Something is happening...

While I can't say the baby is here, I can definitely say that things are moving along...or trying to at least. Looks like stripping my membranes at my appt did something. I've been having contractions since then. They started to get regular around 7ish last night (it is now technically tomorrow--12:40 AM on Christmas Eve). The past couple of hours I've been having them every five minutes--like clockwork. They have varied in intensity. Consequently, I tried to go lay down in bed, but evidently laying down only makes them more intense and all my writhing just kept Lance awake, so I'm back downstairs trying to see if they're going to get any closer or not. I called the L&D unit at the hospital and spoke to a nurse. She said that based on what I'd told her, it would be at our discretion to come in now. Otherwise, it would need to be water breaking, bleeding, or 2-3 minute intervals for her to say to definitely come in. I hope my water just breaks soon. It makes it so much easier to know when to go :) I realize that just because it happened with Maddy it won't necessarily happen now, but it sure would simplify things! I am so tired...I really want to go to sleep, but with things how they're going now, its not really possible. :o( I'd try and take a warm bath, but that would wake Maddy up--you can REALLY hear the water/pipes as they share a wall w/ her bedroom. Guess I'll see what junk is on the TV and try and rest as best I can. I really hope that these contractions amount to something...they're starting to space a bit further out again...bummer. Such a tease. Maybe he's just waiting for it to be Christmas ;o)

38 week appt

Well, we were in today to see the doctor. As I suspected, I didn't dilate much more over the past week. Last week was 3-4cm and this week he gave it 4+. Granted, this was the other doctor, so they might each measure a bit differently. Either way, things are about the same. That said, all other things are good to go. Since that was the case, he went ahead and stripped my membranes (swiped his finger along the interior rim of my cervix to separate the amniotic sac from the uterine wall for those who aren't familiar with the process). This was a new experience as I didn't have that done w/ Maddy. I wasn't dilated enough with her and then my water just broke on its own. At any rate, for about 10-12% of women, this is enough to help jump start labor within 12 hours. I'm definitely crampy and have started having some mild contractions, but we'll see...trying not to get my hopes up too much. As for Tommy, he is still looking great. Dr. Morales estimates that he will probably be big as, if not bigger than Maddy should we end up going to 40 weeks...more incentive to have him early in my opinion! :) He's probably about 7 1/2 lbs right now. So, that's the scoop. We're just waiting and wondering what kind of Christmas we'll have this year ;o)

A Very Good Day!

Today was a very fun day! First of all, we were able to go pick up a new stroller--well, a new-to-us one. :) Another superb craigslist find! Our car seat also fits into it, which was more incentive to get it. It is in excellent shape--barely used. Lance took Maddy just up and down our street in it, but she sat up front. She really seemed to like it. When we got back in the house, she wanted to try out the back seat. Seeing it in the house really reinforced the fact that we are going to have TWO babies here shortly (although Maddy is definitely becoming a big girl, she's still our baby!). We are very thankful for God's provision of yet another need in this stroller. :)

This afternoon, we took Maddy to Betton Park to play since it was dry and little warmer out. She had an absolute blast! She loves playing on the Toddler stuff they have there, as well as venturing over to the bigger kid sets. Today was pretty funny as she did something new... She started playing around another little girl--well, she was 5, so a bit older than Maddy. When the little girl left the slide Maddy was at and Maddy noticed, she quickly did her version of "where'd she go?!" with her hands up. Maddy saw that the girl had walked back over to her dad and sister who were sitting on a nearby bench. Maddy made a beeline over to her, grabbed her hand, and proceeded to take her back to the slide/play area where they'd just been. Let me tell you, this little girl was the most patient EVER. She let Maddy pull her around the playground and continued to go down slides with her for a good 20 minutes!!! It was soo cute! The girl's dad was amazed at her patience as well--he hopes it extends more to her own younger sister :) I didn't take tons of pics or videos, but there is one below. It makes us think that she'll really enjoy being in childcare come fall (when I have my full-time internship). She just loves being around other kiddos!

After the park, we stopped for a special treat at TCBY...Maddy and I shared a very yummy cone of White Chocolate Macadamia nut! A fun afternoon indeed! :)

Maddy checkin' out the view from the back seat

She's starting to go down little slides all by herself!

Big slides still have mommy and daddy help :)

Going down the slide with Mommy--figured it couldn't hurt with Tommy motivation, either :)

Down at the bottom...Tommy looks a bit smushed :)

Maddy and her adopted friend for the afternoon. She was such a sweet girl to let Maddy pull her around everywhere! Here, they stopped to visit with another park-goer's dog.

Going down the slide with daddy is always fun! :)

Oh yeah, and still no baby. We have another routine appointment tomorrow morning at 9:00. I'm anxious to see if there is any change in progress...really hoping so. Of course, its been a relatively quiet week, so we shall see!

38 weeks...

So today makes 38 weeks...still early, but I was so excited given the last two doctor's visits that I'm starting to become quite impatient. We have been doing as much walking as we can. I often start to get uber-crampy and a bit of contractions going, but they subside as soon as I sit back down. It's been a quiet few days otherwise. We're back to the OB Wednesday at 9, so we'll see if anything has changed. I'm afraid he'll tell me that I'm no different from last week, but I guess we'll see.


