27 secrets about me

1.WHAT IS YOUR DISPLAY NAME ABOUT?
the pet name Bob has for me
2. WHERE WAS YOUR DEFAULT PICTURE TAKEN?
in my living room.
3. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME?
Jean
4. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT RELATIONSHIP STATUS?
Married
5. HONESTLY, IF SOMEONE WERE TO TELL YOU HOW THEY FELT, WOULD YOU LISTEN?
Yes
6. WHATS YOUR CURRENT MOOD?
Tired!! A bit stressed but happy.
7. WHATS YOUR MOST VALUED POSSESSION?
my wedding ring.
8. HOW ARE THINGS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
Very good.
10. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, AND CHANGE SOMETHING WOULD YOU?
Not really. I believe everything happens for a reason, even the bad. Many of the bad things have led to the good things. all experiences have shaped who I am.
11. IF YOU MUST BE AN ANIMAL FOR ONE DAY- WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
a cat so I could sleep all day!!
12. EVER HAD A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE?
no
14. WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE SONG THAT'S STUCK IN YOUR HEAD?
I really don't have one stuck in my head at the moment. But if I had to pick one, it would be Hip to be Square by Huey Lewis and the News. Ryan and I were dancing to that song earlier and he calls it Hip to be a square. LOL
15. WHO DID YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS FROM?
Thelma
16. NAME SOMEONE WITH THE SAME B-DAY AS YOU?
My good friend Ernie. He is exactly 2 years younger than me. We met in college and we became good friends. He was Bob's best man and our wedding and Bob was his best man at his wedding. We called ourselves twins back in college days.
17. HAVE YOU EVER SANG IN FRONT OF A LARGE AUDIENCE?
Not really. Not professionally! Not unless you count back in elementary school for school musicals and such.
18. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?
The hair. I'm a hair gal I guess.
19. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY ORDER FROM STARBUCKS?
Nothing. I don't go there.
20. HAVE YOU EVER HAD A DRUNKEN NIGHT?
Yes. twice. I will NEVER do it again!! LOL It was horrible.
21. DO YOU STILL WATCH KIDDY MOVIES OR TV SHOWS?
uumm...yep. That's mainly what I watch during the day. My favorite is the Upside Down show and Blues Clues.
22. DO YOU HAVE BRACES?
no
23. NAME SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU TODAY.
fed Kyle about 6 times, took a small nap, played with Ryan.
24. DO YOU SPEAK ANY OTHER LANGUAGE?
I know a few words in spanish and I know about 50 words in ASL (american sign language). I want to teach Ryan and Kyle sign language.
25. IS THERE SOMEONE ON YOUR MIND NOW?
Yes. Many people. I miss many of my online friends as I don't get much computer time anymore.
26. WHAT HURTS YOU AT THE MOMENT?
not realizing how difficult it would be to have a newborn and a preschooler. I feel guilty for feeling stressed.
27. WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR?
sleep!! LOL j/k I wish for healthy, happy marriage and children. I wish for my children to grow up happy and know they are always loved.
REPOST THIS AS...
27 SECRETS BOUT ME!!!

As promised....

Now that I finally have a few minutes....I can update on the happenings of a few weeks ago when Kyle was born.

What a week it was. Murphy's law....what CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong...and ALL at once.

So first was Kyle's birth. Obviously that didn't go wrong, but the birth of a baby does tend to be stressful.

Once we got home, that's when everything went crazy.

We got home on Sat. Our first issue came on Sunday. Our furnace (and yes, during the coldest week in WI history in the last 20 years...when it was -5 degrees with a wind chill of -30) decided it needed to scare the crap out of us. No, it didn't break down (this time), but it decided it didn't like being nice and quiet and cooperative. Instead it decided it wanted to have little explosions everytime it went on. Yes, that's right. Every time it started (which was constantly in that weather) it would have a build up of gas and when the lighter ignited it would give a small explosion. Yeah. That was lovely. Had me freaked out that our house was going to blow up. So needless to say, we had to get that fixed. Lovely.
The next day (Monday) I went to take a shower and guess what? Our pipes in our bathroom tub kicked the bucket. No big mess or anything. We just couldn't use the shower because it wasn't working. *cry*

Now Bob is pretty handy at fixing things. He did most of the work in the nursery with the exception of the dry wall. He does tons of home improvement projects and can fix darn near anything. But this he couldn't. He would have to literally put a hole in the wall in order to get to the pipes. Yeah. So we opted to call a really expensive plumber to fix it. And yes, he did put a hole in the wall, but we have working pipes!! And the hole we just covered with plastic for the time being as we are now sucked dry of our finances thanks to the lovely plumber and terrific furnace. *sigh*

So on Tuesday the furnace guy came to assess our furnace and what we can do about it. And of course, the whole darn thing had to be replaced (or risk an explosion). So Wed. I took the kids to my parents house while the furnace guys spent 5 hours replacing the furnace in -degree weather. Oh what joy to have all this happen with a barely week old baby!

