Tuesday is the day

...Unless I have the baby this weekend, which is very probable. Had my appt today and I am dilated to 5. Still thinned 50% and my cervix is still back there. I can't believe I am half way there already. My Dr. thinks it will be a fast labor...of course she can't predict anything or make promises. I can't believe the baby hasn't fallen out yet.

My Dr referred to me as a "walking timebomb". She is also pretty sure I won't make it until Tuesday, but if I do, they are going to break my water on Tues a.m. at 8:00. We will need to be at the hospital by 6 a.m.

I went shopping tonight for a couple hours thinking it would get things started. But nothing. I'm a little anxious about the snow storm coming. I hope I'm in the hospital before the storm starts or after the storm starts. But, no control over that.

Mason has expressed concern about missing me while I am in the hospital. I hope he isn't too anxious about it and I think I reassured him. He also talked to my stomach tonight and said "Come out baby, please, come out!! I want to hug you. Please come out baby, please come out!!" He also said he's ready for the baby to come out so he can play peek-a-boo with him and hug him. Sweetie.

Aunt Janis, how did the appt go today?

Going Nowhere Fast

What kind of sick joke is that virtual baby thing?! :)

As far as my disc that herniated, I never had an x-ray or MRI. The Physical therapist diagnosed it based on symptoms, and since it wasn't severe, they didn't recommend an x-ray. Sooooo, there is nothing to look at. At this point though, I do not care.

Everything is being pulled and stretched. Any little movements cause sharp shooting pains everywhere in my lower body. I just want to be in a quiet dark place and lay there until the baby comes.

I did get half of my Christmas wrapping done though. I do not recommend attempting that with a 5 year old when you are a few days overdue. It took all my strength to remain patient. He did a great job, and was just being 5 and trying to use the grown up scissors...again, not a good thing to attempt in my condition. But we did it, and now we have presents under the tree. Still need to decorate it though.

I also made some chicken noodle soup to freeze today. At least I can be productive. That will be 11 meals, and my sister is making me some as well, and so is my mom. So we will be set for at least 2 weeks when the baby is born.

Oh, I have changed my due date to Dec 2nd. Every 3 days I am changing my due date by 3 days. So I am never late. Either early or on time. A big snow storm may be coming this weekend, I'm guessing the baby will come then.

Still Here

what else can I say?

Yeah, what's up with the virtual baby? Why is it adding days?!? Good Night!! Of course, maybe it is right. And hey, who knows, Maybe I will have the baby on Dec 18th.....NOT!!!

I've thought about shining a flashlight and telling the baby to "go towards the light..." He can't be too comfortable in there anymore and he feels enormous!!!

My appt is Friday, and I am going to start crying with my Dr. Maybe she'll induce. Still having strong contractions off an on. Waking me up at night, but nothing regular.

Turns out no-one documented or knows exactly which disc I herniated, so that means no epidural. Ha! I am going to have to be one tough lady. WoooHoooo. Craig may need to buy me some diamond jewlery!

oooo, I am having a contraction now...just a small one. Maybe tonight? My mom's last night to work is tonight, so I may wait until tomorrow?

So I tried some video-graphy

I took some video of the super-mega snow-a-thon that we are having. You can take a look on my other blog.

Seems like a perfect day for someone to have a baby. I'm sending some vibes out, Jolee. Otherwise, I'll bet Justin would be honored if you had the baby on his birthday....December 18th.

No, I didn't think so, either....

What happened

to the virtual baby? Did anyone see? It just disappeared. On Monday I didn't see anything happen. It was still floating around.


Whoa! the baby is back! and it says 1 day to go. I hope it's right!!!

I'm still here....

and not too happy about it. I am so miserable and cr-aaaaa-bby!!! Poor Mason. My patience is running thin and it is taking all my energy to not snap or just lose it over very small and unimportant things. Everything hurts at this point. Everything. I was going to wrap Christmas presents, but I was too crabby. I didn't want to wrap someone's present with crabby thoughts.

Mason did have a good day today though. He is now in a booster seat..no longer a carseat. And he is THRILLED!!!! What a momentous day for him!! It is an adjustment for me though. He just doesn't look as safe. For 5 years we have been buckling him down and cinching straps, making sure buckles are in the right place and straps are tight enough and at the right height. But we made an appt with the carseat expert in Duluth and had her check it out as well as the baby's carseat.

