On my heart, on my mind

Wow! What a weekend it's been...Benton was SUPER cranky yesterday - he's teething again. He either wanted to be picked up, then would cry to be put down. Once he was put down, he would cry to be picked up. We finally checked his temperature after Steven got home, and poor buddy was running a fever :-( I felt like a bad mom not knowing he was sick. He's feeling a little better today, but slept a lot according to daycare.

I've just got a few things on my heart and on my mind that I need to get out there and ask for thoughts/prayers.

• My friend Reanna's little boy, Benson, had a big setback this weekend. He was born October 11th, along with his twin sister, Ainsley. Ainsley is now home and doing well, but Benson has been found to have had a stroke. He is doing okay, but the long-term implications are unknown. They are on my mind and on my heart...
• My friend Justin and Bonnie are attempting to adopt two beautiful children. They've been through a lot of setbacks and are experiencing trials and tribulations everyday in the adoption of their children. They are on my mind and on my heart...
• One of my friends is getting ready to undergo some treatment for fertility. She is an awesome woman, and he is a wonderful man. They will make amazing parents. I hope that this treatment works, and they are blessed with a child soon. They are so deserving...

I am thankful for having great friends, who are with me through thick and thin. I hope that this little note lets them know that they are constantly on my mind, on my heart, and being thought of. I am there with you, through it all.

Birthday, Pumpkin Patch, and 1 year stats - aka Blog Catch up!

Wow! It's been a while since I've updated the blog...life is busy when you have a 1 year old running around the house (well, not running, but crusing). Benton turned 1 on October 9th! We had a party in Bentonville (along with Ethan's 4th), and had a really good time! What else has been going on? Let's let the pictures tell you....

I love the coloring in this picture! The picture people did so well!

He really enjoyed this cake!

He was hesitant at first to dig into it though....

But was very proud of himself in the end for making such a mess!

We also made a trip to the local apple orchard/pumpkin patch in Cummings. It was really nice, and I'd love to take a kid there when they're a little bit older than Benton - they had a hay maze for the kids, petting barn, corn pool, slide, and a lot of other stuff! Benton and Steven did the hay maze, then we walked around a bit. We took a hay ride out to the corn maze, and walked around a while (but it gets really tiring when you have to carry a 1 year old everywhere!). We didn't find everything in the maze that we were looking for (8 different objects), but had a good time. Next, we rode the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and had fun picking out pumpkins. We brought them back, paid for them, then put Benton's costume on for some cute pictures! We ate a really yummy apple cider donut, and looked around their shop. Around then, we were pooped and ready to go home! The weather was beautiful that weekend!

Benton thinks he's pretty big stuff standing up in the middle of the hay bales!

This one dad!! I want this one! - No we didn't get that one :-)

We did however, end up with a total of 2 big pumpkins (one missing in the picture), a small, Benton sized-pumpkin, and 2 really neat gourds. He had a lot of fun with the little one he's holding!

Benton walked the last few feet of the hay maze for kids with daddy's help! He is such a happy boy!!

I can't believe it's November already! We've had an amazing few months recently!! Benton is growing and changing every day. He's really made this first year awesome. My life has changed forever, and I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Here's his one year stats

• 22lbs 5ozs (50th %)
• 28.5 inches (50th %)
• 48cm head circumference (92nd %)
• You eat EVERYTHING! No aversions to food.
• You are crusing around furniture - SO close to walking!
• You say "Hi", "mom", "dad", "no", and "yeah"
• You sleep from about 7:30pm or 8pm until 6:30am
• You have teeth!! 2 on the bottom, 1 on the top (sort of)
• You moved up to toddler time at the Library on Thursday nights. It's got bigger kids in it, but you seem to like it.
• You are still going to day care with Dianne Hyden. You really love her a lot! You have 2 friends there, Lyla (2 yrs old) and Bior (1 yr 2 months)
• You give kisses (most of the time) on command. I love the slobbery kisses!
• You love snuggling and reading books, but are also on the go a lot!
• You still have your wubbanub, Mr Monkey. You use it to go to bed and nap time. You also use it sometimes when you're upset in the car to calm down. We now have 3 monkeys - 2 colorful ones - Mr. Monkey, and 1 plain one - Deuce
• You love feeding your dogs (or Sooie) some of your food - breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I'm sure she and Rae don't mind it either!

You are definitely mommy and daddy's little stinker - your halloween costume was fitting (mommy and grandma waggy made it!) - and we love you very much! We look forward to the changes that are coming soon, and watching you GROW.

