29 weeks 1 day

I had another check up today. Things are going well and really no changes.

-We have an "unofficial" delivery date! He will be born the very last week of July or very first week of August. Brady and I are thinking Friday July 30th so we'll see how that goes. We get to "officially" schedule a date at our next appointment.

- heart rate is great! Measuring right on.

- my blood sugar AFTER the glucose test was 97. That's pretty low after a big test. No wonder I haven't been feeling so great....my sugar drops pretty low. The doctor didn't seem worried just a little surprised.

- my hernia is still there and is a real pain. he said that most hernias that occur during pregnancy pretty much go away, but it will never heal completely. He said we'll monitor it after he's delivered and go from there. Surgery is rarely needed for hernias like mine :) GOOD NEWS!

- I forgot what my weight was but I've hardly gained any. My blood pressure seems to fluctuate each appointment but it's usually around the average or a little on the lower side.

- I'm not craving bacon cheeseburgers as much as I was. Now it's just ice and I chew ice all the time. That reminds me...my iron level was a little on the lower side but not low enough to take supplements in addition to the prenatal vitamin.

I don't have a recent picture but I will post one soon!!

so that's the overview of this last appointment.

Our Home

My mom is coming out to stay with us when the baby is born and I thought she might like to see our "new" place. We moved in a little over a month ago and we are more settled in than we ever were in Filer. Here are pictures...in no paticular order.

Cooper's play room that will be his "big boy" room after the baby is born

play room again

living room / dining room. The stuff in the corner is no longer there!

laundry room that leads to the garage

kitchen. the door on the left is the laundry room / garage and the little door is our pantry that I LOVE!

kitchen again. the counter top comes out further and curves around a little.

cooper's bathroom.

cooper's current room / baby room

master bedroom

we have a master bath that is difficult to get a picture of and a walk in closet that is HUGE!

We do love our new place. The neighbors are loud at times but for the most part pretty quiet. I mean seriously...who vacuums at midnight several times in a month??

Not so fun...

Cooper is sick...again. It seems like we can't get away from him being sick but I guess it's been a while since the last time.

It all started Thursday. He threw up several times but it was watery so I thought maybe he drank too much that day. But he also had diarrhea so that was weird. When I put him to bed I thought he felt warm but didn't check his temperature because I'm usually always wrong (silly me). I had to work Friday but Brady checked his temperature and it was 99*. So he still took him to day care with tylenol just in case. Well, it jumped up to 100 or so and Brady went and picked him up. Meanwhile, Brady calls me at work and lets me know what's going on. He has had a fever on and off since then and has had diarrhea every day!!! And the diarrhea is turning white. Thankfully, it's only once or twice a day so his chances of dehydration are slim with how much he's drinking(2-3 sippy cups of water a day + 4-5 oz of formula at night). He hasn't been eating much or sleeping well. He cries and whines ALL day long. Last night I was up with him 3 times, which is more than we have had to in months! He wanted to be held all night long ONLY if I was standing up!! That was a struggle with a large belly and a hernia that was hurting - but he would scream if I sat down in our rocking chair. He cried and whined for most of the morning so I decided to take him to the doctor.

Turns out...just a stomach virus. His ears are perfectly clear and everything else looked great. And of course he had loads of energy in the doctor's office. He was running around and getting into everything. So he can go back to day care after 24 hours without a fever and without the use of medication to lower his temp. As for the white diarrhea...keep an eye on it I guess. He said it could be a change in diet (the only change is not eating)...I worry about gallbladder issues but that's just my "worst scenario" coming out. I suppose we'll watch it and go back in if we have to. Poor little guy is so gassy too. But that might be genetic :)

For now, I look forward to nap time so we can get some rest and we can't wait for Dad to get home!!

Cooper's First Hair Cut!!

Brady gave Cooper his first hair cut today!! His hair was starting to look like a mullet and was a little out of control. The back was always matted and pouffy. It was growing over his ears and just not cute! So the clippers came out and the hair was buzzed for the first time!!

