poor little ankles... that sounds like a lot. I am so ready...

I had terrible cramping pains on my left side for about 6 hours on Sunday evening.  They would come and go every 10 - 12 minutes and then eventually stopped.  Then Sunday morning when I woke up and started walking around the house I would have to stop every couple steps because baby was pinching my nerves and causing shooting pains down my legs.  Fortunately that all went away for now. 

Ahh... 5 more weeks... I can do this.  Just 35 more days... baby Carter better not decide to come late! 

34.4 Weeks and Cory's Surgery

I didn't get to post right at 34 weeks because I was a little busy that day... That happened to be the day that Cory had a much needed surgery to hopefully correct the back issues he's been having.  About 2 years ago Cory started having terrible pains in his back that would go down his right leg and make his foot numb.  The doctors did lots of tests and decided it was L5 and S1 that were causing the issues.  The disks were leaking and creating hard substance that was pinching the nerves and causing a lot of pain.  They sent him for a cortisone shot and lots of physical therapy.  That seemed to do the trick up until about 3 weeks ago.  Cory started having bad pains again.  This time things were worse.  He ended up in the ER on the opening night of Mariah's play for school.  They gave him an IV of 3 different pain meds and sent him home with instructions to follow up with his doctor on Monday.  He did just that and within days surgery was scheduled for a diskectomy.  Not only was there an issue between L5 and S1 but there was also a bigger issue between L4 and L5.  Things were really pinching and the doctor was afraid of permanent numbness in Cory's right leg and foot.  The surgery took place on Tuesday, May 24 at Columbia St Mary's in Milwaukee.  Dr Block performed the surgery and did an excellent job.  They removed a bunch of the extra bone material that leaked out of the bones and had been compressing the nerves.  The doctor said it was a lot worse than he thought it was going to be and he was really happy Cory didn't wait to have the surgery.  We are hoping that full feeling will eventually come back in Cory's foot.  So far Cory is feeling great.  He is stiff, moves slowly and cautiously, has a weight lifting restriction of 20 lbs for the next three months, and basically has to take it easy for the next couple weeks, but he is respecting that and very happy that he went through with the surgery.  He has been feeling tingling in his right foot which is a great sign that feeling is coming back.  Next Thursday he gets the staples taken out and a better update on how he is progressing. 

A funny story from surgery day:

I was sitting in the patient room by myself during Cory's surgery.  I was anxiously waiting to hear how things were going.  It had been 2 hours since they took Cory in to surgery and they said it would only take 1-2 hours.  I was getting antsy, but trying to stay calm.  Surgery is scary!  As I was sitting there the loud speaker went off in the hospital announcing Code Red First Floor Main Building.  This repeated a couple times so I quickly googled Code Red in hospitals and came up with a bomb threat?!  Ummm really?  Here I am 34 weeks pregnant on the 4th floor of the main building, my husband is in surgery and there is a Code Red which looks to be a bomb threat?!  I quickly text my friend Lindsay, gave her the details, and she called me within seconds saying Code Red is a fire alarm.  By then the nurse had also come to the door and closed me in the room saying there was a fire drill of some sort going on.  I started to calm down a little bit, but was still nervous about a potential fire a couple floors below me.  Then about 10 minutes later over the loud speaker I hear Code Blue Main Building.  Wow... really?!  More codes?!  I know what this one means... it means someone is having cardiac arrest and my husband still isn't out of surgery and I have no idea what is going on.  Luckily the floor that Code Blue was taking place on was a different floor than where I believed Cory to be at while in surgery.  I sat there and continued to try to calm my nerves and not force myself in to early labor out of panic.  Finally about 15 minutes later Dr Block came in and told me that Cory's surgery went wonderfully.  Phew!  Relief finally started to settle in....

