Husband Coached Childbirth

We went out to dinner tonight. We ended up going to Erins Irish Pub. The food was pretty good, EXCEPT the screwed up my order.......they ended up giving my burger to Matt, and then realized it.....so they had to scrap his burger (wrong cheese) and start over........my burger was NOT cooked enough (I liked mine Well Done), but I didn't want to wait any longer, so I didn't complain.

So, I finally finished reading Husband Coached Childbirth by Robert A Bradley, M.D. Overall the book was informative & I really like the idea of the Bradley Method, BUT I did not really like how the book was written & organized. Some things should have been in the front, that where in the book, and vise verse. I had read enough to help me a little while I was in labor. I probably will not read this book again if I have another child, but will probably look for a different Bradley Method book to read.

Christmas

So Connor, Savannah, and I are sitting here watching Toy Story 3, waiting for Scott to come home from bowling, so then we can go to bed. I was messing around with my wrap I bought, and I think I have it figured out......at least I think so........Savannah is comfy enough & passed out, so I guess that's a good sign.

Christmas has come and gone, and although it is probably one of my favorite days of the year, I'm glad its done with. With all the presents, my house is still in the process of recovering.......its better than it was this morning, but there's still a pile of presents on the couch to put away. Christmas Eve we decorated cookies, then went to church, and then spent the night with Scott's dad side of the family opening presents at GG's house. We didn't get home until after 11 p.m. Christmas morning we woke up at 6 a.m., opened presents from "Santa", then got ready and went over to Scott's parents house. We opened a ton more presents from them, and then Scott's mom side of the family, from Milwaukee came over, and spent some time with them. We then ran home so Connor could get a quick nap in before going over to Aunt Missy's. Had some great food, and then the bazillion people who were there all got to open presents. We then went home & crashed for the night, then went over to John & Carol's house the next afternoon for another round of food & presents. Like every year Connor got way to many toys, and Savannah got way to many clothes. But I guess I can't complain about a family who loves to spoil my children.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

A couple of more days before Christmas and lots to do! Connor & I have dentist appointments tonight, and then Connor has a make-up Gymnastics class tonight. Tomorrow Scott has bowling, Wednesday is our work Christmas party, then it's Thursday & then Christmas Eve!! This week is just going to fly by!

Well, a couple of months ago I decided I did want to buy a couple of pregnancy related books. I read What to Expect with Connor, but wanted something more aimed in natural childbirth. So I ordered two books online, one of them being Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. Even though I didn't finish the book until now, I did have more than half of it finished when Savannah was born. The first half of the book is dedicated to stories about mothers having a natural childbirth, and the second half is more about what actually goes on in labor/delivery, and talks about complications that can arrise with using interventions & medications. Even if you aren't for 100% natural childbirth, I completely recommend this book. I will definetly be reading it if/when there is a #3 on the way.

The Girl She Used To Be

So Miss. Savannah is 2.5 weeks old aleady, and Christmas is less than a week away. Wow, time goes fast!! We are getting adjusted to having her at home, and Connor is doing pretty well with her. We have our tuff times, but it could definetly be worse. I'm blessed to have a wonderful husband and now two amazing children. Some nights Savannah sleeps for 5 hours!!

So two weeks ago we had book club. Jessica picked out the book, and it was "The Girl She Used To Be" by David Cristofano. I did not finish this book in time for book club, but I did finally get around to finishing it. Overall I liked the book. It was a pretty quick read. A story about a women whose been in witness protection for almost her entire life and her struggle to find out who she really should be since shes switched identities so many time. The only part of the book I did not like was the ending......not that it really could have ended up any other way, its just one of those endings that makes sense but you want it to end better for the characters.

Savannah Lynn's Birth Story

So it's been 8.5 days since she was born, and I figured I should get around to posting her birth story. I posted it on BBC the day she was born, but for some reason or another just haven't gotten around to posting it on here....oh well, I guess I can blame it on being busy, even though that doesn't really seem like a valid excuse.

So it’s not exactly the 100% natural birth that I wanted, but I guess you don’t always get what you want.

11:30 a.m. - water broke at work! Was thinking she was trying to be a November baby, but she decided to hold off until December! (part of this was my doing......if I would have done some things quicker I could of gone in November, but oh well)

Drove home, finished packing my bag, at some food.

2:00 p.m. - arrive at hospital

6:30 ish - they let me eat!! Who ever heard of a hospital letting someone in labor eat, but mine did, and I’m so glad!!!

Tried everything & anything to try to get contractions strong & consistant, but nothing worked. After knowing that I wouldn’t be getting any sleep (I was comfortable enough to sleep, but there was no way I was turning my brain off!), decided to start the pitocin (they were not pushing me, which was very nice, but I was just afraid that I would get super tired from no sleep & a super long labor, and it seemed like I would have need the pitocin eventually anyways since it was going so slowly….at this point I was only 3-4 c.m., and I was a stretching 2 c.m. the day before at my appointment)

9:00 p.m. - started pitocin (usually they up 2 units (whatever that means( every 30 minutes)), but they knew I wanted as natural as possible, so we took things very slowly, and only upt it 1 unit every hour. They also usually start it after about 6 hours after your water had broken, but my Dr. was nice enough to give me a couple of more hours to try to get things progressing, so I ended up waiting 9.5 hours intead of the 6.

