You know it's an interesting day when...

You go see the chiro at 845am and she asks to see you AGAIN that afternoon!

We went in and she took one look at me and said, "He [Benjamin] is NOT in position!" She felt my tummy and said, "Oh, Terra...this isn't good..." (Not what you want to hear at basically 38 weeks!) So she did the regular adjustment and then the Webster Technique for the longest time. He was basically transverse at this point. I also told her how I was having pain when I walked around my pelvis and she fixed that real well!

Then, it was Keaton's turn. I was a little worried considering how he reacted the other day. The first thing she did was his hips and he laughed about that. Then she adjusted his spine and he really laughed about that. He wasn't crazy with her fiddling around behind his ears and he made a face, but eventually laughed about it - no tears!!! Woohoo!

So she looks at me and says, "Do you want to come back this afternoon or tomorrow?" Knowing that I have an appointment with my midwife at UNC tomorrow, I opted for this afternoon (Also, because Zach was getting off work early today and I wouldn't have to take Keaton back with me.)

So, I told her this afternoon and we head out to make that appointment. I was under "strict" orders to crawl around on all fours with my butt in the air...

We had a couple of errands to run and got home before it was too terribly hot.

I complied with Dr. Davis' orders and Keaton thought it (as usual) was absolutely hysterical. He kept trying to sit on my head or crawl under my belly. My favorite was when he put his head on the floor, looked at me and said, "HEY!" He is such a nut!

Zach got home and at 4, I headed back to the chiro. I walked in the front door and Dr. Davis was standing there waiting for me. She took another look and said, "Noooo! He's still...weird!"

So, we went back (talk about royal treatment! I wish I could go to the chiro twice EVERY day!!! wow!) and she adjusted both my left and right side (I should sleep GREAT tonight!) I told her he felt "caddy-corner." She busted out laughing and said, "Oblique?" I said, "Or caddy-corner!" :) She then did the Webster Tech. for what seemed like forever. But, after about 10 minutes, we watched this little ball roll from my left hip...to head down! Yay!!!! He knew what to do!

So, she adjusted my pelvis again just to top off the "royal treatment" and asked me to call after my appointment tomorrow morning at UNC. They close about the time we'll be getting back into the area, so she said if needed, we'll get together this weekend. I'm so thankful, 1- that we're able to do this! and 2- that there is someone in our area that specializes in this! and 3- that she is so concerned that she'll take the time out of her weekend to help me out.

Now, backing up to right before I left for my 415 appointment...

Keaton was running around, nutso, as usual...all of a sudden, I hear a smack and screaming...I turn around. Keaton has his back on the floor, staring at the ceiling and is holding his face. Zach grabs him and brings him to me. ...here's where I get dramatic... blood was pouring out of his mouth, all over Zach's shirt...ok, really, there was a tiny drop above his right tooth and a smear on Zach's shirt ;-) I had to walk out the door and leave my baby screaming. ugh.

Of course, he was fine by the time I got home. I'm still not exactly sure what he hit. I thought the window sill, but he's like a foot and 1/2 taller than the window sill...so I have no idea!

So tomorrow is another adventure to UNC...and who knows what else!

What Keaton has been up to

I hate writing in the middle of the day because it's inevitable that as soon as I post, something hilarious/amazing/post worthy will happen and then I'll feel silly for posting twice in one day. However, today is an exception. I'm forcing myself to "rest" while Keaton rests so I don't end up having Benjamin! haha!

Every night my mom asks what Keaton did "new" that day. Pretty much, he does something new everyday. It's usually a new word or a sign. Yesterday took the cake though!

He started "reading" to us! It's absolutely hysterical! Yes, the book is upside down. Yes, he read it backwards. And yes, he's just jabbering. BUT! He's holding a book, turning pages, pointing to the pictures and talking along with each page. I was crying I was laughing so hard as he "read" to Zach yesterday before bed. I wish I had gotten it on video :)

I'm so excited because he's finally sitting still long enough to listen to a book. He is SO stinkin' active! I don't know where he gets this energy! (Probably a normal amount of energy, just not for a 37 week pregnant woman!) We used to only get some quality reading in immediately after his nap, but in the past month, he'll bring me a stack of books and have me read through them all. over. and. over. and. over. ;-) He DEFINITELY gets his love for books from his daddy :)

He's very good with communicating (either pointing, signing, or "saying") what he'd like, however, there is one word that he repeats and I have NO idea what it means...what it refers to..."Guh." He will stand here and scream in my face, "GUH!! GUH!!! GUH!!!!" And today, I was on the brink of tears! I wanted to look at him, like I did with my pre-schoolers and say, "Use your words..." He IS! I just don't get what they are! haha! :) He finally got fed up with me and went and sat in the chair and kept saying, "guh" over and over...I said, "Book?" And put a couple books in front of him. He clapped! And I was too excited! Guh = book! And then he opened a book, pointed to a dolphin and said, "Guh!" Maybe guh means "look"? sigh...It means SOMEthing! Any ideas?

We did indeed get the referral for the chiro for Keaton! (Not for a small butt cheek, but the foot and ear issue) :) So, we both go tomorrow!

