37 week appointment

Today is officially Jimbos 30th Birthday and also our 37 week appointment. Last weeks appointment had me at 2cm dialated, 50% effaced, and -2 Station. This week... almost at 3cm, still at 50% effaced, but -1 near 0 station. So progress is happening. Now we just need the contractions or water to break! ha ha!

Baby's heart rate was really low this time, 126bpm, but still normal, as apparently mature babies have lower heart rates. Makes sense I guess! We had a good discussion about all the signs to watch for and we are just in a waiting phase now. Still 2.5 weeks till the actual due date. But I am really really hoping for sooner than that. There just isn't room for this baby to go out anymore!

Just in case things were moving a little faster, we had Josh at his friend Emmas for the appointment. Jimbo and I went out to Cy's for dinner to get some super spicy Thai food for his birthday. Then we hung out at Kim/Jerome/Emma's until 9pm. We came home and I cleaned.. cleaned... cleaned. Can you tell I am ready to have this baby!

So the waiting begins!

Christmas Day

Today we woke up around 7am and Josh was the first one up. We had to get him to wake up his cousins and aunts/uncles before he could go downstairs because we needed everyone to go together to see if Santa came. He walked into our guest room and yelled, "Awesome, get up". He calls uncle Aaron "Uncle Awesome" because of a previous visit, where they played a running/flying game and yelled Awesome as he held them in the air. It stuck.

We walked downstairs and looks on Izzy and Josh's face were priceless when they saw all the presents! We got it all on video - no pics - sorry! And there we sat for about an hour unwrapping gifts. There were so many! All of Jim's aunts/uncles/gramma's sent their gifts over so it was Santa gifts on top of all the relative gifts. They were hilarous! Any clothes - immediately pushed aside or given to mom... toys needed to be unwrapped and played with immediately. Stockings had their fun gifts in it as well as the Kirkwood traditional peice of fruit. We had breakfast and waited on opening the adult gifts until later since it was a bit crazy already in the family room with all the toys.

Finally we had Josh's big unveiling of his Thomas Bed. It was fun because we skyped with my family in MN at the same time so everyone got to see the excitement. And boy was he excited! He jumped in it for 10 minutes... pointing to all the different parts and saying this is my bed! He needed to remind Izzy apparently that this was "his bed". Yep, all the hardwork paid off, Jim was very happy!

Hopefully I can get some of the present pictures and such from our relatives because we apparently only focused on the video camera this morning. Oops! But here are the Thomas the Train bed pictures. Jim spent a TON of time on this and it paid off! :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas is finally here! We were in for one crazy adventure this year. With baby #2 due in less than 3 weeks, we were not traveling to MI this year for x-mas. So the MI family decided to come here. Jim's parents, their dog Addie, his older sister Abby, hubby Aaron, two girls (Izzy - 2, Charlotte - 1), and dog Zoe, and youngest sister Catherine all arrived on Wednesday to stay through Monday. CRAZY! 7 adults, 3 kids under 3, 3 dogs, and a partridge in a pair tree.

Before the fun could begin, I had my 36 week check up, the first of which my doctor would check for any progress to labor. Besides being uncomfortable, the contractions have been pretty minor although much more noticeable than the Braxton Hicks I had with Josh. The official verdict, I am 2 cm dialated, 50% effaced, and at -2 Station. For those unfamiliar with this terminology, here is your quick lesson. Need to be at 10 cm, 100% effaced, and 0 or positive number to deliver a baby. So I am definitely showing signs that the baby is on its way, but I very well could stay at this level for another few weeks or go in 4 hours! Really not any clear indication of how close we are to babies arrival. Baby's heartbeat was 140bpm and he/she was kicking and rolling like crazy during the appointment. Doctor just laughed and kept putting her hands on my belly to feel he/she move. It is fun to see the doctor excited to see the baby move like that, seeing as how she sees pregnant people all the time. She is a good doctor... now I just hope I make it to next week so she can have a chance to deliver this baby. With Christmas this week, she is off until Monday.

Now back to the Christmas festivities. We are making new traditions this year since it is at our house that are a good combination of both our households. The kids are getting along very well and so are the dogs. It is definitely crowded, but we are managing. We went to mass on Christmas Eve and thankfully Jim's coworker Eric told him to get there early because as soon as church is full, they start mass, regardless of what time it is. Mass is scheduled for 5pm, but the last few years they started at 4:30pm! Sure enough, that is exactly what happened this year. The adult ladies of the family got there at 3:30pm and the dads came with the kids at 4pm. Our church also frowns upon saving spots, and they post it everywhere like the doors on the way in, on huge flipcharts all around the altar... so it is just guilt running through you until your entire party arrives! Thankfully we were all present before all the chairs/pews were taken! After mass we had dinner (candied yams for Rausch's) and enjoyed some frosty trees and snowmen for dessert (Walsh tradition) with Reddi whip (Kirkwood tradition). We ended the night with putting out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, the kids were so EXCITED!