NICU Mamma

I'm a mother of a baby that was in the NICU. Wow...that only took me 8 months to say. Seeing my precious baby boy today, one would never know that he was a NICU baby. Seeing him just after he was born, one wouldn't think he would even remotely be anywhere near the NICU. But, my precious, 8lb 9oz baby boy spent the first 4 days of his life in the NICU.

It all started with contractions on October 8th. This was 11 days prior to my "scheduled" c-section. I was set to have a c-section because of my history with Crohn's disease. I've had 5 abdominal surgeries - 4 full open ones - in 6 years. Having a history of perianal fistulas, my OBGYN and CR surgeon and myself, decided that it would be in all of our best interest to have a c-section. It was set - for October 19th, 2 days prior to my due date. I was always nervous that I would go before my scheduled date - I can't ever seem to do things on schedule. We had a plan - first thing in the morning, Dr Morgan (OBGYN) and Dr Page (my CR surgeon) would do the c-section in the main OR, and everything would be great! October 8th rolls around, and I'm not feeling Benton move very much that morning - in fact, not at all. I get scared, and call the Dr. I'm also having contractions. The Dr says to come in, which is easier said than done - it's a 45 minute drive to the Dr's office from Ames. So - I head down there, and they hook me up and do a non-stress test. Of course, as soon as I'm hooked up, they see the contractions, and then Benton starts to move like crazy. Kids and dog make liars out of you every time. We determine he's okay, and we determine that I'm in pre-term labor - nothing serious yet, and barely dilated....go home :-(

I'm done at the Dr's office and in a lot of pain, so I call Steven to come pick me up. He's on his way, and the contractions get stronger, and closer. I got back up to the Dr's office and talk to Dr Tran (whom I really like!) and she tells me to go the L&D and they can monitor me for a while longer, but won't stop the contractions if they don't stop on themselves. Steven gets here, and off we go to L&D (not our first trip there!)

Benton and I get comfortable in the monitoring room, and get hooked up. We are watched for a while, then the Dr comes in and orders a biophysical profile ultrasound. When he's done doing that, they come in and talk to me and Steven, telling me that Benton is showing some signs of distress, and want to watch me overnight (sigh). The contractions have slowed down, but are still strong, and I can't sleep or rest. So - we're moved into the post-partum area to be monitored overnight. I don't sleep a WINK - this is even after 2 Tylenol pm. I watch TV, toss and turn, and even make Steven go on walks with me around the floor. I gaze lovingly in the nursery, imagining Benton laying in the bassinet and people walking by talking about how sweet he is. Wow - nice plans.

The following morning, Dr Tran comes in and tells me that she's going to check me, and if I've progressed at all, she'll do the section. If not, she's sending me home (still contracting). I've progressed slightly, so the c-section is on! Now, let's get the room scheduled, and where is Dr Page? We spend the next few hours waiting on the room (there was an emergency with a guy cutting off his arm in some accident, blah blah). We find out the Page is in Chicago - mind you he PROMISED that he wasn't going anywhere during the month of October - he was in trouble! - but his partner was "on-call" in case something happened during the section. About 2pm, we were wheeled down to the OR. Steven was looking lovely in his garb, and I was nervous! I remember getting myself on the OR bed, the spinal, and remembering that I felt very sick, then got something in my IV and felt instantly better! Steven set beside me and held my hand as we anxiously awaited to hear our baby boy's cry.

He came out, and was beautiful. Steven went to him and watched them dry him off. They were checking his apgar scores, and he was breathing really fast. They decided to bring in the NICU team to help him breath a little. I was devastated. He was stabilized and put into an isolet, and wheeled by me while I was still being closed up. Steven asked if I wanted him to stay with me, or go with Benton, and I of course said to stay with the baby.

The next parts I'm not sure on - because I wasn't there. I was closed, and taken back to my post partum room, and fell asleep, wondering how my baby was. My mother-in-law came in shortly after I got back. Steven came back to check on me, and brought pictures of my baby boy. He was perfect...but covered with wires, and tubes. It scared me. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be holding him, cuddling him, and showing him off....not waiting to go see him.

My mom and dad came, I slept, Steven stayed with Benton....

Benton had an umbilical line put in after he was sent to the NICU, to draw blood and give fluids. One of the fluids they gave him was heparinized saline. It was a 250ml bag. He was supposed to have 62 units of heparin in this bag....

After his fluids were started, his umbilical line didn't clot properly, it was oozing around the line itself. The Drs and nurses watched it for a few hours. About 2 in the morning, while Steven was asleep on the "uncomfortable" couch - the nurse noticed it was oozing more, and called in the neonatologist. He immediately pulled the line, and a swarm of people were around Benton. Orders were flying right and left, and a nurse pulled Steven aside, and questioned if we had any history of bleeding disorders in the family. In his sleep-deprived haze, Steven couldn't think of any. Benton's bleeding stopped, with 10 stitches, surgi-gel, and fresh frozen plasma. The next 3 days were spent wondering if he was okay - if he had a bleeding disorder, if his brain bled too, if he was going to be "normal".