Which leads me to the other fantastic part of Mason's day. The carseat expert works at the Fire Headquarters!!!! We got to park in the garage with all the fire trucks and engines, and Mason and I were given a grand, personal tour of the firestation after the car seat check with a bonafide fireman!!! He was in is GLORY!!!!!

We were given a tour of the garage and all the vehicles. The fireman opened all the compartments and showed Mason every little gadget. We learned that a "fire truck" is a ladder truck and a "fire engine" is a pumper truck. Mason did not say a word!!! His eyes were HUGE and he would just nod his head. Then Mason saw the POLE. This is when he began talking.
"That's a fire pole!! I can do a pole at the park by myself!! I can't do one that big, but I am practicing!!!!!"

Then we were given a tour of the station. Mason met the fire chief, deputy chief, assistant to the chief, and more firemen. He told many of them that he is 5 and he is in a booster seat now.

We saw melted items from fires, a map of the city with every fire hydrant marked, and the ones not working marked in red. Mason really loved that part and asked a ton of questions. We also saw the sleeping quarters and kitchen. Mason really loved seeing the sleeping quarters. Then he was able to look down the fire pole. To which Mason remarked: "I've never seen a real fireman go down a pole before!" So, the fireman said he would go down the pole for Mason....and he did. We waited at the bottom of the pole and down came the fireman. Man, Mason was thrilled!!! Once he was comfortable, he was all questions!! The fireman said "You ask good questions. Keep asking them".

As we left they gave Mason a plastic fireman's hat, a sticker that looks like a badge, and coloring book. You would have thought they had given him the holy grail. "Mom, can I get my crayons and bring my coloring book and crayons into my room to color in it? This badge looks like the fireman's badge!! I have a fire hat!!!" He also told me he wants to be a fireman when he grows up. Ahhh, it was such a wonderful experience for him, and we didn't expect it. I did however have the camera, because I knew we would be in the garage and see the trucks. We were there a total of an hour and a half.

And my little sweetie was waiting behind me in the bathroom to use the sink and said "I'm waiting in line behind the pink lady with the big fat belly".

His sense of humor is growning. We forgot to change the date on his interactive calendar. So for a week he would tell me, once a day "Mom, did you know it's Monday, Nov. 19th today?!"

Gotta love the little guy!!!

Well, I'm sure I'll be blogging again tomorrow because I will still be here. Hopefully the crabbiness will go away so I can wrap presents in the right mood.

A Few Pictures

I've got a few pictures, but can't show all of them because I may use them for our Christmas pictures.

First, it appears that Donald Driver showed up to watch the Packer game with Alyssa.

But it was just Randy.

Heather and Justin took a page from the Dittmann Family Gathering Rulebook, and made waaaaaaaaay more food than any human should ever consume.

Perfect.

The table was set,

and the turkey appeared.

There was a ham, too, but I was overcome by the yummy smell and had to abandon photo-taking for awhile.

Since nobody would take me yarn shopping, we went for a hike in the Horsetooth Mountains.

If it hadn't been for Randy, we certainly would have been crushed by this boulder,

And would not have been able to look so stunning for this photo!

Okay, Okay

I've been gone for about a week, and the natives are restless. Sheesh.

Here are some pictures from Women-Gone-Wild Weekend.

Junal and her Supermen! What a bunch of cuties!

A Lego moment that would make Justin proud!

And, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think that there's a baby in there.

Yeah, I think so.

Going Nowhere

I think I will be here forever! Although the baby is pushing down with his head off and on all day. A pleasant feeling to be sure. Maybe that means something?

Hey, the virtual baby is still in there! Is that one going to be late too?

Is anyone else out there? I am the only one who has posted for about a week. Where did everyone go?

All I Want for Christmas.......

....is a baby!!!

STILL here. Contractions are going down a bit. I am changing my due date to November 29th. Plain and Simple. Otherwise tomorrow will be a very hard day for me. Mason and I are going to keep busy tomorrow so I don't think about it too much. The virtual baby disappeared, but there is still another day left. Is that all that happens? The pictures just disappears? There should be fireworks or something.

Oh wait, the picture is back. I notice the baby is stuck head down. Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. Maybe I'll be up at midnight and can check it out then.

We decorated the house today. Mason had so much fun. He was able to decorate his own Christmas tree. That was the best thing we ever did ....giving Mason his own Christmas tree when he was 1 year old, so he wouldn't play with the big Christmas tree. And he still loves having his own tree. He can change the ornaments around whenever he wants and play with it.

