They Finally Came!

Lydia has 2 new teeth!!! Yippeeeeeeee!!!! So now, at 20 months old, she has a total of 6 teeth - well, almost. Her new teeth are her top 1st molars, but they aren't completely in obviously - just one cusp so far. How weird is that!?!?! She doesn't have her lateral incisors yet, but we can see them coming. It honestly looks like all the rest of her teeth are trying to come in (except her 2nd molars. I haven't seen signs of those yet). She has been working on these teeth since before labor day! She got a nasty ear infection 2 weeks ago, so I knew there had to be new teeth to follow - there always is! I can't wait to see her with all her teeth!

We've decided to switch daycare. There were a couple reasons for this:
1. Lydia can't seem to stay healthy in the daycare she is at. I know, it's a daycare and kids get sick. But the other daycare has fewer kids and is at the lady's home. '
2. She kept getting bit and scratched resulting in 3 incident reports in less than a month. I felt so bad for her. But on top of that, she seems to be picking up some not so desirable behavior - like hitting and pushing other kids. I realize it is hard to disipline each toddler that acts out when there are so many kids. But since she only does it when she is around other kids, and she is rarely around other kids with us, it is hard for us to stop the behavior.
3. Money. This in-home day care will save us $200/month and it is only about 2 minutes away from our house! We met her and her family last week and really liked them. Lydia seemed to feel right at home when she was there and loved all the new toys!

So she will start there in about 1.5 weeks. I'm hoping we made the right decision and she adjusts well.

Baby - It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So excited! And relieved. I would have been stressed about having to get a whole new baby wardrobe, especially when money is tight right now. We have plenty of little girl clothes in sitting in bins in the basement, ready to be worn again. I am going to have to go through everything, wash it, and figure out what we might need more of. I'm super excited to decorate their room! We decided that they will share a room and I have so many cute ideas in my head! I already know how I want to lay it out! I just got Pottery Barn bedding for Lydia (who will be moving to a twin size bed) and the new baby on craigslist for a KILLER deal! I am so excited to put it all together with the white dresser we refinished. I can't wait to take pictures and put them on here! I also need to put pictures up of the ultrasound (but they are on a disc at home, and I am at work right now). The ultrasound tech said everything looks great. She is a little peanut so far. She was measuring a week behind, but the ultrasound tech that we could have just caught her before a growth spurt. Lydia measured 2 days ahead at her appointment. Since Labor Day, I have actually lost 1 lb! I don't know if you remeber, but I gained 3 pounds over the weekend and was thinking, "here we go again." But I ended up dropping those 3 pounds and ended up gaining 2 pounds total last month. I am about 2 pounds up again this month - with the next appointment coming up in about a week and a half. It is weird to me to be gaining so slowly after gaining so quickly with Lydia (I had gained 20 pound these same two months with Lydia!). It makes me worried sometimes that baby isn't growing normally - but I think she is probably just fine.

Fall - I cannot express how excited I am that it is Fall. It has to be possibly my favorite season! The weather is so much more comfortable (especially after the ridiculously HOT summer we had this year), the trees are so pretty and there is fun activities to take part in. Not to mention the anticipation of all the fun holidays coming up! We went to Emma Krumbee's apple orchard in Belle Plaine a couple weekends ago. It was beautiful weather! Lydia was kind of crabby (teeth?) but we all ended up having fun and picking some delicious Harrlson apples!



Lydia helping pick apples




Our little family - including my bump from our new litle girl :)



All smiles with grandma waiting to catch her at the bottom!



Lydia loved the pirate ship with the big yellow slide!

 I can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch now!!!! I found so many fun ideas for painting and carving pumpkins on Pinterest. So fun!! 

Love, Brie

Already?!?!

We are playing the Fall league of sand volleyball this year, which I am so excited about! DH and I have so much fun playing. We have played the Summer leauge the last couple years and this year, I guess we all wanted more :) We play with my dad, DH's mom, brother, sister and dad (Except he is injured for this season). It is good family time (for the most part, haha) and so nice to have a reason to see everybody at least once per week. We had our first games of the Fall season last night - we won all 6 games (3 games/match)! Great start, especially having an aweful finish to the Summer season (We narrowly avoided a family brawl due to the overly competative nature of a certain family member). A problem has arisen, however. I got up this morning and had a hard time walking. It is a familiar pain. I had the same thing happen with Lydia. It is lower pelvic/groin pain. I think SPD is kicking in, already :( It did not happen this early with Lydia. If I remember correctly, it held off until the third trimester the first pregnancy. I guess we'll see what happens after the games next week. Maybe it's a fluke. Maybe I just tweaked something weird?

