30 weeks and a bit of a scare

I am 30 weeks today! For some reason that just seems like a mile stone. I'm starting to go to the Dr. every two weeks and in less than 10 weeks Chase will be in my arms! This past week people (strangers) started commenting and congratulating me on the baby. Although the belly is definitely there, it's still small (or so everyone tells me, I'm still feeling huge.) I went to the Dr. on Wednesday and I gained 2 lbs. For some reason that stung a little bit. Like I've said before I lost about 12-15 lbs in the beginning and since week 15 I've only put on 2 lbs, so to gain 2 lbs in 4 weeks, well I guess I won't complain! When I went into the Drs office on Wednesday, I felt a little anxious, I'm not sure why but I even told my Cousin about it. I had a list of a couple things I wanted to talk to her about. 1. Getting a tour of the new hospital 2. Cordblood 3. My tailbone hurting so badly 4. Heart burn and taking medication every day. (I'd rather not take the medicine, but she assured me it would be just fine and prescribed me something to take instead of Prevacid.) Before I could even ask her about any of these things she asked me if I was having contractions. I said, "Yes, I feel a lot." I went on to tell her they weren't contractions that felt like cramping or anything like that just tightening in my stomach sometimes so much that it hurt. Most of them being very uncomfortable and happening anytime I sat down for any amount of time and then stood up. She immediately changed her demeanor. She went from bubbly and happy to serious very quickly. I could tell in her face this wasn't "normal". I assured her that I had felt the same thing with Colton but that wasn't good enough. She checked me and I was not dilated but she still wanted to run an FfN Test. She said this test would test to see if I was at risk for preterm labor. What!?! I thought this was just normal, everyone feels Braxton Hicks Contractions. I had been feeling these contractions since 17 weeks. At this point I was a nervous wreck. I knew for some reason I didn't feel 100% about this visit, was this why? Was I in preterm labor? She explained that if this test came back positive I would go on bed rest immediately. Bed Rest? With a 2 year old? Beside thinking about how impossible that would be I couldn't stop thinking about how early it was. I didn't want Chase to be born 10 weeks early. Although 30 weeks seems like such a milestone, it's still way too early for my little man. After she did the test I asked her exactly how many contractions were "abnormal". She said 8 to 10 and hour. In my mind I thought "Wooohooo...I'm not having near that many". Then, I started to really pay attention to those contractions that I was so use to feeling. I realized in one hour of sitting in the Drs office I had about 3-4. Then, the remainder of the day I continued having them, sometimes 8-10 an hour. Nothing was every consistent though. I waited the 24 hours the test would take and called the next afternoon.

I'm happy to report, it was just a scare. The FfN Test came back negative. I was elated! It was just a scare but it made me realize that I push it too much sometimes. Sometimes I have to take it a little easier. I know that's hard to do with a 2 year old but for Chases safety, it's a must. I've had it pretty easy this pregnancy and I'd say I've been very blessed. Yes, I went through 15 weeks of awful morning, noon and night sickness and I've been very uncomfortable but I've been healthy. No red flags anywhere 'til this week. As time progresses I'm having more trouble moving around and getting up, I'm sleeping less and peeing more, my back and body ache whether I'm sitting standing or laying down and I'm having trouble catching my breath. But...as time progresses, I am feeling Chase more and more. I feel his hiccups, his little toes pushing through my belly, I feel him move when we talk to him and these are things I'm so thankful for. All the discomfort in the world couldn't make me love this any less (well maybe just a little). I love that my belly is showing and people are asking me about my Chase. I love that Colton says "Good mornin' Chase" to my belly every morning and checks on his brother throughout the day. I love feeling Chase and knowing he's okay. I want to remember all of this, the good the bad and the ugly because it's all such a blessing and I know no matter how tough it is I'll miss this.

(Sorry about this last picture. I regretted not having more belly pics of Colton in the end. Chases "home" needs some sun!)

Zube Park

This morning we packed up a picnic and headed out to Zube Park in Hockley. I'd heard about this fun place many times before but we'd never been able to go. With Colton's fascination with trains it was a perfect place to be! We got there at about 9:45 and the line was already pretty long for the train ride. I went to snap a picture of Daddy and Colt and realized I left the battery charging in the kitchen. They headed into line and I headed home to grab the battery. (I couldn't go with out a camera.) When I got back I watched and watched for Zak and Colton to get off a train, taking pictures of every train that passed thinking they'd be on it. After about 5 or 6 trains I realized they were probably still in line. I looked up at just the right time and saw them getting on the train. Without even thinking I ran up to them and jumped on with them...OPPPS! The train ride was great and Colton loved it! After the ride, we walked over to see the model trains and then had a picnic lunch. Colton decided he'd rather have one last ride than go on the playground. We got in the line again and by this time he was getting so tired. He even told me, "Mommy I so seepy." After a long wait and a few fits we enjoyed one last ride and headed home. It was a perfect morning to enjoy the Spring weather. As we were about to get off the last train ride Colton told us, "We bring Chase here." I think that's a sign of a good time.