I just had to post this picture--too cute. Lance was playing his NCAA football game on the PS2 and Maddy felt the need to join in the fun, so he grabbed the other unplugged controller and she tried to play as well. It was extra cute because she was pushing buttons, shaking the controller, and shifting just like Lance as if she really was doing something to the players on the TV. She kept looking at one or the other of us and saying "football!" I'm sure there will come a day when she really does play with him! ;O)

The Snowman Part 2

Well, things have changed with Mr. Dancing Snowman. It seems a little desensitization has gone a long way. That, and if there's a button to be pushed, Maddy wants to push it and see what it does. Over the past few days, she has spent little bouts of the day pushing it over and over and over. She also now says, "Loud!" after she pushes it. So cute! Just had to share :)

A Cold Day at the Park

Last Friday, Maddy and I met up with Toni, Noah, and Asher at Tom Brown. It turned out to be a pretty chilly day, but that meant we got the whole place to ourselves. Maddy took a few spills trying to keep up with Noah's 3 extra months of walking/running practice, but had a great time nonetheless.

Maddy being whisked away by her little man

Still not a fan of swings. She was also trying to figure out where Noah ran off to.

She enjoyed the see saw! They tried their hardest to make it bounce, but the mommas had to intervene for that :)

Before Noah hopped on, it was Maddy and mommy bouncing up a storm. She was having a ball! She was smiling up at Toni. Asher was all bundled up in the stroller in the background. He says hi. :)

The Snowman

Lance's dad bought this snowman for Maddy last year. She's always been fond of music and he thought she might enjoy dancing with it. Well, she was pretty young last year and it made her cry. We brought it out last weekend while getting the tree and decorations. She didn't cry but still wasn't quite sure about it. At the end, I asked her if she wanted to push the button again. If you listen carefully you can hear her say a quick "no!" Oh well...maybe next year! :)

Christmas Tree!

We put the Christmas tree up last week. It was a different experience versus past years with Maddy running around trying to help out, but so much fun just the same! The pictures are a bit out of order, but I think you'll still enjoy them :)

This is the finished product. We are managing without a gate or fence around it, but if you look closely, you'll notice things are not quite the same all the way down...


...the top half has all the pretty ornaments and beads...

...and the bottom half has Maddy-friendly stuffed animals and such. She likes to take them out and move them around. At least she doesn't take the tree down with them! (Famous last words??? I don't think so...I hope not.)

This was actually this morning (12/11). She was having a ball playing in the laundry basket. She kept getting in and saying "night-night!"

Back to Christmas tree weekend...sitting at the table with daddy in a big chair. She's wanting to do this more now, which is fine unless there is anything on the table that you don't want her to grab...

Opening up the box for our tree. Hopefully we can get real ones in a few years. Right now the artificial one is just easier (and cheaper!).

Posin' for the camera :)

The empty box was fun to play on. I'm really surprised that the top didn't give way and cause her to fall in. That would have been bad...

Who needs toys or playgrounds when you've got a box?

Helping daddy put a little Christmas penguin stuffed animal in the tree.

Hanging out with Mommy (and Tommy's big belly of a home) after the tree is done.

Blowing kisses to daddy as he took another picture :) Both grandmas happened to work on this over Thanksgiving weekend between our visits. I credit them with this new sweet gift! She also finally figured out how to give real kisses versus the slobbery open-mouthed ones. They are soo sweet, but she is very particular about when she gives them out!

I have some videos to add...hopefully I can get them posted shortly!

Making Progress!

So, if you've seen my FB status or I've talked to you today, then you already know this, but I'll post it for those who haven't! :)
I had a doctor's appointment today to check on little Tommy. All looked good...good heartbeat, good fluid, definitely a boy, etc. I also got swabbed to check on Group B Strep--not so fun. The doctor decided to check me because we were debating on driving down to Leesburg tomorrow to visit my Grandmother who is in the hospital. Well, good news and bad news. Bad news is we can't go. Good news is that things are moving along! I am 2.5 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and the baby is fully engaged (didn't need the dr to tell me that, though--I can feel it!). Our doctor thinks that he could be here anytime now given that this is my 2nd pregnancy and I am already this far progressed. I will definitely be doing some serious walking over the next week to try and help things along! Tomorrow, Maddy and I will be going to the park (weather permitting) with our buds Toni, Noah, and Asher. I'm sure I'll get a serious workout chasing Maddy around sans Lance there to do the typical running after her. Lance is officially done with his fall semester, but will get some time to himself while we're gone--something he hasn't had much of lately given the demands of school, wife, and little one. I'm also done with my semester--thank goodness! I'm off for the spring, and will be home over the summer as I continue to work on and hopefully finish and defend my masters thesis by the end of the summer semester. It will be nice to have all that time to be home with the kiddos!
Anyhow, we are super surprised with today's exam results and hope to see Tommy here by the end of the month! I'm almost 37 weeks, so he's pretty much full-term and won't mind the earlier arrival. We'll be sure to keep you posted on any changes! Sorry no pics on this post...I'll try to get a tummy pic up on the next one. :)

Thanksgiving

So, despite having the camera with me, I didn't do the best job of capturing Thanksgiving. I find it far more comfortable to remain on the couch versus trying to catch the action photos these days...lol. We did get a handful of great family shots, though.

