38 week discouragement

Describe myself right now?

Sour Puss!

Just had my 38 week appt and I had several "fanasties" doing into this appointment. Aside from being terrified about having my membranes stripped - I had envisioned my doctor accidentally breaking my water while stripping and sending me right upstairs to L and D. I had everything all packed at home, secretly hoping I would have to call my husband and have him bring everything up to the hospital.

What a let down!

I have dialated from 2/3 cms last week to now a full 3 cm. But she is still at a station of -2! How can a baby who has been head down since 30 weeks not be engaged yet?? Because she wasn't engaged, the stripping wasn't as successful. When the head is snuggly fitting in the cervix, my dr is able to "run" her finger along the inside of the cervix to separate it from the waterbag and baby's head. If the head isn't engaged, then it begins to float away from the cervix as she presses her fingers there - leaving very little for counter pressure to be a successful stripping. Her fingers came out mucousy, but not bloody like I had expected them to. What a bummer! It still hurt like the devil - and all for nothing!

She basically told me in so many nicer words that this probably wouldn't be enough for my body to respond to. She said that once Jaelyn's head is engaged, it wouldn't take long. She explained Jaelyn's head most likely hasn't engaged yet because I have experience many real- labor inducing contractions yet. Honestly - the first I felt of those was just last night.  I have had my fair share of the useless, waste of time braxton hick contractions - but those do nothing for me. Of course my water bag is really thick (like it was with Jax) so I can't really count on that breaking on its own either.

So, from here - I have my 39 week on Monday. If her head is engaged - I will choose to have her strip me again. I would like my body to naturally start labor on its own. If she's not engaged by then,  forget the stripping. It's too painful if it just isn't going to be effective. Either way - if all else fails, I have an induction scheduled for Friday Sept. 17th at 7am. I would really really like to believe I won't be pregnant for another 10 days... it's just too long!! I need to grab on to the hope that my body can do it on its own - sometime before then!

37 weeks pregnant with Jaelyn

taken after Jackson's 2nd birthday party.

If I were to post an updated photo - you would see the sour puss on my face :P

37 weeks and thoughts

37 weeks 4 days   *sigh*

One word: uncomfortable

My appointment went well today.
2-3 cm dialated
70% effaced
-2 station

So she isn't engaged yet, and hasn't moved down since last week. I have gained a pound and half since last week, probably all of the tootsie rolls I have been snacking on. I bought a huge variety bag from Sams Club to fill Jax's pinata - and I shouldn't have opened it already :P

I tested positive again for GBS. No surprise there, I figured I would. Basically that means that I need to be at the hospital within 30-45 mins if my water breaks OR need to be there early enough during active labor to get 2 doses (4 hours apart) of antibiotics to prevent transmission to the baby. Well, with Jackson - I only received 1 full dose and they started the 2nd dose early because I was already 9cm by then.

With him:
5pm - started contractions after being stripped for the 2nd time at my 39 week appt.
8pm - omitted into the hospital
1am - delivered Jax

So my labor and delivery was pretty fast. I pushed for only 40 mins and that was delayed because my doctor wasn't there yet. I have concerns this time around because my doctor said that second deliveries almost always go much faster. How am I suppose to get to hospital with at least 4-5 hours of laboring time to ensure I get the 2 full doses of antibiotics... if this delivery is going to go faster than my first? I am worried that I won't have enough time to administer the antibiotics. Basically - if I even THINK that I am in labor - I need to get in the car. At 38 weeks with Jackson, when I was stripped the 1st time I went into laboring contractions 2 days later. I went to the hospital to be checked out, spent 3 hours there before being sent home. While it was a pain (and truthfully sad to be sent home) - I can't take the chance this time to either "wait it out at home" to determine if the contractions are the real deal or not.