I think the biggest for us is that Keaton is finally signing (correctly!) "eat." Zach would bring him into bed with us in the mornings and when he was done playing/dozing, he'd sign some combination of more/again and point to the door (to the dining room). We kept signing "eat" (the correct way) and he'd keep signing it his way. I think it was Sunday morning he actually signed "eat" the way it should be signed! Now, he'll sign his eat and then the "real" eat! Crazy kid :)

We're also having a fun time with discipline. ;-) This week has been a fairly good week (minus a very long Monday!) One "tactic" we've been using is when he's near something he shouldn't be, to say, "Keaton. No sir. Walk away." When Zach first started this, I just laughed to myself thinking, "Yeh right. Like THAT'S going to work!" Well, sure enough, it's working (don't think this is THE CURE ALL to discipline! We have LOTS of hand and leg smacks! Lots of tears, from Keaton and mommy! And lots of "NO SIR's" throughout our days!) but, with the repetition, "Walk away" has worked surprisingly well!!

Well, Keaton is up from a very short nap (20 minutes), thanks all in part to the neighbors above us and their loud bass. So, off to write a letter to them and management (since this isn't the first time it's happened and I'm sure, not the last) and so much for my "resting"!

Christmas in July

While we were cleaning out boxes in Benjamin's room, I found a Santa hat and of course, Keaton wanted to play with it. It's been his most favorite "toy" since last Friday! I finally managed to get some pictures of the silly kid playing with it today...

Silly kid :)

Finally got him to put the hat on (he looks so happy, right?)

There's my smiley boy!

Playing his bongos on Monday

Zach making faces & noises with him after his Sunday afternoon nap. (I don't know which is funnier - Zach's face or the noise coming out of Keatons' mouth!)

Big Day at the Chiro!

Well, for starters, I really need to learn WHEN I need to see my chiro! On Fridays, they close at 12. Around 11am, I thought, "Maybe I should go in, just to get through the weekend..." by 1pm, I was almost in tears due to my pain! ...in as little words as possible - it was a LONG weekend! I still don't quite understand how it's all connected and whatnot - I do know it feels amazing and, once again, I'll say it - I SO regret not going while pregnant with Keaton!

We also had Keaton evaluated today. I don't think he quite knew what to think of it all.

**Let me take this opportunity to say that my chiro specializes in pregnant women and children (newborns on up) and uses only the gentlest of touches. If I had any inkling that what she was going to do would hurt Keaton, I would not take him. I researched before taking him in and had a long discussion with her about what exactly she would do with my child before I even considered a simple evaluation.**

So, the first thing she said, "Has his right foot always turned in?" I looked at her, "It turns in?!" ((NOT the best way to ask a very pregnant, very hormonal mommy! haha!)) She pointed it out to me and sure enough, it turns it (nothing drastic, but quite possibly enough to get a referral from the pedi for our insurance! haha!)

The next thing she did was lay him on his tummy and move his legs. His left leg has full range of motion. His right leg does not (again, NOTHING life threatening!)

She asked if she could pull down his diaper to check his hips ... um, baby butt cheeks out, OF COURSE! haha! She then pointed out how his right cheek is...get ready - SMALLER than his left!!! I couldn't stop laughing, but she explained this was all due to the misalignment of his right side (I don't think we'll get a referral a small butt cheek though!) ;-)

She felt up and down his spine and behind his ears and asked if he had any troubles nursing on one side or the other. I couldn't really remember as his was a great nurser until I got pregnant. But she mentioned that his right "atlas" was off (I quoted that word, because I don't think it's the correct word!) She asked if he had a lot of ear infections, thankfully, he's only had one - in his right ear, but whenever he's teething, he pulls on...you got it, the right ear!

She said a lot of the "atlas" issues happen with c-section babies because of the way they're pulled out during a section (again, ANOTHER reason to avoid it!)

So she did a very gentle massage on his neck and back (and I was VERY jealous! haha!) He didn't like it so much (he's never liked infant massage, so I knew that wouldn't go over well)

She warned me that sometimes adjustments on young children cause hyperactivity...he's been passed out in the crib for an hour now. He didn't make it home ;-)

I called the pedi about the referral and I'm waiting for a call back and we'll see if we get it! The pedi may want to look him over, especially the foot issue, before issuing the referral, but we shall see!

OK, back to my part of the visit. Dr. Davis has been doing the Webster Technique on me - basically all I feel is her pressing her thumb into my tummy, but she's really (in a round about way) loosening the ligaments of my uterus to make more room for Benjamin to get him turned in the correct position. So today, after she pops my back, she feels my tummy to make sure he's head down (little stinker was transverse/sideways ALL weekend and decides this morning to go head down!) and the first thing she says is, "WOW! He's dropped!" Yes - she did see me waddle to the bathroom like a flippin' penguin, but, he has definitely dropped some! He's gearing up for his grand entry into the world! In roughly 19 days!!!!

Our "free" photo session

Well, we went to Sears today for our free photo session. It started off terribly. I tried to get Keaton down for a nap beforehand and he wouldn't have it. While we were walking through Sears to get to the portrait studio, we noticed that the "Register for a FREE session" boxes were still out. We stopped to see what all we'd be getting. The box read:

Enter for a chance to win a free 30x30 collage!!!!
Everyone who enters will receive a FREE photo session and FREE 8x10

My winning week went down the toilet...We didn't WIN anything! I've had to keep telling myself that if we hadn't put our name in the box, we wouldn't even have a free 8x10! So, we kept on walking...

