32 weeks..a few days late in posting

link to pregnancy progression pictures

These pictures are getting a bit embarrassing to post!  The bare

belly pic is NOT for the faint of heart, so you will have to scroll down a bit to see it!  Click next to the picture above for a link to the progression of pregnancy pics.  I have definitely gotten bigger..but so has JJ!  We had an ultrasound yesterday, and she weighed in at approx 4 pounds 3 ounces.  I am not posting any ultrasound pictures, because she wasn’t being cooperative!  I couldn’t call her shy, because she was totally willing to show her..girl parts (that is the 3rd time, so I am thinking she is REALLY a girl…sorry daddy :)  She is very low, head down and her face was pointed directly toward my back, so there was no opportunity to get any pictures of her face.  I was kind of sad, but relieved when the sonographer gave up…it was kind of hurting all that pushing around.  All the important stuff, like fluid levels and placenta looked really good.  It was a very positive appointment and my doctor is very happy with how the pregnancy is progressing.

working on the floor…

James and Dad have been working very hard all week on laying my new floor.  After the old carpet came up, and the floor was freed of padding and staples, it was time to lay the wood floor.  We chose a v-groove laminate wood floor, which I just LOVE and looks awesome in my house.  Over 900 square feet of flooring in being replaced, so this has been a HUGE job, and I am just sitting around watching!  I snapped a few pictures of work in progress.  As of this writing, the kitchen is nearly done, and inhabitable.  Not quite like the pics of Paige and Peyton attempting to get breakfast when the fridge and stove were pushed over against the cabinets!  It is just after 8 am, and James’s grandmother has already cleaned out my entire fridge this morning, and is now headed to Walmart!  I don’t know where that woman gets her energy, but it certainly explains alot  about James!

Yay, finally some furniture again!

Lots and Lots going on around Baltic Drive!

My living room has no flooring right now.  I have posted a few pictures of the girls pulling up staples in the floor.  James has prepared the floor, which my dad went to pick up and delivered today.  The new flooring goes in staring tomorrow.  I am very excited about that! 

Oh, we also have a “houseguest.”  Probably the quietest one we ever had…..this is Hunter.

I am not very excited about one thing tomorrow..that is my 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  After 8:30 tonight, I am only allowed sips of water until my first blood draw at 8:30 am.  Then NOTHING until 3 hours and 3 blood draws later.  I get VERY nauseated when I go without eating, so pray for me.  I am taking my laptop, they tell me that I can get on wifi at the office. But good news..I am now THIRTY WEEKS pregnant.  I feel every single week (and all 21 pounds), but I am grateful to have completed this much time.  Peyton took a picture of me today.  Here it is.

Fourth Grade

Peyton at her desk

Paige at her desk

We are starting our second week of school.  Here are Paige

and Peyton hard at work cutting out a drawing of the skeletal system for their science class. 

28 weeks...I think I grew!

 

ALMOST 28 weeks!

Today is significant for me and baby JJ because it marks the milestone for when my last pregnancy ended. Paige and Peyton were born at 27 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, and 9 and 10 minutes respectively. Making it to this point, and most likely beyond, is huge for me, as well as a big answer to prayer. I would not say that this pregnancy hasn't been bumpy, but I am thrilled that I went to church, out to lunch with Paige, and that I am sitting at home on my own couch. I am not in the hospital, I am not on any medications to stop labor, and I am definitely NOT laying upside down. While there is no way to know what tommorrow or any day after it brings, getting past this point, and pretty much doing it at home, is NOT a luxury that I take for granted. I am still hoping and praying that I will seen 29 weeks, 30 weeks, etc..until a nice reasonable time for this new little girl to safely be born. But in the meantime, i am going to TRY not to complain about the uncomfortableness, nausea, insomnia and heartburn..(at least not TOO much) and enjoy this time of waiting as much as possible!

Spending the rainy morning with horses!

Paige, Peyton and Freedom, Harry in the background

Freedom is a donkey that was born 9/11/01

James and Willy, a 27 yr old barrel racing horse

Paige, Peyton James and Willy

Peyton riding Willy

Paige climbed the fence to give Harry a pat.

Harry is a 25 yr old Fresion who has been in two Rose Bowl Parades and currently pulls an old carriage on the 4th of July that was used by President Lincoln

Paige on Harry, who hadn’t been saddled in a long time, Marilyn helping out.  Paige said she would need a “parachute” to get down!  Harry is a 17 hand horse (I guess that means he is tall!)

Peyton climbs the fence to given Harry some attention

We were invited to visit Marilyn, a dear friend of the Snyder family who lives with her horses (I think 7 of them) on a horse farm just minutes from Grandma Joyce.  I enjoyed my third visit there, and the girls their second.  They have been asking about going back ever since!  Thanks Marilyn for the lesson on horses, horse shoeing and the care of the horses.  It was a fun and educational experience!

