Chiropractor Fun

So I have been having this lower back pain for several months now and I decided that I just can't take it anymore. David, being the sweet husband he is, found me a chiropractor not too far from my work that specializes in pregnancy. I thought "How perfect!" Too bad they don't take insurance, but their appointments are only $40, which is cheaper than my co-pay would be anyway!

I had my first appointment on Monday and when I walked in, everyone was so friendly. They don't really have any secretaries or receptionists, it's pretty much just the doctors and a massage therapist. I also thought it was kind of cool that the doctor greeted me with her 6 month (I'm guessing) daughter in tow. Wouldn't it be awesome to take your baby to your job with you??

So after some in depth history and then an exam, she determined that my pain was not due to my sciatic nerve or the baby laying in a wrong position. Mainly there's a joint on my left side that is all locked up and I guess the extra pressures of pregnancy and trying to lift and play with my 25 pound toddler is causing my right joint to "overwork" and become inflammed and irritated. So the treatment? She made a few adjustments to work out the left joint and gave me an exercise I can do at home. So off I went.

That night I was still pretty sore from her just poking around, but I did sleep better and Tuesday was pretty good as well. Tuesday night I thought it would be fun to make cookies. Not sure if it was just me standing too long, but something irritated it and I was rendered immobile for the rest of the evening. The next morning (Wed) was better and gradually through the rest of the day I was just feeling a little "sore" again, not piercing pain. Today I haven't really felt anything at all.

I have a follow up appointment with her again today, so I guess we'll see what she says. I don't mind having to go back several times, even once a week until the end of the pregnancy, but only if she is actually helping. I know chiropractors are supposed to be known to keep recommending appointments when you don't really need them, but I trust this one and at this point, I've only seen her once so I can't honestly think she will have "fixed" me in 1 appointment.

Levi and holiday events

Last weekend, Danielle and Travis (and their adorable son, Levi) were in town to visit family and friends which was awesome since they haven't been in town since they had Levi. Here are some pics of me and my dad with the cutie. Hopefully they come back soon and visit!!

We decided that we should start incorporating some fun Holiday traditions since Noah is getting older. It has been so much fun involving him this year. He helped decorate our Christmas tree (with some assistance). He also loved helping place where our Christmas decorations went. We also, for the first time ever, bought a gingerbread house to decorate. I briefly thought about making my own and then realized I was crazy and bought one to assemble instead. Here's our finished product:

Noah did a good job decorating but it was so very tempting to just eat the candy rather than put it on this house. But it is now displayed beautifully on our serving buffet in the kitchen and Noah admires he every chance he gets (I'm sure he's thinking "How can I climb up there and eat the candy off of it without Mommy and Daddy noticing?")

Noah received a gift from a secret santa from one of my online forums. He loves race cars.

Another new tradition was going to see Christmas lights. This year, we chose the Santa's Magical Kingdom in Eureka. We decided to reserve a seat on the wagon rather than view from our car since it didn't dawn on me that we could take Noah out of his carseat and I figured he'd have a hard time seeing the lights from his carseat. Regardless, I think it was a good decision. It was a little chilly that night, but Noah didn't seem to mind one bit! He LOVED all the lights, particularly the ones that went over his head or had pictures of dogs or other animals.

Before we went out on the lights, we paid Santa a visit. Of course, a story accompanies this. We waited in line and when it was our turn, Noah jumped on his lap, no fear. We got him to look at the camera and smile and then moved on to get our pictures. I was even thinking, yeah he smiled. So we look at our 2 pictures she snapped. One was Santa closing his eyes and the other Noah was looking in the other direction. Seriously, the photographer couldn't even snap the picture while he was smiling????? So David asked if we could go again really quick. The lady was really hesistant but she let us. So we get him back on there and now he won't smile. Finally, David peeks his head around the corner to see how it was going and Noah gives me the biggest smile EVER. And thank goodness, the photographer actually took the picture. So we got a great picture and I was so excited to see the result on paper.

So then we get the picture and there is a line in the picture. David complains and they refunded his money, which means we got free Santa pictures, but still. David was able to take them home and photoshop the line. This is a picture before the photoshop and you can see the line is barely visible (it's on the right side, over Santa's left shoulder). Really I think it turned out fine, but we will probably seek out a new Santa next year.