I am such a planner, list writer, note taker, list REwriter.... having every detail of this event completely at random and not planned ahead .... drives me crazy! I know that in the moment, I go with the flow very well. But it's all the time proceeding that moment where I drive myself nuts making up scernarios just so I can "create a solution" for them and make myself feel like I have a good handle on things.

*sigh*

She'll be here soon.

I am struggling a little bit with knowing that the time is fast approaching when I will say goodbye to my son, kiss his lips and tell him mommy will be home soon. I will climb into the passenger seat of my car, heaving through contractions - thinking that it will be the last time I was with my son - just us 2. I will soon be bringing home a baby and no longer be able to give him my 200% attention. That makes me kinda sad.  I have been taking extra long hugs, extra long looks at him lately. He's my little boy, all I have ever known of being a mother. Soon our time will all change and life will be hectic for a while, but I hope that he will know just how much I love him and that my love will never change.

31 week update

I have been out of town since Sunday morning, so I apologize if I haven't made it around to your blogs lately - but I plan to spend some time doing that tonight and tomorrow. Here's a little update:

How Far: 31 weeks 5 days, still measuring 1 week ahead

Weight Gain: As of my appt. last week Friday, I have gained 17 lbs. When I was pregnant with Jackson, I gained a total of 23 lbs. Ideally, I would like to stay within that range this time too. After deliverying him, I had lost 17 lbs. the first week and the remaining 6 lbs within the following 3 weeks. I then lost an additional 15 lbs over the next 6 months (thanks to breastfeeding) Gotta love burnin 500 calories a day just for nursing your baby! I don't anticipate having that same luck after having Jaelyn, but I won't lie - it would be nice ;)

Labor Signs: Like I have posted before, I have been having frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. As many as 6-8+ a day. The tighting isn't painful, but for some reason they are much more uncomfortable than I remember before. It must have to do with the way she is positioned. My tail bone still is causing the same pain everytime I sit and stand. I think I am just stubborn with myself by not seeing a PT about it. I just hope that it doesn't cause "pushing" issues when it comes to the way I have to position myself. And I really hope they go away AFTER delivering. I remember needing to sit alittle more on my tailbone after having Jax because of my extensive reconstructive work down there - so sitting directly on the perinieum was unthinkable. So if history repeats itself, I will be in trouble because this time I can't sit back on the tailbone either - I have no other options for sitting.... I sat on that doughnut ring for 3 weeks after delivering last time. Not Fun!!

I have also been feeling alot more stretching in my pelvis already. That pulling "sensation" comes on suddenly and only lasts for a few moment, but it's quite intense at times. At 30 weeks Jaelyn is already head down, let's hope she stays there!

The home office/spare room is almost all cleared out. We will be able to start on the nursery real soon. The crib and dresser/changing table unit were delivered last week and are now waiting to be assembled. I hope to have the room painted this weekend. Once that is done - the rest will come together nicely. Clearing out the closet of all of Paul's electronic devices, cabling, computer parts will be the time consuming part.

No Baby Yet!

Nothing new to report: If you don't mind basking in a rant... please read on.


I realize that I am still a week away from my due date, but when every woman that I was pregnant with has had their baby, the anticipation starts to weigh [not to mention anxiety and irritability]. *Poor Paul, he's been dealing with me* I have been contracting since Thursday. Most of the time after a good long walk (which I've been taking 2-3 of each day) the contractions start to form a pattern of time and length, but the strength of the contractions only get so strong. I haven't been back to the hospital because they haven't been as intense as they were on Friday night.


Yesterday we stopped at the grocery store for some cheese because the only thing that I wanted to eat for lunch was a grilled cheese sandwich. We ran into a woman from our birthing class. Crystal is a petite little thing that was due at the same time as me, and there she was bump less and smiling. She began telling me her labor story, how she went 3 weeks early and delivered a healthy 5 lbs 8oz. baby girl. Crystal has the same doctor at Neenah Theda Clark. There she was chatting away in detail about her experience, standing 5 foot tall in her size 2 jeans. While I on the other hand, stood listening with my giant loins mane, I call "my hair", completely out of control, wearing one of Paul's XL frumpy long sleeve shirts and a pair of sweat pants I hadn't changed in 3 days. While I was grateful for her information and to hear about great Dr. K was during labor/delivery... I walked away saying to Paul "I'm going to be pregnant forever!"


