Pixie Dust

I bow down...

To Busy Bee Cleaning Service! We hired a cleaning service to come every other week and today was their first day. They were scheduled to come at 10 am, and they came promptly at 10 am. They cleaned our main level and our upper level, top to bottom. All the woodwork is dusted, bathrooms scrubbed, floors spotless, counters and appliances immaculate. Seriously, I love them. Our house was a disaster and these wonderful women came and cleaned it for me. They are priced extremely well and Brian and I couldn't pass them up. It will take a giant weight off of our shoulders. Now we just need to worry about taking care of the girls. So, if you are in my area and looking for a cleaning service, let me know and I'll pass along their info.

I also decided to take a pic of my big, huge belly. Here it is, a week 30 shot:

Let me tell you, I am so ready to be done. Last week I had a nasty bout of contractions again, I did my best to sleep through them and woke up contraction-less. Thank goodness. I've also still been feeling down every once and a while. I had a breakdown yesterday. I can't shake this feeling of being so useless, and my days being so monotonous. It's depressing to go to bed and the only thing I can look forward to is the same old shabang of being stuck inside my house, relying on others to take care of things. I'm trying hard to stay positive, but somedays are harder than others. I've also been struck down with a terrible case of sciatica. I'm not sure what I did this morning, but I can barely walk. I made a call to the chiro and I'm headed there at 2:30. Seriously, I bow down to them too!

Other than that, not much going on around here. The girls have a little cold, so we are full of snot around here. We are having a superbowl party on Sunday, so we are trying to get ready for that. The nursery is getting there, still not done though. I'm anxious for that! It will be so darn cute.

Well, have a wonderful day all.

Week 29

I had a doctor's appointment today. Everything looks good. My contractions are under control for now and I've been given the ok to take my drugs as needed. I still am required to not do anything, which is proving good for my health. My blood pressure was the best it's ever been! Amazing. I've formally requested my tubal ligation so we'll schedule that, along with the csection on Feb. 7. Bennett is measuring right on at 29 weeks and his heartbeat was strong. I asked my doc about being put on anti-depressants as I'm feeling quite down lately, so she put me on Wellbutrin. I'm hoping it will combat this feeling and prevent any PPD. I love my doctor, for real, she's the best. Now I just need to focus on staying calm and relaxed and hopefully we'll make it to 36/37 weeks gestation. What would be even better, is if we could make it to 38 weeks. I'm just not feeling too comfortable with delivering too early. I would like Bennett to be in good health so we can take him home. Thanks for all your wonderful thoughts and comments.

TFT- Random thoughts

I don't have many deep thoughts in my head today. So, like Heather, I am going to just do a few randoms.

1. Family. My mom pointed out yesterday that a few years back Brian and I were looking to moving from MN to FL. The appeal is there, it's warm, there's an ocean, housing is decently priced. But, a few years back I couldn't have predicted the future. WTH would I have done down there with 2 kids, on bedrest and no family? I am soooooo lucky to have good friends and amazing family so close to me. For example, the night I started contracting, I called my mom at about 8 and at about 8:20, my doc told me to head to L&D, my mom was here by 8:30 to stay with the girls. I feel so blessed to have family I can count on. Now I have people offering to clean my house, do my shopping, watch my kids and refusing me to turn them down. Wow, I'm blessed. How do you do it if you don't have your family near?

2. My bathroom. Seriously, it's disgusting. Clutter everywhere, floor hasn't been swept in months, or washed, the toilet is nasty. Is your bathroom this way? Our other bathrooms are fine, but since nobody sees ours, it goes to hell. Ewwww.

3. A maid. Would it be wrong of me to have a maid? I stay home so technically it's my job to keep this place clean. Only thing is, my priorities lie with keeping my girls happy, healthy, clean and safe. That leaves me little time to really clean. I mean, I declutter daily, try to keep the kitchen clean. But, like my previous point, the bathrooms and floors go uncleaned. I want a maid, whaaaaa!

4. Pets. Why do I have them? I am such an animal person, love them to death. But, they drive me insane. ALL THE TIME! I feel like I spend half my time yelling at them, which I hate doing. I feel I should find more time to play with them and make them feel like family, but where would I get that time?

5. Winter. Sucks Ass. Enough said...

Ok, that's about all the thoughts you'll get from me today. I'm empty.

Happy Hump Day!

Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm so glad it's Wednesday. My mom is coming over today and that makes me happy. She has been so wonderful. I'm very lucky to have a mother like her. I hope I can provide to my girls what she has for me.

Anyway, we had the girls' pictures taken a couple of weeks back and got a preview today. Here are a few of the pics:

I think they turned out beautiful. I am still waiting on the disc with at least 40 more. I'm going to get one of each of the girls blown up to at least a 16x20 size, if not bigger, for our living room wall. When Bennett comes, he'll be added to that wall. I'm so excited.

In other news, our little Bianca is well on her way to becoming a walker! She is getting better by the minute. I'm going to attempt to get some video today, if she lets me and I'll try and post that.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I think we'll be scheduling my c-section. My guess is it will be around March 14th or so. I can't believe how close that is, but how far away it feels right now. I'm just trying to get through this week. Time goes so slow these days.

Alright, have a great hump day!

Woe is me...