We get there, they take us into the room...

Keaton starts SCREAMING! I think he thought we were going to drop him off or something (too much like the nursery at church? I don't know!)

Well, we got through the session...all 12 pictures (I think the girl was really irritated that we couldn't get him to stop crying...)

The pictures were OK. (I've seen WAY better...cough JENNY cough!!!!!) ;-)

This is probably TOTALLY "illegal" but without sending EVERYONE who reads this the link, this is the only way I know to share the pictures! Don't we look all hokey in our blue, white and khaki! ;-)

Well, we got home and Keaton CRASHED (after a chick-fil-a lunch at the food court!) for a good 2 hours! And then played hard the rest of the day!

And that was pretty much our day...

Except, I just remembered that Zach went and got my oil changed...and (I LOVE our Saturn dealership, they put a carnation on your dash before you leave...) my flower is still in my car...probably dead :( Oh well...

36/6 weeks and a new hair cut!

Well, I'm officially full term tomorrow (DO NOT get any wise ideas Mr. Benjamin Cai Jones! You have NOT been served eviction papers!!!!) I finally remembered to do some more tummy shots today (With Keaton, I remembered almost every week, I'm doing horrible this time!) The first picture is 36 weeks and 3 days with Keaton, the second is from today (36 wks, 3 days) I feel like I was bigger last time (Does this mean that Benjamin could be...gasp! SMALLER! than Keaton?! Oh, how I hope! haha!)

(36/3 with Keaton)

(36/6 with Benjamin)

I also got to have some "me" time and get my hair cut today. It was SO nice, not only to have about 2.5-3 inches just chopped off, but to get "out" (I don't do that for myself as often as I should!) and I got to visit with a sweet mommy friend from church while she had fun chopping off all that hair! Because my hair is SO baby fine, I can't really do much to it, but, a cut was much needed. She asked what I wanted, I said, "You have free reign!!!! Just make sure I can still pull it back!" She agreed and went to town :) None of these are really good shots of the cut but, It's definitely shorter! It feels GREAT! I love it! Zach loves it! And I won't look so scruffy in Saturday's pictures!

Me & my sweet boy!

He had a stinky...and was tired of me holding him ;-)

Like Mama, like son (ie: the bellies, haha!!!) He'll miss his "perch"
**And no, we don't have any living room curtains - Ideas anyone???**

Just an update and some pictures :)

Well, let's see. I had a chiro appt today (long overdue...about 5 days! haha!) and I talked with her about what exactly they do for/with children and the benefits. Among many other (awesome) things, regular adjustments on children can help with immune systems, behavior issues and sleep problems! Needless to say, Monday, after mama gets adjusted, Keaton will be getting evaluated and adjusted ;-) (Not that we have any of those problems, haha!) :)

The Benjamin countdown is less than 25 days away (til my due date, I don't expect to go early, nor do I HOPE to!!!) We have so much left to be done! His room is still a disaster and I don't know when and how we're going to get the work done on it that we need to. I can't do it alone because I can't/am not allowed (haha!) to move the boxes/furniture, I can't do it with Keaton because he has his own version of "helping" (which usually isn't helping!) ;-) and when Zach's home after work, that's his time to play with Keaton! Our weekends are just flying by and then, it's Monday again. We may have to enlist a sitter one afternoon this weekend and just finish out that room! (Any takers?!) :)

OK, this is very exciting! The past couple of days have been crazy! I have won two giveaways!!!!

The first, I had registered on this website for a "New Mom" giveaway (technically, not "new" but whatever...they didn't ask for details!) And I won!!!! I won a diaper cake with Seventh Generation diapers, a onesie that reads, "Got my mind on mama and mama on my mind" (LOVE it!), some "business cards", a wall letter (I picked a "B") and a custom diaper bag!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!

Then the next day (yesterday), my phone rang and it was Sears Portrait Studio. They were calling to inform me I won a "free session"!!! We won't pay sitting fees, and we get a free 8x10. The lady was talking really fast and I didn't catch the other picture sizes, however Zach thinks we get a picture collage! I just made sure we didn't HAVE to pay for anything! hahaha! However, we do have the option (of course!) of buying as much as we'd like from them. So we go Saturday morning at 10am!!!! I can't wait!!!!

Other than that...I can't think of anything else blog-worthy...unless you want to hear about the Orkin man coming today, and that's not a great story ;-)

OH! An update on the cable! We DID indeed get extra channels!!!! Our package was supposed to go to channel 22...however, it goes to 26!!!!!!!!!! Now, to you reading this, that may not mean much, however to us, this is AWESOME!!!! 25 is USA and 26 is TNT - the two channels that show Law & Order ALL the time!!!! How perfect!!!!

OK, now what everyone wants :)

Can you see how proud Zach is that Keaton loves the laptop (I had FINALLY gotten Keaton to "stop" touching the laptop...it's been a long week already re-training him! haha!)

