Thursday, May 31, 2012

A Good Report!

Here she is.  33 weeks and 2 days.  She is doing great.
Profile shot.  A little hard to see but trust me.....she was cute!



My baby's home sweet home.    




Before the cut.

After!  Short, sassy, low maintenance and ready for summer.

 

So I had my 33 week ultrasound this week and it went great! Great....did you hear that?  GREAT!! Unfortunately,  the Mirena could not be found on the scan (either things in the uterus are too crowded to get a good look,  or it has perforated into the abdomen or somewhere else.  If it doesn't come out with delivery they can then do an x-ray at that point and find that sucker and plan to surgically remove it 8 weeks after birth.) but otherwise everything checked out.  My cervical length was still good, the baby's growth looked good, and there were no more choroid plexus cysts to be seen on the brain.  The baby weighs 4 pounds and 4 ounces this week give or take 10 ounces.  She really looked great!  I saw her chubby cheeks, cute family nose that all my kids have, a little pouty mouth and some hair.  I was in love.  The only thing slightly off was the amniotic fluid was a tad under normal range but doc isn't concerned so I won't be either.  In fact when I saw her today everything at the appointment went great too and she doesn't want to see me back for another 2 and a half weeks when I will be 36 weeks along and down to the last month.   I am still having bad cramping but that is thought to be from the Mirena....wherever it is.    She suggested that I try drinking 3-4 glasses of water before bed since the cramping usually wakes me at night.  She says that should really calm down the uterus but I would imagine that I will be up to use the bathroom even more than I am now.....which is a lot!


So that is the scoop.  I will stop right there while things are positive and just keep it going.


Love,
Mama Nic
 

















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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Family Time

Happy Memorial Day!

 


This past weekend was great.  Sunny, warm, and a family picnic to celebrate Memorial Day.


 
 
It was great.  It is nice having my Sister live close by because for one, I love her but also because she has 2 children close in age to mine.  She has two daughters.  My poor son who is already outnumbered will be outnumbered even more once baby girl arrives!
 

 
 Here are my beautiful nieces.  One is turning 6 at the end of the summer and one is turning 2 this week.
 

Since my kids are 3 1/2 and almost 2, it is awesome to see how they all interact.........oh.....and it is also very LOUD!

 

 These are the soon to be Birthday Girls.....both turning two.  Their relationship is a Sisterly one.  They are each annoyed at each other and very competitive OR they are loving each other.  Here, they are loving each other and my heart just melts!


 






This little Sass below, also known as Marmalade, is up to trouble lately.  She is a girl who knows what she wants, when she wants it and she lets you know.  Well, hello there "Terrible Two's"!  She is getting into everything lately and climbing everything in sight.  She is a handful to watch and wears me out everyday for sure!  But.....I love her. 
 





I have made it to my 33rd week in pregnancy!  Today is an ultrasound and I have to admit that I am nervous because it seems that every time we do testing or have appointments,  something else to worry about is found.  I am hoping and praying that today goes well. They are looking for the placement of that pesky Mirena, following up on the Choroid Plexus Cysts on baby's brain, and checking her for proper growth.  I will give you an update on that later in the week.  Send positive thoughts our way, especially today.  I know you all do every day anyway....we can feel them.  Thanks a bunch for all your support, comments, emails and prayers.  I can't say how much  they have all meant to me.

We are moving on up in rank on Top Mommy blogs.  CLICK HERE IS YOU LIKED THIS POST TO CAST YOUR VOTE TODAY. Today's ranking is 91 overall and 31 in the Family Life category.  Along with daily votes, I  also need to be Rated and you can leave comments about what you think of this blog.  Rate my blog by clicking here. Thanks again and have a great day!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

I Love a Good Before and After


The Before








The After







































































Today's project was personal.  I love making things for people I love.  I love sewing in general,  but when I am sewing something for someone dear to me.....it's the best.
 
  I decided to take these plain Gerber cloth diapers and make special burp clothes for my babe.  I am not going to share a tutorial with you because there are a zillion out there on the web.  I will let you know that I used parts of this one to make mine,  from Diary of A Quilter.  She says it is perhaps the easiest burp-cloth tutorial ever and I think she is right.  I am not going to try to top this just follow along with the parts I needed help figuring out and it worked beautifully!  The cardboard template is genius and makes this project go super fast!  And don't forget to wash and dry them before you do this because they do shrink a lot!
 
I also have tons of fabric scraps around and didn't have to buy any fabric for these.  I love the way they came out and can't wait for baby to be able to use them.

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The kids are doing great so far sharing a room and I made things fun for them by getting them some new bedding.  Superheroes and Princesses...their favs.  See the proof below.   The looks on their sweet faces was priceless.






