Way Behind

Oh my, I have really let this blog become something of joke. I have managed to update it once a month (if that) and then the post is mostly just an overview of what has been going on during my writing absence.
Which pretty much sums up all my journal writing attempts. haha.
So here we go with an attempt to sum up (again) what has been going on and hopefully I'll do better about keeping this blog up to date (although I wouldn't count on it since I'm due to have our baby in 4 weeks)

To update everyone on the baby I will say that I am due on the 8th of Dec. but I am scheduled to be induced on the 2nd of Dec instead. My parents come in early on the 1st so we are going to help this little one get here. I am really excited about this since my induction with Rori made my labor last 4 hours. Who wouldn't want to sign up for a 4 hour labor?
I have spent that last few months as a permanent resident of the hospital's antenatal testing area. I have had more ultrasounds with this pregnancy than I had with all my other kids combined, x10!
At first they were worried because she was measuring 2 weeks small for her age and so I went in every 2-4 weeks to have a growth check done to make sure she was growing properly. She stayed consistently 2 weeks small until 3 weeks ago when she had a sudden growth spurt. So I get to go in again today to check and see how she is doing. I'm hoping this is the last time since delivery is just around the corner.
In addition to growth checks they checked my fluid levels and decided that I am "low" on amniotic fluid. I was told at the hospital that the range is from 10-20 and I was at 10.7. I have never had any problems with my fluid levels so this info kind of had me nervous. They wanted me come back in after a week of rest and increased fluids, for a fluid check. So I did. My fluid levels didn't change. The people at the hospital told me I "needed" to come back in every week for a fluid check and to hook me up to the monitors to check the baby! I can't take my kids with me to the hospital and I was seriously running out of friends to abuse for babysitters since I was going in nearly every week to the hospital (between the heart issues, growth check and fluid checks) It was getting a little ridiculous in my opinion. So I asked my doc about my levels and he said he wouldn't worry unless I was under 5 or over 25. So I skipped my last fluid check (it was the same day as Dyson's school Halloween parade and I didn't want to miss that anyway) and told my doc last time that I wasn't going back for any more of them. haha. He agreed.
So after a several months of pointless hospital visits and stressing about if this baby was going to actually be born when my parents were here I have some peace of mind to know that everything seems to be going great and I won't have to go past my due date!

Jason in the middle of his OB/GYN rotation and is really enjoying it, besides that fact that there are too many students in this rotation. He has spent the last 3 weeks doing ob/gyn surgeries and really likes it. His call schedule hasn't been too bad either. He has gotten to work with my OB since my OB is the head of the OB department at the hospital and he has agreed to let Jason deliver this little girl! I am super excited about that. Jason has 3 more weeks on this rotation and then he starts Psych. (which is the most relaxed of the core rotations. He only has to be there from 9-2, or something like that, and there is no call!) Which will make our life pretty nice.

Dyson has a new found love of art. Up until now if he was supposed to color for school it consisted of one color over the whole picture, and it was obvious that it was done as quickly as possible. Needless to say, coloring was not his thing. But I have had 2 talks with his current teacher to discuss the mural that was drawn all over his desk! He likes to draw and color. He prefers to not use crayons however. He loves markers and colored pencils. I think he would really like paints too if I let him use them. ( I really don't want to clean up that mess) He is getting better at reading, writing and math everyday. I have parent teacher conferences today so I will get a little better insight as to how he is coping in the class and what I can do to help him. He seems to be adapting well to this new school and the thought of maybe moving at the end of the school year is becoming less and less appealing. I would really like for him to have some kind of stability. He has lived in 6 different house/apartments in his 6 years. But our life is anything but predictable at this point so all I can do is hope that he will continue to adapt to each new situation.

