Great Grands Are the Best!

39 Weeks

GET OUT OF MY BELLY! Ok. Sorry...had to get that out of my system. I *REALLY* thought that this little tyke would be here by now. I mean, I didn't write down a date on the calendar so I may have remembered wrong, but there was only ONE night that any baby-making activities occurred that month...so, yeah (give us a break...it was a very busy month!!!). I mean, we weren't keeping track of all that kind of stuff since we weren't trying to make any babies, but still. Oh well. Darn doctors...guess they know what they're talking about sometimes...lol. Lance and I think that if we let it go, I'd probably end up in labor right at my due date. Of course, then we'd all have to live in the hospital for a few nights. No thank you!

So here I am, all huge and big and super-duper uncomfortable. Clothes aren't quite fitting anymore. (Thanks to Michelle Rutherford for answering my call for a borrowed maternity dress to wear to Lance's graduation tomorrow!) Just thought I'd take a quick break and post a little something for those wondering if the baby was making any waves yet. Sadly, the answer is no. In the mean time, I need to finish cleaning up and getting ready for our family coming into town tomorrow. At least they'll already be here in time for Monday's induction! --Unless, that is, the baby tries to upstage daddy at his graduation...but somehow I think that's just more wishful thinking...the coming sooner part, not the wanting to upstage graduation. :)

Still No Dice

I just went back and re-read my posts from December 23rd, 2009 and early December 24th. That was the day I had my membranes stripped with Tommy. He was born the next morning, Christmas Eve. Today my doctor did the same for this one. So far, the initial experience seems the same as what I previously experienced—crampiness early on. No contractions thus far, however. I didn’t really get into a good contraction pattern until 7ish that evening though (after the 9:30am appt). This time, I didn’t see the doctor until noon, so if things get going, it probably won’t be until later tonight. He suggested that Lance repeat the procedure by tomorrow morning (he can do that!) if nothing seems to be stimulated by tonight. I know it isn’t a guaranteed deal, but I would really prefer for this to work versus the proposed induction next week.

--Started composing this post earlier this afternoon, still no contractions… :o(

Yes, you read that right…we discussed inducing at his suggestion…I’m quite torn on this issue. On the one hand, I am SO READY to be NOT pregnant again, and I’d really prefer to have the baby here in town with MY doctors before we move next weekend—just waiting until potentially after the move would be something like this: “Hello, nice ER attendant, I’m 10 months pregnant and need to give birth. Please direct me to the nice OB on call for the day. Thank you.” Yeah. Not. Happening. I guess my biggest fear with a chemical induction (i.e. Pitocin) is that it does have a risk factor of possible c-section. However, it *shouldn’t* be as much an issue in my case given I’ve already had 2 successful vaginal deliveries. Still makes me nervous, though. Oh, and another reason in favor of moving forward with the induction? The baby—IT IS GOING TO BE HUGE. It was so big that he couldn’t even get an accurate estimate on ultrasound because the abdomen and head were both larger than what the equipment is able to measure. So, based on what was an obvious-to-my-untrained-eye measurement of diameters of the chest and head, we’re looking at just-shy of a 9-pounder…as of TODAY. Ugh. My babies keep getting bigger! --And I know many of you have shared stories of how your drs estimated poorly, but these guys have been right-on, if not under, for my two so far, so I am fairly trusting of their numbers. Really though, if nothing happens tonight, I’ll probably end up calling tomorrow to go ahead and get that set up for next week.

Oh, so other news from today’s visit: I’m 3+ cm dilated and about 85% effaced. Everything is very favorable for this baby to start making its way out…my body just needs something to jump start some good contractions, which was the reason we went ahead and stripped my membranes. But, here I sit, contraction-less. :o( Lance and I went and walked around the mall for a bit afterwards. We also did the family walk around the block this afternoon. All of this just made me more crampy and exhausted to tears. I actually just woke up from a 2 hour nap (7:15-9:30) and ate some “dinner.” Thanks to Lance for getting the kiddos bathed and put down to bed. After today’s visit and all the walking we tried, I was just physically and emotionally spent.

So, looks like I’ll be in for that 8 AM IEP meeting tomorrow morning after all…I’ll walk into work and at least 3 people will say, “You’re STILL pregnant???” No comment.