The day we were discharged, the Dr told me as a precaution, he was going to have the saline bag tested to see the concentration of heparin in the saline. He said he highly doubted there was a pharmacy error, and that Benton had some type of Factor V Clotting disorder, but we couldn't be sure until he was about 14 days old, and the plasma was out of his system. I got a call 2 days later that somewhat put my mind at ease. There was a pharmacy error. Benton's 250ml bag of saline had 5,000 units of heparin - not 62. For those non-pharmacy, non-medical people out there - 5,000u of heparin is an adult dose of heparin. They apologized profusely, swore up and down that their procedures have changed, etc etc...

I'm a NICU mom. My baby was in the NICU. I missed the bonding time with my son, the first food he received was a bottle from the nurse. I cried and cried and cried those first 4 days of his life. I felt that I didn't do a good enough job as a mom to keep him safe, to keep him in long enough that he was healthy. I've since learned that it wasn't my fault in any way, and I couldn't have done anything to keep him out of there, or any safer.

Why am I telling you all this, now? 8 months later? 1. I need to let you know. 2. I have friends that are currently pregnant with twins and triplets. The mom of the triplets is preparing herself mentally for having babies in the NICU. I'm devastated at the thought of these parents having to experience the things that I did, and have the feelings that I had. While I knew that Benton was in the best place of him, I would not wish anyone to have to experience the NICU.

Me...I'm a NICU mom. But we're past it, and Benton is healthy, happy, and growing!

What's up?

Tiptoe, through the Tulips....the Neal's made a trip to Pella a few weeks ago with Tom and Andrea, and Jack and Sarah. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and the tulips were wonderful! It was very busy!! Benton enjoyed getting his picture taken, and slept most of the rest of the time.

Last weekend, we made a quick trip to Colubmia, MO. Steven's cousin, Jenn (aka Aunt Jenn) graduated from MIZZOU Vet School. We are SO PROUD of you, Dr Ballard!! Jennifer and Steven are very close in age, and both grew up, more or less, like brother and sister. While it was rainy and dreary, it was a very nice ceremony and cool, but fun, bbq!

My little model

So, here he is! Our little model! Yes, Benton went to get his 6 month (well, acutally 6.5 month) pictures taken Saturday. Our favorite picture place, the Picture People closed in Des Moines in Feb. We were quite upset - they do awesome photos, and have good deals. We got lucky though, because they are still open near Kansas City, and mom and dad wanted to meet there last weekend. So, off we went - Benton, Daddy, myself, and the dogs - yikes - we were packed to the brim for just a weekend!

We were running a bit late on Saturday - sorry PP folks - but got there, and felt like they spent a great amount of time with us. The pictures turned out GREAT, so great they asked us to sign a model release so they could put his pictures up in the store and possibly on the website!! It's so nice to have someone else tell you that you're baby's cute...all your friends have to agree, and having a stranger say so is so nice!

So, what else have we been up to lately?

>Ally turned 29 last Friday!

>Steven turns 29 on May 3rd!

>Benton had his 6 month check up on 4/7/11 - here are a few of his stats...

>18lbs 13oz (92%)

>26 inches long (74%)

>45 cm head circumference (99%)

>He sits unassisted very well

>He eats "real" food twice a day - his favorite - Bananas! He's also likes sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, applesauce, pears. He's tried green beans, peas, avacodoes, rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, spaghetti squash. In the near future we'll try blueberries, peaches, and fun summer fruits and veggies! Steven and I are making all his food, minus the cereals.

>He drinks 7 ozs at a time - three times a day at daycare. He nurses twice a day still.

>The Easter Bunny came and brought him a "My Pal Scout" he likes him a lot, and laughs at him.

>He's attempting to teeth - we're expecting a tooth within the next few weeks on the bottom!

That's about it for now! I'm really trying to get better at blogging, but he keeps me pretty busy! Lots of love guys!

Cousins....they're two of a kind!

Can you tell we're related?

It's sometimes scary how much they look alike. This is Ethan, (at the time, 6 months) my (now) 3 1/2 year old nephew on the left. That's Benton (3 months) on the right. I doubt there's any denying that they're related...

Poor children, the Sikes/Case genes are too strong!

You cloth diaper?