Now for baby and my update.  We are doing really well.  Baby Carter is a natural acrobat and loves to move all around making my belly look like an ocean on a rough day.  It is fun to watch, but tends to get a bit uncomfortable at times.  Ethan keeps asking me if baby Carter is going to jump out of my belly soon.  He is getting anxious.  Well, we are all getting anxious, but we are also hoping he waits until closer to his due date.  I would love for Cory to be further along in his recovery.  As for my swelling... it's gone down!  My blood pressure is good, weight gain is good, I am feeling good.  Next week I start my weekly appointments.  We are getting down to the end.  Just 39 days to go until due date!!  :-)

Here is a picture from this morning at 34.4 weeks.  Please ignore my wet hair.  I managed to start the blow dryer on fire yesterday morning and almost set the bathroom wall on fire.  I desperately need to get to the store to buy a new blow dryer.  That... is another story though. 

Mariah's Confirmation

Mariah was confirmed yesterday morning.  The church service was very nice and the weather was beautiful.  We filled our house with family and friends and had a great time!  Thank you to everyone that was able to make it over and celebrate with us. 

Here are some pictures from her confirmation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ckbartlett/sets/72157626786968160/show/

I've also added Easter pictures, May pictures, and Swim Lesson pictures. 

Enjoy!

33 Weeks

Today is Tuesday, May 17, 2011.  It is 45 degrees out right now with a high of 56 expected for the day.  It is the middle of May... the middle of May and still cold and windy.  That means that we've been in our house now unable to enjoy beautiful weather outside for over 6 months.  6 months of being cooped up in the house unable to soak up the sunshine, eat dinner outside, play on the playground, swim in the pool... Sure we've had a handful of "teaser" days within the past couple months.  A handful of days where we think that spring and summer are nearing, but then they leave.  Those days are quickly swept away by 60 mile an hour winds due to 20+ degree drops in temperatures over night. 

For someone who suffers from seasonal depression and just simply can't stand the cold weather... this is terrible.  I keep hoping that eventually summer will come along and maybe I can play with the kids outside instead of in the garage or basement.  I want to take the kids swimming in our pool after work and enjoy the sunshine.  I want to smell sun tan lotion and hide under umbrellas to catch a bit of shade to cool off.  We opened our pool on May 1st - same as we did last year - however this year we haven't gone in it yet... even though we have a heater.  Not that the heater would work right now because every time we try to fill up our pool the water leaks right back out.... because.... we have a small hole in the bottom of the liner.  So, maybe some day when it's warm enough and the water warms up a bit someone can fix the hole in our pool and we can fill it to the top, heat it up, and finally enjoy it.  However... there is a good chance that I will be having a baby by that time and will be unable to go in the pool for a while.  But, at least Mariah and Ethan will be able to enjoy it while Carter and I sit along the edge and watch them play. 

Did you know that it's going to be sunny and in the 80's all week long in Sarasota, FL?!  Did you know that the people that live there are some of the luckiest people on earth?! 

Well, enough about my complaints and the things that are ailing me.  Time to return to my cold weather WI post so I can update all of you on how I am feeling and how baby Carter and I are doing.  We went to the doctor today for our 33 week check up.  Baby is doing great.  My blood pressure is back down to 114/76.   I've gained 1 pound in the past two weeks, and my doctor put me on Zoloft to help with my emotions.  Supposedly this will not hurt the baby at all; however, it is best to wean myself off of the meds while breastfeeding so that the baby can be weaned off also.  That alone is enough to scare the crap out of me, but as she said... I need to be healthy mentally and physically for the rest of this pregnancy in order to keep baby healthy.  Guess this is one of those risk v. benefits things and the benefits seam to be greater. 