Finally, at the end of the night I realized it had been a while since I posted true belly shots. So here you have it. Look at that gargantuan belly! ha ha! It is crazy how much it moves depending on how the baby wants to lie, my whole belly will be off to one side or the other at times. I don't know how much bigger I could get, glad it is only one in there! haha!

So much to do - so little time...

The list to prepare for baby seems to be about a months worth of work... every night I feel like I have to do at least something in order to feel a little bit more prepared. But I keep reminding myself to prioritize... things like the carseat and bassinet need to be ready... but all the decorations in the baby's room... that can wait. I just want it all done, and now! ha ha! Poor Jim, he has been such a good sport and really really been patient with me!

This weekend we took advantage of our good friends Kim and Jerome and their daughter Emma. They had asked us about a month ago to watch their daughter Emma (Josh's FAVORITE girlfriend) on Friday night. And we in return asked if they could watch Josh on Saturday night if we went to our friends wedding. They agreed. Our kids get along SO well and we honestly feel like having them over to play is easier most times!

So Friday night Emma came over around 4pm and it was immediately play time! We played and played and played. After dinner we went to "Streets of Bethlehem", a local church's replica of the city where Jesus was born. It is very popular in this area and grows each year with attendees according to my coworker. This is our first time there. We got in line and there were people every where. The lady said it was going to be a 45 minute wait. Jim and I saw the line moving and decided let's try it and if it is too long, we can always bail. We had told both Emma and Josh all about how we were going to see the animals... Josh had translated that to going to see Jesus at the Circus. Nice. Long story short, we waited for 1 hour and 45 minutes with 2 - 2 year olds. They were such good sports! By the time we got there it was definitely cool to see, but the kids were so tired and we were through the city in 10 minutes. Not necessarily worth the 1 hour and 45 minute wait... but cool to see anyway.

The first thing we saw when we got there was a huge camel... Both Josh and Emma wanted nothing to do with it... they clawed there way into Jim and my shoulder and wouldn't look at it. They did enjoy the sheep/goats, the dancers, and looking at all the stuff people were making/selling like toys and food. On the way home, all they talked about was the camel, and how they got to pet the camel. (liars!) Ah well, at least they remembered something!

Saturday we played and then Emma went home for her nap. After Josh woke up from his nap we dropped him off at Emma's house so we could head to Katie Flemmen's wedding in Madison. He was so excited to go over there. The wedding was a good time, it was nice to see my college friends and of course Katie. My friend Jenelle is expecting too, about 9 weeks behind me. It is hilarious how tiny she is compared to me. I am so ready to pop! And my stomach feels that way forsure. We only lasted about 3.5 hours at the wedding before everything hurt and it was time to head home. We hit up Perkins on the way home for some late night dinner. It was funny to hear the high school kids conversation at the table next to us, drinking coffee and talking about all the drama they have. The other table next to us was definitely college age kids, drunk... WE ARE SO OLD!

So overall, a good kid swapping weekend. I am so glad that we have good friends like Kim and Jerome and that our little ones are such good friends. Kim is expecting number 2 in May, so our second kids will be close in age too, hopefully they will be good friends too! The one random pic of Josh wearing a striped shirt, purple tie, thomas hat, and sandals with socks... As we have been cleaning/reorganizing closets Josh has found these items and insisted on wearing them for the remainder of the day. I think he looks like an engineer in the making... :) hopefully he will learn to get some sort of fashion from his aunts/uncles... and be social butterfly like his parents!

35 weeks

Friday night we went to the Childrens Museum for a Kid's Christmas Party - Thanks Jim's work! We got to see Santa and play play play. Josh had a really good time and it is amazing to see the changes in activity each time we go back there. He is so independant these days!

The rest of the weekend I spent finishing my final "take home" exam. Which is always frustrating because they take so long when they are a take home. I would much rather take an in class exam because it is a set amount of time. But it is done!!

Life is just so hectic right now with the holidays and getting ready for a baby, but at least school is finally over for the semester. Such a huge weight off my shoulders! Now it is time to really get Josh and the baby's room together. Wow, we are going to have a little baby in our house in less than 5 weeks! THAT IS CRAZY!! At this point in my pregnancy with Josh all of these things were done, amazing how less prepared you are for # 2... I wonder why??

I had my 35 week appointment this week. Everything checked out just fine once again. My blood pressure is still nice a low, 108/62 which is good to see. This is the point when it started going up with my pregnancy with Josh. I recently read an article about blood pressure and pregnancy and read that women who don't gain weight in the first half of their pregnancy typically develop high blood pressure at the end. That was pretty much my case with Josh. I don't think I have anything to worry about with this one in that regard, I was gaining weight right away! ha ha!

