New Year's Eve

Well, I am taking a look back at what we have been up to the last few weeks...it has been busy.

Christmas was a blur, but Aunt Leone came to visit and spent quite a bit of quality time with both Matthew and with Alexandra.

We had a fun Christmas with Matt getting an art station to do chalk, white board markers and put up some paper to color, plus the whiteboard is magnetic so Matt can play with all sorts of magnetic animals that he got from Aunt Paige. Alexandra got some legos which of course Matt is all to happy to play with currently. We also got an ipod touch so when we travel it fits a bit better into the diaper bag and in the future when we need to two devices will do for Alexandra to have one while Matt has the other.

Following Christmas, we didn't do much but hang out with Aunt Leone and then of course the Baptism for Alexandra occurred on Saturday so we have more friends arrive with the Hutchinson's...that was lots of fun as it snowed and we got to enjoy the snow with Hanna and Bren. The snowmen they made in our back yard almost melted but with today's snow (Dec 31st) are probably going to stick around a bit longer now.

The baptism was great. Father Chris did a special occasion service for us as we had folks needed to leave on Sunday. In addition, my godmother, or Nannie as we call it back in Louisiana was there along with my Uncle Stan, and Jay's cousin Jeannie, her husband Eric and his cousin Christopher came and helped to entertain Matthew during the ceremony and take pictures for us.

Now for New Year's eve, I have a bottle of wine opened from Aunt Leone's trip for tonight and LSU is suppose to start their game around 630pm so it should keep us entertained for a bit. Probably won't make it to Midnight but will probably be up shortly after to feed Alexandra.

As we start 2013, Matthew is 22 months old, ~25 lbs and wearing 18months size clothes...some 24 month PJs but should soon be completely in 24 months stuff....
Alexandra is 2 months, ~11lbs and 24 inches. I am this week basically getting rid of her newborn and 0-3 months stuff....it is going to go the Once Upon a Child store along with my maternity clothes so hopefully I can get some money to spend on Alexandra's new wardobe as we are finding with this cold weather and her inability to keep socks on, it is nice to have the onesize with footies b/c then I don't have to worry about cold feet.

Well, it is official, my parents are no longer living in Ville Platte. It is strange to think of them as Las Vegas people and no longer Ville Plattians....but at least Vegas will be fun to visit and in fact this yoga conference I want and really need to attend to get this 4 day training done is going to be there in April so gotta make arrangements to get there so the free babysitting is available and maybe get a few extra days to enjoy the weather before it gets too hot.

Happy New year to all of you that read this...can't believe it is 2013! We don't have any huge plans ahead of us as we are not planning to move as I am not hoping to get to know St Louis a bit better before we buy a house here and just because we have moved so much over the last 3 years, I really want to stay put for a while...So feel free to visit, we hope to continue to enjoy the kid friendly activities here in St Louis and I am hopeful that maybe come Feb when I get both kids in daycare, I can get serious about getting my butt back into running shape for a half marathon or something fun.

More to come but until then, Have a wonderful New Year Celebration and GEAUX TIGERS!

6 weeks old today!

Well, it is official, Alexandra is 6 weeks old today. In addition, I am officially back to work with 3 classes online that started this week. I am lucky that it is on-line work and that for the first week, there is not any grading to really accomplish so I can ease back into the routine of work and interacting with students in the on-line format.

It seems crazy that our little girl is 6 weeks old already, but she is growing like a weed, tall and straight...she is a pretty good sleeper...during the day, if she can be held or put in the Moby carrier, she will sleep and at night she is actually pretty good as well, we get 4 hrs stretches for the most part and so I am getting some sleep.

Matthew has warmed up a bit to her, he has asked to hold her a time or two, I think just to be included in the mommy time she seems to always get but it is a start. He is also pretty protective of her when we go to daycare to pick him up. He does not like other kids to touch or get near her and will swat them away. So I guess already, he is a protective big brother.

We got the holiday cards I made with the pictures from our Sear's portraits. So hopefully I can get them addressed out and in the next week or so, I also have been getting lots of Matthew's art projects from daycare and need to get them in a keep sake box of some sort and organize pictures, finish putting the picture book/album together for Matthew that captures the last 2 yrs and oh yeah, Christmas stuff....

Which brings me to my first issue, so I wanted to get an ipod to basically put all the kids music on that would stay in the car or go in one of their rooms and fit into an alarm/radio device similar to my ipod and ihome player. Well the new ipod nano which I thought would work has a different little contraction for connecting to the computer and it is not compatible with the ihome system, so I went on apple and bought a converter and I am hoping this will work to let the new nano work in the ihome device....otherwise I guess this will have to be Jay's new toy as it is too small a screen to let the kids watch anything, if it doesn't work on the ihome device can't be used to listen to with our speakers so basically will only work with headphones and well Matt doesn't do headphones yet. So I am disappointed...with myself for not doing more research on this and figuring this out before I spend the $200....so now do I go ahead and get an old ipod or the itouch or do I wait and see if this will work or not....ugh...why do they change these standard things such as the connector?

ok, gotta go, little one is hungry

Dec 1st! Wow, it's December already???

Well, I have posted lots of pictures on Facebook, but need to do some updating on what is going on with us these days.

Alexandra hit 5 weeks last Wednesday, 28 NOV and is weighing-in at 9lbs and 12 oz, 23 inches long. so yeah, in 5 weeks we have put on almost 2 lbs since birth and 2 inches....she is at the 59th percentile for her weight and 95th for her height...that is me made over, I was always tall and skinny for my age until about 9th grade...that was when I stopped growing and hit 5'6"....wish I would have gotten another inch or two but oh well...

 These are some cute pictures from Alexandra this week, 5 weeks old. She looks good in purple if you ask me...I remember Purple was my favorite color as a child. I always wanted purple nightgowns and purple tooth-brushes...most things I had were hand-downs from my older siblings and cousins but for some reason I usually got a new nightgown and well, I always got a new toothbrush...thank goodness I didn't have to get a hand-down on that :)
So I am glad to see my little girl looks so good in purple...b/c I plan to deck her out in as much cute little purple as possible!

 Here are some 1 month photos...again, she looks so much like Matthew when you take away the colors, and the bows on her head...hopefully her hair will grow in soon and help give her a more girly look....otherwise I think like Matthew I am going to get lots of posts that she looks just like Uncle Johnny....or maybe if I can get more baby pictures of me and Leone posted we can at least say she is the spitting image of her mom and Aunt Leone.

So today I forced everyone to Sears for family and holiday pictures...we had some pictures taken a few days ago in the park and there are some amazing pictures of Matthew, but of course the LSU football is in almost all the pictures and our family pictures are not my favorite nor did we get really any good pictures of the two kids together...so my hope was to get a family picture and kid together pictures....we were successful in we got pictures but Matthew was so focused on wanted to get the football and basketball in the studio that he was not wanting to smile and most of his pictures are of us taking the ball away and trying to get him to smile with bribery of you can have the ball back in a minute....didn't always work

 I love how her little leg is creeping up and about to be hidden in her dress! She was a relatively good sport. I wanted to do Mommy and kid pictures and then Daddy and kid pictures but Matt was at his limit and well it was super busy so it was probably in my best interest that we quit when we did b/c it took me an hour to get the holiday package ordered.

 Matt was more willing to do these pictures as he got to pet Alexandra's head, of course very quickly it turned into slapping and he did make her cry so that is why we only really got the one pose and 3 pictures

 He was watching the ball that Jay and I are spinning in front of him to try and get him to smile...it kinda worked...at least his had is not in his mouth as it was for some of our family pictures.