I have my 39 week appointment tomorrow. I believe I will take Crystal's advice and ask Dr K. if she'd break my water. Then, I could head upstairs to the birthing center and get started on the I.V. I really want to have this baby before Dr. K leaves town on Friday, so hopefully she'll work with me. Last week, she didn't want to discuss what I should do if go to 40 weeks (when she's not here). I am wishfully thinking that maybe she didn't want to discuss it at 38 weeks, because she already knew that if I was still pregnant at 39, she'd help me out and wouldn't let me go that last week. Head size is still a issue for us here :) love you Paul!


So in the meantime, I am desperately trying (and failing) to keep busy. I go to the Y every weekday then sit on the ball and watch Days of our Lives & General Hospital. I haven't fallen into that trap since high school! Of course, I am my mother's daughter and the house/baby room have been ready and the car packed up and ready for weeks now... so I am getting even more anxious because I'm bored.... there I said it, I'm bored. Everyone says "Enjoy this quite free time now, because it'll be real limited once the baby's here" Well I did take advantage of that, I really did enjoy the slower pace and the quite (2 day) weekends with Paul. But now I am ready TO GO! I feel like I can't walk outside my house. My neighbors (God bless them, they have been a big support for me) can't help themselves from shouting "Still No Baby Yet?" I smile and wave and that's about all I can do refrain from shouting back, "Obviously Not, I'm still as big as a whale and waddling like a damn duck. Do you SEE a baby in my arms!!" :) Oh joys...


Wish me luck with my appointment tomorrow. Worst case scenario: Dr K. gives me a referral for a different doctor for my 40 week appointment, strips the membrane again and sends me home. Best case scenario: she breaks my water, sends me upstairs and HELLO BABY!

Almost... but not quite

Here's the story,

Thursday night was an late evening/night of light contractions that lasted about 6 hours, but never got real intense. Needless to say, barely any sleep for Paul or I.

Last night around 6:30pm, I started contracting at 5 mins apart, 45 seconds long. I called the on call nurse around 8pm to discuss the situation and my concern about being at the hospital early enough to start the antibiotics that I need to receive prior to the baby being born. I called her again around 9:30pm and we decided we'd rather be safe than sorry. So we went to the hospital to monitored for contractions and gadge my progress. When I arrived, I was almost 3 cm dilated and still 75% thinned out. I was hooked up the monitors for about 20 mins., then walked the hospitals halls for a while, and got hooked back up again for another 20 mins. The contractions got a lot stronger, nothing like the night proceeding. But at 12am, I still hadn't made any progress in my dilation. So, we agreed to go home and try to relax there (intending on being back by early morning) This was a surely early labor and the nurses expected our return within 5-6 hours or so.

So, we arrive home at 12:45am after an uncomfortable ride and I climbed into bed. I dealt with contractions for about an hour before I was falling asleep between them. Then I stopped waking up for the contractions and woke up at 5am and realized the contractions had stopped. I was able to get sleep last night, which was good. But I was/am a bit disappointed that my contractions yet again petered into nothing and I am back at square one. I really thought last night was going to the be beginning of it and we'd have alittle baby today. Unfortunately, HE'S got other plans :).

Today, Paul and I have gone for a good long walk and are just waiting patiently (actually, not so patiently) for things to start up again. Hopefully, this next time will be the real deal. I finally know what REAL contractions feel like compared to Braxton Hicks, so I feel confident I can identify the true labor signs for next time. Wish us luck, hopefully REAL soon we'll have our baby to hold.