Ridge. There is so much to say about this little man. One of the funnier things that we have been experiencing with him is how he says his "R" sounds. For the longest time (actually, since he started talking) he has had a hard time saying his Rs. He said his name as Widgedon and his sister was Wowi. We have been working with him on saying it the right way for a long time and he just couldn't seem to get it. He could say the R sound but if he tried to connect it to word he would use the W sound. It was kind of frustrating but we figured it would all come in time. We were right. One day he came into the kitchen where I was cooking dinner and told me his name was Ridgedon! I was so excited and all during dinner he was telling us words that started with the R sound. Jas and I were so proud of him. The funny part comes in when one night we were eating dinner and Ridge was trying to tell Rori that her dinner wasn't hot it was just warm but he couldn't do it. He kept trying but he didn't want to use the W sound and he ended up telling her that dinner was rarm. haha. Even now he has a hard time with words that have a W and an R in the word. His speech is always a work, or as Ridge would say "a rork" in progress. haha. Gotta love him!

Rori might as well be velcroed to my leg. Whenever her dad is not around all she wants is for me to hold her, snuggle her, sit with her and read to her. Of course it's super cute and I LOVE it, but it does make getting any kind of house work done impossible. Between the 2 of us we have been sick for 2 weeks and I think her being sick has added to her need for momma love. But she seems to be feeling better and the needyness hasn't subsided. Of course, as soon as her dad walks in the door mom doesn't even exist. haha. Which makes it possible for me to do some house cleaning and cooking but Jason doesn't spend much time at home, and when he's on call (like he was last night) it makes for a long day for me with my growth attached. haha.
I have really loved our one on one time when Ridge and D are both in school. We have so much fun. The way she constructs her sentences is too funny and we laugh the whole time. She talks like Yoda and she tries to talk like a grown up. I just can't get enough of her.

We didn't really do much for Halloween this year unless you count having a Joy School Halloween party and attending the ward Fall Festival. We didn't trick or treat since it was on Sunday, Jason was on call, and Rori was sick with a fever. We stayed home, had a relaxing evening and I sent the kids to bed early.

We are planning on having some friends over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and I am excited about planning it. I have 3 weeks to get all my Christmas shopping done, plan Thanksgiving, and get things organized for miss Islay to join our family. Sometimes it seems like the list is overwhelming and I don't have enough time, but being busy will help the time pass. And since the last month of pregnancy seems to last FOR-E-VER I'm grateful for the distractions. The only thing that seems to be on the down side is that my morning sickness seems to have returned! How rude is that? I have been nauseous for a week now and I can't figure out what to do about it.
So Rori and I spend a lot of time laying down snuggling until dad comes home, and other than the fact that the house is a perpetual mess, I don't mind the snuggle and rest time.

So there is my life in a blog post. Hopefully I can get some pics up soon and hopefully I'll be better about keeping up.

A month gone by

I feel like I just updated this blog but that was about a month ago! Where does the time go?
We are back in the swing of things here with Jason back and the hospital, Dyson in 1st grade (gone all day :( and Ridge in Joy school 2 mornings a week. It seems that so much has happened in the last few weeks and the time has flown by.
Dyson is loving being in school all day and is making tons of friends. But I'm not surprised. He has always been so outgoing and friendly. He is like his mother in that respect. I never had a hard time making friends. He is doing excellent in reading and math and I am impressed with him every day.
Ridge has only been to school 2 days but is really liking it. For the first time he is one of the older kids in the group and I think he likes being a leader for the others. He is one of two 4 yr olds and the rest are 3.
Rori is CRAZY! There are so many different words I could use to describe her but that one seems to sum it up pretty good. She is talking more and more clearly and you would think that would help her communicate better but we are still struggling with her crying and whining for every little thing. It is seriously driving me nuts.
Rori is my big helper. She doesn't really like playing with her brothers (they play games she doesn't understand) but she loves to help me clean and cook. She will follow me around all day! I love it. Of course she changes focus to her dad as soon as he walks through the door. haha.