I never know what to get and there are sooo many options...I had the guy helping me save some images with these special effects/finishes so I can at least have them to print at a later date if anyone wants this type of  look...I really prefer the normal pictures, but that is just me.

So now I made a holiday card but of course or holiday package form Sear's included 10 cards so I have 10 cards to send to some folks and then our more personalized card that I typed a little message in for folks rather than just sending a picture....I love getting Christmas cards/Holiday cards, especially when I get insight into my friends and family and how their year went. It also helps to get the kids' names again as I am sorry to say I can't keep up and forget in many cases the names and genders of the kids...so our card has names so you can at least for a few days maybe remember I have Matthew, almost 2 and Alexandra, who is just a month old.

ok, I am off tonight to finally see Breaking Dawn, the Twilight movie!! YEAH! First, it is my first movie since moving to St. Louis and it is a girl's night out with my new St Louis friend Katie Hotard....Thanks to Jay for being willing to stick around and put Matt to bed and then deal with Alexandra...she has of course been sleeping most of today, which is great b/c I have gotten so much done on-line but it might be a really rough night for me...well, a small price to pay for a few hours of guilty pleasure and getting to eat popcorn while watching the final movie...now if only I can get someone to babysit both kids in 2 week so Jay and I can do the Hobbit together????

We haven't gotten our Christmas Tree yet, waiting for the weekend of the 14th so that way if Matthew is bent on playing in it similar to how he has to play in the plant, we only have to deal with that for 2-3 weeks.
More to come, I know, Santa pictures are next, maybe next weekend I can take the kids to the mall and do that chore.

Running Again!

Wednesday, Nov 21st was officially 4 weeks. I am now back to running...well walk/run type of running...I did my first 2 mile run yesterday with 3 walk breaks and did 2 miles in 22:08.
It was great...feeling slightly sore, but the good sore today and went back out this morning for my own Turkey trot and did the 2 mile course through my neighborhood and the walk breaks were less and the run was faster...2 miles in  21:09.
Tomorrow will ride the bike to give the legs a break and try to get 30 minutes or more in plus some weights. I am excited to be able to run, Feb was a long time ago since I was able to do something like this and I have asked Santa for new running shoes as my brooks are worn from dealing with me over the last 10 months wearing them with all that extra weight.

While I haven't decided on any races in the near future...mainly b/c I don't think I will be consistent on running until I get Alexandra in Daycare, I am thinking this Spring to maybe find a 10km at least, maybe even the 1/2 marathon in April...just will have to see how things go with the weather and my training...hopefully I can at least get runs on the weekends and maybe once during the week when I have a babysitter or can enlist someone to watch Alexandra and Matthew for me if Jay is late....otherwise...hopefully we get into a routine with the morning feedings and maybe I could manage a quick run at 5 or 530am before Jay has to get going to work....but goodness, it has been a while since I was up running that early so it might be tough to get back into that mode....but might be necessary to try once or twice a week to at least get runs in if I do figure out my race to train for this Spring.

Happy Thanksgiving...we are cooking a very simple meal, turkey, mashed potatoes, a box of 5 minute stove-top stuffing, and green beans....keeping it simple...have desserts from the Time for Dinner place here in St. Louis...the saving grace for us the past few weeks for food...I have a pumpkin gooey butter cake that is some type of St Louis thing...gooey butter cake...never tried it but saved it so we have something pumpkin for dessert...have 2 peanut butter pies which Jay and I have had and enjoy way too much....plus Mom made oatmeal cookies and we have company joining us for dinner who might bring another pie...plus whip cream in the fridge...so I think we are good to go...my goal is Saturday to make a Gumbo of whatever we don't eat on this 15 lb turkey we bought...yep, we have this huge bird b/c it was the smallest there at the 88 cents per pound price...the other smaller ones in a different brand were 1.22 per pound so we decided to just get the smallest one we could find of the cheaper turkey and just enjoy a gumbo withe leftovers....Jay and I are big gumbo fans and the weather on Friday will turn cold here and possibly flurries of Snow by Sunday or Monday so I definitely think this qualifies as gumbo weather!

I am hopeful that Matthew might eat some turkey...he is hit and miss at times on poultry...also on mashed potatoes...the daycare folks say he loves them at school but I don't usually get him to eat them here...and I make them from scratch with real butter, milk etc...so he either doesn't like the home-aide kind or is just difficult with me....like last night...Granny (my mom) and Granddad offered to take Alexandra for the night and do the feedings...so yeah, Jay and I were going to get some sleep...well except for when I would wake up to pump...but of course..Matthew woke up screaming at 1230....it took an hour to get him to settle back down...and that included both Jay and I up, reading, changing his diaper, taking him downstairs to rock, giving him water to drink....finally at 130 am we put him back in bed...he cried for another 15-20 minutes...so not sure what was up...maybe a nightmare or just a tantrum....then up at 630 am with a bright smile and great mood....again, not sure what happened but still with that hour up and pumping, it was still a good night of sleep....hopefully tonight will be another good night...without the Matthew tantrum at 1230 am...plan is to take him to the park and wear his butt out before nap-time and again after nap-time....

Well, will post pictures later...on facebook of hopefully a wonderful and tantrum free day!

21 Months and 3 Weeks old kiddies!

Well, yesterday was a big day, Matthew hit the 21 month mark and Alexandra is officially 3 weeks old.

 This picture is actually from the 1st of Nov so Alex is actually 2 weeks old. She is finally no longer yellow and was putting on weight....Mommy was having fun putting her in pink...kinda overdid it with pink outfit, pink bow and the blanket....

 Again, 2 weeks old...growing into her face and her body....still wearing new born size clothes. Mostly legs and arms, she is long and skinny like Matthew.

 Officially 3 weeks old, wearing some of the gender neutral clothes that I bought before we knew what we were having...Matthew lived in these sleeper-footie outfits and Alex finally is fitting somewhat in the 0-3 month size...the length is perfect, but b/c she is so skinny she somewhat doesn't fill it out...the New Born size footie outfits are getting a bit tight if she wants to stretch out and extend her legs...so basically have one or two more wears in them and then they will have to get packed up....kinda sad....already having to pack up clothes at just 3 weeks.

 Matt did not want to cooperate on the pictures...he kept pulling off the sticker and giving me the frown face...so decided I would just try again the next morning...this was 14 Nov, officially 21 months....he had a great day at daycare and is loving this Marching song at daycare and walks around the house saying "March, March"

A Much more cooperative boy, but at least he didn't pull the sticker off constantly and I got an almost smile here....officially my picture taking boy is gone...I guess it has started...hopefully he will be more cooperative come family picture day which I need to call and schedule....
Looks like Sears portraits is running the best deal. So I got a cute little red dress for Alexandra and need idea...what should I put Matt in for the picture? do I do a red shirt for him or try to do White? Green? I guess this is where having 2 kids of the same gender is really to your advantage, you can dress them alike but the sizes are different.

As for size on Matthew...he is definitely getting taller and still not filling out that much...we tried some 18 month size pants on and again, still too big on the waist and he pulls them off...so he is still basically wearing his 12 month size pants which are totally Capri looking/high water...but he is eating quite a bit these days so I am keeping my fingers crossed he fills out some so we can finally get him into his 18 month pants...before they are too high-water as well....shirts....the 18 months size are fitting but some of those are getting small to get over his head...and his PJs are actually 24 month size...we just got these really cute Elmo fleece PJs and he loving them! We did go ahead and get some 2T sized stuff b/c it looks like in PJs which seem to run tight and small are about to be too small....crazy huh, 12 month pants, 18 month shirts, 24 month PJs.

