Bathtime tonight! Eric took this picture of Sam getting a bath. Actually Eric has taken over bathing Sam, as I am having a lot of trouble reaching him. I was just giving Eric a break while Sam played with the water. 

Daddy and Sammy throwing sticks in the water at Balmorhea (ok, I think I just totally messed up the spelling on that one!) Sam loved the water and loved throwing things into the water. 

Last day of work

Yesterday was my last day of work before starting maternity leave. I had a meeting up in Alpine at the office. They threw me a surprise baby shower. It was a lot of fun and I did get some nice things, including money to buy something nice and big. I turned in my office keys, my car, my cell phone, and most of my paperwork, but I still have a few things left to mail them. I caught a ride home with one of the teachers who lives in the park with me. Just as we left town she got a call from her grandson saying that he'd swerved to miss a deer on a gravel road and put his pickup on its side. So she turned the car around so we could go home through Terlingua and pick him up. By the time we got to Terlingua the medics had decided to transport him to Alpine, and we passed the ambulance headed on up with him. So I was left at the Big Bend Motor Inn while she drove back to Alpine. She did call me later to tell me that Trevor is just fine. He's sore and a little shook up but otherwise OK, as is the pickup truck.

Eric and Sam had gone for a drive in the jeep because I told him I'd be late getting home. So he wasn't home when I called for a ride home from Terlingua. So I called the chief ranger and he started trying to track him down, while his wife arranged for a ride home for me. Anyway, I had plenty of time to eat a hamburger at the diner in the motel, and watch all the kids in town for the softball/baseball games come in to order ice cream. I looked pretty funny, trying to fit into a booth loaded with baby shower gifts and a big box with the leftover cake from the shower!

Eventually Doug, one of our neighbors and Eric's coworker came and got me, and I got home a little while after Eric did. It was quite an adventure! Today there is a Le leche league meeting, but I need to find out what time. Tomorrow is my baby shower here in the park.

Short long road trip

We just got home from our latest OB visit, amoung other things. To start the trip off properly, I had to be in Presidio for a meeting at 9 am, so Eric and Sam went with me. I was tired, couldn't sleep the night before. The meeting was stressful, but I believe it had a good outcome. Perhaps it was a little too stressful, because combined with being tired, I got sick. I dropped Sam and Eric off at Fort Leaton, a state historic site to wait for me, and Eric had the brainstorm that we stay the night at Balmorhea state park instead of our usual motel in Odessa. I thought that was neat, because they have a natural spring-fed swimming pool, complete with fish and turtles. We left Presidio and headed up through Marfa and Alpine on our way to Midland. Eric had to pull the van over a few times for me to get sick, so we detoured to our family doctor in Alpine, where I got a shot of phenergren (please don't ask for a correct spelling) to stop the naseau and allow me to make it to Midland. We did stay the night at Balmorhea, where Sam fell in love with all the fish filled canals and the pool. I was feeling much better by then.

Today we picked up the one large baby related item we had decided to purchase. It is a dresser/changing table that must be seen to be understood. http://www.babysdream.com/catalog/changing_table.htm
We haven't decided if it will house Sam's clothes or #2's clothes. It will house the diapering supplies, at least while it is a changing table.

It is official, I am now going to the OB every week. Everything looks favorable for inducing at 39 weeks, I am currently 36 weeks. I've gained 1 lb in 2 weeks, which is right on target, and all my measurements look great. I am healthy, and so is #2.

Getting ready for the shower 

Sam, me, Katrina, Lily and Caelin at the baby shower 

Sparklers around the campfire - Sam loved this! 

Saturday Showers

It rained yesterday and we attended a baby shower/potluck last night. Sam took a 4 hour nap and woke up in time to get dressed for the party. We were out really late, and Sam was the last child standing at 11:00. So of course he got up at 7:30 this morning. The baby shower was for a friend due the same time I am, or a week later. Babies are popping up everywhere around here. There are 3 due in May here, one in maybe October or November, and a couple others that have yet to be announced. Definitely something in the water down here. There have been 2 babies already born this year that I know of. This is just the park, not counting Terligua or Study Butte.

