This & That

Well it feels like things are winding down. It's the last stretch, and I am definitely ready. This pregnancy started early with all the aches and pains that pregnancy can bring...I'm just completely done with this pregnancy thing. Don't get me wrong, being pregnant is one of life's greatest blessings. But for some reason, pregnancy has been harder on my body this go-around.

Since my doctor was on vacation this past week, I met with the nurse practitioner. She gave me the shock of a lifetime when she told me Ryland moved and is now head down. Now a c-section seems out of the picture which I was kind of hoping for as I watch all of these baby stories on TV...they remind me of the hell that women have to endure before the sweet angels are born. Anyway, I'll talk with her next week and see what the "new" plan will be.

Also this past weekend, some of my closest family and friends threw me a diaper shower for baby Ryland. Such a huge blessing! Now we are really ready for our little guy.

This weekend my in-laws are taking the kids to give Hank and I one last weekend together to sleep, watch movies, hang out, rest and sleep! We are looking forward to this down time and know that sleepless nights are in the near future. I am so thankful to have family close by to help out and love on our kids.

There's not too much other news to report. Taylor has become quite the little mommy lately to Landon's stuffed animal, Mr. Monkey. She has fed him a bottle, changed his diaper, and snuggled him to sleep. I really think she will be in love with a new baby brother. Landon on the other hand has no clue what's in store for him. He is such a mamma's boy right now that it does make me nervous to think of what it could be like when we bring Ryland home. In any case, I have lots of ideas of how to spend special time with Landon once Taylor starts back at school in a couple of weeks. I am pretty sure that I will enroll Landon in Gymboree for a few months and let him have his special time to grow and explore like Taylor did.

Fun Updates

Here are some milestones and achievements that happened this past week for the kiddos:

* Landon had a check-up with an orthopedic surgeon regarding his broken clavicle. The doctor suggested that he wear a brace to pull back the shoulders a little bit to help the bone heal evenly. We go back in a few weeks for another x-ray to confirm the bone has healed correctly. We are so relieved that surgery wasn't even mentioned.

* Taylor just completed here first session of "intensive" swimming lessons. Although she cried at almost every class, she listened well to her teacher and did what was asked including swimming to the edge of the pool, learning how to hold her breath underwater, and diving for rings at the bottom of the pool. The teacher thinks Taylor needs a few more lessons before she is completely swimming on her own. Taylor likes the doggy paddle best, but we want her to learn the correct way.

* Ryland is scheduled to be born on 8/18 as he is still breech. It's a little more than three weeks away. Getting closer!

* Landon has his third haircut this week. I told the stylist to cut away since it's so hot out. He looks so cute!

* Today out of the blue, Taylor counted from 1 to 11. She has a new favorite song that she makes us play for her every time we are in the car. She knows a lot of the words and sings along, plus it has helped her to learn how to count past 5.

The Crack Up

Taylor is a crack up. The above photo is how she came out to greet me while I was talking to a neighbor on the sidewalk. Taylor was wearing one pink sock and one pink leg warmer with just her underwear...and of course her pink stroller. She definitely lightens up the mood in our house, and I am so thankful for her!

Hospital Visits

Well, I don't know what it is with our family, but I think we have seen our fair share of urgent care clinics and ERs to last us a life time. I go through all of the "why" questions in my head and can never find the exact answer. What doesn't break you makes you stronger right?

Landon is my more reserved child and is cautious. But lately he is showing more signs of become daring and adventurous. On Sunday night, Landon had his nightly bottle and was sitting in the sofa chair watching his favorite show. He knows how to slide off the couch on his tummy, but Sunday night he choose to dive off the sofa chair onto the carpet. He landed squarely on his left shoulder with the glass bottle underneath. Immediately he began crying with a cry that every mom knows and fears. The "oh crap" cry. What just happened? I had turned my back for 15 seconds to put his oatmeal in the microwave and now he is injured. Great!

I tried to comfort him and it helped a little. He was so tired from the long day that he easily fell asleep, but in my heart I was worried. A couple of hours later he awoke with a startling scream and cry. I told Hank that we weren't taking any chances and that I insisted that he go to the ER in case it was his neck.

So we get to the pediatric ER, which we have become familiar with in the past year, and they test him for bleeding in the brain and broken shoulder bones. They sent us home a few hours later with the diagnosis of a shoulder contusion. So then we begin to wonder, "Did we overreact?"

Well the pain in Landon's left shoulder has not gone away, he barely uses his left arm, and was showing signs still today that something wasn't right. This time I get him into his pediatrician who right away said, "I'm pretty sure he has a broken clavicle bone. Let's send you out for another x-ray." And guess what? The x-ray immediately confirmed a fracture in Landon's left clavicle. So now we are a bit annoyed that the ER didn't diagnose this three days ago. Hank even told the ER doctor his suspicion of Landon injuring his shoulder since we were able to pinpoint the source of the pain. So now Landon has to wear a miniature sling until it heals in a week or so. (Once Landon awakes from his nap, I will post a photo of him wearing the sling. It's so sad but so cute.)