As for Queenie...she is doing great, loves the quiet time when Matthew is at daycare and Alexandra is taking a nap and she gets her Mommy Time! Plus loving the sleeping in bed with Mommy while Daddy is in the other room...but the barking at Daddy in the middle of the night and waking mommy up is killing me.

2 Weeks Today!

Wow, how time is flying...can't believe Alexandra has been with us for 2 weeks already! So far things are good, we are getting 3-4 hour stretches at night with a feeding...the worst is the 430am feeding...by the time I finish and she is falling somewhat asleep...it is 5 am and with daylight savings time, I hear Matthew talking so do I go ahead and get up and give Matthew some attention or not.....this morning I opted for another 15-20 minutes of sleep and Matthew started knocking and whining around 6am....so hopefully he will adjust to the time-shift and get back to 6-7am wake-ups and not this 5-6am....

As for everything else, it is going ok. Alexandra is feeding, sleeping, and producing the wet/BM diapers according to normal standards...Matt is jealous and difficult but it is to be expected....We got some advice that we should get Matt a doll so he can mimick what I am doing with the baby??? Any thoughts?? He has plenty of stuffed animals so their is this side of me that is "not another toy" but if it works at getting him to handle the situation of a new baby better I am open to the idea...just wondering what others have done with a not quite 2 yrs old when a new baby enters the picture.

As for the weight...it is stabilized...I have to lose 16lbs to get back to pre-pregnancy weight....not too bad. Was going to start my workouts back up this morning but a hiccup with Jay forgetting his phone and having to drive it to him plus meet folks at his work took a chunk out of morning nap time for me so now I am losing motivation...so Tomorrow...the 2 week lay-off will officially end and I will start slowly by just getting 15 or so minutes on the bike and some gentle yoga....Goal will be in a few weeks to get back to 30 or so minutes on the bike and some more advanced strength and core work through yoga and weights.

Here are some pictures from last week...yep, I know I will get on it for this week...in fact will take some in a bit here for 2 weeks...and will get them on facebook hopefully by tomorrow.
The yellow in her face has gone almost all away and she is filled out a bit more...she is really long and skinny so about to have to move to the 0-3 months clothes for the length but they sorta overpower her b/c she is not really filling out the clothes...

Looks like she will be a blond and bluish on the eyes...she started to follow sounds today, when she heard the vacuum cleaner, she turned her head to look for it and while people talk she is appearing to turn her head towards the voice....facial expressions are also beginning to appear. I think she has smiled a bit at me, especially following a feeding where the full belly certainly helps to make a happy baby.

Well that is about all.
More to come I am sure by next week.

Alexandra Leone Granier

It has been a while but we are excited to Welcome Alexandra Leone Granier! She arrived on 24 OCT at 1951 or 7:51pm weighing 7lbs 13 oz, 21 inches long....I WAS RIGHT!!! Take that Maternal Fetal Medicine! She was not this 9-10 lbs baby they kept threatening I would have...and I kept my blood sugars under control without their meds they kept trying to force me to take....so there you go! Don't mess with an overachiever physiology type!

On Friday, we left the hospital with Alexandra weighing 7lbs 6 oz and slightly jaundice...but nothing that required a photoblanket like last time. On Monday at her first well baby appointment she was at 7lbs 4 oz so I have to take her back tomorrow (Thursday) to check and see if her weight has stabilized and to ensure she is not getting dehydrated....her poop is not the right color and I think the wet diapers are not indicating actual feedings not the water loss following birth and her eating every 2 hrs or so appears to indicated all is well and that Monday morning I was just a bit too early for that appointment as my milk has come and things are progressing.

Must say, this second time around is much better, I guess having done it before helps, having mom here to deal with some things and help with Matthew, and who knows...maybe Alexandra will be a great sleeper....it so far is not as crushingly overwhelming as last time.

In other good news, my final weight before birth was 192 lbs so a 43 lbs weight gain....Saturday morning I was 178lbs and Monday was down to 171lbs...so the excess fluid (and did I mention I had a lot of fluid which was why my labor lasted longer than Matthew....dang fluid) I think has left my system....This morning I was 168....can't believe it....I was in the 160s at the 4 month mark with Matthew....I hovered in the high 170s for a while...but of course I was topped off at 207 so 15 more lbs of weight gain....here is to hoping the weight loss goes easier this time....or at least I get closer to goal weight with minimal effort due to my changed eating habits and busier schedule with Matthew and Alexandra to keep me busy...oh and Queenie too!

My dad arrived last night and met his new Granddaughter...he is here to drive mom home on Friday....I will miss her, but Matthew I think is really going to miss her....she has read and read and read book after book to that kid, bathed him, taken him outside when the weather isn't too terrible and walked, pulled a wagon, pushed a stroller....that kid has had her undivided attention and enjoyed every minute of it....he is going to miss her terribly....Guess she needs to hurry up, find that Vegas house, move and then get back here for another 10 days or so to spoil Matthew....

I hope to get a family picture together one of these days...maybe when Grandpa Joe gets here and when I have time to hopefully get rid of the dark circles and exhaustion written on my face...plus Alexandra gets the yellow mostly resolved...will post when we finally get to it. Until then, here is Matthew with his sister on the first morning here at home.

We are encouraging Matthew to call her Sissy! Alex seems to be the nickname picked up by most folks but I am going to try and do Alexandra until I figure out what nickname fits....

That is about it for now....more to come I am sure in the coming weeks!

24 hrs countdown to new addition

Well, I made it to 39 weeks 1 day and still no action on this baby coming completely naturally. Due to my gestational diabetes my doctor would like to induce to prevent this kid getting too much bigger (8lbs 6 oz as of Thursday 18 OCT) and the head to ab ratio was right where it should be around .93....the problem, I guess the hospital is expecting a lot of C-sections or planned inductions b/c they couldn't get us a dedicated spot for Tuesday morning or afternoon so we have to wait for them to call us and let us know when we can come in....so depending on how tomorrow goes, I will either have a baby tomorrow evening (if this progresses quickly as everyone says the 2nd birth usually goes) or Wednesday morning in the wee hours I guess our new addition will arrive.

If you know me, you know how much I like to sleep and how I do not like my sleep cycle interrupted so I am really hoping for the first option....plus I don't want to be in labor for that long....so keep your fingers crossed that the induction goes off without a hitch, I respond and this birth is uneventful....also pray that the baby is really not 9lbs which the maternal fetal med folks kept hinting it would be despite my ability to keep my blood sugars under control the entire 9 weeks I dealt with this diabetes thing....I would love to say "I TOLD YOU SO" to those folks when they kept giving me eye roll when I told them I just don't believe this kid can be that big...I am not as big as last time and I don't feel like this kid is that big.....well judgement day is right around the corner.