**note**If you are fully maxed out on pitocin you’re at a 90(at least by the measurements on their machine), but I only got up to 24 since they were being nice enough to slowly increase it.

4:30a.m. - 5 c.m.

5:04 - birth. (probably only 10ish minutes, 4-5 contractions of pushing)

Other than the pitocin it was drug/intervention free!! It was super intense when pushing. They were trying to get me to stop, because they didn’t think I was complete yet, but I couldn’t stop! It was crazy fast and I almost wanted to ask for some pain medication, but obviously you can see why it was so painful……less than 35ish minutes from 5 c.m. to baby!!

I did not tear at all this time, and I feel great. I took some ibprofin a couple of different times while at the hospital, but not very often.

My first birth was 12 hours from water breaking to finish, so this one was a little longer BUT that’s because I was in control of the pitocin! Last time I pushed for over an hour, and he was born sunny side up, and this time she was the right way. So even though overall it took longer, and was more intense at the end, I’ll take that short amount of intenseness and the short pushing!

So:

December 1^st, 2010

5:04 a.m.

6lbs6oz

17.5 inches

36 weeks!

I can’t believe it’s already the middle of November. This year is just going by way to fast! Super excited for Black Friday shopping in less than 2 weeks! I will definitely be hitting up Kohl’s to take advantage of their great prices, plus I have a 15% off coupon on top of those great prices!

I have my 36 week doctor’s appointment tonight, and I’m curious to see if I’ve started to dilate at all. If Savannah has the same schedule as Connor, she will be here in 7 days!!! Isn’t that crazy? I’m thinking it’ll be more like 2-3 weeks, but who knows for sure! I really wish there was a magic ball I could look into and know when she would be here!

I'd Know You Anywhere

So this weekend was pretty lazy. Friday night was bowling, but I didn’t feel like sitting around & watching everyone bowl. So I went to Babies R Us and bought a pack ‘n play (since the one we used for Connor was recalled). I also went to Shopko and bought Connor his last Christmas present. I also bought Scott a new pair of pants and me a new shirt, and a couple of other odds & ends.

So Book Club was on November 6th. We finished reading the book “I’d know you anywhere.” Overall we were all pretty disappointed with the book. I think it had a good concept & a good story line, but the way it was written was not great at all. She used too many different formats and for the most part didn’t go into enough details about some of the characters. Oh well! It definitely wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, but I’m pretty sure I probably won’t be reading this one again.

Halloween!

Again, I’m getting super behind in these!! I need to start doing them more often. It’s not that I’m too busy to do them, I just kind of forget to do them. Oh well I guess! In a couple of weeks I won’t have to worry about work for awhile, so I should have plenty of time to keep caught up on these!

So Halloween & Trick or Treating was fun! Connor had such a blast! He did so good going up to all the houses and saying Trick or Treat, it was so cute!! First we went around Scott’s parent’s neighborhood with the whole clan (Macy, Brodie, Donovan, Buddy). Donovan only went to about ½ of the houses before he bailed, but Buddy stuck it out with Connor! Connor wanted to keep getting “more candy” to fill up his bucket! After that we drove over to Waunakee to go see John & Carol, and we went and did some more trick or treating with John. Connor got way to much candy, and I definitely helped him eat it!

Carvin' Pumpkins

This weekend should be pretty busy. We want to get some last minute things done around the house before Savannah arrives. We need to paint her bookshelf, hang up some wall things, mow the lawn one last time, and clean our bedroom so we can fit a pack ‘n play in there!

So after pictures last Saturday, we all went over to Scott’s parent’s house to carve pumpkins! It was pretty fun, I’ve never used the design packets before, and so that was neat. Connor picked out the Spider, so I ended up carving that one. I wanted a cool bat one, so Scott carved that one for me. It took forever to poke all those little holes into the pumpkin, but it turned out awesome I think!

34 Weeks!

WOW, it’s been awhile since I’ve updated, so once again…I’ll be doing a couple today!! It’s been super crazy! The clock is definitely winding down to when Savannah will arrive! If she has the same time clock as Connor, she will be here in 17 days! CRAZY!

So last Saturday, I was 34 weeks! While Scott was busy working at his parents house (chopping wood), Connor & I headed out to the mall & got some pictures done! I wanted to get some really cute ones of my bump & Connor, for Scott for Christmas. A couple of them didn’t turn out that great, but we did get one that I really liked. It’s pretty cheesy, but I don’t care!

Baby Shower

I can’t believe we’re over ½ way done with October….it’s crazy!! And the rest of the month is just going to fly by! Between Scott bowling Tuesday nights & every other Friday, Connor having Gymnastics on Wednesdays….This Saturday I have Book Club, Sunday I have a pampered Chef Party, and then next weekend is Halloween! AHH!!! It’s definitely true that time goes by faster when you’re older!