Oh, and in the midst of all this, I also had to take Kyle to the hospital on Monday for his 4 day check up, Tuesday again for a blood test (for jaundice) and again on Wed for another blood test. All while it was flipping cold out!

So that was what I was up to the first week of Kyle's life. Nothing is ever boring around here!! Thank goodness taxes are coming up....we better get a good refund!

Grieving

So now that things have calmed down a bit (for the moment) I now have some time to reflect on the events of the past 2 weeks. Not just the birth of my miracle baby, but on other things that have happened. Because I was so involved with Kyle's birth and trying to get used to the long nights and days again, I haven't had time to really grieve over the losses I have had these past 2 weeks.

5 days before I was to be induced, my mom told me that my Great Aunt died. The funeral was 2 days before I had to be induced. Being 38 weeks pg, I wouldn't be able to go. (honestly, not that I would have....I have a thing about funerals. I only go to them if I absolutely HAVE to. I'm rather sensitive and tend to get nightmares from looking at a dead body. I know..I'm weird. But dead bodies freak me out.) Anyway, the funeral was 2-3 hours away so I wouldn't be able to travel that far. The news of her passing didn't surprise me as she was sick for quite some time.

The day after my Great Aunt's passing, I learned that my paternal grandmother passed away. Also not surprising, as she also was sick for a while (she was 95!). But it just had to happen the WEEK I was being induced! I also could not go to the funeral, since it not only was 2-3 hours away (in Appleton), but it was onThursday...the DAY I was being induced! I had to be at the hospital by 5pm and wouldn't have made it in time. What was difficult though, not only did I not go, but my parents went, and they were the ones that were supposed to watch Ryan! So with some debating and figuring out what to do with Ryan when I go to the hospital, we got all that figured out.

Now with the birth of Kyle, I barely had time to really grieve over those 2 deaths.

They say death comes in 3's. Or is that plane crashes?? Well, either way, just when I thought I could be incredibly happy over the events in my life, I learn of yet another death.

This one has affected me the most. I've never had a friend of mine pass away before. I've had animals that I was close to die, my maternal grandma I was close to passed away almost 7 years ago, but never any friends. I'm way too young for that. Or so I thought.

I didn't get the news until a few days after Kyle's birth, once I was settled in at home and in good spirits. Bob learned about this a few days before me, but he kept it from me until he knew I wasn't going to lose it.

My good friend Valerie passed away Jan 31...the day before I was induced. My mom heard the news about it while I was in the hospital, and told Bob when he called to let them know Kyle was born. Talk about a shocker!! Bob had the smart sense to not tell me at that point though.

A little background about Val.

She was not a friend in the sense of "peer". She actually was my next door neighbor when I was growing up. She was about 20 years older than me, and her husband 20 years older than her. They had a Great Dane named Ginger whom I absolutely loved. In fact, Ginger was the main reason we were friends to begin with. I had never seen such a huge dog before! They used to let me come over and pet her and feed her hot dogs, and soon it became a good friendship. I would go over to their house everyday after school, play with Ginger and talk with Valerie about boys and school and all sorts of things. She was sort of like my big sister. Then Carl (her husband) would come home from work and he would tell me silly jokes. He had always loved me like a second father. Very sweet man. Then I would go home for dinner. This happend this way everyday for years...all throughout most of my school days.

In May 1989 Ginger passed away. I was so devastated at losing that dog. I never had pets of my own, but it was like I had lost my best friend. I grieved with Val and Carl. They ended up getting another Great Dane and I continued to go over everyday.

I really don't remember what year it was, but as I got older and later in high school, when I got boyfriends and best friends and an active social life, I stopped going over as much. They were still my friends and I still saw them, but not nearly as much. Then one day they decided to move way up in northern Wisconsin, in Lac du Flambeau. Being that it was 8 hours away, obviously I didn't see them anymore. We wrote letters back and forth for many years.

Once Bob and I took a trip up there and stayed there for a weekend. It was absolutely beautiful and I cherish those pictures I have.

A few years later they decided to move to Tennessee. They continued to have their Great Danes and continued to be my close friends, but I never got to see them again. It's just too hard to make the trip there, especially once I got married and started a family. I had always planned on making a trip down to TN eventually, but there never was a good time.

My letters to them became less and less as my life got busier. With the internet and email so convenient, I lost the desire to write snail mail letters. (they didn't have a computer). I regret that. The last few years I only sent them a Christmas letter and birthday cards. How did I go from seeing them every single day to barely speaking? Somethings in life we tend to regret after the fact. If only I had written more often. Not that they evef disowned me or anything. In fact, the last letters I got they talked about old times and how much they miss me. It just breaks my heart.