I don't want to say it, but oh well, I will, WOE IS ME. Ok, so it's not that bad, it could be worse. I could be confined to my bed, only to get up to pee and shower. Man, I feel for those poor women. The problem I'm having is finding how I fit into all of this. I feel so helpless because my poor hubby is doing everything. He cleans, cooks, cares for the girls, all while I sit. I'm not used to this and it's a lot harder than you would think. Especially since I am the one who usually does everything. Now I'm scrambling to find people to come sit with the girls everyday, I need a maid and who the heck is going to grocery shop for us? Can we say Simon Delivers? What's worse, is I can't even shop for cute little baby boy clothes. How sad :( Anyway, I promise I won't be like this for the rest of the 7 weeks. Or, at least I'll try :)

I do owe a huge thanks to all of you who have sent supportive emails and messages. I truly appreciate all the kind words and encouragement. I really enjoy the stories of your own experiences, it really puts things into perspective for me.

Bianca's First Birthday Party

Yesterday we had Bianca's first bday party. It was simple and small. It was nice. We had our close family and half of her Godparent team there. She got some good presents and wasn't overwhelmed by toys and people. Brian and I got her a wagon and let me tell you, it was a hit with both Bianca and Annika. Annika calls it her "red wagon". It was pretty funny to watch them ride in it. Here are some (A LOT) of pics from her big day:

Bianca had a great day opening presents, eating cake and turning 1!

Happy Birthday Bianca!

Happy 1st Birthday to our little Bianca Michelle! My has the time flown by. I really can't believe that a year ago today, Bianca was entering our lives.

Bianca was born on Saturday January 20th, 2007 at 11:04 am. She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She was a funny little thing with dark brown hair and skinny little legs. She melted my heart instantly. Here is Bianca then:

Here is Bianca today:

What is Bianca doing now?

She is almost walking. Sooooo close. She is getting brave, but not quite there yet. She sleeps great, well compared to most of her life! She is climbing steps like a pro and loves climbing on things. She is into everything, and when I say everything, I mean it! Cupboards, the fridge, the dog food, etc. She eats great and loves fruit. She adores the dogs, still. She loves to climb on them, pull at their ears and stalk them.

Bianca is such a far cry from my tiny little baby she was a year ago. She is turning into a toddler and growing up. It's really a bittersweet day for me. I love watching her grow and learn, but some days I wish she was my helpless little baby who slept for hours on my chest.

Happy Birthday Bianca. We love you dearly!

I should also mention that our sweet Annika Leigh in 2 1/2 today. You all may know this, but the girls were born exactly 18 months apart, to the day. It is a neat thing for us, and easy for us to remember!

So, here's the scoop...

Well, I'm officially 28 weeks today, and officially on modified bedrest. I spent a good portion of my night in labor and delivery last night with timeable contractions. Although they weren't too strong, they were definitely there and timeable. So, based on how early in the pregnancy this is, and my uterine weakness, I am on some drugs that help manage contractions and modified bedrest. Not something any pregnant lady wants to experience. I am now forced to find help in any way possible regarding the care of my children, housework, shopping, etc. I am feeling very frustrated by all of this as I don't like feeling useless to my family. Please just pray that these contractions are controllable and that we won't have to deal with the idea of delivering even earlier than we have to. I need this boy to come out strong and healthy.

On a happier note, I passed my glucose test with flying colors and at this very moment, I am enjoying a delicious gourmet cookie. If there is one thing I will enjoy, it's eating sweets! Bennett is measuring 1 week ahead and I am so grateful for that. I was also told that these contractions will help strengthen his lungs, so that is a positive to all of this. I am scheduled to see my dr. next week and will most likely go to weekly or every other week appointments to have a fetal fibrocentin test done. This test helps predict labor, but is only valid for 2 weeks. Last night everything tested great, but we'll have to retest in 2 weeks. So, everyone keep us in their prayers. We will need all the strength we can get. Thanks for listening and I will update as I can. I apologize in advance if I slack on blog reading and commenting. I promise I'll do my best!

How cute...

I just ordered this hat from a seller on Ebay. I got a black hat, with white writing in the Felt Font. She just emailed me and said it will be in the mail today! Now that's what I call service. I can't wait to see the real thing. It was so cheap and will be so darn cute! Just thought I'd share for all you soon-to-be mommies out there.

Chiropractors...

For those of you who have seen a chiropractor, tell me what you think. For the last 3 days, I've had disabling sciatic nerve pain. It's probably got to do with the baby sitting funny, my spine being out of whack and well, the whole hips separating thing. However, like I said, it's disabling. I am walking like an 80 year old woman. I am literally falling apart. So, I have an appointment with my Chiropractor today, I tried to get an emergency visit on Saturday, but that was a no go. Have any of you had success with your sciatic nerve after seeing the chiro? I am hanging on a wing and a prayer here as I can't live like this. I still have 9 weeks before delivery and can't stand the thought of being crippled like this that long. I need help!

Seriously, I find it so ironic that we, as women are given this wonderful "gift" of pregnancy and the ability to have babies, yet we are required to carry them for nine months without drinking, the luxury of decent painkillers and being told we are being "bitchy" because of hormones. No, I'm bitchy cause my hips are spreading to accommodate an 8 pound child, by bladder is acting like that of my 1 year old, I can't see my toes, I look like hell (meaning fat) and there isn't enough sugar in my house to make me happy! Believe me, I am lucky, but sometimes I just want to whine about it. Thanks for listening!