So this past Sunday was Ashley’s baby shower. It was nice. Her mom threw it for her at a Country Club, so it was kinda on the fancier side, but not overdone. We had some good food, played some games (I actually won both of them, lol). She opened her presents, got a couple of duplicates, but overall got a lot of nice things. I’m a little jealous that I don’t get a big shower again this time, but I already had my time…. It’s just fun to have family & friends get together to celebrate the life you’re creating.

Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

So I had my 32 week appointment last night, and it went good. Pretty sure Savannah is head down & growing like she should. We talked about labor, inducing, etc. And I’m SO GLAD my Dr. is very laid back, and is okay with me not wanting to be induced at 39 weeks (BTDT mom’s I guess she gives them the option), and not wanting any pain meds/interventions. She seemed totally cool with my ideas, and thinks I shouldn’t have a problem. I guess I did awesome with Connor (pitocin, posterior, plus his hand was up by his head) without needing an epidural or any other assistance during birth.

So anyways, on Saturday this past weekend we decided to go to Iowa, to the Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. Jessica & Justin decided to tag along with us as well. It only took about 1.75 hours to drive down there, so not too bad. We got down there around 1 p.m. walked around for awhile, and looked at the animals. Connor wanted to keep seeing more animals, so I know he had fun. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed with the whole experience. I thought there would be more aquariums and stuff, but oh well. It was still fun for Connor, and that was all that mattered. I think the next aquarium we take him too will be Sheds Aquarium in Chicago.

32 Weeks

Last week I finished up my Managing for Quality class, pretty sure I got an A as I only got minus 1.5 pts out of 315. Today I get to start my Access Advanced class. It should be pretty easy, and I should be able to get at least a B in it, if not an A or AB.

Well today I go for my 32 week Dr. apt, which means this past Saturday I was officially 32 weeks. Now there is less than 5 weeks until I am considered full term! I can’t believe it. The time just keeps going faster and faster, and it doesn’t help that the Holidays are approaching. In no time little Savannah will be here! If she has the same schedule as Connor she will be here in 35 days, if she decides to be stubborn the latest she will be here is 63 days! The end is near!

100,000

So my long weekend went way to fast, but what else is new? Other than Scott setting my alarm for 6:45 a.m., lol, the day off Friday was pretty nice. I went and got my hair done, watched some TV, did a little around the house, nothing to exciting, but it was nice.

Thursday on the way home from work my car hit 100,000! I always imagined that I would get rid of my car before it hit this point, and I do want to get rid of it, but it is kind of nice not having a car payment at the moment. I think maybe with taxes next year we might invest in something a little bigger. It’s going to be pretty difficult to fit 2 car seats in the back of it, but we’ll manage for a couple of months.

Kindred in Death

So the last two nights I've slept like complete crap! I thought I was doing good with not having a lot of heartburn, but NO....the last week it has definitely kicked in more often! I've also been having this weird pain really really low, but my Dr. doesn't seem to think there is anything to worry about, just normal aches & pains of being preggo.....Only 39-67 more days to go! (39 days if she decides to have the same schedule as Connor, and 67 at the most before being induced!)

So last night I finally finished the book I was reading. It really only took about 2 weeks, but it just seems like so much longer when you've read a couple of Danielle Steel books back to back, and those only take 2-3 days. I read Kindred in Death. I've read several of these series and really enjoy them, and this one did not disappoint. It's a mysterious story line with twists and turns and keeps me thinking that always drags me in. I wouldn't say they are my favorite books, but I definitely like them enough to keep getting them. This was the book that was released last year, and I know I have several that I've skipped, so I'll have to go back and get those as well.

One Last Time

So as Savannah's B-Day comes nearer and nearer, it doesn't seem like we're getting anything accomplished in the house.... ugh! I wanted to get so much more done, but I just don't think it's going to happen. We still need to paint her bookshelf & put up the shelf for her barbies. I never finished going threw all of Connor's Toys....the basement is a complete disaster.....now I'm just starting to get overwhelmed with everything and coming to the realization that we might not get everything done.....oh well I guess, it's not the end of the world........

Like I said in the last post, this weekend was beautiful. Other than going to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, Sunday we decided to bust out the sprinkler one last time. Connor & Scott had a lot of fun playing with the Rocket Ship sprinkler that he got for his birthday.
Then Scott decided to jump on the trampoline (which was covered in leaves) and Connor decided to play in his sandbox. By the time they were done playing they were filthy & had to spray down with the hose, BRRR.

Pumpkins

The weather over the weekend was just beautiful! It was 80 and sunny! Crazy for the middle of October, but I'll take it!!! Not to much going on right now.... finishing up my Managing for Quality class this week, Access starts next week.

So Saturday we decided to drive out to Marshall and get some pumpkins! We went with Matt, Chrissy, Buddy, Ella, Cat, Brodie, Macy, Michelle, Carol, Donovan, & GG. It was fun for Connor to ride the train & see all of the animals that they had there. The sheep, cows, zebras, horses, etc. Once we got to the "pumpkin patch" we only had like five minutes to pick out our pumpkins. It seemed pretty rushed, and I wish we would have had a little bit longer to do it. But overall for $7 a person for a train ride & pumpkin, it's not to bad. Not sure if we'd ever do it again, but we might.