Nursery pictures

Here are pictures of Miss Emilee's new nursery. I want to add a disclaimer about the color. We chose yellow because it works great with the bedding. Her room is our prior guest room and much smaller than Noah's room, so we wanted something bright and yellow works the best, especially considering the small window. BUT, the color that is displayed in these pictures are simply a lack of my photography talent and lighting. It really is not that dark. I would classify it more as a bright pastel yellow, not sun burnt yellow. Ok, continue looking at pictures...

Noah helping Daddy (excuse my husband's pants).

Changing Table and window. There is a changing pad cover that matches the set, I'll try and remember to take new pictures of it when we start using it. Also we hung up her quilt the same way we did Noah's, but hers is a lot thinner, so it creates a droop at the top that we are hoping to fix at some point.

Noah testing out the mobile.

This wall will have her name on it whenever we get around to purchasing the letters and painting them. More pictures to come later.

And to answer the inevitable question, no our daughter will not have her own flat screen TV at birth. That is for Mommy purposes only. We realized on night 2 or 3 of having to nurse Noah in his room at night alone that Mommy was quite lonely. So in came the TV. Once Emilee is sleeping through the night, we'll relocate the TV back to our computer room again.

Noah's new bedroom

Here are pictures of Noah's new bedroom furniture. Here is Noah enjoying his new bed. We had the pillows in there the first night and it threw him off, so we took them out and he slept much better. Then he developed a cough, probably from the dry weather, so we added them back in to try and elevate his head and help his cough. Turns out, he loved the pillows, so now he has one everynight. Although I will say many mornings, he is not sleeping on them. Baby steps.

Here is Noah's new desk. Although this is a picture of the original one, we had to have it replaced because of some damage it incurred during shipping.

Noah update!

First of all, I just have to say thank you to the comments I have been getting. Please keep commenting. Tell me what you like and what you hate!!!

To answer Amanda's question, we have sort of decided on a name. We are about 99% sure that her name will be Emilee. As for a middle name, a little more undecided. We both really like Teresa (after my mom) or Anne (my middle name). I'll also most some more updates with her nursery pics soon.

But this post is about Mr. Noah!!! What a little boy he has become in the last few months. I was just looking at pictures from his 18-month birthday and he seemed so young even then. Now he will repeat just about every word you say, most with pretty good articulation. I always assumed that little kids talked in their own language that only their parents could understand, but Noah does a really good job of saying every word slowly and precisely so that you can understand it all. He will say some very short 2 word phrases. The most common that I've heard are "Hold me" and "All Gone". Not exactly the 2 word phrases I'm hoping he can put together, but he's getting there. All in his own time.

Noah will also conceptually understand what you are telling him to do most of the time. He knows that when it's time to say good-bye, we give hugs and kisses and say "bye bye" or "see ya". He knows that Buddy has to go in his crate when we leave or when Buddy is being annoying, he should be on his pillow (Noah actually told him to go to his pillow the other night while pointing at it). He knows how to help with the laundry (both putting it into the washer and dryer and putting his clothes in the hamper) and dishwasher. He can feed himself just about anything with a fork and spoon. Occasionally he needs help cutting something, but he tells you "cut". He can peel his own banana and eat it all on his own.

Speaking of food, this kid eats like none other!!! Just a few short months ago, we were in that ackward phase of him wanting more than we were willing to share from our plates at a restaurant but he didn't eat enough to warrant his own kid's meal (especially when some places charge upwards of $5-6 for a kid's meal). Now, Noah can easily polish off a kid's meal and usually wants more. How am I suppose to satisfy him with a kid's meal until he's 12!?!?!?! Not only does he eat really well, but he's generally not too picky. He will have his moments, but generally if we tell him that he can't have a second roll until he has a few bites of this or that, he eats it relunctantly and relishes in the fact that he got a second roll, like he got a prize or something. I don't mind doing this sort of "trade off" since I don't think kids understand moderating at their age. By no means will I ever "force" him to eat any food. If he's done, then he's done, but that also means, he doesn't get a cookie or dessert or anything else.