Baby's heart rate was 147 today and he/she is as active as ever! My doctor said that the head is definitely down and is responsible for that tingling sensation that makes me rush to the bathroom at random times in the day. I really don't remember that with Josh but I am sure it happened. Doc also gave me some recommendations on helping with all the digestive issues I am having... AWESOME! I am eating tums like they are candy from the moment I wake up until I go to bed. It does help, but not for long. It is all part of the fun I know, there just isnt' room for my digestive tract at this point because baby is taking all the room! And for the record, Prune juice is the most DISGUSTING beverage on earth. YUCK!

Work update, I have officially received my very own "little orange cart" at work. My coworker made signs with huge pictures of ridiculously cute babies that say "Baby mobile". I can guarantee none of the guys are going to steel this cart with those signs on it. I basically only use it to get from the front offices and my office in the middle of the plant. And I try to sit on equipment, a stool, or bucket whenever I am out on the production lines. My back is really the only issue at this point and the contractions. They definitely come on stronger after walking/standing.

The countdown to # 2's arrival has begun... So excited/anxious to know whether we will have a little girl or boy... My hunch is a boy... But many many people are convinced it is a girl. We will know very soon! :)

Our First Snowstorm -- 12"

We got hit really hard with this snowstorm. It was AWESOME!!! It started on Tuesday night and just didn't stop. We had swimming class that night and then went to Walmart to pick up some necessities since we were likely going to have issues with getting around the next day. We got home to find out that my brothers high school hockey game was actually showing in WI. It was awesome. We watched the final 3rd period of his game against Benilde St. Margaret from our family room. It was a very intense period. They were down 1-2 when we tuned in, had a 5 minute major penalty called on them, and as a result had to play for a good amount of time down a man. Finally they tied the game when they returned to full strength. My brother got a break away 1:1 with the goalie when a defender took a swing at him just as he got to the net and took him out... Automatic penalty shot. With 1:12 seconds left... The shot was caught by the goalies glove... dang! A sudden death overtime and no goals. The ended with a tie. It was fun to watch and of course we watched the follow-up interviews. We didn't go to bed until 11:30pm!

The next morning we woke up at 6 and I checked the school closing list... Daycare was delayed... and then at 7am, cancelled all day. SNOW DAY! I went to work for the AM and Jim stayed home to play with Josh. I got home at noon and after nap, we were able to go play too. Very nice way to spend a snowy day!

This final picture is specifically for my brother Joe... I hope you enjoy! I am obviously not fitting into even the basic maternity close anymore and because I only have a few weeks to go... I am cheap and don't want to buy anymore clothes. When I dug through my friends maternity stuff to find some sweats to fit under the snow gear so I would be warm... I found this and laughed so hard when I put it on... How hot am I! ha ha! Jim laughed too so we decided, why not take a pic. My brother just can't stand to see the belly... so that is why it is for him!

Our first Christmas Tree Adventure

Today was beautiful outside and so we decided it was the perfect day to go find a Christmas tree. Up until this point, Jim and I have used a small plastic tree each year as we are gone for the week of Christmas either in MN or MI with family every year. With baby #2 due within weeks of Christmas, we will be spending it in good ole WI. I am actually excited about it because I have never really decorated the inside of the house.

So things on the Christmas list to buy were stockings, tree, skirt, garland, bulbs, angel for the top, and lights. I have been looking for years to find the stockings my parents had for us growing up. They are long knit stockings with very simple designs in green, red, and white. But can't find them ANYWHERE! So we settled on a set of knit ones for this year and will hopefully find them in the next year with a more dedicated search. Today we went to the tree farm to cut down a tree. The first big question, which type of tree do we want? Wow... well come to find out, both Jim and I liked the Frasier Fir. We found the perfect tree within 10 minutes which was good for Josh because he had asked to go back to the car 3 times already. When we went to pay in the little shed Josh screamed, "Mommy look whose here... It's Santa!". Wow was he excited. He wouldn't sit with him by himself but the bench was big enough for Josh to sit on my lap next to him. He asked for "Dan the dump truck" and a bulldozer. He has asked me for them about 10 times a day in the last week, so finally he was able to tell Santa himself. We got a picture and are not sure what was up with Santa... he looks more scared than Josh.

Next was a visit to Stein's. Where we found the rest of the goodies. Again, some major relationship decisions for Jim and I... garland? angel or star? candy canes? So we agree on garland, angel, and candy canes. Why not right?

We have finished decorating the tree although underestimated the amount of garland and size of skirt we would need for a 9.5ft tall tree. Otherwise not bad for our first attempt at it! :) I think my mom changed it every year in some way growing up. It is a work in progress right?

Josh has enjoyed helping us decorate. He is really good at covering the very bottom portion of the tree. Some branches have 3 ornaments on them... they are the lucky ones! The fake little tree is in our front room on the train track, which we have to get working, but it will be cool when it does. The other tree is in our family room where we spend most of our time and Josh was in charge of the candy canes. He also likes playing with all the animals in the nativity scene... I walked in to find a goat attacking one of the three wisemen and Josh had claimed the baby as "Baby Josh". Nice.