Weekend Highlights

Just a few moments from our weekend together. We had some nice family-o-four moments this weekend. As much as I am ready for this baby to be OUT of my belly, it was nice to have some special time with the current kiddos. :)

Who are these children playing so nicely? What did they do with my two? Can I keep them? :) They do have their moments when they are so sweet to each other.

Tommy after nap time yesterday. He found Maddy's beloved Teddy Bear on the couch and cuddled right up for a few minutes. Good thing she was out and about with daddy!

Hanging out with Mommy after church

And then there is THIS. Ok, so Lance checked Maddy out of daycare early on Thursday after lunch so they could just bum around town together. One place they happened to go was Toys R Us. Evidently, she had a ball riding around in one of these. So began Lance's search on Craigslist to find one for waaayyy less than they actually cost in the store. The result? A successful search and pick up this afternoon. Maddy loves it, and so does Tommy! They had a chance to drive around the front yard for just a little bit this evening before we needed to get bath time going. I was surprised at how quickly Maddy figured out how to drive it. I was even more surprised at the fact that Tommy just sat in the seat next to her enjoying the ride.

She was a bit herky-jerky with the accelerator at first, but soon got the hang of it. Thank goodness for velcro seat belts! :)

Too cute.

Afraid No More!

Maddy has finally gotten over her fear of the vacuum cleaner. She got her toy vacuum for Christmas, but still has only recently started doing this with us. She joined in with daddy this weekend to help clean up a bit. :)

Stuff I Should Write Down All the Time

Lance: "Maddy, how you doing on that oatmeal?"

Maddy: "I'm doing great!"

Too Pooped to Pop

Some of you may have heard that last night we thought we were on our way to the hospital. But alas, it was not meant to be. Bummer. I had some serious contractions come on hard and fast for a good bit. Lance had the car packed, house picked up, and was just about ready to get "Plan Baby" on the go when I sat for a minute and they just kinda stopped. Talk about disappointed. Man, was I exhausted after that. I pretty much went to bed as soon as they completely stopped. I woke up intermittently throughout the night with some slight squeezing feelings, but nothing remotely like what I experienced earlier in the evening. I tried to walk a lot today--went to the store and just moseyed around, but nothing seemed to happen. Just a lot of soreness and fatigue. :o(

In other news, tonight was the Class of 2011 FSU College of Medicine Graduation Dinner for the Tallahassee Regional Campus. Even though it started at 6:30 (i.e. bath time for the kiddos), we decided to bring them along so that everyone could see them one last time before we all part ways (we AREN'T bringing them to the actual graduation ceremony next Saturday the 21st). It was a little...okay, A LOT crazy, but as soon as the food was eaten (buffet kinda helped the process--that and the kids ate dinner #1 before we left the house), and Lance gave his little spiel about one of the doctors for being voted super duper coordinators by he and his peers, we headed out. Maddy actually did really well, all things considered. Tommy is used to going to bed around 7:30, so he was just writhing in Lance's arms, ready to head out. One of Lance's classmates has two little girls; 2 and 9 months. Maddy loved hanging out with the older one, Livvy. This was really the first time they'd played together. We had rotating parents eating/watching kids, but it worked. It was just a little nerve-racking as the kids were playing in the partitioned area where the buffet tables with all the hot dishes/burners were set up. But we survived and so did they. I'm surprised we got any pictures at all, let alone a family picture, but thankfully we did! Of course, they are from the very beginning and very end...who has time to snap pictures during an actual event??? :)

As we arrived at the dinner (it was held at a neighborhood country club)

Right before we left--Livvy's mom was giving one last word at the podium before they all left. Livvy, her sister, and dad were waiting outside ready to hop in the car, too. :) Ah, the life of parents who are also med students. I don't know how her mommy does it!!!

Maddy and Livvy were picking flowers from planters (shhh!) and smelling them. They were too cute. As I was snapping these pics, Maddy kept saying, "But I don't wanna go home!" It's too bad Livvy won't be closer to us in this next phase of training. Liz, her mom, is going to be completing her residency for family medicine in Jacksonville. Not horribly far away, but not quite close enough to make those last-minute play dates. :)

My little cheeser! So glad she smiled for the camera!