Noah's other favorite activity is water. Not just bath time, but shower time, too. And I'm sure if it were summer, it would be pool time as well. He loves pouring the water over his face or just standing in the shower letting the water run over his head. He's recently learned that it's a lot of fun to lay on his stomach or back in the tub. A little scary for Mommy, especially when he gulps in a mouthful of water, but he's learning.

Lastly, Noah's big change has come in the form of his bedroom. Since we are expecting Emilee in just a few short months, we decided to start transitioning Noah to a new furniture set. He is staying in his room since I want him to keep his turtles for a little while longer and it prevented us from having to re-paint and decorate 2 rooms, since we would have to repaint Emilee's room regardless. Noah's new furniture includes a full size bed. And he has transitioned to it amazingly well. At first, we didn't use a pillow but he was having some coughing fits (probably from the dry air) and we brought it back and it helped plus I think he likes having it now. He does still have to use a little stool to get in bed, even though it's much lower than a traditional full size bed. But it's a cute little wooden stool with his name on it, so we should be able to keep using it in the future.

I feel like I have a ton more things to talk about (I guess that's what I get for not writing any posts in a while), but they will have to wait for another day.


P.S. I promise some pictures will be coming.

24 weeks

I'm 24 weeks now!!! I know that I haven't posted anything in several weeks and I apologize. First, I've been extremely busy with holidays, work, baby stuff, etc. Second, I've had several people come up and ask why I haven't been posting on my blog, so I know there are some people that do read my blog. But yet, no one posts any comments or anything!!!!! So this is my warning: If you like my blog and like reading it and you would like to see it continue in the future, please post a comment of love, please. All I need to know is that someone is listening. And if you absolutely hate everything I write about and would rather I write about something else, let me know that too. End Rant

Now for the actual post:

Weeks: 24

Weight Gain: I can finally report that I believe I've gained about 10 pounds so far. I know the last appointment at 20 weeks, he said I had a 5 pound gain and this time I'm up another 5 pounds. I still think I'm well within normal.

Symptoms: No more nausea for the most part. Just if I don't eat something first thing in the mornings. That also means I can go back to eating my spicy food (yum). However, it has all been replaced with terrible back pain. I'm pretty sure she is laying right on my nerve that goes down my back and into my legs which causes me excruciating pain by the end of the day. The best help is to lie down on my side. That's another thing - I can only sleep on my sides and not just on my side. I have to have my pregnancy pillow on one side and between my legs and a long king size pillow on the other. I get up several times at night to use the restroom, drink water and change positions. Not to mention all the times she wakes me up with her kicking. I don't recall anytime with Noah being woken up with kicking, but she is a fiesty one for sure.

Belly Size: Getting bigger by the day!! I guess I could do the TP test, but the doctor measured me yesterday and the fundal height (the height from my pubic bone to the top of my uterus) was 24 inches, so I'm measuring right on.

Baby Size: 8.5 inches and 1.5 pounds (size of an ear of corn)

Next Appointment: Jan 9. I'll be 28 weeks and after that appointment, I will start going every other week. Also, I have my glucose test that week.

I also want to update that I had my last appointment yesterday and everything went well. Heartbeat sounded really strong, he said especially for a 24 weeker. Nothing else exciting to report about the appointment.

It seems like this pregnancy is just flying by and before we know it, she'll be here!!!

17 weeks

Weeks: 17

Weight Gain: I think I still weight about the same, maybe gain a few pounds. I thought the doctor said at my last appointment that I had gained a few, but I should really ask next time. I would have thought by now I would be gaining more (especially considering how big my belly is!).

Symptoms: The nausea is pretty much gone except for an occasional morning. I still have headaches but it seems like as long as I drink lots of water, keep eating regularly and take breaks from the computer, it is ok. I do have pains in my lower back/butt which I think are a sciatic nerve but from my google research, it sounds like I don't have it that bad. If I just sleep or lay on my side, it seems to help.

Belly Size: No official measurements, but I measured with TP and I was 11 squares. It seems HUGE.

Baby Size: 5 inches long and 5 oz in weight (size of a Turnip)

Next Appointment: Nov 7 for our big ultrasound and then Nov 16 for my next doctor appointment.