I'd like to point out the "speed" at which Keaton is typing (he got that from me, thank you!) ;-)

Notice Zach's "laughing/concerned" expression..."What did you do, son?!"

Keaton turning away from Zach's feet ;-)

Saturday morning, we made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Keaton LOVED them!

My smiley boy!! (This was NOT taken today! haha!)

99.9% chance he was squealing in this picture ;-)

Keaton's new favorite "hiding" spot...Yeh, some nice cabinets and maybe even a drawer would look AWESOME right there! Oh well :) Makes a great play spot for my two favorite guys :)

Bad picture of Keaton. Awesome shirt... "Keep Your Sunny Side Up" hahaha, LOVE it!

Free Cloth Diapers!

A website that I check multiple times a day (because she is always posting awesome deals!) is doing a week on Cloth Diapering. She has even offered to giveaway 12 BumGenuis 3.0 diapers! Go here!

2 New Things! (and one for Zach!) & a plug....

Well, first off, Keaton said his name this morning! I was ever so excited! I turned on the laptop and there's his picture. He usually points and says, "baby" or just claps and squeals in delight of seeing himself/another "little person" and I always say, "That's you! That's Keaton!" Well, after all these mornings, something finally clicked! He pointed and said, "Kea-on!" I said, "That's right sweet pea! That's you! That's Keaton!" He starts BEATING my laptop screaming, "KEA-ON!!! KEA-ON!!!!" crazy kid!

Also, we had another first this afternoon - peanut butter. I'd been putting it off for a ton of reasons - potential allergies, the sugar, the mess ;-) But today, I was craving a PB&J sandwich and knew that I could easily avoid a meltdown if I just gave one to Keaton as well. Apparently, he loves his peanut butter just like his mama! He ate 2 whole sandwiches! (As did I! haha!) And a whole banana! He's been a little picky with his food the past couple of days and I was so excited that he enjoyed this...delicacy ;-)

And finally, Zach is so excited (ok, ok, I am too!) We have cable again! We apparently live a hole now and can't get any channels - in the living room or bedroom. We got our "vouchers" for the digital tuner box things, but we still don't really get anything (I almost had to endure 2 hours of Knight Rider last night!) So, Zach made the call and we got the "very basic" package, just so I can watch my news/weather in color (Nothing more annoying than "The Fish" talking about colors representing intensity of storms and you see, white, light gray, medium gray, darker gray, dark gray and black!) The cable guy just handed me the cables and had me sign the paperwork - apparently if you just get The Poor Mans' Package, you have to do all the work yourself (though, I was secretly praying for the Russian's that hooked up our cable last time to return here...we were getting the very basic and they 'opps'ed' and we got a ton of channels for practically nothing!) So, that's the new thing for us too ;-)

I also want to make a plug for a blog I read daily, Prayer of Hannah. Each week they focus on a different topic and this week is vaccinations. Before Keaton was born, I researched a little bit but became very overwhelmed by all the information out there. He got all his shots at the "suggested" time until 1 year when I started to delay them. I plan on doing an even more delayed schedule with Benjamin...one of the readers today that said in 1980, children received 12 shots in the time span they now receive 30+ vaccines (I did a quick google search and did find this info as well) If I wasn't convinced before...

Busy Weekend

My mom came in town this past weekend to help us out a bit with some more Benjamin-prep :) She got in Saturday morning and we went out to lunch and then camera shopping. Then Zach took Keaton home for a nap and she I did some more fun shopping!

Sunday, we went to church and lunch and then Zach & I headed to UNC for our hospital tour - His ONLY time driving to UNC before I'm in labor! (No pressure! haha!) I think he feels pretty good about the drive and keeps repeating his mantra, "540 to 40 to 54 to 15-501....540 to 40 to 54 to 15-501..." I love it! :) I was pretty coherent while in labor with Keaton, I think I'll be able to help him on this adventure as well.

We had our tour of the hospital, labor and delivery and postpartum rooms, although the rooms are smaller, it seems nicer than where I delivered before (minus the parking garage, haha!)

So the countdown continues - roughly 26 days. And yes, I'm freaking out! And once, again, Zach has the cool-head between the two of us! I remember driving to the hospital in labor with Keaton - not talking about the pain of contractions or how hungry I was (though, I think I commented as we drove past the Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbin's that the combo of the two sounded great! haha) but saying, "WHAT are we doing?! We're having a baby!" (And Zach commenting, "It's going to be awesome!!!") And now I'm saying, "We're having 2?!?! What are we doing?!?" But in actuality, I can't WAIT to lay my eyes on this sweet boy who can't seem to figure out how to get his precious little feet out of my ribs!

Benjamin's room is still a disaster, so we need him to wait a bit longer before he can arrive! (and we have to get his diapers ordered & prepped too!!!) I'm perfetly content with him waiting as long as possible!

The only plan we have for the week is a chiro appt. for me on Wednesday morning! I'm SO glad to finally, after about a month of multiple doctor's visits a week, to have a calm week! Hopefully in the midst of this calmness I can get some work done on Benjamin's room...and REST! :) Which I can't seem to get enough of in these last weeks. I'm definitely more tired than I was with Keaton and I'm getting much less sleep (even when we go to bed at 830 at night...I still take forever to fall asleep and wake up more often than a person ever should!)