Finally. The ice rink. Jim let Josh walk on it today and boy did he get excited. He pretended to skate in his shoes back and forth and squealed at the top of his lungs, "Look at me Dad, see that? I am skating!!!" Can't wait for the next few coats so we can actually skate, it is almost ready! :)

Thanksgiving in MN

We spent Thanksgiving in MN with Nanna and Pappa Walsh's house. Josh was so excited to see them and to play hockey with Uncle Jack. We got there Wednesday before Thanksgiving just in time for dinner. It was nice to miss the snowstorm that was heading across the midwest. Thanksgiving day we relaxed with the family. Jim went with my dad and Josh to Play It Again to buy hockey gear for Josh. He got a helmet, skates, and shin guards. He was just beaming when he got home. Thanks Uncle Jack, Uncle Joe, and Nanna Pappa for my X-mas gift!

We had Thanksgiving dinner later that evening and were tormented by the delicious smells all day long! My parents friend Dee and her son Jake joined us for dinner and also my brothers new girlfriend Megan. So it was a full house. Josh fell asleep for the first time in Jim's arms just as we sat down for dinner. He has never fallen asleep in a room full of people... well since he was about 6 months old anyway. So I think it is safe to say we wore him out! As always dinner was full of laughs... and surprises. Some heckling toward my brother Joe for bringing a girl to dinner, harrassing our guests, and my sisters numerous attempts to start the "I'm thankful for..." tradition. We kept responding to this with sarcastic remarks. Finally toward the end of dinner she goes, "well we have some news..." WAHOO!!! They are expecting their first baby July 2nd! I am SO EXCITED to have a neice or nephew on that side. It was such a wonderful exciting surprise. And I am selfish since I immediately was excited that our boy/girl will be only 6 months older than their little one. YAY!

After dinner we had our infamous ping pong tournament in which I get my butt kicked each and every time by a sibling. I think Josh did better than I did. Pathetic! :)

That night my mom, sister, and I debated over and over as to whether or not we were going shopping the next day. My mom hurt her back really bad a month or so ago and can't walk/stand for that long. My back/legs start aching after an hour or two of standing at this point. And Shannon didn' t have any "must" go get items. So we said if we wake up and go fine... but if we don't oh well. The next morning I woke up with Josh at 6:45am... and I couldn't relax... I wanted to shop. I hopped online and voila... Herbergers was offering the exact same deals online and free shipping on orders over $100. I bought the three items I really wanted to get from the couch at my parents house. It was FANTASTIC! Later that morning once my mom and sister were up and moving, we decided to go to Babies R Us for their super saver gift items and well, because my sister is now expecting and we were excited.

That afternoon we had a visit from my high school friend Marcel and his wife Michaela and their two kids, Jadon and Sienna. It was great to catch up with him, but so weird to see us all grown up with kids!

Friday night we did a Christmas dinner since we will not be there this year. We opened gifts which basically was Josh... which was the fun part. My family did an outstanding job on the gifts seeing as how I gave them No suggestions. He got the "go fishin" game, the Vtech dancin camera, trucks, pj's, clothes, remote control car, and a memory game. He loved them all and still is playing with them... which is awesome.

Saturday night kicked off my brother Jack's senior year in Hockey. He plays for Hill Murray. I think we had about 60 friends/family show up for the game. It was a fantastic game and we were all on the edge of our seat. They had a great win and my brother played very well. Josh was so excited and was glued to the rink the entire game. After we went to my cousin Pats to visit with the Thuente clan. As always it was fun!

29 week appointment

Today's appointment was a quick one, just heartbeat and measuring my belly. Measuring 29 cm, right on track. Heartbeat 149bpm. Everything is good!

Josh has developed quite the vocabulary in recent months and has some really interesting stories. Today on the way home I asked if he wanted pizza with mommy and daddy and he didn't respond. So I asked if he wanted to cook dinner for himself and he goes, "No daddy cooks!" I said, "Yep, so does mommy right?" He said, "NOOOO, mom doesn't cook, that's silly!" OUCH! So true, but that kinda hurts!

He is always full of stories on the way home from school now, telling us about who was sad that day, what him and his friend Ella did at school, and usually who hit or bit him, which hasn't really happened. When I dropped him off at school the other morning I had asked his teacher if his friend Brooks was a big brother yet, and the kids overheard me. I then listened to their conversation of where Brooks was and was quite impressed with Josh' explanation. "No, Brooks at home, he is still tired. His mom is having a baby". Ha ha! Apparently preparing to be a big brother is a tiring job!

A visit from Nanna and Pappa

This weekend Nanna and Pappa came to visit. Josh was so excited to see them and couldn't wait to find out what toy Nanna brought for him. They arrived before dinner Friday night and Josh didn't hesitate to ask about the toy. Of course Nanna didn't disappoint him and had a little transformer toy for him. After opening the toy and putting it together, he was less than impressed and proceeded to ask for another toy. He rummaged through Nanna and Pappa's luggage and then asked to see if there was anything good in her purse, when the answer was no he tried again with the original toy. He kept trying to make the car drive with the light up sword like it was a remote control car. Ha ha! My mom felt so bad about it and Jim and I were shocked at how he was determined Nanna would have another option for him! So Nanna promised to take him shopping with which he responded, "To get a new toy!". Nice!