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Oh and one more thing!  Today I am ranked #36 in the "family life" category and #115 overall on Top Mommy Blogs!!!  Thanks everyone.  Don't forget to click HERE now to be counted as a vote for me.  Thanks!


 Have a sweet week!



Monday, May 21, 2012

Stars Are Aligning






My Daughter being a Mrs. Fix-it
It was a busy week, but very productive!

I would first like to say that today baby girl and I hit a great milestone.........32 weeks!  This is an important stage to get to because babies born at this stage have a great survival rate and are healthy.  Organs are functional although the lungs may need a bit more time to fully mature.  It is a huge relief to have made it this far!!

In other news,  I am now officially a mini-van driving Mama!

The new wheels


Also, my Hubby is also getting different jobs working construction that are usually a hefty commute with no cell service but today he starts a local job and is a call away.  Again....huge relief! And his hours allows him to help out in toting kids around too. 

Our apartment we have for rent is looking good to start renting and fingers crossed, we think we may have a tenant.

Also last week my kiddos became roommates.  I was very hesitant to start this since she is a great sleeper and he is not.  We needed the nursery for new baby and wanted to give them a chance to adjust before she gets here.  So far, even with an episode of my son's night terrors, it is working out.  

Hubby also did a lot of work on our home.  We have been remodeling for over 3 years, added a second story and mudroom addition and although we still have work to do.....I have to say it is coming together!  Great job, Honey!!!

So it was busy, busy, busy for the past week and that did catch up with me.  Lots of cramping and contractions so I am on major chill mode this week.  Still getting contractions today so I am drinking lots of water and limiting activity. 

Here are some radon photos from the week.

I found these treasures and couldn't pass them up.  They will serve as our new end table/kiddo desk for our new living.

Fun with stickers~

A cheesy grin.

Have a great Monday, everyone!!!

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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

2 Things I Dig Lately

So at this point in my pregnancy, as I am not working and will all that is going on.....there are 2 things that I dig.

1.  A Plan
2.  A Deal

When my Mother bought a few items for me at Motherhood Maternity, she got a packet of coupons and brochures.  Not the usual junk but some great loot!  ($20 gift card to Shutterfly which will come in handy for birth announcements, a free baby sling, free car seat canopy, free nursing cover and loads of coupons too)

One of the items that was included was a $10 gift card to Plum District which has daily deals designed just for Moms.  So I took my 10 bucks and saw what they had to offer.

I found a 3 month subscription for $12 that offers weekly meal plans, grocery shopping lists for the week and tips on how to save time and money.  You can check out their website HERE.  They claim it is the busy Mom's guide to making dinner, saving time and money.  So I cashed in my $10 gift card and paid 2 dollars for this system.    We shall see what happens.  I am not a great cook (thank goodness my hubby is!) but I can follow a recipe for the most part and since I am home now for the next few months I thought I would give it a  try.  Even if I don't use all the meal plans, getting some new recipes and organization sounds ok to me.



I got my 1st weeks plan today and will check it over give it a go.  This could be fun.  The only thing is the cost estimate for the weekly meals seems a bit high to me even though it is supposed to be saving money.   I guess maybe I am pretty cheap!  hahaha   I think I will have to coordinate some store sales with the meals perhaps, or pick out a few meals and then eat some staple kind of meals that are cheap and easy and I know my kids will eat the rest of the week.   This will be a great way for all of us to try new dishes and get out of some ruts.

The 1st week's plan in called Better Than Burgers..............we shall see.  I will give you an update on the system and let you know what I think.

In other news, Mother's Day was nice.  Nice sunny day, brunch with my Mom and Dad, My Mother and Father in law, Brother in Law, and my Sister's whole family.  It was great.  then we enjoyed some outdoor time and I got to test out my new Zero Gravity Lounge Chair while I watched the kidds play in the yard and blow bubbles...........aaaaaw so relaxing. My kids both made me something at daycare and their projects melted my heart.  I hope you all had a nice day too!

Medically speaking, this week has been boring.  Hooray for that!!!  I had way less cramping and no back pain in the last week due to majorly chilling out and resting up.  So I am happy to report that my doc appointment this week was a breeze and I will be seen again in 2 weeks and also get another ultrasound.  We have made it to 31 weeks are 2 days!  That is something to be happy about.

Thanks to you all, I am currently, ranked #136 overall for Top Mommy Blogs!  Thank You for voting for me.  I need daily votes to move up in rank so CLICK HERE RIGHT NOW and your click will be counted as a vote for my blog.  Easy as pie.