We also set up an artificial tree for the first time ever. We borrowed one from my mom...she is like having a personal Christmas store....and it only took a few minutes to set up. And it comes prelit!!! There was no balancing it in the stand, making sure it was straight, or dealing with Christmas lights. It is the perfect tree for us this year, and Mason of course loves it!! And of course, he has already thrown things on it to see if they would stick, crawled under and around it. Looks like we'll need to review the "Christmas Tree rules" again :)

Yesterday Mason was angry with me, so he ran into the toy room, sat at his desk, and turned his desk lamp on and began writing. I was putting clean bedding on his bed and he asked if he could close the door to his room, then I heard him tape something on the door. He had made a sign...this is what it said:
EVRE WUN IT
KUMZ TOO MI
ROOM WIL B T
ND IN TOO
U LAZEHED

NOT BI MASON

Translation:"Everyone it comes to my room will be turned into a lazyhead. Not by Mason"

However he explained that since I was already in there when he put the sign on the door, I wouldn't be turned into a "lazyhead". I think it's funny that he stated "not by Mason"...so I wouldn't think it was him who wrote it.
A "lazyhead" to Mason is someone whose head wobbles around when they write. I think the teacher at his Sibling class had talked about a baby's wobbly head and referred to it as a "lazyhead".

Well, nothing much else going on. I'll start wrapping Christmas gifts tomorrow so we can put them under the tree; figure I'll use the time that I have while I have it. It is supposed to snow on Tuesday...maybe the baby is waiting for that...or at least the change in barometric pressure will trigger something!

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? What did everyone do?

no change

Still here. Been up since 3:15 a.m. Not sure why. This little guy tried his little acrobatic moves earlier tonight and so I was up until after midnight. As long as I sit straight up, he can't roll over. I am sure he is tired of the cramped quarters and staying in the same position, but I don't want him face up.

Other than that, nothing to report. The little guy is awake and my contractions have stopped. I wonder if I will need to be induced. I hope not, but at this point, I'll do whatever it takes. Sometimes it all feels like a dream and I wonder if I am really pregnant and if we really will have another son. For so many months we were worried he would come too early, and now it is looking like he may be late. Crazy. It was this way with Mason as well. Once I was at 37-38 weeks, the contractions stopped and nothing I did would really get them going, when earlier the slightest movement would start them up.

Mason's newest saying is: "infinity days". He was angry with me today and said "I'm not coming down into the basement for infinity days!! Not ever again!!" He also uses that expression to help determine how long something will last or take "Will the show not be on for infinity days mom?"

He's a great cook! He helped make lasagna tonight and he loved it and was a big help. I was able to brown the meat while stirred the other ingredients and helped measure them. He does love to get in the kitchen and cook...i hope that lasts for him.

OK, I am going to try and sleep. I have been watching this hunting show thinking it would lull me to sleep, but it is stressing me out. I don't like to see the animals shot or see them after. It's great that other people can hunt, I am not one of them.

Oh, no deer for my dad...yet.

Not in the hospital

I'm home. No trips to the hospital, but we had a wonderful time at my parents and my mom outdid herself with all the cookin. It was all gluten free and delicious!!! You couldn't tell the gluten was missing.

The sewer man came on Thanksgiving!! We had left a message to call us so we could schedule an appt for Friday a.m. and they called back and came at 11:00 yesterday!! It was only $50.00 more for the Holiday. And now all is well. It was a rootball from our maple tree. We'll need to have it cleared out again in the spring and then once a year after that.

The basement is all cleaned now and sanitized. Things are good now, and the contractions have stopped. I'm sure this little guy will be late.

We all spent the night at my parents...because that was the initial plan before we knew the sewer man could come Thanksgiving...and Gianni also spent the night, so Mason and Gianni had a blast. We didn't see them the entire night. They didn't go to bed until 11:30 though and were up at 7:00a.m. Mason's pretty whooped out, but he had so much fun with his cousin. Those two really get along great and play so nicely together. Vinnie and Nic were also there, but they didn't spend the night. They are a blast as well.

Everyone played football outside (except me...although I did consider it). My dad tripped over a small planter...which I missed, but I guess it was pretty hilarious. He didn't drop the football though.

What did everyone else do for Thanksgiving?! Dominic is coming up tonight and will be in town for the weekend. That will be nice to see him.

Oh BlackWater....