I do not know the sex, really, we made it through the pregnancy without finding out, I am super excited to find out but don't ask if we settled on a name b/c well we haven't....we narrowed it down at least on the boys side but the girl side is not even close....it may really be the last minute before we figure out what to call the kid....if you know me, that is so not my way but I am actually ok with not having the name figured out (surprise)

I will officially weigh myself tomorrow morning so I can get a final figure of total weight gain and take a measurement of my belly so I can then start goal setting for the post pregnancy fun of losing the weight and getting my body back....while I have been really good on my diet, I am sad to report I might go a little crazy for a week or two when I can finally have halloween treats, cookies and other delights I have denied myself for the last 9 weeks...the baby needs the fat b/c they still have a developing nervous system and well I don't care if I actually gain a few pounds, after the denial and torture of the blood sugar regulation and the crap I put up with for the maternal med folks...I am going to enjoy a splurge....I am pretty sure I am not even close to 200 nor 207 which was my weight the day I went to the hospital for Matthew so I have a few lbs to let myself enjoy a treat after the job well done the last 9 weeks. At least I am telling myself this so don't give me a lecture or anything b/c I DON'T CARE, I WILL EAT WHAT I WANT FOR A LITTLE WHILE TO GET IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM.

My mom is finally here and already Matthew is having a blast, first Lara visited and he was enjoying her company and spoiling, now Granny is here and already he is getting her to do whatever he wants...so it appears he is going to probably enjoy the next few weeks of visitors and family....maybe it will cushion the blow that mommy will be a shared item in a few short hours.

Well, I am hopeful that it all goes as I think it should in my head. If you need an update look for facebook updates if I get a connection at the hospital, or Jay, Mom or my Nannie (Aunt Pat) to be in the loop.
Thanks for all the support, prayers and fingers crossed....
Elizabeth

Oct 14th, 20 months celebration and 38 weeks prego

Well, it has been a while since my last blog-post. I have been busy, I started back teaching a class which has been great b/c it has helped me feel like I contribute again to this great big world and my family fiances....I have been prepping for the baby and while I got Gestational Diabetes this time and had to see yet another set of doctors and nurses for blood sugar monitoring and baby growth monitoring, it has been a busy few weeks.

We are finally settled into Ballwin MO....The piano is fixed, it has new pedals and I plan to get the guts redone for Christmas....in case you don't know, this piano has been in my family for years, it is the piano my Grandmother Winnie Dimiterchik bought back in the 1950's so my mom and Aunt Karen could learn to play. Then Mom had it for Leone and I to learn to play on and somehow it has ended up in my house (finally) and I am not trying to do some work on it since it has been a while since it has had major work done to make it somewhat re-furbished and truly a family heirloom for my grandkids to possibly learn to play on when it is their time.

As you can see, Matthew is already pretty excited to "Tickle the Ivories" and show off his impressive hand pounding skills!

Also since my last post, family has visited, Matthew has now been to the St Louis zoo quite a bit and we have seen all or almost all of the exhibits. He likes the elephants, the sea lion tunnel and basically anything that gets him really close to the animals but doesn't force him to touch them. He was not a fan of the sting-ray and shark tank, he did not want to touch them nor stick his hands in the water.
Grant's farm was a pleasant surprise: We went with our friends the Hotard's and really enjoyed it. He helped feed some goats, checked out some birds, of course there were Blue ones so he was in heaven and the birds of prey show/animal show he really enjoyed but the best and what he still signs/talks about is the elephant education class we watched. He loved watching the elephant eat and orange, blow up a balloon and spray water all over.
Of course we have also done the Bird Sanctuary again, which is another treat for our bird-loving boy. Grandpa Joe visited and they did that (again) which of course allowed him to see and get up close to some amazing birds.

So 20 months on the 14th. Matthew is weighing-in on our home scale at 25lbs. He is still in 12 month pants as that is what fits his waist, the 18 months are just to big in the waist...problem we now face is many of the 12 months stuff are "high-water" or at his ankles....so hopefully a growth spurt (outward a bit in the waist) will occur soon so we can get him into his 18 months stuff....who would have thought, he would be in 12 months pants since well March....all the cute shorts and summer outfits we bought just got worn for the tops, and not the bottoms....luckily we got some winter/fall stuff from Aunt Jamee and Uncle Johnny so we have 18 month long sleeve stuff plus a few sweaters....

For halloween, I found another Monkey costume at Old Navy so this year again he will sport his monkey gear. I searched for a bird so some sort but could not for the life of me find a bird costume for my bird loving boy....as it is, angry birds stuff usually doesn't come in stuff less than 24 months or 2T and that is still a bit big...and Rio the movie he loves but is old doesn't really have gear to buy either....I am actually hoping that we can get the finding Nemo DVD and get him on Fish here in the future to just change it up for me at least...gosh Rio in the car, Rio at home....we watch this movie everyday....it does finally get old!

As for me, the baby is coming on the 22nd, at 39 weeks 1 day if not naturally sooner. As I got gestational diabetes and despite my best efforts on the diet, exercise routine and everything else, I supposedly will have this huge baby, which isn't the end of the world, but from the last ultrasound at 36 weeks (4 OCT), what is worrying the OB and the Maternal Fetal Med folks is the hip/shoulder/belly size compared to the head. Supposedly my kid has taken any and all glucose I have provided (which hasn't really been much as I feel like I am eating almost an atkins type of diet so low to moderate carb intake) and put it straight to its' belly....so the fear is I could push out a head but the baby would get stuck making a very big emergency situation that could lead to shoulder or hip problems for the baby that could be long-term or an emergency C-section surgery....so you labor for a few hours and end up with surgery and all that drama anyway....
So this week, the 18th is our decision day to look at the ultrasound, hope that the error that occurs at this point in measurements is on our side and the baby is really not that big, the belly/shoulder/hips are not really that huge and inducing a delivery is possibly....I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes naturally before Monday so I can possibly experience "natural" labor pains and not the chemically induced ones...I mean if you have 2 kids and you can't say you ever really experience a normal labor pain, that just doesn't seem right to me....

Still no idea on the gender, we are I think almost settled on a boy's name but the girl first name is not even close...we looked (again) at the baby book of names for ideas but just can't seem to agree and settle on something we both like....so don't ask, we don't know for sure the name....guess we have until Tuesday or Wednesday next week to figure it out as that is usually when those birth certificate and social security people come knocking and bothering you right??


Here area  few pictures of Matthew and one of me at 38 weeks.

 Sporting his 20 months sticker, he is 25 lbs and officially 20 months old as of 14 OCT

 So some of our baby gear is out and about in prep for the new arrival but Matthew likes to try and utilize it as well, this is him in the bumbo seat, he also likes to get into the baby's car seat. I think he is in for a huge adjustment once the newby arrives. Luckily our great friend Lara is coming to visit this weekend who was present at Matthew's birth to help entertain and spoil him and then Granny Julia is coming on Sunday for 10 days or so to really give Matthew some attention while I deal with the fun of a newborn.

I just can't believe I am really carrying this monster baby inside me, I don't feel as big as last time, I haven't gain as much weight, I am not as swollen and I can still see my feet and for the most part, put my socks, shoes and pants on without any problems....I really think I have that measurement error in my favor and this baby isn't as big as the ultrasound predicts...we shall of course find out in a week. The good news, at 190 or so lbs, I am 17 lbs less than last pregnancy. 190 was were I started my weight loss journal post Matthew so already I am ahead of the game for this post-pregnancy weight loss....I can't wait for spring to get back into biking, running and hopefully Tri's!

Well, it is a pretty long update but that is what is going on with us. Jay is enjoying the aspects of the job, of course he is still figuring his way through things....the commute is much like Richmond, about 30-45 minutes on a bad day....25-30 on a quiet or early morning or late coming home day...I am planning to start stalking a few of the college websites for St Louis to hopefully find a teaching job for next August...I would even settle for adjunct if it was a day teaching position and not night or weekend school....but hopefully by next August I am going to be back into the work-force.