Sam liked the campfire lit at the party last night. He also liked the sparklers that were passed out. It was really a lot of fun. I remember sparklers burning my hands, but these didn't seem to get as hot as the ones I remember as a kid. I haven't held a sparkler since I was probably in elementary school and fireworks were still legal in Bothell. Sam didn't get to hold a sparkler, but didn't throw a tantrum about it, so probably didn't want to.

As far as the baby count down goes, I'm just past the 8 month mark, and today marks week 36. That means four weeks to the due date and three weeks until the possible induction date. This is all an estimate of course, and full term is considered to be 38 to 42 weeks. I don't believe the OB will let me go past week 40 for simple distance drivings sake.

Great visit concluded

Monday my Grandmother, Aunt Carol Ann and Uncle Bill came for a visit. They left this morning just after I left for work. We had a fantastic visit. It was way too short. They've headed back to California, via Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns. They've stopped at several National Parks on this trip. We took them to Santa Elena Canyon and stopped at a few of the little pullouts and walks on the way. We also went up to the Chisos Basin and walked around, ate dinner. While I knew they were planning on driving out this direction, I honestly didn't know when, and I was very surprised to get the phone call saying they were only a few hours away. We took pictures, and of course I will post some of them.

Today I went back to work. Need to haggle over my contract for next year. They sent me a full time contract to sign, needing it back immediately, so I had to call and let them know I wasn't signing a contract until it was modified to reflect the part-time status I'm willing to work. First I was told to just sign it and send it in, then someone realized what it really said, and I was told not to sign it, as it would mean I'd agree to work full time. Gee, really? So hopefully I get the right contract tomorrow so I can mail it in and get to the district superintendant on time.

Eric said that Sam didn't like going back to daycare for the first time in what is really two weeks. He pitched some great morning tantrums. He was also really happy to see us this evening. Eric got off a little late from work because he was out on a search and rescue. He said it wasn't really a search, as the person needing assistance wasn't lost, just injured, so Eric helped man a stretcher to carry someone out of the mountains.

Grandma, Aunt Carol Ann and Uncle Bill 

Grandma, me, Sam, Eric and Uncle Bill. Aunt Carol Ann is taking the picture 

Sam and his Great-Grandmother, Carol Downey 

Company's coming!

Grandma Rupp is coming out to help with #2 and Sam! She's going to fly out to cover the time for the proposed inducement date, a week before my due date, and stay until Grandpa Leonard gets here. Sam wasn't impressed by this news, as he was throwing a tantrum. He needed a nap and one of his toys wasn't cooperating with his grand scheme.

Even more company is coming, and I'm taking a break from mopping the kitchen floor. As soon as the dishwasher finishes I need to go wash the pots and pans. After that it is time to try to pick up the living room and vaccuum or give the bathrooms a scrub. Hopefully Sam takes a LONG nap. As for my 'even more company is coming' comment, right after I get off the phone confirming an incoming grandmother, I get a phone call from my Uncle Bill. They were going to eat lunch at White Sands National Park and head on down to Big Bend National Park. This includes Uncle Bill, Aunt Carol Ann and my grandmother. I expect they'll arrive around 8 or 9 pm. I haven't given them directions to the house yet, so hopefully they'll call when they get to the park, and hopefully their cell phone will work here. Not all cell service does, no matter what your provider tells you. A few even bill it as out of country, bouncing your signal through Mexico.

Sam wasn't any more excited learning that he is about to meet his great-grandmother than he was about his grandmother. He was throwing another tantrum. So I put him down for a nap. He fell asleep just as Daddy was walking in the door for lunch. I'm using this blog as an excuse to sit down for a minute. I can't believe how something as simple as mopping the kitchen floor can be so tiring! Thank goodness I'm over the flu! I still have a little cough left, as does Sam, but otherwise we're both much healthier!

Sam loves to sing and strum his guitar. 

Check out our new freezer-fridge! The top can be either fridge or freezer, the bottom is freezer. So ugly only a garage can house it! 