Well, it is almost midnight and I am waiting for Craig to come home from Walmart with a mop, mophead, bucket, gloves, and papertowels. No...it is not a crazy "nesting" attack, our sewer backed up!!!!!

ugghh. It is dis-gus-ting. It is definitely "black water" and I wish it was all just water. THANKFULLY I was going down with some laundry around 10:00, and I smelled something before I was even in the basement, and then I saw the water. THANKFULLY, it wasn't everywhere, just hanging around the manhole and a ways around it. Not much was in it, and THANKFULLY we do have pretty much everything on shelves or in plastic bins. We picked up everything off the floor around the rest of the basement... in case this breaks loose over night. THANKFULLY I took a shower tonight so the water backed up tonight and not tomorrow morning. And THANKFULLY it isn't just bubbling up, it seems to be limited to the water that we use.

So we have a lot to be thankful for during this moment. We won't be able to get anyone to fix this until Friday though....so lots of limiting on the flushing of toilets and washing hands. We've got a bucket in the sink so we can wash our hands. I feel like we are in the 1800's.
Got out the purell and potty chair. Maybe Mason can learn how to write his name in the snow tomorrow morning.

I need to rescrub the basement stairs now, and we are going to bleach the basement floor tonight because it absolutely reeks. Craig's mom and brother are coming tomorrow before we go to my parents. Mason and I will go to my parents' in the a.m. so I can take a shower and we are spending the night. Oh...and through all of this, I am having contractions....nothing regular, but the most I have had...If this were a sitcom, this would be pretty hilarious!!

But seriously, there is a lot to be thankful for. What if we had come home from the hospital tonight with our little bundle? That would have been terrible!! And what if the water had backed up 4 inches around the entire basement floor like it did 2 years ago? And what if we didn't have everything on shelves. I am also thankful the rest of the house is pretty picked up, so at least we aren't dealing with a disaster in the basement and upstairs. and the list goes on and on.

Mice and sewer backup. It's been a crazy pregnancy...not to mention all the other stressors with the pregnancy itself. Well, Craig is back, time to bleach the floor!!! Oh no, Walmart is closed until Friday a.m....Craig is checking out Cub to see if they are open. We do not have any mopheads in the house right now, and this stuff really needs to be cleaned up tonight...It stinks and we can smell it upstairs.

But we want to wish a "HAPPY THANKSGIVING" to everyone!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful time and safe travels!!! Maybe I will be in the hospital?

Still Here

Well, I'm still here, and he is still in there. Although I'm not sure for how long. I just had a contraction that was very painful...I know that it's nothing compared to what is to come, so I hope I can have an epidural. Also noticed some gross changes with this last contraction...but I won't share them.

Talked to Derek today. He is going to be in the audience on the show Phenomenom tonight with his girlfriend's mom, so look for him. He usually sits in the front row I guess and it 's easy to see him.

Derek said we should rename this blog "Mason.com". hahaha. I have been heavy on the Mason info lately. Just trying to enjoy all these moments with him.

Well, feeling pretty uncomfortable and Mason is jumping on the bed with me, so I am going to go now.

update

No changes. That's what the Dr. said. Although the baby's head is even lower now, so he can't get into a breech position. That's reassuring, especially with all the flipping around the other night. Last night he tried to do that circus trick again, but I quickly sat upright so he couldn't.

I was disappointed with the Dr appt, especially with how miserable I have been feeling. I was hoping the pain and nausea were at least related to changes. I've lost weight because I have been feeling so ill, but they said the baby is fine and it isn't enough weight to worry about. If I make it to Thanksgiving, I'm sure I'll gain it back with all the good stuff my mom made:)

I put Mason to bed at 6:45 and felt a little guilty, but he is already asleep at 7:00, so I made a good call on that one. Craig is at his small group, I am in my PJ's (Napolean Dynomite ones. It's just a picture of his face and it looks hilarious with my belly), and going to watch Lord of the Rings.

Mason had some time with Nana today, which was a blessing for me. I actually laid on the couch for 2 hours. Unheard of. And Mason had a blast with his Nana. When everyone left on Sat he said "I just want some alone time with my Nana. sigh" He was happy to have it today. He told her all about the Sibling class and all the things he learned.