As for me and baby. I am doing pretty good over all with only a few complaints really. I have been having sciatic nerve pain (which is no fun at all) and I also have excruciating pain due to my hips spreading. I can't walk hardly at all and I have a difficult time changing from a laying to sitting or sitting to standing position. I waddle like I'm 45 weeks pregnant but I'm only 28! Not good.

Baby girl is growing steadily. In the beginning we were a little worried about her size since she was measuring 2 weeks small. I have been having ultrasounds every couple of weeks to monitor her growth and she is looking good. Still 2 weeks small but she is growing at a steady rate. I am scheduled to have Fetal Echocardiogram to examine her heart for a possible heart defect.
On an early ultrasound her heart showed signs of a possible Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) which is basically a whole in the heart between the left and right ventricle. It is the most common heart defect and usually doesn't require treatment. They commonly close on their own but it surgery is needed it is pretty simple. The doc isn't too worried about her and there have been many prayers on her behalf that Jason and I feel really confident that all will be well with our little one.
My biggest concern is that if she does in fact have a VSD it can make nursing more difficult since the baby can get tired really easily. I use nursing to help lose the weight (and I'm going to need a lot of help this time around) and if she gets too tired and isn't a good nurser that is not a good thing for me. (leave it to me to be selfish when it comes the health of my baby. oh well)

Jason is doing his pediatric rotation right now and has been enjoying his time there. He was on the patient floors working with adolescents for the first week and now he is in the newborn nursery and ER. He is learning so much and his Attendings have been really awesome.

NJ is growing on us and I am really looking forward to the Fall. It is my favorite season and I have been told that Fall in Jersey is amazing. So I'm hoping to add another thing on my small, but growing list of things I like about NJ.

If any of you find yourself back east or you want to plan a trip out here feel free to come and stay. We aren't far from NY and would love to see you!

proof is in the picture

Our little family has been growing up and our kids are getting older by the day. It's been a while since I've posted some pics so here are photos of our summer adventures.

We've been listening to music

We made a trip to the beach

Played at the park with friends



Dyson had a birthday

We went to the zoo

Ridge had a birthday

Climbed on all the toys at another park

Learned how to climb up a twisty slide




We went to a parade for the 4th of July

Mom had a birthday dinner

We spent some time at the Sprayground

And we even started potty training.

And have been getting cuter and cuter every day!

The Results

We had our ultrasound last week and found out our little nugget is a GIRL!! We are really excited and it was an interesting ultrasound. Eventually I'll post about it but right now we'll just say we know what we are having and are super excited!!

What will it be?

So after dealing with nearly every obstacle known to man I finally have a date for my ultrasound. Most people have their scan done between 18 and 20 weeks. However, since my life has been anything but normal or predictable lately I am having mine at 22 weeks. It has been an extremely frustrating process to get everything figured out and set but I'm glad to have it done, finally.

So the big day is this Friday at 10:15. That is when we will hopefully find out the gender of our little nugget. I get asked all the time if I want a boy or a girl and to answer that question for all of you who aren't close enough to ask the answer is, I really don't care.
I know lots of people say that and whenever I heard it I always thought in the back of my mind "yeah right!" But now that it's me in the hot seat I can honestly say that I will be equally excited either way.

That being said there are some significant social benefits to it being a girl. Right now Rori has 2 older brothers who she tries to play with but they are less than patient with her and they don't like to share their toys with her. And they don't want to play with her toys, since they are girly, and so she never really has to share. It would be nice for her to have a younger sister so she could learn how to share her toys (and her dad) with someone younger than her.
But having another little bundle of boy would be absolutely perfect too. I wouldn't accomplish the same things socially as a girl would but I have a name already picked out for a boy and there is something about the bond between a mother and son. I don't know if it's because I had a boy first and so my first feelings of loving a baby were towards a boy or if it's just the way I am, but I really do have a special place for those little men in my life.