7 more weeks

32.1 Weeks

55 days to go!  Yes, I am very excited about that.  I have never been this big of a complainer in my entire life.  My friends and family are probably pretty sick of me by now.  I feel like all I do is complain whenever anyone asks me how I am doing.  This pregnancy has just been so different than the first two.  I mean the beginning wasn't much different besides the allergic reactions, hives, and constant scratching.  Then there is the fact that I can't eat peanut butter and have to take an allergy pill every day, the migraines that get so bad I have to sleep with ice packs on my head, and now the random swelling that comes and goes.  Well, I guess that all adds up and eventually wears a person out.  As far as weight gain I am doing really good.  I am still under a 25 pound gain at 32 weeks.  However, I feel really heavy.  I can't stand for long periods of time and I get winded and exhausted really quick.  Any time I go for a walk I start having lower back pain and cramping.  Some mornings I wake up and I am just as tired as I was the night before.  My feet and legs will be hurting before I even climb out of bed in the morning.  I can't sit on the couch at home unless I put a couple pillows behind me because any slight incline backwards makes my face turn red, body get hot, and causes me to feel sick.  I was told this and the swelling is mainly happening because the baby is pressing on the main blood vessel that runs down my back.  I also have to roll over slowly when I am laying down because if I roll to fast I lose my breath and some times have heart palpitations.  So yes, I am ready for the 55 day count down to come to an end.  I am ready to bring baby Carter in to the world and lose sleep because I am holding my baby and nursing him in the middle of the night and not because I am breaking out in a sweat and trying to catch my breath from rolling over.  I am ready for this to be the last time I ever put my body through a pregnancy.  I am ready to complete my family of five. 

Fencing and Mother's Day

Okay, so the title of this post doesn't really go together... but it does sum up our weekend. 

Ethan has been in swimming lessons for a couple months now and I decided to get Mariah involved in something also so that both kids stay busy at the same time on Saturday mornings.  Well, Mariah has been wanting to learn how to fence for a while so I surprised her by signing her up.  She was a bit shocked when I told her she'd be starting a fencing class.  Maybe she was joking around about wanting to fence more so than being serious about it... Regardless, she started her first class this past Saturday and kind of enjoyed it! 

This weekend was also Mother's Day.  I made some fun cards for the moms this year.  I am not by any means a scrap book expert or even good at making things like small projects or cards... but some how I managed to make this card turn out pretty well!  The image on the left is the front of the card and the image on the right is how we signed the inside of the card.  :-)  I know... baby Carter is not born yet... but he's here with me all the time so I definitely included him on the card. 

Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day weekend!

33 YEARS!

This is not a pregnancy post about weeks... instead it's a birthday post about ME! 

Happy 33rd Birthday to ME! :-) 

I used to be terrified of getting older (like my 25th birthday for those of you that remember), but once I hit 30 I learned to embrace birthdays.  Every year something new and wonderful happens.  I look forward to all of my years to come, all of my life experiences that wait ahead of me, and all of the years of watching my kids grow in to wonderful people. 

And to celebrate my birthday... my wonderful husband and kids bought me some new items from COACH! 

The diaper bag:

 The purse:

 The wallet:

LOVE THEM (my family and the Coach items!)

And to further spoil myself... I had leather put in my KIA and just happened to get it back in time for my birthday:

31 Weeks

I feel like the count down is really in place now and it's making me think a lot... Even though I am very ready to have baby Carter join us in the world so I can hold and squeeze him and kiss and love him... there are also going to be a couple things that I will miss about being pregnant like feeling the baby move and kick about throughout the entire day - every where that I go - knowing that baby is safe with me at all times. :-)

We had our 31 week check up today.  Things are still looking pretty good, but I am starting to retain water.  I have never experienced this before and I'll have to say it is NOT comfortable.  My blood pressure is up a little bit but nothing to be concerned with at this time.  Baby is measuring right on track and his heartbeat sounds perfect. 

We'll be going back again in 2 more weeks.  Doc said to relax and take it easy as much as possible.  I promise that I will do my best, but with 2 kids and 3 dogs.... seriously... how much relaxing can a person do?!

Ethan can ride a bike!

Look what Ethan learned to do this weekend!  He can pedal a bike!  He is so proud of himself and even more excited that we gave him a big boy bike shortly after he learned how to pedal on the big wheel.  It is a little harder for him to pedal an actual bike, but he can do it!  He'll be flying around the driveway on his bike by the end of the summer!  Way to go Ethan!