So, yes...we cloth diaper. No - we don't use the old fashion "flats" and "pins". Cloth diapers have actually come a really long way in the recent years. We currently (and probably only will) use Bum Genius - we have the 4.0's - the newest BumGenius available. We have 24 diapers that are in our "stash" - various colors and both snaps and velcro diapers. They have an insert that goes in a pocket in the diaper that is the absorbent part, and they fit like a disposable, just a little thicker!

I first learned of cloth diapering from my good friend (one of the bff), Rebekah. She cloth diapered with her first, Clark. The first time I saw them, I thought she was CRAZY! I mean - can you imagine washing your POOPY diapers in the washing machine where I wash MY CLOTHES?! ew...the thought made me want to puke! But, alas, soon after I got pregnant, I really started looking into them. The more I read, the more I heard, the more I wanted to do it. I talked to Steven about it a bit, and he was not at all convinced. I took him to our local favorite cloth diaper store, Little Padded Seat, and showed him all the CRAZY amounts of options. The owner there was very patient with us, explained everything from prefolds, to flats, to pockets, all-in-ones, and many more. After a whirlwind visit to the diaper store, and our head spinning with all these terms we've never heard before, more research ensued. Steven and I settled on the BumGenius, as we thought this was the best bang-for-our-buck option, and would be the least time consuming way to go if we were really going to do it.

Of course, those of you that REALLY know us, know we often do laundry - we just don't always finish it...may times you'll visit our home and find the laundry in various stages - in the dryer, some folded, some hanging, but never fully finished and put away. My mom laughed when I told her we wanted to cloth diaper and it would require us to wash the diapers about every other day and re stuff them. She didn't think we'd keep up with the laundry! While we don't always finish the diapers - ie stuff them and put them back in his drawer, we've kept up with the laundry! Now, don't ask to see our laundry completely put away and 100% finished...that's another story!

So, yes, we cloth diaper. Is it because we love the environment and want to save the landfills of nasty, gross disposables? Maybe a little. Is it because I'm super cheap and think in the long run it will save me money? You betcha! Wanna know a little more about my cloth diapering? Feel free to ask! I love it, Steven loves it, and it makes Benton's little bottom look cute and oh so happy!

By the way - we just found Rockin'Green Hard Rock soap and LOVE it!! We especially love it when people do giveaways of RG...like with Leaves of My Tree.

Woo Pig Sooie

Cheering on the HOGS! Yes, we are very disappointed that they lost, however we had a GREAT time watching them this year and are VERY proud how far they got.
Benton wore his jersey that night, and was telling Coach P that he was ready to play! He's got the hog call down pretty well, and most of the time laughs when we do it.

B is 3 months old now and here a few of his stats...

• Weighs about 15 lbs
• Sleeps from 10:30pm to 6:00am most nights
• Eats 5 ounces from a bottle at least 3 times a day and nurses 2 other times per day
• Wears 3-6 month clothes (mostly 6 months)
• Smiles and laughs
• Coos a lot
• HATES tummy time
• Loves "Baby Talk" on Thursday nights at the local library
• Sits upright assisted
• Loves his mommy and daddy and puppies

Hopefully I'll be a little better in the future about posting...Steven needs to put up some pictures for me soon so I can share more!

Bad, bad Mommy!

So, yes, I've been a self-absorbed mom recently and haven't posted ANYTHING since before Benton arrived! YIKES!!! Well, here's an extra-long post about Benton and how we're doing.

Benton arrived 10/9/10 at 2:34 pm via c-section. This was 10 days prior to his planned c-section. I was working on Friday morning, and hadn't felt him move much, and was having HORRIBLE constant contractions across the top of my stomach. I called the Dr and they asked me to come in so they could check me out. Mind you, this is the 3rd time I've had to go in somewhere because of contractions, so I didn't think much of it now. I drove myself to Des Moines and went to the office, they hooked me up for a NST (non-stress test). Of course, Benton made a huge liar out of mommy and started moving the minute they had me hooked up!! He was fine, but I was contracting. I spoke with the Dr and decided not to be checked, and to go home. I called Steven and asked him to come pick me up because the contractions were hurting, and I didn't want to drive home while I was having them (45 mile drive). While I was waiting on him, the contractions got closer together and a bit stronger, so back upstairs I went....I had the dr check me and I was only at a 1. Things just didn't "feel right" though, and she and I agreed it would be best for me to go to L&D and be monitored for a few hours (and hopefully get the contractions to stop). Steven gets there and we head across the hospital to L&D. I'm hooked up to the monitors and sat for a few hours. The on call Dr came in and talked to me about the possibility of delivering and the risks associated with an early baby (he was only 38 weeks at this time). After a few hours of monitoring, he decided to keep me overnight for further monitoring because of some of Benton's reactions to the contractions - his heart rate wasn't returning to normal "quite fast enough". Steven and I walked to my room and was hooked back up to the monitor, and left for the evening, being told to "try and get some sleep" - still only 1 cm dilated at this time as well. I was given 2 tylenol pm (yes that's 50mg of benadryl), and it didn't touch me. I maybe got 30 minutes of sleep between 10pm and 3:30am. I filled the time watching tv and walking a few laps around the floor. At 4am, I begged for an ambien, they agreed and it got me about an hour of sleep, no more.