Mother's Day 2011

We had a great Mother's Day this Sunday. It started out kind of shaky, but ended wonderfully. We got up and made it to the first service (9 am) at church, which has become our usual choice due to Tommy's naps. Church was good, got a sweet little picture of the kids from Sunday School (posted on Facebook, but not here because I took it w/ my phone and don't feel like uploading it over here at the moment...I know, lazy me), and then we left. And then things got hairy. We tried to duck into a restaurant for lunch to which we hadn't yet been. Well, Tommy was hungry NOW, and Maddy just decided to join the fussing fun. So I looked at Lance and suggested we just go...nice thought, but it just wasn't happening. On the way home is a buffet type place that recently opened up, so Lance suggested we try that out--instant food availability for the kiddos! I figured it was going to be interesting when we entered the "country buffet" and was kindly greeted by a nice Asian lady who appeared to be an owner/manager...thought for a second that perhaps I misread the sign for the type of buffet. But, no, it was indeed "country." While it was definitely not the most outstanding place I've ever eaten, the kids got food they wanted, Lance and I had a chance to eat, and neither one of us had to cook or clean...mission accomplished! Then we got home and naps were had by all (well, except daddy :o) ).

After naptime is when things got really fun...

Lance decided to make a quick trip down the road to Ace Hardware. Who knew that this little gadget could set the scene for the best afternoon ever? :)

Lance got things set up outside and I got the kiddos geared up for some fun in the sun.

I think Tommy stood in this same spot for the first 5-10 minutes he was out there. This was pretty much his first experience outside in the sprinklers. He hasn't been able to do as much given that he's really only been walking for a month or two now.

I love how they were just squealing and laughing together.

This sprinkler ball was a big hit. We'd gotten it last summer for Maddy's 2nd birthday party. Glad to see she's still enjoying it! I'm hoping we'll get lots more opportunities to play in it at the new house this summer.

Tommy had to take a few minutes to investigate the other sprinkler.

It seemed okay, but he needed to feel the water from that one, too.

We even played with the new balls they got at the store the day before. We NEVER just pick up random toys at the store, but gave in to two big red balls at Target (decided on two of the same color to reduce arguing over "mine"). They have provided lots of entertainment. So cheap, so simple, so perfect!

Again, I love seeing them explore things together :)

Getting a bit braver, he tried to drink the water from this one.

Lance had started swinging Maddy in the air through the water. Tommy started gesturing and vocalizing for Lance to do the same to him. After a few times of hearing Maddy say, "Again, daddy, again!" Tommy surprised us by yelling out, "again!" He's starting to pick up words here and there! It was awesome to see him look from Maddy to Lance and make the association between the action and the word...made my day!

This might be my favorite picture of the day. I love the expression on Tommy's face. He was having such a good time!

And so was Maddy :)

Running through the water together

So much fun!

This crazy preggo mom even provided some flying fun (I'm telling ya, I'm doing whatever I can to get this baby out!), but daddy is able to lift MUCH higher!

Running with mommy

Maddy finally got daring enough to step right on through the sprinkler. I really should have just taken off my glasses by now...but I didn't. :)

Running with daddy (his new favorite picture and now Facebook profile picture :))

Maddy had something to say and Tommy just wanted to go back through the water :)

Crappy self-portrait, but kinda neat that Lance and the kids were in the background like that.

All of a sudden, Tommy walked over to the front door and started trying to open it. Guess it was time to be done :) He's such a big boy these days.

And so ended our afternoon water fun. We ate dinner, took a walk around the block, had bath time, and went to bed. Best part after that? Kids slept until almost 7am the next morning. SCORE. :) Next year has a lot to live up to! :)

Today's Visit to the OB

No real change. Bummer. Still hovering at 2 cm dilated and 70-80% effaced. Everything looks good, though--baby, fluids, heart rate, etc. Things that did change? Baby's size and weight still 2+ weeks ahead...hoping that means the 38 week mark might be a good due date (?). Baby now estimated to weigh a healthy 8 pounds. Lovely. We talked about stripping my membranes at my next visit to try and help things along...he's fine with it and I'm more than fine with it. :) I go back next Monday at 10:30. I'll be 38 weeks and 3 days at that visit, so here's hoping a baby follows soon after!

36-37 Week Pictures

With all that was going on last weekend, I didn't get my monthly picture up for 36 weeks. Here are just a couple of pictures to make up for that. :)

36 weeks 6 days...Just hanging out with the kiddos before bedtime. Tommy likes to use the belly as either a head rest or arm rest. :)

See...arm rest. And, yeah, had to crop the picture because my shirt made its way up and the belly was all hanging out. Not so flattering...

