The single digit countdown...

The final countdown. (As an aside, "The Final Countdown" by Europe is one of the great sports stadium songs to this day. Gosh I love that song. Gets me on my feet every time. And if you're an Arrested Development fan, you know that G.O.B. feels the same way.)

Yes, it's finally here... the single digit week countdown to delivery. As of today, 9 weeks and 3 days. Unreal. It actually works well, cause I'm starting to get REALLY tired and uncomfortable - so another 9 weeks of this sounds just about right.

In recent news, my mom and I went to the city (New York City) last weekend - we went to Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center to see two pieces performed by the NY Philharmonic. The first was an octet by Schubert, the second was Copland's Third Symphony. Both highly enjoyable, and we had a fantastic lunch closeby as well. It was a fun (albeit tiring) day, and I'm so glad we were able to do it.

I'll try to post an updated tummy photo, although I really don't feel like I've gotten much bigger in the last several weeks. I'll let you all be the judge.

That's it for now, I'm off to try and think up a new poll for this week.

Back in the saddle...

Well, after feeling pretty lousy and HORRID yesterday (worse than I've felt in years), I'm feeling a little better today. Nick took a half day off which allowed me to sleep essentially all afternoon. He took care of me with chicken soup, gatorade, orange juice, water, cold compresses for my forehead, and changing the humidifier as needed. He's the best. Oh, and did I mention he cooked dinner? Turkey meatloaf, asparagus, and wild mushroom and herb couscous. Swoon as you may, he's still mine. :o)

But with the combination of all of the above, I do feel much improved today. Your grandma was right when she recommended bedrest and forcing liquids. I drank an obscene amount of Gatorade, and I guess it got my electrolytes balanced- that or the glycerol ester of wood rosin and brominated vegetable oil listed in the ingredients worked their magic. Honestly, I don't even care - I'm just glad to not feel like I was mashed between an 18 wheeler and the pavement anymore.

In other happy news, I got my glucose test results back this morning and they were normal. I'll be a little mindful of sugar intake just to be on the safe side, but it's good to know that if I want to hit up Friendly's one of these days for the Reese's Pieces Happy Ending Sundae, I'm good to go. :)

Oh, and the Lady Red Foxes ended up losing to LSU, but they really made it a game, they were nearly tied at halftime. But they turned the ball over WAY too much (as I said to my parents post-game, do you think they wanted some coffee to go with all those turnovers? har har har)... and in the end, LSU was a second seed - but it was exciting to see Marist back in the tourney, and here's hoping for next year.
That's it for now, back to resting for me.

Sniff sniff cough cough...

I know this might be hard to believe, but we're sick again. Well not Nick - yet. But the rest of us. Doozy of a cold. Oh well, I've been drinking lemon water like mad and just trying to rest, hopefully this will be gone sooner than later.

Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately, but my laptop has been randomly not working - and I tend to post from bed from my laptop... so that's the explanation for that. But thankfully tonight my laptop has reconsidered and has decided to operate again... so I'm taking advantage of it.

Had my glucose tolerance test - no results yet, but hopefully tomorrow.

That's it for now, hope everyone had a great weekend.

Oh, and GO LADY RED FOXES! The women's basketball team at my alma mater won in the first round of the NCAA tournament and has advanced - they play LSU tomorrow at 1. I'm not expecting a victory, but considering they made it to the Sweet 16 last year, you just never know.

Sugar.... oh honey honey....

Aren't you glad I got THAT song in your head? That one is good for like a week stuck in your head at a time. Who did that song anyway? Something like the Archies? Eh, who cares.

Anyway, the reason for the title was that I got back my glucose tolerance test results today. RESULTS = FAIL. Brilliant. Never had a problem with the other two, but I guess the third time's the charm. So now I get to take the 3 hour test. Which means.... fast for 12 hours, have my blood taken at 8 am, then drink another bottle of that scrumptious concoction known as Glucola, and then have my blood drawn 1 hour later, 2 hours later, and 3 hours later. If at that point I haven't turned white as a sheet, deflated, and melted into a thin sheet of nothingness on the floor, I'm then free to go home and eat.

I'll keep you posted.

A peek at "Cavebooks"...

The kids have adopted a new favorite tradition created by Daddy... where there's bunk beds, there's the potential for a cave! Hang a quilt here and a blanket there, it's the perfect cave retreat for bedtime stories. And Daddy has been following through on "Cavebooks" for several nights now... here's a peek!

Weekend update...

So let's see, since my last post I had my repeat of my glucose tolerance test- haven't gotten the results back yet but at least the draw itself went off without a hitch. The ironic part is that even though a different nurse did it, she used the IDENTICAL vein the other nurse tried 2 days prior, about a millimeter away - and yet somehow she was able to get 2 vials full as quickly as you can say "gestational diabetes." At least it's over, and I'm expecting the results to be fine, so I shouldn't have to have another blood draw for the foreseeable future.

Riley has school pictures tomorrow - I'm so excited! I still haven't decided what he's wearing, but it will definitely lean towards the classic. Of course I'll post it as soon as we get the proofs back.

My parents just got our travel system for us yesterday - YAY!! It feels good to know that little by little, all the newborn essentials are falling into place. Liam now actually has a carseat to come home from the hospital in! I'll probably put it into the car about a month in advance, partially so that incase for some reason Liam comes early - we're not making a last minute mad dash to install it. And also because I'd like the kids to start getting used to the idea of it being in the car. So, car seat will be installed at around the same point that the hospital bag gets packed. I can't believe I only have a couple weeks left until it's a single digit week countdown.