38 Weeks... not long now!

I'd have to say it was a pretty good appointment today. My doctor was able to put my mind more at ease about the Group B Strep situation and we talked about how the baby will be monitored for infection after he's born and the type of care he will receive.

Beware: May be too much info for some... :)

My doctor was pretty surprised that the baby is so low in my pelvis (hurray!). He is definitely engaged (Station Zero) if not alittle lower. My cervix is about 75% effaced (thinned) and I am 2 cm dilated. I agreed to have my membrane stripped at this appointment. OUCH!! Dr. K explained that this was not a form of inducing labor, but rather it helps to put the cervix in a more "favorable" condition. She said that this could either help my cervix continue to thin out, or it could possible bring on contractions or even cause the water to break. So, cross your fingers... we're ready to have this baby!!

I am going to continue doing my part to bring this baby down. I have been at the YMCA on the elliptical machine for 25-30 mins. every/ or every other day. I have been sitting and bouncing on my fitness ball allowing gravity to do its job.

I have my 39 week appt. next Tuesday. I am concerned because my doctor will be gone from Oct. 24th - Nov. 4th. And so my 40 week appt. could be scheduled with another doctor if I have not gone into labor by then. Dr. K said she'd be surprised if I made it that long... so hopefully I'll have this baby before she's out of town and I won't even have to worry about that! I'll keep everyone posted. I'm off to the Y!

A bit of scary news...

I found out today at my 37 week appointment that I have tested positive for Group B Strep. This is a bacterial infection that is harmless to the mother, but could be fatal for the newborn if contracted during delivery. My doctor told me it's "nothing to worry about", that finding out that I have the bacteria in my body is half of the battle. She told me that I will receive an antibiotic by IV once labor begins and I need to arrive at the hospital as soon as possible if my water breaks. She told me that I will be administered a dose of the penicillin every 4 hours during labor, and that 2 doses have been proven well to prevent the baby from receiving an infection. Of course I did my own homework online and the articles written about how an infection could effect your newborn, is absolutely terrifying to any mother. So I am doing my best to stay positive about it and trying not to stress out too much.



My little boy has dropped alittle more. He is in a -1 position, again (zero) is defined as engaged. My cervix hasn't made much progress from last week. I do feel different in the way he's positioned inside and his movements are starting to take on a different sensation as well.



I posted a photo of the shelf I purchased unfinished from Michaels. I painted it the color of the room and Mod Podged scrap paper down on the shelves to matching some of the artwork I have up on the walls.



Paul and I have plans to stay in a boutique hotel in downtown Appleton this Saturday night. This is serving as our "Babymoon". I have been putting away money little by little for 6 months and we're very anxious that this weekend is finally here. We have dinner reservations at a nice restaurant on the main floor and have a late check out. Hopefully this will help me to keep my mind off my current worries.



My friend Allison has been scheduled for an induction on Sunday morning. She's been spending this week finishing up her days at work and feeling pretty exhausted. Hopefully, her little boy will start knocking on the door before Sunday comes, to avoid being induced. Her body is telling her it's ready to have their little boy, Nathan. So please keep her in mind this week/weekend.

4 Weeks To Go!

Sorry, no pictures! Our computer isn't accepting the Canon Camera USB hook up due to the Vista program we have installed on the computer. It combats with ALL the devices we attach to the computer including our printer. It refuses to read them and cooperate. Vista really is completely unrelyable and we're probably going back to Windows XP, unfortuantely that means about 8 hours of work for Paul to wipe the computer clean and start fresh. But we have to be able to upload baby photos to everyone! Right?!

Holy Cow! As excited as I am to try out this whole motherhood experience and hold my little boy in my arms... I don't think I'm ready for delivery yet. I certainly don't feel like I've been carrying for 9 months. I have finished out my duration at work last week and am happy to be able to stay at home. I have been active this week already and have a good list of things to complete before I lose most of my free time :). I am currently painting a stand alone shelf unit I bought unfinished at Michaels. I am accenting a few stars on it and modge podging design scrapbook paper on the shelves to "baby" it up. I will be using this as more surface area in the nursery. Our dresser unit is doubled over as a changing table so I lost space there.