On our shopping trip Josh was happier with the $4 CAT trucks rather than the larger fire truck or anything else more expensive... oh and he wanted a nerf basketball hoop. And let me tell you, those two things have kept him entertained all weekend!

We went trick-or-treating on Halloween. Josh was dressed up as a bubble bee and Jim and I dressed up as bee keepers. My camera is still at my friends house (who are all sick with the flu) so I have to get all the pictures from my mom. He was so tired because he refused to take a nap that afternoon but he was determined to go to as many houses as we could. This year he was able to say Trick'Or'Treat to each neighbor and would politely say "Thank you". He is getting so old!

So for the last 2 weeks I have been very uncomfortable and feel like my whole stomach is cramped. I blamed it on the food I was eating. I decided to read up on "my pregnancy week by week" and realized - the crampiness - Braxton Hicks. DUH! For this being the second time around, I really have forgotten a lot of the stuff that happens! I definitely feel like this baby will arrive early like Josh. I am having braxton hicks all of the time now and my mom said it looks like the baby has already dropped. Which is what I thought but was glad someone else noticed. I have a doctor appointment on Tuesday, so I am looking forward to hearing what she has to say. I am only 29 weeks along, so we really have a long ways to go, but I guess it just seems like things are moving a lot quicker this time around. And I know a lot of things happen sooner with the second, so maybe that is all it is.

Happy Halloween everyone!

The Legend of the Nuk Fairy

Josh has been down to only having a nuk at naps or bedtime. But the doc says it is time and that his teeth are starting to show signs of problems. So we finally did it. And it is going okay. All day long we talked to Josh about the "Nuk Fairy". For those of you in the dark on this one... the Nuk Fairy comes to kids houses to collect Nuk's and redistribute them to babies who want them. The Nuk Fairy also leaves small gifts for any little boy or girl who gives up their Nuk's to be a big boy/girl. Very efficient and environmentally friendly this Nuk Ferry is. Josh just went along with it... not really understanding what it all actually meant.

Last night after his usual bedtime routine (bath, pj's, brush teeth, stories) we went back downstairs to put all of Josh's nuks into a gift bag. He had 5, 3 of which he needs to have at night in order to sleep. One in his mouth and one in each hand. Josh gladly put all of the Nuks in there and said "bye bye Nuks". We returned to his bedroom and I put him in his crib to go to sleep, all the while saying how proud I was that he gave his nuk to the babies. Not even a second after being in the crib he did the sweep for the nuks... and of course didn't find them. So this began the 20 minutes of off and on screaming. And then silent. He was fast asleep. No nuks. He woke up at 2:30 like clockwork as he has done since the first week of October when he was sick. Jim doesn't do so well with the crying/screaming and ended up passing out with him in the recliner for about 20 minutes. But he went back to sleep after that... no nuk.

7:00am we wake up and begin singing our praises of how big he is and how great it is he made it through the night without a nuk! We went down to see the gift bag where he put his nuks and asked him what was in there. He said, "NUKS!" all excited... and then when he looked and saw wrapped gifts, "What is that Daddy?". So he unwrapped each one and played with it before moving onto the next. We had to ask him to look in the bag several times to get through them all. The Nuk Fairy really did her homework because the gifts were PERFECT! Josh got a $4 dump truck, 3 - $1 books, a $5 Thomas the train video, and the Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do you See game for $8. (Prices listed for those who may be interested in the smokin deals at Target!)

So at 7:30am we are playing a family game of Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you see. And it was pretty fun! Then we read the books. Next watched one of the shows on the Thomas video. And finally, played with the dump truck. Quite a productive morning... all before church!

Naptime was another struggle. 20 minutes of unhappiness. So we aren't out of the woods yet. But we are much closer than ever to being done with them... Can't wait!

Seriously...

So I was out shopping yesterday and at the checkout, the woman said, "How many DAYS do you have left?"

REALLY? SERIOUSLY? Did she just ask how many DAYS?

I responded, "Ah, well actually, I have 3 months left. Which is a lot more than a few days."

Did she stop there, no...

She says, "Oh, really? So like not until January? Wow. Is this your first?"

At this point I just want to be on my way... but I can't... so I continue the conversation. I wish it were a guy cashier... because it would be so much more understandable in my eyes. But a female... who has children as I have found out in the conversation... really? Come on. So I went home and ate half a pan of brownies. Just kidding.