Sam loves to wash his hands. 

Home with Sam and the Flu

Pedialyte pops aren't quite the bomb. Sam doesn't like to hold them, as they make his hands cold, and they aren't a substitute for his favorite apple juice popsicles, which he can't have. I put some pedialyte into his popsicle mold, so hopefully tomorrow he'll eat those. Also the pedia-pops taste terrible as they start to melt, and they make a colorful mess. So I guess I give them mixed reviews. He'll eat them, but with lots of tantrums and drama, and he doesn't understand how to push the ice stick up from the bottom. (they are just like those freezer pops in the plastic sleeves) I've found myself having to finish his pedia-pop off when he decides he's done with it, and it really does taste worse than gatorade. Blech. My nephew Kyle tells me that he would be thrilled to be on a doctor prescribed diet of Gatorade, and would drink it all day if allowed and it weren't bad for a normally healthy person to be drinking. Also he reassured me that the lemon lime powdered Gatorade is much better than that nasty blue stuff I bought yesterday. Thanks Kyle! Mom suggested I put some in a blender with ice and pretend it's a margarita.

Sam has actually eaten a little bit more today than in days past. He ate a little applesauce for breakfast, a little mexi-rice at lunch, and some spagetti-o's for dinner. Not much, but hey, it's more food than he's eaten in days, so I'm hopeful that he's on the road to being back in good health.

I've only had a couple of contractions today, so that's a good thing. I've been drinking as much as I can keep down, watering down the gatorade to make it taste better, with lots of ice. The more I can drink, the better I will get. This being stuck at home think sucks. If I'm going to be forced to stay home, I want to do something fun, not lay around on the couch or in the lounge chair and watch Aladdin and 101 Dalmations repeatedly with Sam. I'd love to go for a walk, but that's not permitted yet. Besides, we don't need to be spreading our plague.

Long Wednesday

Today it was Eric's turn to take time off to run Sam and me to the doctor. I'm dehydrated from having the flu, and both Sam and I have ear infections. Since dehydration causes contractions, and it was causing me to have some, my OB bumped my appt. to today. Good news is that we found a great pediatrician in the same building as my OB, so Sam had an appt. at the same time as I did. Now I'm tired and ready for bed. My lips and tongue are blue from choking down blue gatorade. I hate gatorade, by the way. Sam gets pedialite for the next few days. He's lost a couple of lbs, which worries us a little, but I think once he gets to feeling better he'll gain it back. I just wish we could keep him hydrated too. Pedialite makes freezer pops, so I'll let everyone know if those are a hit or not. I've gained a 1/2 lb from last week, despite being sick, so that's good. The baby is still moving really well, no concern their. Mostly I need to get myself rehydrated so that I don't start pre-term labor and get stuck on bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy. The doc said to take the rest of the week off from work and rest, and drink drink drink.

Sunday

Today is a lazy day. I'm finally making that chicken soup I promised Eric. He washed the pots and pans last night, so I thought I'd do my part and make soup out of that roasted chicken sitting in the fridge. So far I've boiled down the chicken to make broth, pulled the meat from the bones, and procrastinated the cutting up of the vegi-tables. Is it cheating if I use pre-cut baby carrots?

For those who are keeping track, I'm now 34 weeks pregnant. Full term is 38-42 weeks, with the due date being set at week #40. That means I have about a month or more left to go. While my OB has suggested that I consider being induced 1 week prior to my due date because of the 4 hour drive to the hospital, he's not willing to discuss it any further until I'm much farther along. There are too many variables still in play. Otherwise, baby is healthy, I'm healthy, except for the flu. Sam is coughing himself awake, so I think I'll go post this and then finish making soup.

Sam the tool man - working on his home improvement center. 

Tonsilitis

Eric has tonsilitis, as a complication of the flu. He got three shots. Sam got one shot, an immunization he needed to bring him up to date. However we all seem to have the flu now. We got in to a doctor this afternoon. Not much to do but make chicken soup tomorrow. I have a whole roasted chicken we've been picking at for a few days, and I'm putting it in a pot in the morning.