I had my 36 week appointment today and I am beginning to make progress. I have put on almost 1 pound since last week. That's a total of 19 lbs. since day 1. Baby's heart rate was great at 150 bpm and my belly was measuring right on. She did the Group B Strep test that will determine if the baby could be at risk of contracting a virus during delivery. I am 1 cm dilated at this point, which is great because I wasn't expecting that! Currently, I am 60% effaced (thinned) and he is in the -3 position. That means he is descending down into the pelvis. Position "Zero" would be "Engaged" or "Lightened", and "+5" would be crowning. I am beginning to feel more pelvic pressure, but I still feel some pretty strong kicks up in my ribs. It's crazy to think that things are starting to really move along, and I have no control over it. [Wait! Where did that come from? Me?! Needing to be in control?? HA! :) ]


We started the dreaded task of installing the car seat tonight, but ran out of daylight. So we're going to finish that tomorrow and on Thursday I have an appointment with the Fire Dept. where they will inspect our installation and assure us that we are all set for baby! Paul and I attended a breastfeeding class last night held by the hospital. It was pretty informative (3 hours of fun filled boob talk)! It should have been 1 hour shorter, because we felt a large amount of time was spent on facts about why breastfeeding is best for the baby... well, we were all there because we already agreed on that, we didn't need convincing. But I do feel more prepared, as prepared as one can be with still having no idea what you're supposed to do :)


Well, I will keep everyone updated. Won't be long now!!

33 Weeks and Counting

I had my 33 week appointment today and had a lot of questions to ask my doctor. I was under the impression that my baby would still be in the breech position, as I hadn't felt any "big transitional" movement on his part. And I found out from last night's birthing class, that you start to become concerned about the breech position if he hasn't turned down by 36 weeks. Well, thankfully the doctor confirmed he was head down. Thank goodness! His back runs up along my left side, his butt is up my sternum and is feet are constantly kicking my right side ribs. Hopefully, he will camp out in this position until delivery. Last night's discussion was about the "pushing stage" and medication/anesthesia options. I'd have to say I'm little more freaked out about the meds offered than I was before...

My blood pressure was perfect she said, as well as a strong 148 bpm heart rate for the baby. I actually lost 1 pound and haven't gained anything since my 29 week point. But, she didn't seem concerned by that at all and actually commented on how I should drop this baby weight fairly easy because most of it is in my belly. Plus, my belly is measuring right on schedule for 33 weeks (33 cm from the front pelvic bone to the top of my uterus), so there is no concern about my weight at this point. I think my activity level has helped to promote only the weight gain necessary for HIM, and not extra stuff for me to worry about later. I've been doing pretty well keeping a healthy diet as recommended and I get lots of sleep :). Paul and I are enjoying our quiet weekends of relaxation. We know those weekends will be NO LONGER once our little Bo Bos is here, so we're taking every opportunity we have. That way, down the road and know we didn't take this time for granted.

I needed to ask my doctor about what I should do if by chance my water should leak while I'm stilling working this month, or if contractions should start. Also, we let her know that Paul and I are willing to delivery our baby at the sister hospital in Neenah, if it meant our chances for her to be there were greater. As of November 1st, she will no longer be seeing patients out of Appleton and so I would rather drive to Neenah than have yet another doctor being thrown at me.

We are keeping up with the watering of our lawn and continuing to see a different every few days. We do see a few weeds starting to pop, but there's nothing we can do about those this year. Still waiting for the dreaded water bill... :)

I have found a home for all the baby gifts, and made more closet space for baby. I have pre-washed alot of his clothes and they are put away in the dresser. I am starting to collect coupons and purchasing diapers when I can. The time is drawing closer and we are getting pretty excited!