I think he is anxious about all of it though. He doesn't like the unknown (who does) and is really questioning when the baby will be here. He overheard me talking about my water breaking with someone, and heard about it from his baby book...so today he asked "Will the water come out of your belly button?" When I explained that, he asked "Will it hurt when the water comes out?" So, he is really trying to put all of this together. It probably explains some of the meltdowns he is having over things that never really bothered him before. This a.m. he crawled into bed with me and asked if we could snuggle. He snuggled up so sweetly and it really was wonderful under all the blankets. It is hard to imagine that someday he won't even want to be seen with me or talk to me.

I'm trying to enjoy all these last days alone with him and I wish I felt better so we could do something special.

Praying that I can be patient with the baby too. Trying to trust God and His timing with all of this, but it's hard. I really don't want to go another week feeling like this, but we'll see.

no baby yet

well, no baby yet. Although, I am extremely uncomfortable. I thought maybe this afternoon I would be going in, but no. Last night the little guy decided to flip from face down to face up, but then decided he wanted to be face down. He had to work very hard to do this and I thought he was going to come through my stomach. He is very strong and persistent.

The crampiness is getting worse and so is the nausea. I hope it doesn't last for a week, just a day, but I have no control. My appt is tomorrow, so I'll hopefully have some good news. Maybe they will send me over to the hospital!!!

Mason went to the Sibling class tonight at the hospital. He had a blast. He ran down to the front with the "teacher" without any hesitation, or even acknowledgment that we were there! He diapered his teddy bear...without help..(he has been practicing for weeks now) and was excited that the teacher taught him how to swaddle the bear in a different way. We toured the birth center, so he saw the rooms where I will stay and the nursery and a newborn. The baby wasn't all that exciting for him.

It was nice seeing you Aunt Janis and Cathy!! I wish we all lived closer, but this blog is fun to use to keep in touch. My mom is going all out for Thanksgiving and the entire meal is gluten-free, but good gluten-free food. I hope I can be there. I was hoping I could go in today and have the baby and be out in time for Thanksgiving. i just can't wait to meet this little guy and actually hold him!!!!! I just look at all the little PJ's and it makes it harder to wait, although I am praying about this so I chill out a bit.

That's all the news. I'll update after my appt tomorrow. I was hoping that when we toured the birth center my water would break, but no such thing.

What not to do....

What not to do when you are 10 days away from your due date: Multi-task, hang Christmas decorations by yourself (especially garland), run up and down stairs, drink Raspberry tea that is supposed to induce labor....because none of this gets labor going, it only makes one very crabby.

what's he waiting for?

Still no baby. I have been scrubbing the floors on my hands and knees, I chased Mason up the stairs tonight, to which he commented :"Wow Mom! You're fast!!!", I have been carrying heavy baskets of laundry, moving furniture around....and still no labor. I still need to hang up Mason's lizard, so maybe this little guy is waiting for this.

My Dr. said if I go to my due date, this little person will be 9 pounds. I would like to deliver a little smaller baby than that if at all possible. Tomorrow I may do some laps around the yard.

I will miss the alone time with Mason though. He is so precious and I just love everything about him. His giggles, jokes, comments, thoughts, ideas, energy...just everything. I hope it isn't harder to remember things about him as we meet this new little guy. And I hope I remember everything about this new little guy like I remember Mason. It is still hard to imagine I can love them both, because I love Mason so much...but everyone tells me I will.

I am just trying to enjoy the time with Mason now. When I told him I was going to have a picture of him with me at the hospital he said " Are you kidding me?! For real?!". He also told me yesterday "Mom! When you are in the hospital, Daddy and me will be at the house ALONE!!!!!" and was very excited about it. This is a good time, because he is really identifying with Craig and wanting a lot of "Daddy time". He still loves his momma and needs at least 1 snuggle a day, but he is also really relating to Craig.

It's all about the TV dinners

Mason is very excited for his brother to be born, because he gets to eat TV dinners. He keeps looking in the freezer and saying "I can't wait to eat those!!!! When will my brother be here?"
When I was at the Dr. on Tuesday, he told her "I get to eat TV dinners when my brother is born!!!!" We only have 2 in the freezer, we may need to stock up!

Mason is also excited just to meet his brother as well. He keeps asking when he'll be here. It is hard to wait. We went through Mason's baby book and he asked me to read the part about him being born and he asked what I meant by my " water breaking". So I explained it as best I could and Mason had a very disgusted look on his face and said "I don't want that water all over me!" So I had to explain how it doesn't go everywhere and he was making sound effects of slushing water.