Mixed Blessings

This weekend Scott & Connor went down to Milwaukee to celebrate his cousin's 30th birthday. I decided to stay home & clean, since it seems that's the only way anything gets done, is if I'm home alone. I spent almost 5 hours going through Connor's room, and I'm still not done. My legs are still sore from squatting, bending & turning....ugh! I think I may have overdone it a little bit!

So I had enough time to finish reading my next book. Mixed Blessings by Danielle Steel. Overall i really liked the book, it wasn't my favorite Danielle Steel book of all time, but I liked it enough to recommend it. The story is about 3 different couples & their struggle with infertility, adultery, miscarriages & still births. It's really a great story to open your mind to different people's problems that you may not understand.

Goodbye Cookie

So this weekend went fast like normal. Yesterday we went over to Aunt Missy's house to celebrate her 40th Birthday! We ate spinach dip, corn muffins, chili, cake & ice cream! I gained 2 lbs from yesterdays meal alone, lol, hopefully it doesn't all "stick" and I'll be back down a lb or so tomorrow!

Well anyways, Saturday we got rid of Cookie. It was kind of sad, and I miss the annoying little dog, but I think he's in a better place. Scott's co-worker, Michelle, brother took him. They have a 5 year old Jack Russel, so they know what they're getting into, plus he'll have a playmate now & a fenced in backyard. It really sounds like the perfect place for him, and I hope he'll be happier there! We just didn't have the time to take him to the dog park everyday for an hour or so, and he really needed the time to just run! So this is goodbye to Cookie! Maybe we'll get another dog, a lazier dog, in the future, but not sure yet....

Fine Things

So this morning I went on Facebook (as usual) and found out that my BFF Amanda is in the hospital. I guess she has a blood clot in her lung....how many more horrible things can come there way? Other than her & Mike's wedding in July, it seems like anything & everything that could go wrong is going wrong......ugh! I just wish I could be over in Michigan with her!

Over the weekend I finished reading the book Fine Things by Danielle Steel. I have to say, if you like Danielle Steel, you NEED to read this book! This book takes you through such an emotional roller coaster! I can honestly say at one point in the book I cried! This is by far one of my favorite Danielle Steel books, and I'm glad that I read it!

Kid's Rooms!

So Scott has his interview today for a promotion. I really hope that he does good & is not nervous & he gets the job! We should hear within the next couple of weeks what they decide to do. He totally deserves this, he's been with the company for 9 years and he works his butt off!!!

On another note, we pretty much finished up the kids bedrooms. All we have to do is put up a shelf in Savannah's room for all of the collector barbies that I have, plus the ones that she will more than likely get down the road. AND we have to clean out Connor's bedrooms & organize all of his toys (that will definitely be a full weekend project!). Connor's room is a little crowded with the Queen bed in there, but hopefully in 3 years we'll be in a bigger house anyways!

28 Weeks!

So as we officially wind down summer and are about to be in fall, things sure haven't slowed down at all! It's been crazy busy lately with lots going on! But it sure makes time go by fast (I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing!)

So this past Saturday marks 28 weeks, and the official start of the 3rd trimester. I can't believe how quickly things are going! Savannah will be joining us in 9-13 weeks! I feel like I'm getting huge, but people keep saying I'm small for 28 weeks, I guess everyone is different! I'm just glad that unless somehow I manage to gain another 25lbs in the next 2 months, there is no way I'll gain as much as I did with Connor!

Ella Ray

So September is flying by, it's already the 16th!! Can you believe it? I thought that time would start to go more slowly when the summer months were over, man was I wrong. Between school, bowling, gymnastics, work & anything else that comes up.... pretty soon it'll be December and Savannah will be here!

Well today was the big day for Matt & Chrissy. They decided to just go ahead and schedule a c-section (I for one would not do that.... but it's their choice, so I can't hold it against them). Scott worked 5-10 a.m. today, and we met at the hospital at about 10:15 this morning. We were actually the first people there (well except Matt & Chrissy). Shortly after Pat, Jim, Granny & Pops joined us, and a little after them Jackie, Denny & Buddy. We sat around talking about how big we thought she was going to be. Almost everyone thought she would be in the upper 6lb range, except for Scott who guessed around 7.5lbs. After what seemed like forever, we could hear threw the operating doors little baby girl screaming, wow she's got some lungs on her! Ella Ray - September 16th, 2010 - 11:16 a.m. - 7lbs14oz - 19inches long. She weighed a pound more than I thought she would! She has super light hair, just like her big brother (It's so weird to call him a big brother, when he himself is still a baby!). We all got to see her for a minute before they had to bring Chrissy into the recovery room. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to hold her yet. I had to quickly go upstairs to get Subway for lunch and then head to work, but I'm going to meet Scott & Connor there for dinner today & for a visit.

The Secret Life Of Bees

So the weekend has come and gone like it always does, and like always it went way to fast. We didn't have to much going on this weekend, which was pretty nice. Scott had a bachelor party to go to on Saturday night, and he didn't get home until 2:35, but at least this time he wasn't complete wasted, so I wasn't as ticked off. Sunday we met up with some of Scott's family and picked some more apples. I was going to pick enough to make Apple Pie Filling for canning, but they didn't have the right kind of apples, oh well I guess, maybe next year, or maybe I can find them at the grocery store.