Hunt for a doctor

Eric isn't feeling very well, in fact he's been running a fever for 3 days and has flu symptoms. In the absence of a baby sitter, I'm taking the day off to take him up to Alpine to a doctor (he is prone to sinus infections, so if he needs drugs, let's go get 'em.) IF I can find a doctor who will answer the phone. Sam needs his two-year old shots too, so I'd like to take him to the doctor we usually go to, but the other one is usually faster at working us in, so I'll go with the first one who actually answers. So far both have had busy signals for over an hour. It is a little frustrating. All the kids I would usually see today have a half day, but I didn't want to wait until after noon to try making these phone calls, as it is a two hour drive up to Alpine. To top it all off, I've got a cold, and I'm a little tired, and Sam is, well, TWO and therefore impossible.

A good day for a nap

I really want a nap today, but I think I'll settle for an early bed time. Eric is feeling a little better this evening, but now my throat is hurting. Hopefully it's just a sympathy pain. I really don't have time to be sick. Sam is in bed, went right to sleep after watching Toy Story, one of his favorite movies. Right now I'd say his favorite is Aladdin. We just bought Bambi, but while it has lots of cute animals, his favorite, it doesn't have much music for him to dance to, so he doesn't really pay it much attention. Well, that's it for today. Goodnight.

Baby has a heartbeat

We had an OB appointment today. As usual, they weighed me, I peed in a cup, blood pressure fine, and we listened to the heartbeat with the doppler. According to Eric, behind me, sitting in Daddy's lap was our Sam lifting up his shirt and showing his tummy because mama's tummy was exposed. So the Dr. sits me back up and starts putting away the doppler, and Sam runs up to him, lifts up his shirt, and chatters away. Dr. Locke said it was a first for him, but he squeezed a little gel on Sam's tummy and took his doppler back out and we listened to Sammy's heartbeat. Sam was thrilled, and Dr. Locke made a new friend.

Eric on the other hand is not feeling well. He's got a fever and chills, and is currently watching West Wing episodes from the couch.

Orange Pipes. Aren't they beautiful! 

#2 shows a face in our most recent ultrasound. Sort of looks like an alien still... 

I'm Home!

I was in Austin for the state SLP convention. I learned lots. Me know teech language speech gooder. Now that I'm home I get to see for myself how lovely the orange pipes across the ceiling are. How festive! Maybe I should hang balloons. They put the sprinklers everywhere but in the bathrooms. And I do mean everywhere, including the closets. Now if I'm going to light a candle and forget it, chances are that candle will be in the bathroom. Honestly I don't put candles in any room at the moment because Sam is as attracted to the flame as a moth.

Speaking of Sam, he's down for a nap, cute as can be. We've taken away his pacifier because he had some sores around his mouth last week from excess snot and drool, and the pacifier was making it worse. So we're officially working on pacifier detox program. On the upside, Lily never gives him one when she's watching him, and he goes down for a nap on a regular bed just fine at her house, so it isn't quite the battle it might have been. Eric said while I was gone he's resorted to it only twice, both times were middle of the night wakenings. Since I don't expect Sam to go cold turkey, I can fully understand the occasional use. We've also purchased a couple of Sam-related books that are interesting. One is called Siblings Without Rivalry, and the others are related to potty training. The Ernie potty book is cute, but Sam doesn't seem to pay it much attention. The other potty book is for Eric and I. It discusses potty training at different ages and stages, advantages, disadvantages, setbacks, etc. It is a very reassuring book with lots of helpful advice, and no criticism that we're going to permanently scar our son. As I've only just started reading Siblings Without Rivalry, I can't tell you much about it, except that it has potential and is a good read. If you've ever had problems with either your siblings, your parents, or your children, so far I'd recommend it.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. Be glad that I was gone over April 1st, as I would have been forced to post something related on this blog. Also congrats to my sister Debbie on her new blog. Jumping on the Blog-wagon is kind of fun, isn't it?