25 Weeks And A Non-Stress Test

I'm telling you - I have a wild woman in my womb!

We went for a regular doctor visit this morning - 25 weeks, 4 days.

First - Weigh - check (gained 3 pounds)

Second - Pee in a cup - check.

Third - Blood pressure - check (110/60)

Finally - Listen to baby's heartbeat - check (extremely fast)

I couldn't help it, but at the sound of baby's heartbeat, I started giggling.  I had just never heard her heartbeat so loud and so fast before!  Dr laughed and asked me what I had for breakfast.  I only had a banana, a bowl of cereal, and juice (and two bottles of water so I could pee in the cup)...but you would have thought that I had Oreos and a Mountain Dew for breakfast!

After our appointment, I made my next appointment for three weeks - one of my favorite visits to the doctor while being pregnant.  In three weeks we get to do the Glucose Test to test for gestational diabetes (I love the orange drink you get to drink for it) and do another ultrasound!

...then I headed upstairs to the OB floor at the request of doctor to do a non-stress test.  He wanted to monitor baby's heart beat for a little bit.

I laid in bed, they hooked me up (to a monitor for the heartbeat and a monitor for contractions), and watched the Olympics.  I was supposed to only be monitored for about 45 minutes, but because baby was so active and moved around so much, it was about 1.5 hours!  It was hard for them to get data with baby on the move, but doctor said that if everything looked normal from what they did have, then I could be discharged.  Thankfully, everything looked great!

*While being monitored, I learned from the nurse that a fetal heart rate of over 160 beats per minute is considered Tachycardia*

Remember those two bottles of water and a cup of juice I had before my appointment?...well, that started kicking in!!  A couple of times while being monitored, my bladder reached the maximum capacity of urine and I had to get up to use the restroom.  Whew!  

Anyway, the way things have been going for us, I should have expected that we weren't going to have an easy and normal doctor's appointment.  It's just a little nerve-wracking to have to be monitored and possibly consider there might be an issue, but I'm thankful that everything sounded and looked good and that I got to hear my baby's heartbeat and strong loud kicks for 1.5 hours this morning!

Wild In The Womb

Wrapping up our 24th week!
...and starting to have to remind myself at times to embrace every single moment of this third and last pregnancy!

From the time I wake up until the time I go to bed, I very rarely feel baby girl move.  Several times throughout the day, I will have to stop - sit down and relax - and wake baby girl up.  I have to rub my belly, get a little nudge from her, and assure myself that she's okay :)


Between working during the day and playing with a 1 year old and 3 year old in the evenings, I stay pretty active and on my feet.  I tend to the think that all of the walking and 'up and at 'em' lull baby girl to sleep.  If she does get a little active during the day, maybe I don't notice it because I'm too busy staying busy!


It's not until the late evening or when I'm laying in bed that this little baby goes WiLd in the womb!!  It's absolutely amazing and sometimes I have to get up and get busy just to lull her back to sleep! 


Books say that at 24 weeks gestation, baby is about a foot long coming in at just over 1 pound.  Imagine a one pound ear of corn or a one pound foot long hot dog having a dance party in your womb.  I know anyone who has been pregnant knows exactly what I'm talking about - it's awesome! - one of my very favorite things about being pregnant. 

You go from the little movements (fish blowing bubbles or popcorn popping) to the kicks and punches (what I'm about ready to write about) to the final stages of there being no room in your belly for baby to move (rolls and waves).


So...what does it feel like when baby girl goes wild in the womb?

Sometimes it feels like she has 6 arms and 6 legs - I can't wrap my mind around what could possibly be kicking me and punching me in so many different areas of my belly all at the same time.  It really feels like there is an octopus in my belly that has her tentacles simultaneously knocking on my insides.  Crazy!

  

Sometimes it feels like she is stretching so hard that she is going to pop right through my stomach - I know I have so much more to grow and I know my belly will double in size, but sometimes I think that if I was any bigger, she would rip my skin.  The baby stretches and extends her arms out as far as she can above her head and streeetches and reaches with her feet to touch the very opposite end of her cozy little home.  It's a "feel good" pain and completely impressive!


Sometimes it feels like she is having seizures - This one kind of freaks me out a little bit.  Sometimes there are  one hundred quick movements within 10 seconds in my womb.  What in the world is going on in there?!  I don't know whether to describe it as seizure action or baby girl just being spastic.  These movements are quick, short, and jumpy.  Cool but freaky...and still makes me smile!

Sometimes she punches or kicks so hard that she makes my entire body move - Every once in awhile my entire body will jerk at the strength of her one little punch or kick.  I can't help but say "whoa" and giggle.  


I'm in awe of what one little teeny tiny baby can do.