So hearing the news of Valerie's passing just brings me to tears. I never expected it. She was only in her 50's. Way too young. She really wasn't even sick. I don't know a whole lot of details on her death, but it's just so tragic. What poor Carl must be going through now. I sent him a sympathy card, but I'm thinking of sending a letter too.

When I first heard the news a few days after Kyle's birth, I didn't shed any tears. I didn't really know what to think or say. I was in shock. It was the kind of news that had to sink in for me to really fully understand it. I had so much going on in my head already...the new baby and various other things going on in the house (that's a whole other post) and trying desperately to avoid PPD, that I just couldn't process it. I didn't have any time to grieve.

Now that things have calmed down, I have time to breathe and think, I'm grieving, crying. Is this what it's like to lose someone you were close to? The what if's and regrets? I regret not writing as much, not calling, not making an effort to visit. I feel guilt and just plan sad. She was such a good friend of mine. And though I didn't speak to her much over the last few years, she was still very dear in my heart.

I miss you my friend Valerie. May you rest in God's peace.

From your "dear girl" with so much love.

This was taken up in Lac du Flambeau somewhere in 1996 or 97. Valerie is on the left, I'm in the middle, Carl on the right, and Roxy in front.

Kyle's 2 week appt

It went great! He is doing wonderful!He weighed in at 5 lbs 15 1/2 ounces...just shy of 6 lbs!!! God is so great!! I think he's going to do great with weight gain. He eats so well and the dr said that I'm obviously doing something right if he's gained so much weight! His jaundice is completely gone and he's right on target for everything. He was alert during the appt too. (and hungry! LOL I fed him in the exam room after the appt)He asked how Ryan is doing and told me to expect regression. Which I have partially seen....he's very clingy and can't play on his own anymore. It's going to be rough next week I think.He also asked how I'm doing....and said if I start feeling the affects of PPD to call him and let him know if I need meds. But I'm doing ok right now. So all is good! His next appt is at one month (which is only 2 weeks away LOL)

Construction!

Please excuse the mess....or the unfinished blog. I'm experimenting with different templates and of course it deletes all the fun stuff I had on here. So I am in the process of reconstruction!! Please be patient!!

Kyle's birth story

Kyle’s Birth Story

I was set to be induced at 5pm on Thursday, Feb 1, 2007. Previously I had been having marginal NSTs and he was only measuring the 3rd percentile in growth in u/s. So my dr advised on inducing.

On Thursday, Feb 1, I had spent the morning at my Bible study. I had debated on going as it was my last morning alone with my first son, Ryan, but I was getting nervous and anxious and really needed some prayer time. So I went. After I came home I had just enough time to give Ryan lunch and get him down for his nap. I had just started to pack my bags and get lunch for myself when I received a phone call from the nurse at my dr’s office. (this was around noon). She told me my dr. had to go out of town on an emergency and wouldn’t be there for the induction. She said I could go ahead and be induced as scheduled with a different dr or wait until the following Monday when my dr. was back. I opted to go ahead right away as scheduled as I was ready for it and personally didn’t want to go in labor on my own. I liked the idea of having it planned!

About a half hour later the nurse calls again and says the dr. that is taking over wants me to come in to do another NST. He was looking over my chart and realized I’m considered “high risk” and wanted me to come in to do a few tests. I was slightly upset as I only had a few hours before induction anyway, but I also understand that this dr. didn’t know my history or pregnancy and was just getting involved with no knowledge. So I headed off to the hospital without anything with me (and Ryan’s carseat in my car).

I spent 45 minutes doing the NST, which came back as marginal. Kyle wasn’t moving around as much as they would like. So they had me do an u/s. The u/s came back as fine and he was weighing as 5 lbs 3 oz according to the u/s. After the u/s the nurses had to talk to the dr…which took 45 minutes. By this time it was 3:30pm and I was getting very upset. I hadn’t finished packing yet, I had laundry in the washer and dryer, and Ryan’s carseat in MY car, plus I hadn’t even said goodbye to Ryan. I wanted to go home for just an hour.
Unfortunately the dr. wouldn’t let me leave. I was told I was required to stay and they were inducing me. So I had to make about 15 phone calls to figure out how to get the carseat from my car to home so that my parents would have it when they came to get Ryan (btw- my parents were also out of town at my grandma’s funeral and were on their way home…they were supposed to be back by 6pm but luckily made it back in town at 4pm and met Bob at our house..they were just waiting for the carseat!!). I called a friend of mine that lives near the hospital if she could pick up my car and take it to my house and Bob would then take her home on his way to the hospital. It was a huge mess of calling so many people and trying to figure out who was doing what and when.
But we finally got it worked out and Ryan went to my parents house and Bob made it to the hospital at 5:30pm….only a half hour after they started the pitocin on me.
Yes, they had me there from 3:30pm until 5pm…just hooked up to the monitor but no induction until the scheduled 5pm. It was very frustrating and upsetting, but I managed to get through it.