I guess I shall try to update this again next week once we get home and have pictures of our newest family member.
I am thinking of trying to get family pictures taken around Mid to late November so Christmas/Holiday cards can go out with pictures of the 2 kids for everyone to enjoy....bear with me if that doesn't happen as I have this really great plan in my head of getting all this done but this kid could have other ideas and make accomplishing these goals difficult....

Thanks for reading and of course, keep an eye on facebook or in-touch with my mom, Lara or Jay for more information in the coming week.
Happy Halloween, I am somewhat disappointed this won't be a Halloween baby as it would be cool to have a Valentine and Halloween holiday baby...makes it easier for folks to remember as well. Oh well, the 22nd is a special day as it is my God-mother/Nannies Birthday and well the 22nd of March is my birthday so 22 can't be a bad number.

ok, I am really done, now!

Sept 14, 2012, 19 months old and 33 weeks pregnant

Well we made it to Sept and the cool down here in St. Louis is finally here! 70's all weekend and afternoon walks that don't make me miserably hot!

Matthew is officially 19 months today and he must have known it was a picture day b/c he was up around 6 am this morning. Jay got up to possibly workout but it was raining so he had to use our spin bike in the basement and on his way back up to shower and get ready for work, he heard Matthew talking and playing in his room...I was sound asleep of course...until Queenie started barking at them for waking her up and then my little 19 month old running up to me demanding music and "up" so he wanted up in the bed or for me to hold him....wasn't sure as I was still half asleep.

So at 630 this morning here we are taking pictures of Matthew with his 19 month sticker. Of course his new thing it to play with his Daddy's shoes, especially the ones with laces so I had to get one of him trying to wear the shoes...you might not be able to tell but he has them on the wrong feet, but we can work on left/right later....we are working on colors these days...and the Movie Rio is his favorite so of course everything is usually Blue....but with some help he sometimes gets green, red and yellow....we are also working on counting...after one he most of the time get something out that sounds like two but three and four are not always understandable.

 Here we managed to get a happy picture at 630 sitting on the couch. Can't believe 19 months and just about 5-6 weeks before a new little one arrives.

Since we were all up and Daddy was dressed for work we got one of the boys...some mornings Matthew insists on watching Daddy get in the car in the garage, and drive off, this was a morning where his running shoes and books were just more interesting but we managed to get a picture and Matthew is somewhat smiling...notice we are holding his right hand, his last 2 bottom I teeth are coming in so he is usually walking around with a finger in his mouth and lots of drool.

As for me, I hit 34 weeks on Sunday so closer and closer to Oct 28th. I am feeling great considering I am running after a 19 month old. I am trying to be a bit more active this time around as I am not teaching everyday like last time and we do have that great spin bike in the basement. Also taking Matthew for a walk everyday after his nap, which is for 2 purposes...to keep him from demanding Rio, his bird movie on the TV and to get him outside but also to get poor Queenie outside for a few minutes so she can do her business....we are starting to talk about potty stuff so going with Queenie in the afternoon on these walks gives us a chance to talk about going to the potty....He really doesn't have an interest but hopefully all this talking will at least get him familiar with the vocabulary for when he does start to show an interest. Daycare doesn't really start the potty training until 2 yrs so I am not really in a rush since it defeats the purpose to push it at home if they don't do it at school.

I did manage to get a few pictures of Matthew and I...he is not really aware of the baby in my belly but we go 2 books from Leah at the daycare to read which are about a new baby coming home. He is really into the cartoon picture book but not sure if he is really grasping the content.

 So here is 32 weeks, from Sept 2nd and Matthew is wearing the first long sleeve shirt as we had a cool down that day. It went back up after a few days but it was nice to have 70's for a few days.

Here is last Sunday when I am 33 weeks. I was about to head down to the basement for my 20 minutes spin on the bike and got him to actually hug me around the belly. Again, he is not really aware but he does love his mommy! So far I have gained 40lbs. I found out 2 weeks ago I was Gestational Diabetic (Really not completely convinced b/c I was so close to the threshold at both time-points) but I am following a strict diet and taking my blood sugar readings 4-5 times a day....have for the most part not had really high readings except when I ate pizza and white rice....I mean who wouldn't have a high reading and still it wasn't that bad....
So yeah, not completely convinced but it has caused Jay and I to do a better job on our diets the last 3 weeks and thus I have not really gained much weight over the last 3 weeks. Baby is still measuring a week or 2 ahead of where my due date puts things but it was like that at 20 weeks back in VA so I am not overly concerned....yet...now at 38 weeks if this kid looks huge and I am having problems with my blood sugars I guess I will have that conversation about inducing and stuff....but for the most part I have tried to approach this whole GDM as a science project and have fun with it!

Well, we are looking forward to the weekend. We are hosting a Gumbo for some of our neighbors and a few of the friends we have made here in St Louis....Trying to make friends and if we really need help with walking Queenie or Matthew when go time comes along....plus it is finally cooling off so it is totally Gumbo Weather!

Well it is 8am and time to do a blood sugar, ugh...change a stinky diaper and get Matthew to school so I can then go to the grocery store to get our supplies for the party and week.
I am sorry I haven't been as good about posting but really we haven't done much with Jay being on-call last week and working like a mad-man with his co-worker on vacation. I hope to do better once the new one arrives and Matthew is full day at the daycare so I have a bit more time to update and other stuff.

Hope you have a great weekend and if you are in St Louis and have a craving for Gumbo...Saturday 530pm, let me know!

August Changes, prepping for new arrival-

So trying to reason and explain things to an 18 month old is a waste of time. Over the last few months we have tried to tell Matt there is a baby in mommy's belly so it is not ok to kick, climb, crawl or in anyway apply your body weight/pressure to her belly....he just doesn't get it. Also trying to get him to do big-boy things, climb downstairs (supervised of course), climb upstairs and just in general not demand and throw a fit to be constantly held by mommy....in fact trying to let the picking up and holding be a "daddy thing" so it won't be as huge a shock in a few months when new baby arrives and Matt doesn't get mommy's undivided attention. This is not going so well as this kid just has the Fontenot and I am pretty sure the Granier stubborn streak.
Throw in the toddler bed, the removal of all bottles and in the last week the pacifier is no longer given and you have a very cranky boy, especially at nap and bed time. As I type this, he has been in his room for a nap for an hour now. The entire hour he has knocked on his door, screamed, cried, sang songs, played with door stopper and I am sure pulled all his books off the shelf and probably gotten into his closet and pulled out whatever clothes he could grab....it is probably a huge mess and he is still not going to sleep....luckily mommy does have some will power and will leave him up there until at least 3 pm whether he takes the nap or not so another hour and 15 minutes at least. Hopefully he will get tired eventually and go crawl in his bed and sleep....you know the minute I would put him in the car he would crash but doesn't seem to want to sleep right now and it doesn't help that the phone is ringing non-stop with solicitors...I thought if you went and did the DO NOT CALL think on line that got rid of this crap, guess not...if I get that recording of "the FBI reports break-ins near our address..." one more time I think I might lose it...why would the FBI record local area break-ins? Why would you call me?  can you be more transparent that this is probably a hoax of some sort?