Watermelon in the trunk

What?

OK, here is the promised story.

I thought long and hard about "where" in this story to begin...and I think I've got it down :)

Wednesday, at 1pm (1pm in North Carolina = VERY hot) we (Keaton & I) started walking to the car to head to my midwife appointment. Before we even reached the car, I smelled something gross. My first thought was that the apartment dumpsters needed to be emptied. Well, I opened the car, and I almost fell over. The smell was AWFUL! Now, my thought was, "Zach was in such a hurry to get to praise band practice last night, he forgot to put the trash in the dumpster." (Therefore, my anger has gone from the apartment property manager, to my sweet husband!)

I go to put Keaton in the carseat and he's shaking his head screaming, "NO NO NO" (not because he didn't want to be in his carseat...but because of the smell!!) I opened all the doors to let it air out for a minute and then pop the trunk. Imagine my surprise when I see a moldy, dried up half of a WATERMELON!

My thoughts went to Tuesday morning when we went to the library and it smelled like something was baking in my car (not something good!) and then to Monday morning when I went to the chiro. and there was this faint ...stench.

So, luckily, for a ton of reasons, I carry about 8 billion plastic grocery bags in my trunk. I drive over to the dumpster (which smelt GREAT in comparison to my car!) and manage to get this watermelon into the dumpster using the bags (so I never really had to touch it) - and then I used half a bottle of hand sanitizer to make myself feel better!

I immediately send Zach a text asking WHY there was a dried up moldy half of a watermelon in my trunk. His response, "That's what that smell is..." He noticed it when he took my car to practice Tuesday night AND NEVER INVESTIGATED!!!!!!

I drove down Capital Blvd. with the windows down, but as soon as we get on the interstate, I had to roll them up or else Keaton would fly out the window!

The smell was "getting better" (ie: I was getting used to it!)

Then, I finally remember why there could possibly be a watermelon in my trunk...

SATURDAY MORNING Zach's parents took Keaton for a while so we could get some work done on Benjamin's room (which became the storage room during the move!) They took him to the Seminary to run around and then went to the local Farmer's Market and bought us a ton of fruit...apparently a watermelon also! (which I don't know if I'm more irritated over the fact my car REEKS or I didn't get to eat the watermelon, haha!)

So, we go to my appointment and I leave the windows cracked on the car and that helped a little bit....

Dinner time - Zach and I both had a Taco Bell craving (ok, I had it and I talked him into having one too) so we decide to go there for dinner...

When we came out of Taco Bell, Zach said we needed to stop at Kroger and get some Arm & Hammer. So he runs in and comes out with Island Mist scented baking soda :)

He worked on my car off and on for almost 2 hours trying to get the smell out of it that night!

As of Thursday night, the trunk smells OK. He took a cup and poured some of the A&H stuff in it and left it in the cup holder, but he's going to have to re-do the interior because now it just smells like sweaty socks or something.

Ugh! It was awful!

35ish week appointment & I'm a toelacker

I had an appointment Wednesday (there is a HILARIOUS story that goes before this, however, we have a phone call to make before I can post it....Stay tuned though!)

I made it to UNC, no problems and EARLY!!! We didn't have to run across the skywalk (and I got to park on the appropriate level!) or down the sidewalk or anything! And it was actually a good thing because there were about 8 women in line when I got there.

BP and weight were fine. Benjamin's heart rate was right where it needed to be. And according to Deb (the midwife) he's in "perfect position" (PLEASE stay there!!!) We joked about how that explained why I couldn't walk "right" (ie: I waddle like a penguin) He's very low and she said that if I were to go into labor right now, he'd just slide right out (which would be nice, however...we need him to bake one more week for those lungs to develop nice and strong!!!)

She then got very serious and we had "the talk" - when to call and when to come in. Thankfully, with Keaton there was no question. I KNEW without a doubt that it was time (9 hours later we finally met our sweet pea! haha! Hopefully my time will be a bit shorter this go round!)

She said that if I experience ANYthing (and continued to emphasize ANYthing) out of the ordinary (what about pregnancy/labor/childbirth is ordinary?! haha) to call immediately if at night, if during the day, just come on in (I have a 45-60 minute drive, I'll probably give them the courtesy of a phone call on my way, haha!) since I'm a "toelacker" they're going to pay special attention to me. I said, "I'm a who-a-what-a?" She laughed and said again, "A 'toelacker'...you and I call it a VBAC patient...but the hospital doesn't like to say VBAC til it happens...so you're a 'toelacker'....Trial Of Labor After Cesarean'er...." Gotcha! haha! ((I'm still saying VBAC ;-) ))

As soon as I'm able, I'll be posting the story that I promised... :)

Oh, and I made it back from UNC just fine too...

2 weeks in a row without directions. Because I'm awesome ;-)

Molar #4, Tooth #11...for real this time!

I promise! 3 out of 4 of the points are sticking up, Keaton is well into his second nap of the day, he's running a slight fever, won't take his hand out of his mouth, won't stop screaming, won't eat and...well, another indication also gave it away, but I'll spare the details ;-) We'll just say I'm doing diapers again tonight ;-)

It's been a long day, followed by a long night. He woke up multiple times screaming in pain last night, so I knew it'd either be today or tomorrow that a tooth pooped through.