I have started to feel like baby kicks now, but it's not hard at all. Maybe that means it really is a dainty little girl.

I also apologize for not updating as much anymore. I've been busy with lots of things in my life right now which includes becoming a Scentsy consultant. I love it so far and definitely contact me if you are interested!!! I am enjoying being busy and the blog just hasn't really inspired me lately, so if you want to know what's going on with me, well pick up a phone and call me!

13 weeks

Weeks: 13

Weight Gain: Still nothing really.

Symptoms: Seems like the nausea has come back here and there more. Just trying to eat on a regular schedule. Also the headaches are getting out of control. I think it's my body telling me I'm not drinking enough water because when I notice one coming on, if I drink lots of water, it gets better. So I just have to remember to drink, drink, drink.

Belly Size: Doesn't seem like a significant change from the prior week, in fact, I think some of my bloating may have gone down.

Baby Size: 2.9 inches (peach size) and .81 ounces - slowly getting bigger.

Next Appointment: Oct 17

Lately I've been feeling like maybe I can feel flutters here and there. I'm pretty sure I was 18 weeks with Noah before I was "for sure" feeling him, but they say you can feel the second one earlier. Then again, it could just be my stomach making noises, who knows? I really can't wait to feel the hard kicks and jabs though.

Going to go bedroom shopping for Noah this weekend and hopefully decide and order something. Then we just need to get our guest bedroom furniture out, find out the sex, paint the room, move the nursery furniture over and move in Noah's new furniture. I also need to decide what I'm doing for Noah's bedding. He's keeping his turtle theme, but since they don't make a twin or full set, I'm just going to have to buy basic colors, I think.

2nd Prenatal Appointment - 12 weeks

Yesterday I had my 2nd prenatal appointment. The doctor took FOREVER to see me, which was annoying. First off, though, the office manager pulled me in to discuss my benefits. What? I'd never had this before, but whatever. So she goes through everything and at the end she says "so you owe us $700" and I'm like, what??? She re-explains and basically the office estimates what my insurance will cover for the delivery and everything and then they charge you that upfront and want you to be on a payment plan to be fully paid by the 28th week. We decided that I would pay in January right before 28 weeks so that I could use my 2012 FSA. It's kind of weird, but after thinking about it some more, I like that I already have an estimate so I can figure out our FSA planning better and I'll already have one bill taken care of leaving just the hospital fees.

Ok, so now the actual doctor part. He had an extremely hard time finding the heartbeat. He even had to switch out his doppler machine and FINALLY, he found it. Right in the middle, very faint, but strong. Thank God!!! Other than that, we discussed my sore throat and he determined I most likely have strep throat, so he gave me a rx for an antiobiotic. Kind of funny because I asked if this was ok for the baby and his response was "No, it will destroy the pregnancy but your throat will feel better".

Everything else was fine and I set up my next appt for Oct 17, I'll be almost 16 weeks then. Then the next appointment, around mid-Nov will be 20 weeks and I'll set up my big ultrasound then as well.

12 weeks

Weeks: 12 (back to my weekly schedule)

Weight Gain: According to my appointment, I was exactly +3 pounds, but it's still been fluctuating at home, so I'd still say no real weight gain.

Symptoms: The nausea is pretty much gone. Occasionally I'll feel a little ill in the mornings if I don't eat right away. Otherwise, I'm feeling pretty good. I have noticed that I can't carry Noah up and down the stairs as much or my belly starts to hurt.

Belly Size: I did take a picture and posted it on facebook. Maybe I'll get an updated one for here. I've bought more pregnancy clothes which is good since I need them and apparently I'm a size less than what I was with Noah, so now I actually have maternity clothes that fit.

Baby Size: 2.1 inches (size of a plum) and .49 ounces.

Next Appointment: Oct 17. I'll write a separate post about my appointment yesterday.

11 weeks

Weeks: 11 weeks (sorry, I missed 10 weeks)

Weight Gain: Nothing yet - I'm still flucuating between 0 and 5 pounds.

Symptoms: My nausea is almost gone. I just get a little quesy in the mornings when I don't eat right away. Definitely have a ton of round ligament pains, especially when I sneeze. I usually sneeze, then scream in pain. Or when I roll around in bed at night.