In other news....We find out what we are having on FRIDAY!!!! Yay! My oppointment was originally made for for next Tuesday, but I just couldn't stand to wait until I was 20 weeks +1 day! So I called and had them switch the appointment to Friday :) I'm definitely thinking girl. The heart rate has been the same as Lydia and I've had very similar symptoms, just stronger with this pregnancy.

DH is thinking we should put both kids in the same room. He thinks there is no reason why they would need their own rooms at this age. I definitely see his point. It would be much easier to have them share a room if this one is a girl also. But I suppose we could make it work either way. They just wouldn't be able to share a room for as long. We'll have to think about it.

Miss Lydia is definitely getting teeth! She woke up (after she had a rough night) Saturday morning with about 8 bumps in her mouth where she is working on getting teeth in. 8!!!! That is crazy! It would be great if she actually did get all 8 at one time and get them over with. Then we wouldn't have to keep going through the teething process over and over again. I can't wait to see all those new teethers either! It's going to be so cute! I just hope we have a couple more good nights of sleep in the meantime. Although I think last night was a fluke and we just lucked out ;) She stayed with my MIL Saturday night while DH and I had a BBQ and bonfire with friends. She only woke up once (from 3-4am) that night, which is pretty good lately.

Here are some pictures of her weekend:


Eating corn at Grandma's




Checking out Grandpa's peppers

 Doesn't she look so big?!?! I can't believe it! I was asked this weekend if she is 3! She is only 19 months! It went too fast! But she is so fun at this age. She is talking so much! She learns so quickly now. She knows most of her body parts - head, hair, teeth, nose, cheeks, eyes, chin, ears, shoulders, arm, elbow, belly, belly button, leg, knee, foot, toes! We are working on letters, colors and numbers. She can count to 3 and is practicing "A-B-C." She is going to be speaking in full sentences before we know it!

Love, B

Escape Artist?

For the past week it has felt like my little bug has been trying to escape my belly! It seems my tummy is expanding daily and some days it feels like the little one is just going to expand right out of me! It is showing too... I think I went from barely showing/you wouldn't really know I was pregnant unless you knew me to "um, that is definitely a baby in there!" In a week! That doesn't seem right, does it??? Accompanying the growth of my belly is extra pounds. 5 lbs to be exact. In the last 2 weeks. But who's counting (I AM!!!)?

My appetite has been out of control. I have to eat every 2 hours, at least. I had been doing pretty well with making good, healthy food choices. This weekend was different. And it shows (at least I think so). We were up at Woman Lake Lodge from Saturday to today (Tuesday). We had an abundance of food, none of which I would consider healthy, with the exception of the fruit I brought. We had brats and burgers, chips and dip, fried fish and jalapeno poppers, soda and cookies, muffins and pancakes. I could go on, but I think you get the point. I guess those extra 3 pounds I put on this week is good motivation to eat right and exercise more. I am planning on  gaining no more than 15 more pounds for the rest of the pregnancy. Hopefully I don't put on any more weight the next couple weeks - the last two weeks already exceeded my weight gain quota for the month ;)

Miss Lydia had a great time up at the lake! She came fishing with us and loved looking at the fish. She liked the boat rides too. She was able to run around and explore lots of new things. The thing she didn't like about being up at the lake was not having her bed to sleep in. We brought the pack and play for her and her pillow and blankies. Apparently it just didn't cut it. She slept well 1 out of the 3 nights we were there. The other 2 were a battle. She refused to sleep in her pack and play. And she wasn't happy laying with us either. That meant to calm the raging baby, we had to stand and sway with her. This had to happen for at least an hour before we could even think about laying down with her. That was not fun. We think she is getting some teeth too. She has been drooling more, tugging at her ears and seems pretty uncomfortable at night. We have been giving her ibuprofen at night, but I don't like to give it to her so often. She sleeps so much better when she has it though. Hopefully those teeth poke through soon and we get our good sleeper back!