Shift change at 8am brought the Dr that I saw in the office Friday. She explained that she'd check me again, and if I hadn't progressed I'd be sent home, but if I was starting to progress, she'd deliver Benton that day! Quietly hoping that I'd changed a little, I agreed. After a quick check, and the good news that I was progressing, we began really getting ready for a c-section. I called my parents, and they quickly packed and headed this way. Steven's mom was already in KC, as she left Friday afternoon, stating she'd either come all the way up for Benton's birth or spend a nice weekend in KC if she wasn't needed yet!

We were pushed back a few times due to emergencies in the main OR, but finally got taken down about 1:30 pm. I was okay until I was being wheeled down to there. I suddenly realized our lives were really changing, and going to quickly! Of course with all this confusion (and the confusion to follow), no pictures were taken here, so you don't get to see him in his great get-up! Take my word - he was cute...

I got my spinal, and things got started. Steven sat at my head and talked to me the whole time. I think the worst part was the nausea right before things were started (quickly fixed with a nice dose of something in the IV), and the smell of the actual procedure - some cauterizing tool they were using. I didn't feel the "tugging" everyone says they feel, the spinal really took well! But at 2:34 pm, I heard the most beautiful sound in the entire world - my baby's cry. Steven got to see him being delivered, and said he was beautiful! He was taken to the corner of the room, and evaluated quickly. The NICU team was there due to him being early - as a precaution - and they decided he needed to go to the NICU because he had fluid on his lungs still and wasn't breathing quite deeply enough. We decided Steven needed to go with him, and I would go to the room to recover. They wheeled Benton by in an incubator on a CPAP machine so I could see him, and quickly whisked him away.

When I returned to my room, Steven's mom was there. Steven came back shortly and showed me pictures of my beautiful baby. Of course, he had a lot of things on him, monitors and IVs...it really was quite scary, but they said he was doing well. We had some other things happen in the hospital that I don't really want to talk about right now, but will sometime soon...

Needless to say - he was in the NICU for 4 days, but went home with me on Tuesday 10/12.

He is perfect now. Growing well, and doing great! I love my little boy and love being a mommy - it's so amazing seeing that we actually created this little man. More to come....

Floods of 2010

Coming to you live from the former town known as Ames....

Actually, no, we're no longer an island like we were on Wednesday, but we're still in the process of clean-up! The picture to the left is from a friend, Randy. This is a street that I normally drive down every day to get to the interstate. It was closed for 2 days because of the water over the road. It's open now, but there's some major cleanup still to happen. The next picture is from one of the other main "drags" in town - Duff Ave. This is how most people get from North Ames to South Ames...that didn't happen for a while! This street houses Wal-Mart, Target, and most of our eateries. Wal-Mart re-opened yesterday - but I'm really hesitant about going there - it had lots of water in the parking lot, and looked like it actually got in the store - but no one will confirm or deny it. Target on the other hand is still closed. I drove by yesterday and they had boxed out in front of the store. My guess would be they're going through a lot of what Walgreens did a few years ago in Iowa City. Luckliy, the water receeded here a lot quicker than just a few years ago in IA City, so they don't have as much cleanup here as they did over there.

After working Wednesday at Walgreens, and knowing that I had to make it down to Des Moines to work Thursday and Friday - AND hearing that they shut down I-35 and the city's water due to possible contanmination, Steven and I looked for a hotel for this lady to stay at. I found one after about an hour of looking - thank goodness - because it's also fair week in Des Moines. (State Fair that is!) What timing.

We were fine in our duplex as far as water goes. We're in north Ames. They shut down 69 just north of us due to Ada Hayden flooding over the road - but it's back open too. Our storage shed on the other hand is another story. We had flash flooding earlier in the week and were called to come check things out. We took on about 2 inches of water then - and Steven knew he'd have to clean/throw away some things. After Wednesday's floods, he went to check it out Thursday and ended up spending all day out there - removing EVERYTHING, sweeping, drying, and building a platform to put things back on. We had to throw out a bookcase, a table that he built me for my sewing machine, some boxes, and a few odds and ends. Thank goodness OCD me got all of Benton's things out the weekend before - his stroller, his pack-n-play, etc! I thank my wonderful husband for taking the time to take care of the shed - he's a doll and I didn't even have to do any of the work!