So...nearing the end of our 24th week and getting a kick out of all of the baby's movements!
No pun intended :)
*i just cracked myself up*

She Wiggles When She Sleeps

Earlier this week, Makayla and I headed to a pediatric ophthalmologist.  

...and to make a long story short, Makayla will be having surgery on her eye during the first week of August to have her cyst removed.  We haven't gone into any detail with Makayla about this upcoming surgery and while she's been oblivious of anything going on (being uncomfortable or in any pain from the cyst) this mommy is going to be completely worn out from worry and anxiety during this waiting period.

Anyway...

Tonight, Makayla asked her first question ever concerning this cyst on her eyelid.

Makayla:  Mommy, when will this bump be gone?

Me:  Oooh, well, the doctor is going to remove it in a couple of weeks.  You have a week of swimming lessons, then a week for the fair.  When the fair is over, the doctor will take that bump off.

Makayla:  HOW?

Me:  Well, he is going to make you go night-night.  He'll have you go to sleep and then he'll take it off while you're sleeping.  That way, when you wake up, it will be all gone!

Makayla:  WHY?  Why do I have to go to sleep?

Me:  Because when the doctor takes that bump off, it's very important that you hold super super still.  If you're sleeping then you won't move while he takes it off.  You'll be asleep.

Makayla:  But mommy, I'm little and I wiggle when I sleep.  I might wiggle (scrunching her nose up and nodding her head reassuringly)...

Me: Well, it's okay if you wiggle while you're sleeping.  The doctor will still be able to take that bump off. 

She's little, so she wiggles when she sleeps.  

She makes me smile. 

Stitches & Possible Lancing

2 weeks ago - Makayla was diagnosed with a chalazion (eyelid cyst).  We were given eye drops and instructed to apply a warm compress 4 times a day.  We are thinking the cyst was caused by a clogged oil duct.  Makayla rarely complains about it and only says it hurts her when she blinks if she hears us talking about it.

Despite her cyst, she's still a beautiful little girl and carries on with life...

8 days ago - Makayla and her cousin Kyleigh were "modeling".  They dressed up in pretty sparkly dresses and walked the run-way for us!   They decided to put on some make-up and while they were in the bathroom dolling up with the make-up, a candle holder fell on top of Makayla's foot.

I knew instantly after hearing her cry and seeing her foot that she needed stitches.  It was such a scary moment.  

Makayla's my baby and nothing hurts more in this world than to see your own baby in pain.

We headed to the Emergency Room, sparkly dress and all, where Makayla was given 3 stitches on top of her foot.  

When we arrived to the ER, they put a gel on Makayla's laceration to numb it.  It took 20 minutes to numb and while we were waiting for the gel to do it's job, Kyleigh showed up with Uncle Andy and Grandpa Curry. 

The girls colored, talked, and drank apple juice.  

When it came time for the doctor to come in to do the stitches, Kyleigh got to stay with Makayla.  By staying in the room, Kyleigh offered support and comfort for Makayla,  while at the same time, learning a valuable lesson of how to cope.

This visit to the ER was our first 'catastrophe' with kids, and although it was only 3 stitches in a foot - it was painful. 

 Painful for Makayla.  

Painful for mommy.  

Watching Makayla go through the initial pain of the candle holder dropping on her foot and watching the healing process has been so very difficult for me.  

It's been doing wonders on my heart and teaching me a few things along the way.

The first couple of days after getting the stitches, Makayla just laid on the couch - paralyzed.  She couldn't do anything and wouldn't do anything.  She had Mason fetching drinks, books, and toys for her.  She had me carrying her to the bathroom or where ever else she needed or wanted to go.  

It was a long day.  

A long day for her.  

A long day for mommy.

She would lay on the couch, exhausted and in pain with her foot elevated.  I would put an eye drop in her eye and hold a warm washcloth on her eye (since we are still tending to the cyst).  I would sit on the couch next to her and I just wanted to cry for her.  

She hurt. She was in pain.  

She didn't know how to comprehend an end to her pain.  

I was sad for her.  I was sad that she couldn't go out to run and play or swim.  I was sad that she just didn't understand.

It was a tough couple of days.

Finally, Makayla started becoming mobile and scooching around on her butt.  Not long after that, she finally started walking with her legs again - a hysterical limp that looked so uncomfortable - but hey, she was finally becoming independent again!

Today - Right before we headed to the doctor to get the stitches removed. 

Her wound isn't quite healed enough so the doctor had to apply a steri strip to help keep the skin tight to do a little bit more healing.  

We were supposed to start swimming lessons tonight, but it looks like those will have to be postponed until Makayla's little foot is healed.