Baby Shower

On Sunday, my mother and sister in law Emily threw me a wonderful baby shower. I was taken aback by the beautiful theme they chose to decorate the hall. They were mum plants at every table, table cloths of spring green and little wicker baskets filled with treats for the guests. We all got involved playing a game of trying to determine who's baby photo belonged to which guest. Also, everyone got the chance to predict my delivery date, baby weight and time. I would like thank those of you who stated a 6-7 lbs. baby boy... and a "not so special" thank you to those who stated 8.5+ lbs. :). And the best of all is that everyone has contributed to expressing their life's advice and wishes for our little man. A time capsule was created for my son to open on his 18th birthday. It is filled with the guests comment cards, photos of this past 2008 year, 2 sports t-shirts, the Chicago Tribune, a laminated sheet detailing today's average costs/current events and also, this blog printed out in its entirety in a journal format. What an amazing idea. I got a little carried away filling out my comment/advice card :). Sorry little man!!

After everyone finished up their lunches, we began opened the baby gifts. I want to thank everyone for their thoughtfulness in choosing the perfect items for our first baby. I truly feel well prepared for my arrival of this baby, being armed with all these essentials.

Paul and I spend the rest of our Labor Day weekend completely laid back. I have caught up on a lot of reading, with my feet propped up like a good pregnant lady :). We are literally watching our grass growing in. We were shocked to see some horrendous muddy drag marks in the back yard from (our 98% guess) our backyard neighbor's dog. We've seen that Tasmanian devil darting this way and that all over our yard when it was weeds.... but this is a different story! Our grass hasn't deep rooted yet and with it been so saturated, it's vulnerable to shoe print indentations... much less a psycho canine trolloping through it. Needless to say, we are extremely pissed because it's the most expensive investment to this house we've had to make. So, I am sure we'll be having a few words with those neighbors real soon (we've only met the wife once.)

I can't believe I will be 8 months along tomorrow! I feel like I completely bypassed month 7. I lost a whole month of mental preparation. Only two months to go. After bringing home these gifts and seeing them fill our house, it's all becoming more real to us (ME). Thoughts of the delivery are starting to creep into my head lately and I am quietly turning away from them. I'm sure in the last month, I will have enough time to get all worked up about it :) Joy!

Lawn Care / 31 Weeks

Our lawn has really begun to take this first week. I am pretty amazed in the growth just in the past two days! We are very excited that we finally have something to progressing outside to form us a yard! I water in the morning and by the mid afternoon watering... there's so much more grass already! Unfortunately, it hasn't completely gotten rid of our cricket infestation (ok, that's an exaggeration), but I hate crickets!



My 31 week appt was today and it was as routine as it gets. I didn't gain any more weight in the past two weeks. My belly is measuring right on target and his heart rate is about 148 bpm. That rate after my doctor grabbed my baby's head between her fingers through my belly and probably freaked him out! "There's definitely the head here". He's currently transverse (side to side) inside of me, which I figured because of where I always feel his kicks/punches. I am just praying to all that holy that this little darling dear of mine will turn downward in the next few weeks :).



I am getting very excited for my baby shower this weekend. I know that I will finally begin to feel prepared for my son after the shower. Kathy will be throwing me a shower for the Truttschel side next month and I am looking forward to seeing everyone from Paul's side of the family. I am sure there will be much more to post after this weekend!

Our Nocturnal Olympic Athlete!

Man! This little boy has really been amazing us lately. During this past week his acrobatic somersalts are just incredible! Paul's been really shocked by how much you can now see my belly moving from the outside. We placed the remote control on my belly last night and was just watching it wobble back and forth :).
We are definitely seeing more limps dragging across my stomach. Baby's got a sweet spot for being up to kick around at 2-4am :). Goodie! I wish I got bottle up the feeling/sensation of what this feels like and share it with everybody. You can't help but smile and laugh when he really gets going. Paul asks me what it feels like and it's so hard to describe it, I was just like him a few months ago.