So in a couple of days I'll be off to find out if we are going pink or blue. I've added a poll on the sidebar so be sure to cast your vote. The voting ends on Friday at 11:30ish my time. And I'll post the results as soon as I get home.

The Princess and the Pee

Disclaimer: This post is about potty training. If you don't want to know all about Rori learning to use the toilet may I suggest skipping this post. I wrote this mostly for me to remember since my brain has been getting more and more befuddled over the years.


I tried to write this post as a story with the "Once Upon a Time" line, but I am not good at writing fairy tales and this has been anything but a dream come true. haha.

A couple of weeks ago Rori started taking her diaper off during her naps and night time. It was such a mess. I have no idea if she took them off before or after she slept but either way when I went to get her out of her bed she would be nude and her bed would be wet! It was not a fun thing and I started making sure she had pants on when she went to sleep (the AC in the kids room cools down the room but it can still be kind of hot so I was letting her sleep in just her diaper so she wouldn't get too hot) Then after a few days she figured out how to take off her pants too!! ARG, I was so frustrated. So I started putting onesies on her instead. I figured she couldn't get the snaps undone and so she would have to stay dressed. Victory! It worked. I was able to put her to bed in minimal clothes to keep her cool and she was staying dressed. No more soiled sheets for me to wash.
However, I quickly found a downside to my solution. Rori started getting little red sores on her bum. :( As it turned out, having the moisture on her bottom for any length of time gave her a rash that was really sore for her and that is why she started taking her diaper off in the first place. Sad day.
My options were not looking good. I either had to let her suffer (not going to happen) change her diaper immediately after she peed, or potty train her. None of those options seemed particularly appealing but I couldn't come up with anything other options.
At first I tried the changing the diaper thing but I never knew when she was wet and she would inevitably remover her diaper during the day and pee on my floor! She really didn't like having a wet diaper on and I can understand that, but I really don't like mopping pee off the floor 12 times a day either.
So, after a week or so of having little miss nudey pants strip several times a day and pee on my floor I decided to put some underwear on her to see how she would do. I figured if she was going to be peeing on my floor even if I put a diaper on her I could at least give her the chance to go where she was supposed to.
This was such a spontaneous thing that for the first couple of days we were doing it she had to wear Ridge's underwear.
We started on a Sat. afternoon and she did pretty good, only 1 accident. The next day was Sunday and I was subbing in nursery, Jas was on call at the hospital and I knew there was no way I could handle day 2 of potty training on my own so we diapered up for church and did undies when we got home. No accidents on Sunday. then on Monday, a whole day without any accidents!!!!
This is amazing to me. Potty training the boys was pretty easy for me. But they were 2 1/2. Rori won't be 2 until Oct.
Since starting this journey we have had several perfect days and only a few accidents at all. She took to it right away and can even pull herself away from a movie or a game to run to the potty.
I was really hesitant to start this process because I am still occasionally sick and constantly exhausted. Potty training is a lot of work for the mom ( all you who have been through it know what I'm mean) and I didn't want to do all this work just to have her revert when the baby is born. But since we started using panties she hates wearing diapers. I still make her wear one to bed and nap and she is a pretty good sport about it, but as soon as she is awake she wants to use the potty and get her panties on again.
I have hear over and over again the girls are easier to train the boys and I was really skeptical because my boys really were easy to train, but I think I may be a believer.
Yeah for Rori!

Inner Pressure

I don't know why, but this pregnancy has brought on more migraine headaches than I have ever had in my life. Even small headaches are so debilitating to me and when you add sensitivity to light and sound and nausea it makes my life almost unbearable. Considering the fact that I live with 3 small people who are gifted in the noise making department I'm sure you can see how a migraine could be a bad thing. Add in the fact that I'm still prone to praying to the porcelain god daily and I don't want to move.
With the other pregnancies I would get a few headaches but these are worse and Way more frequent.
I'm done complaining....for now.
Hopefully these headaches stop soon. I don't know if I can take much more!