(Colts showing off his rocks here.)

Chase Change

I am 28 weeks and in my THIRD trimester. Chase is about 2 to 3 lbs and 15 inches long. (According to this website.)
Since my last post, not much has changed with Chase and me. He is still kicking up a storm morning, noon and night and people are still commenting on how "small" I am. (I feel huge!) We do have one change, we're are going to change up Chase's name a little bit. His name will be CHASE ZAKARY...for his daddy. Chase Zakary was one of our top 3 or 4 names when we were discussing middle names. Somehow, it got thrown out of the mix. The past week or so it has been on my mind to change his name but I hadn't said anything about it. Today, Zak and I were at the rodeo and while we were eating there was the cutest little boy behind us. I overheard his dad call him Zakary. When I heard that it just clicked, "It's now or never." I said something about it to Zak and he said he'd really like that. So, that was that, it was changed and I really love it! I can't wait to hold my sweet little CHASE ZAKARY.

Colton's Day

Zak took the day off work today so we could have a "Family Day". Our "Family Day" turned into "Colton's Day", which is exactly how it should be! Everything we did for the day was Colton's choice.
Our morning started off at the mall looking for new shoes for Colton. We didn't find any but Colton and Daddy enjoyed a cookie for a late breakfast. (Hey, it is "Colton's Day"...anything goes.) After the mall we headed over to Chuck E. Cheese. It was awesome. We were the only ones in the place almost the whole time. We had never taken Colton and since Zak and I were 5 or 6 when we last went we didn't know what to expect. We've heard the pizza isn't great so we opted for a token only morning. We got 95 tokens for only $15 (we still have 50 tokens left). Colton was a bit overwhelmed by it all. Zak wanted to get right in and start playing. He was determined to get a million tickets so Colton could have a good prize. Colton went from game to game without even finishing. I think his favorite part of it all was putting the token in and ripping the ticket out of the dispenser. He really enjoyed himself until Chuck (the mouse) came around to say "Hi." He. did. not. like. that. Once Chuck showed up he was petrified that he would return. He kept saying, "Mommy Chuck go bye bye." "Mommy did Chuck go home?" We earned almost 300 hundred tickets so we decided it was time to head out anyways. Zak and I were much more excited to pick out the prize than Colton was but he ended up with two sqishy fish, two dart gun type things and a blue car.

This was his favorite game. He played it over and over and over. He was very proud of the tickets he won since he did it all on his own.

And the winnings...

After Chuck E Cheese we asked him what he wanted for lunch, Pizza and Watermelon at Candalaris or Bagels from Panera (two of his favorite places to go). He chose Candalaris even though he didn't touch a single slice of pizza. Here he is with his best "Cheese" face. He was so cute at lunch he waved at everyone and talked the whole time.

He spotted Learning Express (he calls it Babies R Us) in the parking lot and really wanted to go play with the train. Since it was "Colton's Day" we couldn't say no.

Today was great! Seeing our little man happy is the most amazing gift. He's a great kid and deserved a day that was all HIS!

Kingwood Library

When my little sister, Becky (known lovingly to us as "Baa"), worked at Kirksey she did the interiors for Kingwood Library. I remember her going over all the little details of the library with us while she was on the project. Today, we finally took a trip down to the library to see her work. Those little details really showed. It was so neat to see her "touch" on everything around the library. Everything was modern but comfortable and reminded me so much of Becky. She did an amazing job. Unfortunatly, I only took pictures of the "Kids Section" beacuse once we left there all Colton wanted to do was play in the elevator. I got a quick tour of the rest of the library and then spent my time going up the stairs and down the elevator with Colton.

Little Things

Sorry I haven't posted any "Day Family News" lately. To be honest, I haven't wanted to put a blog on top of Sweet Maddies blog post. It's been a heartbreaking and sad 2 weeks but my dear friend, Kellie has had a huge impact on how I want to live my life. Her story has made me realize how important the little moments are and how tomorrow is never promised. These past two weeks I have smothered Colton with more kisses than I can count and I've tried to let everyone know how much I appreciate them.
Here are a few of the little things I won't take for granted...

PLAYING OUTSIDE...
We have been having amazing weather her in Houston so we've taken advantage of it and spent so much time playing outside.

(Yes, hes in his car, in the back of Zaks truck. He wanted to load up Daddy's 4 wheeler but settled for loading up his car.)

SCHOOL...

Colton and I both LOVE school. It's such a blessing to get to do something I love to do (teach) and be right down the hall from my sweet baby boy all day long. (Well all 5 hours.) Colton is doing really well. He comes home talking about the things hes done in class and has even, for the first time, started talking about his friends. It warms my heart to hear him go down the list of his little school buddies. He's so comfortable at school that there are never problems leaving him in the morning or even passing by his room and blowing him a kiss or waving. He smiles back and carries on with his day. I'm so proud of him and were both looking forward to going back for the next school year.

HAVING A BIG HELPER...