So Saturday was our "monthly" book club. This time it was at Ashley's house, but not everyone could come. Missy was at the Badger Game (WHO WON), and Jeni was camping with her son for his birthday. But overall it was nice to get together with Ashley, Kerry & Jessica. We ate some good food, talked about the book, and picked out the next book. Overall we all liked the book, I found out there was a movie made of it, which I'll need to get and watch sometime. It was a great story of a strong teenage girl growing up in a time of racism, but befriending many blacks along the way of trying to figure out what exactly happen to her mother all those years before. The best part of the book is that it went really quickly, and was easy to read in just a couple of nights.

Happy Birthday Christian

So last night after going to Gymnastics, coming home watching Big Brother, taking a shower & getting Connor to bed it was time to do homework.....I didn't end up starting homework until 10 p.m..........ugh! Thankfully it didn't take a ridiculous amount of time to get done, I was laying down by 11 p.m.......but then I didn't get to sleep right away. Sometime during the night Connor woke up and come into our room, and then I guess at 5 p.m. I sat up and started yelling at Cookie who was making a TON of noise in his cage.....needless to say it seems I didn't sleep that well last night, and I'm SUPER tired today.........

So on September 2nd Christian turned 14 years old! I can't believe he's already 14! It seems like just yesterday he was sitting in his highchair eating hot dogs with that ridiculous green ketchup, and it looks disgusting, lol. I can't believe how tall he is either. He's about the same height as Scott, but definitely has some more weight on him then Scott does. To bad he doesn't seem to be into sports...he would be a great football player... Well anyways, we celebrated his birthday Sunday night (after a day of canning). We had brats & lots of yummy food, and a delicious ice cream cake from Dairy Queen that his cousin Patsy decorated (she works there).

Applesauce & Salsa

So last night Connor had his first Gymnastics session of the fall! We enrolled him in the 3-5 class instead of the walking-3 class that he's been in for the last year and a half. We were a little worried that he would do horrible and not listen to his teacher, but overall he did GREAT. I was so proud of him, just watching him do what he was suppose to do. It was nice to see him do so good! Obviously he didn't listen the entire time, he is only 3 and it is a 50 minute class, but compared to everyone else he didn't seem to be the worst kid in class, YAY!!!

So on Sunday the 5th me and Jessica decided to have another canning session! In the morning Scott, me & Connor drove out to Door Creek Orchard to pick some apples to make applesauce. Overall we bought just under 10lbs (which is what we needed). Approximately 5 lbs of McIntosh & 5 lbs of Gala. Connor always has a ton of fun with this, cause he can eat as many different kinds as he wants! So after getting the apples, I started the applesauce by cutting & cooking the apples. By the time Jessica came over with all the Salsa stuff I was ready to grind (she had the attachment) the apples and get them in cans & processed. Applesauce was really easy to do, and I would definitely do it again! We managed to make 6 pints and 1 1/2 pint of Applesauce. The Salsa on the other hand....took FOREVER!! There was just so many things to cut & slice and peel...we had to make Scott help us, otherwise we would have never gotten done with it! We ended up finishing at 5:30 p.m. (I wanted to get done by 4:30 b/c we were going over to Aunt Missy's house). We ended up with 12 pints & 3 1/2 pints and a plastic container filled for Jessica to take home. I think we decided if we do Salsa again, Jessica is going to bring over her food processor, and we're also going to wear gloves (both of our hands KILLED for like a day afterwords because of the jalapenos and other peppers we used).

Happy Birthday Granny & Pops

So....I'm WAY behind in posting on here, so I'm going to try to do some catch up. So I'll probably have a few posts today! It's just been so crazy busy with work, school, and everything else...this kind of got put on the back burner!

So back on the 28th of August we held a suprise birthday party for Scotts grandparents (these would be Scotts mom's parents). They are both turning 80 this year! We got there about 1:45 p.m. and stayed until 8ish (if I remember correctly). There was lots of food, dancing & fun! It seems that we pulled off the surprise well, neither of them seemed to know anything about it!

The Time Travelers Wife

So there wasn't going on to much this weekend, had a party on Saturday night (will post about that later). Took Connor to the park yesterday, watched some TV, ordered Glass Nickel Pizza for dinner (YUMMM HOT WING HOAGIE!!!).

Over the weekend I got time to finish reading The Time Travelers Wife. Overall I really liked the book, and I knew I would since I really liked the movie. There was your obvious similarities when it comes to movies/books and a few differences. It's so amazing to see how much is actually cut out of the book when you make it into a movie. I understand that obviously for time restraints some stuff needs to get cut out, but how would you decide what stay & what gets the ax? I know I would have a hard time choosing! A couple of the big differences I noticed was the amount of sex in the book, WOW, lol. And another big difference is the other characters that they have in the book. I like knowing more about the supporting characters! SOO I would totally recommend this book if you have time to read it, it's not my favorite book of all time, but I liked it enough that I would probably read it again.