He was trying to guess what his Christmas presents are and these were his guesses: "A paddle of my very own!", "A pogo stick!", "A sewing set!", " A new box of crayons!"...and of course we did not get him any of those items, although they are very good ideas! He always surprises us with at least one gift request...like the sewing set. On Valentine's Day he said "I sure do hope I get my own lotion!!" When talking about his birthday a month back he said "I sure do hope I get my own desk set!" He's a creative one with the gifts, that's for sure!

Well, this baby is still in here and moving like crazy at night!! And there isn't much room for him to move around in. ouch. Maybe he is trying to find his way out...follow the light little one!! Next Dr. appt is on Tues; I hope there will be more changes by then. Well, ladies' weekend coming up! Can't wait to see everyone!! Maybe we will have our little bundle by then. I can at least hope right?!

Traction Man

Mason and I checked out a hilarious book called "Traction Man is Here" by Mini Grey. It is great. It is about a toy a boy wants called "Traction Man" and all his adventures. The boy's grandmother knits Traction Man a green romper suit with matching bonnet. And the action figure wears it and Mason laughs and giggles like there's no tomorrow. I am going to buy it for him for Christmas. And maybe one for Vinnie, Nic and Gianni. It is that hilarious.

Shots Not Welcome

Mason had the flu shot at his 5 year check-up last week, and I had his lead levels checked
(because of all the dangerous, tainted toys out there) so that required a finger poke.

Well....he had the shot and did OK, until after the shot. Then the SCREAMING started, "I'm never coming to the Dr again!!!!" " I hate shots!!!!" "I hate her!!!!!" and of course the door to the exam room was open. And I did feel bad for him. I do not like shots either, and I passed on the MMR booster since we could wait until next year, so he would only have 1 shot and 1 finger poke.

Then came the finger poke. Unfortunately, the tech explained the entire process to him, so it took 10 minutes for us to open his little fingers and he was wailing and shouting and screaming and yelling. Other staff came and tried to help calm him down, but it just revved him up more. So I put him on my lap, and we coaxed out a finger. The poke took a millisecond, and then the tech had to squeeze out the blood from his finger which seemed to take forever. Poor guy was grunting through his teeth "It hurts!!" "I want a bandaid now!!" "Stop it!!!" I think the whole process took 10 minutes. When it was done, he was completely calm and about every staff person came in to say "goodbye" to Mason...people we had never seen before. He had made such a commotion, everyone wanted to see who it was and they all knew his name. We went to the bakery for carrot cake and stopped to eat it with Nana. I told Pop about the appt and he said "That vocabulary isn't always so good huh?"

Well, Mason survived, didn't talk about it again, and had a great rest of the day. That night he was so tired from his emotional stress, he asked "Do shots make you tired?" Poor guy. i hope these things get easier for him, because it breaks my heart to see him so upset.

Still in there

Well, no baby yet. I am still hoping he will come out before this weekend!! My appt went ok. Still dilated to 4, only 50% thin...not all the way thin like I thought, and everything is still posterior. I may go to my due date...which is a discouraging thought at this point.

They measured him and estimate he is about 7 pounds 12 ounces, but that weight can be off by a pound either way. I am hoping it is off in the reverse, because if he is almost 8 pounds now, he will be pretty big by my due date, especially considering he is gaining a half pound a week. I am getting more terrified of delivery now. Not sure why my sister and I keep having these large ones.

That is about it on the baby update. Next week my OB is out of town, so I get to see my former OB, and I am excited about that. She delivered Mason and I absolutely LOVE her, but she is retiring soon, so she couldn't take me on with this one.

Thank You Cathy

Thank you Cathy for putting the pictures on the blog for me!! You are fast! What would I do without you?!? Costumes, pictures.....

Thank you again!!

2 Weeks to Go!!!! But whose counting?

Well, he's still in there.

I am dialted to 4 and thinned out, so I am hoping it is anytime soon. I have another appt tomorrow and will have an ultrasound. My contractions are getting more and more uncomfortable, but nothing regular or worth going in for. Maybe he'll just fall out.


Mason is getting ready for his brother. We have all the baby stuff out and he is using his two teddy bears (big brother bear and baby bear) with all of the baby things. It is adorable. Right now he has the playpen all set up with his baby teddy and all tucked in. He always tries to figure the world out through his play...which is nice because we know what he is thinking about and trying to process.