Checkin' out the neighbor's horse with Grandma Tegen

Visiting with the Great Grandparents

Tommy's namesake :)

Grandma Rapacz, too!

Had to hit the grocery after we got home from our trip. She loves riding in these types of carts. I just couldn't catch the smile...she really was enjoying it! One can only take so many pictures while walking around in Publix without attracting attention. :)

Tommy's Baby Shower

Back on Nov. 8th, my friend Rosie was sweet enough to throw me a shower for baby Tommy. Below are a few pics from the event. :)

Me and Rosie (kinda funny to see for those who still call me Rosie :o))

Me and the Grandmas :)

She did a great job with all the decorations--made them herself!

Me and Rosie again

Gift table...Nicole D. made a super cute diaper cake!

Gator socks!

We had a fun time--Tommy definitely has enough clothes to start him off during these early months! Can't wait to see how big he is when he gets here! :) Thanks to everyone who has also sent gifts...if I haven't sent a Thank You card, it will be there soon!

Happy Halloween!

Lance had to go in to the clinic this afternoon, so I decided to take Maddy to the mall for some costume fun. Each of the stores were doing candy, but we didn't really collect any. I did let her have a lollipop for the first time--WHAT a mess! Luckily the copious amounts of drool fell to her costume, so I was able to just wipe her mouth and worry about clean up later. She also got a couple of stickers, which she thought was great! She actually kept her little antenna bonnet on the whole time, too! :)

It was raining a bit on the way over...caught sight of the most perfect rainbow! Fortunately, I hit a red light just in time to snap a quick photo. Love reminders of God's promises to us :o)

Soon after we got our first sticker! :)

We stopped for a quick minute while going through the food court (hence the sunlight glaring down). She had to wave to the other costumed kiddos!

We got some ChickFilA before we left...my little ladybug LOVES her some fruit!

Yesterday (Fri 10/30), we went to the public library for a special treat. We met up with Toni and Noah for a music, puppets, and snacks Halloween party with some other little folk. Unfortunately, Maddy's hat/bonnet thing got left at home, so she was without her antennae. :o(

Our little insects

This little flower princess adopted Maddy as her sidekick and kept trying to pull her around the room for a while. Maddy wasn't sure what to make of this.

Maddy thought the puppets were pretty neat...of course a minute after I took this picture, she ran around to the other side of the table and started pointing and yelling at the lady behind the cloth. Such a smarty :)

And then there were the bubbles...she had a ball with those! You can hear her tell a little boy next to her "bubbles!" part way through. So cute.

Fun Weekends

We have been so fortunate to enjoy tons of weekend family time over the last couple of Lance's rotations (psychiatry and family medicine). This weekend we got out with some friends and made our way down to St. Marks (about 45 mins south of town) for a Monarch Butterfly Festival and an attempt to hit a Stone crab Festival there as well. We didn't leave until later in the day--by the time we got to the Stone crab Festival, most of the vendors were actually all out of food, and the few local restaurants were actually all out of stone crab! That's okay...I'm not one for seafood, but Lance was a bit bummed. Today, we went to a nearby park and let Maddy run around for a bit. She got to slide down a slide for the first time and LOVED it. I posted the pictures in reverse chronological order on accident, so as you go down, you'll be seeing the weekend backwards. :)

Going down the toddler slide with mommy

Going down a bigger slide with daddy

She started out with mommy on the toddler slide.

Thankfully, the slide wasn't burning hot as in previous part visits.

Making her way up the platforms to the toddler slide

Had to bring her yellow ball as usual!

At the Monarch Butterfly Festival

At the St. Marks lighthouse on the coast. Maddy loved seeing other kids running around.

Such a pretty day to be out with daddy!

Bushes on the coast filled with Monarchs as they make they way down to Mexico as part of their migration trek.

At the festival there was a tent filled with butterflies for those who didn't want to drive the few extra miles down the road to see the butterflies on the coast.

She loved seeing all the butterflies in there. There were a bunch on the other side, but this one was her very own to marvel over :)

Look, Mommy!

Maddy has started to engage in more independent pretend play with her toys. Here, she kept lining up her Little People on the couch and making them move around and "talk" to each other.

On Friday, I finally gave in and got her a Halloween costume. I ended up finding a cute little lady bug outfit. She should tolerate it well since it doesn't have big angel-type wing to attach. Just pop on a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants, and she should be good to go!

I think she likes it....

Well, we'll see how long the little antennae headpiece lasts...lol

I have one more video I want to post, but its a minute or so long and it was having problems, so I didn't include it here. I'll try again later. We drove through a car wash today--Maddy's first time. Her response was too funny--a mixture of fear and curiosity! Hopefully I'll be able to get it up soon.