Ultrasound # 3 - 28 weeks

Today we had ultrasound # 3 to get a picture of baby's pallet. The appointment also involved the yummy glucose test where I had to drink a orange soda like beverage, get blood work, and hopefully find out that I don't have gestational diabetes. The office was a little more hectic than usual as many of the staff are out with the flu. We were able to get everything in though, blood work, urine test, flu shot, and ultrasound. Baby's heartbeat was 150bpm and baby was nestled head down already. Baby moved and moved! I was able to confirm the parts I was feeling poke on my right side were feet and the butt was what was poking out right in the middle! Baby kept putting his/her arm up in front of their face which made getting a picture very difficult. Eventually after rolling onto my side baby looked right at us and yawned really big! At the very end of the ultrasound I asked Jim, "Last chance, do you want to know the sex?"... his response, "NO!" 12 more weeks!

Weight gain has slowed down finally! I am right where I was at this time with Josh so even though I gained weight much faster this round, it is ending up about the same. Most of the comments from work are, "so when are you due" as in it must be tomorrow. When I tell them not for 3 more months... they usually follow up with so are you going to stop working soon? These poor millwrights... I am just waiting for one of them to give me an orange cart to drive around the plant! haha!

Fun Fun Fun

Josh had a visit from his Aunt Shannon and Uncle Steve this weekend. He was very excited about their arrival and kept asking if it was Friday yet... this started on Tuesday. He woke up Saturday morning bright and early, 6am to Aunt Shannon eager to see him. He was instantly in heaven. The rest of the weekend consisted of lots of mini hockey, trains, cuddling, and food. He also got a little spoiled which is always his favorite part.

We went shopping Saturday afternoon to try and find a new hat for Josh because his melon is just growing and growing. His 24 month hat from last year fits okay, but it is definitely tighter than it was . We ended up finding a hat that is sized 4-5 years at the gap and it is ridiculously cute. And bottom line, he loved it! It was the only hat that he didn't mind being on his head and he wore it for the rest of the shopping trip.

That night we had dinner and then went to my friend Mandy's house for her big 30th b-day party. Her, Kristen, and I have just been too busy to get together... pathetic. So this was the first time the three of us had been together since May! It was really fun, Bob threw a great party for Mandy. Lots of fun, food, and well laughs. It was really nice to get out of the house and see friends. A few of them didn't even know we were pregnant! ha ha!

The next day Jim got to go to the Lion's Packer's game at Lambeau and was treated to the box office seats courtesy of a vendor. So he had a good time. Shannon, Steve, Josh, and I went to church and then to breakfast. Josh did okay, three trips to the bathroom so that was slightly frustrating, but he actually went every time, so can't complain too much.

My latest pet peeve. People who are obviously sick who still go out in public, i.e. church. Our priest made a "public" announcement saying if you are coughing, have a sore throat, or fever, stay home. And it did not require confession if you miss mass because you are sick. Meanwhile the three hackers in front of us in sweats remain in the pew. I really hope that since we already were sick once, we are clear. Seriously, it was not fun. All of the engineers at my plant have been out now either with sick kids or they are sick themselves. And even the manly engineers have been out for a minimum of 3 days with the crud. So if you haven't had it... eat your veggies, wash your hands, and stay rested!

H1N1

Josh's fever broke late Sunday night and I was still not feeling well Monday, so we opted to stay home. Lots of sleep, hot water, and soup. I started feeling much better that afternoon but Josh didn't seem to be quite back to normal. Tuesday morning we were both miserable again. At this point, calls into Josh's Pediatrician and my OB have all said we are okay and don't need to come in. I didn't have to worry until I had a fever that reached 100F. I hadn't. Josh was pulling at his ears so I decided to make an appointment for Tuesday morning anyway.


The entire way there I had to tell Josh about the masks we would have to wear. Thankfully he was excited because they had Mickey Mouse on them. When we got in there, we were in good company. There were a handful of other people all wearing masks. Flu season is officially here!


As soon as we got into the room, the nurse said she was testing him for the flu since I was pregnant. I still at this point am thinking it is nothing more than a cold turned into ear infections. 10 minutes later, the doc walks in and says Josh has tested positive for Influenza A. Since the handful of tests that have been submitted to the state have all come back as H1N1, our doctor said it is 99% likely that this flu Josh has is also H1N1. AWESOME! So she immediately wrote out a prescription for Tamiflu and told me to get on the phone with my OB.


My OB immediately said to get me on Tamiflu and wrote out the prescription and then asked me to get in to see my family doc. Many phone calls go by and finally I get an appointment at my doc. At the appointment, I am sitting in the waiting room for an entire hour with a mask on. Awesome. Among the other 6 people next to me all with masks on. Double awesome.


Long story short, I am tested as well for the flu, although the doc fails to tell me not to blow my nose before hand. I saw that it was a nose swab from Josh's test and I thought, I better blow my nose so they can get to the good stuff. When the test came back negative, my doc said that with adults it is more often false negative. So why take the test? She then went on to say I should be taking sudafed and robitussin to help with the cough/sinus headaches. Seriously? I am pregnant... I am not taking anything I don't have to at this point.