At least it is Friday, although Jay is at work without his co-worker so that probably means a longer day, then fighting traffic home so a later arrival...but tomorrow we are off to the BabiesRUs trade-in thing to get a new car seat and pack-n-play for the new baby. B/c our stuff has endured 1. Matthew, 2. 2 moves in 18 months and 3. this kid needs a few new things we are going to trade in some of our stuff for 25% off of the new stuff.  Granted this kid can do with hand-downs of a lot of things but this way at least the car seat and pack-n-play will be new and fresh for only this little one's blow-outs and spit-ups. I think the high chair will get traded in the next go-around in Feb b/c Matt is a food thrower and this chair despite the washing and my diligence to keep it as clean as possible is just going to be trashed by the time baby #2 is ready for a high chair...so Feb when they do this again I am going to get another high-chair. The stroller is still up in the air, We have a small pop-up/umbrella stroller we use right now for Matthew and I have his old base that fits the car-seat for an infant type stroller...the question is do I go ahead and get a dual stroller that has a spot for the car-seat and also Matt or do I hold off on this and just make Matt walk (see paragraph 1 on issues with Matt accepting big-boy responsibilities) while I then push baby 2 in the infant stroller?? Then there is the thought, when do I use or need my stroller, well usually at the zoo or some other family adventure and usually Jay and I are together so we could just have the 2 stroller, Matt in one and baby in other and each of us then pushing....so thoughts/advice/ideas? Do I go ahead and get something that is for 2 and does anyone has a recommendation on a great 2 kid stroller, one being baby and the second being a stubborn toddler....

Ok, it has finally got quiet up there, maybe this kid is finally asleep, one can only hope!
Next doctors appointment is 30 August, so hopefully everything continues to progress!
31 weeks, 9 more give or take a week or 2 to go!

Happy Birthday to my Nephew Evan!

So today is my nephew Evan's birthday. I am not the best Aunt as I just remembered yesterday and got his card in the mail today....yep, even my nephews get forgotten so if I have missed your birthday please know it is not personal and you are not alone....sorry again to my brother and sister-in-law....luckily Evan is 2 today so I hope he doesn't notice and I hope to do better in the future!

So Jay had his first day at work yesterday where he actually got to get into his office (which he has to share with his co-worker) and starting to meet the therapist and other staff. He will start getting patients assigned to him over the next few days so by next week he will be full up on his "big-adult" job!

So I know many of my VP family and friends know but my parents are trying to relocate to Vegas and yesterday movers picked up some of the furniture that is my bounty of stuff....the cool thing is I finally get the piano that my mom and aunt learned to play plus both my sister and I  learned on...so the cool thing is my children will of course be forced to take lessons and will learn on...a 3rd generation...I just need to find a good piano tuner as this is like a grand piano it is an old upright so has long strings and somewhat difficult to get to as it is upright so the strings run up/down vs horizontal like a baby grand.

Mom is unloading some of her depression glass and other keepsakes from my grandmothers and great grandmother...she has this display cabinet coming and originally I told her 2 of the 4 shelves she could have to display the stuff she wanted me to have...of course with all the stuff and her treasures...I think she has 3 shelves and maybe even enough stuff for all 4 of the shelves....those of you that know my mom are probably chuckling and not surprised...she does lover her treasures....I think she told me she has at least one shelf is a pink glass shelf and one is a green....so if there is any yellow or blue I am sure that is the third....then add in the cut glass and other stuff and probably all 4 are done....so if you ever come visit, make sure you look at my mom's "treasures" which will be on display for all to see.

In other news, tomorrow is also the day we can go get our new at home spin bike....yeah with the access to a gym being difficult and not really practical for me right now we bought a spin bike and it should be ready tomorrow for us....I am so excited as this way I can start back to working out 10-15 minutes and then post baby really getting back in shape as this move has killed my plan to not gain 50 lbs...I am 28 weeks and already at 30 lbs on weight gain and 12 weeks left...I am worried that I might get up to 200lbs again...oh well, at least this way I have a bike here plus it should be cool by Jan right so I should also be able to start running outside vs right now with our 100+ days of weather.

So, the house is really coming together and really, come visit, anyone, we will have a guest room, 2 single beds plus an air mattress and we allow dogs so really, if you find yourself driving across country and need a place to crash, please let me know!!!
ok, gotta go get my lunch made so I can pick Matt up from daycare and begin another afternoon from hell...so far the move has really changed up his schedule and the afternoons which use to be 2 hrs of sleeping are no longer and with the heat and trapped in this house it just becomes a long and crazy afternoon for a preggers mommy that just wants to take a nap...also a traumatic afternoon for poor Queenie who gets chased, hit and attacked when within arms/hands reach of Matt...time out is not working so well as he thinks it is fun and smiles and spanking hands and butt are not all that effective either...just a few tough months I know...but couldn't the terrible two's wait for him to actually be 2 yrs old?

July 30, 2012, Jay is back to work!

Well, It is Monday and Jay is back to the grind after a few very busy weeks of moving, dealing with heat and a very quick trip to Louisiana to see family, friends and catch some fish....
Matthew also had a big adventure this morning as I dropped him off at Daycare for half the day. We decided to enroll him now and get him on a routine of going to school half the day so when baby #2 arrives in October Matthew has a schedule and routine that hopefully will be kept and help with the transition of a new arrival....but boy....he did not want out of the car, started screaming/crying big fat tears when I got him inside and was really throwing a fit...too bad they don't have an ipad for him to play with there b/c he was asking for mine this morning immediately after waking up....this kid is already addicted to technology. I know it will take a few days but boy it is tough to leave him so upset and crying at daycare.

So we lost power for a few seconds yesterday and everything came back on except our master bathroom outlets. For the life of me I could not figure out where the GCI reset outlet was, did the circuit breaker switch a few times for almost everything related to upstairs and still no luck...so our handyman came by this morning to put the new screens on the windows that were broken and of course in like 2 seconds he finds the outlet in the hall bathroom, resets it and the outlets work....gosh an hour lost last night trying to figure that out...still can't seem to figure out the huge noise that comes with using the shower or toilet for upstairs but our handyman thinks with the house staying empty for a few months it might just be some water in the line that is trying to work itself out....and the doorbell is broken but it appears it is fixable....the garbage disposal...had paint and other stuff caked in there (so we didn't do it, it was the owner folks who clogged it up) and we are at least able to get that working again....so some minor success....

I also got Jay's bike fixed...he is having issues with gear shifting so I think I need to give him another lesson on how to do the shimano shifters so he doesn't keep getting stuck in the little chain ring up front and in back....and I changed the tube on the front tire and b/c it wasn't holding air and there was a hole in it so score one for me, I can change at least the front wheel tube if a flat tire occurs....if the back tire, call me a cab b/c I am not going to try to get that wheel off the bike much less the tube out. Gotta go check a box downstairs to see if I have more tubes and flat changing tools around as now I am out of tubes in my tri-bag kit and before I got buy more bike gear, I want to take inventory of what I have....Jay's bike probably needs a tune-up so might just have to take it in anyway in a few weeks plus mine but for now it is working and allowing him to ride a bit around here so he can avoid a gym membership. Although we went yesterday and splurged on a spin bike for the house so this way I can get some exercise as well and again, avoid a costly gym membership while preggers and then after the pregnancy for a bit when the new baby is around...then hopefully when we decide to buy and hopefully find a gym close to our new place we can do the gym membership thing....but I am super excited about our new spin bike and know exactly where it will go downstairs in the kitchen area where it is nice and cool....may need to look into getting a few small free weights for Jay so he can do a few other things in addition to cardio...but between walking, running, biking outside and now biking inside I think we have some ability to do workouts at home....