...and as for her eye - 2 weeks later and the cyst is still there.  We have an appointment set up with a pediatric opthamologist in a couple of days for a consult to possibly have this cyst on her eyelid lacerated and drained. 

Trust me, it's been a hassle dealing with stitches on her foot and an eyelid cyst - and it's definitely interrupted our every day schedule (struggling to fight Makayla with washes, medicine, and compresses) , but I thank God that's all we have to deal with.  Stitches and an eyelid cyst on a 3 year old is  nothing compared to what others in this world are dealing with.  

If by chance she does have to have this cyst removed, we will just look at it as  yet another experience for us...!

“Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” 

-Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

The Cutest Thing Ever

His baby boy blonde hair that makes me tear up every time it gets cut,

His dazzling blue eyes that are truly the window to his soul,

His kissable cheeks,

And his chin.

Oh, his chin.

He's just the cutest thing ever...

And it's not just his heavenly good looks that make him the cutest thing ever, but also his sweet little voice, his rich personality, and the way in which he carries himself - full of happiness, joy, and pure cuteness!

A couple of things that make my heart melt, because Mason's the cutest thing in the world, are when Mason gets scared of the cicadas (those noisy insects in the summer time that sing so very loudly) and when he pooped in the potty last night.

When we're out and about at night and the cicadas start up, Mason gets scared...super scared.  He takes his tiny fist and clutches it against his chest and with fear in his voice says "get you"!  He's so scared that the cicadas are going to get him and the more fearful he becomes of them and the more he repeats "get you" and nuzzles into mine or Kevin's arms, the cuter I think it is.

...and last night, Mason pooped on the potty.  For months, Mason has excitedly announced that he needs to poop and he runs to sit on the potty.  Sometimes we set him on the potty and sometimes we don't.  When we do set him on the potty, he never poops.  Well...last night he pooped!  The way our family was cheering, clapping, and war hooping, you would have thought that the boy won an Olympic gold medal!  We were all surrounded around the potty pointing his 'accomplishment' out and telling him how happy we were.  Makayla kept repeating "Good Job, Buddy!" over and over again to him.  Mason was so excited he couldn't stop looking proudly at his poo in the potty.  He would slam the lid shut and 2 seconds later, he would lift it up again and beam.  He was one proud little boy last night.  Watching him beam at the potty and his audience (mommy, daddy, sissy) surrounding him...was in fact, the cutest thing ever!

So, between Mason's blonde hair, blue eyes, kissable cheeks, his perfect little chin, and his a-m-a-z-i-n-g personality, I am one lucky mama!

Heat Wave

 ~ Hot, Hot, Hot ~

With temperatures soaring beyond 100 degrees over the past week two weeks (we've been in an excessive heat warning for so long, I've lost track how long we've been living like this), we've tried our best to stay busy, have fun, and continue on...

We've spent a lot of time swimming - 

Makayla is super excited that she can touch the bottom in Grandma Mac's pool and Mason tries his darndest to swim without any help from us or without any flotation devices.  It's a struggle to take him swimming, for the boy has no fear.  Next week, the kids start swimming lessons, so that should be a lot of fun!

Our Fourth of July holiday started out playing in the spray of a firetruck.  Daddy and Mason got all wet and mommy and Makayla stuck with the mist!

We did our annual tradition of tye-dying shirts to wear for the Fourth!  Since this is the first year that Makayla could actually do her very own shirt, she had a blast and it was a lot of fun to watch her as she excitedly untied her shirt to see her design when she was all done! 

Daddy got to play the music for the 4th of July celebration at the REC center again this year.  We sat with our family and friends, grilled out (except mommy had Subway), played ball, wore glo bracelets and necklaces, and had lots of fun!  Since daddy DJ's the music, we sit very close and right underneath the fireworks.  Makayla is not a big fan and she says they are too loud.  Mason, on the other hand, LOVED the fireworks and looked at each firework as if it was the first time he had every seen one.  He pointed, and gasped, and ooh'd and awe'd, and kept whispering with excitement "look"!  He loved them! 

 During one of the hottest days of our heat wave, we went to a St. Louis Cardinal's game!  The tickets were a gift from Aunt Nina so she came along with us for the fun and sweat!

Mason was scared to death of Fred Bird.  Makayla is still afraid of him...except from a distance.

While visiting Aunt Nina in St. Louis, we also spent a day at the Magic House, a children's museum.  It was a nice escape from the unbearable heat.

Playing doctor in the nursery was Makayla's very favorite part of the entire museum.  She could have spent hours doing this! 

Not only did we play at the hospital, but we also spent time at the vet, restaurant, dressing up on stage, playing with bubbles, fishing, climbing a bean stalk, making our hair stick up with static electricity, playing in sand, and laughing at our shadows on the shadow wall! 