Mason is also a bit hyper these days....lots of partying and cake and candy and gifts and he is now 5. It is a whole new level of excitement, giggles, and projectile objects.
He bought a castle with his birthday money and has really enjoyed it. It was fun because he saw it on TV, then saw it in a Target gift catalog and was able to use a Target coupon so he could afford it....then it was on sale even more and he was able to get change back to save up for another item. He felt very grown up.

Mason continues to crack us up. He has a plastic realistic looking lizard named Benny that he was carrying everywhere with him. He had a story for Benny. Benny got run over by a car because Mason was working in his garden and didn't notice he had crawled into the street and the car didn't see Benny. so Benny needed at least 5 shots a day, had several bandages and needed constant supervision as well as 3 naps a day. He took it to the lab when I had blood drawn and showed the techs how he takes care of Benny and how he gives shots...which is not as gentle as they do it. They thought it was funny.

He is into jokes, jokes, jokes. His newest one is : Knock Knock---Who's There---I don't Know---I don't Know Who--Uncle Terry telling knock-knock jokes!!! and then he falls on the floor laughing.

he is also into books right now, and I have been waiting for this day. We checked out 20 books from the library and read 15 in one sitting. i had to stop because my voice was going hoarse. I had a 41.00 fine at the library...I didn't realize the fines went up that high. I had a book for about a year and Mason has been reminding me that I was "stealing". When I told him we were going to the library, he immediately got out the book and put it on the stairs for me so I wouldn't forget.

He's really revved up tonight. Maybe that means his brother is coming? Wouldn't that be nice?

I must be grunting a lot when i bend over, because whenever he bends over to pick something up he grunts now. Always nice to have a little walking recorder around!

We ran into Cathy and Randy at Target the other day. Mason saw Cathy and let me know. That was a fun treat. It was like we were neighbors. Maybe the baby will be here by the time you ladies come down for the ladies weekend.

Well, house is ready for baby. I am almost done Christmas shopping too. The few people that are left, I know what we are getting most of them.

Well, I am taking this miserable body to get ready for bed and to do a few last minute things around the house. Hopefully the next time I blog, it will be about the baby. But I will let you know about the appt.

Oh, and sometime after the birth of the baby, I am having a retirement party for my uterus. This womb is closed for business...for--e-v-e-r!!!!

PS I emailed pictures to Cathy for my last few blogs, so when she gets a chance she'll be able to add them to the blog.

Oh, Aunt Janis...not everyone is happy about the packers winning. Craig is a Vikings fan :)

Packers Win!! Packers Win!!

Now everyone will be happy for another week. Way to go, Packers!!! It's been a great weekend. Cathy and Randy stopped here on Friday night on their way to the Packer game and today, Sunday, they will stop on their way back from the game. What a treat! We don't get to see them very often. Last weekend I got to visit with Steve while he was doing a shoot in Wausau and the weekend before we had dinner with him while we were in Milwaukee. Always nice to spend time with family.
I'm looking forward to next weekend. Girls Weekend in Superior. I hope I get to see the new baby????? We always have a fun time.
Next week is a busy one. Red Hat on Monday, therapy or the dentist and working at the Historical Society on Tuesday, Wednesday TOPS and Thursday is therapy again. I'm hoping the snow holds off until I get to Superior on Friday.
Maybe I'll get some pictures to post from our Girls Weekend.
Take care everyone.

Baby Update

Well, no baby yet. Sorry Cathy about that, I didn't even think of that. We were just busy with everything.

As of last Tues I was 50% effaced and dilated to 3. Still having uncomfortable contractions. And I think I lost that gross thing that can mean you are getting ready to go into labor soon. I was so freaked out on Thurs I called my mom and told her she may have to do the party. but then I thought of everything that wasn't done yet and really freaked out and decided I cannot have the baby until after the 10th of November. Just a few things to get done around here, but otherwise we are ready for the little guy!!

I still need to talk with a nutritionist about the drugs though, because they may have gluten in them. What if I need to go completely drug free? That would be horrible. I am hoping not.

The biggest things to do are set up the crib and clean behind the refrigerator. I think we have everything for the baby, and my bag is packed.

Life is so much more relaxing now that Halloween is done and the party is done. That was a lot going on being this far along in the pregnancy. I am still trying to catch up on sleep. Which I am sleeping better now. Getting about 6 hours at a time...which is heavenly, especially compared to getting 2 hours at a time.