That is about it for us. More to come on Jay's work and new job....I am 27 weeks and 180 lbs....shot up 12 lbs in the last 7 weeks as this move, this heat, this stress associated with move (plus loss of a gym membership), and bad eating habits on the road and for a few days here without food in the house has taken its toll....but hopefully I can get back ontrack now that we are all getting into a routine and I can possibly prevent too much more weight gain...I am at 30 lbs now and still 13 weeks to go....was hoping this pregnancy to not gain 50 lbs like last time but it is not looking good for that....200 lbs may get hit again....oh well, just means I will have to do better on the flip side like last time to get back down around 150 and under....

Feeling really proud of myself on changing the bike tire, 27 weeks preggers and in 10 minutes or so...I know it is not going to get me a job as a flat tire changer on the tour or any other professional bike circuit but at least it lets me feel that I can do something and avoids at this time a trip to the bike shop! Go me!

St Louis, our new home

Well, we are here in St Louis and so far it is going great. It is super hot, but we are at least unpacked with all the essentials and trying to set now get the new baby room set up and unpack all those old baby clothes...of course if we have a girl, I will have lots of clothes to donate as some our boy stuff will have to go. October can't get here soon enough, pregnant in this heat is killing me.

So pictures of the house, it is empty and will mostly stay that way but I am excited to get my stuff from my mom's house...

So this is I guess suppose to be a formal living room but it will be my office and the future site of my upright piano. The downside about this room is it doesn't have a light nor a phone jack for the main line but it gives me a space to do my online grading so it will do!

 We learned very quickly that Matt if given the option will climb up the stairs and then try to go down which means he will fall down a flight of stairs so we baby-gated the stairs to prevent the falls. The stairs from the main floor to the basement posed a huge challenge as it doesn't have 2 spots that line up just right so we had to make this wood colored gate work and just to add more insurance mommy rarely goes to the basement and daddy only when Matt isn't around so we can avoid the temptation that there is something fun down there.

 We did get a new TV and TV stand but other than that, we are trying to avoid new furniture, so our family room is pretty bare, just the TV, sofa and the end table is seen here, the coffee tables is in the corner behind the sofa, it was behind the couch but a little boy was climbing up on it and then the back of the couch so it had to be moved to avoid encouraging that behavoir.

 Not a great picture with the light but the kitchen table from my childhood fits great in the eat-in area of the kitchen and still plenty of room for the highchair. Matt took an interest in the trash can so it has now moved to the laundry room which is just off the kitchen but so fair we are enjoying this part of the house...finally can unpack all my stuff that has been in boxes since either our wedding or prior.

 The baby room, we need to get a new crib mattress but Jay set up the crib for the new addition to arrive, in this room is also a book shelf and I am sure will get another item or two but for now it is bare and a project waiting for me to tackle...the closet is full of the boxes of old baby clothes and gear...going to have to unpack those items before Oct gets here.

 Another great feature of this house is that there are 2 huge walk-in closets, this is the smaller of the two which is located off the master bedroom. Since I have less clothes than Jay I took this closet for myself.

 Here is half of the other master walk-in closet. There is about this much space behind me which is not fully being utilized....it is also Jay's for a second reason, it is off the master bathroom so when he has to get up and get going in the mornings this allows him access to the bathroom and closet to get ready. Downside of this set-up is there is no linen closet really upstairs and no spot to put towels and stuff in the master bathroom except for these few shelves in the bathroom so Jay's closet while huge is also going to have to be the linen and bathroom storage spot.

Here is Matt's new room. I got this toddler bed from friends and so far Matt is adjusting ok to it, a few times I have gone to check on him and he is sleeping on the floor, usually by the door. I haven't gone crazy yet and got him bedding as he is not really sleeping with a pillow or blanket (it is too hot for that right now anyway) so I am going to wait for Labor day and maybe look for something on-sale then....Second downside is the diaper changing area is now the floor and b/c he is usually stuck in his room with now room to run around the supplies for changing a diaper have to be on the top shelf of the books shelf or the shelf in the closet. Going to also put up a curtain for that window, but probably by the time I get to it (or Jay does) the heat wave will be over and then their probably won't be a huge need or reason for it.

So still have another guest room and the master bedroom missing....and the entire basement area (it is mostly empty boxes or half empty boxes everywhere...maybe after the stuff from my mom arrives, it cools down and we settle in a bit more I can do updates...i do plan to put pictures up just haven't gotten to it yet.

Matt is officially 17 months and enjoying the yard here, we do bubbles in the morning out front in the shade and then for our afternoon adventure we go to the back yard to do bubbles and toss a ball around. Although at 100+ degrees, pregnant mommy just doesn't do well for very long outside, so a cool down would be greatly appreciated so we could at least somewhat enjoy having a yard, even if most of the yard is this huge steep hill.

Matthew is going to start daycare at a local Kindercare on 30 July, we have 2 half-day transition days coming up this week, but I think once we get him in a routine that will help him adjust, help mommy tackle some of these unpacking projects and help me meet some local folks with kids.

That is all for now!

New Title and New Year

Well I started this blog a year ago to document my adventures of staying at home in Richmond VA with Matthew....it has been a fun and busy year but we leave for St. Louis on Monday and well it is now looking like another year and another baby to document so I decided to change the name of the blog to reflect that.

E-mail is staying the same, as is cell phone number but new address. I sent new address cards out but of course had to limit how many I bought as they plus stamps can get expensive so if you didn't get a card from me, either I don't have a good address for you b/c you also just moved, I lost your address, or you are really close family and get the family sent updates so you can get the info there....if you want our new info, just e-mail me or use the message system on facebook.

Other than that, Matt knows something is up and now he is a royal pain in the backside when it comes to technology....right now he is trying to manhandle himself up on my lab to type on the computer...and if he isn't trying to use the computer, it is the cell phone or TV remotes...and goodness do not show him or say the word Ipad....he is very attached to it...already an electronic junkie.

Matt and I are headed to DC one last time see some USAFA friends who live there...go figure good friends move to DC just as you are moving away from the area...but of course we will have a huge place in St. Louis and if you don't mind 2 little ones running around, you are welcome to visit, just give me a little notice. There are marathons and half marathons every spring and summer so nothing like friends coming out to run to help get me motivated to get back in shape...if only I can find a good Tri to do as well???

Anyone in the St Louis area that wants to help babysit or unpack, let me know. Stuff should be there around Monday July 16th and well, I will be out of touch for a bit, but hopefully by end of July will have internet and pictures up on our new place!

Elizabeth

June 12th update

Well, we have had a busy few days/weeks! We found a place in St. Louis, after searching quite a few not so great properties, but it is not the most ideal location for Jay as his commute will probably be 30 or so minutes each way but at least it is huge and thus plenty of room for guests, so please let me know if you find yourself in St. Louis and need a place to stay

I just had another ultrasound and all is looking well, still unknown on the gender, b/c we are going to be surprised but everything is looking great. The Due date by this ultrasound looks to be back near our original due date...so Oct 26th is now the due date which is back near our original due date of Oct 28th.

Ok, gotta go do a few things for the movers but everything looks to be going great for a Pick-up on July 9th or 10th and arrival and unloading between July 13-23th...hopefully the arrival and drop-off will be right around the early part of that window so we have plenty of time to unpack and get settled before Jay's work start on 30 July.

More to come, will take pictures for Matthew's 16 month on the 14th of June...can't believe he is 16 months already and I am already 20 weeks...so far things are progressing ok....just wish the ability of Mary Poppins to snap and have stuff magically go into boxes was available

Will be in G-vegas Jun 23-25th, hope to see a few friends on last time before our departure West, but of course everyone is always welcome to visit, 1/2 and full Marathons every April and October!