Well that's it for this weekend! That's the news, goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Bits and pieces...

No coherent theme for today - just random ramblings.

Let's see. What's been going on lately? I had my glucose tolerance test (to test for gestational diabetes) yesterday... which is just LOADS of fun to begin with. Well about 5 minutes in, after the nurse kept fishing the needle around in my vein trying to get the dumb line to start, I ended up passing out (which I've never done during a blood test before) and having a little seizure-like shaking episode which prompted the nurse to freak and scream for backup. Thank goodness I was unconscious during that screaming part. The cherry on top? They didn't get enough blood to do the test, and you can only draw the blood during a very small window 1 hour after you finish drinking the glucose drink.... so I get to go back and try again tomorrow. Joy of joys.

The boys are slowly adapting to life in the same room, there was a lot of complaining about sharing at first but I told them that Mommy and Daddy have to share a room and we deal with it, so they can too. Seems to be working for now. Their interest in Liam kind of comes and goes - some days they're doting with kisses and greetings for my belly, other days they seem to forget he's on the way. However, just this morning Riley shouted from the next room:

"Hey Mommy do you think when Liam comes in June we can go to Babies R Us and pick out some toys for him to play with?"

"Sure Riley."

"Wow Mommy, that sounds like a great idea!"

It's so cool that the boys are now developing really distinct personalities. They are definitely each their own person. Actually in the case of Elliot, he's kind of two people... think Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. But seriously, they really do have these little individual personalities and it makes it really interesting and exciting to be around them. I can't even comprehend that Liam will be yet another little personality to add to the crew. Riley seems to get really deep in thought about some things and he asks intelligent questions. And the other day he uttered the words that EVERY mother wants to hear...

"Mom, I think I want to be a miner when I grow up."

"Like a coal miner?"

"Yes, a coal miner."

Now, normally just for the sake of a peaceful conversation I will humor comments like that. But not this one.

"NO Riley. You're not going to be a coal miner. That's a very dangerous job. Think of something else to do."

"Okay, Mom."

Easy enough.

I guess that's it for now. I have to weed through some recent (and not so recent) photos and put some up. Break up all the text on this page with something for your viewing pleasure! So check back soon. :o)

Listen to the rhythm of the fallin' rain...

No, it's not tellin' me just what a fool I've been - moreso just that the water table in the area is crazy high. Flooding everywhere. But, hopefully that means we'll have a nice lush spring. I could do with that right about now.

So, let's see - what's new... we got the crib and it's assembled and all situated in Liam's room. A little bizarre to see one of those all set up and ready for action again. The boys are slowly adjusting to life in the same room, and the initial thrill of the bunk beds has quickly worn off. Riley complains that he's now uncomfortable sleeping, and Elliot has fallen off the bottom a few times - not to mention that he's been a little glum in the evenings, saying that he wants his old room back, and that he doesn't want Liam to get his room. *sniff, sniff* But then I tell him that when Liam is born and for a while after that he will cry a LOT, and loudly... and wouldn't Elliot rather be able to sleep than have to listen to that.... this normally results in a begrudging "yes, Mommy." We'll see how it goes.

Also, today marks 7 years that Nick and I have been together. We started dating March 8, 2001. Where has the time gone? I told Nick "uh oh - better watch out for that seven year itch" - to which he replied "is that anything like the seventh inning stretch?" Well, I suppose if you take the process of getting up for another box of Cracker Jack and scoop of ice cream in a little plastic baseball helmet and instead replace the food with a new mate, then yeah - it's just like the seventh inning stretch.

That's it for now - hope your neck of the woods is drier than ours. Check in soon!

T minus 3 months!!

Wow, so I'm due 3 months from today which kind of blows me away. And accordingly, my last trimester starts tomorrow. Of course one thing you know after having had children before is that you never know just when they're coming - it's anyone's guess. If history repeats itself, it'll be mid-June and I'll need some help getting going, but who knows, I could have a repeat of preterm labor (which they stopped with Riley) and end up delivering in early May! So, time to get our butts in gear. And speaking of gear, we have our baby swing all put together and in the attic ready to go, and the crib should be here within a week. We also have a changing stand, and clothes all set in a dresser. It's beginning to look like there's a baby coming or something! Exciting times. :)

Stage 1...

... of Operation Transition to Three Kids:

BUNK BEDS. So far, so good. We got them yesterday, Nick set them up, Riley slept in the bottom, Elliot spent one last night in his own bed in his own room. As of today, they now share a room, Riley's on the top bunk - and they are lovin' it! Right down to sentimental pre-bed chats and "I love you"s. So sweet. If we can make it through the night without Riley getting disoriented and tumbling from the top bunk, we'll be golden. But I think he's gotten up during the night maybe once in the last 4 months, so I'm not nervous. I'll try and get some photos tomorrow of their new digs. In the meantime, Stage 1 is complete, and Stage 2 (setting up the nursery-again.) can begin. Crib should be arriving within the next week or so, and we have a changing stand we just inherited, plus our one remaining baby item - the glider rocker and ottoman. You can just imagine what GREAT shape that's in. *eye roll* At any rate, so far so good - we'll keep you posted!!