So Josh and I are on Tamiflu.... hanging out in our misery. I had lots of cuddle time at all hours of the day/night. We have read tons of stories, watched way too many cartoons, and had way too much soup. Josh started showing signs of improvement by Wednesday but was still sleeping much more than usual. So I kept him home all week so he wouldn't get anything else. All the kids in his class were gone on Wednesday for some sort of fever related illness. Hmm?


By Saturday morning I am finally feeling about 80%. The darn cough just won't go away. But I am sleeping in my bed reasonable well which is just so much better than a recliner!


Overall we are on the mend. But going crazy in our house!!


Where is Jim through all of this? He has a major major equipment down this week. The one he has been working very long hours for. So he is gone by 5:15am and not home until 7pm. He has come home during the day to let me get to the doc or to give me a break... but I am also trying to keep him away and hopefully healthy. So far so good.


Josh and I did pretty well. I had one major mental breakdown when my friend Mandy called. She wasn't expecting it, but as soon as she asked how we were doing, I just started bawling. I was so tired, Josh had his third consecutive accident, and I just wanted to be better, the house cleaned, and to get out of the damn house! On top of that I can't help but worry about taking Tamiflu which hasn't been tested on pregnant women or the worry of getting worse and ending up in the hospital. I don't sound stressed do I???

Is it October already?

Finally my traveling has come to an end! YAY! I am so relieved. The trip to MTU brought back so many memories. And there are so many changes on campus from when I was there 6 years ago now, man alive I am getting old! The career fair was changed to 12pm-6pm which seemed to allow more students to attend, because we were busy all day. Some of the things students say to us is unbelievable. Career fair, interviews, it doesn't seem to matter. There is nothing like having them start off the conversation with, "I didn't like that job because of all the management, they were annoying." Wow, awesome. "I am just gifted, I was meant to be an engineer." And my final favorite, "What is it going to take for me to get you to hire me?". Maybe it was us being on our feet all day, but seriously. The last one was from a guy who did not know personal space. He kept getting closer and I kept taking a step back. I ended up on the side of our booth... Seriously.

The cold weather sure didn't wait to arrive either! We had to bring out the winter coats to go for a walk and to see the fire trucks at the city's Family Fun Day. The fire station down the street brings out all the trucks for the kids to climb on. They do demonstrations on how quickly they need to suit up and get their gear on. Josh didn't seem to scared to see the guy in the full mask, but I would bet it would be scary to see them if there were an actual fire and they were coming to save you. He got a little baseball size card of the different trucks as we walked around. They had a smoke simulation trailer that kids could learn how to navigate through, a bunch of booths for city reps, food, and activities. Josh got to dress up like a fire fighter, shoot a hose on a fake fire, and crawl through a tunnel to save a puppy. The firefighter helping him thought he did such a great job he let him get an "I did it!" ribbon. This is one of Josh's favorite sayings and it commonly used after going to the bathroom. So it was perfect.

Sunday... Josh and I woke up sick. Real sick. Josh had a fever of 102F and cough. I had a horrible cough and stuffed up nose. NOT FUN! So we had a very very lazy Sunday full of hot soup, hot water, and naps.

Traveling Crazyness

This past week I went to UW-Platteville for oncampus recruiting. We are looking for 2 co-op students at our plant in 2010. So because I like to go on these trips, I asked my boss very early on if I could remain involved on recruitment when I started at Alcan. Well now I am his go to person. Which is nice, but it is a lot of additional work. This trip him and I went down. I was quite impressed with Platteville. It is a very good engineering school that I never had heard of until I started working for Alcan and they are really tiny. It is even smaller than what it was like in Houghton! :) Their career fair was from 10am-3pm and then my boss and I interviewed candidates from 3:30-9pm. I was definitely sick of talking at the end of it all! We found some really good candidates so that is always nice!

I was excited to be home, although Jim was getting busier and busier at work so I feel like we are just passing the parenting baton right now! This weekend we laid low for the most part. We spent time outside and Josh washed his outdoor toys, Jim continued working on Josh's big boy Thomas the Train bed, and I got caught up on homework for school. Monday night I head to MTU to attend their career fair and interview again. So taking the time now to relax as much as possible!

Baby is doing well. Kicking, rolling, moving all of the time. I am feeling so much better than I did in the first trimester. I am hoping it lasts well into the third trimester which is right around the corner. Belly continues to grow although not so much around anymore. THANK GOODNESS!

Fun things Josh is doing/saying:

• Singing all the time. Songs he knows are ABC's, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle, Farmer in the Dell, Rock A Bye Baby, I Love You You Love Me, John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt, Itsy Bitsy Spider, I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee, Wheels on the Bus, Hot Dog! song from Mickey Mouse, and many many more I can't think of.


• Say "my" in front of everything. "How are you doing MY mommy?" ,"where are we going MY daddy?"