Motivated by Weight of the nation doc

So I just finished watching HBO's weight of the Nation. Wow, it makes me want to eat more fruits and veggies, force Matthew to eat more of these healthier foods and exercise more. Granted I am part of the 1% that meets all the good factors of weight, activity, water intake etc., and I am pregnant and still ok but wow, what an eye-opening documentary.
Weight of the Nation

Above is the link...it really makes you think and more aware of some issues we face as a nation and as an individual....gosh, school lunches look to be a huge issue and we are not really in that age-bracket where we need to worry about this but hopefully some positive changes are on the horizon.

Ok...so yeah, really good film but can also scare the crap out of ya.
So Matthew has his 15 month appointment today. He is ~25 lbs so now having watched this film I hope he is still right at the 50% line b/c otherwise we might need to start changing our diet plans for him now...I try to get him to eat fruit and veggies every day but mostly he ends up eating 1-2 pieces and then playing and throwing the rest, so Queenie at her most recent vet visit and teeth cleaning impressed the Doc, she is a little high on her weight at 5.8 lbs, he would like her at 5.5 but he was very impressed with the health of her gums, mainly due to all the fruits and veggies she is getting by eating Matt's throw-aways.

The second issue with Matt is this issue with his speech. He says words, but it is not really clear to anyone except maybe me and the daycare ladies what he is saying and Jay with his speech background is getting worried so I have to ask about it today. I know Matt hears and understands b/c he will go and get what you ask for, or perform the activity...he loves to stomp like an elephant as he walks...the speech/talk-back is just worrying Jay in that he doesn't appear to say some of those common simple words that some of the other kids are using, like Bye, Momma, Dadda, Hi,...hmm...I think Matt does say This, That, and he does sign for milk, eat and sometimes more so he is communicating and when in doubt, he points and gets his point across with a bit of a tantrum....but the spoken language is a little bit of a worry, hopefully the Dr. will help make Jay less stressed about this and if we must, start the process of getting help for Matthew soon.

Well, it is about that time, 12 noon, gotta go get Matt from Daycare for his afternoon nap...our other challenges we are tackling is only a bottle around 720pm before bed and sippy cups at all other times and the taking away of the pacifier although the teething issue this past week with the diaper rash has caused the pacifier to come out a few more times than just at nap or bed-time. I guess it will be something to tackle next month. Gotta get those "baby" items away from Matt so the new arrival in October can have them without fear of big brother taking them for himself, although I am sure it will happen a few times as Matt will want attention and to stake his dominance...oh boy, fun times ahead...add into that we have to eventually get him out of the crib but that might have to wait until Christmas when the baby is a few weeks old and at a point that he/she is not needing diaper changes/feedings every few hours.

Have a great Wednesday and keep your fingers crossed for Jay on Saturday, it is his big day! Oral Boards and he is getting that pinched feeling and nervous about it, but he has been studying for months now so hopefully it will all go well despite his nerves.

15 weeks!

Well, we had our first appointment here in Richmond after 4 weeks of waiting, yeah it took 4 weeks to get a morning appointment but we finally got one, waited forever but saw the baby! Everything so far looks good, hands, feet, head and measuring by ultra sound at 16 weeks 2 day but according to previous Dr. I am 15 weeks 1 day so yeah, if this new addition comes early it could be mid-October and if it comes like Matthew a week late, it could be right on the due date of Oct 28th or Halloween....I am kinda hoping for Halloween so both kids are born on holidays making the theme of any future birthday party simplified.

The doctor was nice but like I said we waited and waited and it took what 15-20 minutes to ultrasound then maybe 10 minutes in the exam room...then massive amounts of blood was taken at Lab corp...it was 3 hrs of my life I will never get back and only about 30 or so minutes within that timeslot was actually spent no waiting....

In Matthew news...he finally let me feel his gums and we have 2 big back teeth coming in, and 2 swollen areas that are about to arrive. So back upper left and Back lower right have broken through the skin and explain the fussiness and massive amounts of drooling we have been dealing with the past few weeks. So 4 more teeth but the back teeth so hopefully he can really start some mashing while eating in the near future....it also explains his constant desire for ice to chew and suck on, he was probably trying to sooth his gums and I just thought he enjoyed sticking his hands in my glass of ice-water and then giving me the ice back!

So next appointment for me is June 11th after our hopefully successful trip to St. Louis to find a rental and possible check out other necessary things like Doctor's offices and hospitals....Matt has his 15 month appointment next week on the 16th, Jay is  less than 2 weeks away from Oral Board exams, and so yeah, slightly busy.

I have decided on movers, but haven't heard back that they got our deposit but keeping fingers crossed the 9th of July is going to be our moving date b/c keys are due the 11th...Have to call on verify that tomorrow plus this second issue really gets me fired up, I took a CPR course through my gym and I was teaching actively the cycle yoga class so did it for free, but it has been almost 2 months, and still no CPR card or certificate, I have called and e-mailed this lady and she has not responded to me. I was hoping to get the card so I would have it when my group exercise renewal is due in Jan and so once we moved, and I had the baby and was ready to get back into teaching yoga and cycling I could get a job at a gym...but this is so annoying...I am about to go to the gym higher ups and complain.

Ok, so that is all for us, we had a great time in Greenville seeing a few folks this past weekend, one more trip, the final trip to close our our bank accounts and see hopefully everyone one last time in June, not 100% on the dates but will figure it out soon....just keep your fingers crossed for Jay, he is really trying to study these last few days. Exam the weekend of the 18-20th of May up in Minnesota but of course I am sure I will write and mention it again later.

15 week pictures in 7 days of Matthew, I will try to get them posted to Facebook in a timely manner unlike the 14 week pictures which took me a while due to teaching 4 classes right now and well, just being time-sucks as students can be especially on-line students.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Just wanted to send my mom a happy birthday! Of course her card is in the mail, but luckily she did take our facetime call so Matthew and I got to sing to her this morning.

As for an update, Matthew and I are heading to Greenville NC on Thursday. We are hoping to catch up with lots of folks and then unfortunately we head back to Richmond on Sunday so I can get to my Doctor's appointment Monday morning. This is an exciting appointment as I will be 15 weeks and I get my ultrasound to see hopefully a completely healthy and active baby!  We are going to forgo finding out as at 15 weeks it is a little early so they could get it wrong anyway and I want to be surprised this time.

Matthew I think is entering those terrible 2's early...he is getting good at hitting, biting and throwing a tantrum...yeah, I would like to think it is just we are cramped here in this tiny apartment and he is frustrated and that he just loves his mommy and daddy so much that that he can't help himself and has to throw a tantrum every time they leave...so maybe this is just that separation anxiety, either way it is challenging...even Queenie is annoyed with the kid and is not a fan of getting things thrown at her.

She is up for a treat, we are visiting our old Vet while in Greenville so she can get her annual teeth cleaning, yeah, I am not so impressed with our vet here and so decided for one last visit for Queenie was in order so we can hopefully clean up her few remaining teeth with someone who has been caring for her since her arrival to our family back in 2009.

We head to St. Louis to House-hunt the first weekend in June and other than that, the move is slowly getting organized. I hired the movers and wow it is expensive but we expected that so July 9th looks likely for our pick-up day and the 13th of July is the earliest day of possible drop-off and the latest is of course 10 days so the 23rd but most likely is the 16-18th a week after pick-up. It is kinda important we find something b/c I don't want to pay for storage or drop-off to a storage unit and then have to move it later on my own...ugh, keep your fingers crossed we find something in a nice neighborhood with a yard and somewhat nice kitchen!