That's about all the updating I have for now. I'll see if I can get my hands on some pictures of Lydia from this weekend and post them on here.

Workin' Mama

And it's exhausting! I'm drained. And the weekend seems to be about 2 days too short! I have to give major props to working moms. Some moms really can do it all. I'm convinced I am not one of those moms. A full day of work plus an hour drive each way is about all the productivity I have in me for one day. When I get home I am beat. I don't have energy to make dinner, clean the house or help take care of Lydia. I do my best to push through the exhaustion and contribute as much as possible. I make dinner probably at least 50% of the time. But I feel like a total dud sometimes! Some nights I don't even have the energy to shower. And then I dread having to get up at 6:00am the next day, only to repeat it all. I feel lame.

On that note, I'm very grateful to have a full time job to help pay for our expenses, but man do I dislike what I do. I'm not used to mind-numbing work. Especially 8 hours a day of it. Just thinking about it is making me dread tomorrow. I don't know if I have ever been more bored before in my life. It's a job and it pays, but beyond that, I can't wait for it to be over!

I was able to dentistry for the first time since getting my license last weekend at Mission of Mercy. I volunteered Friday 10:30-5:00 and Saturday 5:00am-5:00pm. I loved every minute of it! I gave anesthesia (injections) on Friday and Saturday morning and was able to volunteer in the pediatric clinic in the afternoon doing fillings and extractions. It reminded me why I chose dentistry. It also reminded me how disappointed I am that I have not found a dental position yet. It brings back a lot of frustration, but at the same time, it makes me hopeful for the future that I will really love what I do. I am yet again learning a lesson in patience.

In other news, miss Lydia is doing much better with drop-off time at daycare. I have been dropping her off a little later so that I can drop her off in her room instead of another room before her teacher gets there. That has helped Lydia feel more secure when I drop her off, I think. She is also sick again. Sigh. Not good. She has had a runny nose, cough and fever for the past couple of days. DH stayed home with her yesterday and I stayed home with her today. Poor thing. It would be nice to not have to put her in a daycare with a ton of other snotty kids, but it seems to be the best option for us right now. When Lydia gets sick, of course the rest of us do too. I'm hoping it passes soon and this isn't going to be a trend through the winter.

In pregnancy news, I am now 4 months (16 weeks pregnant)! Yay! I made it to the second trimester! Here's how I'm feeling:

- My morning sickness is slowly fading, with some days being better than others. I am trying to wean off my Zofran (anti-nausea meds).
- I am definitely showing. My pants started to not button at week 15. I got a couple pairs of maternity work pants at Goodwill for $7 (for both). One pair is Gap Maternity, and the other Liz Lang.
- I've gained 2 pounds since my last appointment. That puts me at a net gain of +2 since becoming pregnant (-5 lbs in the first 8 weeks, +5 pounds week 8-12, +2 lbs week 12-16). Not sure what my Ob is going to say about that, since she said I gained too much last appointment... I disagree with her. If she says I gained too much this time too, I might just switch providers. Is that unreasonable?
- I'm very very tired! By 2:00pm I am about ready to curl up and take a nap. Sometimes I wonder how I am going to stay awake through the hour long drive home. I also frequently feel the need to go to bed before 9:30. Very tired.
- I have to snack all day to keep my stomach from growling at me. Every couple of hours, at least. I try to pack plenty of health snacks to bring with me to work (apple, nectarine, yogurt, etc). I've also been getting a coffee almost every day thanks to my wonderful friends and family who showered me with coffee shop gift cards!
- The Little Bug is quite the mover in there. I started feeling flutters at about 14 weeks and feel some jabs usually at some point throughout the day.

I think that pretty much sums up everything that has been going on in our lives. DH is in Ohio for the next couple days on business, so it is just me and Bean :) Hopefully everything goes smoothly on our own.