• When he wants to be held he says, "Hold you my mommy". TOO CUTE!


• Playing fetch with Hilo, although Hilo doesn't quite play back, Josh really tries.


• He loves kissing my belly and saying "Hi baby". He gets really excited when he feels the baby kick. So far he is asking for a sister more often than a brother. But I don't think he'll mind either way.

Mom and Josh Time

Wednesday night I had a hair appointment and unfortunately realized that Jim had stuff at work that night and I failed to get a sitter. So I debated on whether or not to cancel and well... decided to try bringing him along. He was an ANGEL! I had packed up a quick dinner for him, PB&J, apples, juice, cheez-its. He loved it. And all the girls at the salon just kept coming over to say hi. When we were done, he asked to go get his haircut... he loves going to get his haircut. So I said sure, why not. So off to the barber shop.

This is the type of shop that is first come first serve. I have been hesitant to put a specific stylist down just cause I feel guilty doing it. Unfortunately, the girl Josh ended up with was less than thrilled to be cutting a toddlers hair. I should have stopped it at that point. But I just kept going cause he was SO EXCITED to watch cartoons and get his haircut. She didn't put the kids fish cape on him and instead used a big adult black one. Josh looked up at me with a puzzled look and said, Mom - fish? She immediately commented how the adult one covers more so it is better. I then realized that Josh was watching Malcolm in the Middle... a show which i have never understood... and one that is definitely not appropriate for Josh. So I grabbed the remote hoping to find a kid appropriate show. The stylist was not happy with this and quickly said, "it's on Nickelodeon already". I said, "sure, but this is not an appropriate show for him" and flipped to some cartoon on the disney channel. The rest of the haircut involved her using a buzz cutter and having all the hair fly into Josh's face/eyes, then her taking the hair dryer right up to his face to blow it off, which went over really well! Josh never cried even though you could tell it really hurt to have the hair in his eyes. When the stylist brought out the hot towel to put on his face, normally used on the adults, I said, "um no, that is too hot for him". She looked confused. SERIOUSLY?? Being pregnant and well just slightly opinionated and outspoken, I said, "I know Josh, this isn't typically how your haircuts go, I am sorry, next time I promise it will be better". She probably didn't even acknowledge it. But man alive... if you don't like kids, don't cut their hair. I would have gladly waited another 5 minutes for a stylist that does like kids. On our way out I did hear her comment that he was the easiest kids cut she's had.

Jimbo had his fraternity reunion up at MTU this weekend, so it was a Josh/Mom hangout weekend. Friday night we watched a movie and cuddled on the couch. Saturday we did a lot of errands. Went to the post office, the bank, and the laundromat to wash all of Hilo's bedding. Josh loves running errands and is a great helper. Saturday night we had dinner and watched the Incredibles before bed. Sunday we went to church. Josh decided that he was going to sing the Halelujah part this time. So he belted it out, it was actually pretty good. HILARIOUS! He got the father-daughter in front of us to turn around. Of course at the end he added his own lyrics which were a combination of the ABC's and twinkle twinkle little star. The kid sings 24/7. And if you try to sing the song with him, he quickly tells you, "No, Josh sing it". OUCH! :)

A very busy weekend!

We went to Tatum and Justin's Pig Roast this year! We hadn't seen that group of friends since the last Pig Roast at their place two years ago. It was fun to see everyone and all of the kids, man alive, in two years there have been a lot of new little additions! Josh had a blast with the yard games and bubble maker. We also found out that there were four other pregnant ladies there, so it was fun to chat about how different our pregnancies have been and well, just enjoy talking while not drinking! ha ha! A fun thing, non of us were finding out the sex... so that was pretty cool to hear, not too common these days! The night ended with the HUGE bonfire. This one was definitely the biggest they have ever built... and quite scary to be around honestly. Good thing Justin got out the garden hose to put out the fire on the grass.

The next day we had church, breakfast, nap, and then my company (plant only) family picnic. It was really fun! I was on the planning committe and was very surprised by everything they were going to do, but was excited. They had two jumpy gyms outside, face painting, tatoos, snacks, hayrides, arts and crafts, yard games, a silly shower (dunk tank concept but shower), and lots of food and snacks. We of course spent a majority of our time in the jumpy gyms. I even got in there, all pregnant... it was just too much fun to see Josh get so excited. It was quite warm that day, 85F, so I had to keep reminding him to drink water and take breaks... his little face was so read and he was sweating from all the jumping! We stayed as long we we could, 3-7pm... and I could tell Josh was getting tired, the crying after falling routine. So we left. On the way home, mind you only 15 minute drive, Josh let us know he had to go potty. So Jim pulled off to the side of the country road and I jumped out to let Josh go on the side of the road. After he peed, he then said, go poop mom? I said, um, no, we are going to have to wait on that till we get home. Thankfully he cooperated. Oh, and this was on the main road leaving the picnic, so at least 3 coworkers saw this whole thing. NICE! :) At least they all understand!