Belly Size: I'll try and remember and take a picture tonight. Definitely obvious belly. I even got my first pregnancy comment this past weekend.

Baby Size: 2 inches and .3 ounces (size of a lime).

Next appointment: 1 week from today!

Ok, so first I apologize for not posting ANYTHING for 2 weeks. This pregnancy hasn't been that exciting. Yes, I'm super excited for another baby and can't wait to find out the sex, to go to my next appointment, to think about the birth, etc. But generally, I am just not as excited about this pregnancy as I was with Noah's. Maybe it's cuz I know I still have a long ways to wait until the baby actually gets here or if the "newness" of being pregnant as worn off. I'm still going to really try hard to post a weekly update and take some more pictures though.

Secondly, I'm just not feeling the blog as much as I used to. I love reading other people's blogs, but as far as mine...meh? I don't feel that that many people ACTUALLY read it and those that do, never comment, so I feel like I'm talking to a blank wall most of the time (what? that's what a blog is supposed to be?) Anyway, I've found that too many times I will go to tell a story to someone and they'll respond with "oh I read that on your blog". Since I would rather tell the story myself in person and hear their reactions, I just don't feel like posting as much here. Maybe this will change, but for now, I'm taking a small hiatus from regular posting.

9 weeks

Weeks: 9 (Can you believe how fast the weeks are coming now?)

Weight Gain: +4 pounds (which is -1 from last week). I'm basically fluctuating between +2 and +5 so until I get over +5 pounds, I'm not going to consider anything really weight gain yet. Hopefully that won't start happening until around 20 weeks.

Symptoms: After last week's appt, the doctor gave me some meds for the nausea and I have only taken it 1 day so far. It did help but then I got a headache and thought that was a side effect, but then I kept getting them the next couple of days. So I have switched to glasses and no contacts and drinking water like it's going out of style to stay hydrated. That seems to keep the headaches away. The nausea still comes and goes, most days not too bad though. Otherwise, I have to pee quite often, especially in the middle of the night.

Belly Size: It's definitely getting bigger, but I haven't taken a picture yet this week. Maybe I should start measuring with TP????

Baby Size: Baby is 1 inch long and weighs .07 ounces. In other words, a green olive (not a black olive, a green olive).

Next Appointment: Still September 21!

We leave for Chicago tomorrow. Probably won't post anything while I'm gone, but I should have some goods pics when we get back.

Noah's new daycare class

So this week was Noah's first week in his new classroom. It's technically the "1 Year Old" room but they don't move the kids up until August every year, so it's really more like the "18 Month Old" room. There are 4 or 5 kids in his class and I'm pretty sure they are all within a few months of each other. I was very nervous and scared as to what to expect in this new room, how Noah would take it, if I would like his new teacher, etc.

Noah's teacher, Miss Amanda, was actually working in the nursery when she first started so I did meet her then and my opinion of her was that she was very quiet and never communicated anything to me, so I was a little worried about the communication now.

Well I can honestly say I am thrilled he is in this new room. I think he likes it and is adjusting well. It sounds like we will get newsletters from his teacher every other week updating us on what he's doing. They are on a schedule in this new room and they have a lesson time everyday where they will learn shapes, colors, and the alphabet. They also sleep on cots during a scheduled nap time and eat at little tables for breakfast, lunch and snacktime, all of which he is doing great with.

When I drop him off in the morning in the gym for breakfast, he never whimpers or cries anymore when I leave. He's just happy to be there with the other kids. And when I pick him up in the evening, he doesn't want to leave. This makes Mommy a little sad, but I'm so glad to see how excited about school he is.

I love that he mostly only has 1 teacher, so if I have any questions or concerns, I can just go directly to Amanda, not 4 different nursery teachers who may or may not have been there the whole day. Amanda has done great with his cloth diapers. Finally someone who understands that you do not have to change the cover each change. She also must put bibs on the kids because Noah has come home with a clean shirt everyday! I just think this was a much needed change and can't wait for him to start learning all these new things.

18 month pictures

This post replaces the linked post I created earlier. That link will eventually expire, so I posted the pictures here so that you can always see them!