{before}

He did EXTREMELY well!! He just sat in his chair (with the binky of course) and looked puzzled. He pointed at the hair that was falling off and even started to play with the cord! We used the biggest guard we have and the hair was still over his ears a little so we attempted to use scissors. That didn't go well and he screamed at that point. He got a bath and became this new little boy!!

{during}

{after}

It makes me so sad to think that he's no longer my "baby". He's wanting to be so independent and gets so frustrated when I help him. He's picking up on new words. Today he said "nana" for a banana that Brady was eating! His newest trick is walking backwards and spinning in a circle. He uses a pillow in bed now and LOVES to just lay there. We put him in bed and he giggles/sighs with excitement to relax. We absolutely love this little boy! I mean seriously...how could you not LOVE his cute personality??

25 weeks 6 days

You can't tell very well in this picture but I am pretty big now! This picture was taken on Mother's Day before work. Here's a little update:

-baby boy is moving around ALL the time now...almost constantly...like Cooper. It's very comforting and reassuring!!

-we still don't have a name. We have a few ideas but nothing that we REALLY like.

-I am exhausted more than I ever was with either of the other two boys

-I crave bacon cheeseburgers to the point that I go every few days to get my fix. I went TWICE last week!

-I am swelling up...probably from all the salt!

-I've gained 13 pounds.

-the back pain/hip pain is horrible. I didn't feel this way until the last week or two with Cooper.

-I have heartburn 24/7.

But basically...I love being pregnant! I think just the feeling of having my baby safe inside me is amazing. It makes everything else not so horrible :)

Mother's Day

I was super spoiled this year!! I had yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast and lots of gifts from my boys! My favorite has to be the flowers they all got me. Cooper "planted" one flower for me at the store, I have a hanging basket out front and another pot of flowers on our back porch...one from each child. They are all so beautiful! I also got a basket full of goodies! It had my favorite chips (ruffle potato chips and sweet spicy chili Doritos), favorite candy (100 grand, twix, hot tamales), cute pajamas (much needed with a growing belly), two movies (the switch and date night), a picture frame with a cute picture of Cooper, and my all time favorite...PEPSI! Brady really out did himself and made me feel so special.

I am super grateful for my mother and the guidance she gave me. She helped me become the person I am. I am also so so grateful to be a mother myself. I have three wonderful boys!

Kegan has taught me to be grateful. I know that I appreciate motherhood and it's struggles more than I would have without the loss of our sweet Kegan.

Cooper has taught me patience. His crazy energy and curiosity can really be frustrating and I mean extremely frustrating.

Baby boy has taught me how to relax. When I am stressed I break out in eczema. When I am working too hard I start contracting. When I am exhausted I have restless leg syndrome. If I balance every day and take care of us everything is more "normal".

I feel very blessed to be a mother. It's the most amazing adventure!

tender feelings

The other day I had a HUGE desire to officially be done unpacking. I went and combined every tub that was left in our home and put it in the garage. As I was looking through one of them I found the hospital pictures of Kegan. I was totally shocked and upset that they were in a random spot!! I told Brady and we thought it would be nice to have them available to look at but not be displayed to see every day. I thought buying a photo album would be nice but there's less than 10 pictures total so it would be a waste of an entire album. So I put it in the back of my mind and went on.

Today I was looking for my sandals (it's 75 degrees out!!). I came across the memory box we have with everything of Kegan's. It has all the cards we received and items from the hospital...like the clothes he wore, bracelets, hats, things like that. AND then there was a little scrapbook Brady's Aunt Lynell made for him!!! I was so excited and brought everything in to put it together. There's not enough pictures to fill it up but we do have pictures of his head stone and little things that I can put in there and maybe even some cards. Oh it's so exciting to finally be able to have something of Kegan to look at that will be easily available to look at.

It's amazing to me how much I miss him when I only got to hold him once. I never had the chance to get to know him very well...so how can I miss him so much?

The other day I felt down and couldn't figure out why I felt so sad. I felt like something was missing. Going to bed that night I realized that I had the strongest desire to hold my sweet boy and give him little kisses. I was missing him more that day. Of course the pain is less often and not nearly as painful but it is becoming a different kind of hard. Brady and I were talking about how now that we have Cooper we are realizing what we would be (will eventually be) experiencing with Kegan.