Drinking lots and lots and lots of water, using spray fans, and taking advantage of air conditioning, we didn't let this heat wave stop us!

Now that the temperatures have cooled down to being bearable and 'normal', we are taking it easy this week due to Makayla's foot injury and chalazion...(more to come later)!

VBS

Makayla attended her first year of Vacation Bible School (VBS).  She LOVED every minute of it, but never could tell us about it!

Night One:  The first night of VBS was a welcome night for family and friends.  We went with Makayla on this first night to see what VBS was going to be about.  We started out in the sanctuary singing songs, clapping, watching Veggie Tales, and getting a little peek of what was going to be taking place over the week.  Then we headed to the gym to play games, do crafts, and jump on jumpies (Makayla's highlight, of course)!  After playing, we headed into a separate room for a sack dinner - ham sandwiches, chips, pretzels, cookies, and a bottle water.  Makayla left that night with a smile on her face and a necklace around her neck. 

Night Two:  After picking Makayla up at the end of the night, I asked her what she learned.  She said she didn't learn anything.  So, I asked her what her favorite part of the night was.  She told me "the puppets talked in funny voices".  Then she whispered "and one of the puppets tooted"!  She also said "I ate ALL of my snack"!  You know what her snack was?  Ice cream.

Night Three:  When we asked her what she learned tonight, she simply said "If you want to know what I learn, then you should you go".  I asked her what she had for a snack tonight.  Donuts.

Night Four:  Makayla (along with all of the other kids, I'm sure) was sent home with the CD of all of the music they sing during VBS.  Makayla is in love with the song "Cool Cool Summer".  She sings it non-stop, dances to it non-stop, and even has Mason singing it!  From here on out, this is what is playing in our car - even over Justin Bieber!

Night Five:  Last night of VBS!  Standing in line waiting to pick her up, I peeked in the auditorium.  Makayla was jumping up and down, waving her hands, and singing!  She was having an absolute blast and it was so fun to watch her singing with all of her new friends!  Again, she didn't learn anything tonight...but her snack was Pizza!

So, if she didn't walk away with anything but good food and the lyrics to "Cool Cool Summer" (because she knows this song almost word for word), then I'd say she walked away with a lot:

Oh, oh, oh 

It’s gonna be a cool, cool summer, Learning to trust in Jesus.

 A cool, cool summer, He gives us all we need. 

Come with me, you’re gonna see, It’s gonna be a cool, cool summer. Oh, oh, oh 

Come to the place where the sun never sets And the eagles fly, touch the sky. 

Glaciers and lakes, such a beautiful trek, Through the mountains high, touch the sky.

 There are challenges along the way, But Jesus is with us. 

We can trust Him every step of the way, ‘Cause Jesus will lead us. Chorus 

True peace, true power, True riches, true love! True hope in Jesus, He provides more than enough. 

Cool, Cool Summer It’s gonna be a cool, cool summer, Learning to trust in Jesus.

 A cool, cool summer, He gives us all we need. It’s gonna be a cool, cool summer, Learning to trust in Jesus.

 A cool, cool summer, He gives us all we need. 

 Oh, oh, oh

*The Oh, Oh, Oh part is Makayla and Mason's FAVORITE part!!

Buffett, Round 3

Year THREE of Buffett! 

 Lots of fun, LOTS of laughs, delish food (awesome shrimp, corn on the cob, pork, onions...), drinks that looked sooo good

(had to sit out on the boat drinks this year due to baby girl),

...pool with ice water, cored out pineapples, friends and family, dancing, pee puddles in the parking lot, blood and sweat, meeting new people, checking off the bucket list (paying a toll), among many more memories with a group of amazing people that just keeps growing.

...just being happy.  

Happy and carefree - having a good time!

...and while we were away enjoying Margaritaville in a parking lot and listening/dancing/singing to Jimmy Buffett, the kids spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Allen (mommy's mom and dad as Makayla likes to say).

They spent a lot of time in Grandpa's jeep!

Makayla is still talking about riding in the jeep.  It was sooooooooo bumpy and it almost blew her blanket away!

They drove the jeep to the park and looked for deer...

They drove the jeep to Dairy Queen and got a yummy treat.  Makayla said that she got Peanut Butter Cup ice cream and Mason got Sprinkle ice cream...

They went swimming in the backyard (actually, only Mason enjoyed pool time.  since there was thunder rumbling in the background, Makayla decided to stay out of the water)...

And they got to go see horses!  Makayla said that her and Mason's favorite part about seeing the horses was petting them!  Makayla said they got to pet a lot of horses and one of the horses had a boo-boo on his nose.

Jimmy Buffett for the grown ups and a night with Grandma and Grandpa for the kids...

A wonderful way to end the month of June!