The only time he was happy today was at the chiro. He LOVES Dr. Davis about as much as I do! :)

We have a new toy in our house (no - Benjamin did not make an early arrival!) Zach bought me/us ;-) an "iPod docking station" so now I havev speakers for my iPod and can play music all day! Keaton loves it! (Yes, I COULD play this music on my laptop, but, an iPod docking station is way better...for some reason!) ;-) But he is definitely loving (and fascinated by!) the speakers and the music coming out of it (he liked the music on my laptop, but, he can stand in front of this and watch the little screen) ;-)

Nothing new to report, just a busy week filled with appointments and trying to finish some more unpacking. It's been raining all day today, so other than the chiro, preparing dinner and unloading the dishwasher, not much else has been done :) Keaton's napping a lot, due to the rough night, and for some reason, that's what he does the day teeth come in!, so I'm just resting & putting my feet up :) ((are you proud of me Zach???))

Grandma Susan and Papa come to visit!

Zach's leading worship today at church and his parents came into town to hear him play. They also, graciously, took Keaton for a bit yesterday so Zach and I could get working on Benjamin's room. In the midst of the move, B's room became the junk room. If I didn't have a place for something, his room is where it went...It's coming together quite nicely now though! :)

In the morning, they took Keaton to the Seminary to walk around and blow bubbles and to a fruit stand.

In the afternoon, they took him over to Mark & Meagan's to play in the baby pool with Karis so Zach and I could get a bit more done and have a date night (probably the last with only one kiddo!) We went to our favorite Japanese restaurant around here, Kanki and completely STUFFED ourselves :)

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Benjamin's room before we got started...

Poor kid! ;-)

Keaton & Karis

Keaton made Eric read The Wheels on the Bus about 4 times! (Welcome to my day!)

So sweet!

We found Keaton's old Bumbo seat & he threw a fit until we let him sit in it...

"my dad is the man!"

It looks even better than this, but I thought I had a picture of that, haha!

The Chronicles of UNC Healthcare, Visit #3

Well, today was a "special" appointment. Since I'm desiring a VBAC, I had to meet with one of the OB's at UNC to go over the risks, tell me about special monitoring they "have" to do while I'm in labor and sign some paper work saying I understood these risks (ie: We won't sue them should something go wrong) I'd already done this at the beginning of this pregnancy at my previous OB's office, but, that doesn't count apparently!

But, it wouldn't be a UNC trip without an adventure, would it?

So we start off (early, this time!) then I remember that I need money for the parking garage. Cash is NOT something Zach and I ever carry! So, I stopped at a Rite-Aid, bought a bottle of water and got $10 cash back.

We get onto the BUSY interstate and when I had a chance, I turned my head to check on Keaton - He's got his arm out of his car seat strap!!! So I had to pull over and fix that...getting back on to I-40 was NOT fun!

Then, I wanted Keaton to have lunch BEFORE the appointment (so he'd be happier and so he's nap on the way home!) I knew the only thing at our exit was a Hardee's and I was NOT stopping there. So 2 exits before ours, there's a McD's, so I get off and drive and drive...can't find it, so I get back on the interstate and head on. The next exit there was a Burger King and a chick-fil-a. I opted for the BK...until I saw it was a mile away. The Chick-Fil-a was only .4 miles. So, we splurged for lunch!

We got to UNC campus...and there it was. The parking garage. My palms were sweating. I was SO nervous. I kept saying "level 2...level 2" over and over - Level 2 is where the skywalk is and that way we don't have to take the elevator! Level 2 was of course PACKED. So, my next choice was 3D (that's easy to remember!) Well, apparently, EVERY one thinks so. So I had to park on 3C.

Now that I had successfully parked inside the parking garage and spotted the elevator my nervousness shifted to Keaton and how he was going to act during the appointment. I came prepared with lots of snacks, a couple books and some toys (normally I just have the food!)

My appointment was scheduled for 1130am. We got there at 1125am! Woohoo! However, as I watched the clock slowly tick towards 12noon, my excitement dwindled! At 1205pm, Keaton started to rub his eyes and suck his thumb...I was starting to fear the worst.

At 1215pm, the nurse FINALLY called my name and we went back to the room. At this point I took Keaton out of his stroller and held him (while sitting in front of a mirror...there was ANOTHER baby in the room! haha!)

Dr. Murno (I think was his name? I don't know...and I think he MIGHT have been 12 years old!) came in and was immediately fascinated with Keaton. Keaton called him daddy and I had to say that, no, this wasn't daddy, we'd see daddy soon! haha! He was a really nice doctor and he immediately could tell I'd done my research and this meeting was simply a formality. He asked if I had any questions and had me sign the paper work (while he played with Keaton, who had taken a fond liking to him!)

We headed back towards the parking garage (Keaton back in his stroller without a fuss!) Made our way to 3C, found the car, and Keaton started shaking his head and saying, "no...no...no" poor kid had just spent the past couple of hours strapped into something!

I was elated once I got him in the carseat and the stroller in the trunk! I knew all that was left was to get OUT of the parking garage and home!