Now I'm pregnant with another sweet boy and we try and vision how it would be with 3 toddler boys running around the house! I just can't imagine 3 BOYS AND BRADY!! haha It'd be crazy and wild (not that it already isn't)!!

...poop...

WARNING: Don't read on if you don't want to hear my adventure with poop!!

I have a very very active boy who will not sit still for a diaper change (unless someone else is around to occupy him). He had a very large/loose poo this evening, which I was expecting since he didn't this morning like usual. So I put him on the floor with everything I could think of to distract him. I was even ready to hold him down with my leg...but the little stinker got away and took off running with poop going EVERYWHERE! I was so so frustrated that I didn't say a word and just started the bath tub. I found several spots of poo where he had decided to take a seat. I've been spot cleaning for a while now and plan to scrub the tub once he goes to bed. And since then he has not once stopped walking/running. It's been 2 hours and he just won't stop.

Good thing he's happy!!

Wet Floor

Last night Cooper had a VERY fun time in the tub. He splashed more than I've ever seen him, which means the entire bathroom was soaked. When he started to climb out I wrapped him up in a towel and took him into his room. As usual, he runs out of his room. I jump up remembering the wet bathroom assuming he'd run back in there. As I turn the corner I see Cooper on the floor laying on his back trying so hard to get back up! Poor little guy ran in and slipped on the wet floor. I was so scared that he got hurt but he wasn't crying, just grunting to get back up. He thought it was pretty funny because he was laughing once he was up...but I was pretty worried! All night long I wondered if he hit his head and if he was achey.

Back to the VERY fun time in the tub...I got the splashing all on camera! I'm working on editing out privates before I upload it! So watch out for that fun video!

Happenings...

of our 1 year old!

- he's walking/running now like a pro. He stumbles a little when there's lumps/bumps in the grass but overall - PRO! He's starting to recognize steps instead of just running into them or off of them.

- bath time is still his favorite time. He started this super cute thing...when we say arms up he'll raise his arms so we can pull his shirts off. He really likes bubbles too! He'll poke them with his little finger and watch them pop.

- he's starting to talk more. He can say "tee" (tree), "tickle tickle" (loud and clear), "dad", "mama", "ni ni" (night night), "num num" (yummy), "hi", "ba ba" (bye bye)

- he eats a ton. ALL the time. He FINALLY ate fresh fruit for the first time, a banana! I have to feed him baby food to get his fruits and veggies! When I put it on his plate he picks through it all and won't eat it! haha It's cute and annoying. He does put it in his mouth and try it so there's hope!

- He has been blowing raspberries on Brady's belly for months now but he just started doing it to my belly! He will do it on the leather furniture and on his own hands. He's even figured out how to do it with just his lips.

- he is a binky and blanket kind of guy. He carries them both around everywhere. It is super cute with his blanket! When he's ready for a nap he will go walk into his room with his binky in his mouth and blanket up by his ear. If we don't follow he will go back and forth until we do. He is still a wonderful sleeper. He goes down at 8 and is up between 8 and 8:30 every morning. He's down to 1 nap a day but lately it's been 2 LONG naps. I'm pretty sure he's going through a growth spurt.

- Balls are his absolute FAVORITE!! I can't go through Wal-mart without him squealing in delight at the tall rack thing FULL of colorful balls. And you know the big red circle "balls" in front of Target?? Ya...lots of squealing and tantrums when we go there! Balloons are also a hit with Cooper.

- Brady is by far his favorite person ever. I hear "dad" all day long!

- he will give hugs and kisses now when we ask for them...only when he is in the mood though!

- I started using cloth diapers and he seemed to chill a bit more during diaper changes. I'm still chasing him around and struggling to keep him still BUT it is getting better.

- he's opening all our doors. Every single one. And can now lift the toilet seats. No need to explain more than that..

- He drinks a lot. 3-4 sippy cups a day! We allow 1 sippy of juice and the others are water.

Well, I could go on and on about our little boy. He is a lot of fun and brings so much joy to our lives! I hope our family knows a little more about Cooper now :)