Bridesmaid Dresses

So today we get to re-fi on our house! So excited!!! Get to save almost $300 a month just on that! YAY!!! School is in full swing, already stayed up to almost 11 p.m. last night doing homework that was due at midnight.... why do teachers have assignments due the first couple of days of class? Especially online ones....what if you don't log in the first day or two?? Good thing I always start checking about a week before the class actually starts!

So after work yesterday I went to meet up with Katie & her 3 other bridesmaids for her wedding next May. We ate some spaghetti at her new apartment and then headed of to Davids Bridal. After trying on dresses for awhile I really thought we were going to end up with something hideous that I did not like! But FINALLY the last dress we all tried on looked good on all of us, and we agreed on it! Such a relief! Not that it's that big of a deal, I would have worn whatever Katie wanted me to wear, but still....it's nice to be in something you like and feel comfortable in! So Rachel & I ended up ordering everything last night, it was right around $240. It includes the dress, the slip, the sash and the shoes! I LOVE the shoes!! I will totally be wearing these again! They are super comfy & super cute! I just have to try to not wear them before the wedding so they don't get all dirty!

Toppings & Pickles

So it's a Saturday night, and what am I doing?? Sitting here listening to Jessica & Justin & Scott listening to the football game on TV. Also wondering if I have enough energy to watch a movie tonight, or if I should just take a shower & go to bed.... we shall see!!!

So today was the big canning day! Me & Connor went to the Door Creek Orchard today and picked a TON of raspberries. Pretty sure Connor ate just about as many as we picked, but oh well. Scott came and helped with the last 1/4 of them after work because I just couldn't deal with the mosquito's anymore. We were there for almost 2 hours! After getting home & eating lunch, Jessica & Justin came over and we began our canning experience. First we made Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Topping. The recipe was suppose to make 6 - 1/2 pint jars, but we ended up making 8. Then it was onto dill pickles. Man did those take FOREVER!!!! The recipe we used was suppose to make 3 quart sized jars, so we quadrupled it so we could each have 6 of them, well.... it ended up making 21 total instead of 12, HOLY COW! Oh well, now we (or should I say I) have lots of pickles to give away for Christmas! It took just under 7 hours to complete all of them, and I'm exhausted! My kitchen is a disaster, oh well, it can wait until tomorrow!!!

24 Weeks!

So last night I really wanted IHOP, so that's where we went for dinner, YUMMY!!! I had strawberry & banana pancakes with hash browns, scrambled eggs & cheese & also some bacon! It was so good! Connor helped me out a bit, but since they're doing this promotion that kids eat free 4-10, he got a chocolate chip pancake with a funny face on eat. He actually ate almost 1/2 of it, and then some of my food. We then went to JcPenney's where I found the CUTEST dress for Savannah, that I'll probably have her wear for Katie & Chris's wedding next May. Next stop was Michael's to get some letters to hang above her bed & then to Menard's to get the paint for her room. The official colors are Tu-Tu pink & Lavender Sunset, he he. So Girly, but I LOVE IT! Today Jessica is coming over and we're going to start canning, this should be interesting!!

So today marks the day I'm officially 24 weeks along, only 16 more to go!! Sometimes it feels like it's going so slowly, but sometimes it feels like it's just flying by! My ribs have started to hurt off & on already, and I've had some slight discomfort in my lower back, but all in all I've been feeling good. I don't really have any room to complain, I know some people are a lot more miserable a lot more of the time. The only part that sucks is that this is the time when my allergies kick in pretty bad. My Dr. recommended me taking Claritin instead of Tylenol Allergy, it works pretty good, but I don't think as good as the Tylenol. Oh well, if it's better for Savannah, I can be a little miserable. Thankfully my allergies only last for about a month!

Michigan International Speedway

I can't believe summer is coming to an end. I start school next week, and we're 2 weeks away from being in September already, CRAZY!!!! Connor finished up his swimming lessons on Tuesday, he did not pass. Not that big of a deal, we didn't expect him to anyways. It was preschool 1, which is 3-5 year olds and he just turned 3. So he'll be taking it again next summer.

This past weekend we were in Michigan for our 5th and final trip of the year!! It was super hot all weekend, but we did stay at a new campground this year so we got to use the a/c in the camper, which was SUPER NICE!! Friday John, Scott & me went over to the track for the time trials and bought some souvenirs. Saturday we went swimming which felt really good & just kind of hung out. Sunday was the race! I have never been to a hotter race, it was in the mid 80's and we sit on bleachers, so you know we got some sun!!! I had to go down to the bathrooms a couple of times to try and cool off with a wet paper towel, but overall I think I did pretty good with the heat. After the race we took our dinner to the beach and went swimming again. Monday was the drive home, after all the heat & fresh air I pretty much slept the entire way home! It was nice to get home and see Connor, but the weekend went by way to fast!

Michigan

I can't believe it's already the middle of August. Can you? Seems crazy!! This summer has just flown by with everything that we have going on!!! After tonight Connor only has one more swimming lesson, and then he's done for the summer. School starts back up for me in less than 2 weeks! I'm only taking 2 classes this semester. The first 1/2 of the semester I'm taking Managing for Quality which is a 3 credit class, and the second 1/2 I will be taking Access Advanced which is only a 1 credit class.