I came home last night to there still being restrictions on water useage - they were asking residents not to use water wastefully - short showers or sponge baths, no dishes, no washing clothes, no washing cars (yes, people were ACTUALLY washing their cars), and no watering lawns. We flushed only when necessary. Thank goodness that restriction is being lifted in just a few hours! I have laundry to do! However - we still have a boil order in effect, they're saying until early next week still. Because of the flooding, we had a total of 8 water main breaks that crews have been working around the clock to fix. I thank them for their hard work and efforts! They found another break last night around 6 pm, but had it fixed at 11 pm. That's 9 water breaks! YIKES.

Enough about the floods....in store this weekend? CLEANING! YEA!! Mom and Dad are coming up next weekend - very excited, and our friend Neil is coming up sometime this week! We plan on going to the fair tomorrow if the weather permits and isn't too hot. We have a 3d/4d ultrasound scheduled for next Saturday! We're excited to see the little man again. And my first baby shower is next Friday night with the Ames crew!

Hope everyone has a fabulous week! Lots of love from our growing family to yours!!

Benton's Room

We've been very busy with Benton's room! The chair came in this week and Steven and I borrowed a friend's truck to go pick it up (Thanks Garrisons!) We got it put together (the base on the chair) and set in the corner.

The letters are on the wall above his crib - just waiting for Steven's dad to finish it. He's taking on the amazing task of making him a convertible crib. He's an amazing woodworker and we're very excited!

Some of the artwork is up on the wall - we got the HOGS pictures from the craft fair last year and orginally planned on putting it in the office - but after we found out we were pregnant, it really made me settle on a Razorback Themed nursery - so it was a must to put on the wall, especially with the sports balls in it!

We attempted to put together the travel system last week - and found out it was broken. So we took it back to BRU and exchanged it. Didn't end up getting the exact same one (because Chicco d/c the pattern we had - boo!) but settled with a nice green one.

Next week's agenda: Monday night - go meet and check out the possible daycare provider (in-home). Tuesday afternoon - doctor's appointment in Ankeny. We'll see if Dr Morgan really did schedule my c-section and not let me know :-S Wednesday - payroll at work (yikes!) and the conversion to my new system (ACK!) Thursday and Friday and ALL next week - filling in for the admin in Des Moines - so lots of playing with the new system! On top of all of that - I have lots of sewing to try and do. I need to make new sheets for the cradle (it's not a 'normal' sized mattress...so...). I have a few other projects that I'm thinking of trying - making some personalized burp cloths and onsies - we'll see how it goes!

Speaking of sewing - look at what mom is making for the room: This is the valance, it has white curtains with a Razorback ribbon running along the bottom.

She acutally just sent me another picture that I'll post next week of the completed curtains! YEA!!

Relay for Life, Ride the Ducks, SDC, and a penguin...

Like I said before - a busy few weeks were ahead of me during my last blog!
Steven and I enjoyed Relay for Life a few weeks ago. We participated with our good friends, the Phinneys. Craig was diagnosed with Colon/Rectal cancer just over a year ago - and went through many of the same surgeries that I have - so I was able to talk to him and help him through things. We became fast friends and have developed an awesome relationship - both professional and personal (friendship). We stayed until about 11:30pm, and at that point, I turned into a pumpkin - must be a pregnancy thing.
The following evening, we joined the Phinneys and many other close friends at our surgeon's house - Michael Page - to listen to a private concert by David M. Bailey. This was the first time I've heard David, and his story. He was awesome, it was awesome, and a good time was had by all.

We painted Benton's room last week - and have worked on it this week too. It's ALMOST done! However - the crib - being made by Steven's TALENTED father - isn't going to be ready this weekend like we had hoped....so, more time to clean and prepare the room!

Thursday-Sunday was spent in Branson with my family. We met on Thursday evening - mom, dad, Matt, Drew, ETHAN, Steven, and I - and rode the Ducks. The first thing Ethan told me on the ride was "I LOVE VACATION!" He's 2 1/2...he's too cute! We went to SDC the next day and spent a wonderful day there. Ethan was able to ride a few rides with his dad and mom, and grandma too. Steven and I mainly set out - but he was able to ride Powder Keg. Benton prevented me from riding anything but the train and the great shootout...but I still managed to have a good time! Saturday was shopping in the morning, and a frantic dash to find me contacts/glasses as mine broke while we were there - boo! We ended the evening at The Dixie Stampede - which was great food and a really good show. Sunday morning was breakfast and on the road home...wow...a lot of stuff crammed into a few days - but it was great to spend time with the family. My nephew is the cutest thing on earth (right now of course - may be a close second after Benton arrives!) and he had a blast this weekend....
Pictures will come soon - I need to get the off of Steven's computer.