37 week belly.

The official 37 week picture.

Rosemary Tegen, M.Ed., MS, CF-SLP

I'm getting quite a collection of letters behind my name...too bad I won't be using them for the next year or two (well, in an outside-the-home job setting anyways)! I'll just focus my powers on making our kiddos super smart. :o)

So, yes, after 4 long years at FSU, I finally walked--err, waddled--across the stage April 30 and received my Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology. It's odd that school is now behind me. Lance is hedging bets not on IF I return for my Ph.D., rather WHEN. I'm saying probably 10 years, he thinks sooner--especially if we're in Gainesville. As much as I enjoy being a nerdy geek, I'm ready for some down time as far as all that goes. I'm looking forward to tackling the herculean task of managing a household of 3 under 3 as Lance begins the infamous first year of residency known as Intern year. It should make for a few mental breakdowns...lol. Grandparents, be forewarned: You are now going to be a mere hour away...expect phone calls, text messages, emails, and smoke signals for help!!! I'm going to need it! :)

Anyways, getting back to graduation... I was so lucky to have my mom, Jack, and my grandparents here for the ceremony! Lance's parents came to town, but due to my poor planning, weren't able to be at the ceremony (evidently some of those annoying FSU emails are important; you know, like the ones that tell you how to get extra tickets for graduation...). We decided that the kids probably wouldn't fare well for the 2 hour ceremony (and yet, I'm considering bringing them to Lance's THREE hour one...we'll see...fodder for another post!), so my friend from work, Ceil, was kind enough to step in and watch them for us (THANK YOU!). We had a nice lunch here at the house afterwards (devoid of pictures, of course...I can only do so much!) and once everyone left...naps were had by ALL...well, except Lance. :)

Again, I can't say how incredibly thankful I am to all the friends and family to helped make this part of my academic journey possible:
*edited to add-->TONI!!! You were there for the first semester back, which was the hardest one for me. Your listening ear, encouraging words, and friendship during that season made all the difference. (And if I have neglected anyone else, please, please forgive me!!!)
Michael and Rachel for helping with Maddy the year you lived near us--always in a last-minute pinch, at that.
Mollie for watching Maddy every Wednesday afternoon for a semester.
Nakia for watching Maddy every Thursday (?) afternoon for a semester.
Joyce for keeping Maddy 2 days a week for a semester.
And, most of all, Lance for somehow managing to do it ALL when it was necessary. Today may be Mother's Day, but you are an AMAZING husband and father. I am so thankful that God brought us together at that cheesy little ice cream social Freshman year.

Now for pictures...

Playing puzzles on the floor with Great-Grandma Powell

Tommy was watching Great-Grandpa Powell on the couch


Grandma Rapacz and Tommy

Spending time getting to know Jack a little better. They decided reading books with him was a good idea. :)

I'm waaaaaay up in the very front of the left section. I was three rows back and the second seat in. If you squint REAAAALY hard, you can see me.

Ok...maybe not. :o)

Yes, I wore flip flops. Hey--I was 36 weeks, 1 day pregnant. Cut me some slack! :)

The side view

Everyone wanted pics of the profile :)

A jubilant grandma :) Perhaps my favorite picture of the day.

Family

My mommy and me

Just the three of us ;o)

You're up next, honey! :) (May 21st!)

I'm so much smarter now, can't you tell?

My yummy cake from the Tegens.

(Disregard the salad on the table...I should have wiped up!)

(oops...out of order picture)

All who attended the ceremony.

Ok...so, I might possibly, MAYBE give "looks" sometime. This one happened to be captured on camera. I 'fess up. I can be a booger. Lance has proof. I own it and hope that Maddy does NOT come to own it as well...she already has a budding arsenal of her own...lol.

The next day on the way home after church. Someone was very tired after the previous day's family excitement.

Just being camera happy. Why do I always look so tired??? --I know, I know, but still...

My mom brought the kids some cute outfits. I wanted to try and get a picture of Tommy in this one because it seemed on the smaller side despite the size, and I wasn't sure how long he'll get to wear it. Silly mommy should have known that the high chair is for FOOD first, and pictures NEVER. :) Oh well!