Tomorrow morning we head for Michigan. Our 5Th & final trip of the year. We'll be leaving from John & Carol's super early in the morning and it's an 8+ hour drive to get to our campsite. It'll be a long drive, but it should be fun! Connor will be staying at Scott's parents house for the weekend, so hopefully he's not to crabby for them. After a huge search for someone to watch Cookie this weekend, I think we finally have come to a conclusion. THANKFULLY!!! How stressful! I'm a little ticked from a couple of individuals who said they couldn't watch him, but I wont go into that vent here. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll post some pictures probably Tuesday morning!

The Last Child

So it was a pretty crazy busy , but fun weekend! Friday night Scott & I made a wonderful dinner! Saturday Scott went into work for a couple of hours and then came home and took Connor camping for the day while I went to book club.

The Last Child was Jeni's pick this month, and it was a GREAT PICK! The story takes you threw the journey of Johnny who is trying to figure out what happened to his twin sister who went missing a year ago. This book is written amazingly well and everything fits together by the end. If you like mystery type books that keep you guessing until the end, it's definitely one you should read! After I got about 1/4 of the way through the book I was hooked, and didn't want to put it down!

Mike & Amanda!!

So it's been awhile since I've posted, so I'll probably have a couple of back to back posts. It's been a little over a week since we've made trip #4 of the year to Michigan!

My BFF of over 12 years got married to her wonderful husband on July 31st! We drove over on Thursday the 29th and stayed until Sunday, August 1st . Thursday night me & Amanda went over to her mom's house so she could shorten my straps on my dress, while Scott went with Mike to go pick up his tux. Friday we ran around with Amanda , first helping decorate the reception hall, and then doing some errands and went to get her nails done. Friday night was the rehearsal, it seemed to take awhile, but everything went pretty well. Afterwords we drove to visit my friend Meagan who just happened to be in town as well on the same weekend! Saturday was the big day!! Got up early, went and got my hair done, went back to the hotel to rest for about 45 minutes, and then it was off to the wedding! You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for an outside wedding! The wedding was beautiful and then it was time for the reception!! Had some great food, danced with some great people, checked out of there by about 11:15, cause I was SO tired. Then Sunday night it was time to drive home! Here are some wonderful pictures from the weekend:

Bedding

So now that we found out we're having a girl, I get to buy lots of girly stuff!! So EXCITING!!! Scott's mom said she was going shopping right after she found out last night, lol.

So I've had the bedding that I've wanted for a girl picked out for awhile. If we were going to have another boy we were just going to use the same stuff, BUT it's a girl so time to spend some money!!!! I found the perfect stuff on e-bay. I had to buy the mobile, curtain, wall decorations & lamp shade, and I'm bidding on the bed 'n a bag right now. If you bid on the bedding instead of just buying it you can save up to $50!! This e-bay "store" also has SUPER cute clothing to, which I will probably purchase in the future. The store is called Beyond Bedding.

GIRL!!!

So last night I actually slept pretty good, probably had something to do with waking up super early yesterday, but it was nice to feel good when I woke up!

So yesterday was the big day. I had to wake up super early so I could ride into work with Scott. Got up at 5 a.m. so we could drop off Connor and be to work at 6:30 so we could leave around 2:30. Yesterday seemed to drag on forever. I went from being exhauted to being nervous and at one point wanted to puke. I just was so afraid something was going to be wrong. So 2:30 rolls around, I drink up the last of my water that I'm suppose to drink and Scott & I head to the Dr. Office. You're suppose to arrive about 10-15 minutes early, but I don't know why. Last time it only took us 5 minutes to go back into the room, but this time we didn't go back there until the time of the u/s. The lady who was doing the u/s wasn't rude, but she was pretty short and not very talkative. It made me nervous thinking there was something wrong when she kept looking at the same thing for a few minutes straight. Then about 30 minutes into it I HAD to pee really really bad!!! She gave me a cup and said you can pee this much. How are you suppose to just stop peeing???? After that she looks and says, 'I don't see a penis", WOHO!!! Overall the procedure took about an hour and fifteen minutes. The baby was going NUTS from the rice krispie treat that I had eaten before going in, lol. She did double check once or twice to make sure she didn't see any boy parts, and she didn't. So WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!! We already decided on a name, Savannah Lynn.

1/2 Way

So last night was fun. The St. Dennis Festival officially began! We played pop toss a bunch, and I get to eat some corn. So far the total count is 2 pieces of corn, with many many more to come this weekend!!

So today I'm officially 20 weeks! 1/2 over!! I can't believe it! It's kind of nice being pregnant in the summer, because we are so busy, it goes by so quickly!! I can't believe in 2 days and 5 hours we will be finding out if we're having a little boy or little girl! It's so exciting! Everyone keeps asking what I think it is, but I don't want to say one way or the other in case my feelings are wrong. But anyways, I thought I'd post some pictures of my progressing baby belly. 1st picture was taken at 8 weeks and the second one was taken this morning at 20 weeks!

Storms

So today has been your typical Friday, pretty boring!! We have lots going on this weekend, it'll be fun, but it'll go by fast!! 72 hours from now I will be walking into the Dr's office to have my ultrasound to find out if we're having a boy or girl!! Can't wait!!!