Both happened successfully!

I did it! I made a UNC trip by myself!!! :) I'm rather proud of myself - but WAY more proud of Keaton! He did awesome! And if I felt like staying up until midnight tonight, I'd TOTALLY give him an ice cream sundae with the works! He deserves it!!!!!

I go back next Wednesday for a regular appointment with one of the midwives. I think after that I go weekly and before we know it, we'll be welcoming sweet Benjamin into the world!!!

One of those weird pregnancy things...

Nesting!

I never believed it until it happened with Keaton. I just cleaned and cleaned and threw stuff out and organized and moved things around. It was always a surprise when Zach would come home - what would be different?!

This go round, however - I haven't had the time and that "boost" of energy never seemed to find me! (Well, it did about 3 weeks before we found out we were moving, but I couldn't very well organize things when we knew we'd be moving soon! So I just packed...) Now that we've moved - I expended all that energy and that's why there's still piles of boxes everywhere...I'm too tired to do anything about them!

Well, as I mentioned yesterday - Keaton is teething. For those who don't know, that means really gross poops. And since we're cloth diapering, I have to wash those poops (I knew that was part of the deal when we signed up for this, and I don't usually think about it, but last night was different)

I'll spare the details, but basically, I needed to run the diapers through an extra cycle before they were REALLY clean, ahem... So, I kept thinking, I should really clean the washer...

Back up - until about a year ago, I never knew you COULD clean a washer! No offense, mom, but I never saw her do it! I never HEARD of cleaning your washer! (anyone else?!?) And then, I randomly found a website that gave step-by-step details on doing just this. The washer we had at the time came with the house that Zach bought before we were dating (ie: it was old!) I followed the step by step instructions to a T and about 2 months later, the washer stopped working! Apparently, it needed all that...gunk to keep on trucking! (I do not feel there was any correlation between the cleaning of the washer and it's death!) We were blessed by some friends in our small group who bought us a used washer & dryer pair (They match!!) and I remember thinking when they brought it over, "I should clean it..." But remembering the untimely death of our old washer, I decided against it...

Fast forward - We've been cloth diapering for...almost 8 months now and last night was the first time I thought, "Hm...we should clean this thing..." (we = me) ;-) I had to scour the Internet for the directions, but I found them...

It's on the last rinse cycle right now, but I can already tell a difference!

Here's the website that I used (for those curious minds...or those nesting...or those w/ a Monk complex and need to clean everything!) It's super easy to do (just don't think about the water you're "wasting" and I can testify that your clothes WILL seem much cleaner after doing this! I just hope our washer doesn't pass on!

There was also a little tidbit at the bottom that said to use distilled white vinegar instead of fabric softener. (we don't use liquid fabric softener in the wash, but I do use dryer sheets on our clothes) So, I'm wondering if anyone has tried this??? Does it reduce static???

15 Months!

We had Keaton's 15 month appointment this morning! I can't believe it! Time is just flying by.

His stats:
22lbs. 12oz. (we weighed him at 23.5 the other day, but whatever) (25%)
32.5 inches long (Which cracks me up that it's the 90%!)
and his head is 46.4cm (30%) I didn't think much about it then, but I called back when we got home to make sure that was OK (the child is DEFINITELY learning and taking in EVERYthing around him!) The nurse said it was fine and he has showed steady growth throughout his (short) life and that his head "fit his body" (she even laughed and said something about him not having an 80% head on his 25% body...or the other way around) :) She said Dr. Wilson would definitely have said something if there was cause for concern.

We saw a new dr. today and pre-appt. I was NOT excited. However, I think that she will be the only one we see from here on out! She was awesome! I was all ready to hear how concerned she was over his weight and she kept commenting on how great he was growing (I think she actually LOOKED at the growth chart and read the notes that Michelle, our Lactation Consultant, had written to see all the "trouble" we went through and knew that this weight was perfect and normal for our long, lanky baby) :)

Then it came time for our shots. We did the MMR (which I think he's having a mild reaction to, of course! Just a rash, but a reaction, none the less) and his polio vaccinations. She was totally fine with me delaying the DTaP until 18 months and not getting the Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. She never asked why, didn't "suggest" another option but instead...Said, "Why don't we go ahead and delay the HepA and Prevnar too..."!!! We like Dr. Wilson!!!! :-D I was looking at switching dr's. for when Benjamin was born, but we may stay if we can see her everytime we need shots!

The funniest part of the appointment: Keaton's favorite word is, "WOW!" And he does use it at the appropriate times :) Well, the way they measure babies at our pedi's office is to have them lie flat (haha) and then mark at the top of their head and bottom of their feet, then pick them up and measure the markings. So, the nurse drew her lines, I picked up Keaton, she pulled out the tape measure and Keaton dropped his jaw and said, "WOW!" The nurse had tears rolling down her face she was laughing so hard!

We were reminded that we need to take him to the dentist (I wish Zach could do that! But I'm sure it'll fall on me...oh, how I HATE the dentist!!!!!)