24 week appt..update of JJ

Paige was kind enough to take the picture for me yesterday.  Every Monday marks the new week of pregnancy, and I wanted to capture 24 weeks.  I took a quick look at the 20 week picture, and I was shocked at how much..rounder..I had become.  Well, today, I went for my 24 week appt and found out that had something to do with the 9 pounds I gained this month!  I guess laying around and not working does help you gain weight!  My doctor was happy with the weight gain, this puts me at 13 total pounds over pre pregnancy weight.  My cervical length ultrasound was extremely encouraging, and my doctor had plenty of positive things to say.  The baby’s heart rate was great, and she is measuring the exact size she should be.  I am going to start going in for check ups every two weeks now, my doctor wants to continue to monitor my cervical lengths closely, as well as perform a test called a fetal fibrinectin every two week.  This test, when it is negative, gives a 99 % chance that labor WON’T begin for the next two weeks.  If I were to have a positive chance, there aren’t such good odds.  In the event that this test comes up positive, I will get a round of injected steroids (more needles, yuck) to hurry up lung development in the baby.  But right now, everything looks great and she shows no signs of trying to escape!  The sonographer took a quick look after the cervical ultrasound today, and JJ was giving us a great view to reaffirm that she is, indeed, a girl.  James sighed, and resigned himself to again looking at pink bedding at Target.  (Don’t let him fool you, he was picking out baby girl clothes left and right when we went rummage saling last weekend!)

Oh, and one last thing, this girl needs an official name..but our family can’t agree on one too well.  James made a list of names from the baby name book that I bought.  Each girl has a favorite from the list, and can’t stand the other girls favorite.  I told them that I named them, and they would get to name their own kids, so maybe James should just name her on his own!   He just smiled and raised an eyebrow at me.  Peyton’s favorite is Makayla.  Paige’s favorite is Abigail, and James is leaning toward Reese. (as a side note, Reese is my maiden name, and both girls think it is only a good boy name.)  I honestly don’t know, but we need a good middle name that goes well with them.  Suggestions????

update..

The girls are gone today to "Answers in Genesis." Before my life got so limited I had planned to go along, so I was really bummed when that didn't happen. Mom and dad offered to keep them last night, so they got the job of taking them to the church before 6 am. Apparently, my parents enjoyed this, because the kids were so excited. It is fun to watch them grow, and as they mature, watch them enjoy all the new things that go along with that..like traveling 3 hours on a church van with their friends, something I remember fondly from my years in the youth group. At any rate, I have spent the day with my husband, and it has been a treat. He works 24 hr on and 48 hr off, and he is not due back to work until the morning. We are both well rested, and he got most of his "chores" done yesterday. We ran some errands, but it was just the two of us, and we have had a good day together. I do look forward to the girls arriving home tonight. I am sure they will be exhausted, but excited to talk about their day.

I am now almost 24 weeks into this pregnancy. I cannot lie and say that I have enjoyed being pregnant. While I have way more freedom with this baby than I did with the twins, there are some vast differences. The biggest being that the twins are here. I have responsibilities for them that make relaxation harder, and I am grateful that I am not totally house/bed bound. While James and the girls are a huge help (I cannot say enough about how much he has worked to keep everything going for the past few months), it is still difficult not to be busy with the girls' lives. Also, I was home and bedbound in January and February when I had Paige and Peyton. If you have to pick a time to be stuck on the couch or in the hospital, those would be the best months to miss out on the outside world. Not so much with July and August!

However, I am pleased that things are going so well. I am still receiving weekly progesterone injections, which James gladly administers. I went into the doctors office Monday because I had so much trouble with back pain and cramping on Sunday. I had a test (called a fetal fibrinectin) that basically tells you how likely you are to start labor within the next two week. This test, which did not exist 10 yrs ago, is a huge indicator or impending premature labor. Thankfully, I had a negative result, which is great news. I also had another ultrasound that measures the cervix. This number, which is about 2.4-2.5 cm, has not changed in the past 3 weeks, which is also great news. The previous month, it had dropped from 3.7 cm, which is what landed me off my feet in the first place! Even though it has been a big ego blow to me that I cannot go to my job (which I find pretty rewarding) and I am limited in what I can do around the house, I feel trememdously blessed to be carrying this baby. I have great benefits at work, so lots of sick time, I have a great family that cares and doesn't complain (ok, maybe the girls complain occasionally), and I know that I have lots of people that are praying for all 5 of us!

a reminder to pray..

Cute pics of the girls..thanks Aunt Jamie!

Jamie took Paige and Peyton to the zoo in Indy on Saturday.  They spent some times in the gardens there and got some cute pictures of the girls.  The also enjoyed Chuck E. Cheese before heading home.