So yesterday afternoon/night we had some major storms in the area!! This summer has been full of crazy storms that have brought tornado's, flooding, hail, etc. Connor is suppose to have swim lessons on Thursday night's, but obviously with the tornado warnings that did not happen. The first part of the storm there wasn't any lightening or thunder, so me & Connor got to play outside, then while eating dinner I decided I didn't feel comfortable sitting right next to a bunch of windows, so I decided to eat in the middle of the living room (not on the couches, because the skylights are right above them, lol). Well there was confirmed tornado's in the area, but we didn't see any, HOWEVER we did have a TON of water! This was taken in our backyard, we had a river!!

Echoes

Poor Connor! Last night we decided to make some cookies. I take them out of the oven, and he's SO excited about them, so he's kind of leaning forward to see them.... well he tripped and hit his chin on the hot pan! OUCH! Now he has a burn accrossed his face, poor guy!!

So last night I finished the book I was reading, Echoes by Danielle Steel. It was probably one of my favorite Danielle Steel books that I've read in awhile. Lately I've been really into reading anything from around World War 2, fiction or non-fiction, it really doesn't matter to me. I really liked the story line, the only thing I will complain about is the ending. I really liked how it ended, but I feel like there where to many things left opened at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has remotely liked other Danielle Steel books or any story's from that era. Now I have to decide if I should start my book club book (it's on August 7th), or if I can squeeze in another book before then.....

Baby Food

Well last night was pretty calm around the homefront. Worked on some homework and read my book. I almost have it finished, I should be able to finish it tonight!

So today I decided to look up baby food recipes online. I never made homemade food for Connor, but for some reason this time I really want to try it out and see how it works. I know it will be a lot healthier for the baby, I just hope I can committ to the time it'll take everyday to make it. Thankfully I'll be able to make a couple of days worth at one time, and just store some in the fridge. I found this GREAT website for recipes wholesomebabyfood.com I found baby cereal recipes, fruit, veggie & meat recipes, everything I would need for the first 8-10 months! We'll probably start introducing food around the same time as we did for Connor. I think the first time Connor had cereal was about 4.5 months, and they say to start between 4-6 months.

Baby Book

So this day is dragging, I'm super tired........ugh!!!! But at least it's lunch time soon and I get to get away from my desk for awhile!!

So today I decided to start looking for a baby book. This is one thing I did not get when I had Connor and someone had to buy me one at the Hospital Gift Shop (overall the baby book worked for what you need it to do, but it isn't the prettiest, and I would have rather had something nicer looking, but oh well). So to prepare, I'm making sure I get it WAY in advance, we will probably be purchasing it next Monday after we have the BIG U/S!!!! Well anyways, searching the Babies R Us Website, these are the two I have picked out. I can't wait to be able to purchase one, I can't believe it's only one week away from finding out if we're having a boy or girl!! I'm getting so excited!!

Insomnia

So overall this weekend was pretty fun, but of course it went way to quickly!! Friday night Connor had a temp of 103, which always sucks, but by Saturday morning he was back to normal! Went to Kohl's Saturday, and then Connor & I went and visited Scott at work, came home took a nap, then all of us went to my cousin's high school graduation party. I can't believe he's already graduated, dang I'm getting old, lol! Sunday was fun! We went to the Dane County Fair even though it was flippin HOT, but only for 2 hours! We ate some ice cream, played some games, ate some food, etc. When we got home we all were wiped out and took a 2 hour nap before going to my Aunt Missy's for dinner. I got to meet my brother's girlfriend for he first time, and she seems really nice!

Almost every Sunday night it seems like I can't sleep, I don't know if it's partial insomnia, or what! I laid down at about 10:30ish and by 11:30 for some reason i felt sick, so i got up and started reading my book. by about 12:30 I was laying down again to try and finally see if I could sleep, but then Connor started waking up.......SO I went and laid down in his room, finally fell asleep sometime after 1 a.m. Connor woke up 2 other times and then I heard Scott getting ready for work at 4:45 this morning......ugh!! Seriously! I usually never hear Scott getting ready for work, and don't usually hear Connor throughout the night, most of the time he just magically appears in our room in the morning, lol. Out of all the nights to not sleep well, why does it have to be Sunday?? Why can't it be Saturday when I know I get to sleep in the next day?? Mondays are already hard enough, but without much sleep it's even worse!!! If I wasn't preggo I would probably drink some NyQuil to fall asleep, but that's not really an option right now!

Building a House

So I ate WAY to much at lunch today, lol. Maybe that'll help me gain some weight?? I guess we'll find out!! Why do Fridays always seem to drag on forever? Or is it just me?

So, someday I really want to build my own house, that way I can have WHATEVER I want, lol. I don't know if it'll ever be realistic or not, but we at least need to get a bigger house in about 3-4 years. I was searching threw housing planes today, and found this one. The only changes i would make are flipping the toilet & closet in the master suite, because I would want to get into the closet without having to walk threw the bathroom every time. And also, we would add a 3rd car garage onto it! So hopefully someday we'll be able to do something like this, because it's perfect for everything we would ever need!!!