Colton's always loved to help but now he's instant. Yes, things take a little more time but he actually is becoming a help. Some of his "chores" include feeding Sadie, emptying the dryer and dishwasher, and of course helping out daddy anytime tools are needed. When he knows the dishwasher has to be emptied he will go get two clean dish rags. One for me and one for him. He does a pretty good job of getting things dry. He also puts away all the silverware and wants no help doing that.

LUNCH DATE WITH DADDY...

Last week Zak called and asked Colton and me to meet him at Double Daves for lunch. (YUM) It was such a nice treat to see him during the day. At the end of lunch, Colton got to try out his first video game. He drove into the ocean a few times but he loved it.

THE RODEO COOK-OFF...

Last Saturday Zak and I enjoyed a night at the Rodeo cook off. He had to be there Thursday, Friday and Saturday (for work) and I couldn't handle three nights but I enjoyed our time on Saturday. We met up with some friends, had some yummy BBQ, watched a lot of crazy people and I even got cotton candy at the end of the night all while spending time with the best husband around! Who could ask for more?

COLTON'S BIG BOY ROOM...

Colton is in his room and doing great with it and he has been since the first night we put him in there. He loves his room. He loves to show it off and he loves to go to sleep in there. The only thing he doesn't love is to sleep in! We've been blessed with a great sleeper. When he was in his crib he'd wake up happy as could be and play for ages in his crib, not wanting to get out. Now that he's in his big boy bed he has the freedom to get out of bed and come right in to us. We've always wanted him to come lay in bed with us in the mornings, unfortunately this does not happen. He comes in, sometimes quietly for a few minutes, and then immediately starts demanding things. He wants the TV on, juice to drink, a trip to the potty... Although its not always the easiest way to wake up I count my blessings each morning I see his sweet little head bob into the room. I usually fight for 5- 10 minutes more in bed and then we get up and start our morning which consists of a long rock and a cuddle, cup of juice/milk and one of his favorite DVRd TV shows. Now, that's a perfect way to start a morning, even if it is 6 or 6:30! I have to share this picture of his bed. Since he moved into his new room hes started loving his lovies. Hes chosen a few animals from his collection, he adopted an old taggie blanket I was going to pass down to Chase (bc he never liked it as a baby), he ofcourse still has his camo pillow and star blanket, and now hes taking things every time he goes to Nanny and Grandads to add to his collection. Soon enough he won't have enough room for himself.

A HEALTHY PREGNANCY...

I am 26 weeks pregnant and can not believe it. The "bump" looks bigger some days than others but for the most part when I tell people how far along I am the don't believe me and say I look too small. I lost about 12-15 lbs in the beginning with the morning sickness and since 15 weeks I've only put on 2-3 lbs. The Dr. said I just maybe blessed. I say, it'll catch up with me...I still have 3 months. 3 months!?!?! That sounds crazy. I can't believe Chase will be here in 3 months! I feel much more prepared this time around. We've finally registered and Zak got down all of Colts old baby things. Things need to be cleaned up and put back together. Clothes need to be washed. We need to to take a tour of the hospital (since my Dr. changed hospitals on us). And, very importantly, we need to call about Cord Blood. Not too bad for my to-do list. I think we're doing pretty good! Pregnancy wise I'm doing well. Chase is kicking like a champ. He kicks all day and night. Anytime I sit down he goes to town. I don't remember feeling this much with Colton, maybe I did. Thankfully, I did not have to take a Glucose Test this time around. With Colton, I had a very bad reaction to the test so my Dr. said I didn't need to go through that and did blood work instead. I found out today that the blood work came back just fine. I am at a very low risk for Gestational Diabetes. I'll have my blood tested again but the Dr. thinks things will be just fine. I was having really bad heartburn that would keep me up at night but the Dr. told me to try Prevacid and it has worked wonders!!! I am feeling uncomfortable, but what's new? I have felt uncomfortable this whole pregnancy. I don't mind though, its all for Chase! Feeling uncomfortable is just a reminder of my sweet little growing boy. I am blessed to have had such a helathy pregnancy so far. I'll take uncomfortable any day over a serious or even minor problem! Here is my 26 week picture (taken last Friday). For some reason, the bump was looking very small in these pictures?

This might be my favorite all time picture. Coltons always by my side for my Friday night belly pics. I guess hes picked up a few poses!

Speaking of Colton and Chase, I have to share this ...

I've caught Colton talking to Chase a few times in the last week or two. One night he was in the bath and he was giving one of his wash clothes to Chase and telling him about bath time. Then, while he was out playing in the backyard the other night he was swinging and kept looking up to the top of his 4 story fort. I asked him what he was looking at and he said he was watching Chase play "up der". He said Chase was watching for airplanes. After he stopped swinging he started to carry around an imaginary baby, very carefully, in his arms. He took him everywhere he went for about 10 minutes. It melted my heart.

Life is too short...Enjoy every minute you have here on Earth. Don't take anything for granted...even the little things.