Oh, Craig does have Lymes Disease. They confirmed it. He is on an antibiotic and should be off it right before the baby's due date. So he is feeling better now. It is nice to have him back. He is still a little low on energy, but is definitely doing better. They think they caught it in time and that he should recover completely without any side effects. That is good news.

My mom was helping me dig up bulbs from our barrel planter and lo and behold, what did she find? A dead mouse! and she HATES mice!!!! I felt bad. But I am glad it was dead!! i hope we are done with those things. no funky smells in the house and no sign of them, so I am hopeful.

We are getting our tree pruned, but they were supposed to be here today, but haven't shown yet. Maybe tomorrow. Mason will love watching that!!!

That is about it. My next Dr appt is this Friday and I am hoping for good news...that I am ready to go into labor and this little guy is engaged. He is still pretty active. I video taped my stomach the other night, it's pretty funny!!

Cathy, my dad hasn't seen the birthday montage yet. For some wierd reason his computer won't download it or the baby thing. Your post is there, but no slide show, not even a red x. We can't figure it out. He is going to try to come here to see it some time soon. That was a wonderful thing you did!! I loved it!!!

Birthday Celebration

Mason had a wonderful birthday and is still celebrating!!!

We had a pirate theme party on Sat. and my mom came over the day before to help decorate. She did a great job and thought of so many other great things.

It was Mason's golden birthday, so we gave Mason a gold chain with a charm that looked like a piece of pirate gold. (Mason had asked for a gold chain a while back). So we present this "golden" gift to him before the party and I was really excited. Mason's response: "Do pirates really wear these things? Do you have anything else for me?" It was a dud gift. But at least he can't say we didn't give him anything golden on his golden birthday :) We had another gift, but waited until after the party to give it to him.

I made a "sunken" treasure chest cake...definitely not my best work.

. I know what I need to do differently if I ever make this kind of cake again. But the Mason and the kids loved it and they ate it up.

We played pirate games and the party went very smoothly. He had 6 friends over and they all gave him very fun gifts. He has been having fun ever since. Gianni spent the night and that went great as well. they stayed up until 10:30 and got up at 6:45am.

On Sunday Mason's grammy and uncle Randy came over to celebrate. we had more cake and icecream and Mason had fun.

On Monday the 5th, his actual birthday, Mason woke me up at 6:45 and asked "When is the party?!?" I asked what party and he said "My birthday party!! Today is my birthday!!!" "I am 5 years old today!!!"....we had been talking about this for a few days, trying to explain the party was early and we were celebrating early. And of course I never thought of saving a present for him to open on his actual birthday. Needless to say, I was in big trouble on the actual birthdate. Although we had our 1st snow that day so I told Mason to look out the window and said.."Maybe God gave you a birthday present by letting it snow today" and he did like the idea of that.

All day it was "Why don't I get a present on my birthday? Why isn't there a party? Am I 6 now?" etc... I tried so hard to make his birthday special with the party and gifts and sleep over and all he will remember is that on the actual day of his birthday there was no party :)

but Aunt Janis...you were a lifesaver!!! He received his birthday package on his actual birthday and loved it!!! the water bottle is a huge hit!! He shows everyone who walks through the door his "AWESOME water bottle with his name on it!!!" and he loves the books. We can't wait to play with the packing peanuts.

Then yesterday a friend came over with her children and had a gift for Mason and today a friend who couldn't make it to the party came over with a gift and we had cake and icecream. The boy has been celebrating for 4 days now. Tomorrow he has a playdate with a new friend. Very busy week. But fun. So, I hope he remembers the good things about his birthday. Next year I will know better.

Halloween Fun

Mason LOVED his halloween costume!! He put it all on Halloween morning, looked in the mirror, and said "Oh Mom, I'm Delete!!" in this little voice filled with awe!! The grin on his face was priceless!!!

He had a lot of fun trick or treating, although it was cold. He proudly told everyone who he was whenever they asked. It was fun to see him so excited!! Thank you Cathy for helping me accomplish this mission for Mason.

When my sister saw the costume, she said "Well, I can tell which parts Cathy did and which parts you did!" I had a bit of trouble with the "jet pack", but it all worked out.

We met up with Vinnie, Nic and Gianni at my parents.

All in all, Halloween was a blast and Mason really enjoyed himself!! He said that next year he wants to be Hacker and Gianni said he will be Delete so they can be a team.

Happy Birthday, Mason!!

In honor of Mason's birthday, I thought that I'd make it SNOW!!!

Hope you like it!!!