As soon as they started the pitocin I was already having contractions 2 minutes apart. They weren’t real strong yet but could definitely feel them. I started out as 3cm already and 50% effaced. The dr. checked me and figured I would deliver sometime in the middle of the night.
He came and checked me again at 6pm and decided to break my water. It took 3 tries (with the crochet hook!!) but got it. He also put on the fetal monitors on Kyle’s head because they were worried about distress. Once my water was broke, I dilated to 5cm in about 2 minutes and my contractions got very strong. The dr. took back his words and said he figured by 10pm! I asked if I could have my epidural now. He agreed. J

I got my epidural at 7pm (thank goodness!) and it was really nice. I didn’t feel any contractions and didn’t lose complete feeling in my legs this time. It was perfect. I sat back and relaxed for a while.

At 8pm I had a talking to with the dr., nurse, and Kyle and said I’m going to watch Grey’s Anatomy now and you are not allowed to be born until AFTER Grey’s!! Yes, I know I’m seriously addicted! In fact, the last 5 minutes of the show, not only did I feel “different” (as in possibly the urge to push) but the dr. happened to be standing in my view of the tv. I even asked the dr to please move so I could finish the show! Sad I know.

At 9pm the nurse checked me and I was completely dilated. She started getting things ready for the delivery and called the dr’s. (the OB and the pediatrition- he was already at the hospital so he stuck around for my delivery). While waiting for the dr’s, the nurse asked me to do some practice pushes. A few pushes later and she told me to stop. A few moments later the dr’s came in and the look on their faces was priceless. The were expecting to be there a while for the pushing, and they came in and looked and said “wow! A head!” They got ready real quickly! I don’t think they expected there to be a head there already!

Once the OB was ready I had 2 good pushes and Kyle was born at 9:29pm. He had a nice set of lungs and was crying up a storm! He weighed 5 lbs 5 oz, and 19 inches long. I did tear a bit along the old episotomy (the one I had with Ryan), but it was a minor tear. Nothing too bad.

So a 4 ½ hour labor from start to finish. I think he was pretty anxious to get into this world!

I had forgotten...

I had forgotten how very time consuming a newborn is!! I haven't been able to get on the computer, even to check my email, in 2 days! Yikes!! I REALLY miss my computer time!!

Anyway, things are going great! Kyle is doing great! He's a very good baby. Cries a bit more than Ryan did, but usually has a reason (hunger, diaper change, etc). He is getting better at night too. I try to keep him up longer during the day and that seems to help him during the night. Since I'm breastfeeding I'm the only one that can feed him, which can make for a very long night! But he does really well.

We were afraid he would have jaundice really bad since he is diagnosed as cumbs positive, but luckily he didn't need any intervention! He also eats like a champ...the kid is going to eat me out of house and home I garentee it!! LOL

I'm doing very well. I was so worried I'd have PPD, but thankfully this time around I'm doing very well. I think it helps knowing what I'm doing, plus having Ryan and more help this time makes a difference. Of course, it can still come, but I feel really good these days.

Here are some pictures! This was the first time I held him. He was about a half hour old. I got to hold him for about a minute or so because he's so small they couldn't regulate his body temp, so he had to be in the warmer for a while.

This was the first time Ryan saw Kyle and got to hold him. He came to see us in the hospital the next day. He loves his new baby brother. In fact, sometimes he's a bit too affectionate!

My 3 boys!! Daddy, Ryan, and Kyle

Baby Kyle is here!

My little miracle was born on Thursday, Feb 1, 2007 at 9:29pm. He is 5 lbs 5 oz and 19 inches long! :)

He is healthy and happy. He cried like crazy when he was first born, but after that he seems to be a laid back baby...so far! He sleeps a lot...I had forgotten how much they sleep!

I will eventually post my birth story....hopefully soon. I've been rather busy so I am finding it hard to get on the computer. But will hopefully write that up since it's pretty interesting!

I am so in love with this little guy. He is adorable! Will post pics too when I get a chance.

I'm nursing and am having a much easier time with it this time. With Ryan I couldn't nurse, so this is a new and wonderful experience. The only thing I'm not liking is having to feed him every 3 hours and being the only one that can do it! I'm extremely tired.

Ryan has been at grandma and grandpas since Thursday. He is coming home in about an hour so I'm really looking forward to seeing him and how he reacts with Kyle. I really miss my boy. :)

Will update more when I have a chance! Right now I'm taking care of this little guy and trying to rest when I can.

More to come!!