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a good reminder…

Philippians 4:6-8 (New Living Translation)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

This is a passage that was used in church last night.  It was used to convict me that, again, I am worrying AGAIN about things I cannot change…there is a MUCH better way…

Halfway there

Halfway there!  This morning, Paige did not surprise me when she said “Happy Twenty weeks!”  We went to the Dr appt and were given the news after the sonographer  patiently worked with an uncooperative baby (the big sisters were NOT so patient).  Finally she announced that she didn’t see any boy parts, and that she was pretty sure that she saw girl parts..so girl it is!  My doctor later confirmed this opinion. 

Now back to the business of how we are keeping this unborn daughter on the inside longer!  I am no longer strictly on bedrest..which is a HUGE blessing.  I am able to do light activity now.  I will say that after a big day of going to the doctor and out to eat, that I was pretty crampy and uncomfortable for over an hour this evening.  This feeling went away with rest, but it reminded me to remember my limitations.  My doctor is great!  She is very optimistic, and realistic about what will work best to prolong this pregnancy as long as is necessary. 

stats today:  heart rate:152

approx length:  9 inches

approx weight:  14 ounces

mommy weights..well that is my secret, but I have only gained 5 pounds!  (I know the picture at the top doesn’t look that way!)

Thank  you all for praying for JJ (still no name..we are working on it) and please continue to pray for us!

19.5 weeks is not my best time…

I am posting pictures of myself at 18 weeks pregnant.  My short term goal is to make it until 2o weeks to post another picture..believe me, I have grown!  That picture is due to be taken this coming Monday.  Every Monday, Paige will say “Happy 19 weeks!” or whatever week we are on.  I always smile because she always says it!  My little cheerleader knows how important this is, and how special baby JJ is to all of us.  Please pray for me for peace, rest, and that my nerves will be calmed.  God is soo good, and I have not forgotten all He has done for me.  I am very blessed to be able to sit in the hospital bed with my laptop and stay intune with the outside world.  So check back often for my random ramblings.  The nurse just gave me an ambien, this sleeping pill is the bomb!  I am not even sure what I am typing!  This is the deal.  I was having some concerning symptoms this week, so I was asked to come into my ob’s office this afternoon.  They did a special ultrasound that measures the length of the cervix.  Mine had dropped from 3.7 to 2.7 and also showed some funneling. So the midwife sent to to the hospital for monitoring and bedrest for the weekend, until my regular doctor is back and can examine me to decide how aggressive the bedrest needs to be.  So please pray for my nerves, pray that my baby stays put for at least another 14 weeks.  It is going to be a rough time for our family, but it is such a loving and willing family, and God is in control..he still cares so much for us.  Thanks Grammy and aunt Brittany for taking care of the twins.  Thanks James for taking care of me.  Also thank you to Charity, Stephanie and Amanda who came to visit, brought important items from home and gave me an hour or so of distraction when I needed it the most!

Our First Anniversary

One year ago today James and I got married in Jamaica, here are a few of the pics from that day.  I have to work today, and James had to work yesterday, so we made plans to have dinner this coming Tuesday evening to celebrate.  So yesterday morning I got up, James had left for work at 5 am.  I took the girls to swim practice, then we did their packing for their weekend with their dad.  They spend the afternoon with their grandparents while I attended a meeting at work.  After, I picked them up and headed for about an hour or so at the pool to beat the heat (ahead of the storms by an hour or so.)  When I turned to get out of the pool, I looked up, and their stood James, with a long white box in his hand.  Now James typically works 24 hour shifts, so I wasn’t expecting him until the next morning around 9 am.  He had for me a box of a dozen long stem red roses, and dinner reservations at one of my favorite places!  I was thrilled! (except I had planned to shop for him, and that was clearly out.)  At home, we all enjoyed an ice cream cake, and he also surprised me with a certificate for a massage.  He had gotten up at 5 am…and gone fishing!  He had taken the day off without me knowing, so he had a day filled with activities..including the final sale of his house in Westville…..yeah..no more double house payments!  I am a lucky and blessed wife…and just had to share it!

First Swim Meet of the Summer

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“You and Me Go Fishing in the Dark” (or at least an overcast afternoon!)

James decided to take the girls fishing today since I had a meeting at work.  I figured that they wouldn’t be gone very  long since I have a pretty good idea of the James’s the girls’ attention spans!  Anyway, they were out there for quite awhile, so me and my camera went out and caught up with them.  Thankfully I arrived before any fish were caught, and also thankfully, nobody got stuck with a hook (especially not me!)

CLASSIC Paige!!

Paige caught the first fish..she was ecstatic!

Peyton’s first fish..

second fish…

and finally the one that didn’t flop off the line!

planting flowers

James has been off work since Sunday morning due to his “Kelly day” which gives him every 14th shift day off.   So he is home for 5 straight days, and we spent lots of time outside.  Sunday, after grilling out at moms, we went to buy flowers for planting.