Steven's dad and step-mom are coming this weekend. They're going to Newton to the race, I'm staying home. 90+ degree weather in late July in Iowa for 10+ hours watching cars make "another left turn" doesn't really float my boat...but Zeno's does! (Friday night baby - here I come deconstructed Taco Pizza - yummmm....)
Until then...

wow...long time, no blog!

The girls got together this weekend in Topeka to meet Amy's baby - Ronin Alan. He's 4 1/2 months old and just absolutely precious!! Of course - we were all too busy talking to take pictures - but we did get a few in before we all left. These girls are my life. We've known each other since about 3rd/4th grade - all attended East Cross United Methodist in Bartlesville together. We've all gone our separate ways since about 6th grade, but somehow - we've managed to stay close and get together (not as often as we'd all like - but we manage somehow).

Somehow - we all managed to also be pregnant (well, sort of) around the same time too! Left to Right - we have Rebekah - who's due in Jan, Amy - who just had Ronin in March, Megan - who's due Oct 17th, and me - who's due Oct 21st. We couldn't have planned this is if we wanted to!

We had a fabulous weekend with great hosts (thank you Wiggs family!) We managed to stay up until 1:30 am or 2 am on Monday morning, talking about life and babies (of course!) Ronin gave me a welcome to mommy hood by graciously spitting up on me Monday morning after his breakfast - it wasn't too bad, and I'm sure he was just making sure I'd get used to it. Benton was responding to sounds of Ronin's crys this weekend too! Amy and Dan are currently working with Ronin to self-soothe, and we were allowing him to cry it out for a while Monday morning while we were talking...well, Benton took exception to this and kicked me a few times, trying to get me to make him stop...at least that's what it seemed like to me.

I also had the chance during this quick trip to see my friend from high school, Amanda, get married. The wedding was lovely and the bride was beautiful! Of course - did I take pictures? no...bad bad bad me!

We have our next Dr appt tomorrow! We'll get to hear the heartbeat again - get measured for the first time (fundal height) - and.....gestational diabetes test (UGH!) We had an ultrasound last week to see more anatomy and he's measuring just a tad big (1 lb 11 oz, supposed to be 1 lb 7 oz) so we'll see what Dr Morgan has to say about that.

A big weekend planned with lots of things going on - Relay for Life Friday night, haircut Saturday, concert with the Phinney's and Page's Saturday night, and nursery work on Sunday! I'll try to be more diligent about taking pictures and posting!

Love you guys!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.....

Benton Cooper will be joining the family in October!! He definately suprised us this morning, showing us he was, in fact, 100% BOY! Steven and I had decided it was a girl - due to old wives tales and the way I've been feeling...but alas - we were definately happy and suprised!

The technician stated he was currently in the breech position, so it made it difficult to get all the anatomy scans she needed, as well as the fact that he was hiding behind my ileostomy. So we'll be going back in a few more weeks for more scans.

His heartbeat was a STRONG 152, and he weighs 14 oz. He's measuring right on track right now. We got to see his feet - which by the way are HUGE - and I could have told you that - he's become fond of kicking my bladder at the most incoveinent times (ie 6 am when I'm supposed to get up at 6:30!)

Thank Heaven for Little Boys!

Reaching the 7 Summits - AWESOME JOB!

Congrats to Rob Hill and the No Guts Know Glory Team for accomplishing his goal of reaching the 7 summits of the world! Rob successfully summited Everest today! I met Rob last year in Iowa at the IBD Awareness day - he's an AMAZING guy with a GREAT story. Did I mention Rob has an ostomy?! Read his story here....http://nogutsknowglory.com/

Way to go No Guts Know Glory Team!

A soccer player in our future?

Baby Neal was very cooperative this week at our doctor's appointment. We met with Dr Morgan on Thursday morning. She felt bad that I'm still sick - but there are more better days than bad days, so hopefully it's coming to an end soon. (fingers are crossed)
We got to hear the heartbeat - a strong 150-160! But in the midst of listening to the sound of the heartbeat, we heard quite a few loud THUMPS, which Dr Morgan explained were kicks. Baby Neal kicked two or three times within a few minutes. Right before she pulled the doppler off, the baby MUST have flipped completely over because the sound it made! I still don't really "feel" it, I don't think - but it's definately moving.

Steven and I spent today with the Garrison's at the Des Moines Farmer's Market, then off to the Blank Park Zoo we went! We spent most of the morning and early afternoon there and had a WONDERFUL time!! We're looking forward to heading to Omaha next weekend, where will spend the day at the Zoo there! (can you see a trend, yes we are Zoo freaks!)