I was worried that he may be getting an ear infection but Dr. Wilson said they were the best looking ears she'd seen all day (I'm sure, haha!) She did, finally manage to get him to open his mouth (the child whose mouth is never shut!) And confirmed that he does indeed have more teeth coming in. I lied previously in my blog when I said he got tooth #11 (sorry readers!) but he is officially getting tooth #11 (molar #4) as we speak. She also saw that the two "incisors" (not the fangs, but the next ones in, haha!) on the bottom will be here soon too (which will make him even and me happy! haha)

He ran all over the exam room and even said some words for her!

He hated the shots (who likes them?!!) and screamed bloody murder but still gave the nurse a high-five on the way out :)

He said hi to all the kids in the waiting room on the way out and even said, "Baby" to a little one in a carseat and screamed when I wouldn't let him touch her (she was in the "sick" area, haha!)

I managed to get another look at molar #4 when we got home and all 4 points are sitting there ready to poke through, so I figure this time tomorrow, we'll have a molar...and we'll be getting this boy some steak! (Yum yum!) :)

---
Funny story (probably only to us!) Last night before Keaton went to bed, we were getting the last bits of energy out and he ran over to his "book case." He held his hands out (palms facing up) and looked over his books and said, "WOW!" and proceeded, for the next couple of minutes to pull out 2-3 books at a time, saying, "Wow! Wow!" each time!!! I love this kid!!!

Ok, I think that's all the stories for today. He was up a lot last night, crying out in pain (now we know why!) and I was up every hour with bathroom breaks or contractions. He's down for a nap and I'm going to try to do the same!

4th of July Weekend

We had a very relaxing and very fun weekend! We got to head home to VA, to Zach's parents and enjoy some fun there (especially in the pool!)

Since Zach worked late every day last week (long story), he got off at noon on Thursday (he had Friday off) and we headed out of town!

We got to his parents in time to swim a bit and have dinner.

Friday was a day of relaxing (for me! haha!)

Saturday, my mom, Zach's grandmother and her in-home helper came down to grill out for dinner.

Today was church (including comment after comment of how I look like I'm about to pop...when really, I know this is only the beginning of the "bigness"...and I'm REALLY not that big!) and some more pool fun and then we headed back to NC.

It was nice to return home. Nice to know we'll be back on a schedule, however, dreading the dr's. visits this week! I go to the chiro on Tuesday (I'm hoping to change this to tomorrow though!) and Keaton has his 15 month check up (I hope they call b/c I totally don't remember the time!) Wednesday, I have the fabulous appointment at UNC w/ an OB who will go over the "risks" of a VBAC with me and then Friday, back to the chiro. Whew!

This weekend, Zach's parents will be back in town. Zach will be leading worship at church on Sunday and so they'll be coming to hear him.

The following weekend, my mom is coming to help out for a bit. We have our hospital tour at UNC that Sunday afternoon and she's going to graciously watch Keaton while Zach learns how to get to the hospital (his ONLY trip there before I'm in labor!!! haha!)

Ok...now what everyone wants to see - The pictures :)

Reading (an apparently HILARIOUS! book) with papa!

My busy boy :)

My new favorite picture :)

Zach pointed out a bug to Keaton. He thought it was awesome. Keaton pointed it out to me. I said, "ew." Keaton turned to Zach and made his "ew" face!

Silly papa!

Zach's dad jumped off the diving board and swam the length of the pool and "boo'd" Keaton. Keaton thought it was (once again) HYSTERICAL!

He loves his papa!

Our Olympic Swimmer in the making!

Having fun with daddy

Watch out Olympians!

Said Video

I didn't do this the way Zach would have liked the first time... ;-)

The Chronicles of UNC Health Care, Visit 2 (and other ramblings)

It went MUCH better today than last visit! My mom graciously came down to "assist" (ie: make sure I didn't freak out!) Other than being 10 MINUTES LATE everything was fine!!

We got there, no problems, found a parking spot relatively easy, found the correct sky walk and proudly, amidst the hustle & bustle of the Women & Children's Hospital, made our way to Floor 1, Clinic B!

I found out today, as I REALLY had to go to the bathroom again, that they only ask for a "sample" if your BP is high! What a great thing to know (Great to know that if I happen to be on time or...GASP! EARLY! I can go to the bathroom!)

I met a different midwife today. I liked her (not as much as the last one, she had a gruff-grandma presence about her)

And I also learned...they STILL have yet to receive my files from my previous OB!!! She was livid (as was I!)

At my chiro appt. yesterday, Benjamin was transverse again (sideways) and so she (the chiro) wanted the midwife to check today - she started to feel down his body and said, "He is...WOAH! Head down!" (in other words, "How did you walk here?" haha!) I'm measuring right on (roughly 34 weeks) and the heartbeat was nice and strong :)

Tomorrow, we head out to Zach's parents for the weekend. It'll be a nice little (last with one baby) get away. I'm looking forward to floating in the pool and relieving late-pregnancy aches & pains that no chiro., no amount of sleep, just HAVING a baby, can get rid of! My mom took me to Target and we found a super cute maternity bathing suit (that *almost* makes me want to be pregnant in the summer again - but as soon as I feel the heat, I remember that I do NOT!)

And then we had a fabulous dinner at Outback where Keaton befriended everyone in sight and turned some frowns upside down :)