If that's not enough medical drama, I ended up in the hospital again last night for pre-term contractions. I have never had these before. In fact, I don't even think I had Braxton Hicks with Taylor or Landon. And I had to be induced to even have a contraction. Well these suckers took the life out of me. I couldn't even drive myself home after a day at work. Thankfully a friend drove me home. I didn't know if the pain was from Ryland trying to move to become head down or if I was indeed having contractions.

To make a long story short, I was released from the hospital at midnight and had to receive three shots of Tributilin to slow down the contractions. Ryland still needs to cook for another 5 weeks. I am too nervous to take him out even a week early because of the lung issues we experienced with Landon.

So I'm supposed to rest, drink tons of water, keep my feet up, and rest. Ha ha! How does that work with a 2 year old and a 1 year old? So what doesn't break you makes you stronger, right? I think having two boys should qualify us for some type of special membership to the local urgent care clinics and hospitals. :-)

Ryland Update

I'm only 5 weeks away from delivering Ryland. The time is FLYING by! Today was the first of my now "weekly" doctor appointments and the doctor checked if Landon was still head down. To our surprise, he must have flipped within the past two weeks because now he is breech. So next week I get to pick out a c-section date in case it is needed. Lucky me! Ryland could still move, but it is sort of unlikely. And I don't want to go through the procedure of having the doctor manually push him around to make him head down. I sort of prayed for this whole situation and have put it in God's hands. If I end up having a c-section, my doctor will try to fix me up as best she can (hoping that I won't need reconstructive surgery down the road). If she can't put everything back together, then it means another surgery down the road. Either way, I have to be cut open.

Taylor was born on January 21st so I am toying with the idea of having Ryland on August 21st. It just makes the most sense. I know the next five weeks will continue to fly by. We are pretty much all ready to bring him home with us. We just need to add and move around some carseats in the van and get out the pack 'n' play for our room. I think the most exciting thing about having a baby is those first few moments when you meet your new child and you FINALLY get to see what he/she looks like. For now, we can just dream of who he will look like and what type of personality he will develop.

Birthday Fun

Yesterday my parents came over and we celebrated my mom's birthday. Taylor kept on singing "Happy Birthday Oma" throughout the day. Since my parents live in California for the summer, Taylor and Landon don't get to see them as much as they would like. So it's always a treat when we do get together. Here are some fun photos from our Sunday together.

Making birthday cupcakes for Oma.


Taylor was cuddling with Opa on the couch.


Landon and Taylor playing with Oma and Opa.


Both kids playing on Oma. Wit til there's three of them!


Snuggle time!

Summer Photo Session

So I have this creative, awesome friend named Joanna who makes photography look so elementary, but I know it's not. She is just a pro at taking photos. And since she is my friend, she likes to practice on us every once in awhile. And aren't we the lucky beneficiaries! Thank you Joanna, who is about to have a baby any day now, and still was willing to "practice" on my kids. Your photos always blow me away! (Side Note: My kids weren't really into photo taking today, but Joanna still was able to catch a few good ones. I linked her freelance site above in case any of you want to check out her portfolio.)

Fireworks!

Last night we spent the 4th of July with some neighbor friends and ate yummy cheeseburgers with all the fixings. It was so warm out, that we were highly tempted to head home after dinner instead of making the trek out by the Peoria Sports Complex to watch FIREWORKS. How could we deny our kids the chance to see fireworks for the first time! Taylor loved them; she wasn't scared a bit. Landon started off unafraid, but then got a little scared half way through the show so he sat in my lap and then was quite content. Taylor practiced saying all of her colors and continued to repeat "Happy Birthday America" throughout the night.

On the way home, around 10:00 pm, Landon started to fall asleep in the van (which we expected to happen). Taylor was all fired up though and was a bit excited from the evenings activities. Literally, she talked the entire way home which ended up being at least 30 minutes due to traffic. At one point, she woke Landon up with all of her questions and comments that the poor boy started to cry. He just wanted to sleep...in peace. Hank said, "Landon, that's what girls do to you. They make you want to cry because they talk so much." Ha ha!

So I had to converse with Taylor in whisper tone since she doesn't quite understand the "silent game" yet. Here were some answers to my questions.

What is your favorite color?
Orange

What is your favorite snack?
Oatmeal

What is your favorite thing to do?
Crafts with Mommy

What are your favorite books to read?
Jesus books

Sassy

And He's Off!

Landon is officially walking! This video clip is from a few days ago when he was walking 50% of the time and crawling 50% of the time. Now he walks 90% and saves his crawling for when he wants to get somewhere fast...usually to chase his big sister. Everyone says that when they start to walk things get harder, but I don't find that to be true. I prefer for him to walk and become more independent. It's amazing how one week can totally change things up! Now we will just have one more babe to encourage and cheer for as he begins to take his first steps in a year from now.



Taylor and I worked on a craft this week. We created a paper chain where every day she will tear off a link. It's the back-to-school countdown. Something she is really looking forward to. When I look at the chain, it's a good visual to the countdown for baby Ryland. Taylor starts school in mid-August, and I am due the following week. The time isn't flying by right now, but I am really OK with that. I think having Taylor in school will be my saving grace as I navigate towards being a mommy of three wee little ones!