Only 2 1/2 weeks until we find out what flavor this pumpkin is!! Getting VERY ANXIOUS!
Have a great week guys! Hopefully we'll post pictures soon from the Blank Park and Omaha Zoos....

Week 17

So - it's officially week 17 for me and the pumpkin...it's still making me sick, and I thought it was supposed to be over by now! Oh well - I'm getting through it (thanks to Zofran and Phenergan).

Like I said in the last post, we go to the Dr on Thursday. Very excited, and ready to check things out again. I feel like the bump has started to form, but I'm still in the I kinda-look-fat stage. I'm ready to start looking pregnant! I saw my surgeon this last week - the first thing he asked - "Are you showing yet?!" I quickly stood up and pulled my shirt tight, and sure enough, he saw it! So - at least someone thinks I'm looking a little pregnant!

We had a wonderful weekend - Saturday was spent at the wedding of our dear friends, Angie and Rob Roggers! It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and a cool breeze. Angie looked beautiful in a coffee colored, knee length dress from Pea in the Pod, showing off Charolette's bump very well! Robert looked very handsome in his brown tux, that fit very nicely. We had great bar-b-que, and wonderful cupcakes. It was very small, but very fitting for the couple! Congrats Bob and Angie! Here's to many wonderful years ahead!!

Sunday was spent relaxing and catching up on sleep. Steven cleaned the office little more, getting ready to start moving things out of there and into storage, so we can move the guest bedroom upstairs to make room for Baby Neal!

We hope everyone has a wonderful week, and look forward to posting more info on Baby's appointment next weekend!
Love you all!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mother's out there. I know I owe my mom a lot of credit for making me the woman I am today. She knows when to hold on, and when to let me make my own decisions. I appreciate it all. There have been many other women in my life that have helped shaped me, you all know who you are - THANK YOU!
So, that being said - is today my first Mother's day? I think so - I'm growing this little life inside me, nurturing it, loving it, and trying to make sure it comes out the healthiest it can. Steven, Sooie, Rae, and the Pumpkin bought me a beautiful card, and the Willow Tree "Cherish" figurine. It's the mom that's pregnant. I LOVE WILLOW TREE! :-) It's beautiful and has a special place on a shelf in my room now. I'm sure once we get the baby's room set up, we'll move it in there.
It's been a cold weekend here in Iowa - but Steven, Tom and Andrea G, and I ventured to Pella yesterday for the Tulip Festival. While many of the Tulips were gone because of the storms last week and this week - it was still a good time. We had great food and good company!
We have busy weeks ahead of us still. PTCB is back in gear, and I'm still teaching classes. 4 in all each week this round. 1 week is down, 3 to go. I go to Waterloo (northeast IA) Wednesdays for class, have a class in Des Moines Thursday evening, and 2 classes in Des Moines on Fridays.
The next dr's appointment is in a week and a half - the 20th! I can't wait to hear the little pumpkin again! I'm hoping that by that time, this nausea will subside. We have the gender ultrasound scheduled for June 8th!!! Many people I've talked to say girl based on old wives tales (me being sick, the position of the baby is higher than the dr expected at our 14 week appt, etc), but we'll have to see!
Wishing all the Mother's out there a VERY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, may it be filled with love and laughter. I love you mom!
Until next time!
Ally

Baby Neal - taken at 10 Weeks, 4 Days

Sorry, it's been a while

Well, it's been quite a while! Things have been going pretty well around here. I've still been very sick - which stinks! I'm almost 15 1/2 weeks pregnant now - I've been pregnant for just over 105 days! CRAZY!!!!
We've been busy still, trying to prepare for this little blessing. We had a OB appointment on Tuesday this week, baby's heartbeat was going strong at 150! We scheduled the ultrasound for June 8th to find out what it is.
AND - my awesome Mom and Dad, Brother and Sis-in-law got me gift cards to Prenantal Vsions in Des Moines, which is a 3D/4D ultrasound place, for my birthday. It's super exciting! We're planning on going around 28 weeks (we think) because we want to make sure that baby's started for form a little fat on him/her and look like they'll really look in October!
Speaking of birthday - I also received a really neat Coach diaper bag from my mother-in-law, yes she loves me! Steven gave me an IOU for movie and dinner - which is the greatest gift he could give me (he's not much of a going to movie guy!)

Well, we're anxiously awaiting our next appointment and DEFINATELY looking forward to June 8th! Until then, let's hope this morining sickness (ha, yeah right!) goes away SOON!!
Lots of love - Ally & Steven