Our Life Lately

I am now a week and a half into my new job. The first week went pretty well, minus throwing up Monday. This week has been rough. Lydia was sick Sunday and Monday with a fever. It took a whole 5 days after starting daycare to get sick. That's fast. I hope it isn't a sign of things to come. I hate it when she is sick - I feel so bad for her. Yesterday I was feeling absolutely terrible. I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the work day. I toughed it out, but I wasn't nearly as productive as I normally am. Today, I felt horrible pretty much from the moment I woke up. I tried my best to suck it up and make it to work. I was about 5 minutes away from work when I had to turn around and head back home. I felt like I was going to have to pull over any minute to throw up. I came home and got back in bed (after my 2.5 hour commute). I slept for 7 hours. I woke up at 5:00, had some soup and goldfish and laid on the couch. I still don't feel all that great. My stomach and my lower back hurts. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm hoping it is gone by tomorrow and I can get back to functioning.

This pregnancy has been less than enjoyable so far. I know I have written that (a lot) already, but it is really frustrating for me. I really wanted to enjoy this pregnancy and continue to eat right and exercise. I haven't been able to do either so far. I enter the second trimester on Monday and I am really hoping the honeymoon stage starts.

In the mean time, I am going to try to distract myself with the Olympics! Sorry for all the complaining :-\

First Day

I started my new job today as a "clerical assistant." Basically, I am transferring information from paper optical charts to digital charting. The went smooth and I think I pretty much have the hang of things.

In other news today, I've felt terrible since eating dinner...Then I puked my brains out for a while (there goes my dinner). Miserable. I felt better for a little while - now I'm sucking on Starburst and Jolly Ranchers to try to settle my stomach. I hope I feel better tomorrow :(

Appointment #2 - Hear the Heartbeat!

DH, Lydia and I just got back from our second pre-natal visit. Here is what we found out:

1. I gained 5 pounds since the last visit. Hmmm... Not exactly what I wanted to happen. And I am quickly remembering the frustration I felt the first time around. It seems like everything I eat just sticks to me. I eat frequently but they are small meals. I think the problem comes with the carbs. But they are the only thing that really sound good. Chicken doesn't sound that great. Neither do vegetables. They are great in soup though! Yuuummmm! Fruit sits well with me too. But fruit is basically all carbs/sugar (+ good nutrients). Then there is the exercise dilemma. I have been feeling way too awful to even consider exercising. But I am starting to feel better, so I need to start adding that into my daily routine again. Oh pregnancy.

2. One of the vials of blood they took at the last appointment broke. Which meant they needed to take blood again at this appointment. Not. Good. News. I got over it though. It wasn't toooo bad :)

3. I am not anemic (yet) this pregnancy. My hemoglobin levels were at 13.7. Anything above 11 is good. Yay!

4. The baby's heart rate was 172 bpm. I guess this is pretty high, but still normal. Lydia was 166 bpm at the 12 week appointment. Maybe means another girl? (I kinda hope so)

And that's about it for that appointment. Only 1 more appointment before we find out the sex of the baby!!! *Still 2 months away though :(

In other news...I have been stressing so much about our current financial situation. If you know me, this is very strange. I don't stress about much. And I don't know that I have ever stressed like this about money. We didn't realize how much we relied on living expenses from my student loans to make ends meet around here. Our eyes were quickly opened once that money wasn't coming in anymore. It took about 2 months for the "Oh crap!" mode to set in. Luckily, I will be starting a new job on Monday. It isn't in dentistry (and pays nowhere near what dentistry would pay), but it is a job. I will be transferring medical/optical information from paper charts to digital charts at an eye place. It is a full time/temporary position that goes through the fall. Pretty good timing. It would be best if it went to the end of the year, but beggars can't be choosers :) This should really help with the financial stressing and hopefully be enough that we are financially comfortable again. And ideally, fingers crossed, once the first of the year hits dental clinics will be ready to hire. Oh goodness, I hope this is true!

Lydia is going back to the daycare she was at previously - which we love! They are more expensive ($850/month) than another in-home daycare we visited, but I know she will be safe and enjoy her time there. And that, to me, is worth the extra $300/month.

Any finally (I was thinking this was going to be a quick post), Here are the pictures of the dresser we are working on for the baby room. I couldn't find a before picture of it before we started working on it, so this is our during picture with the top sanded and the drawers stripped...

And just for fun, Lydia picking flowers at Papa's softball game :)