Our lawn is finally getting planted tomorrow!! We are very excited (not for all the work that we now have to endure for the rest of our lives) but to actually have a yard! We've been staring at dead dried weeds since spring. Bring on the grass!! We've been having a issue with crickets in the basement!! I feel like I'm in high school again (some of you know that story). We can't figure out where they're getting in. We can hear them in the sprayed insulation. Unfortunately, our cats only seem half interested in killing these insects - bummer! A fly... they go nuts. But a big juicy noise making cricket... nah! I know that Paul has been getting rid of more than what he's lead me to believe.... good man! We'll see how cats react when we bring the baby home and don't have much time to give them... Allegra will make his presence known by peeing on something I'm sure. We'll have to stay on top of our game!!

29 Weeks!!

Well, I sure have a little squirmer! This morning Paul had to wake up quite early for work (4:30am) and I woke up with his alarm. This baby was doing olympic flips inside of me. I was afraid to move or call for Paul because I didn't want him to stop all his movements. For the first time, I felt a tiny fist or elbow dragging along my belly. All the while, I felt feet kicking on the opposite side of my tummy. He kept it up for about 25 minutes straight! :).
I had my 29 week OB appt. today. The nurses gave me the low down on what signs to be aware of for preclampsia and preterm labor. Dr. K. measured my belly and I am measuring 30 weeks, pretty good. We talked about the chances of her being the doctor to deliver, and she isn't sure how the "on call" process will work after she moves strictly to Neenah. Basically, I am preparing myself for yet another doctor when D-Day comes along. My doctor will still deliver at AMC if she's seeing patients at this clinic. So... if my baby comes in October, she could deliver... if my baby comes naturally in November, she most likely won't deliver... but if I go more than a week past my due date (Oct. 28th) she will schedule an inducement, therefore she'd deliver. So, it looks like it'll be a gunshot situation. Overall, everything looks great!

Dietrich's Visiting Weekend

After a few working days with some serious siactic nerve pain, I was looking forward to relaxing at home with our first over night guests :). Joe and Allison brought Ella up to the house Saturday afternoon and spent some time with Paul before I got home. We went out to eat at a restaurant near the mall. Of course, having the "quick" chance, Allison and I ran down to the Motherhood maternity store in the mall to look at their sale rack. Unfortantely, Allison didn't get lucky enough to find a dress she liked for a wedding she has in September. But this clown walked out with two tops and a pair of jeans :). We spent the rest of the time watching the Olympics on tv. Allison surprised me with a sweet gift. She is having another window valance sent to my house to add to/match the one I have. Our nursery window was much too wide for one valance and I needed another one to fit them across the top. She's so thoughtful!

This Sunday morning we all ate Paul's homemade waffles for breakfast and packed up to head to Lake Winnebago. I had to do some research to find public beach access to the lake and found a state park about 30 mins away. The weather was beautiful today and we really enjoyed laying back in the sun. Unfortantely the beach was more like a lake front, without any sand. But Ella stayed occupied between walking in the water, playing on the playground equipment and watching other children run around. The area was really beautiful with a lot of people, picinic tables, playground equpiment, a bath house and plenty of open space.

Allison's pregnancy is going as well as hoped. She had a little scary last week with her belly measuring. Seems her tummy was measuring a few weeks behind the standard for 29 weeks. But thankfully, the ultrasound showed a healthy baby boy that is growing right on normal rate. We can see that Ella will be a helpful big sister to her brother Nathan, as she has already showed us she can discipline our cat :).

I received healthy/normal level results from my glucola test (gestational diabetes), looks like we're in the clear on that one. I have my 29 week appt with my OB on Tuesday and have several questions to ask her regarding her "soon to be moving" status to the Neenah clinic. If someone else delivers my baby, that will be doctor #4 that I've seen since the beginnning. We'll be making some OB clinic changes with the next baby...